The entire courtyard is full of villains

The blade seemed to come alive in his hands, moving freely between the bones and flesh. As he cut, he casually explained a few things. In no time, the whole sheep was clearly separated, bones and meat neatly divided.

The onlookers in the canteen were stunned, and even Wu Gang couldn't help but swallow hard—this skill was indeed well-deserved.

Chapter 141 No Feast is Good

Just as Nan Yi was showing off his skills in the canteen, Secretary Su's office in the steel rolling mill office building was bustling with activity.

Li Huaide had sent the factory's driver early on to pick up the entire leadership team of the Grain Bureau—in those days, the Grain Bureau was a real "boss," and inviting one person while ignoring another could easily offend people. Secretary Su and he discussed it and decided to invite them all. They thought some people would find an excuse not to come, but to their surprise, the Grain Bureau was exceptionally accommodating this time, and the entire leadership team showed up.

Secretary Su gave Li Huaide a wink, and Li Huaide understood. After greeting everyone, he excused himself and hurriedly left, heading straight for the canteen.

Although Zhang Erhe had told him earlier that he could get a sheep, supplies were scarce these days, and Li Huaide estimated that he could only get about ten catties of mutton at most. If he only invited four or five people, ten catties would be enough, but now there were eight or nine people from the grain bureau, plus the factory staff who were there to entertain them, making a total of more than a dozen people. This amount of mutton probably wouldn't even be enough for one chopstick per person.

Li Huaide inwardly cursed his miscalculation—that old fox Yang Liming had gone to the branch factory for an "inspection" yesterday, clearly avoiding this mess. But cursing him now was useless; he could only try anything as a last resort.

Zhang Erhe had just arranged for someone to deliver the mutton to the canteen and was about to leave when Li Huaide blocked his way.

“Erhe, this is bad.” Li Huaila pulled him over and lowered his voice. “We’ve probably been tricked by Yang Liming today. Nine people from the Grain Bureau came, and we’ll have to entertain five of them. That’s fourteen people at a table. Your ten catties of mutton is simply not enough. Is what you prepared enough? If not, drive to my house now. Your sister-in-law got two catties of pork from her dad. Take that to tide you over.”

Zhang Erhe laughed as soon as he heard this: "I thought it was something serious. Brother Li, you can keep your meat for yourself. There are thirty catties of lamb today alone. Perfect timing, I also have two chickens, I'll take them over and cook them together. There's an old saying, 'Fish and lamb are a perfect match,' you can't have lamb without fish—wait a minute, I'll drive out for a bit, I know where to get fish, I guarantee I'll get you a complete and delicious meal."

"Will it work?" Li Huaide was still a little nervous.

“Brother Li, drop that ‘ma’ word.” Zhang Erhe smirked. “Who am I? The deputy head of the purchasing department of the steel rolling mill, your trusted confidant, Director Li. If I can’t even handle this little thing, do I deserve to work for you?”

Li Huaide grabbed his hand: "Erhe, we're counting on you this time!"

“Don’t worry, you chat with them a little longer, and I’ll definitely deliver the goods.” Zhang Erhe turned to leave, but then remembered something and turned back to lower his voice, “Brother Li, if we’re going to do it today, let’s make a big show of it. I’ll bring all the special-supply cigarettes and alcohol I got before, and we’ll make those guys at the Grain Bureau cough up more stuff.”

Li Huaide's eyes lit up, and he nodded emphatically.

Zhang Erhe drove around for a bit, and when he returned, he parked his car directly in front of the canteen. He had three large carp and two chickens unloaded, along with five cases of baijiu (Chinese liquor) and five cartons of cigarettes—all specially supplied goods in plain white packaging. The liquor was actually a blended liquor he had specially obtained, with a smooth taste that wouldn't hurt the throat. As for a headache the next day? That was none of Zhang Erhe's concern.

He was determined not to drink a single drop of alcohol tonight—as someone from a later era, he knew all too well the power of Hextech. As for Secretary Su and Li Huaide, who might be accidentally injured… he could only apologize in his heart.

As the items were moved into the canteen, Zhang Erhe followed. Nan Yi was busy, cooking at the stove while directing others to help. Seeing Zhang Erhe enter, he looked up and greeted him, "Section Chief Zhang."

"Master Nan, thank you for your hard work."

"It's no trouble at all, Section Chief Zhang. I noticed you brought fish and chicken again. Are you worried about not having enough food?"

“Yes, nine people from the grain bureau came tonight, plus their guests, so one table isn’t enough. We’ll probably need two. Could you please divide the food among yourselves? Don’t touch the good meat—today is about the factory’s food supply, so we need to use it wisely. But we can prepare the lamb offal and make a lamb offal soup to share with the workers who help out in the canteen. It’ll be a nice treat.”

Nan Yi was somewhat moved by what he heard. These days, leaders who truly value those who do the work are a rare sight.

No sooner had Zhang Erhe left than people crowded around to inquire, and Nan Yi told them directly. A low cheer immediately erupted in the kitchen, and even Liu Lan and Ma Hua, who were carrying pots over, heard it. The two exchanged a smile—this trip was worth it.

Zhang Erhe turned and went up into the office building, knocked on Secretary Su's door, and secretly gestured to Li Huaide. Li Huaide immediately felt reassured and quickly got up to pull him over:

"Secretary Yu, Director Lü, let me introduce you both—this is Deputy Section Chief Zhang from the Purchasing Department of our steel rolling mill. He's young and promising! If it weren't for his efforts in procuring these ingredients today, even if we wanted to treat you all well, we would be like a skilled cook without rice!"

The two leaders from the Grain Bureau, being quite perceptive, shook hands with Zhang Erhe with smiles and praised him, saying, "This young man is truly formidable." Secretary Su seized the opportunity to give him a meaningful look, and Li Huaide immediately understood, a wry smile creeping onto his face.

"Secretary Yu, Director Lü, the reason I invited you two here today is actually to share some grievances..."

The two heads of the grain bureau exchanged a glance, both knowing perfectly well that the banquet was indeed no good.

Director Lü spoke first: "Director Huai De, we've known each other for a long time. Logically speaking, steel rolling mills belong to heavy industry, and the higher-ups require priority to ensure their needs are met. From the end of last year to the beginning of this year, I haven't lowered your factory's quota at all; I've only slightly adjusted the ratio of coarse to fine grains, right?"

Li Huaide nodded quickly: "I will always remember Director Lü's kindness."

Just two days ago, we received a notice from your bureau saying that this year's grain supply will be reduced to 80%. To be honest, our factory plans to work hard this year, striving to increase last year's output value even further. But if we only provide 80% of the grain, the workers will have to work hungry. I don't mind being criticized, but the workers not having enough to eat—as you both know, this is a physically demanding industry, and if something happens…

Director Lü frowned as he listened, exchanging a glance with Secretary Yu beside him. Secretary Yu understood, cleared his throat, and said:

“Old Su, Factory Director Huai De, we understand your difficulties. But the food shortage is a nationwide issue, and even Beijing has to be careful with its resources. We can't just focus on supporting your factory and squeeze out other factories' share; that wouldn't be fair. Please be understanding… If all else fails, we can have our purchasing staff try to get some from other provinces. The Northeast suffered less damage last year, and the land is fertile, so the supply situation should be better than here. Or… could you try to find some connections there and see if you can get some?”

Now it was Secretary Su and Li Huaide's turn to smile wryly. No one present was a fool; the people in the Northeast had already been screened time and again by those with connections. Now, the locals would avoid anyone from out of town who wanted to use connections.

As they were talking, Secretary Su's secretary quietly came in, whispered a few words in his ear, and Secretary Su immediately stood up:

"Let's move to the cafeteria first and talk while we eat. We can always come up with a solution; we can't go without eating."

The group arrived at the canteen and sat down at two tables. Secretary Su and Li Huaide accompanied the two heads of the Grain Bureau, while the union chairman and others sat at the other table. Zhang Erhe originally wanted to hide at the other table, but Li Huaide pulled him there.

Chapter 142 It Wasn't All That I Learned

As soon as they sat down, Zhang Erhe gave Nan Yi a wink. Nan Yi understood and immediately told people to start serving the dishes.

The first dish was four lamb dishes: clear lamb and vermicelli soup, braised lamb, hand-pulled lamb, and the last dish was particularly ingenious—a famous Huaiyang dish, Zangshu lamb, the fish was the classic Shandong dish, sweet and sour carp, and the chicken was Sichuan-style Kung Pao chicken and spicy chicken!

As soon as the dishes were served, the eyes of the people from the Grain Bureau widened—they had seen banquets like this before, but that was in the past! What was going on now? The steel mill was willing to spend so much to invite them? The expressions on everyone's faces changed, and their judgments shifted slightly.

Secretary Su was also taken aback at first, but then smiled and greeted them, "Come, come, Lao Yu, Director Lü, please sit down. To be honest, I haven't had mutton in a long time, and I'm only here today because of you."

Zhang Erhe gestured for someone to bring the liquor over. The grain bureau leaders' eyes lit up the moment they saw the unlabeled white bottle—they were all within the system and knew that some valuable things, the more precious they were, the less branded they were.

When the packaging was opened, everyone was surprised again: the bottle was exquisitely crafted, and its appearance alone was impressive. The liquor was smooth and mellow, without the harshness of ordinary baijiu. This made the grain bureau leaders even more relieved—the steel mill was truly treating them as honored guests this time.

During the banquet, Secretary Su raised his glass first: "Old Yu, Director Lü, on behalf of the steel rolling mill, I'd like to toast you both. No matter what, your presence today is already a huge honor for our steel rolling mill. Come, come!"

Secretary Yu and Director Lü across from him quickly raised their glasses in greeting. After finishing his drink, Li Huaide immediately stood up and offered a toast, followed by the union chairman. Li Huaide gave a wink, and Zhang Erhe, understanding, immediately stepped forward to offer a toast. The moment the wine touched his lips, it vanished into thin air—not a single drop went down his throat.

After the toasts, Li Huaide warmly invited, "Come on, Secretary Yu, Director Lü, start eating! Lamb should be eaten while it's fresh."

While the leaders at the main table still maintained a respectable demeanor, the table next to them, where the union chairman sat, had already become quite lively—people from the grain bureau and the steel mill were all eating with gusto, showing no restraint whatsoever. In this day and age, who cares about being reserved when they get a meal like this?

After finishing a lamb rib, Secretary Yu put down the bone and glanced at the table below him, feeling a little embarrassed. Secretary Su, noticing this, patted him on the shoulder with a smile, "Old Yu, shall we have another one?"

"We have to go! It's been so many years since we last saw each other!"

"It's been eleven years. The last time we met was back in 1948 when we fought in Tianjin, wasn't it? We parted in a hurry, and I never expected that you would later choose to change careers."

Secretary Yu sighed, "There's nothing I can do, I'm getting old. What happened to you?"

Secretary Su smiled wryly: "In the past, when we fought the Japanese and Chiang Kai-shek, we were only holding on by sheer willpower. But as we were about to enter Beijing, that willpower gave way, and my health deteriorated significantly. Later, my old superior transferred to the Ministry of Metallurgy and asked me if I wanted to come with him, so I did."

How's your work at the steel rolling mill going?

"It's alright. The main thing is that Huaide respects me." Secretary Su then steered the conversation toward Li Huaide, "Speaking of which, Huaide and we have a long history together. His father-in-law, ***, was from the same division as us."

"Wow! There's this connection too!" Secretary Yu's eyes lit up. "Huai De, come on, you have to drink this! I've met your father-in-law before, but he was a teacher back then, and I was just a common soldier."

Li Huaide quickly raised his glass in response. After finishing his drink, he pushed Zhang Erhe in front of him: "Secretary Yu, Director Lü, we really have to thank Comrade Erhe for this meal today. Erhe, quickly, toast Secretary Yu and Director Lü!"

Zhang Erhe immediately offered a toast, but as usual, he didn't drink a drop.

After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, everyone was well-fed and had a good appetite. By this time, the dishes on the table were almost empty, and three out of five cases of liquor were gone. The atmosphere grew increasingly lively, and everyone's face was flushed.

Secretary Yu put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and said with a hint of drunkenness, "Old Su, let's not talk about anything else! I can't give you more grain than last year, but I'll supply you with the amount you had last year! However... the ratio of coarse to fine grains will have to be adjusted downwards."

Secretary Su and Li Huaide exchanged a glance, secretly pleased—this meal was definitely worthwhile! As for the ratio of coarse to refined grains, for now, as long as it fills their stomachs, both coarse and refined grains are grains.

"Secretary Yu, Director Lü, thank you so much!" the two said in unison.

Director Lü laughed heartily: "If I had known you were setting up a 'trap,' Lao Yu and I wouldn't have come today! But with this table full of dishes... damn it, if we don't confess something, you'll nag us to death!"

"No, no!" Li Huaide waved his hands repeatedly, and everyone burst into laughter.

After the laughter subsided, Director Lü straightened his expression and looked at Li Huaide: "Director Huaide, we've hit it off quite well. There are some things I need to say—originally, we didn't need so many people from our bureau to come today, but your Director Yang specifically called and insisted that our entire leadership team be present. When we arrived, he was nowhere to be seen... We both understand the implications of this. From now on, you'd better keep an eye on your Director Yang."

Li Huaide immediately understood—it was indeed Yang Liming who was behind it all. "Director Lü, thank you for your guidance. But as for our work, as long as we do it honestly and well, I believe the organization will see it."

The alcohol was starting to take effect, and the two secretaries couldn't hold on any longer, waving their hands to stop drinking. Li Huaide then forced himself to drink two more rounds with Director Lü before finally collapsing in his chair. Before falling, he didn't forget to instruct Zhang Erhe: "Direct the drivers... to get all the comrades from the Grain Bureau... safely back..."

Director Lü, sitting opposite him, had already slumped onto the table. On the other side, the union chairman, with his fierce determination, had also drunk several of the grain bureau's entourage under the table, and finally collapsed himself, unable to hold on any longer.

In the blink of an eye, Zhang Erhe became the only leader in the entire room who was still sober.

He shook his head, got up, and beckoned the drivers to come in. They helped the guests from the grain bureau onto the vehicles one by one, and each vehicle was specially assigned a cadre from the steel rolling mill to accompany them. Zhang Erhe was very thoughtful; he handed each driver a pack of cigarettes, and the accompanying people also received some—after all, he got these things easily and didn't care about spending them.

After seeing off the people from the grain bureau, he directed the escorting of his drunken leaders home one by one. Once everything was arranged, Zhang Erhe wiped the sweat from his brow and was about to sit down to catch his breath when Nan Yi knocked on the door and came in.

"Section Chief Zhang, were you satisfied with the banquet?"

Zhang Erhe gave a thumbs up: "Excellent! Huaiyang cuisine, Northwest cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, Shandong cuisine... Chef Nan, I didn't expect you to be such a jack-of-all-trades!"

Nan Yi chuckled, a hint of nostalgia on his face: "Back when my family ran a restaurant, I was always thinking about this. The head chef knew I was the young master, so he didn't hold back when teaching me his skills, which is why I learned a bit of everything... If I can make the leaders satisfied with their meal today, then all my skills have been learned."

Chapter 143 A Helpless Choice

Zhang Erhe got home close to ten o'clock. Yan Jiefang opened the door for him, his eyes darting away slightly when he saw him. Zhang Erhe didn't say much, but reached into his pocket and pulled out the half-empty pack of cigarettes left over from the hospitality, casually tossing it to him—he knew this guy smoked. Sure enough, Yan Jiefang caught the cigarette, his face immediately lighting up with a smile. Typical Yan family—whoever feeds you is your master!

"Uncle Erhe..."

"Okay, get some rest."

Zhang Erhe waved his hand and went into the courtyard. When he looked up, he saw the light coming from his own window, and his heart warmed.

He pushed open the door and went in; Guan Xue was sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for him.

"Didn't I tell you to go to bed early and not wait for me?"

"I can't sleep without you," Guan Xue said softly, then pointed to the table. "There's some hangover soup your mother made for you on the table. There's some hot water on the stove, perfect for a wash."

As she was about to get up to pour water, Zhang Erhe quickly stopped her: "Don't move! You're several months pregnant, you need to be careful with your belly."

Guan Xue smiled gently and didn't insist any further. Zhang Erhe went over by himself, drank the hangover soup in one gulp, washed his face and feet with hot water, and then returned to the bedside.

"Erhe," Guan Xue said softly, "Uncle Zhang is here tonight."

"Uncle Zhang? Zhang Guowei? What's he doing here?"

"Yeah. He didn't say what it was about. He just sat there for a bit and then left since you weren't there."

"Don't pay any attention to him anymore," Zhang Erhe said in a somber tone. "Don't give him a friendly look when he comes. He's a dog who takes advantage of others."

"Well, I see."

Meanwhile, Zhang Guowei went to Zhang Erhe's house that evening, only to find it empty. He only heard that Zhang Erhe was working overtime at his unit. He exchanged a few polite words and left dejectedly.

After being kicked out by Zhang Erhe that day, he was filled with resentment and went to confront his son. His son had graduated from high school last year and been assigned to an electronics factory, a good job. At first, his son refused to talk about it, but when pressed, he even resorted to violence before finally revealing that his son's job was due to Zhang Erhe's connections.

Zhang Guowei suddenly became furious: "Why didn't you come to me? I'm your father!"

The son's face flushed red, and he retorted defiantly, "Looking for you? You only know how to scold me! If it weren't for Brother Erhe's help all these years, would I have been able to go to high school? How could I have gotten a job in the electronics factory? Do you know that you only care about your own 'high and mighty' attitude and never care about the well-being of the family? What kind of life do other police station chiefs lead? What kind of life do we lead?"

After speaking, his son covered his face and walked away without looking back. Zhang Guowei stood there, stunned, tossing and turning all night, unable to sleep. What had he done wrong? Wasn't it right to stick to his principles, to be honest and not to take advantage of others?

The next morning, with red eyes, he arrived at the police station. He had barely sat down in the office when a police officer came to report:

"Chief, that Yan Bugui... we've been interrogating him all night. What do you think we should do?"