Restarting life in Siheyuan

Lou Xiao'e's lips trembled, tears welled up in her eyes: "I didn't, I just wanted to work hard, I love this factory, I work as hard as everyone else. I can't choose my background, but I always consider myself a member of the working class."

Lou Xiao'e's voice was too soft and few people could hear it in the noisy conference hall, so it did not cause any response.

Seeing this, Zhou Wenwen on the side tightly grasped Lou Xiao'e's hand. She looked at the people on the stage angrily: "You are wrongly accusing a good person. You convicted her just because of her background. This is ridiculous and unfair! I work with Xiao'e every day. I can testify that she works hard, always strives to make progress, works hard to serve the factory, is devoted to the factory, and has not colluded with anyone."

Zhou Wenwen's voice was quite loud, at least some people in the front could hear her clearly. Her words caused some people to ponder, and slowly, the whispered discussion turned into a debate, which in turn caused a commotion, and some workers from the vehicle factory were whispering.

"That's right. Technician Lou is very serious about her work. She treats us well and is polite to everyone. She often helps people. I have never seen her have any hatred against anyone, nor have I seen her collude with anyone. Is it too much to say that about her?"

But this voice was quickly suppressed. Liu Haizhong shouted loudly: "Don't be fooled by their sweet words. They are all in the same group. They are not clean themselves. How can they testify for others? We must resolutely draw a clear line between ourselves and them!"

The venue was noisy. Zhou Wenwen knew that no matter how much she defended herself, no one would hear her. She gave up and helped Lou Xiao'e, who was slumped on the stage. Lou Xiao'e gently stood up, frowned slightly, and gently stroked her abdomen. There was already a little life in her belly. This was the baby she and her man had finally conceived. Now was the dangerous stage. She couldn't help but feel worried. The man was the only child and this was the root of the He family. She looked down at the stage again. There were so many people, but she couldn't see the figure of that reckless person. According to his temper, he should have jumped out by now. She couldn't help but feel worried.

Li Huaide looked at Zhou Wenwen in front of him and was a little confused. She should not be on the list he had planned. He still had some impression of this female worker. He was there when she sent her husband to join the army. How did he get her here? This was a trouble and it was easy to make mistakes.

He frowned and asked Guo Xiao beside him in a loud voice, "She shouldn't be on the list, how did you get her here, who made the decision?"

Seeing this, Guo Da quickly leaned over and whispered, "Director Huang added it last night, saying that she and Lou Xiao'e are inseparable, so she must be her accomplice."

As soon as Huang Wanglong came back, he was highly valued by Li Huaide and was promoted two levels to become deputy director. Guo Da has always complained about this. He has been working hard for Li Huaide, but now he is only the captain of the joint defense team, which is the level of a section chief. There is a huge difference between the two. Now that he sees Li Huaide is dissatisfied, he doesn't mind putting in some eye drops. Sure enough, he sees the leader criticizing him with a dark face.

"What on earth is this Huang Wanglong trying to do? He's so brainless. It's nonsense to ask him to come to my office to find me after the meeting." Li Huaide regretted bringing him back now. Huang Wanglong had too many ulterior motives and was not suitable to continue following him. If he continued like this, he didn't know how much trouble would arise. Li Huaide had already decided that he could no longer use this person. Originally, he thought that he had been actively approaching him, and he was short of people. Now it seems that this was a mistake. Now that he is in power, he is no longer short of people like before. This kind of brainless person must not be kept.

Zhou Wenwen's words brought a brief silence to the venue, but this silence was soon broken. Liu Haizhong shouted loudly: "Zhou Wenwen, you still dare to be stubborn? You and Lou Xiao'e have been sneaking around all day long."

Liu Haizhong on the stage criticized loudly and righteously, and his voice echoed in the conference hall through the microphone and the radio, suppressing the chaotic discussions. As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd below the stage started talking again, but this time everyone seemed to be on Liu Haizhong's side. Li Huaide in the back row saw it and nodded with satisfaction. He chose Liu Haizhong because Liu Haizhong had a certain reputation among the workers, and now it seems the effect is good.

Liu Haizhong is somewhat famous among the workers. Because of his son, he was set as a role model a few years ago and gained a lot of popularity. When he opened his mouth, many people chose to believe him.

Liu Haizhong's nonsense made Lou Xiao'e and Zhou Wenwen a little confused. They were so angry that they were shaking, but they could not argue in the face of the huge crowd and the chaotic venue. The other people on the stage watched all this, their hearts filled with grief and anger, but they could not protect themselves and were powerless.

At this moment, a middle-aged worker stood up from the front of the venue with an angry look on his face. He turned around and waved at the chaotic venue, indicating that he had something to say. Many people recognized that this was Master Lu, an eighth-level worker from the third workshop. He was now the youngest eighth-level worker in the steel rolling mill. He was an old master who had been on the honor roll many times, so his influence was naturally not small. The workers and apprentices around him also made trumpets with their hands and shouted in unison.

"Everyone, please be quiet. Master Lu has something to say. Please be quiet."

Master Lu still has a great reputation. Seeing this, many people stopped talking. Slowly, the meeting place became miraculously quiet. Li Huaide frowned again. Of course he knew Master Lu. He always took the initiative to greet him warmly. This was the secret of his work, to get along with the workers anytime and anywhere.

"Comrades, we can't be impulsive! Can't you see what Director Yang has done for the development of the steel mill? He has worked hard for our factory, and I, Old Lu, trust him. Director Xia is also a good leader who works seriously and responsibly. Their vehicle factory earns more than 10 million US dollars a year. Who does this depend on? Without his command, can you check your conscience? Can our factory do it? And technicians Lou and Zhou have also worked hard for the export of the steel mill's products. You don't know, but I know it very well. So, we must open our eyes and not believe everything we hear! If we continue to mess around like this, our steel mill will be in a real mess."

He had spent a year in Hong Kong and understood the foreign exchange earning process of the steel rolling mill much better than ordinary workers. He knew that the processing plant in Hong Kong, from conception to negotiation and subsequent planning and implementation, was the result of Lao Yang's hard work. In such a situation today, it was not Lao Lu's style to keep silent.

Master Lu's words aroused collective applause from the third workshop and resonated with more workers. They began to talk loudly and the venue was obviously out of control. Liu Haizhong shouted several times with the microphone, but it seemed to have no effect. Master Lu's words were very convincing, and the influence of the eighth-level worker was too great.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Huang Wanglong quickly jumped out from the back row of the rostrum, took two steps at a time to the front of the stage, pointed at Master Lu, and looked heartbroken.

"Comrade Lao Lu, do you know what you are saying? You can't tell friend from foe. Do you even know who you are? You are so confused."

Master Lu had a righteous look on his face and did not back down. "You don't need to tell me who I am. I know whether I am confused or not. I am of good family background and working class. When I came to the steel mill, you were a tadpole. I just told the truth. You can't wrongly accuse a good person. If you keep messing around like this, our factory will be finished!"

Old Lu couldn't stand people like Huang Wanglong. He couldn't understand how a person who was demoted and worked in a branch factory for a few years could come back inexplicably. He was now an eighth-level worker, so he was naturally not afraid of Huang Wanglong. Even Li Huaide had to politely call him Master Lu when they saw him, because he was the youngest eighth-level worker in the steel rolling mill.

Master Lu's words caused a burst of laughter. The solemn atmosphere was suddenly broken. The serious atmosphere in the venue disappeared, and all kinds of jokes and dirty jokes came out. People greeted Huang Wanglong one after another. They should be Master Lu's friends and apprentices, and the venue was out of control.

Li Huaide waved his hands quietly, and soon, the joint defense team leader Guo Da came over with a few people and wanted to forcibly pull Master Lu away. If Master Lu stayed at the venue, the meeting could not be held. But Master Lu was a fitter with many years of experience and was very strong. The surrounding workers and apprentices also stood up to stop them. It would be difficult for Guo Da's people to succeed for a while. Seeing this, Li Huaide, who was far away, looked even uglier and glared at Guo Da in the audience.

"If any more people go, they must be asked to leave!" Guo Da also had a dark face. Several young men squeezed past him from behind. The scene became chaotic. The workers soon had a dispute with the joint defense team members and started fighting. The venue fell into further chaos.

Many of the workers who had originally supported the movement began to waver. They looked at the factory director and colleagues being tortured on the stage, then at Master Lu who was about to be forcibly taken away and the joint defense team members who were fighting each other, and a trace of pity arose in their hearts.

"Let the security department come in to maintain order!" Seeing that the scene was getting more chaotic and the joint defense team couldn't control it anymore, Li Huaide spoke again with a dark face. He didn't expect that Lao Lu's influence would be so great.

"Brother, why did you come just now? Everything is in chaos!"

"What's going on?" Lin Yilan reported the situation in a hurry as soon as they arrived at the gate of the steel rolling mill. Seeing many people rushing out of the gate and heading straight for the vehicle factory, Zhu Xuefeng had a bad feeling.

"As soon as we got to work today, we were notified that everyone who was notified must arrive at the auditorium before 8:30. The meeting started at 8:30, and it has already started for 50 minutes. The venue is already in chaos."

Zhu Xuefeng was really shocked when he heard this. He had never expected the steel mill to move so quickly. He looked at the time and it was not even 9:20 yet. He could only blame himself for wasting too much time. "Where are your people? Where is Lao Ma?"

"Director Ma is in the Municipal Bureau and cannot be contacted at all. Deputy Director Xue has just returned to the office. Our people are led by Section Chief Wang to maintain order outside the auditorium. The joint defense team is in charge inside."

"How's Old Yang?"

Lin Yilan was anxious, "Not very good, not only Director Yang, but also Director Xia, Lou Xiao'e, Zhou Wenwen and more than ten others."

Zhu Xuefeng also became anxious all of a sudden. "Xiao He, show your credentials to Deputy Section Chief Lin, and quickly go to the auditorium of the steel mill to control the scene. No one is allowed to enter or leave."

"Yes!" A team member in the car immediately took out his ID and handed it to Lin Yilan. Lin Yilan took the ID with surprise and checked it, and her expression became serious.

"Lin Yilan, deputy section chief of the steel mill's security department, accepted the call."

"Send someone to invite Deputy Director Xue to the scene, show him our ID, and tell him that we received a report that someone maliciously targeted the family of JUN people!" Zhu Xuefeng was also very happy. Thinking of Zhou Wenwen, he made up an excuse first and would act according to the situation later.

A group of people followed the jeep and quickly rushed to the auditorium of the steel mill. Lou Xiao'e and Zhou Wenwen were pulled aside. Some people threw debris at them and cursed them. Lou Xiao'e curled up and kept protecting her belly. Zhou Wenwen also used her body to protect her. "This is a pregnant woman! Do you still have humanity? You will regret it!"

Another old worker stood up and shouted, "Comrades, we can't do this blindly! We have seen what the factory director and others have done for the factory."

Countless hesitant and on-the-spot workers quickly responded, and the old master's words caused a greater commotion. Some workers began to respond boldly: "Yes, we must check it out!"

Uniform slogans rang out in the meeting hall. The voices became more and more uniform, and the noise became louder and louder. Soon, even the joint defense team members could not suppress it.

Old Yang looked at Old Xia, their eyes were wet, and they both murmured to themselves, "The eyes of the masses are sharp!"

After the Security Department entered the venue, the chaotic scene became quiet with the sound of gunfire. Whether on the stage or in the audience, everyone looked in surprise at the Security Department officers who rushed into the venue, each holding a weapon. Their Deputy Director Xue stood at the back of the venue, with wisps of green smoke coming out of his pistol.

Deputy Director Xue and Section Chief Wang were both military men and had a sense of responsibility. Seeing the chaos in the meeting hall, Deputy Director Xue simply pulled out his gun and fired three shots at the roof, finally suppressing the enthusiasm and chaos.

"Who told you to shoot?" Li Huaide was furious and picked up the microphone and shouted.

Deputy Director Xue ignored him, ran quickly to the podium and grabbed the microphone.

"According to the instructions of our superiors, the venue is sealed off. No one is allowed to enter or leave. Everyone, please stay seated!"

"What superior? I am the superior! Xue Zhengcan, what the hell are you doing!"

"I'm sorry, Deputy Director Li, I have to obey higher-level instructions now. You have to stay seated. If you resist, I'll take you away immediately!"

Li Huaide was stunned and sat down. Soon he saw a young man, a young man he didn't want to see. Not far away, a man was brought out from the utility room of the auditorium.

The man who was released ran straight to Li Huaide and cursed, "Li Huaide, you are such a heartless person, I will never let you go, just wait and see..."

Zhu Xuefeng patted the man's shoulder and signaled the security officer to let go. "What are you doing? Go see your wife and take her to the hospital first."

The man suddenly realized, "Okay, brother, you go ahead and do your work. I'll go check on my wife. I'll deal with these damned bastards later."

"Is Lou Xiao'e pregnant?" Li Huaide asked with a dark face and turned his head.

Huang Wanglong answered cautiously, "She said it herself, who knows if it's true or not? Anyway, her body is not showing, so it's probably fake."

Looking at Master Lu and Lao Si, who had bruises on their faces, Zhu Xuefeng whispered a few instructions and they were quickly taken away.

In the dressing room of the auditorium, the security officer was cleaning everyone's external injuries, and Zhu Xuefeng listened quietly to the statements of several people.

He was very surprised that Zhou Wenwen was singled out, but after listening to the whole process, he had an idea in his mind. It was very likely that she was implicated because of his handling of Huang Wanglong. It was really an unexpected disaster.

"Uncle Yang, I can't help you clarify your matter, please forgive me."

Old Yang nodded, he didn't care too much.

"Director Xia's case is very simple. Bring the witness here so I can question him."

"I know, don't worry about me." Old Xia wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and spoke lightly. (End of this chapter)