Siheyuan: Starting from the driver

Chapter 686 Not only do they want to eat tofu, they also want to eat people.

new week.

Qin Huairu was absent-minded as soon as she got to work, her mind constantly preoccupied with how to make money.

It's not payday yet, so we need to find ways to supplement our income and make ends meet.

"I don't know how Dongxu got so much money. It shouldn't be possible."

Qin Huairu couldn't understand how Jia Dongxu, with a salary of only 38.6 yuan, managed to keep his family afloat during those difficult times.

Qin Huairu was lost in thought and didn't notice Guo Da Piezi walking up behind her. Seeing Qin Huairu's absent-minded appearance, he couldn't help but scold her.

"Hey, Qin Huairu, what are you doing? You're at work right now, what are you thinking about that's making you daydream? There are lots of metal things in the workshop, what if something happens!"

Qin Huairu saw that he was the workshop director and didn't dare to talk back, so she listened obediently to Guo Da Piezi's reprimand.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, she tearfully said, "I'm sorry, Director Guo, it was my fault, but I also had my reasons."

"We're starving, and I have no money. I have three children to feed, and I really have no other choice."

Upon hearing this, Guo Da Piezi regretted his words.

"Oh, I see. If you have any difficulties at home, you can tell me. If you really can't make ends meet, there's the factory's labor union and women's federation, right?"

"Alright, stop crying. Come to my office."

After saying that, Guo Da Piezi walked towards the office, and Qin Huairu followed him in without thinking much about it.

"Bang!" The door slammed shut.

Guo Da Piezi said seriously.

"Qin Huairu, you've been in the workshop for over half a month now. It was my oversight during this time that I didn't notice your family's difficulties. I'd like to take this opportunity to tell you what difficulties you're facing."

"I'll try to find a way to solve this for you; it's my way of showing concern for the workers' lives."

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu was deeply moved and immediately embellished the story, crying as she spoke.

After much explanation, the difficult situation was finally resolved.

Guo Da Piezi gleaned several key pieces of information from them and immediately became somewhat restless, but on the surface he maintained a sanctimonious demeanor.

"Qin Huairu, I am very sorry for the hardships you have endured in your life. It was my oversight not to pay attention to your situation before, and I apologize to you here."

"Here's five yuan. It's not much, but you can take it as compensation for my neglect."

As he spoke, Guo Da Piezi took out 5 yuan from the drawer and stuffed it directly into Qin Huairu's hand, taking the opportunity to 'take advantage' of her.

Although Qin Huairu really wanted it, she still pretended to refuse: "No, no, Director Guo, how can I take your money? You should take it back quickly."

He then handed the money back.

"Sigh, this is just a small apology from me. Please accept it. It's not much money, but your child might really need it. Please accept it without worry."

As the two went back and forth trying to pass the buck, Guo Da Piezi kept holding onto Qin Huairu's hand.

As time went on, Qin Huairu realized what was happening and was so frightened that she immediately tried to pull her hand back, but found that Guo Da Piezi was holding on very tightly and she couldn't pull it back no matter what she did.

"Director Guo." Qin Huairu murmured, but instead of dissuading him, it only made Guo Da Piezi more eager, and he held on tightly.

"Xiao Qin, you've been in Workshop One for half a month now. I've been keeping an eye on you ever since the day you arrived."

"If you ever need money at home, just tell me and I'll give it to you. Of course, the condition is that you listen to me obediently. I promise that your whole family will never have to worry about food or drink, okay?"

Hearing such blatant words, even the most naive Qin Huairu knew that Guo Da Piezi harbored malicious intentions and was up to no good, and she became even more anxious to escape.

"Director Guo, let me go! Let me go!"

Even as they struggled, Guo Da Piezi still didn't let go.

"Snapped!!!"

In a moment of desperation, Qin Huairu gave Guo Da Piezi a hard slap, and while Guo Da Piezi was stunned, she quickly pulled her hand back and fled in panic.

After leaving the office and seeing everyone in the workshop, I felt a little relieved. I straightened my clothes and quickly left.

Once she reached what she thought was a safe place, Qin Huairu looked at the 5 yuan in her hand and instantly thought of Guo Dapizi's disgusting face, wishing she could throw the money away immediately.

Dirty hands!

But then I realized that 5 yuan wasn't a small amount, and I didn't have much money on hand. I also thought about the baby at home who was crying for food.

As if possessed, he put the money into his pocket.

"Huh~"

"It's not shameful to do this for the sake of the children!"

Qin Huairu took a deep breath to calm herself down, and after a while, she went back to work in the workshop.

As soon as she returned, she saw the warehouse manager coming towards her: "Hey, you don't have anything to do right now, why don't you go to the warehouse and move some materials?"

"Huh?" Qin Huairu looked around to make sure she was the only one there, and that the warehouse manager was talking to her.

He immediately pointed to himself: "Warehouse manager, are you talking about me?"

"Nonsense! If I'm not talking about you, who else could I be talking about?"

"But I just finished my postpartum confinement period, and my body isn't in good shape, so I can't move it."

"Whether you can move it or not is none of your business. Are you going or not? If you don't, I'll report this to Director Guo."

"You're just an apprentice, and you're already being picky about your work. Are you lazy? Do you even want to keep this job?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu clenched her fists.

Knowing that Guo Da Piezi was disciplining him, he didn't want to move the materials; it was too tiring.

Immediately, he went to find Yi Zhonghai and explained the situation.

Knowing the situation, Yi Zhonghai offered a few words of comfort and then went directly to talk to Guo Da Piezi.

"Director Guo, did you send Qin Huairu to move the materials?"

"Qin Huairu is frail, you know that, how could she possibly move the fabric?"

In the past, Guo Da Piezi would always give Yi Zhonghai some face, but this time he didn't back down.

"I asked Qin Huairu to move the materials, so what? Is that a problem?"

“Yi Gong, I’m not trying to criticize you, but what’s wrong with Qin Huairu moving materials as an apprentice? Which new apprentice didn’t start out doing odd jobs like moving materials?”

"Even female workers are no exception. Qin Huairu is an exception. She's in poor health, so she should go home and rest. She shouldn't be slacking off in the workshop. Our steel rolling mill doesn't pay wages for nothing."

"If you want a salary, you have to work and follow instructions. If you're not feeling well, then wait until you've recovered before coming back!"

Guo Dapizi spoke with such righteous indignation that Yi Zhonghai found it difficult to refute him.

But she still said, "No! Director Guo, you know Qin Huairu's family is struggling financially. She had no choice but to come to fill in right after her confinement period. Please be lenient with her."

Guo Da Piezi's face darkened, and he reprimanded him sternly.

"Her family isn't doing well? Then ask everyone in the workshop, whose family is doing well? If everyone comes to me for leniency, how am I supposed to do my job as the supervisor? How can the workshop guarantee production?"

"Qin Huairu, you either go move the materials today, or pack your things and get out! I don't keep idle people here!"

After saying that, Guo Da Piezi turned and left.

Seeing that Guo Da Piezi was showing him no respect, Yi Zhonghai's face darkened, and he vowed to find an opportunity to retaliate.

Left with no other option, Yi Zhonghai relayed Guo Da Piezi's exact words to Qin Huairu, offering words of comfort: "Just follow orders and make do for now. I'll find a way to get you a better position."

"Grandpa, you have to help me!" Qin Huairu pleaded pitifully.

"Don't worry, I won't abandon you."

Qin Huairu understood that Guo Dapizi was making things difficult for her, but in order to support her family, she had no choice but to go and move the materials, no matter how unwilling she was.

We arrived at the warehouse.

Qin Huairu wasn't originally supposed to come here, to avoid reminding her of the past, but Guo Da Piezi didn't care about that since he wanted to deal with her.

"It's so heavy, how can I move it by myself?"

Qin Huairu saw the warehouse full of materials; a box of raw materials weighed anywhere from tens of kilograms to over a hundred kilograms.

How could a frail woman who had just given birth move around? For the past two weeks, the workers had been taking care of her, intentionally or unintentionally, and she hadn't done much heavy work.

With things having come to this, Qin Huairu could only bury herself in her work. Even using a handcart to pull it was a huge effort, and she was exhausted after just one trip.

"So many, what are we going to do?"

Looking at the mountain of materials piled up in the warehouse, Qin Huairu felt like she wanted to die.

Unbeknownst to her, the warehouse manager was secretly watching her work, observing her for a while before turning to report to someone.

After a long day, Qin Huairu was so exhausted that she lay on the ground like a dead dog, not wanting to move a single finger.

"Jingle Bell--"

Finally, she heard the pleasant ringing of the bell signaling the end of the workday. Qin Huairu forced herself to get up and slowly walked home.

We had to rest every now and then, and we had to rest three or four times in just over ten minutes.

She dragged herself home and saw the cold stove and pots in the kitchen. Then she looked at Jia Zhangshi and Banggeng, who were waiting for her to come back.

Qin Huairu was too tired to move: "Mom, you cook today, I don't have the energy."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi immediately became restless.

"Qin Huairu, you heartless bastard, how dare you order me around! You think you're so great, huh? How dare you talk to me like that."

"Hurry up and cook! Banggeng and I are starving. You're back so late, did you go out and cheat on us with other men?!"

"Dongxu, come up here quickly! Your wife is cheating on you with another man! Take her away right now!"

Qin Huairu watched Jia Zhangshi's energetic cursing and felt utterly hopeless. She had been exhausted all day, and not only was she not shown any understanding, but she was also slandered. She had no way to express her bitterness.

"Alright, stop messing around, I'll do it, okay?"

Despite her aching back and waist, Qin Huairu forced herself to cook.

Looking at Qin Huairu's hunched figure, Jia Zhangshi couldn't help but sneer, "What a piece of trash! You dare to make me cook? Just wait and see how I deal with you!"

Yi Zhonghai listened to the sounds coming from the Jia family's house, lost in thought.

However, the original plan to transfer Qin Huairu to a different job was abandoned for some reason.

After Qin Huairu finished cooking and brought the food out, she couldn't hold on any longer and lay down on the bed to rest, not even eating.

Looking at the food that resembled pig swill, Jia Zhangshi curled her lip.

Just as he was about to curse a few times, he heard Qin Huairu snoring, so he just muttered a few curses in silence and then stopped.

The next day.

Qin Huairu felt sore all over, her back ached, and she felt uncomfortable everywhere. She really didn't want to go to work.

But in the end, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to get up.

Her stomach was growling with hunger, but Qin Huairu didn't care at all and went straight to find Yi Zhonghai.

"Uncle, please help me. Can you say something to me? I really can't keep doing this work of moving materials. My whole body is in pain."

"I was so tired yesterday that I fell asleep without even eating. If I keep doing this for two more days, I might have to go to the hospital."

Yi Zhonghai nodded: "Okay, I'll talk to Guo Da Piezi when I get to the workshop later and try my best to get you transferred back, but if he doesn't agree, there's nothing I can do."

Seeing that Yi Zhonghai had agreed, Qin Huairu returned home overjoyed. With Yi Zhonghai personally taking charge, how could Guo Da Piezi not give him some face?

Upon arriving at the workshop, Yi Zhonghai went straight to find Guo Da Piezi.

Meanwhile, as if she had been waiting for her, the warehouse manager came up to her directly and said, "Qin Huairu, you're in charge of hauling materials today."

Qin Huairu didn't care at all when she heard what the warehouse manager said. Yi Zhonghai had already gone in, and she didn't believe that she would still have to pull him out when he came out.

He simply waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Alright, I understand," as if urging the warehouse manager to get out of there quickly.

The warehouse manager didn't care; he had already notified the staff, so he left.

After a while, Yi Zhonghai finally came out.

Qin Huairu immediately stepped forward: "How is the old man?"

Yi Zhonghai's face turned ugly. He hadn't expected Guo Da Piezi to really disrespect him. He would hold this grudge.

Yi Zhonghai explained sullenly, "Xiao Qin, I talked to Guo Da Piezi for a long time, but he just wouldn't agree."

"In the end, I tried my best to persuade her, but Guo Da Piezi insisted that you go in. Did you offend her? If you don't agree, you should talk to her properly."

Qin Huairu really wanted to give Yi Zhonghai a good beating. He always boasted about how great he was, but when it really came down to it, he was utterly useless.

Didn't I tell you yesterday what conflict she had with Guo Da Piezi? He has ulterior motives towards me.

Qin Huairu hated Yi Zhonghai in her heart, but she wore a smile on her face.

"Thank you for your hard work, sir. You've done your best. It's alright if it doesn't work out! I'll go talk to Director Guo right away."

Qin Huairu looked at the office door, mustered up her courage, opened it, and went inside.

Guo Da Piezi smiled as he watched Qin Huairu walk in, his eyes openly scrutinizing her from head to toe.

"Qin Huairu, what do you want?"

Qin Huairu, with a pitiful and delicate appearance, pleaded, "Director Guo, please, have mercy on me! I'm weak after giving birth, and I really can't continue doing the work of hauling materials."

"Director, please have mercy and help me find another job!"

Guo Da Piezi's face was serious: "Qin Huairu, what kind of talk is that? Do you think you can just change jobs whenever you want? This is all arranged according to the workshop's schedule."

"You think you can't do it? Go ask your master and senior sisters. When they first came here, didn't they all start by hauling materials?"

"They can do it, but you can't? Are you the only one whose body is so precious?"

"No, no, that's not what I meant. Director Guo, I really can't do this job. Please, please, have mercy and give me another one! I beg you!"

Seeing Qin Huairu's fawning manner, Guo Da Piezi felt even more smug.

Looking down at her, he couldn't help but feel a surge of desire.

His hands slowly rested on Qin Huairu's shoulders, within her sight.

"Qin Huairu, it's not that you can't change jobs, but it all depends on how you do it?"

The moment Guo Da Piezi's hand touched hers, Qin Huairu couldn't help but tremble. How could she not know the meaning behind this gesture?

Guo Da Piezi's words made Qin Huairu's heart pound; he was asking her to have an affair.

Jia Dongxu has only been dead for a few months, and she dares to have an affair, even if she was forced into it. If people find out, they'll gossip about her behind her back.

Qin Huairu really wanted to give Guo Dapizi a good beating on the spot, and then turn around and leave.

But the thought of spending his whole life working in the workshop and being controlled by Guo Da Piezi gradually eroded his courage to resist.

I lowered my head, closed my eyes, and didn't know what to do.

Seeing that Qin Huairu offered no resistance, Guo Da Piezi couldn't help but smile wickedly.

The first step has been successful.

My hands unconsciously moved down from my shoulders.

Just as his hands were about to stop on that peak.

"Bang!" The door suddenly opened.

Guo Da Piezi was so frightened that he quickly stopped.

Qin Huairu's tense expression eased, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

His innocence has been preserved.

The two of them stared at the door.

"Xiao Qin."

Yi Zhonghai strode in, and seeing the two of them in such a flustered state, he realized that their behavior was exactly as he had expected.

Instantly, he glared angrily at Guo Da Piezi.

"Xiao Qin, you can go out and do your work first. I have something to discuss with Director Guo."

"Oh, um." Qin Huairu fled this place of trouble in a panic.

(End of this chapter)