The Courtyard House: He Yuzhu Returns with Boundless Hatred for Revenge

When the broadcast ended, He Yuzhu was sitting in the kitchen with his legs crossed, drinking tea. Liu Lan and the other kitchen helpers were surrounding him, talking excitedly.

"Why?! Master He is such a good person, why is he being transferred away so easily, and with such a heavy punishment? Aren't the people in the factory going to check on that courtyard house?!" a young kitchen helper said indignantly.

"Exactly! Is the foundry a place for humans? It's hot, tiring, and dangerous! Wouldn't it be a waste for Zhu Zi's skills to go there?" Another woman also looked worried. "With Zhu Zi gone, will our cafeteria still have such good days? Will the new head chef be as honest and kind to us as Zhu Zi was?"

This truly reflects the concerns of many in the canteen. After all, among the twelve canteens in the entire steel rolling mill, only He Yuzhu has a chef who doesn't leave leftovers. The other canteens are just like the old "Silly Zhu," who always eats alone.

Liu Lan launched into a tirade, "I think it was that bastard Li Dajun who did this! He and you, Zhuzi, have been at odds for a long time, he must have been stirring up trouble for you in front of the leaders!"

He Yuzhu listened to everyone's discussion, slowly sipping his tea, his mind racing. He knew, of course, who was behind it all: those old bastards in the courtyard and Wang Xuemei from the street office. He just hadn't expected Director Yang to be so easily swayed. Hadn't he rebuked the street office yesterday? Where did they get such solid evidence? They didn't even investigate; they believed him based on a phone call from the street office or a single sentence from Wang Xuemei? This needed careful consideration. Could it be that Yi Zhonghai had some connection with Yang Weiguo...?

And that Wang Xuemei is causing trouble again. Damn it, I let her off the hook yesterday, and she still won't stop? Now she dares to fabricate charges? What's wrong with this woman? Is she sexually frustrated and has a hormonal imbalance, or is she going through menopause and has nowhere to release her pent-up desires? Looks like yesterday's lesson wasn't enough. Just wait, this isn't over. Since you've already started this, don't blame me for going the extra mile. I'll send you a big gift in a few days.

Just then, Li Dajun, the canteen director, strolled in with his hands behind his back, his face full of schadenfreude.

"What are you all doing here? Get back to work!" Li Dajun snapped, his face stern. Then, his gaze fell on He Yuzhu, and he said with a forced smile, "He Yuzhu, did you hear the announcement? The factory's disciplinary decision has been issued. Stop dawdling and pack your things. Report to the foundry workshop today! Don't make things difficult for me."

He Yuzhu put down his teacup, looked up at Li Dajun, and revealed a mocking smile: "What's wrong, Li Dajun? Are you in such a hurry to kick me out? Are you afraid I'm in your way in the first canteen, or are you in a hurry to make room for your own people? I heard that the mediocre chef in the third canteen is your nephew?"

Li Dajun's face darkened. "He Yuzhu! Don't talk nonsense! You've been causing trouble outside, ruining the factory's reputation. You deserve the punishment now. It's all thanks to Director Yang's wisdom and effective management. It has nothing to do with me!"

"Hey, Director Li, when did you become so eloquent? I never would have guessed. A leader like you truly lives up to your title." He Yuzhu stood up, a head taller than Li Dajun, and looked down at him with a mocking tone. "But I remember you used to be Li Huaide's lackey, didn't you? What, now that Yang Weiguo is powerful, you want to switch sides? You're already sucking up to Yang Weiguo? Your political stance changes pretty quickly."

"What nonsense are you spouting! He Yuzhu, I'm warning you, you're a criminal now! If you dare slander your superiors again, believe me, I'll double your punishment! Get your ass to the foundry workshop right now!"

The conflict between Li Dajun and He Yuzhu has a long history. His relationship with He Daqing was already strained back then, and when He Yuzhu joined the factory, some murky things began to happen. Over the years, Li Dajun has also had a guilty conscience and has always disliked He Yuzhu, trying to find ways to ostracize him, fearing that those old grievances might be brought up again someday.

He Yuzhu had been promoted quietly, and he assumed it was because the factory leaders appreciated him, which kept him up at night for days. Now that this punishment has been announced, he's relieved. He guesses it was just an unintentional act by one of the leaders when they were drunk and frivolous. It seems He Yuzhu doesn't have any powerful connections.

"Heh," He Yuzhu sneered, but he was also calculating in his mind. Having been reborn, he should, in principle, cultivate a good relationship with his direct supervisor. However, there was an irreconcilable feud between them. In his previous life, when He Daqing returned in his later years, the two had reconciled accounts, and many things became clear. For example, when he joined the steel rolling mill as a canteen apprentice for a year, the position He Daqing had reserved for him was a direct permanent position. And the person who went to the steel rolling mill with Yi Zhonghai to process his onboarding was this Li Dajun—there was something fishy going on there.

Later, Yi Zhonghai easily brushed it off with a casual remark about needing to toughen himself up. With Qin Huairu around, he didn't dare utter a single word. Thinking back to how pathetic he was then, he mentally slapped himself several times. How brain-dead did he have to be to so easily let go of all the suffering he'd endured for so many years? It just goes to show, the gods and demons stole his soul.

But now that I've been reborn, I'm not so easy to talk to anymore. I'll settle these scores sooner or later.

What he was more concerned about at this moment was Tan Jin's attitude. He had clearly seen Secretary Tan's car downstairs in the factory office building that morning. After all, the canteen wasn't far from the office building, and he could see it every day on his way to work. With such a loud announcement playing on a loop, Tan Jin couldn't possibly have missed it. If Tan Jin chose to acquiesce to Director Yang's decision, it meant that he wasn't important enough to Director Yang, or that Tan Jin didn't want to confront Director Yang directly over a mere cook. In that case, he would have to reassess his relationship with Tan Jin. Of course, he also had a backup plan; after all, one has to rely on oneself and can't depend entirely on others.

"Li Dajun, don't rush." ​​He Yuzhu sat down again, picked up his teacup, and looked very calm. "I haven't completed the formalities yet. I have to wait for the official documents from the factory, right? Besides, I haven't finished the tea I just brewed. I can't waste it."

"You!" Li Dajun pointed at He Yuzhu, but there was nothing he could do. This hothead had choked him before, so he could only grit his teeth and say, "Fine! You keep stalling! Let's see how long you can keep this up! Once the documents come down, I'll have the security guards drag you out of here!"

Just then, a young officer wearing glasses appeared at the kitchen door, his gaze sweeping around before landing on He Yuzhu.

"Is Master He here?"

The kitchen fell silent instantly. No one recognized the man, but Li Dajun did; he was none other than Xiao Chen, the secretary to Party Secretary Tan.

Li Dajun didn't dare to be negligent and quickly forced a smile as he went to greet her, "Secretary Chen, what brings you here? I'm Li Dajun, the cafeteria director. What instructions do you have?"

Secretary Chen simply nodded slightly to him as a greeting, then walked straight to He Yuzhu and said politely, "Master He, Secretary Tan would like to see you in his office now."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the kitchen was stunned, but then Liu Lan and the others' faces lit up with joy. The secretary's secretary had come to personally invite them! This meant there was still a chance for things to turn around!

Li Dajun's face instantly turned deathly pale, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He cursed himself inwardly for his carelessness—a complete idiot! A complete idiot! Who in the entire factory, besides the Party Secretary and the Factory Director, could directly promote a chef by two levels without even issuing a notice? He'd really eaten too much meat and been blinded by greed, failing to even think of this. It seemed he'd really messed up today; he had to quickly find a way to salvage the situation.