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

The lunch rush at the cafeteria had passed, and He Yuzhu comfortably leaned back in his special chair, legs crossed, eyes half-closed, taking a sip of the fermented rice wine that Liu Lan had prepared for him. Life couldn't be more pleasant. These days, he hardly cooks the lunch pot dishes anymore; he just watches the two inexperienced chefs work, giving them a little guidance to make sure they don't turn out too bad.

These days, workers are easy to please, just add a lot of salt and oil and they're satisfied. As for what kind of flavor they want, if you dare to mention it, I'll criticize you. What, trying to enjoy life? I'm being lenient by not giving you a taste of past hardships...

Just as he was lost in thought, the kitchen curtain was suddenly flung open, letting in a gust of cold air. Yi Zhonghai, his face grim, barged in with Jia Dongxu. The redness on Yi Zhonghai's face looked even more menacing under the kitchen lights, and coupled with his accusatory demeanor, it all seemed rather comical; at least some people in the kitchen couldn't help but burst into laughter.

At this moment, Yi Zhonghai didn't care about any of that; he still had his most important target to find. A quick glance revealed He Yuzhu was indeed still there. His anger flared instantly. He walked up to him and shouted angrily, "He Yuzhu! How dare you! You dare disobey the factory's disciplinary orders and stay in the canteen? Why aren't you reporting to the foundry workshop? Are you trying to resist to the end and cut yourself off from the people?"

Jia Dongxu chimed in, "He Yuzhu, don't push your luck! The factory leaders are magnanimous and are giving you a chance to reform. Why don't you hurry up and work hard to reflect on your crimes? What kind of ability is it to just stay here!"

He Yuzhu didn't even lift his eyelids, slowly sipped his tea, and then lazily spoke, "Are you all dead? The kitchen is a restricted area, no unauthorized personnel allowed. Don't you even know this rule? Just any Tom, Dick, or Harry dares to barge in. If something goes missing, are you going to take responsibility? From now on, no one is allowed in! A few of you, get these two noisy flies out of here!"

Several male kitchen helpers immediately surrounded them. Without saying a word, they paired up, grabbed Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu by the arms, and dragged them out. They had received a lot of help from He Yuzhu in the past, and more importantly, Chef He was now Secretary Tan's man. Didn't you see that the secretary personally came to vouch for them that day? If they followed Chef He from now on, they were guaranteed not to lose out.

"What are you doing! Let me go! I'm a level six fitter in the factory, how can you treat me like this? I'm going to report you to the factory manager!" Yi Zhonghai was both shocked and furious, struggling desperately. However, it was no use. He was a fitter and had great strength, and the two kitchen helpers were also quite strong. Moreover, they were both young men, and the two of them could not resist him at all.

"Bang! Ouch!"

The two were thrown out of the cafeteria entrance like trash, falling to the ground. The door behind them slammed shut with a bang.

Yi Zhonghai stood in the open space outside the door, pointing at the steel mill for a long time, repeatedly saying "you, you, you." He had lived most of his life and was considered a prominent figure in the steel mill; he had never suffered such humiliation before.

"Rebellion! Rebellion! Has this entire canteen become He Yuzhu's independent kingdom? He even dares to openly defy Director Yang's orders! Bullies! They're a whole bunch of bullies!"

Jia Dongxu scrambled to his feet, dusted himself off, and quickly approached Yi Zhonghai, fanning the flames, "Master, we can't let this go! That idiot Zhu is too arrogant! He completely disregards you and Director Yang!"

Yi Zhonghai's eyes were filled with resentment. After taking several deep breaths, he waved to Jia Dongxu, "You go back to the workshop first! I'm going to find Director Yang right now! I refuse to believe that no one in this steel rolling mill can handle He Yuzhu!"

Filled with deep hatred for He Yuzhu, Yi Zhonghai straightened his clothes and walked straight toward the factory office building.

Upon arriving at the factory director's office, Yang's secretary, Xiao Wang, was anxiously waiting at the door, her face extremely grim. Seeing Yi Zhonghai approach, she immediately stepped forward to stop him, "Sir, the factory director has very important business to attend to and cannot see anyone. Please leave for now."

It's unclear what got into Yi Zhonghai, whether it was his hatred for Sha Zhu that clouded his judgment, or perhaps he had come with the deaf old lady once before and was treated politely by Director Yang, which gave him the illusion that he was Director Yang's favorite.

Something that had never happened before at the steel rolling mill suddenly occurred. He shoved Secretary Wang aside, shouting, "Young comrade, get out of the way! I have something urgent to report to Director Yang immediately!" With that, he recklessly pushed open the door to the director's office and barged in!

"Factory Manager! I have something important to report to you! What about He Yuzhu..."

At that moment, Factory Director Yang Weiguo was holding the phone receiver, his face ashen, his forehead covered in sweat. Hearing the commotion, he immediately covered the receiver with his other hand, but Yi Zhonghai's shout was too loud, and the person on the other end of the line had clearly heard him as well.

When Yang Weiguo saw that it was Yi Zhonghai who barged in, he was first stunned, then instantly flew into a rage! He recognized this man; he was a senior worker in the factory, and more importantly, he had come here with that old geezer before, and the old geezer had asked him to take good care of him.

Thinking of the deaf old woman, Yang Weiguo almost lost control on the spot. If it weren't for their jumping around and spreading rumors, how could he have believed that stupid woman Wang Xuemei's words and fallen into this irredeemable situation?

"roll..."

This roar, filled with despair and violence, terrified the staff who came to check on the situation.

Yi Zhonghai was completely stunned by the roar, frozen in place, his mind blank. He hadn't even said anything yet, so why was Director Yang so angry? Wasn't he usually so kind, approachable, and respectful to old workers like him?

Just then, a displeased voice faintly came through the phone receiver, "Weiguo? What's going on? What's the situation on your end?"

Yang Weiguo shuddered, forgetting about Yi Zhonghai, and quickly removed his hand from the microphone. "No, no leader, just a small accident. A worker came in, and I'll handle it right away..."

On the other end of the phone was Yang Weiguo's powerful backer, the high-ranking official He Yuzhu had known in his past life. Listening to Yang Weiguo's panicked voice and the inappropriate commotion in the background, he frowned deeply. For the first time in his life, he doubted his own judgment. This man couldn't even keep an eye on his own office door; his subordinates were so reckless, causing such chaos at this critical juncture… Could this man truly be entrusted with important responsibilities?