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

In the evening, the middle-aged women who had been called to the police station to spread rumors were released after giving statements and receiving a stern reprimand. After all, they were just uneducated housewives who only knew how to gossip; similar incidents were common these days, and it wasn't realistic to pursue every single one of them. The police had them put their fingerprints on documents and sign guarantees before they could go home.

These middle-aged women, still shaken, waited anxiously at their courtyard house for their husbands to return, but they didn't. Panicked, they went outside to check, only to find that their husbands weren't home either. They went to inquire with other women working at the steel mill nearby. To their dismay, their husbands had all been arrested and imprisoned by the factory security department for spreading rumors with Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong!

This caused quite a stir!

"That damned Yi Zhonghai! It's all his fault!"

"And Liu Haizhong! What's with the airs of a high-ranking leader? He's dragging our whole family down with him!"

If something happens, how will our whole family survive? They're trying to starve us to death!

"No! We can't just let this go! We have to go find them!"

Forget about going home to cook, they gathered their families, and dozens of them surged towards the front, middle, and back yards. They didn't dare to directly cause trouble for He Yuzhu. That man only knew how to use his fists and didn't reason; he was too much like a thug, and they couldn't afford to offend him. But they had no qualms about causing trouble for the Yi, Liu, and Yan families.

Shouts, cries, and banging on doors filled the air, turning the entire courtyard into chaos. All three houses kept their doors tightly shut, and no matter how much noise raged outside, there was not a sound inside.

Zhang Guifen, an older woman, was originally planning to go to the hospital to take over Qin Huairu's care of Jia Dongxu, but before she could even leave the house, she heard the news of her husband's accident. Terrified, she lost all interest in the Jia family. She bolted the door shut, leaning against it and trembling, hoping only to survive this ordeal. With her husband and the old lady in trouble, she was completely disoriented and had no idea what to do.

He Yuzhu squatted outside the door with a big bowl. He had simply made some noodles with soybean paste today, and he was eating and watching the show. Just wait, this is nothing. My revenge will be like a raging river, endless and continuous. You can suffer slowly.

At the hospital, Qin Huai waited and waited, but as darkness fell, the older woman still hadn't come to relieve her. She had been working tirelessly for a day and a night with her large pregnant belly, and was utterly exhausted. She also had a baby at home who was left unattended, and she was anxious. She couldn't help but feel resentment towards the older woman; "A barren hen pretending to be something she's not," she thought.

Jia Dongxu gritted his teeth in hatred, "That Yi Zhonghai! I've only just gotten into trouble, and he already doesn't care about me anymore! He didn't even send a replacement! What kind of damn master is he! You all look down on me, don't you?"

. . . . . .

The next morning, in the steel rolling mill conference room

An expanded meeting of the factory's Party Committee is being held to discuss how to deal with those involved in the rumor-mongering incident at No. 95 Courtyard. Not only factory leaders are in attendance, but also members of the district committee's working group.

Secretary Tan Jin chaired the meeting, and briefly briefed the audience on the investigation report, the transcripts of the statements of the people involved, and the opinions of the working group.

"The matter is very clear. This is not just a matter of a few individuals spreading rumors; it's a serious problem within our steel rolling mill, and in certain grassroots units, where a corrupt and unhealthy trend has emerged! They're forming cliques, attacking dissidents, and even attempting to manipulate public opinion to disrupt the factory's normal work order! The nature of this is egregious, and the impact is extremely negative!"

Tan Jin's voice wasn't loud, but every word carried immense weight; the assessment was already quite serious.

Now let's all share our thoughts.

Logistics Director Li Huaide was the first to speak, "I completely agree with Secretary Tan's opinion! This kind of unhealthy trend must be stopped! Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong, as the main ringleaders, are abusing their seniority, forming cliques in the workshop, and oppressing others in the yard. This time, they have even openly organized rumors to damage the reputation of their comrades and attempted to coerce leaders. The impact is extremely bad! I suggest that they be dealt with severely! Those who should be demoted should be demoted, those who should be transferred should be transferred, and those with serious offenses may even be considered for dismissal!"

He spoke with righteous indignation, as if he had forgotten that he usually held absolute power in the logistics department.

The other deputy factory directors and workshop foremen also expressed their views, with essentially the same stance: severe punishment without exception. The workshop foremen, in particular, who were responsible for Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong's respective workshops, were eager to get rid of these people immediately to avoid being implicated.

The discussion quickly focused on how to handle the situation. Firing them? Tan Jin rejected this suggestion. The country now advocates learning from past mistakes to avoid future ones and curing the disease to save the patient; unless the crime is extremely heinous, workers are generally not easily dismissed. Most importantly, the dismissal procedure is too cumbersome, requiring reporting to several departments—wouldn't that just allow the matter to escalate? Tan Jin's biggest fear now is that this matter will continue to escalate. Even with his upright character, he fears a sudden storm that he simply cannot handle.

However, ordinary demotion or reprimands seem too lenient and insufficient to deter such behavior.

Finally, one of the working group members offered a suggestion: "The actions of Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong, these two key figures, have gone beyond ordinary work errors or moral issues. They are exploiting the remnants of the old society's clan and seniority concepts to engage in disguised oppression and manipulation in Xinhua, thereby establishing their own cliques. This is essentially a form of restoration. I suggest that while disciplining them, we could also consider labeling them as rightists and subjecting them to supervision and reform."

The "rightist" label! The meeting room fell silent for a moment. Everyone knew what this label meant in the moment. It wasn't just a demotion or a reprimand; it was a political label, signifying that this person had ideological problems, was a backward element. Once labeled, there was almost no hope of redemption, and it would implicate their family.

Tan Jin pondered for a moment. The suggestion was heavy, yet it seemed quite appropriate; using this label to deliver a blow seemed just right.

"What about the others?" Tan Jin asked.

"Just punish the ringleaders, and give the others a lighter punishment. They can be demoted one level, transferred out of their original workshops, and reassigned to other positions to observe their performance. Make sure to record it in their files," a deputy factory director suggested. "As for Yan Bugui, he's not from our factory, but he's one of the core members of the institute. We should formally inform Hongxing Primary School and its higher education authorities about his problems and our proposed solutions."

This plan was approved by the majority of people. It severely punished the ringleaders while giving most people a chance to reform, which is in line with the principle of learning from past mistakes to avoid future ones.

"Alright." Tan Jin finally made the decision. "Let's proceed according to this plan. Once it's documented, issue a factory-wide notice immediately. Meeting adjourned!"