Courtyard House: Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) Traded for an Aircraft Carrier, the Whole Count

The next day at noon, at the No. 1 canteen of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

It was lunchtime, and the workers lined up in a long queue with their lunchboxes. The air was filled with the bland smell of boiled cabbage and potatoes, and the occasional whiff of meat was enough to make countless people crane their necks.

Sha Zhu, wearing a greasy white coat, was tossing a large iron ladle in his hand, looking very unhappy.

He heard everything that happened last night clearly from inside the house.

Ran Qiuye has arrived! The teacher he had been thinking about for so long, the one he felt only a "successor of the Tan family cuisine" like himself was worthy of, has actually come to the courtyard!

But the result?

He didn't even get to see her before that damned Jiang Chen snatched her away! I heard that Jiang Chen not only helped Teacher Ran out of that predicament, but also escorted her all the way home!

"Snapped!"

Sha Zhu grew angrier the more he thought about it, and slammed the spoon he was holding heavily on the edge of the vegetable basin, startling the workers in line.

"What are you looking at! Begging for food?" Sha Zhu roared, his bull-like eyes glaring. "Hey you, where's your meal ticket? Not a single tael less!"

He cursed and swore as he plotted his revenge. He knew he couldn't beat Jiang Chen in a fight; that kid was incredibly cunning these days, and he was also the head of security. But this cafeteria was his territory, He Yuzhu's territory!

"Hmph, Jiang, aren't you the head of security? Don't your men need to eat?" A sneer flashed in Sha Zhu's eyes. "When the security guys come to get food later, I'll make sure my hands shake so badly I get Parkinson's! I'll just give you all soup! Also, I need to spread the word around the factory that you, Jiang Chen, are domineering and bully men and women..."

Just as he was happily calculating, Sha Zhu didn't notice that a pair of narrow eyes were staring intently at him from a dining table not far from the window.

Xu Damao.

Since pledging his allegiance, Xu Damao has become Jiang Chen's eyes and ears in the entire factory. He knows Sha Zhu too well; he knows exactly what kind of shit the idiot is going to do the moment he sticks out his ass.

Xu Damao clearly saw the way Sha Zhu was gritting his teeth and muttering the words "Jiang Chen".

"Hey, this idiot Zhu's got a death wish, daring to scheme against my master?"

Xu Damao's heart skipped a beat; this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to claim credit!

He didn't even bother to eat; he tucked the lunchbox under his armpit, crouched down, and slipped out of the cafeteria hall, heading straight for the kitchen office.

The current canteen manager, surnamed Wang, is a confidant of Deputy Factory Director Li. Xu Damao is well aware of the "honeymoon period" between Deputy Factory Director Li and Jiang Chen.

"Director Wang! Director Wang!"

Xu Damao mysteriously slipped into the office and closed the door behind him.

"Da Mao, what's wrong? You're acting all sneaky." Director Wang asked casually as he picked his teeth.

"Director, I have a report to make!" Xu Damao lowered his voice, his face full of righteous indignation. "I just overheard He Yuzhu complaining at the window, saying he was going to make things difficult for the security guards! He also said... he also said that the cleanliness of our canteen is just for show, and that he often picks up the fallen steamed buns and gives them to the workers!"

"What?" Director Wang's face darkened, and he slammed the toothpick on the table.

To make things difficult for the security department? Wouldn't that be a slap in Jiang Chen's face? Slapping Jiang Chen's face is tantamount to putting a bad word to Deputy Factory Director Li, isn't it?

Add to that the hygiene issues; if word gets out, will he still be able to keep his job as director?

"That's not all!" Xu Damao added fuel to the fire, seeing that things weren't going well. "I also saw him secretly putting government-supplied soy sauce and sugar into his lunchbox, saying he was saving it for Qin Huairu. That's undermining socialism!"

This is a real Achilles' heel.

"He's gone too far!" Director Wang abruptly stood up, grabbed a hat from the table, and slammed it over his head. "Come on! Follow me to the kitchen!"

Two minutes later.

Sha Zhu was humming a little tune, preparing to use his "cooking technique" on a security officer who had just lined up at the window.

"Oh, from the security department? There's not much meat left..." Sha Zhu flicked his wrist, and a full spoonful of vegetables was instantly reduced to just a few leafy pieces.

"He Yuzhu! What are you doing!"

A loud shout came from behind.

Sha Zhu's hand trembled, and the spoon fell directly into the bowl, splashing soup all over his face.

Looking back, I saw Director Wang standing behind me with a dark face, and Xu Damao standing next to him with a gloating expression.

"Director...Director, I..."

"What do you mean, 'what the hell'?! I saw everything clearly from behind! Is this how you treat your working-class brothers?" Director Wang pointed at the lunchbox containing only vegetable soup, spitting as he spoke. "And take out your net bag! I need to check it!"

Sha Zhu's face turned deathly pale instantly. Hidden in his net bag was half a bottle of soy sauce he had just stolen.

The perpetrator was caught red-handed.

This crackdown was carried out swiftly and decisively.

Sha Zhu not only had his "stolen goods" confiscated on the spot, but was also criticized in a factory-wide notice, had half a month's salary deducted, was ordered to stop cooking for a week, and was punished by cleaning all the factory's toilets—including the security department's toilets.

Watching Sha Zhu dejectedly walk towards the toilet with a broom, Xu Damao smiled so broadly that his face was full of wrinkles.

Half an hour later, in the office of the head of the security department.

"Section Chief, the matter is settled."

Xu Damao stood in front of the desk, bent over at a ninety-degree angle, with a fawning smile on his face, and vividly recounted what had happened.

Jiang Chen sat behind his large desk, toying with a pen in his hand. After listening to the report, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

This is the taste of power.

Without having to lift a finger, a single glance, or even no glance at all, is enough for subordinates to automatically clear away obstacles. This is what is known as "proxy warfare."

"Well done."

Jiang Chen opened the drawer and casually tossed out a pack of "Daqianmen" cigarettes that was still unopened.

The red cigarette pack traced a graceful parabola through the air and landed precisely in Xu Damao's arms.

"Thank you for the reward, Section Chief! Thank you for the reward, Section Chief!" Xu Damao was overjoyed. This was a cadre cigarette, a rare item that money couldn't buy. He was so excited that his hands were trembling. This wasn't just a cigarette; it was a signal that Jiang Chen considered him "one of his own."

"Keep an eye on what's going on in the yard and the factory." Jiang Chen lowered his head and continued reviewing documents, his voice returning to its cold tone. "Especially that Liu Haizhong, he seems to be getting restless lately."

"Don't worry! I'll report to you immediately if he dares to get cocky!"

Xu Damao thanked him profusely and left, gently closing the door behind him.

Jiang Chen put down his pen and turned to look out the window.

Outside the window, Sha Zhu was carrying a broom and walking angrily toward the toilet in the distance.

"Jealousy?" Jiang Chen sneered. "In this dog-eat-dog world, the jealousy of the weak is the most useless emotion."