Courtyard House: Ten-year-old Master Zhu reorganizes the entire courtyard

A month later.

In April, the weather finally warmed up.

The old locust tree in the courtyard has sprouted a full tree of tender buds.

But the atmosphere inside the steel rolling mill was colder than winter.

problem occurs.

Factory Director Wu was taken away by people from the municipal party committee for "tea".

The news spread like wildfire throughout the entire factory area within a day.

The workers were gossiping amongst themselves, spitting as they spoke.

"Have you heard? Fatty Wu's down!"

"Serves him right! That bastard's only been at the factory for a few months, and he's practically emptied out all the good stuff!"

"I heard it was because of a dispute over the division of spoils that the head of the Chengnan Police Station leaked it! Apparently, Fatty Wu promised to give them a 30% share, but only gave them half a share in the end. How can that be acceptable?"

Xu Damao was talking animatedly in the courtyard, like a storyteller.

He was well-informed; his father, Xu Fugui, had some unclear connections with the police station, and the rumors he heard were very juicy.

"That's not all!" Xu Damao lowered his voice and said mysteriously to the group of boys and teenagers surrounding him, "I heard the investigation team received an anonymous letter! It contained photos! Photos of Wang, the foreman under Fatty Wu, counting money in the warehouse with someone! Caught red-handed!"

"Wow!"

The children gasped in surprise.

In the room.

Yi Zhonghai was eating.

Upon hearing the words "Foreman Wang," the chopsticks in his hand fell to the table with a "clatter."

The soup splashed everywhere.

He froze, and the color drained from his face instantly.

"Old Yi, what's wrong?"

Li Guihua was startled and quickly grabbed a rag to wipe it.

Yi Zhonghai remained silent.

His mind was buzzing, filled with Xu Damao's words from just now.

photo.

Foreman Wang.

storehouse.

Count the money.

These words were like a series of awls, piercing his heart.

Cold sweat trickled down his forehead, drop by drop.

He remembered.

More than a month ago, Director Wu also asked him to sign that scrap form.

If... if he hadn't listened to He Yuzhu's "warning" that day, and hadn't pretended to be sick, then now...

Is Yi Zhonghai the one who's been arrested and made a scapegoat?

I heard that foreman Wang cried like a woman when he was arrested, and even wet his pants. He was charged with embezzlement and will probably spend the rest of his life in jail.

The thought of that outcome sent a chill down Yi Zhonghai's spine.

I was terrified.

It's the kind of lingering fear that comes with escaping death, a fear that can terrify you to the point of losing your soul.

"Guihua..." He grabbed his wife's hand, her fingers icy cold and trembling violently, "We...we almost..."

"I know." Li Guihua's eyes also reddened. She patted his hand in return, her voice filled with relief. "Old Yi, thank goodness you listened to me that day and didn't get involved in that mess. Our family may be poor, but we just want peace and quiet."

"No... I won't listen to you." Yi Zhonghai shook his head, looking out the window with a complicated expression.

Outside the window, He Yuzhu was carrying a bucket of water as he walked through the courtyard.

The boy's body has begun to grow taller, his shoulders have broadened, and he walks with a steady gait.

His face remained expressionless.

But when Yi Zhonghai looked at that face, he felt even more uneasy than when he saw Director Wu's smiling tiger face.

He remembered that night when Banggeng and Xu Damao shouted "Catch the spy!" in the courtyard.

I remembered He Yuzhu's gentle head-shaking gesture and those all-seeing eyes.

All of this connects.

That anonymous letter...those photos...

"Old Yi, what are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking..." Yi Zhonghai muttered to himself, "There's a master in this courtyard."

Li Guihua didn't understand.

But Yi Zhonghai understood.

He used to think that He Yuzhu was just a clever troublemaker, and that he, as an elder in the compound, could easily handle him.

Now he realizes just how wrong he was.

That's not a troublemaker.

That's an iceberg hidden beneath the water's surface.

He could only ever see a small part of it. He couldn't even imagine the enormous, terrifying entity beneath the surface that could sink the Titanic.

From that day on, Yi Zhonghai's gaze towards He Yuzhu completely changed.

In the past, it was about scheming, being wary, and trying to bring the other party under one's control and into one's "retirement system".

Now, it is reverence.

It's that kind of awe that arises from the bottom of a mouse's heart when it sees a cat, a fear that makes it dare not provoke it.

He even began to actively try to curry favor with the Ho family.

When he sees Chen Lanxiang carrying water, he will go up and help her.

Seeing He Yushui playing in the yard, he would unusually take out a piece of candy from his pocket.

The He family didn't think anything of what he did.

But everyone else in the courtyard saw it.

Behind her back, Madam Jia sneered, "Look at Yi Zhonghai's fawning face, like he's seen his own father. Isn't he just trying to curry favor with the He family now that they're doing well?"

Xu Fugui squinted, seemingly lost in thought.

He felt that things weren't that simple.

Yi Zhonghai, that old fox, won't do anything without self-interest. His actions certainly aren't just simple flattery.

He was scared.

……

Steel rolling mill.

Factory Director Wu left, and Foreman Wang went inside.

The factory was suddenly leaderless and in complete chaos.

A new factory director, Liu, was temporarily appointed to oversee the work.

Factory Director Liu is a kind-hearted man with a technical background. He doesn't understand power struggles and only seeks stable production.

The first thing he did was call Yi Zhonghai over.

"Old Yi, you've seen the situation in the factory right now," Factory Director Liu sighed. "Production isn't picking up, and morale is low. You'll have to take over as foreman in Workshop One."

Yi Zhonghai stood there, not immediately agreeing.

"My health isn't good, I'm afraid I can't shoulder this responsibility."

"You're not feeling well, that's a lie. It's more that you have concerns, isn't it?" Factory Director Liu smiled. "Don't worry, all that messy stuff from before is in the past. Now, the factory only follows one rule: whoever has the best skills gets to speak. You, Yi Zhong-hai, are an eighth-grade fitter. If you don't do it, who will?"

Yi Zhonghai remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he nodded.

"Okay. But Director Liu, I have a condition."

"you say."

"From now on, everything in the factory, especially matters involving signatures and fingerprints, must be done according to the rules. If it doesn't follow the rules, I, Lao Yi, would rather quit being a foreman than sign a single word."

He said it with absolute certainty.

Factory Director Liu was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Fine! Fine! That's exactly what I've been waiting to hear!"

Yi Zhonghai walked out of his office and onto the main road in the factory area.

The sky was very blue.

He felt that the weight that had been pressing on his heart for months had finally been lifted.

Only by walking the right path in life can one sleep peacefully.

He was taught this principle by that ten-year-old child in a way that he could hardly understand.