Courtyard House: My max-level medical skills specialize in treating beasts.

In the afternoon, the factory's loudspeaker came on again, this time broadcast by Yu Haitang, talking about He Yudong's rescue yesterday. Her tone was enthusiastic and lively, making He Yudong sound like a hero straight out of the newspaper, just like Lei Feng back in the day.

In the infirmary, He Yudong had just finished writing the last medical record when the door creaked open. He Yushui rushed in like a whirlwind, her face beaming with undisguised joy: "Brother! I heard everyone praising you as soon as I entered the factory gate; it was playing on the loudspeaker!"

Following behind her, Yu Haitang's eyes curved into crescent moons as she chimed in, "Brother Yudong, you're amazing! Yesterday was so close, and you rushed up without even blinking."

He Yudong put down his pen and laughed: "Rainwater? Why aren't you at home studying? What are you doing at the factory?"

"How dare you ask!" He Yushui pouted. "Didn't you promise to give me half a day off? I heard the factory was showing a movie tonight, so I dragged Sister Haitang along."

"Oh right, look at my memory." He Yudong slapped his forehead. "Okay, studying these past few days has been tiring enough, it's good to go out and relax."

"Brother Yudong, shall we go see it together?" Yu Haitang leaned forward, full of anticipation.

As they were talking, the curtain in the inner room was lifted, and Ding Qiunan came out, her voice gentle and soft: "Brother He, I'm going too. I didn't expect the factory to organize a movie screening."

He Yushui blinked, looking at this person and then at that person, and asked curiously, "Brother, who is this sister...?"

"Hey, I was so busy talking that I forgot to introduce you." He Yudong pointed to the two of them. "This is Dr. Ding Qiunan from our infirmary. Qiunan, this is my sister, He Yushui."

"Hello, Raindrop Sister." Ding Qiunan smiled politely and appropriately.

"Hello, Dr. Ding." He Yushui greeted her in return, but inwardly wondered: When did my clinic get such a beautiful doctor?

"You all want to go? Then let's go together." He Yudong made the final decision.

The group chatted casually for a few minutes in the infirmary, and when they figured it was about time, they walked together toward the factory square.

Along the way, Ding Qiunan and Yu Haitang stood side by side with He Yudong, neither willing to give way. He Yushui, standing next to Yu Haitang, couldn't help but feel sorry for her brother, seeing this: being handsome and capable isn't always a good thing; trouble always follows.

The square was already filled with benches. The four of them found a spot in the back row that wasn't too conspicuous but still had a good view and sat down. He Yudong sat in the middle, Ding Qiunan on his left, Yu Haitang on his right, and He Yushui next to Yu Haitang.

Seeing this scene, the surrounding workers couldn't help but gossip among themselves. Some were envious, while others scoffed. But then they thought, Director He is young and promising, and he just received an award today. Even Secretary Xu and Factory Director Yang look at him with special regard. It seems... reasonable that girls are willing to fawn over him?

"Brother, look!" He Yushui suddenly tugged at He Yudong's sleeve and whispered, "Isn't that Qin Huairu? And the girl next to her, isn't she the cousin she mentioned wanting to introduce to you, brother?"

He Yudong looked in the direction she pointed and indeed saw Qin Huairu leading a young woman in a floral shirt toward them. The woman was pretty, with two thick black braids hanging down her chest, and looked very energetic.

"It's her cousin, Qin Jingru." He Yudong withdrew his gaze, his tone calm. "However, Qin Huairu has no intention of actually introducing her to my brother. Just you wait and see, she'll definitely try to lure Qin Jingru towards the leadership seats, just to get Xu Damao's attention."

"Huh? Why?" He Yushui didn't understand.

"Xu Damao is such a jerk; he can't take his eyes off pretty girls. Once he finds out this is someone he's introducing to my older brother, he's determined to badmouth him to Qin Jingru. Qin Huairu can use him to ruin the whole thing and still gain some goodwill in return," He Yudong said casually. "She never intended to find a wife for my older brother in the first place."

Upon hearing this, Yu Haitang frowned deeply: "That's too underhanded! How could they do something like that?"

She recalled the snippets of conversation she'd overheard during her last dinner at He Yudong's house, and her impression of Qin Huairu plummeted even further.

"Brother! That's amazing!" He Yushui suddenly exclaimed softly, both excited and admiring. "You were right! They really did go towards the leaders' seats... and Xu Damao followed them!"

Xu Damao indeed stepped in front of Qin Huairu and Qin Jingru, shouting gruffly, "Hey, hey, hey, you can't sit here!"

Qin Huairu and Qin Jingru turned around at the sound. Xu Damao's eyes widened instantly when he saw Qin Jingru's fair and delicate face, and his Adam's apple bobbed. This girl was really young; she looked no more than eighteen or nineteen, far superior to his barren wife, Lou Xiao'e. His mind immediately began to race with calculations.

"Why can't we sit?" Qin Huairu asked. Seeing Xu Damao's lecherous look, she knew what was going on.

"Hey, isn't this Sister Qin!" Xu Damao immediately put on a smile and moved closer, but his eyes were fixed on Qin Jingru. "Which family is this young lady from? She's really pretty."

Qin Huairu smirked, a hint of smugness in her eyes: "Handsome, isn't he? Even if he were handsome, he wouldn't catch your eye. You're a married man; just looking at him won't satisfy your lust."

"From what you're saying, they've come to tell your sister about your future in-laws?"

"That's right, I found a husband for my sister Jingru, He Yuzhu from our factory." Qin Huairu said confidently.

"He Yuzhu? That name sounds familiar..." Xu Damao deliberately scratched his head, pretending to try hard to remember.

"Trying to play dumb with me, huh?" Qin Huairu laughed and scolded, "It's just that idiot Zhu from the cafeteria!"

"Hey, Sha Zhu!" Xu Damao slapped his thigh, his voice rising eight octaves. "Little sister, do you see? These are all the old and young men from our factory sitting here. Grab any one of them and ask if they know He Yuzhu. If someone says they do, hey, there's that brand-new video camera over there, see it? It's free! Then ask someone else if they know Sha Zhu. If someone says they don't, the camera is still yours!"

Qin Huairu was secretly overjoyed, but deliberately kept a straight face: "Go, go, go do what you're supposed to do, don't keep talking nonsense and delay the movie."

"This isn't just idle talk!" Xu Damao turned to Qin Jingru, adopting a concerned expression that seemed to be saying, "Sister Qin, I'm not trying to be mean, but how can you bear to let such a beautiful young woman marry a dim-witted cook? What's wrong with you?"

Before Qin Huairu could reply, a slow, slightly roguish voice suddenly rang out from behind her:

"Who's stupid?"

Qin Jingru was startled and turned around to see a tall, thin young man with a smiling face, but exuding a menacing aura. She hesitated and asked, "Sister, is what he said true?" Xu Damao's animated expression just now didn't seem fabricated. Could it be that her sister was really using her as a pawn?

"Don't believe him!" Qin Huairu pouted, but her tone was somewhat weak. "They're mortal enemies, what good things could they possibly say?" She hurriedly changed the subject before she finished speaking. Qin Jingru felt even more choked up, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes, and the smile on her face froze.

"Brother, Xu Damao is too much! He insulted our brother in front of us! I'm going to tear his mouth off!" He Yushui stood up abruptly, her fists clenched so tightly they cracked, her eyes wide with shock.

He Yudong reached out and pressed his sister's shoulder: "Sit down, what's the rush? There will be plenty of opportunities to teach him a lesson later."

"But..." He Yushui was still fuming when she suddenly remembered what her second brother had said the other day: Qin Huairu was probably stirring things up behind the scenes. A chill ran down her spine: How could an ordinary person figure this out? This widow was hiding it too well; she used to think she was a kind person!

"Don't worry, I'll make sure he regrets it." He Yudong patted his sister's hand, his eyes darkening. He had long disliked Xu Damao. He didn't cherish his wife and insisted on causing trouble. He might as well give him a push so that he couldn't get a divorce and would leave with nothing.

The movie was "Ashima," a story about a girl from an ethnic minority group and her love affair. The girl on screen looked like she stepped out of a painting. I heard that Yang Likun, who played her, was only in her early twenties, but later she was persecuted during the political movement and suffered a lot. When the movie ended, several female workers had eyes as red as cherries soaked in water.

The four walked home, He Yushui still angry. He Yudong told her to go home first, and went to the canteen himself. Sha Zhu was sitting there drinking hot water from an enamel mug. He was going to have to prepare special meals for the leaders later, so he had to wait.

Only Sha Zhu and his apprentice Ma Hua remained in the canteen.

"Yu Dong? What brings you here?" Sha Zhu looked up and smiled.

"Just came to see you. Did you hear what happened today?"

"Listen up! Bro, you're a genius!" Sha Zhu slapped his thigh and laughed. "You said earlier that Huai Ru would bring his cousin over and would definitely stop by Xu Damao's place first. I was a little worried, but hey, you were right! That guy just deserves a beating!"

He Yudong's face hardened: "Xu Damao is wicked on the surface, so he's easy to deal with; Widow Qin is wicked to the core, and she hides it well. You'd better be more careful in the future, don't make any more foolish mistakes, or you might really end up childless!"

"I'll listen to you!" Sha Zhu thumped his chest loudly. "From now on, if you say east, I'll never go west!"

"Just listening isn't enough; Xu Damao needs to be taught a lesson." He Yudong tapped the table. "Otherwise, this guy will really go wild."

"I've already prepared a plan!" Sha Zhu said in a low voice. "I know that kid inside and out. He blacks out as soon as he drinks, and when he drinks with the boss, he plays drinking games like 'one big, three small' and 'two, five, ten,' guaranteeing he'll be completely drunk. I'm planning to do this..."

When Sha Zhu explained his method for dealing with Xu Damao, Ma Hua immediately gave him a thumbs up: "Master, brilliant!"

"Brother, this move is too risky, we need to go all out." He Yudong shook his head.

"How do we play?" Sha Zhu and Ma Hua came over.

He Yudong pulled a wig and a red dress from his bag: "Let's make it real. Let the gatekeeper see it, keep a record, and Xu Damao will be in big trouble. Let Ma Hua do the dressing-up; he's skinny and can't be seen clearly at night."

"Once the old man notices, Ma Hua, you run away," He Yudong continued. "My brother and I will rush up and beat him up, then hand him over to the security department."

"Brother, isn't this... a bit too harsh? At most, attempted indecent assault will only result in a disciplinary action, but what if someone insists on it? Could indecent assault warrant execution?" Sha Zhu scratched his head.

"Don't worry, we didn't catch that woman. At most, the security department will make Xu Damao clean the toilets for two months. By the way, when you make your move, pull down his underwear. What do you think will happen if Lou Xiao'e finds out his underwear is gone?"

"This... isn't it incredibly immoral to break up a couple?" Sha Zhu still hesitated.

"Bro, you deserve to be scammed!" He Yudong glared. "How many blind dates has Xu Damao ruined for you? And you still care? That bastard deserves to be taught a lesson!"

"Master, I'll do it!" MCA rolled up his sleeves. "I'll stand up for you too!"

Sha Zhu gritted his teeth: "Fine, let's do it this way!"

At night, Xu Damao, as usual, got completely drunk with his boss, and the sounds of their drinking games could be heard from afar. He Yudong was playing chess with the gatekeeper, an old soldier who had fought against the Japanese. The two, both former soldiers, were chatting animatedly.

Ma Hua had already changed into a red dress and put on a wig, waiting a few dozen steps away from the factory gate. Sure enough, she bumped into the swaying Xu Damao.

"Help! I'm being molested!" A piercing scream tore through the night sky.

The gatekeeper and He Yudong looked up at the same time and saw a man grabbing the arm of a woman in a red dress and tearing at her clothes.

"This is outrageous!" The old man slammed down the chess pieces, his mustache bristling. "Doing such immoral things at the factory gate!"

"Take this black sheep to the police station right away!" He Yudong shouted, his eyes sweeping over Xu Damao's drunken face, his lips pressed into a hard line.

The two had just stepped out of the door when Sha Zhu suddenly darted out from the wall and grabbed Xu Damao by the back of the neck. Xu Damao felt as if he were walking on cotton and was pulled so hard that he stumbled.

Ma Hua shouted again in a high-pitched voice, then took off running towards the alley entrance and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

He Yudong suppressed a laugh: These two are working together quite smoothly. He took a few steps over, raised his hand and slapped Xu Damao across the face. Xu Damao's vision went black, he swayed twice and almost fell to the ground.

"Oh my goodness, what's going on here?" The old gatekeeper poked his head out, shading his eyes with his hand as he looked. "Who's this young man?"

"Isn't that Xu Damao, the projectionist from our factory!" He Yudong pointed at him. "Look at him, sir, he's got some nerve, acting like a hooligan in the street! We all saw it."

Sha Zhu chimed in, his voice booming, "That's right! I was passing by when I heard a girl screaming for help. I ran over and saw, good heavens, Xu Damao was groping her! If I hadn't arrived just in time, that girl would have suffered terribly!"

The old man slapped his thigh in anger: "Our factory can't tolerate this kind of scum! I'm going to call security right now!"

Sha Zhu tugged at He Yuzhu's sleeve and muttered in a low voice, "Forget it, old man, Xu Damao must be drunk. Besides, that girl didn't suffer any loss; she's disappeared without a trace..."

"How can that be the same?" The old man banged his pipe on the sole of his shoe. "They happened to stop her today, but what about tomorrow? If something really happens, that girl's life will be ruined! Comrade He Yuzhu, how can you still speak up for this kind of person?"

He Yuzhu patted Sha Zhu's hand, then turned to the old man with a forced smile: "Grandpa, don't be angry. My brother is just kind-hearted and honest. Otherwise, why would he be called 'Sha Zhu'? Brother, say less. Xu Damao is someone who really can't be let off easily."

Upon hearing the words "Silly Zhu," the old man's expression softened: "Director He is indeed reasonable; no wonder he was a soldier."

He Yuzhu gave Sha Zhu a wink, and Sha Zhu scratched the back of his head, turning back every few steps as he walked away. Meanwhile, He Yuzhu grabbed a rope and tied Xu Damao up tightly, then pulled down his pants and tossed him against the wall. The old man scurried off to call security, and they arrived shortly after. They pushed Xu Damao out, and with the gatekeeper as witness, Xu Damao was truly in deep trouble this time.

He Yuzhu turned and headed towards the alley entrance, where he saw Ma Hua squatting on the steps, eating a cornbread bun. Ma Hua shoved a wig and a dress into his hands, his eyes narrowing into slits as he smiled: "Uncle-Master, Xu Damao is completely finished this time!"

"Alright, I'll keep this to myself. You know nothing about it."

Don't worry!

The next day, Xu Damao groggily opened his eyes at the first crow of the rooster. His face stung as if it had been seared by a hot pan, and when he touched his waistband, it was empty! Looking down, he saw that he was tied to a chair, right there in the security office.

"Section Chief Wang! What's going on? Where are my pants? Didn't I go drinking with the leaders yesterday?" Xu Damao's mind was buzzing. He had no recollection of last night's events, as if he had blacked out after drinking two jin of sorghum liquor.

Chief Wang of the security department slammed his enamel mug on the table, splashing tea everywhere. "Xu Damao, you still have the nerve to ask? Tell me what you did last night!"

Xu Damao's face turned pale, and he cried out, "I really didn't know, Section Chief Wang! I just had a few drinks, what could I have done wrong?"

"The security guard reported it directly to Factory Director Yang. You can expect to be disciplined!"

"What exactly did you do wrong? Can you please give me a clear answer?" Xu Damao's legs were trembling. He had been to the security department before, but this time the situation was clearly different. Section Chief Wang hadn't even taken off his hat, and his eyes were like knives.

Section Chief Wang stared at him: "You really don't remember?"

"I really don't remember!"

"Okay, if you can't remember, just keep squatting. When the boss comes, you'll have to explain properly."

Xu Damao almost fainted. He wanted to die knowing why.

……

"Ding! You have earned 100 merit points for dealing with Xu Damao."

He Yuzhu stared at the words that popped into his mind and chuckled: How wicked is Xu Damao? He's a "living target" who's just there to deliver merits. He'll have to "take good care" of him from now on.

Inside the Qin family house, Qin Huairu sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) with a sullen face, sewing shoe soles. She never expected that her cousin, Qin Jingru, would listen to Xu Damao's words and, without even seeing Shazhu, pack her bags and head straight back to her rural hometown. She had originally planned to let Shazhu see that beautiful girl; the old bachelor would definitely be unable to resist. Now, all her efforts had been in vain. Well, she'd have to think of another way.

When Deputy Factory Director Li strode into Factory Director Yang's office, his steps were hurried, clearly indicating he was there about Xu Damao's matter. He had received many favors from Xu Damao in the past, and now he was there to plead for him. He rubbed his hands together and said, "Factory Director, this matter with Xu Damao must not be spread. If it gets out, the steel mill's reputation will be ruined. The girl wasn't hurt, and we can't find her right now, so let's handle this internally."

Factory Director Yang slammed his hand on the table, his voice so deep it could make a clanging sound: "How egregious is this! Can you guarantee he won't do it again? If it weren't for Uncle Zhang and Director He stopping him, who knows what kind of trouble he would have caused? Xu Damao has a death wish!"

"That's true, but we're vying for the title of advanced unit, and the approval is almost here." Deputy Factory Director Li leaned forward and lowered his voice, "If this gets out now, where will the steel rolling mill look? It won't be good for you and Xu Shuji either, will it?"

Factory Director Yang pinched his brow, thinking to himself, "That's right. If this gets out of hand at this critical juncture, the whole factory will suffer." He sighed, "He definitely needs to be punished, but Xu Damao's mistake is too serious."

"How about we give him a disciplinary action? Make him clean toilets for three months, then send him straight to the workshop. What do you think, Factory Manager?" Deputy Factory Manager Li quickly chimed in.

The punishment sounded severe, but it was really like a tickle. There were no exceptions and a way out was left for him. Deputy Factory Director Li secretly breathed a sigh of relief: the girl was nowhere to be found. He guessed she was afraid of losing face and didn't want to come out to testify. Xu Damao was lucky.

When Xu Damao heard about the punishment, his face turned green and he was completely dumbfounded. He woke up last night to find himself charged with "indecent assault" for no reason. He vaguely remembered bumping into a girl in a red dress last night, but he didn't think too much about it and just assumed that he was seeing things because he was drunk.

He Yuzhu went to the steel rolling mill in the morning and saw Xu Damao's disciplinary notice on the bulletin board from afar, exactly as he had predicted. When he passed by the public toilet, he bumped into Xu Damao, who was scrubbing at the entrance with a broom in his hand, his face so scrunched up it could trap a fly.

"Hey, isn't this 'Strong Fried Rice' Xu Damao? How did you end up cleaning toilets? Haha!" He Yuzhu leaned against the wall and laughed, deliberately pronouncing "Strong Fried Rice" (a homophone for Xu Damao) very clearly.

Xu Damao looked up and glared at him, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the broom handle, but he didn't dare to utter a sound. After all, the punishment was a foregone conclusion, so he could only hold his breath and scoop the cigarette butts off the ground into the dustpan.

"He Yudong, what nonsense are you spouting! Who the hell is Qiang Jianfan!" Xu Damao jumped up, his face turning as red as Guan Yu's.

"Still pretending? The whole factory has heard about what happened yesterday. Tell me yourself, a woman who can't even have children wants to pretend to be 'strong and capable'? Do you even have the guts?" He Yudong crossed his arms and shook his head.

"If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll fight you to the death!" Xu Damao clenched his fists in anger. If he weren't outmatched by He Yudong, he would have pounced on him and torn his mouth apart.

"Alright, alright, I can't be bothered arguing with you." He Yudong waved his hand and walked towards the infirmary. "Time to go to work."

Xu Damao stared at his back, his teeth grinding together, cursing He Yudong a hundred times over in his heart.

As He Yudong stepped into the infirmary, he noticed a lunchbox on the table—the old jar he had used to bring millet porridge to Ding Qiunan. A moment later, Ding Qiunan arrived, clutching a new aluminum lunchbox, her eyes shining like honey: "Brother He, I made you breakfast!"

"I've already eaten," He Yudong replied, but his hand lifted the lid first. The white rice porridge was thick and cooked, with a piece of fried fish on top, the edges of which were burnt black.

"It might not taste good since it's my first time making it, please don't mind." Ding Qiunan twisted the hem of her clothes with her fingers, and the tips of her ears turned red.

He Yudong smiled and said, "Then I won't stand on ceremony."

The porridge was lukewarm, just right, and although the fish was a bit salty, it tasted quite good with the porridge. He chewed on the fish, looked up, and asked, "How is it?"

"Hmm...not bad! It's just that the heat was a bit too high when frying the fish. I'll turn it down next time." Ding Qiunan quickly took out her pen and drew circles on her notebook.

"No need to cook tomorrow. If you have plenty of fish at home, you can take some back to your parents this weekend. It's easy to catch fish here; you can catch a bunch in a short time."

Just then, there was a loud knock on the door. He Yudong looked up and saw Xu Shuji standing in the doorway. He quickly stood up and said, "Xu Shuji, what brings you here?"

"Yu Dong, I need to talk to you. If you're not busy today, come with me. You need to take care of Xiao Ding at the infirmary, okay?"

He Yudong looked at Ding Qiunan, and seeing her nod vigorously, he turned to her and replied, "Okay, Qiunan, the infirmary is yours today. Wait for me to come back if you can't handle anything."

"Okay, Brother He, don't worry!" Ding Qiunan quickly buttoned up her white coat and stood up straighter.

He Yudong tucked the medicine box under his arm and followed Xu Shuji out. A black sedan was parked in the parking lot, its paint so smooth you could see your reflection in it.

"Xu Shuji, where are we going?" he asked, opening the car door.

"I'm looking for an old superior of mine. He has some old injuries and remembered that you cured my chronic leg pain. I thought you might be able to help." Xu Shuji got into the passenger seat. "Give it a try, but don't force it if it doesn't work."

He Yudong responded, his hand resting on the strap of his medicine box. As a doctor, one shouldn't speak too definitively; even a god can't untangle a knot.

The car wound its way into the military compound. He Yudong raised an eyebrow. Wasn't this Zhou Xiaobai's neighborhood? He'd rescued her and Luo Yun last time and brought them back to this compound. He figured Xu Shuji's old superior was a veteran in the military.

The two got out of the car and walked inside; at the end was a general's mansion. Xu Shuji raised his hand and knocked on the door: "Is anyone home?"

A man in his early fifties emerged from the doorway, his back ramrod straight like a loaded gun, radiating energy: "Little Xu's here? Come in quickly, who's this young man?"

"Old Chief, this is Dr. He. He's the one who cured my chronic ailment." Xu Shuji stepped aside.

The man sized up He Yudong: standing straight, with a righteous air in his eyes, neither humble nor arrogant, he seemed like a kid with a story.

He Yudong noticed his slightly hunched back, which resembled that of a veteran who had fought with bayonets on the battlefield years ago, and raised his hand in a military salute: "Greetings, Commander."

"You served in the military?" the man returned the greeting, his eyes brightening.

"The former military doctor of the Independent Regiment of the 87th Army of the Northwest Theater Command, who just retired this year."

"No wonder you smell of gunpowder." The man quickly pulled him into the house. "Don't call me 'commander,' just call me Uncle Zhou. Why did you retire at such a young age? The army is short of medics."

"Uncle Zhou, let's check on your health first." He Yudong didn't want to talk about the army. Of the brothers in that regiment, only five survived, and the thought still made his heart ache. If he hadn't persisted, the army wouldn't have released him at all.

"Okay, then feel it. I was shot a few times during the war. The bullets were removed, but on rainy days, it hurts like there's a piece of broken glass stuck in my bones." Uncle Zhou rolled up his trouser leg, revealing a faint white scar on his knee.

Just then, a clear voice called from the doorway, "Dad, we have guests?"

He Yudong looked up and met the girl's eyes. The girl's eyes lit up, and her voice changed with surprise: "Brother He? What brings you to my house?"

He Yudong paused for two seconds, then blurted out, "Zhou Xiaobai?"