Courtyard House: A Leisurely and Contented Life

Chapter 49 Team Leader Yang, aren't you going to finish work?

Inside the steel rolling mill, Yang Jianye called out, "Zhang Chao, bring me that shelf I left by the door."

"Here it is, Master!" Zhang Chao ran to fetch the things.

Hua Zi, who had just rested, watched with a touch of envy. He used to be the one doing all this work. Zhang Chao was so lucky; he'd found such a good master right away.

"What, are you envious?"

Hearing the sound, Hua Zi turned around and quickly stood up: "Master, how could that be? You've been so good to me." He scratched his head and grinned foolishly.

He was a little envious, but not to the point of having any other thoughts. Li Yaoye was genuinely good to him. Besides, he couldn't do riveting work himself; he was illiterate, and the blueprints were like gibberish to him—he couldn't understand them no matter how hard he looked.

Li Yaoye nodded and smiled, "Good to know. The worst thing is when someone doesn't understand their own place, and ends up losing the sesame seeds while failing to pick up the watermelon."

Hua Zi nodded in agreement, "Master is right, I'll go pour you some tea."

Li Yaoye sat and waited, then his eyes darted around and he saw Qin Huairu squatting by the wall—she was reading a book there again.

Initially, the workshop treated Qin Huairu rather coldly. Firstly, she was a widow, and there were some unpleasant rumors circulating in the factory; secondly, no one thought she could stay. In everyone's eyes, Qin Huairu only benefited from being close to the factory, having begged Jianye to teach her on her knees. Jianye couldn't refuse her request, and out of pity for her being a widow, he personally arranged for her to be transferred to the special workshop.

Ke Renjianye is a man of principle. He'll give you opportunities, but if you expect him to give you special treatment or open doors for you, you're dreaming. There's no way he'll even open a crack in the window.

Sure enough, five more arrived right after, all sent by the factory manager and director. If it came down to connections, even Qin Huairu couldn't compete. She was the only woman among the six, and not very educated. Without even a comprehensive comparison, it was clear from the bottom of her heart that she was destined to be eliminated.

That's how it should have been.

But... all I can say is that Qin Huairu is truly lucky. She reached a dead end, but someone just handed her a ladder, opening up a new path for her.

Even though she stayed, no one had high hopes for her. How high were Jianye's requirements? How complex were the riveting blueprints? These veteran craftsmen had experienced it firsthand. Qin Huairu was going to suffer from her lack of education.

At that moment, everyone felt sorry for her. This pity was something Qin Huairu had earned through her performance. She worked harder than the men, never complaining about hardship or fatigue in the workshop, and even when her shoulders were chafed raw, she endured it without a word. The workshop only found out about this after the factory doctor came to investigate.

From then on, everyone's impression of Qin Huairu changed. At least, he was a hard-working and resilient person. As long as you are serious, down-to-earth, willing to learn and work, you are a good person, and no one in the steel rolling mill will look down on you.

Ultimately, she's still uneducated. Keeping up with Jianye's progress is incredibly difficult.

But this time, Qin Huairu surprised everyone again. She was incredibly focused and diligent when studying, seizing every spare moment to flip through books, marking anything she didn't understand with a pen, and asking questions later. To understand the effects of quenching time and temperature on quality, she persistently pestered Master Hao for half an hour. No matter how much you chased her away or became impatient, she wouldn't leave, just patiently and politely asking you questions, always with a smile that left you speechless.

That attitude was somewhat reminiscent of Yang Jianye when he first entered the factory. Back then, he would cling to anyone he could find, a real leech!

Just as he was thinking this, Master Hao, who had finished resting, ran up to Yang Jianye and started laughing and scolding, "Jianye, you're not being fair!"

As Yang Jianye adjusted the frame and polished the surface, he asked, "Master Hao, what's wrong with me?"

Master Hao glared at her and said angrily, "Your apprentice has learned all your shameless tricks! Don't tell me you didn't know! Her mannerisms are exactly the same as yours back then."

Hearing this, Yang Jianye laughed and replied, "You're mistaken. I didn't teach her that. I just told her that if she wants to learn skills, she has to be humble, ask questions, and learn whenever she can." He glanced at Qin Huairu, who was engrossed in her studies by the wall, "As for how to ask questions and how to learn, that's up to her."

It was indeed beyond Yang Jianye's expectations that Qin Huai could barely keep up with the pace, and it also allowed him to see another side of this woman.

People never know their own abilities or hidden potential unless they are pushed. If Qin Huai can maintain this level of performance, even if she doesn't become a senior technician, her life will still get better and better, and she will rise above others.

After finishing their work, Yang Jianye and the others carried the baby walkers to the shed.

"Master Yang." Yu Haitang is here again.

She wore a plaid undershirt and a wool vest, wrapped in a thick cotton-padded coat. Perhaps to show off her figure, the coat was left open. To be honest, Yang Jianye felt cold for her—it was at least four or five degrees below zero outside today.

Should I buy Yingzi a new pair of gloves? Her knitted ones probably aren't warm enough.

Seeing him glance at her, his mind immediately wandering off, Yu Haitang felt disheartened. What was wrong with this man? She had specially brought out her best clothes, even leaving them open, just to get him to look at her more, and now she was numb with cold. And yet, he was daydreaming right in front of her! Was he thinking about his wife again?

Yu Haitang was puzzled. Just how good was his wife that he was so infatuated with her? Or was it... that he was doing it on purpose, afraid to see her because he was afraid of being attracted to her, so every time they met, he would think of other women to numb himself and not look at her beauty, so that he wouldn't make a mistake.

It has to be said, women's imaginations can be quite terrifying.

"Comrade Yu Haitang, is something the matter?" Yang Jianye snapped out of his reverie, his tone somewhat anxious.

Seeing his expression, Yu Haitang felt even more strongly that he was deliberately avoiding her, afraid of being attracted to her. Realizing this, her face lit up with a bright smile: "I have something to ask you. I'm here on behalf of the publicity department to invite you. We'd like you to share a story about your academic progress on the radio."

Then Yu Haitang's eyes lit up, and she said, "Also, everyone wants to hear the counselor's letter."

Hearing her say that, Yang Jianye thought to himself, "She's really well-informed."

Yang Jianye had also decided whether to make the instructor's letter public. He planned to read it aloud to everyone to boost team spirit and morale. Higher morale meant more energy for work, and it would also improve factory efficiency and eliminate any year-end lethargy.

Of course, the main reason is that word has spread. Everyone knows about it, and keeping the letter hidden would be detrimental to unity, giving the impression of being seemingly low-key but actually ostentatious. After all, everyone knows you received the advisor's letter, and they're curious about what he said. If you keep it to yourself, their curiosity will be constantly piqued, and every time they see him, they'll be reminded of it. Over time, this will definitely breed resentment—all you got was a letter of commendation! You're letting everyone read it and learn from the advisor's spirit, and you're not even happy to keep it to yourself? What's there to be proud of? Really…

"I agree."

Yang Jianye agreed, but he also had conditions.

"You say it." Yu Haitang's heart burned with passion.

She, as the announcer, would definitely be the one to read the advisor's letter, which was a great opportunity to shine. As long as she maintained a positive attitude, gave her best performance, and displayed a spirited and proactive demeanor, she was sure to gain the system's attention and might even be interviewed and praised.

Thinking about all this, Yu Haitang wished she could agree to his proposal right now.

"I'll read the letter myself, and I'll decide how I read it," Yang Jianye said, oblivious to Yu Haitang's instantly frozen smile. "Of course, the content won't be changed."

Not hearing a reply, Yang Jianye looked up and saw Yu Haitang staring blankly at him, as if someone had acupunctured her.

Yang Jianye frowned: "That's my request. You can go and report it to your superiors."

After saying that, he went into the shed, unlocked the car, propped up the car, and started strapping the walker onto the back seat.

"No, why are you reading it yourself?" Yu Haitang rushed in, looking confused and anxious. "I'm the factory's announcer, it's my job!"

Yang Jianye glanced back and said, "Whether it's your job or not is decided by the factory's propaganda department. Besides, the letter was written to me, so why can't I read it?"

Yu Haitang became even more anxious. Of course, she understood the logic, but understanding didn't mean she had to accept it. If Yang Jianye read the letter aloud, wouldn't her entire opportunity be gone? Wouldn't this once-in-a-lifetime chance slip away?

Yu Haitang was unwilling to accept this; she was counting on this opportunity to gain the attention and appreciation of her superiors. Just moments ago, she had even prepared her acceptance speech. Now, Yang Jianye was suddenly telling her that the opportunity was gone?

No, Yu Haitang cannot accept this.

By the time we were eating, the work bell had already rung.

But he wasn't the only one in the canteen; most of his coworkers from the workshop were there too. Outside in the main canteen, many others who hadn't had a chance to eat were also sitting there, excitedly chattering away.

Yang Jianye himself didn't know how many times he had been tossed into the air. In any case, he was so dazed by the tossing that he was finally urged back down to the ground by the work bell. The moment his feet touched the ground, Yang Jianye knew that he was not suited to floating in the air. Only by standing on the ground did he feel safe and secure.

"Jianye, you really pulled this off this time!" The thumbs-up represented everyone's approval.

This time, he truly brought honor to Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill and to all steelworkers. From now on, the name Yang Jianye will be a household name throughout the steel system. The broadcast of today's content will be gradually played in factories across the industry; this is an honor for all steelworkers, and a golden opportunity for Yang Jianye to make a name for himself.

But he just smiled and said, "Why bother with all this nonsense? Have you finished your work?"

Everyone looked at each other and burst into laughter.

"As expected of Yang Jianye, he's still the same as ever!"

Li Yaoye glanced at him and said, "Of course! Do you think Jianye is like you, getting cocky just because you've achieved a little success?"

Yang Jianye looked at him, wanting to give him a stern warning: "Comrade Li Yaoye, your tendency to play the straight man is getting worse. Why don't you introduce him to a doctor? If you delay any longer, he might be beyond help."

All afternoon, the factory was abuzz with discussion about the midday broadcast incident. Yang Jianye, as the central figure in the incident, received unusual treatment, being pointed at and whispered about wherever he went. The older women looked at him with shining eyes, mostly with pity, clearly saying, "Why didn't I make a move sooner?"—don't misunderstand, they wanted to act as matchmakers for their relatives. As for the young girls, have you ever seen a fanatical admirer? Facing Yang Jianye, they were probably a billion times better off.

After work, everyone was packing up to leave, except for Yang Jianye, who was squatting by the worktable, playing with a discarded ingredient and banging it on the ground, showing no intention of leaving.

"Team Leader Yang, aren't you going to finish work?"

"I'll wait a little longer, you guys go first." Yang Jianye looked up and smiled.

Master Hao, holding his tools, chuckled, "Jianye's afraid of getting ambushed if he goes out."

"Hahaha..." Everyone burst into laughter. They'd really made quite a commotion today.

Li Yaoye laughed along, then casually added, "I think he's afraid those girls will kidnap him. That would be terrible; those girls, they might just disappear."

"Old Wang, are you so envious your eyes are practically red?"

"Hey, hey, hey, don't underestimate Jianye."

Li Yaoye, with a stern face, suddenly flashed a V-sign, a strange smile on his face: "It can last at least two days."

"Get lost!" Yang Jianye pointed at him, laughing and cursing. "Next time you see your sister-in-law, we'll have something to talk about."

Li Yaoye's face fell, and he pleaded, "I was wrong, Jianye, team leader, please give me a way out! My wife listens to you now, and if she finds out about today's incident, it'll be even more serious. I think even if you said the moon was square, she'd believe you, but please don't spread rumors."

Yang Jianye glanced at him sideways and chuckled, "Let's see how you do."

Li Yaoye nodded resignedly and said, "Alright, I passed the test this time. Where shall we eat, you tell me, okay?"

Yang Jianye nodded in satisfaction: "That's more like it."

The workers looked at Li Yaoye and asked, "Master Li, are you confident?"

Li Yaoye nodded and smiled, "Yes, I plan to give it a try."

"Has it been reported?"

"It's been reported."

Everyone immediately offered their congratulations: "Congratulations!"

"No, no, no," Li Yaoye raised his hand and pressed forward, saying, "Let's wait until it's over before congratulating you. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, we'll be disappointed."

They chatted and laughed for half an hour, and then it was quiet outside. Qin Huai, as if sensing something, ran out of the workshop, looked around, and came back saying, "Master, there's no one outside."

Once confirmed, Yang Jianye got up and walked out, urging, "Everyone, go back now, don't delay." Everyone dispersed and left.

Isn't it all to keep Yang Jianye company? Otherwise, who would want to stay here doing nothing? There's no work to do, wouldn't it be better to go home, lie on the kang (heated brick bed), and cuddle with your wife?

He walked side-by-side with Li Yaoye towards the bicycle shed, their two apprentices following behind. Since it was on the way anyway, they figured they might as well wait for their master to leave before continuing. These small details are what truly resonate. Because big things are visible to everyone, but small things are only seen by those directly involved; fewer people care, yet they receive more attention. Like ten people sharing a large pancake versus two people sharing a small one, even though the pancake is small, with only two people, they end up eating more than the large one.