Courtyard house: Just the right amount of pressure, leaving you bewildered but not brain-damaged.

Yi Zhonghai stood up and ripped the towel off.

"Zhonghai, your face is so swollen, where are you going?" Wu Guizhen asked hurriedly.

"Never mind that, the more swollen it is, the better the effect. Go get me some money, a lot of it, I might not be back for dinner tonight."

Wu Guizhen dared not offer any advice or ask any more questions. She went into the inner room, rummaged through a locked box, fiddled with it for a while, and then came out clutching a few large bills.

Yi Zhonghai took the money, put it in his pocket, and left the house without looking back.

At this moment, Wu Guizhen finally let out a long sigh and sat back down in her chair, her face full of worry.

Having been married for so many years, she knew Yi Zhonghai's personality all too well.

If I hadn't really had no other choice, why would I go out with such a fat face to gain sympathy? I'd be laughed at to death by the neighbors.

Gao Xiaosheng pushed his bicycle out of the market, his cloth bag bulging.

I bought some cucumbers, tomatoes, edamame, garlic sprouts, and small radishes, and a round, juicy watermelon from Panggezhuang was tied to the back seat.

Once they reached a secluded spot, they casually took out two pounds of beef and two pounds of mutton and stuffed them into a cloth bag.

At this moment, Yi Zhonghai had already reached Xiang'er Hutong on the north side of Zhang Zizhong Road. Ignoring the strange looks from others, he carefully examined the doorplates of each courtyard.

"Excuse me, does Officer Ning Yiming live here?"

Passersby chatting at the courtyard gate were startled by Yi Zhonghai's red and swollen fat face. They paused for a moment before nodding, "Yes, Xiao Ning lives in the east wing."

After Yi Zhonghai entered the courtyard, he clicked his tongue and asked his neighbor, "Isn't Xiao Ning a union official? Does she handle fights and brawls?"

"Who knows? Maybe it's an internal conflict among the workers. Let's ask the union to mediate."

In the past six months, Yi Zhonghai has come into contact with more members of the working group than with the technical cadres who occasionally visit the logistics workshop; the union cadres have been more frequently seen.

After all, they need to understand the workers' situation and help them solve their difficulties.

I only found out where Officer Ning lived because we were chatting casually on our way home from get off work.

"Officer Ning, are you home? Officer Ning?"

"Who is it?"

"I am Yi Zhonghai from the Logistics Department."

"Who? Oh no, it's me..."

Ning Yiming opened the door and was so startled by Yi Zhonghai that he retreated several steps, almost blurting out a phrase related to traditional Chinese culture.

After regaining his composure and looking at himself carefully, he patted his chest in lingering fear, "Master Yi, what happened to you? Come inside quickly."

"Officer Ning, you don't know, today..."

Yi Zhonghai sat next to Ning Yiming, touching his swollen cheek, and grimaced as he recounted the whole process of being beaten.

Avoiding the important issues and exaggerating the facts are common practices that are hard to avoid.

"Officer Ning, I admit I was in the wrong, but Gao Xiaosheng shouldn't have been so ruthless. Look at the damage I've done; both my cheeks are swollen like buns."

Ning Yiming scratched his head and asked in confusion, "Master Yi, you should contact the neighborhood committee or the street office for this. If that doesn't work, you can report it to the police station. I'm just an ordinary staff member of the steel mill's union, and I can't handle disputes in your courtyard."

"Officer Ning, Gao Xiaosheng is the security officer in our factory's security department. Don't you know him?"

"Security Department?" Ning Yiming asked back.

"Yes, the security department. They haven't been here long," Yi Zhonghai said firmly.

Ning Yiming's expression became much more serious as he looked at Yi Zhonghai with a meaningful gaze.

"Master Yi, do you want me to step in and, on behalf of the labor union, help you resolve the conflict with Gao Xiaosheng?"

Yi Zhonghai nodded and then shook his head. "Officer Ning, how can we just try to resolve this? Even if I didn't think things through, Gao Xiaosheng can't just use his position in the security department to beat someone, and with such force."

"If you ask me, the union should give Gao Xiaosheng a disciplinary warning or something."

Ning Yiming shook his head vigorously, while Yi Zhonghai knew exactly who the security department was, even though he didn't know them.

"Master Yi, it's impossible, absolutely impossible. I can't even resolve conflicts, let alone punish people."

"Huh?" Yi Zhonghai was stunned. "Officer Ning, didn't you say that the union is our workers' home, and that we can go to the union to resolve any grievances we suffer?"

Ning Yiming's face scrunched up in a bitter expression.

He did say that, and it's written that way in the union's promotional materials.

If it's a conflict between workers, he can indeed act as a peacemaker.

But the security department is not covered by the steel mill's union; it's a small group of people who are always around but can't be selected.

"Master Yi, it seems you're not very familiar with the background of the Security Department?"

Ning Yiming couldn't directly say that the union's capabilities were limited, so he could only provide a comprehensive explanation. He hoped that after understanding the explanation, Yi Zhonghai would have a better grasp of the situation and wouldn't force him to do anything unreasonable.

"The security department was established by learning from the experience of our Soviet big brother."

"In 1950, factories and mines in Northeast China experienced 253 incidents of sabotage within six months, resulting in huge economic losses. This incident was even featured in a daily newspaper editorial."

"At that time, the troops were preparing to support the peninsula, and the Northeast was an important military industrial base and logistical supply area."

"In order to deal with Dieter, the higher authorities, following the methods of Soviet factories, decided to set up special security teams, or security departments, in factories, mines and other economic construction units across the country."

"Last year, a document was issued from above to establish an economic police system, which resolved the issue of legalizing the armed forces of the security department and determined that the security department is both an administrative department and a police dispatch organization."

"The scope of responsibilities is very broad, including maintaining public order, protecting state property, combating terrorism, and training militia, all of which fall within the jurisdiction of the Security Section."

"In case of emergency or major crisis, the security department can even contact the local troops directly without asking for permission or reporting."

"Oh, and most importantly, to ensure independence, the higher-ups have specifically instructed that the Security Section be directly led by Dang Wei, and administrative cadres are not allowed to interfere arbitrarily."

Yi Zhonghai listened very attentively, even though Director Wang had already covered some of the points.

"Officer Ning, do you mean the union can't directly punish Gao Xiaosheng, and has to report to Team Leader Wei first, and then hold a meeting to discuss it?"

Yi Zhonghai believes that his understanding is correct.

Didn't Ning Yiming say that the security department is under Dang Wei's jurisdiction? Doesn't that mean the work group leader, deputy leader, and a few other people hold a meeting to make the decision?

"Oh dear, Master Yi, how come you still don't understand?"

Ning Yiming was also a bit frustrated. In the past, when he went to the logistics workshop, Yi Zhonghai was quite eloquent and always expressed his support for all the union's measures.

Why are you so stubborn now? You're such a blockhead.

"Let me be frank, this matter is best left unresolved, like a minor issue turning into a major one, and just let it pass."

"Even if you complain to Team Leader Wei, it won't do any good. As long as Section Chief Zhou of the Security Department is willing to protect Gao Xiaosheng, none of the leaders in our factory can influence anything."

"Huh?" Yi Zhonghai's mouth dropped open, his face filled with disbelief. "No way, Officer Ning, according to you, no one can handle the security department?"

"Don't even mention steel rolling mills, there's no other department in the world that no one can control!"