I feel right at home in the world of the courtyard house.

Inside the guesthouse office, Li Jing'an was receiving an "old acquaintance".

Although Li Jing'an is now the director of the Revolutionary Committee, he still works in the guesthouse. The original leaders of the factory have all been sidelined, but since the storm has just begun, they have not yet been greatly affected and still go to get off work as usual every day, only having completely lost their real power.

"Master Liu Haizhong, come, have a seat." Li Jing'an greeted him with a smile, handing him a cigarette.

"Thank you, Director Li. Oh, I mean, Chief Li."

The man sitting opposite him, Liu Haizhong, looked a little awkward, and nervously accepted the cigarette, thanking him repeatedly.

"Comrade Liu Haizhong, don't be nervous." Li Jing'an lit a cigarette for him and said with a smile, "If I lived in the courtyard, I'd have to call you 'Second Uncle,' wouldn't I?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong seemed to be burned, and hurriedly jumped up from the sofa: "Director Li... no, no, no, it's Director Li! Please don't say that, how could I... how could I dare?"

"Hey, sit down, sit down." Li Jing'an waved his hand, his tone friendly. "Our factory has entered a new phase. Power has returned to our own hands, our worker brothers. Don't treat me like some kind of leader; we're all class brothers."

"No, no..." Liu Haizhong only dared to sit on half of his buttocks, repeatedly agreeing.

Li Jing'an changed the subject, speaking earnestly, "We haven't been in touch much these past few years, not because I've distanced myself from you. It's mainly because I wanted you to gain more experience at the grassroots level, so I could prepare you for more demanding responsibilities. I just don't know if you can handle it?"

"Director Li!" Liu Haizhong's face flushed crimson with excitement, and he jumped to his feet. "I'll do anything you ask, just give the order!"

"Hey, look at you, you're standing up again." Li Jing'an smiled as he stood up, pressing Liu Haizhong's shoulder with one hand to make him sit down, and then sat down next to him. "Comrade Liu Haizhong, you know the current situation in our factory. Although most of the original factory leaders have been sidelined, I'm not entirely at ease with the remaining ones, and besides, they're not adapted to the new situation of struggle. I'm preparing to form a team of our own workers—a picket team."

At this point, Li Jing'an stared into Liu Haizhong's eyes: "The disciplinary team needs a leader who is courageous, obedient, and follows orders. I immediately thought of you. Do you have the confidence to do this job well?"

"Director Li, please rest assured!" Liu Haizhong's voice trembled with excitement. "If you ask me to do it, then I'll do it for you! From now on, wherever you say to shoot, I'll shoot; whoever you say to shoot, I'll shoot. I'm your gun! I'm only loyal to you!"

"Hey, don't get excited, calm down." Li Jing'an quickly comforted him, but secretly thought to himself: The former minister had a cerebral hemorrhage in this office. If Liu Haizhong gets too excited and dies here, this house will be considered a haunted house.

Li Jing'an cleared his throat and formally said, "Comrade Liu Haizhong, the organization has decided to appoint you as a member of the Revolutionary Committee of the Steel Rolling Mill and captain of the disciplinary team. I will have someone officially announce it tomorrow. Next, you will go to the factory to select people. You need to select from each workshop. There is only one standard: young and strong, ideologically positive, and with a clean background. You must select active individuals who are obedient to commands. Don't bring in any troublemakers who will be difficult to manage and will only cause trouble for the factory."

"Yes, yes, yes! Director Li, I understand!" Liu Haizhong patted his chest and assured him, "I'll get on it right away! I'll definitely choose according to your wishes and won't let you down!"

"Good, good, good, I knew I hadn't misjudged you. Letting you settle down for these past few years was definitely the right thing to do. I love your revolutionary spirit!" Li Jing'an nodded in satisfaction. "Once you've assembled the team, give me a report. Then we'll find some targets outside to practice on and see just how effective our picket team really is."

"Okay! You go ahead with your work, I'll go now!"

Liu Haizhong, hunched over, backed out of the office. After closing the door, he stood in the corridor and suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself hard across the face—"Smack!"

The sound was exceptionally clear, attracting the attention of people in the nearby offices who peeked out to see what was going on. Seeing only Liu Haizhong standing there blankly, they quickly retreated back inside.

Liu Haizhong seemed oblivious to the pain, muttering to himself with a blank stare: "Is this real?... I'm an official? Huh? I actually became an official..."

After seeing off the excited Liu Haizhong, there was another knock on the office door.

"Clang clang."

"Come in."

Old Huang, the former deputy director of the guesthouse, walked in bowing and scraping: "Director Li, I have something I'd like to report to you."

Li Jing'an looked up at him and asked, "Is this about our steel mill, or about the guesthouse?"

"It's about the guesthouse, Director Li." Old Huang quickly stepped forward and respectfully handed over a form. "Look, this is the guesthouse's upcoming reception arrangements. Could you please review it and see if there are any oversights?"

Li Jing'an remained seated in the chair behind his desk, his brows furrowed slightly, but he did not reach out to take the paper.

"Old Huang," Li Jing'an said sternly, "you can make your own decisions about the guesthouse. You're in charge of the guesthouse now. What am I in charge of now? Our entire steel rolling mill! It's not just the guesthouse anymore. You have to take on the responsibility I've given you. I can't keep making all the decisions, can I? What am I supposed to do with you then?"

Although Li Jing'an was frowning and scolding Lao Huang, his hands honestly picked up the form and examined it carefully.

"Yes, yes, you're right." Old Huang nodded repeatedly, looking cautious. "But I've only just taken over, and I'm not at ease. I feel like I don't have a leader. Besides, you haven't even gone to the steel mill yet. Since it's so close, I came to consult you first. Can you give me some guidance and suggestions? I'm afraid I'll mess things up again, and then you won't be there to bail me out."

After hearing this, Li Jing'an's expression softened slightly.

"Alright, fine." He said, unfolding the form to examine it carefully. "After all, you've been my deputy for so many years, I'll definitely help you. Besides, you've only just taken over, so you do lack experience. Let me take a look."

After reading it, Li Jing'an nodded: "Okay, no problem, just do it this way."

"Alright! With your word, I feel much more at ease." Old Huang bowed and accepted the form from Li Jing'an with both hands, his respectful demeanor as if he were receiving an imperial edict.

"Oh, right, Lao Huang," Li Jing'an said casually, as if suddenly remembering something, "I have a few friends coming over tonight. Go arrange a private room and prepare a feast. Set the standard high."

"Okay, okay, I'll arrange it right away, I guarantee it will be done properly!" Old Huang nodded vigorously.

"So, do you think the drinks tonight will still be Moutai?" Old Huang asked.

"Yes, let's drink Moutai. I'm not used to drinking anything else." It's as if this is the most ordinary thing in the world.

After Lao Huang left, Li Jing'an's smile gradually faded, and he began to consider how to adjust the power structure of the Revolutionary Committee.

The current Revolutionary Committee is just a temporary team he used to make up the numbers. Besides him as the director, there is a deputy director sent by the Military Control Commission (an officer in the army who cannot be touched; as long as he doesn't get in the way, everything will be fine), and a former deputy factory director who is just a mascot.

As for the committee members below, most of them were the factory's original middle-level cadres. Li Jing'an planned to replace all the members except for Section Chief Gou of the Security Department, especially Section Chief Zhang of the Personnel Department who released Jiang Yuebai without prior notice. He remembered this debt.

The reason for keeping Section Chief Gou is that although he used to be Li Huaide's confidant, he was very loyal to Li Jing'an, was the first to express his loyalty, and did things in a way that suited his wishes.

Later, he planned to promote more new people and firmly grasp the power of the steel rolling mill in his own hands.