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

Li Chao quickly squatted down, frantically gathering the letters together one by one. When he flipped them over, the words "whistleblower letter" at the beginning stunned him. He flipped through the pages rapidly, his expression growing increasingly strange—this wasn't a report against him, it was a report against Wang Manqi. He then flipped through the rest of the pages; they were all reports against Wang Manqi. Clutching the papers, he cautiously raised his eyelids to peek at Li Jing'an, hoping to glean some clue from the director's expression.

Li Jing'an caught his little movement and snorted through his nose.

"Is this the result of your service to our fellow workers? Look how many people have complaints about your propaganda team! I sent you to serve the workers, not to just go through the motions! And you're putting on airs? Always with a stern face? Where does your sense of superiority come from? You're unwilling to communicate with our fellow workers, always wearing a long face and ignoring everyone—did I send you here to be leaders?"

He unleashed a torrent of words, like a machine gun, one sentence after another.

"Um... Director Li," Li Chao's voice was pitiful, barely audible, "it wasn't me who reported this..."

"Bang!"

Li Jing'an slammed his hand on the table, and even the ashtray jumped up.

"What do you mean?" His voice suddenly rose. "Wang Manqi isn't under your command? You have no responsibility for her poor performance? How could you shamelessly say she performed well, that she was proactive, that she had a good attitude, and even wanted her to replace you as team leader? You want to transfer her back? Is this how you act as a team leader? You're deceiving your superiors and subordinates! If I hadn't investigated personally, I would have been completely fooled by you!"

Li Chao was at a loss. He looked at the furious Li Jing'an, then down at the paper in his hand, his mind racing—how exactly was this investigation conducted? These complaint letters sounded plausible, but most of them were utter nonsense! The accusations of being aloof and not connecting with the workers—those old scoundrels in the workshop, they talked about women all the time, their mouths were full of organ references; he knew perfectly well what they were up to when they talked to Wang Manqi! How dare these people write complaint letters?

But he would never dare to say those words out loud, even if he were beaten to death.

Li Chao swallowed hard, forcing a smile, and said, "Director Li, actually... what they said is a bit of an exaggeration. Comrade Wang Manqi is probably just aloof and doesn't like to talk, so that's why..."

He wasn't genuinely defending Wang Manqi—he was afraid that Wang Manqi's matter would delay his own transfer back to the office, and he didn't want to stay in the workshop for even one more day!

"It's one thing if one person says bad things about her, it's another if two people say bad things about her, but look how many there are here!" Li Jing'an interrupted him, tapping the table with his finger. "They all have complaints about your work! You deal with this first, then we'll talk about your transfer back!"

Li Chao became anxious: "Director Li, what do you think we should do? We're in the workshop after all, I think we should hand it over to the workshop revolutionary committee..."

"Hmph!" Li Jing'an snorted coldly, his gaze sharp as a knife. "Hand it over to them? You were just temporarily dispatched, and you're the propaganda team leader. If you're not going to handle this, who are you going to push it onto? Fine, looks like you don't want to do this anymore? Or are you worried about some classmate relationship?"

Upon hearing this, Li Chao shuddered, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

"Director Li! Director Li! That's really not how it is!" He quickly waved his hand, speaking rapidly like pouring out beans, "I was just afraid of overstepping my authority and causing dissatisfaction among the workshop leaders! I always handle matters strictly according to principle! Comrade Wang Manqi's thinking is indeed problematic! Don't worry, I will immediately convene a meeting when I get back, ordering her to conduct a self-examination, and at the same time, I will ask her colleagues to criticize and educate her, so that she can correctly view herself and things, and keep revolutionary work firmly in her heart, not just on the surface! I will also make a self-criticism at the meeting; it was my ineffective leadership that led to this situation, disappointing the organization and the colleagues!"

He finished speaking in one breath, his chest heaving violently.

Li Jing'an stared at him for a few seconds, the coldness in his eyes slowly fading, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. Damn, all these guys with the surname Li are smart; they can spout off a whole string of clever phrases. Is it because the Li family has good genes, and all the nutrition goes into their brains? They can even make a criticism session sound eloquent.

He leaned back in his chair: "Go ahead, I want to see results, not just talk. Don't let me receive any more complaint letters. Helping Wang Manqi can't be done in one or two sessions; we need to hold more so she clearly understands her mistakes. If it works well, I'll consider your case. Go back now."

Li Chao breathed a sigh of relief and bowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, Director Li! Thank you, Director Li!" He backed up to the door, pulled it open, and slipped out, his hands trembling as he closed the door.

After closing the door, Li Jing'an stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.

"Wang Manqi, you're really stubborn. You're quite something, aren't you? Fine, I'll acknowledge your stubbornness if you can stick it out. But if you can't... hehehehe."

---

With the telephone receiver held between his ear and shoulder, Li Jing'an leaned back in his chair, twirling a pen in his hand.

"Receiving Mr. Cai, a member of the Municipal Revolutionary Committee."

A moment later, the call connected, and Li Jing'an greeted him with a smile.

"Hey, Brother Cai? Haha, it's me, Jing'an. Yes, yes, I've been so busy lately, haven't had any time. Let's find some time these next couple of days to drink until we drop. Okay, okay, just come over here, I have everything you need. After we finish drinking, we can sleep here. I'll make sure you're all passed out."

"Haha, yes, yes, there's something, it's a personal matter. I didn't want to bother you, but my sister had a conflict with some people from the local revolutionary committee. I didn't want to get involved, but my sister was crying and sobbing at my house last night, saying that the people from the local revolutionary committee were scaring and bullying her. You see, I don't know anyone in the local revolutionary committee, so I can only trouble you, brother."

"Hey, that's not what I meant, Brother Cai. I just wanted you to ask the neighborhood committee what's going on, not to put pressure on them. They're just doing their job. Besides, I know my sister's personality; she's never one to back down. Yes, just ask them. No need for special treatment, just have them keep an eye on my sister and make sure she doesn't cause me any more trouble. Okay, okay, Brother Cai, I'll call you back."

After hanging up the phone, the receiver clicked back onto the landline. Li Jing'an leaned back, put his hands behind his head, and squinted at the ceiling.

That was it for his sister's sake. As for what the man surnamed Cai did, that was none of his business—he hadn't asked him to pressure anyone, just to "ask around." If the rebels and young revolutionaries on the ground were dissatisfied and rebelled, what did that have to do with Li Jing'an?

---

In a certain workshop, the iron plate on the operating table was greasy and a bit slippery when stepped on.

Wang Manqi stood there, head down, her hands gripping the sides of her pants tightly, the fabric creased in several places. A large crowd surrounded her; some had their arms crossed, some were smoking cigarettes, and some were pointing and gesturing at her.

Li Chao had just returned from outside when he stopped work, took out the several complaint letters, and announced on the spot that he would give her a reprimand. Only then did she realize that those papers were all complaint letters against her.

A wave of grievance washed over me. Tears secretly streamed down my cheeks.

The old man in front of her, righteously and vehemently criticizing her, was the notorious one in the workshop. He was always gossiping about her, deliberately getting close to her to ask all sorts of questions. When he opened his mouth, his large, yellow, smoky teeth were revealed, followed by a sour, foul smell that made her want to back away.

She recognized the most enthusiastic faces in the audience—those men who always looked at her with ulterior motives; and those women who had been spreading rumors about her since she arrived.

This isn't a workshop; it's an arena.

"Wang Manqi!" Li Chao stood at the front of the crowd, holding the several complaint letters in his hand, his voice rising loudly, "Don't think you can get away with just bowing your head and pretending to be mute! Honestly confess your problems! Humbly accept everyone's criticism! Share your thoughts!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the audience: "This criticism and education of you won't end in a day or two! You must delve into your heart and correct all your faults before it stops! I propose that, starting tomorrow, we hold a criticism meeting for Comrade Wang Manqi every day during the lunch break, to help her recognize her mistakes as soon as possible, improve herself, shed those bad habits, and reintegrate into our working class!"

"good!"

"That's how it should be!"