Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Now, the two dishes combined are not even half the price of what they used to be. He himself is so hungry that his stomach is sticking to his back. What would he have left to take back?

Yi Zhonghai's heart softened when he saw his apprentice's worried face.

He sighed and waved his hand: "Come to my house after you finish work tonight, and have dinner first."

Don't go hungry.

He knew the state of the Jia family—the whole family depended on this little bit of meat for survival, and now they were being held hostage by someone else, their very lifeline was being cut off.

The more he felt sorry for his apprentice, the deeper his hatred for Sha Zhu grew.

First they stripped him of his "grandpa" title and forced him to write a self-criticism, and now they're messing with his meals.

This is driving people to their doom!

The three of them lowered their heads and ate the bland food, each bite seeming like they were chewing on grievances.

When I walked out of the cafeteria, my stomach was empty, and my heart was even emptier.

After seeing off the leaders from the Ministry of Industry in the afternoon, Li Huaide sat in his office, lit a cigarette, and turned to instruct his clerk: "Go and call He Yuzhu over."

He's not good enough for a secretary yet, but once he's promoted to deputy factory director, people will naturally be running errands for him.

A short while later, He Yuzhu knocked on the door and came in, just in time to find Li Huaide personally making him tea. He quickly waved his hand, "Oh, Director Li, how could I accept this! Let me do it!"

His movements were nimble, and his smile was gentle, as if the storm that had just occurred in the cafeteria had nothing to do with him.

"You do it."

"Oh, don't be so polite, you're the pillar of our factory!" Li Huaide smiled, put his teacup on the table, and spoke as warmly as if he were his own uncle.

But as soon as he finished speaking, his face darkened slightly, and he lowered his voice: "Zhu Zi, the Ministry of Industry has already taken a liking to your greenhouse project. They say it has potential, but—the project proposal needs to be solid and you can't show any weakness."

"It's been uploaded so quickly?" He Yuzhu's eyebrows twitched, almost choking. "I just mentioned it to you this morning, and the boss already approved it this afternoon? That's incredibly fast!"

"Ahem..." Li Huaide coughed twice, putting on a "no big deal" look. "At noon, I casually chatted with the leader for a bit and praised you to the skies."

You know, if they think you're just an ordinary technician, they can just transfer you with a single order. Where am I supposed to find another one like you?

He paused, then gave He Yuzhu a meaningful look: "This matter not only needs to be discussed by the steel mill, but also by the Ministry of Industry."

You understand what I mean, right?

How could He Yuzhu not understand? His mind raced, and he immediately replied, "Don't worry, Director Li, after I finish the first draft, I plan to have it reviewed by a few professors from the College of Agriculture and ask them for their feedback."

The endorsement of a well-known person carries a different weight.

"Great! This move was brilliant!" Li Huaide slapped his thigh, his eyes gleaming. "Only when professionals approve can a project truly stand the test of time."

Go ahead and do it; I'll cover for you if you need to take leave.

"Okay, I understand." He Yuzhu nodded, and seeing that there was nothing else, he turned and left.

This trip came suddenly and ended just as abruptly.

To put it bluntly, I was called in to give them a shot in the arm—the greenhouses must be taken down!

In fact, He Yuzhu had already made plans.

Improving the meals at the steel mill was just a small goal; the real grand strategy was to grow high-yield wheat and rice in greenhouses.

That's the real game-changer that can disrupt the system.

More importantly, by taking advantage of the opportunity to visit the professor, and once his agricultural skills have reached the maximum level and he has fully digested the knowledge imparted by the system, the "Crop Cultivation Manual" can be produced in due course—this is the real trump card.

When He Yuzhu got home from get off work that evening, before he had even put down his dinner, he knocked on the door of his neighbor Zhang's house.

He got straight to the point: "Brother Zhang, I want to change rooms."

The house in the front yard used to be where Old Lady Li lived. She's moving out in a couple of days, and I've already prepared the property deed.

He paused, then offered the bait: "Plus a twenty-yuan subsidy, keep it a secret, no one can tell."

Upon hearing this, Old Zhang's eyes lit up instantly.

The sizes are about the same, and the locations are just a few steps apart. Not only can I get twenty dollars for free, but hiring two "handymen" to move would only cost less than two cents. If I do it myself, I can even save that little bit of money.

Isn't this like a windfall?

"Change it! We must change it!" Old Zhang made the decision on the spot.

The two agreed on a time to go to the neighborhood office together to complete the formalities.

Of course, this is on the premise that both parties are willing.

Nowadays, everyone is equal, and the neighborhood committee cannot forcibly evict people. However, as long as the tenant is willing, the process will be smooth sailing.

As soon as he got the house, He Yuzhu was able to immediately combine the main house, the side room, and his sister He Yushui's room.

He was also considering applying to the street office to fence off the eight or nine square meters of open space in the middle.

After getting married, he can at least create four rooms; if he's determined to add a second floor to the main house, the spaciousness will make the entire courtyard look up to him.

Just as I was planning for the future, a roar exploded from next door:

"Damn it! Master, I can't take it anymore! Those damn cooks have cheated us for seven whole days!"

Jia Dongxu slammed the door and stormed in, smashing his lunchbox on the table with a bang. His face was so black it looked like ink could drip from it.

I just got into another fight in the cafeteria and didn't get to eat.

Liu Haizhong followed closely behind, his lunchbox containing only a few wilted vegetable leaves, not even a speck of oil.

Yi Zhonghai wasn't much better off. The three of them were "targeted" by the cafeteria for a week straight—while others could scoop up a full ladle of food, when it was their turn, their "hands trembled" or their "backs hurt," and they would only get half a ladle of air with each spoonful.

If I don't eat enough at lunchtime, I have to stuff myself in the morning and evening.

This week alone, the food cost an extra three or four yuan. Yi Zhonghai himself was already strapped for cash, and he still had to subsidize the Jia family.

"Let's go!" Yi Zhonghai's eyes turned cold. He stopped eating, stood up, and walked out. "Go find the canteen manager! If that doesn't work, barge into the factory manager's office! I want to see if there's any law left in this steel rolling mill!"

"Director, can this even be called food? Look at this for yourself! For seven whole days, the cafeteria staff have been shaking our spoons and cutting the portions in half every day. How are we supposed to work on empty stomachs? If we don't meet the factory's deadlines, we'll get docked pay. Who can stand this?!"

Yi Zhonghai raised his voice, his face turning ashen, and he immediately broke off all pretense of civility.

This can't be delayed any longer. We have to turn this upside down today, otherwise we won't even be able to swing a hammer this afternoon. The mission being ruined is a minor issue; the real pain will be losing our wages.

"Shaking the spoon?"

Director Zhang of the cafeteria raised an eyebrow, his face full of astonishment.

Although he doesn't often get involved in specific matters, who in the factory hasn't praised the canteen's transformation lately? Especially the new rules implemented after He Yuzhu took office, the first of which is a strict prohibition on deducting food portions and not allowing the spoon to be shaken—who would dare to defy the rules?

But when he took the lunchboxes from the three men and looked at them, his brows immediately furrowed.

The vegetables that should have been two ounces were now less than one ounce. There were hardly any oily bits left. The wilted, yellow cabbages clung to the aluminum box, as if they had been squeezed dry of their last bit of life.

"This... was it just made? Untouched?"

"Absolutely true!" Yi Zhonghai said firmly. "Seven consecutive days, every single day! The first five days were like this, and the last two days were even more outrageous. Sometimes we couldn't even get a spoonful of soup! We're not here to beg, we're here to produce! Director, this is a major delay to national construction!"

The tone shifted, escalating from a complaint to an accusation.

He disguised his personal grudges with the guise of "collective interests," making him sound righteous and awe-inspiring.

Director Zhang's expression also became more serious, and he asked in a deep voice, "Master Yi, why did they give the three of you special treatment with the wok? There must be a reason, right?"

Yi Zhonghai choked, his Adam's apple bobbing, and finally gritted his teeth and said, "I have a conflict with Sha Zhu... that is, He Yuzhu."

We live in the same compound, and last weekend we had a misunderstanding that escalated into a conflict.

We admitted our mistake and apologized, but ever since then, every time we go to get food, the person at the window shakes their spoon—and half the food disappears.

He paused, then lowered his voice: "It's obvious that he's the one behind it all."

"He Yuzhu?"

Director Zhang's heart skipped a beat, and his expression changed slightly.

This name is now like a bomb in the logistics system; touch it and it explodes.

Director Li treated him like a treasure, granting him leave every few days. When people from other units came to eat, he was the one who cooked special meals for them. His prowess overshadowed the entire logistics department.

Even He Yuzhu, the official canteen director, had to bow his head and give way to him.

I'm terrified that one day I'll wake up to find myself sidelined.

But now—the opportunity has arrived.

If it is confirmed that He Yuzhu prioritized personal matters over public duties and used public office to settle personal scores, even if they cannot bring him down, they can still ruin his reputation.

At least it will make Li Huaide wonder.

Even if nothing comes of it, he will be completely unharmed.

Anyway, the blame has already been shifted to someone else.

"Alright," Director Zhang pondered for a moment, then changed his tone, "Master Yi, come with me to see Director Yang and explain this matter clearly."

With that, he gestured for the three of them to take their lunchboxes and set off immediately.

"Go to Director Yang's place?" Yi Zhonghai was taken aback and subconsciously wanted to decline, "Director Zhang, can't you handle this? You're the head of the canteen, just tell the kitchen staff, why bother the factory director? Isn't that making a mountain out of a molehill?"

"If it were just an ordinary cook who was dishonest, I could have suppressed it with a single word." Director Zhang smiled faintly, but his eyes turned cold. "But you're saying that Deputy Director He personally instructed me to do it? Then I dare not interfere, nor can I interfere."

Only the factory manager can make the decision.

The meaning couldn't be clearer: I'm just a guide; how you fight next is up to you.

The three of them exchanged a glance, gritted their teeth, picked up their lunchboxes, and followed.

I couldn't swallow this insult, so I just flipped the table.

The group went straight to the factory manager's office.

Factory Director Yang was hunched over his desk reviewing documents, his pen scratching on the paper. He looked up and saw four people enter at once. His brow furrowed slightly, and he put down his pen, asking, "Director Zhang? Master Yi? And Master Liu… Is this young man your apprentice?"

"Factory Manager, there's a tricky matter that needs your decision." Director Zhang spoke respectfully and moved efficiently, placing the lunchboxes one by one on the table, opening the lids to reveal three bland "work meals" that were infuriating.

"Master Yi and his colleagues reported that their portions were reduced when they were served food for a week in a row."

The reason is... a personal conflict with He Yuzhu, which is suspected to be targeted retaliation.

After saying that, he stepped back, shut his mouth, and stood quietly like an outsider.