Courtyard House: In times of famine, my hamster became a spirit.

The next morning.

The mornings at Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill are still bustling with the roar of steam hammers and the shouts of workers.

As Zhou Jianguo pushed his bicycle into the factory area, he keenly sensed that something was amiss in the atmosphere around him.

In the past, those coworkers who ignored Yi Zhonghai because of his influence were now all looking at him with gleam in their eyes.

People were pointing and whispering at him from a distance, but as soon as he glanced over, they quickly lowered their heads and pretended to tighten screws.

"Did you hear? The security department really got serious last night. Things are about to change!"

"Nonsense, how could I not hear it? My second uncle works as a gatekeeper in the security department. He said that Sha Zhu screamed like a pig being slaughtered in the interrogation room, and even Deputy Factory Director Li didn't protect him!"

"Really? Sha Zhu is Deputy Factory Director Li's personal cook. He's always been so meticulous, never lifting a heavy object only to put it down gently."

"This time it's different! This time we've really messed up..." The worker lowered his voice, his eyes secretly glancing at Zhou Jianguo, who had just changed into his work clothes. "This guy's tough as nails, treating an old man like a doormat."

These whispers buzzed around the workshop like winged flies.

Zhou Jianguo remained calm and slowly wiped the oil stains off the machine with cotton yarn.

He knew perfectly well that this was the calm before the storm, the prelude to the grand finale.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the workshop, life wasn't so easy for an old man named Yi Zhonghai.

He stood in front of that old machine tool that had been in operation for over a decade, holding a file in his hand, without moving for a full five minutes.

That face, usually adorned with a dignified mask, now had sunken eyes, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept all night.

"Master..."

The eldest apprentice, Zhang Tiezhu, lingered over, holding a rough part in his hand, his eyes darting around: "Um... everyone in the workshop is saying that Zhuzi didn't come out last night? Was he detained by the security department?"

This shout drew the attention of several apprentices and coworkers nearby.

Everyone is waiting for a definite answer from this eighth-grade worker who holds absolute authority in the courtyard and workshop.

Yi Zhonghai tightened his grip on the file.

He forced down the panic in his heart and turned his head, forcing a calm expression on his face.

"What nonsense are you asking? Have you finished your work?"

Yi Zhonghai, with a stern face, adopted the air of an elder: "Zhu Zi is just cooperating with the investigation. The security department has its own procedures; things still need to be clarified, don't they?"

He paused, then deliberately raised his voice a few decibels: "Besides, who is Zhu Zi? He's the successor of the Tan Family Cuisine! Can our factory handle hospitality without him? The leaders know what's going on; a few words of criticism and they're back to square one. You young people are just too impatient, jumping to conclusions based on hearsay!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tiezhu felt relieved and quickly smiled apologetically, "Yes, yes, Master is right. Even the factory manager is reluctant to touch Zhuzi's skills. It seems I was overthinking it."

The workers who were eavesdropping nearby nodded in agreement.

In their minds, Sha Zhu was an unyielding man who had always been domineering in the factory because of his excellent cooking skills. They figured this time it would be all bark and no bite again.

As Yi Zhonghai watched the crowd disperse, his tense back relaxed slightly, but the cold sweat on his back had already soaked through his autumn clothes.

Only he knew how chilling the look in Deputy Factory Director Li's eyes was last night.

"It shouldn't... implicate me, right?" Yi Zhonghai reassured himself. "I'm a level eight fitter, a pillar of the factory's technical team. Even if the pillar breaks, the factory will still give me some face..."

Time passed by, and before we knew it, it was noon.

"Ring ring—"

When the get off work bell rang, the already hungry workers dropped what they were doing, grabbed their lunchboxes, and rushed to the canteen.

Just then, a piercing electrical sound suddenly came from the large black loudspeaker hanging on the beam of the workshop.

"Sizzle—sizzle—"

Immediately afterwards, the announcer's serious voice echoed throughout the entire steel rolling mill.

"Hello! Hello! Attention all employees! This is an emergency notice from the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill Committee regarding the rectification of factory conduct and discipline, and the severe crackdown on acts of misappropriation of collective property!"

"Clang!"

Yi Zhonghai lost his grip on the file and slammed it heavily onto the guide rail.

Zhou Jianguo stopped washing his hands, looked up at the loudspeaker, and a playful smile appeared on his lips.

The show is about to begin.

Every word on the radio was like a heavy hammer blow, striking hard into the hearts of certain people.

"After investigation by the security department and review by the factory committee, it has been decided that He Yuzhu, an employee of our factory canteen, has low moral character and is morally corrupt! He has been abusing his position for a long time, stealing from the factory and treating precious ingredients that belong to all the factory's workers as his private property, thus appropriating them on a large scale!"

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

The workers, who were in a hurry to cook, all stopped and stared at each other in disbelief.

That's a really strong word! Morally corrupt and embezzling—these days, if you have that kind of reputation, people will tear your back apart!

"An investigation revealed that last night, when He Yuzhu left the factory, he openly hid half a chicken stewed with mushrooms and over a pound of braised pork in his lunchbox, disguising it with rotten vegetable leaves! His actions seriously damaged the collective interest! His so-called act of helping his neighbors is actually using his coworkers' hard-earned money to cover up his personal feelings; he is utterly hypocritical!"

The broadcaster's voice grew increasingly impassioned, almost like a public execution:

"In order to uphold factory discipline and serve as a constant reminder, the factory leadership has unanimously decided to impose the following punishment on He Yuzhu!"

Everyone held their breath.

Yi Zhonghai gripped the edge of the machine tool so tightly that his fingernails almost dug into the iron.

"First, effective immediately, He Yuzhu is hereby dismissed from his positions as canteen supervisor and head chef! He is reassigned to the factory cleaning team, responsible for emptying and cleaning all the factory's dry toilets for one year! His performance will be observed!"

"coax--"

The workshop erupted in chaos.

"Scooping latrines?! Making Sha Zhu shovel latrines?"

"My God, that's too cruel! Those are hands that used to hold big ladles, are they going to hold manure ladles from now on?"

"Serves him right! He always shakes his spoon so much! Every time he serves me food, it's like he has Parkinson's. Now he can go shake it in the bathroom!"

The broadcast, drowning out the crowd's murmurs, continued its relentless pronouncement:

"Second, He Yuzhu is ordered to compensate for the losses of stolen food items over the years at double the market price! A total fine of two hundred yuan is imposed! This amount will be deducted from his future wages in full each month until the debt is fully repaid!"

Two hundred yuan!

In an era where the average wage is thirty yuan, this is an astronomical figure that can crush a person!

This means that Sha Zhu will have to work for nothing for the next year!

However, for Yi Zhonghai, the real nightmare had only just begun.

The announcer paused, then his tone became even sterner.

"Also, there's Yi Zhonghai, an eighth-grade fitter!"