Chapter 425: with translation of chapter title

It stems from the desire to claim credit.

In Deputy Factory Director Li's office, Qin Huairu and Liu Haizhong began arguing like shrews.

Liu Haizhong insisted that the whole thing was solely his doing—he alone had thought of it and carried it out—and he berated Qin Huairu for being shameless.

Qin Huairu spoke heatedly, saying the achievement belonged to both of them, that she had authorized Liu Haizhong, and to bolster her argument she invoked her so‑called Know Mistake Then Correct Group.

Deputy Factory Director Li got a headache from their arguing, shouted angrily, and slapped the table before him.

Seeing Deputy Factory Director Li fly into a rage, Qin Huairu and Liu Haizhong each wisely closed their mouths, and panic showed on their faces.

Deputy Factory Director Li called the Security Section and had its chief personally investigate the matter, hoping to silence them and prove Shazhu's innocence.

Thirty minutes later.

The Security Section chief appeared before Deputy Factory Director Li and, in front of Qin Huairu and Liu Haizhong, gave a detailed report of the investigation results.

"Director Li, He Yuzhu and Yang Jianjun chatted for seven or eight minutes in the factory area street; passersby overheard them asking about each other's health and how things were lately, and Comrade He Yuzhu urged Yang Jianjun to seize every moment to study the Yagangchang Latest Situation Record."

What the Security Section chief said.

It was like a sharp awl piercing everything Liu Haizhong and Qin Huairu had.

As things stand.

They only then realized they had done something utterly wrong, which could backfire; not only did they fail to topple Shazhu, but Shazhu turned the tables on them.

The author of the Yagangchang Latest Situation Record was Deputy Factory Director Li himself, sitting behind his desk with a scrutinizing gaze at Liu Haizhong and Qin Huairu.

Quite obvious.

Shazhu was advising Factory Director Yang.

If even urging someone to study Deputy Factory Director Li's *Yagangchang Latest Situation Record* inside the plant is deemed wrong, then what isn't wrong?

It's fundamentally an unsolvable problem.

This is Shazhu's open stratagem.

It leaves countless people unable to say anything.

Liu Haizhong's complexion gradually changed; he lost all the confidence he had arrived with, and even beads of sweat the size of beans appeared on his forehead.

Qin Huairu was much the same; she no longer had any thought of claiming credit, and a faint worry began to stir, hoping Deputy Factory Director Li wouldn't pursue the matter too fiercely, otherwise neither she nor Liu Haizhong would come out well.

Shazhu indeed chatted with Factory Director Yang in the factory area for a while.

Many people can attest to that.

There's an idiom: 'to have a clear conscience'.

If Shazhu really were colluding with Factory Director Yang to do something detrimental to Deputy Factory Director Li, he wouldn't openly discuss it in front of countless people.

As for Liu Haizhong's claim that Shazhu gave something to Factory Director Yang...

It was purely a misunderstanding.

The thing Shazhu gave to Factory Director Yang was the book *Yagangchang Latest Situation Record* compiled by Deputy Factory Director Li, and while handing over the book Shazhu also urged Yang Jianjun to humbly accept criticism, be strict with himself, learn knowledge, and strive to make greater contributions and achievements for the Yagangchang plant.

In fact, it simply meant advising Factory Director Yang to accept his fate honestly.

Even if this lawsuit went as far as Deputy Factory Director Li, or even to heaven itself, Shazhu would still be in the right.

Deputy Factory Director Li banged the table loudly, pointing at Liu Haizhong and Qin Huairu's noses as he launched into a tirade so fierce he was practically cursing their ancestors eight generations back.

He then drove Qin Huairu and Liu Haizhong away.

As they were about to leave, Deputy Factory Director Li asked Qin Huairu whether she could handle being the leader of the Know Mistake Then Correct Group, warning that if she couldn't, he'd swiftly replace her with someone competent.

The Know Mistake Then Correct Group was Qin Huairu's sole means of asserting her existence; naturally she didn't want to be cast down so quickly, so she declared to Deputy Factory Director Li that she would redouble her efforts.

Listening to Qin Huairu's promise.

Liu Haizhong had essentially extinguished certain unrealistic notions.

He knew he probably wouldn't get another chance to turn his life around.

He knew Qin Huairu would redouble her efforts to rein herself in.

She tucked her tail between her legs, meekly doing as she was told; Qin Huairu would do whatever she was asked, and even when faced with the scheming and retaliation of the Yagangchang workers, she no longer talked back or fought back.

After experiencing this, Qin Huairu also realized the gap between herself and Shazhu; both inside the Yagangchang plant and in the siheyuan, people kept their distance from Shazhu, and she avoided provoking him, just as he avoided provoking her.

No more annoying flies.

Shazhu's days ahead were indeed rather uneventful: he woke up unfailingly each morning, helped make breakfast, then went to work at the Yagangchang plant, and returned home just as unfailingly each evening.

Given the current circumstances.

Everyone proceeded with caution.

Private work had dwindled greatly.

With no outside income, the Shazhu household really felt a bit strained; fortunately, Shazhu was a cook, so although times were tight, his household was still one of the better-off families in the compound.

In those plain, uneventful days.

Time flew by, and several dozen months later it was 1970.

Five years passed, Weiguo was eight and Xianghong five.

Taking advantage of the children growing up and still having energy, Shazhu and Yu Li each gave Weiguo and Xianghong a younger brother and a younger sister; the younger brother was named Baoguo, He Baoguo, now three years old; the youngest sister was named Xiaohong, He Xiaohong, now one year old.

Having been reborn.

Achieved having both sons and daughters.

That day.

Shazhu had just stepped into the siheyuan when he saw Jia Zhangshi, whom he hadn't interacted with much over the years, walking toward him with a smug smile.

Seeing Jia Zhangshi's weasel‑like face, the sort that greets chickens with New Year's greetings, Shazhu instinctively went on high alert, feeling that the old hag was harboring some scheme.

As expected.

Jia Zhangshi came up to Shazhu and went straight to the point.

"Shazhu, our family's Bangeng today received the rural assignment notice issued by the Jiēdào."

Shazhu only then suddenly understood, realizing why Laoqianpo had come looking for him.

Bangeng is seventeen this year; according to the relevant policy, if he has no job, he must, under the current policy, go to the countryside to engage in poverty‑alleviation construction.

While chatting with Yu Li last night, I inadvertently heard Yu Li mention that Jia Zhangshi has been running around these days looking for people everywhere for the matter of Bangeng going to the countryside, begging grandparents and grandmothers for ideas on how to keep Bangeng from going, but because of various factors, she has never been able to solve the problem of Bangeng going to the countryside.

Good fellow.

This is treating oneself as a sucker.