Chapter 67: He Yuzhu Brutally Beats Yi Zhonghai

Yi Zhonghai's expression was uncertain; he had wanted to put on the airs of an elder to lecture Li Mingyuan, but remembering his crushing defeat in front of the entire factory that day, he swallowed the words back down.

"Chief Engineer Li, don't be too arrogant. There are many veterans in the factory; you've offended too many people, and I'm afraid it won't be easy for you to get things done in the future." Yi Zhonghai's tone suddenly turned sinister, as if he were making a threat.

Hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Li Mingyuan's eyes.

"Master Yi, are you threatening me?"

Yi Zhonghai immediately put on a smiling face, "Not at all, not at all! I'm doing this for your own good! You are young and promising with a bright future, why must you make things difficult for us old folks?"

"I'm not making things difficult for anyone; I'm just doing what needs to be done." Li Mingyuan mounted his bicycle and said without looking back,

"As for you and Liu Haizhong, go clean the toilets well. Perhaps you can realize some life lessons from the cesspit."

Yi Zhonghai stood where he was, his complexion looking terrible to the extreme. Watching Li Mingyuan's back recede into the distance, he felt his teeth itching with hatred.

"Arrogant brat, just you wait!" Yi Zhonghai muttered through gritted teeth, then turned and headed back to the Siheyuan.

…………

At Liu Haizhong's home, he and several old workers were huddled together discussing countermeasures.

"This Li Mingyuan has gone too far. If you ask me, we need to find a way to teach him a lesson!" Liu Haizhong said with a spiteful look, downing a mouthful of liquor.

"But he has support from above; what can we do?" an old worker asked, full of worry.

Yi Zhonghai entered the room, his face so gloomy it could drip water. "I just went to find him again; that brat doesn't take us seriously at all!"

"What did he say?" Liu Haizhong asked eagerly.

"He said we should clean the toilets well, and that perhaps we could realize some life lessons from the cesspit!" Yi Zhonghai was shaking with rage.

"Damn it, he's too arrogant!" Liu Haizhong slammed the table, and the liquor in his cup splashed all over.

Just then, the door was knocked on lightly, and He Yuzhu poked his head in, "Uncle Liu, Uncle Yi, may I come in?"

Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong exchanged a look, and Liu Haizhong waved his hand, "Come in, Zhuzi."

He Yuzhu walked into the room and stood there somewhat reservedly, "I heard you were transferred to clean the toilets. I was thinking………… could I go and put in a good word with Uncle Li?"

Yi Zhonghai's eyes lit up, "Zhuzi, you have a good relationship with Chief Engineer Li. If you go and plead for us, he will surely give you this face!"

He Yuzhu scratched his head in embarrassment, "I don't know if it will work, but I can try. Uncle Li is actually quite a good person…………"

"Then we'll leave it to you!" Liu Haizhong gripped He Yuzhu's hand excitedly, "Just tell him we know we were wrong and will definitely support the factory's work from now on!"

He Yuzhu nodded and turned to leave. Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong looked at each other, a glimmer of hope appearing in their eyes.

"Do you think Zhuzi can talk him into it?" Liu Haizhong asked in a low voice.

Yi Zhonghai narrowed his eyes, "Li Mingyuan takes good care of the He siblings. If Zhuzi speaks up, he will give some face at least."

He Yuzhu headed straight for the West Courtyard and knocked on Li Mingyuan's door.

"Uncle Li, it's me, Yuzhu."

The door opened. Li Mingyuan was looking at blueprints; seeing it was He Yuzhu, a smile appeared on his face, "What's wrong? Something up?"

He Yuzhu rubbed his hands and stammered, "Uncle Li, I want to talk to you about something………… it's about Uncle Yi and Uncle Liu…………"

The smile on Li Mingyuan's face vanished instantly, "Did they ask you to plead for them?"

Having his intentions seen through, He Yuzhu felt a bit awkward, "Yes, they did do something wrong, but isn't the punishment of cleaning toilets too harsh? After all, they are both veteran masters…………"

Li Mingyuan sighed and gestured for He Yuzhu to come in and sit down,

"Yuzhu, there are some things you don't know. Yi Zhonghai looks kind and approachable, but in reality, he is ruthless, and Liu Haizhong is also full of bad intentions."

He Yuzhu was stunned, "Uncle Li, what makes you say that?"

Li Mingyuan looked straight into He Yuzhu's eyes, his tone grave, "Do you know why your father, He Daqing, suddenly left home?"

He Yuzhu and He Yushui, who was busy in the kitchen, both stopped what they were doing upon hearing this, their expressions changing abruptly.

"Uncle Li, are you saying my dad didn't want to leave on his own?" He Yuzhu's voice trembled.

"Uncle Li, you can't just say things like that, how could my dad…………" He Yuzhu's voice trembled, his face turned deathly pale, and his hands shook uncontrollably.

Li Mingyuan sighed, a complex look flashing in his eyes:

"Do you think a father who loves his children would just abandon his young son and daughter and leave? Yi Zhonghai used the guise of taking care of you, but in reality, it was to make you support him in his old age."

He Yuzhu stood up abruptly, his eyes bloodshot: "What evidence do you have? I need to know the truth!"

"You can write a letter to ask your father; just mention the matter of Yi Zhonghai and Long Laotai, and he will naturally tell you the truth." Li Mingyuan said calmly, though his eyes carried a hint of calculation; he had long been unable to stand Yi Zhonghai's hypocritical face.

He Yushui suddenly covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face: "I knew Dad wouldn't abandon us for no reason…………"

"That old thing!" He Yuzhu slammed his fist on the table, making the teacup on it jump three inches high,

"He's been acting better than anyone all these years, and even made me call him 'Uncle'! Disgusting!"

Li Mingyuan hadn't expected He Yuzhu to react so intensely; in the blink of an eye, He Yuzhu had already rushed out the door and headed straight for the kitchen.

"Yuzhu, calm down—" Before Li Mingyuan's words had faded, He Yuzhu had already grabbed a rolling pin and rushed out, a ferocity on his face never seen before.

He Yuzhu, like a crazed bull, rushed to the front courtyard in two or three strides, reached the door of Yi Zhonghai's house in seven or eight steps, and kicked the door open without a word.

Yi Zhonghai was inside smoking; seeing He Yuzhu storm in with such aggressive momentum, he was stunned: "Shazhu, what are you doing—"

"Bang!" The rolling pin in He Yuzhu's hand landed heavily on Yi Zhonghai's shoulder, cutting off his words,

"You old thing, was it you who forced my dad to leave?!"

Yi Zhonghai was almost knocked to his knees by the blow, his face turning deathly pale instantly: "You………… what nonsense are you…………"

He Yuzhu didn't listen to any explanation at all, the rolling pin falling like raindrops:

"Keep acting, keep acting! My dad is such a good person, how could he abandon Yushui and me? It must have been you and Long Laotai who schemed to harm him!"

"No………… that's not it………… who did you hear that nonsense from…………" Yi Zhonghai dodged in a panic, his eyes shifting, clearly hiding something.

This reaction only confirmed Li Mingyuan's accusation. He Yuzhu was furious beyond control, swinging his arm with all his might to beat him:

"You old immortal, all these years you've been acting charitable and good, but behind the scenes, you've been doing all sorts of filthy things! No wonder you were so 'good' to Yushui and me; it was just because you had a guilty conscience!"

Yi Zhonghai was beaten until he was wailing and begging for mercy, curled up in the corner: "Shazhu, I've been so good to you………… I've treated you like my own son…………"