Chapter 56: Catching the Thief

Watching the children chew the fatty meat in large mouthfuls, He Yuzhu felt his throat move; he swallowed, took a drink of water, and set down his chopsticks.

Originally, he had felt quite hungry, but seeing the grease dripping from the children's mouths, he suddenly felt a bit nauseated.

After all, as a Master Chef, no matter how he cooked, he would never boil meat in plain water like this; he usually ate lean meat or ribs and rarely touched fat.

Furthermore, the children were eating with such relish, and since he wasn't lacking for food, every bite he didn't eat was one more for them.

"Please, eat. Is the cooking too poor..." Madam Yu looked at He Yuzhu with some embarrassment. After being married for so many years, the only time they had an egg a day was during her postpartum recovery; in daily life, they were reluctant to even use oil for cooking. As for stir-frying? That was generally not so extravagant; at most, they would scald vegetables in hot water and dip them in a bit of soy sauce.

Some friends might be curious: how could they be so poor? Couldn't they grow their own vegetables?

They really were that poor; living in the city, there was truly no land for them to farm.

Even if there was some harvest, it was prioritized for the children's schooling, and then there was the famine...

"Sister-in-law, you all eat. We'll talk after you're finished." He Yuzhu symbolically picked up some peanuts to eat, occasionally taking a sip of his small drink.

But honestly, watching others eat in such large mouthfuls really did make it look appetizing.

The children were very well-behaved; they would pick up a piece only after finishing the last, and they even scooped some broth from the vegetable basin to pour over their rice, eating mouthful after mouthful without stopping.

"That, I hope you'll forgive us. I'm not afraid of you laughing, but ever since Xiao Si was born, the family basically hasn't had any meat or rice." Yu Xiaokang shoveled down two large bowls of rice, then set down his chopsticks and said with some embarrassment.

He Yuzhu looked at this distressed man and sighed. Looking at this father, then thinking of his own, who had run off with a widow...

You can't compare; comparing people to people only makes one angry.

"Alright, you all eat. I have things to do, so I'll head back first. This is twenty yuan, plus some coupons. Keep them safe. Don't refuse; you can be poor in anything, but not in education, and you can't let the children suffer. Take it." He Yuzhu pulled the money from his pocket, counted out twenty yuan, placed it on the table, and stood up.

Then, He Yuzhu used force to press the standing Yu Xiaokang back down and said, "This isn't a way to go on. Consider a proposal: let the elders come back to watch the children, and you two come to work in the Rolling Mill kitchen. It will be better than this regardless. Tomorrow morning before work, Brother Yu, wait for me at the gate of the Rolling Mill. Think it over, and if you agree, you can tell me tomorrow."

"Sign in!"

"Congratulations on your successful sign-in. You have received Ragged Set x8."

After speaking, He Yuzhu straightened his clothes, silently recited 'sign in' in his heart, and shook his head speechlessly at the tattered clothes in the System Space. Forget it, the sign-in at the new location failed. He walked out of Yu Xiaokang's home, got on his bike, and headed home.

The next day, He Yuzhu rode his bicycle leisurely to the Rolling Mill. From far away, he saw Yu Xiaokang squatting at the main gate, who stood up and waved continuously the moment he saw him.

"Let's go." He Yuzhu nodded without speaking.

Yu Xiaokang said "aye" and hurried to follow.

The two of them arrived at the small kitchen one after the other. He Yuzhu had Ma Hua take Yu Xiaokang to the small breakroom, then immediately arranged the day's work.

In fact, with Ma Hua, Master Yang, and Liu Lan helping, there wasn't much in the kitchen that required his management, but as the head of the kitchen, he couldn't leave everything to others; when there were problems, they had to be pointed out.

Soon, after everything was arranged, He Yuzhu went to the small breakroom.

"Master, is this the new colleague?" Ma Hua asked, staring curiously at Yu Xiaokang.

"Perhaps. Go on, you go arrange the work first." He Yuzhu patted Ma Hua, then led Yu Xiaokang out.

The two walked all the way to the Factory Director's office, knocked on the door, and went in.

Once the detailed situation was explained, the Factory Director was, as expected, furious, slamming the table and cursing non-stop.

However, to catch a thief, one must catch them with the stolen goods. The Factory Director's eyes rolled, and he had an idea.

The three of them shared a sinister smile, each called a few trusted subordinates, and waited quietly for nightfall.

After dark, everyone left the factory as usual, returned home to eat, and then doubled back to the Rolling Mill. Each carrying flashlights, wooden sticks, and nets, they arrived quietly not far from the place Yu Xiaokang had mentioned and waited.

Time passed bit by bit, but there was no movement on the wall. It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that the Factory Director gave a signal, and everyone withdrew one after another.

"It seems they won't act tonight. Let's go back and come again tomorrow." The Factory Director didn't lose his temper; in these matters, if they don't act, you can't force them.

"Fine, withdraw." He Yuzhu nodded. Ma Hua, Ma Jian, and Yu Xiaokang all bid farewell to the Factory Director and then went home.

The next day, still no results.

The third day, still no results.

"This isn't right. Could it be that they changed locations?" He Yuzhu looked at the moonlight and the gloomy Factory Director.

"Then what should we do?" the Factory Director asked.

"Withdraw. Tomorrow, have someone watch the Black Market to see where they act from," He Yuzhu thought for a moment and said in a hoarse voice.

"Good."

On the fourth day, sure enough, Yu Xiaokang saw that slouching figure again in an alley near the Black Market. His eyes lit up, and he secretly followed.

After confirming the location, the next day he led everyone to the new spot to lie in wait again.

For three more days in a row, still no results.

"What is going on? Are you sure it's here?" The Factory Director's face grew increasingly ugly, not because of He Yuzhu and the others, but because he hated how cunning these internal thieves were.

How many days had it been? Wasting so much of his time just to catch a thief.

"How about this: tomorrow everyone spread out to keep watch, two people to a group. They might be changing locations every time now, which is why we can't catch them." He Yuzhu hurriedly comforted the Factory Director and then proposed.

Finally, out of respect for He Yuzhu, the Factory Director agreed.

Sure enough, two days later, the Factory Director and two of his men encountered the Security Guard who had jumped out.

The moment the man landed, he saw three flashlights shining on his face. He was startled and asked, "Who?!"

"Heh, you tell me who I am?!" The Factory Director walked up slowly with his two men.

"Ah?! Factory Director... I, why are you here?!"

"I shouldn't be here! Take him!" The Factory Director was in a great mood, and his two trusted subordinates pounced like wolves and tigers, tying the man up.

"Go notify them, then call the police. Surround the factory, don't let them run!"

"Yes!"

When the tied-up man heard this, his body immediately went limp: "It's over!"

The people inside also heard the commotion and scattered in a rush.