Chapter 133

A basin of cold water poured over his head, and Xiao Dali immediately sobered up.

As the alcohol wore off, Xiao Dali lost his previous anger and felt a lingering fear. Looking at the leaders in front of him, he realized he had caused trouble.

"Are you sober?" Station Chief Zhang asked again.

"I'm sober," Xiao Dali said.

"What you said as a party involved cannot be used as evidence. Do you have any other witnesses or physical evidence?" Station Chief Zhang asked directly.

"No," Xiao Dali said bluntly.

The situation had changed; Xiao Dali couldn't do whatever he wanted like before and had to accept his defeat.

"Then why don't you apologize to Director He and the leaders? Because of your business, so many leaders were dragged here in the middle of the night," Station Chief Zhang said irritably.

The sobered-up Xiao Dali hurriedly apologized one by one. Although these leaders smiled and said it was fine, spouting official jargon about serving the people, both Xiao Dali and Station Chief Zhang knew that this matter wasn't over.

Based on Station Chief Zhang's understanding of He Yuzhu, He Yuzhu wouldn't let Xiao Dali off so easily. Station Chief Zhang didn't dare to try to smooth things over either.

Not to mention He Yuzhu's tendency to go to the Square to hold up signs, just looking at the matter itself, if He Yuzhu wasn't given an explanation, he could cause trouble for the police station every few days.

Station Chief Zhang could already imagine what He Yuzhu would say next: Xiao Dali could report a case without any real evidence and get you to take action, so why can't I?

Xiao Dali could use this as an excuse to investigate He Yuzhu, and He Yuzhu could do the same, finding any excuse to investigate Xiao Dali. Based on Station Chief Zhang's understanding of He Yuzhu, he might just cause trouble like this every day.

"He Yuzhu, if you have any other requirements, feel free to bring them up. In such situations, our police station mostly focuses on mediation. If Director He doesn't forgive Xiao Dali, our police station can only handle it officially and detain Xiao Dali," Station Chief Zhang said seriously.

During this period, handling affairs was mostly human-oriented, and the degree of punishment was very flexible. Just as Station Chief Zhang said, detaining Xiao Dali for half a day was detention, and detaining him for a week was also detention.

If He Yuzhu guessed correctly, Station Chief Zhang would at most detain Xiao Dali for half a day. This way, it would indeed be a punishment, and if He Yuzhu went to the Square to hold up a sign again, it would be unreasonable.

"Station Chief Zhang, don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you. Xiao Dali, do you admit you were wrong? To put it mildly, you were being unreasonable and settling a private score; to put it strongly, you were inciting class conflict and subverting the leading position of the workers," He Yuzhu said.

As soon as He Yuzhu finished speaking, everyone's expression changed, and they put away their nonchalant looks. They hadn't expected He Yuzhu to be so good at pinning labels on people, dragging everything into that direction when it was clearly just a fight.

Xiao Dali was about to retort when he was stopped by He Yuzhu.

"Don't worry, since I've said I won't make things difficult for Station Chief Zhang, I won't. However, Xiao Dali, you came to my door without any evidence; you have to be punished, right? If this matter is left unsettled, I'll go to the police station every day to report that you bludgeoned me."

"Anyway, this kind of thing doesn't require evidence and there's no punishment for me, so why not?" He Yuzhu laughed.

Station Chief Zhang rolled his eyes; He Yuzhu was exactly as he had imagined.

"Enough, stop with the nonsense. This time, your grandfather here has lost. Use whatever means you have; if I even frown, I'm not a man from Sijiucheng," Xiao Dali said arrogantly.

Xiao Dali thought he was being tough, but Station Chief Zhang frowned and cursed Xiao Dali in his heart: Since He Yuzhu already gave you a ladder, you should have just climbed down. You're acting all high and mighty? You're great, you're noble? Just wait.

"Factory Director Nie and other leaders, are you related to this Xiao Dali?" He Yuzhu suddenly asked.

"No?" Factory Director Nie and the others asked, looking confused.

"Since you're not, why does Xiao Dali claim to be your grandfather?" He Yuzhu directly transferred Xiao Dali's words onto the leaders.

Instantly, Factory Director Nie's face turned red with anger, and veins popped out on his forehead.

Li Huaide smiled silently in his heart: "It seems this He Yuzhu still knows his priorities, knows who can't be offended, and hasn't forgotten who promoted him."

"He Yuzhu, don't you fucking go too far! You know I didn't mean that! Leaders, I was just saying it casually, I really didn't mean that! It's He Yuzhu framing me!" Xiao Dali said hurriedly.

No matter how slow Xiao Dali was, he knew he couldn't offend so many leaders.

"Xiao Dali, then what did you mean? Who are you talking to here? Whose grandfather are you?" He Yuzhu took the opportunity to say.

"I'm your grandfather," Xiao Dali said without thinking.

Although Xiao Dali had been splashed with a basin of cold water, he had drunk so much alcohol that he still wasn't fully sober.

"Slap! Slap!" Two sounds rang out. Before He Yuzhu could even explode, Station Chief Zhang stepped forward and slapped Xiao Dali's face twice, directly swelling his face.

"Xiao Dali, you've had a few cups of horse urine and you're talking nonsense? Why don't you apologize to Director He?" Station Chief Zhang shouted sternly.

Xiao Dali was stunned by the beating. It took a long time for him to react, knowing that his foul mouth had caused trouble again, and he also understood that Station Chief Zhang was saving him.

Although Xiao Dali was extremely unwilling to apologize to He Yuzhu, the situation didn't allow it. If he didn't give He Yuzhu an explanation, the Rolling Mill leaders present would definitely find a way to deal with him, because He Yuzhu didn't just represent himself; he represented the entire Rolling Mill.

After building up his psychological defenses, Xiao Dali suppressed the resentment in his heart with great perseverance, slowly walked to He Yuzhu, gritted his teeth, and was about to speak.

Unfortunately, He Yuzhu didn't give Xiao Dali a chance to speak, directly throwing a punch, kicking a leg, and saying a sentence.

One punch, hitting Xiao Dali in the face;

One kick, hitting Xiao Dali in the crotch;

"Who the fuck is your grandfather? You dare to curse people casually in front of so many leaders! You're simply lawless! You're in the wrong and you don't apologize, and instead of apologizing, you curse people? It seems I must go to the Square to hold up a sign tomorrow, otherwise, I'm afraid I'll be killed by someone without a sound," He Yuzhu said coldly.

Station Chief Zhang's expression changed instantly!

Xiao Dali's face turned bright red, and veins as hideous as earthworms appeared on his face.

He Yuzhu's kick was too powerful; Xiao Dali had a lingering feeling that his eggs were smashed.

"Zhang Dezhi! This is your subordinate! In front of us, while in the wrong, he not only had no remorse but also cursed at our factory leaders! What exactly are you trying to do?"

"You don't take our Rolling Mill seriously at all! You're good, really good! If you don't give me an explanation today, we're not finished!" Li Huaide roared angrily.

In the eyes of Li Huaide and the other leaders, Xiao Dali's actions didn't just slap He Yuzhu's face; they slapped the Rolling Mill's face, and slapping the Rolling Mill's face was slapping Li Huaide's face. How could Li Huaide not be angry?

Station Chief Zhang was dumbfounded, realizing that Li Huaide was truly furious; otherwise, he wouldn't have called him by his full name.

"Xiao Dali, get up and apologize!" Station Chief Zhang roared angrily.

"No need to apologize. Looking at him, he won't apologize, and even if he does, it won't be sincere. My proposal is very simple: Xiao Dali writes a three-thousand-word self-criticism to be submitted to his superiors, and then his work unit submits it to the Rolling Mill in the form of an official document. As for whether our Rolling Mill leaders report this to the Ministry or let it go, that depends on the opinions of the leaders."

"Also, the Street Office must cooperate actively in propaganda. In the future, if the police station wants to arrest someone, they must have Street Office personnel present, and they must have the leaders of the arrested person's unit, labor union leaders, and so on present, as well as their family members."

He Yuzhu straightened his posture and said sternly.

As He Yuzhu finished speaking, the children in the Siheyuan were the first to shout in unison, and then it spread to the adults and even everyone in the entire Siheyuan, who were all shouting loudly.

Station Chief Zhang knew that Xiao Dali was finished. Once he was made an example of, how could he not be finished?

Fortunately, Xiao Dali had been transferred to the Security Section of another factory and was not in the police station. Station Chief Zhang believed he had handled it officially and wouldn't be implicated.

The key was that Station Chief Zhang thought Xiao Dali couldn't see the situation clearly, like a pile of mud that couldn't be supported on a wall, so he extinguished any thoughts of partiality.

"Leaders, do you have any objections to Director He's suggestions?" Station Chief Zhang asked.

"No objections, let's do it that way," Li Huaide said with a wave of his hand, and then left first.

Li Huaide's departure meant the characterization of this incident, and the Rolling Mill leaders followed him out.

Station Chief Zhang looked at Xiao Dali, sighed deeply, and had his subordinates help Xiao Dali away. Station Chief Zhang also felt very resentful toward Xiao Dali in his heart.

Station Chief Zhang decided that after returning, he would write a report to his superiors. As for Xiao Dali, he could pray for himself; this time, even if Xiao Dali didn't die, he would lose a layer of skin.

Station Chief Zhang also vaguely felt that Xiao Dali hadn't lied, but unfortunately, Xiao Dali had no evidence.

This led to the matter becoming, in the eyes of the Rolling Mill leaders: Xiao Dali settling a private score while drunk.

He Yuzhu was the Deputy Canteen Director of the Rolling Mill; no matter how small the position, he was still a leader. If a regular Security Section staff member like Xiao Dali dared to retaliate against He Yuzhu so blatantly, then what about regular workers? Wouldn't they be bullied to death by people like Xiao Dali?

Xiao Dali settling a private score was definitely not an isolated case; it might even be a common occurrence.

A small Security Section staff member could invent an excuse to deal with the Deputy Canteen Director of the Rolling Mill today, and tomorrow he could deal with a Rolling Mill director, and the day after tomorrow he could...

This trend must not be allowed to grow!

Li Huaide and the others also decided to report this matter to the higher-ups, asking them to strengthen discipline and constraints on them.

After everyone returned, they all wrote reports, and Xu Zhongyi and Ming Tai also wrote reports at home.

Consequently, early the next morning, two completely different reports regarding the Xiao Dali and He Yuzhu incident appeared on the desks of different leaders.

This matter was not small and was enough to attract the attention of the leaders, so the leaders sat together and held a meeting.

After discussion, they unanimously decided to strengthen discipline. Whether it was the Security Section or the police station, they were not allowed to arrest people at will. Even if they did, they had to follow what He Yuzhu said. Although this was time-consuming and labor-intensive, it could minimize unjust, false, and wrong cases.

On the other side, the superiors of Xu Zhongyi and Ming Tai felt it was quite interesting after receiving their reports.

Some people thought this exceeded their jurisdiction and didn't need to be managed at all. If they just found an excuse to deal with He Yuzhu, it would not only be overstepping their authority but also lack fairness.

If they did that, how would they be any different from the "black-skinned dogs" of the past?

After discussion, the superiors decided to test He Yuzhu. If He Yuzhu passed, the matter would be dropped; after all, people like Xiao Dali had indeed been excessive in their work in the past, and it was time to give them some warnings.

If He Yuzhu didn't pass, the superiors would tell the Rolling Mill, the Street Office, and the police station about He Yuzhu putting the sack over Xiao Dali, and let them re-examine the case.

Early the next morning, He Yuzhu went to work feeling refreshed. Upon arriving at the Rolling Mill, He Yuzhu didn't go to the kitchen but went to the office building, the labor union, and other departments to thank them one by one. Regardless, these leaders had stood up for him last night.

After finishing, He Yuzhu returned to the kitchen and found Canteen Director Niu Fen waiting for him.

"Deputy Director He, Factory Director Li has a reception tonight. Please put in some effort, Deputy Director He," Niu Fen said.

"No problem, but the supplies..." He Yuzhu said.

"I've already written the slip for you; go to the warehouse to collect them in the afternoon," Niu Fen said, giving He Yuzhu a slip.

In the afternoon, He Yuzhu took Ma Hua and Liu Lan, and with the slip, went to the warehouse to collect the supplies. The so-called supplies were a chicken, a catty of pork belly, and some potatoes and cabbage.

Fortunately, there weren't many people at the reception tonight; including Li Huaide, there were six people in total, so this amount was barely enough.

After work, Niu Fen came to notify him that he could start cooking the special meal. He Yuzhu cooked the meal efficiently and then had Ma Hua serve the dishes.

After finishing, He Yuzhu was about to leave but was stopped by the Canteen Director.

"Factory Director Li has given instructions for you to wait here. In case Factory Director Li has further needs, you can immediately cook a dish or two for him," the Canteen Director said.

He Yuzhu nodded and waited in the kitchen with Ma Hua, Pangzi, and Liu Lan. They waited for three hours before the Canteen Director said they didn't need to wait anymore and could go home.

"You three go clean up. If there are any leftovers, you three can split them," He Yuzhu said with a wave of his hand.

In this day and age, leaders didn't have much to eat either, so the dishes He Yuzhu made were almost completely eaten by them, leaving only the soup and sauce. However, for Liu Lan and the others, this soup and sauce were also good things, so the three of them split it.

He Yuzhu walked toward the Siheyuan leisurely.

Not long after He Yuzhu left the Rolling Mill, he suddenly realized that this was a trap. Someone had intentionally let Li Huaide hold him up so that he would get off work at this time.

Because at this time, there was almost no one on the road.

Now, the nearby streets were clearly cleared. He Yuzhu's heels were already touching the ground, and he could already perceive that a large number of people were lying in ambush on these streets.

"Could these people be coming for me? No, that's not right. If they were really coming for me, they could have taken action at the Rolling Mill; there was no need to be here."

"That's not right either. If they really wanted to take action against me, they would at least have to be in a place with few people. There are quite a few people living here," He Yuzhu thought to himself.

Just as He Yuzhu was puzzled, a woman's voice suddenly came from a hutong in the distance: "Help! Help! Someone is acting like a hooligan!"

He Yuzhu smiled instantly. This was indeed coming for him, but it was clearly not what he had imagined.

"Using this method to test me? Which leader can't withstand this kind of test?" He Yuzhu thought to himself.

(End of chapter)