Chapter 15

"This is the charm of power. They can do anything for the sake of power. Deceiving superiors and deluding subordinates is a small matter; what's scary is when they excessively add their own interpretations—that is the real trouble."

"Taking my Siheyuan as an example, Yi Zhonghai has an extremely strong desire for control. He not only wants to control your life and future in all aspects but also wants to enslave you mentally. For this reason, he promotes his will in the courtyard."

"That is, one must respect elders and the elderly; the next generation must listen to the elderly; there are no wrong parents in the world, only shortcomings in the children; the elderly can never be wrong; as long as you have a conflict with an elder, you must apologize to the elder, and so on..."

"I call this will of his the 'Will of the Courtyard.' To put it bluntly, it's just using the name of respecting the old and loving the young to make everyone in the Siheyuan listen to him."

"Specifically, take Yan Jieceng, the son of the Third Uncle Yan Bugui in the courtyard, as an example. As long as Yi Zhonghai still lives in the courtyard and is the First Uncle, Yan Jieceng can forget about getting a job at the Rolling Mill—let alone an apprentice worker, even a temporary worker is out of the question."

"Even if Yan Bugui uses some connections to get Yan Jieceng into the Rolling Mill, Yi Zhonghai will use his connections to get Yan Jieceng into the workshop to become a locksmith under him, and then crown it with the name of master and apprentice, thereby achieving the goal of controlling Yan Jieceng."

"It's not just Yan Jieceng; any young person who wants to enter the Rolling Mill must pass Yi Zhonghai's test," He Yuzhu said.

"This is simply a local emperor," Wei Feng shouted angrily.

The expressions of the group were very gloomy. They had thought the new world was thriving, but they didn't expect this to be just a facade. Section Chief Ma, Wei Feng, and Cheng Qiang were a bit better off; the nature of their work was highly professional, and although they came into contact with these sordid things at the bottom, they didn't encounter them often.

Director Zheng, however, felt it deeply.

"Grassroots work is not easy to do. Master He, I see that your insights into things are very unique. I would like to hear your opinion: what improvements can be made to this mediator system?" Director Zheng said.

"Actually, it's very simple."

"First, don't be afraid of trouble. Divide the Street Office personnel into three groups, led by one Street Director and two Deputy Street Directors. Every night after everyone gets off work, lead the teams to the Siheyuan to promote and clarify the responsibilities of the mediators."

"You can't just blabber a few words to cope with the work; you must use real-life events as examples to clarify the power of the mediators."

"Second, establish inspectors above the mediators. Still taking my Siheyuan as an example, there are three 'Grand Uncles' in the courtyard; establish inspectors above them. The inspectors have no power, they don't manage anyone, they are only responsible for watching the three 'Grand Uncles'."

"Once the inspector believes the three 'Grand Uncles' have problems, they must not only stand up to point out the problems and stop them, but also report to the street. Although the inspector does not have the power to remove the 'Grand Uncles,' they have the power to apply to the Street Office."

"At the same time, the inspectors must accept the supervision and management of the masses."

"If the masses believe that the three 'Grand Uncles' have problems in handling matters, they can go to the inspector to reflect; at the same time, the masses have the power to impeach the inspector."

"If the masses believe the inspector has problems, for example, colluding with the 'Grand Uncles' to bully the common people, the masses can go to the street and let the street conduct a review to see whether to remove the inspector."

"Absolute power leads to absolute corruption. Only mutual supervision and mutual checks and balances are good methods."

"As for whether it will work, I don't know. This is just my shallow opinion. I hope Leader Zheng will consider it carefully. If possible, run a trial in our Siheyuan first. If it works, promote it; if not, abolish it," He Yuzhu said eloquently.

He Yuzhu said so much just for this sentence.

To deal with Yi Zhonghai and the others, relying solely on personal force can only provide temporary satisfaction. Even if Yi Zhonghai is solved, there will be a 'Yue Zhonghai.' To solve people like Yi Zhonghai at the root, one must have official endorsement and good strategies. He Yuzhu's little thoughts naturally couldn't be hidden from Director Zheng and Section Chief Ma. However, both of them took He Yuzhu's words to heart, especially Director Zheng, who listened very carefully because Director Zheng was from the government and responsible for this area.

"Master He, you have given nicknames to everyone in the Siheyuan, like Yi Zhonghai, whom you call the 'Moral Heavenly Venerable.' What is your nickname?" Section Chief Ma suddenly asked with a smile.

"Me? Two nicknames. One is 'Shazhu' (Silly Pillar), which was given by my unreliable father," He Yuzhu said speechlessly.

"Shazhu, hey, doesn't that make you a fool? However, your father giving you such a nickname is probably the same logic as 'Dog Leftover' or 'Dog Egg'—giving a cheap name makes it easier to raise you, so you can grow up smoothly and healthily," Section Chief Ma said.

"I hadn't thought of that point, but the nickname 'Shazhu' doesn't sound good, so I don't let them call me that. Whoever calls me 'Shazhu,' I add the word 'Sha' (Silly) in front of their names and call them back. It's mutual damage."

"My second nickname is 'Siheyuan War God'," He Yuzhu said, without the slightest embarrassment.

"Haha, 'Siheyuan War God,' undefeated throughout the Siheyuan, right? Shall we two brothers spar sometime?" Section Chief Ma said with a smile.

Although Section Chief Ma seemed to be joking, He Yuzhu clearly felt the intention of testing him. He Yuzhu didn't care; he could withstand the test.

If his background and family situation couldn't withstand the test, then he would just run away. While Section Chief Ma was testing He Yuzhu, He Yuzhu was also using Section Chief Ma's test to confirm certain things.

For example, his background: was he a chef who served people, which is a so-called hired peasant, or a small business owner who sold buns, or some other background? After all, He Yuzhu couldn't be sure what the background of a successor to the Tan Family Cuisine really was.

It is said that a chef serves people and belongs to the hired peasants, but not all chefs are the same. Can the successor of an imperial chef be the same as the successor of a pancake vendor?

"Forget it. I'm a chef, I practice flipping the spoon every day, and I also practiced wrestling with a master over at Tianqiao for a while. I have great strength; it wouldn't be good if I accidentally hurt you," He Yuzhu waved his hand and said.

"Hurt me? Hahahaha, Master He, don't look at how much strength you have; you really aren't my opponent when it comes to training," Section Chief Ma was stunned, then burst into laughter.

Wei Feng and Cheng Qiang also laughed.

He Yuzhu was an outsider and didn't know the situation, but they knew the situation. Section Chief Ma was the number one expert in unarmed combat in their bureau.

He Yuzhu also laughed.

"Section Chief Ma, your imagination is limited by your knowledge. You know nothing about power," He Yuzhu said, then looked around, picked up a brick, and weighed it in his hand.

"Splitting a brick with your bare hands?" Section Chief Ma said disdainfully.

Not to mention him, even Wei Feng and Cheng Qiang could do this. Section Chief Ma believed he could split more than ten such bricks in a row without any problem.

(End of Chapter)