Chapter 17: The Azaleas Bloom All Over the Ridge

"Really? You're quite talented! In the future, don't compose these messy songs; compose some that fit the current situation," Director Zheng said.

"This is just something that comes to mind: 'At the dead of night, I yearn for the dawn; in the bitter winter, I yearn for the spring breeze;'"

"'If I yearn for the Red Army to come, the azaleas will bloom all over the ridge;'"

"'If I yearn for the Red Army to come, the azaleas will bloom all over the ridge...' Director Zheng, how is this little tune?" He Yuzhu said with a cheeky grin.

He Yuzhu had begun to completely let himself go.

"Hiss~ Is this really composed by you? You're a cook who doesn't study recipes, but you're studying musical scores?" Director Zheng said in disbelief.

"You don't believe I composed it?" He Yuzhu said with a smile.

"I don't!" Director Zheng said.

"I don't believe it either, unless you come up with another one," Section Chief Ma said.

"Alright then, I'll give you another one. 'The Red Star flashes and shines, the Red Star glows and warms the heart, the Red Star is the heart of our workers and farmers, the brilliance of the Party shines for ten thousand generations...'"

"'The Red Star flashes and shines, the Red Star glows and warms the heart, following the Elder, following the Party, the flashing Red Star will be passed down for ten thousand generations...'"

"How about that? This is just something that comes to mind," He Yuzhu laughed loudly.

Director Zheng and Section Chief Ma exchanged a glance. Both looked at He Yuzhu in disbelief, wanting to shout out loud: "No! No!..."

However, the two suddenly realized that He Yuzhu had given them too many surprises. Thus, they exchanged another subtle glance and decided that after returning, they would use their own power to thoroughly investigate this He Yuzhu.

At this moment, Daniu, Erhu, and the others finished their song and saw He Yuzhu.

"Uncle Shazhu, what are you doing in our Siheyuan?" Daniu asked.

"Nephew Sha Niu, I brought Uncle Public Security here to arrest you. Are the Grand Uncles in the courtyard here? These three are leaders from above; they have some matters they want to ask you about. I hope you will cooperate," He Yuzhu said loudly.

When the people in the courtyard heard they were leaders from above, they immediately became much more reserved and were very cooperative with the investigation by Section Chief Ma and Director Zheng.

"Uncle Shazhu, why do you call me Sha Niu?" Daniu asked.

"You call me Shazhu, so I call you Sha Niu. That's only fair," He Yuzhu said.

"I understand now. Calling people 'fool' is a way of scolding them. From now on, I'll call you Uncle Zhuzi, and you stop calling me Silly Niu," Daniu said.

"That won't do. You've been calling me Shazhu for at least three or four years. I have to call it back; that's the only way it's fair. Otherwise, I'll be at a disadvantage. When I'm at a disadvantage, my temper gets bad, and I start hitting children. Have you ever seen a fist the size of a sandbag?" After saying this, He Yuzhu found a brick and, with one punch, smashed it into pieces.

Daniu and the other children were immediately scared to tears, and the adults were also not lightly frightened.

Section Chief Ma couldn't help but let out a long sigh, thinking to himself: "This He Yuzhu is simply a man who seeks revenge for the slightest grievance; he won't take even the smallest loss."

Section Chief Ma was mainly asking about Jia Zhangshi slandering He Yuzhu, while Director Zheng was asking about Yi Zhonghai and the others.

This was not the Siheyuan where Yi Zhonghai lived. The people here were not afraid of Yi Zhonghai and, furthermore, had opinions about him. Thus, Director Zheng obtained first-hand information regarding Yi Zhonghai.

After finishing the investigation, Section Chief Ma had the courtyard's First Grand Uncle, Lao Chen, take Daniu, Erhu, and a large group of children to the Siheyuan where He Yuzhu lived.

The Deaf Old Lady and the others were waiting in full battle array.

When the Deaf Old Lady, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui saw Section Chief Ma and the others bringing Daniu, Erhu, and such a group of children, their expressions changed.

"How could we have forgotten them?" Yan Bugui patted his head in frustration. However, it was too late to say anything now. Regarding Jia Zhangshi slandering He Yuzhu, they could not turn black into white. The problem was that they had unified their stories; if they said the wrong thing, the trouble would be huge.

Yan Bugui was timid by nature, and with the situation taking a turn, he became very nervous.

Liu Haizhong was even worse off than Yan Bugui. Liu Haizhong was single-mindedly focused on becoming a leader and was terrified that this matter would leave a political stain on him, making him even more panicked.

The Deaf Old Lady was able to keep her composure. In the blink of an eye, she became even steadier because she saw Factory Director Yang.

Factory Director Yang was able to come to the Siheyuan because Section Chief Ma had made a phone call to the Rolling Mill Security Section before leaving to notify them; after all, it was a joint investigation.

According to reason and procedure, if He Yuzhu wanted to report a case, he had to go to the Rolling Mill's Security Section first, because the Siheyuan was full of people from the Rolling Mill.

The Security Section of this period was not the later gatekeeping security room. The power of the Security Section in this period was very great, jointly managed by the Armed Forces Department, the Public Security Department, and the Rolling Mill. Under normal circumstances, the leader of the police station where a large factory like the Rolling Mill was located had to concurrently hold the position of Deputy Section Chief of the Security Section.

To put it bluntly, the Security Section was the resident police. It was said to be managed by the Rolling Mill, but the Rolling Mill's management authority was the smallest; it was only responsible for paying wages, and it couldn't manage anything else.

Of course, the Security Section could not interfere with the Rolling Mill's production management or other matters for any reason.

Now, Shazhu did not trust the Security Section and reported the case across units and levels, so Section Chief Ma could only conduct a joint investigation.

The Security Section received Section Chief Ma's notification. If it were a trivial matter, they would handle it themselves, but this involved a life-and-death lawsuit. After the duty officer of the Security Section notified Section Chief Chu, Section Chief Chu notified Factory Director Yang.

When Factory Director Yang heard that this matter involved Yi Zhonghai, his heart skipped a beat. Yi Zhonghai was one of the few Eighth-Grade Workers in the Rolling Mill. The other Eighth-Grade Workers had all been transferred away, and Yi Zhonghai belonged to the top-tier existence and could not afford to be lost.

Factory Director Yang also thought of the relationship between Yi Zhonghai and the Deaf Old Lady, so he quickly came to the Siheyuan. One reason was to protect Yi Zhonghai, and the second was to use this matter to return a favor to the Deaf Old Lady. It could be said to be killing two birds with one stone; why not do it?

As for He Yuzhu, Factory Director Yang didn't take him seriously at all, and he had no intention of lowering his status to befriend or win him over. In Factory Director Yang's view, He Yuzhu was just a cook, a worker in the factory, and he had to do whatever he was told.

This also had to do with the fact that He Yuzhu at this time had not climbed up to a high-level leader. Factory Director Yang was also a typical person who judged people by their status. In the original drama, after He Yuzhu climbed up to a high-level leader, Factory Director Yang had two different attitudes before and after.

He Yuzhu didn't know what Factory Director Yang was thinking, and even if he did, he wouldn't care.

Factory Director Yang also didn't know what He Yuzhu was thinking, and he was very angry in his heart, thinking that He Yuzhu shouldn't have made such a big deal out of it, causing the district leaders to be dragged over.

Although Factory Director Yang's rank was higher than Section Chief Ma and Director Zheng, they were not in the same system, and Factory Director Yang could not order them. They would definitely report this matter to their respective leaders, and in the end, this matter would reach the First Ministry of Machine Building.

Factory Director Yang could already imagine the scene of himself being called to the Ministry to be lectured, so naturally, Factory Director Yang didn't give He Yuzhu a good look.

If Factory Director Yang knew that He Yuzhu had the idea of going to Zhongnanhai, Factory Director Yang might really thank He Yuzhu's ancestors for eight generations in his heart.

Factory Director Yang didn't come alone; he came with the people from the Security Section. Once Factory Director Yang arrived, he naturally went to the Deaf Old Lady's side to show concern.

With Factory Director Yang backing her, the Deaf Old Lady's spine straightened up immediately.

Just at this time, Street Office Director Wang and Police Station Director Zhang also rushed to the Siheyuan with their subordinates. As soon as the two entered the courtyard, they first greeted Section Chief Ma and Director Zheng enthusiastically; after all, they were the superior leaders.

After the pleasantries, Street Office Director Wang, Police Station Director Zhang, Rolling Mill Security Section Chief Chu, and Factory Director Yang all looked at He Yuzhu with gloomy faces and unkind expressions.

He Yuzhu naturally understood what they meant; they were nothing more than blaming He Yuzhu for making a big deal out of it and poking it all the way to the district level.

Covering up the lid was their instinct. Since ancient times, covering up the lid had been an indispensable traditional skill for leaders.

"The more you cover up the lid, the more I will make a big deal out of it," He Yuzhu sneered, and then suddenly opened his mouth.

"At the dead of night, I yearn for the dawn; in the bitter winter, I yearn for the spring breeze;"

"If I yearn for the Red Army to come, the azaleas will bloom all over the ridge..."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 18 =====