Chapter 96: The End of the Road for Yi Zhonghai

Li Huaide truly had not expected Deputy Factory Director Nie to stab Factory Director Yang in the back. While this delighted Li Huaide, it also made him secretly vigilant, viewing Deputy Factory Director Nie as his greatest rival.

Factory Director Yang was already finished. It wasn't just because of the car accident and the sabotage; even if he hadn't been in an accident, such a massive incident at the Rolling Mill meant that as the top leader, he would naturally be removed. This was not only to provide an explanation to all parties but also to serve as a warning.

A warning to the newly appointed top leader not to act recklessly or do as they pleased, but to properly fulfill their own duties.

Yi Zhonghai was handed over directly to the court. With so many leaders paying attention, Yi Zhonghai's only possible end was to eat a lead bullet. The Great Leader gave strict orders: before handing Yi Zhonghai over, he must return the living expenses of He Yuzhu and He Yushui, plus the two-year wage difference and interest, totaling exactly three thousand yuan.

In reality, Yi Zhonghai didn't need to return that much money at all; at most, it would have been around fifteen hundred yuan.

This was a decision the Great Leader made after careful consideration. The Great Leader expressed that He Yuzhu had it too hard. Under those difficult times, coupled with being intentionally sabotaged, He Yuzhu was still able to carry forward the optimistic spirit of arduous struggle. Not only did he survive while raising his younger sister He Yushui, but he also faced life positively. This spirit was worth learning from.

Of course, these were all excuses. The real reason was that such a major incident had occurred at the Rolling Mill, and he, the Great Leader, would also be held accountable by those above. At this time, there was an urgent need to establish a model to reduce and distribute the impact caused by the explosion at the Security Section.

It wasn't that the Great Leader had set his sights on He Yuzhu at a glance, but rather that He Yuzhu's situation was a case of perfect timing.

"Many thanks to the Great Leader! I will definitely work hard in the future, study actively, and strive to make even more delicious and tasty meals for the vast number of fellow workers," He Yuzhu said with a solemn face.

"Good! Good! Good! Working hard, not forgetting to study while actively doing one's own job, neither arrogant nor rash—Master He's awareness is very high. I think this year's Advanced Individual award belongs to none other than Master He," the Great Leader said very happily, doing his best to build He Yuzhu into a positive image.

"Great Leader, you flatter me. I feel I still haven't done well enough. Please rest assured, Great Leader and all factory leaders, I will continue to work hard," He Yuzhu said.

Official jargon—even if one hasn't eaten pork, one has seen pigs run. He Yuzhu could spout it off the cuff.

The leaders of the Rolling Mill were all shrewd people; they saw the Great Leader's intentions at a glance and began to applaud in cooperation.

"Alright, it's dawn now. Let the comrades from the Street Office and the Police Station accompany Master He back for a trip, and let Yi Zhonghai return the money to Master He," the Great Leader said.

He Yuzhu naturally knew that the Great Leader was seeing them off, and that they surely had many things to discuss next, so He Yuzhu tactfully took his leave.

As soon as He Yuzhu left the office, Director Wang from the Street Office and Station Chief Zhang came over with their people to meet up with He Yuzhu, then proposed taking the detained Yi Zhonghai back to the Siheyuan.

During the interrogation, Yi Zhonghai had not met with anyone; to prevent collusion, he was interrogated independently. Now, after seeing He Yuzhu, Yi Zhonghai lunged over as if grabbing a life-saving straw.

However, the moment Yi Zhonghai made a move, he was firmly pinned down by the police station personnel guarding him.

"Behave yourself!" one staff member roared, then smashed a baton hard onto Yi Zhonghai's shoulder.

"Zhuzi, this is a misunderstanding! This is truly a misunderstanding! I really didn't intend to pocket your money. My salary is so high, how could I pocket your money? I did all this for your own good, to temper you. Zhuzi, you must believe me..." Yi Zhonghai roared hoarsely.

Yi Zhonghai understood that if he didn't shout these words now, he would never have the chance to shout them again.

"Yi Zhonghai, you still don't understand. The reason you are receiving this punishment is not because you pocketed my money, but because you stood on the opposite side of the vast masses of people."

"Ever since you promoted your 'Will of the Courtyard' in the Siheyuan, you embarked on a path of turning back the wheel of history."

"Your so-called 'respecting the elderly' was merely an excuse for you to sit there and have everyone completely obey you. Your words were the golden rule, and no one was allowed to oppose your words or defy your thoughts."

"I firmly oppose your Will of the Courtyard."

"Our predecessors used the sparks of a single star to light up the road ahead and build a new world. We must, of course, follow the will of our predecessors."

"No matter how flowery your words are, we will not listen to you. We only listen to the words of the Old Man, we only listen to the Party. We don't believe your sweet talk, nor are we afraid of your various despicable means. We only believe in the Red Star in our hearts."

"The Red Star shines brightly, the Red Star warms the heart. The Red Star is the heart of our workers and farmers, the Party's radiance shines for generations..."

"In the long night, the Red Star shines to drive away the darkness; in the cold wind, the Red Star shines to welcome the spring."

"In the struggle, the Red Star shines to point the way; as the war drums rise, the Red Star shines to widen the road..."

"The Red Star shines brightly, the Red Star warms the heart. Follow the Old Man, follow the Party, the shining Red Star will be passed down for generations..." He Yuzhu couldn't help but sing.

The reason He Yuzhu did this was that he sensed the Great Leader and the group of Rolling Mill leaders were staring closely at him from not far behind.

He Yuzhu guessed that the leaders, led by the Great Leader, wanted to see if he could keep his composure and if the individual model they had painstakingly created was correct.

He Yuzhu naturally had to put on a show.

He Yuzhu's guess was correct. The Great Leader and the others were staring at He Yuzhu; they didn't ask for He Yuzhu to have high awareness, they only asked for him to stay steady and not jump around with joy.

Unexpectedly, He Yuzhu gave them a pleasant surprise. If nothing else, just this song alone meant the matter was settled.

"Good! What a 'Shining Red Star Passed Down for Generations'! Good! Master He, did you create this song?" the Great Leader couldn't help but clap and praise.

"Yes, this song was created by me. Director Zheng from the District and Station Chief Ma from the District Branch also know about it. It's just that at the time, this song wasn't finished; only a small part was created," He Yuzhu said, not being modest.

Station Chief Ma and Director Zheng were also here and immediately stood up to testify for He Yuzhu, and sang the "Ying Shan Hong" ditty that He Yuzhu had "created," indicating that this was also created by He Yuzhu.

"Good! Good! Good!" The Great Leader clapped and praised again. This time, the Great Leader appeared much more sincere.

Unlike before, where the praise was just perfunctory, now it was somewhat from the heart.

The reason the Great Leader had this change was naturally because, with He Yuzhu as an individual model and this song, he could fully account to those above. It might even be that the impact caused by the Security Section explosion would be easily eliminated.

Whitewashing the peace has been the basic operation of those in power since ancient times.

Yi Zhonghai was completely desperate. The more these leaders valued He Yuzhu, the less possibility there was for him to make a comeback.

If it weren't for the people guarding Yi Zhonghai holding him up, Yi Zhonghai would have collapsed onto the ground entirely.

"Zhuzi, I really did it for your own good..." Yi Zhonghai muttered repeatedly. Unfortunately, no one was listening. Even without the Security Section explosion, it would have been difficult for Yi Zhonghai to escape guilt, because He Yuzhu didn't report Yi Zhonghai at all; he reported the Post Office.

Yi Zhonghai's set of methods worked fine against people in the Siheyuan, but once he left the Siheyuan, those methods were a joke, especially in the face of the law, where they were a joke among jokes.

At this time, Pangzi, leading the people from the kitchen, very tactfully brought big bone soup for these leaders and the various parties. Of course, the leaders drank the original broth, while others drank bone soup diluted with water.

Even so, in such a famine year, and with these people having been busy all night, the arrival of the big bone soup warmed their hearts.

"Great Leader, you might not know, but this big bone soup was invented by Master He to solve the problem of the workers lacking oil and water in their stomachs. Now, not only is our Rolling Mill boiling big bone soup to drink every day, but various other factories have also followed suit."

"These big bones, which weren't valued, have become good things. In the past, I could easily get several truckloads of big bones. Now, even if I go to the Meat Processing Plant myself, I have to wait in line to receive them," Li Huaide said after personally ladling a bowl of soup for the Great Leader.

While praising He Yuzhu, he didn't forget to mention his own contribution.

"Factory Director Yang had reported the matter of the big bone soup to me. I didn't expect it to be your and Little He's contribution. Not bad, not bad," the Great Leader said very satisfactorily.

Director Li was even more satisfied. It wasn't that the Great Leader praised him, but that the Great Leader mentioned Factory Director Yang directly by his title. This was a manifestation of extreme dissatisfaction with Factory Director Yang. If he weren't dissatisfied with Factory Director Yang, the Great Leader would definitely have called him 'Little Yang' instead of mentioning his title.

He Yuzhu was also very satisfied with Pangzi's perceptiveness and nodded at Pangzi without a trace. Pangzi also happily nodded in response.

Since Pangzi had already brought the big bone soup and prepared the meal, everyone took the opportunity to eat their fill before escorting Yi Zhonghai back to the Siheyuan. Yi Zhonghai was dragged back to the Siheyuan the whole way by the people guarding him; he was limp as if he had lost his soul.

After the group returned to the Siheyuan, they ran into Yi Dama, who was fleeing with the money. Director Wang from the Street Office and Station Chief Zhang immediately detained Yi Dama, then searched a pile of money from Yi Dama's bundle, from which they took three thousand yuan and returned it to He Yuzhu.

Yi Dama was beyond tears; she was just one step too late, just one step too late. If she had been a little earlier, she would have taken the money and run.

Going to join her nephew, arriving with a huge sum of money versus arriving empty-handed were two different concepts. Although Yi Dama still had over six hundred yuan in her hands, six hundred yuan and thirty-six hundred yuan were two different concepts.

Suddenly, a thought appeared in Yi Dama's mind.

"Zhuzi, do you want a house? I'll tell you straight: I'm going to join my nephew. This house is private property; rather than keeping it, I might as well sell it to you. These two rooms are worth about six hundred yuan, and I'll give you the furniture too. You just give me five hundred and fifty yuan," Yi Dama said in a low voice, pulling He Yuzhu aside.

Yi Dama decided to cut the Gordian knot and leave this place of right and wrong quickly, and for this, she didn't mind asking for a little less money.

He Yuzhu naturally agreed, so he called Director Wang aside and told her about this, asking Director Wang to handle it.

Director Wang was just worrying about how to praise He Yuzhu for donating four thousand yuan, so she took this opportunity to return the favor and readily agreed.

Director Wang, at the fastest speed, first handled the divorce for Yi Dama and Yi Zhonghai, and then, as a witness, handled the series of matters regarding Yi Dama gifting the house to He Yuzhu.

Originally, such a matter would have taken half a day or even longer, but now it was handled within ten minutes. Director Wang also conveniently issued an introduction letter for Yi Dama.

Yi Dama took the introduction letter and headed straight for the train station, completely leaving the Siheyuan, this place of heartbreak.

Yi Zhonghai was detained, waiting for orders from above, ready to eat a lead bullet at any time.

He Yuzhu kindly paid for Yi Zhonghai's lead bullet.

"Yi Zhonghai will definitely thank me, definitely!" He Yuzhu muttered.

After the matters were finished, the crowd dispersed. Those who had to go to work went to work, and those who had to go home went home. Although they had been tossed about for most of the night, they still had to go to work. After all, such a big incident had happened in the factory; even if they just went to put on a show, they had to do it.

At this time, the Deaf Old Lady, accompanied by the hospital security personnel, finally arrived late back at the Siheyuan.

Seeing that there was no one in Yi Zhonghai's house, the Deaf Old Lady couldn't help but be shocked.

"Little Yan's wife, where are the people from Little Yi's house?" the Deaf Old Lady found San Dama and asked in a deep voice.

Seeing that the Deaf Old Lady still had that high-and-mighty attitude, San Dama couldn't help but feel very angry. Just as she was about to curse the Deaf Old Lady, her eyes rolled, and a plan came to mind.

"Five mao," San Dama said with a cold snort.

The Deaf Old Lady was so angry she jumped.

"You dead old woman, you still think it's the past? You should go pee and look at yourself. What kind of character are you, still putting on airs here? If you want to know where Yi Dama went, I won't tell you! Get lost!" San Dama shouted sternly.

If San Dama hadn't seen the two security personnel following the Deaf Old Lady, she would have slapped the Deaf Old Lady twice already.

Bullying the weak and fearing the strong is human instinct. Now that the Deaf Old Lady was in trouble, if she didn't bully her now, when would she?

After saying this, San Dama shouted in the courtyard, not letting anyone in the courtyard tell the Deaf Old Lady where Yi Dama had gone.

The people in the courtyard were also the type to bully the weak and fear the strong. Since San Dama had spoken, they were happy to kick the Deaf Old Lady while she was down to express their dissatisfaction with her. They couldn't beat the Deaf Old Lady again, could they? Who would be responsible if she were beaten to death?

The Deaf Old Lady couldn't find out Yi Dama's whereabouts, and the hospital security personnel were urging her, so the Deaf Old Lady had no choice but to go home to get money to send the hospital security personnel away.

Subsequently, the Deaf Old Lady entered Yi Zhonghai's house and sat on a chair waiting. She waited for a whole day. No one in the Siheyuan paid any attention to the Deaf Old Lady, nor did they bring her food; instead, they looked at her with gloating eyes.

"Old Lady, why aren't you staying in your own house, running to my house for what?" He Yuzhu said bluntly.

"This is your house?" The Deaf Old Lady's eyes widened, and she said in disbelief.

"That's right, my house. Yi Dama has already transferred her house to me. It just so happens that I'll connect these two rooms with Yushui's house to make it the original side room, and then rebuild the ear room and the covered walkway on the east side of my house, so that the main room and the side room can be connected by the covered walkway."

"By then, whether He Daqing comes back or He Yushui comes back to live, there will be a place for them. Tsk tsk, thinking about it, it really is quite beautiful," He Yuzhu said happily.

The Deaf Old Lady's face, however, turned deathly pale, and her whole body shivered.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 97 =====