Chapter 594: He Yuzhu

Two days later, Li Xiangxiu pushed open the door to He Yuzhu's office.

"It's been verified. The bullet that hit Deputy Director Ma was fired by Xing Fei." She placed the file on He Yuzhu's desk. "The ballistics, the position, the bullet shell—everything matches. The chain of evidence is complete."

He Yuzhu took the file and flipped through it, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth: "This man surnamed Ma is truly a character."

Li Xiangxiu sat down across from him and asked, "How should we proceed?"

"Publicize it with great fanfare and set him up as a positive model. If there are still people hiding in the base, seeing that Lao Ma killed one of their own, they will surely make a move."

Li Xiangxiu's eyes lit up: "That's a good plan. If we catch a few spies, we might even be able to follow the vine to find the melon and get to the bottom of Lao Ma's background."

He Yuzhu shook his head and said, "I think that's unlikely. The spies hiding in the base must be on single-line contact. It'll be good enough if we can just root out a few of those lurking." He paused. "We need to add more men around Lao Ma; we can't let anything happen to him."

"Let him die, for all I care," Li Xiangxiu spat out through gritted teeth.

"How can we let the model we've built up die? Wouldn't we become a laughingstock? If we can hook a few fish, it'll be worth it," He Yuzhu said with a smile.

Li Xiangxiu was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Fine. Lao Ma will be able to leave the hospital in a few more days. We'll hold a proper commendation meeting for him then."

The sixty thousand mu of wheat planted at the base encountered a severe drought in the summer, but thanks to the six hundred water pumps He Yuzhu had brought in, the crops were able to pull through.

By autumn, although the yield per mu couldn't compare to Red Star Farm, it still reached five hundred jin.

Thirty million jin of grain were put into the granaries, enough to feed one hundred thousand people for a year.

He Yuzhu submitted a report to the Ministry, recommending Wu Zhanggen for the position of Deputy Director.

When the approval came down, he was stunned—the number of Deputy Director positions had suddenly expanded from five to seven.

The Ministry had adjusted the division of labor among the Cadres.

The newly transferred Deputy Director Song Zhenye would manage drilling and oilfield development; Kang Feng would remain responsible for mechanical equipment and maintenance; the retired Cadre Dang Kaiquan would manage oil extraction and transportation; Lv Hong would be responsible for finance and infrastructure; Wu Zhanggen was finally promoted to manage logistics and agricultural reclamation; and Deputy Director Ma would be responsible for personnel and political work.

Seven people, each in charge of their own area.

He Yuzhu glanced at this organizational chart, and his heart was as clear as a mirror—things were becoming increasingly professional, and he himself was becoming more and more like a redundant person. The countdown clock had already begun to chime.

The commendation meeting was held in a grand fashion at the oilfield's auditorium.

He Yuzhu presided over it personally, recounted the process of Deputy Director Ma's injury, and handed him the certificate of merit with his own hands.

Thunderous applause erupted from the audience.

Deputy Director Ma still walked with a slight limp; he stood on the stage, smiling somewhat unnaturally.

The news spread like wildfire, and within two days, the entire oilfield knew of this hero.

In secret, He Yuzhu and Li Xiangxiu arranged for security personnel at Deputy Director Ma's home, office, and the routes he frequently traveled.

A net was spread wide, just waiting for some blind fish to swim into it.

One day, two days, three days.

Several months passed, and the base remained calm and peaceful, without even a suspicious shadow to be seen.

In the blink of an eye, it was April 1959.

The oilfield had constant good news, with monthly production steadily reaching three hundred thousand tons.

At this rate, the three million tons promised last year would certainly be fulfilled this year.

The nitrogen fertilizer plant and the Refinery were also nearing completion; only the machinery plant was still under intensive construction.

But the days were becoming increasingly dry.

In the Huabei region, there had been almost no rain for four months.

At noon that day, He Yuzhu's room was very lively.

Lv Hong, Li Xiangxiu, Man Yatou, Chen Guodong, and Wu Zhanggen were gathered around a table for hot pot lamb.

Today was Man Yatou's birthday.

The pot was bubbling and steaming, and the group was eating until they were covered in sweat, when Secretary Xiao Li pushed the door open, his expression looking off.

"Director He, an urgent call."

"Who is it?" He Yuzhu put down his chopsticks.

"He said he is Secretary Liu."

He Yuzhu's heart skipped a beat; he stood up and walked straight out.

Entering the office, he grabbed the phone and said, "Secretary Liu, is it time for me to be transferred?"

Secretary Liu didn't answer the question, asking directly: "Xiao He, tell me quickly, how many sets of diesel engines and water pumps are stored at Liu Shi Trading?"

He Yuzhu pondered for a moment and said, "In January, I asked Shen Yan, and there were about eight thousand sets. I don't know how many more have been stored in these past few months."

"A bit low, but it can save the day," Secretary Liu said. "Not a single set has been exported, right?"

"None," He Yuzhu said firmly.

"Ship them all to Tianjin Port for me; I will settle the accounts with Liushi Trading Company!" Secretary Liu ordered.

He Yuzhu joked: "Fine. But the storage fees must be settled as well."

"It's an emergency, and you're still joking with me! Pack your things and return to the Rolling Mill to be the Factory Director. After you go back, expand the production of diesel engines and water pumps. By this time next year, I want you to have an annual output of thirty thousand sets."

He Yuzhu was stunned: "What about the base here?"

Secretary Liu laughed: "Do you really think I don't have anyone at the base? You haven't cared about oil extraction for two months, staring at the machinery plant every day—isn't that just because you want to finish building it and leave?"

He Yuzhu chuckled and stopped pretending: "Your eyes and ears are truly formidable."

"Half a month. Hand over the Petroleum Base clearly, and hand over Red Star Farm as well. In half a month, I'll see you at the Rolling Mill," Secretary Liu said.

"Twenty days, then," He Yuzhu bargained.

"Fine, I'll give you twenty days," Secretary Liu said, then hung up the phone.

He Yuzhu stood holding the receiver for a while; outside the window, the drilling rigs were still turning, one beat after another, as if bidding him farewell.

Returning to the room, the group had finished eating most of what was on the table.

Lv Hong was the first to ask: "Director He, what happened?"

"I'm leaving," He Yuzhu leaned back in his chair, his words carrying an indescribable flavor.

Man Yatou's eyes lit up: "That's great, Brother Zhuzi, I can go back to the Laboratory again!"

The faces of the others, however, sank.

Lv Hong looked at him: "Little He, now that you're leaving this time, are you not coming back?"

He Yuzhu said indifferently: "If you really miss me, just come to Beijing to find me; I'll definitely provide food and lodging."

Lv Hong lowered her head, her eyes reddening; she held back her tears from falling and said: "You keep your word!"

He Yuzhu nodded.

Chen Guodong grew anxious: "Teacher, I still wanted to learn Computer skills from you for another year. If you leave, who will I learn from?"

He Yuzhu patted his shoulder: "I reckon you won't be staying here much longer either. Once you return to Beijing, come find me if you want to."

Chen Guodong still revealed a look of disappointment.

He Yuzhu looked at Li Xiangxiu and said: "In this base, I'm not worried about anything else. I'm only worried about Director Ma's side; you must keep a close eye on him!"

Li Xiangxiu nodded: "Rest assured."

In half a month, He Yuzhu finished handing over all his affairs.

On the day he left, before the sky was fully bright, He Yuzhu took Man Yatou and drove toward the main gate.

He had thought he could leave quietly, without taking a single cloud with him.

Who would have known that as soon as they exited the gate, they would see dozens of people standing there in a dense crowd.

Looking at these familiar faces, the things he had done over these past two years flashed back, scene by scene, through these faces.

He Yuzhu got out of the car, walked over, and shook hands with them one by one.

He said nothing, and there was no need to say anything.

After shaking hands, he got into the car and started the engine.

In the rearview mirror, those people were still standing in the same spot, but their figures were getting smaller and smaller.

He Yuzhu's eyes grew hot, and something rolled down.

He didn't wipe it, letting it dry on its own.

Man Yatou asked in a low voice: "Brother Zhuzi, will you still be a Deputy Factory Director when you go back?"

"I heard I'm going back to the Rolling Mill to be the Factory Director. There is a severe drought in Huabei, and Secretary Liu wants us to produce Diesel Engines and water pumps; we have to deliver thirty thousand sets by this time next year."

"That's so many, that will require a lot of steel!" Man Yatou started calculating again.

"We have no choice but to expand steel production capacity!" He Yuzhu said.

Just at this moment, his system issued a warning sound: "Five hundred and seventy-three meters, eleven o'clock direction, sniper."

He Yuzhu slammed on the brakes.

The Jeep swerved and came to a stop.

"Get down!" He Yuzhu pressed Man Yatou's head down with one hand.