Chapter 82: Desperate Yi Zhonghai

When the banquet was halfway through, Yi Zhonghai began to toast. Although his age and seniority in the siheyuan were not small, today was his family's affair, so his toasting was appropriate.

"Li Qiang, I toast you a cup, thank you. If it weren't for your help, today's banquet wouldn't have gone so smoothly." Yi Zhonghai came up to Li Qiang, smiling, and said.

"Master Yi, you're too polite." Li Qiang stood up and said politely.

"Dongxu, let's have a drink. I was wrong before; I hope you can forgive me, Master." After finishing his drink with Li Qiang, Yi Zhonghai went over to Jia Dongxu, holding his wine cup, and said, lowering his posture especially.

"Master Yi, thank you for your care over the years; this cup I toast to you." Jia Dongxu said solemnly.

Yi Zhonghai heard Jia Dongxu call him "Master Yi" instead of "Master", and instantly felt embarrassed, the smile on his face disappearing. He knew his plan to use this opportunity to reconcile with Jia Dongxu had come to nothing.

"It's fine; if you need any help in the future, just come find me." Yi Zhonghai said dejectedly.

"Okay, if there are technical matters my master can't solve, I will definitely consult you." Jia Dongxu said very politely.

"What did you say? Dongxu, you've taken a master?" Upon hearing Jia Dongxu say that, Yi Zhonghai was shocked.

"Old Yi, you might not know: the Yagangchang leadership found a Level 7 Worker to be Dongxu's master. Don't even mention it—this master treats Dongxu well, teaches him seriously, and holds him to strict standards. The two of them, Dongxu is progressing very quickly, I hear from his master. At the year-end evaluation, Dongxu will surely pass the Level 4 Worker exam." Jia Zhangshi, not knowing whether she was intentionally showing off or trying to provoke Yi Zhonghai, suddenly interjected.

"Dongxu, who is your master?" Yi Zhonghai asked, knowing basically all the Level 7 and Level 8 Worker masters at Yagangchang.

"Cui Biao," Jia Dongxu said very respectfully.

"Is it Cui the Cannon?" Yi Zhonghai said. If it were someone else, Yi Zhonghai really wouldn't know, but Cui the Cannon is quite famous; Cui Biao's nickname is Cui the Cannon, and he has this nickname because his personality is very upright, he cannot tolerate any fault— as long as you are in the wrong, no matter who you are, even the factory director, he won't give you face. Originally Yi Zhonghai thought that if it were someone else, he would privately go talk to that person, ask him to expel Jia Dongxu's apprentice, and the other party might give him some face. After all, he himself had once been a Level 8 Worker, but if it's Cui the Cannon, Yi Zhonghai really wouldn't dare to go find him; when he was a Level 8 Worker, Cui the Cannon had never given him face, and now that he has gone to check the warehouse again, Cui the Cannon is even less likely to give him face.

In fact, Yi Zhonghai still thought too highly of himself; even if it weren't Cui the Cannon, no matter who it was, they wouldn't give him this face. Consider that Jia Dongxu is a model risen from Yagangchang; you, Yi Zhonghai, are merely a warehouse keeper. Anyone with a bit of sense can tell what's more important— Jia Dongxu has the Yagangchang leadership behind him, in other words, Jia Dongxu is now the face of Yagangchang. You, Yi Zhonghai, are nowhere near what you used to be; as the saying goes, a fallen phoenix is not as good as a chicken, and you aren't even a phoenix.

"Dongxu, Old Cui is skilled and of good character; you should study well under him." Yi Zhonghai hastily corrected himself.

"Thank you for the reminder, Master Yi; I will work hard." Jia Dongxu also said very politely.

Afterwards, Yi Zhonghai had no mind to toast; he merely walked around symbolically and then returned to sit at the table.

Having sat down, Yi Zhonghai just kept drinking his sorrows; his worst fear had come to pass, meaning he and Jia Dongxu had completely gone their separate ways.

After the banquet ended, Yi Zhonghai, as expected, drank too much. Liu Haizhong directed the youngsters to clean up the mess in the courtyard, and Yi Zhonghai staggered home.

The Deaf Old Lady was uneasy, and she followed him inside.

"Godmother," Yi Zhonghai saw the Deaf Old Lady enter and immediately burst into tears.

"Little Yi, I understand your feelings; since things have come to this, you should give up your thoughts about Jia Dongxu." The Deaf Old Lady, who is very perceptive, found all of Yi Zhonghai's little schemes meaningless before her.

"Godmother, I regret it," Yi Zhonghai said, his tone filled with endless regret.

"Little Yi, the road is your own choice, the blisters on your feet are your own doing; don't blame others, and now it's too late to regret." The Deaf Old Lady sighed and said.

"Godmother, what should I do now?" Yi Zhonghai truly didn't know what to do; he had fallen out with Jia Dongxu and wasn't getting along with He Yuzhu either. He really began to worry about his future livelihood.

"Either adopt a child while you're still young, or try to mend relations with Zhuzi; although Zhuzi is a bit simple-minded, this child has a good heart and remembers kindness." The Deaf Old Lady's judgment of people is still sound.

"Then you say I want to get along with Zhuzi now— is it still possible?" Yi Zhonghai still did not want to adopt.

"Things depend on human effort; you also need to change your temperament— don't try to control everything in your own hands. Remember, the hardest thing to control in this world is people's hearts." The Deaf Old Lady said this very philosophically.

"This child Zhuzi is simple; he doesn't have all those twists and turns. You just need to treat him sincerely; don't think about scheming. Don't forget that behind Zhuzi are the Li Family Brothers, especially Li Qiang—that kid is absolutely a sharp one. If you want to play mind games with Zhuzi, first think whether you can outwit Li Qiang. Moreover, even if you could outwit him, if Zhuzi finds out you're scheming against him, given his temperament, do you think he'd let you off? In his heart, do you think your weight could match that of the Li Family Brothers?" The Deaf Old Lady earnestly advised Yi Zhonghai.

The Deaf Old Lady's words left Yi Zhonghai deep in thought; he truly had no confidence he could outwit Li Qiang. Although Li Qiang usually keeps a low profile, if you overlook him, you'll just be waiting to regret it. The Deaf Old Lady's words are not without reason— in He Yuzhu's heart, the Li brothers' weight is not just his; even if one day He Daqing and Li Qiang come to blows, he believes He Yuzhu would unhesitatingly help Li Qiang beat He Daqing, let alone an outsider like yourself.

"Think it over well; there's a saying: 'Heart for heart, four taels for half a catty.' You're not a child anymore. As an old woman, I might still have a few years left; even if I died, with you two as a couple I wouldn't have to worry about anything. But you— if you don't plan now, what will you do when you're old?" After saying this, the Deaf Old Lady leaned on her cane and left Yi Zhonghai's home.

Yi Zhonghai, after listening to the deaf old lady's words, also fell into deep thought; what the deaf old lady said was correct—when she grows old and dies, at least she will still have him, after all she has taken him as a foster relative. If the deaf old lady in the future really stops looking after herself, that would also be fine. She is a five-guarantees household; the street office would certainly not neglect her. By then, others would surely criticize him.