Chapter 76: Outwitting Yi Zhonghai, a Clever Response

His hand just touched the electric workshop door handle, and the door of the East Room behind him creaked.

Zhao Jianguo didn't look back, nor did he stop; he pushed the door straight in and swung the door shut behind him. The room still held the scent from before last night's Night School ended, the faint warmth of electric wire insulation mixing with the metallic smell of iron pliers scraping the cement floor. He walked to the iron cabinet in the corner, opened the bottom drawer, and took out a blue‑leather register.

He had prepared this notebook long ago.

It wasn't given directly by the system, but every entry came from the trace of material flow tied to sign‑in rewards— the scrap copper wire was dug up from the factory's waste pile that afternoon, the seal on the cement bag and the spot where Old Liu signed at the supply station were identical, even the screw model matched. He flipped through page by page, his fingertips brushing the neat characters, feeling confident.

Outside, daylight was already bright, and people began moving in the Courtyard. He heard Wang Shen hanging laundry, Er Lengzi chasing a dog and shouting, and Sha Zhu's voice carried from afar: "Zhao Jianguo! A breakfast portion is set aside for you, tucked on the windowsill!"

Zhao Jianguo replied with a nod, shoved the register into his cloth bundle, lifted the enamel jar for a sip of Cool Tea, and pushed the door out.

Just as he reached the bulletin board, he saw Yi Zhonghai standing beside the old‑goods allocation box, pinching a corner of the register, talking with Qin Huairu. Jia Zhangshi was also nearby, listening with his head down, nodding now and then.

"You say two bags of cement, thirty meters of wire—where did they come from?" Yi Zhonghai's voice was low, yet each word carried, "Zhao Jianguo is busy in the Courtyard all day, yet we never saw him collect prize money. Can the factory just take materials at will? That's not support, that's misappropriation."

Qin Huairu rubbed her hands: "I'm not saying I don't trust Zhao Jianguo, but this mess keeps growing; there has to be an explanation, right? If the higher‑ups investigate later, we all have signed."

Zhao Jianguo placed the bundle on the bulletin board shelf, cleared his throat: "I'll give the explanation right now."

The three of them turned their heads simultaneously.

He opened the cloth bundle, pulled out the blue‑leather register, slapped it onto the wooden frame of the bulletin board, then took a stack of receipt stubs from inside and pinned them beside it.

"From March 2 onward, all material sources are right here." He turned to the first page, "Ten meters of copper wire, recovered from the factory waste area; San Daye went with me that day, right?"

San Daye, leaning on his cane, stepped out of the house; hearing his name, he stood firm: "I saw it with my own eyes! Zhao Jianguo even had the workshop director sign, black‑on‑white stating 'Reusable Waste Material'."

"The two bags of cement were bought from the municipal supply allocation station." Zhao Jianguo pointed to the receipt, "The ticket was issued by Old Liu, noting the purpose 'Siheyuan public repairs'; the money came from Night School registration fees, five cents per person, thirty people, a total of one yuan five jiao."

Wang Shen leaned in to examine the receipt: "Those characters are indeed Old Liu's, even the seal matches."

"What about the screws, iron sheet, welding rods?" Yi Zhonghai squinted, "Together they're not a small sum, right?"

"The screws came from dismantled discarded molds at the factory, the iron sheet was an old chimney removed from the boiler room, the welding rods were leftover scraps sent by the technical department." Zhao Jianguo recited item by item, "Each has a witness signature—San Daye, Sha Zhu, Old Zhou, Wang Shen… Do you want me to call each of them to verify?"

Yi Zhonghai remained silent.

Zhao Jianguo closed the book, looked up: "I know some people are uneasy. So I've decided that at noon today, we'll hold a meeting in the Courtyard; anyone with doubts can ask here and get an answer. The ledger is open, the people are standing, we're not afraid of inspection."

After speaking, he turned and pasted a new notice on the bulletin board:

"Today at noon, old‑goods allocation and Night School fund inquiry meeting, all are welcome to supervise."

The characters were written with a thick brush, straight and upright, like nails driven into wood.

At noon the sun shone, and an old dining table was set in the center of the Courtyard, surrounded by a few long benches. People arrived one after another: Wang Shen cradling a child, Uncle Wang carrying a water kettle, Er Lengzi squatting at the front, San Daye leaning on his cane in the middle, Sha Zhu arriving with a bowl of noodles, eating while listening.

Yi Zhonghai arrived fashionably late, fanning himself with a palm‑leaf fan, slowly taking his seat, his face once again wearing that smile: "Zhao Jianguo, your enlightenment is impressive; we admire it. But even great insight must stand up to scrutiny, right?"

Zhao Jianguo nodded, spread the register on the table, opened to the first page: "Then let's start from the beginning. Anyone who wants to ask, raise your hand."

Qin Huairu raised her hand: "Those radio parts were said to be taken apart to repair the water pump, but where did those parts come from? They can't just appear out of thin air, can they?"

"On March 10, Aunt Wang donated an old radio, recorded in the ledger." Zhao Jianguo turned to that page, pointing it out, "After disassembly, the capacitors, resistors, and circuit board were all used; San Daye even helped test the voltage."

San Daye nodded: "I measured with a multimeter; everything usable was kept, the rest was burned."

Wang Shen also spoke: "My radio hadn't worked for a long time; it was just taking up space, and donating it felt good."

Yi Zhonghai fanned himself twice, then asked: "What about the solder? You need solder to repair the motor, right? That stuff isn't cheap."

"On March 12, Old Zhang from the factory's technical department delivered half a box of scrap, its purpose logged on page 17." Zhao Jianguo turned the page, "Signer: Old Zhang, witness: Sha Zhu."

Sha Zhu set his bowl down: "Right, that day I was delivering meals, and Old Zhang said, 'Little Zhao is quick at fixing motors; take these parts for use,' so I brought them back."

He paused, then added: "Master Yi, if you don't believe it, we can go find Old Zhang together this afternoon."

The people around laughed.

Yi Zhonghai's smile wavered a bit.

Zhao Jianguo closed the book, looked around: "Everyone see, every entry is verifiable, every item has a witness. I'm not afraid of inspection; I'm afraid of none. So—" He paused, "I propose that from now on, every ten days we publicly disclose the accounts, with the neighbors taking turns as supervisors, responsible for checking and signing. How does that sound?"

No one objected.

Er Lengzi raised his hand: "I'll do it!"

Uncle Wang said, "I can too; I'm just idle anyway."

Zhao Jianguo looked at Yi Zhonghai: "Master Yi, you've done accounting at the factory, respected and esteemed; why not be the first? Ten‑day rotation, you start."

Yi Zhonghai stopped fanning.

If he agreed, he'd have to follow the rules, sign and take responsibility, and think twice before causing trouble again; if he refused, shirking in front of so many would reveal his cowardice.

"Me?" he gave a dry laugh, "I'm careless, afraid I'll miss something, which would just cause trouble for everyone."

"No problem." Zhao Jianguo pushed the register over, "The supervisor may bring an assistant and can inspect the original vouchers at any time. Tomorrow morning the electric workshop opens; you can come check whenever, I'll be there with you."

"I… can take a look." Yi Zhonghai finally spoke, his voice a bit low.

"Alright." Zhao Jianguo smiled, "Then from tomorrow onward, you'll be the first supervisor. I'll leave the register on the electric workshop desk, the key hanging on the hook behind the door; anyone can enter."

The crowd dispersed by more than half.

San Daye, about to leave, patted Zhao Jianguo's shoulder: "Your move is clever, making him crawl into the trap himself."

Sha Zhu leaned over: "Does he dare to come?"

"He wouldn't dare not to come." Zhao Jianguo tucked away the receipts, secured the register, "If he comes, he must follow the rules; if he doesn't, no one will believe his words later."

The sun shifted westward, and the Courtyard fell quiet.

Zhao Jianguo stood before the bulletin board, pressed the inquiry notice down, then reinforced the four corners with thumbtacks. A gust made the paper rustle with a swish.

He looked up toward the East Room.

The curtain shifted half an inch, then snapped shut.

He didn't move or shout, just slipped the register under his arm and stayed standing.

In the distance Er Lengzi was again chasing a dog, shouting "Don't chew the wire! That's public property!" Sha Zhu was scrubbing a pot at the cafeteria entrance, San Daye napped on a small horse saddle, Wang Shen returned with a water bucket from the pump, the bucket brimming.

Everything was as usual.

But he knew things had changed.

Yi Zhonghai stepped into the trap Zhao Jianguo set; even a single step meant he'd already sunk into the mud.

Zhao Jianguo lowered his head and glanced at his watch; it was 3:27.

He took out a pen and wrote on the last page of the register:

"April 3, the inquiry meeting is convened, the source of supplies is fully clarified. The supervision rotation is activated, first shift: Yi Zhonghai. Tomorrow at 8 o'clock, the electrician's room will open to welcome inspection."

After writing, he closed the notebook and tapped the cover twice with his fingertip.

Then he raised his head, his gaze falling on the tightly shut window of the East Room.

The window wasn't open, but he knew someone inside was waiting for nightfall.

He didn't leave, nor did he speak; he just stood in front of the bulletin board, his hand resting on the wooden frame.

The wind at the courtyard gate swept up a piece of scrap paper, spinning it, rolling along the ground to the East Room's door, where someone kicked it away.