Siheyuan: Start with a big car

Outside the workshop, Liu Guangfu pulled Liu Guangtian aside, frowned, and asked hurriedly: "What's going on? Tell me."

Liu Guangtian became even more agitated when he heard this. He waved his arms and shouted, "It's still Qin Jingru! I just took a nap, what's the big deal? There are so many people in the workshop, everyone gets sleepy sometimes. But she just stared at me and insisted on deducting my full attendance bonus this month. She is deliberately trying to punish me!"

Liu Guangtian's face turned red with anger. He continued, "Don't you think she's going too far? The attendance bonus was ten yuan, and it's gone just like that. How can I not feel bad? She must not like me and is picking on me on purpose."

Liu Guangfu frowned, looked at the excited Liu Guangtian, and said slowly: "Guangtian, don't be so angry. I know Qin Jingru. Although she is a country girl, she has been very serious and responsible in her work since she became a workshop assistant. She is not the kind of person who would target others for no reason."

Liu Guangtian's eyes widened, and he looked at Liu Guangfu in disbelief: "Brother, why don't you speak up for me? I'm your biological brother! You're actually on her side? I just slept for a while, and she's going to deduct my attendance award. Isn't this targeting me?"

Liu Guangfu patted Liu Guangtian on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Guangtian, this is not a question of helping anyone. We work in a workshop and must abide by the rules of the workshop. It is wrong for you to sleep during working hours. If everyone is like you, how can the workshop operate normally? You have to look for the reason from yourself, work harder in the future, and don't make such low-level mistakes again."

Liu Guangtian shook off Liu Guangfu's hand, looking unconvinced: "Humph, brother, I think you just don't understand. You are not on my side at all. I am so unlucky, and you still blame me."

Seeing that Liu Guangtian was so stubborn, Liu Guangfu shook his head helplessly. Knowing that it was useless to persuade him no matter how much he tried, he said, "Guangtian, think about it carefully. I have to go home to cook for your sister-in-law." After that, he turned and left.

As soon as Liu Guangfu left, several workers came over with laughter. One of them said to Liu Guangtian with a mocking smile: "Hey, Liu Guangtian, you were caught by Assistant Qin, right? This is really gratifying, it makes you lazy."

"That's right, you still want to rely on your connections to avoid punishment. Now you've lost your perfect attendance award. Let's see if you dare to sleep in from now on."

Liu Guangtian was so angry that he trembled all over and his face turned red when he heard these mocking words. He wanted to go up and argue with them. But before he could get angry, he saw Li Weidong riding a bicycle out of the laboratory. His eyes lit up, as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw, and he rushed over to block Li Weidong's way.

"Director Li, I want to file a complaint!" Liu Guangtian said, panting.

Li Weidong frowned, stopped his bike, looked at Liu Guangtian and asked, "What's going on? Who are you going to sue?"

Liu Guangtian pointed in the direction of the workshop and said angrily: "I want to sue Qin Jingru. She deliberately targeted me. I accidentally took a nap, and she deducted my full attendance bonus for this month. This is so unfair!"

Li Weidong frowned and stared at Liu Guangtian sternly. His voice was steady and serious: "Liu Guangtian, I already knew everything about you from Qin Jingru. Do you think this is just a simple nap? This behavior of you slacking off and sleeping during work hours is not the first or second time. This is a bad behavior that seriously affects the production efficiency and discipline of the workshop."

Liu Guangtian lowered his head somewhat guiltily under Li Weidong's gaze, but still muttered softly: "I... I know I was wrong, Director, but this is really not a big deal."

Li Weidong got even angrier when he heard this and raised his voice: "It's not a big deal? You know that our motorcycle workshop is different from ordinary workshops. Every process here is related to product quality and safety, and we cannot tolerate any carelessness. If you continue with this casual attitude, it will not only harm yourself, but also affect the working atmosphere of the entire workshop. If you don't work hard and refuse to change after repeated admonitions, you can expect to be fired!"

When Liu Guangtian heard the word "dismissal", he was shocked and dared not say anything. He knew that it would be bad to talk back to Li Weidong at this time, and this job was really important to him. Although he was still angry at Qin Jingru and felt that she had made the matter worse, on the surface, he could only nod and say: "Director, I understand, I will definitely correct my mistakes and will never do this again. Please give me another chance."

Li Weidong looked at Liu Guangtian and softened his tone a little: "I hope you can keep your promise and don't let me down. If there is a next time, no one can save you." After that, he rode his bicycle and left.

Liu Guangtian looked at Li Weidong's back and spat fiercely: "You were just a small truck driver before, but now you are a leader and you act so arrogant. What are you so arrogant about?"

Liu Guangtian was furious for a while, but there was nothing he could do. After all, if he was fired from the motorcycle workshop, not only would he be embarrassed, but he would also lose a lot of salary.

At this time, the sunset glow in the sky was like a burning flame, gradually dimming, and the night began to cover the earth. The workers in the factory left one after another, leaving Liu Guangtian alone standing at the door of the workshop for a long time, and finally he could only drag his heavy steps and walk home listlessly.

When he opened the door, the house was dark, with only a faint light coming in from the window. Liu Guangtian saw Zhang Xiuhua still lying in bed, with no sign of cooking, and suddenly he was furious. He slammed the things in his hands on the table and shouted, "You just lie down all day and don't cook. Do you want to starve me to death?"

Zhang Xiuhua was lying on the bed thinking about what Yan Jiecheng said about making money, and was startled by Liu Guangtian's yell. She sat up and retorted in dissatisfaction: "How dare you criticize me? Look at yourself, how much money can you make in the workshop? I have never had a good day with you."

Liu Guangtian got even angrier when he heard this: "I work so hard in the workshop, and you don't even cook at home, and you blame me for not making enough money? If you have so much free time, why don't you find a job?"

When Zhang Xiuhua heard that Liu Guangtian dared to talk back, her eyes suddenly widened, her eyebrows stood up, her chest heaved violently, and she was about to fly into a rage. But at the moment when her anger was about to erupt, she suddenly remembered the thing that Yan Jiecheng said could make a lot of money, and she swallowed back the curse that was on her lips. She took a deep breath, trying to make her expression gentler, then stood up, walked to the table, picked up the teapot, and poured a cup of tea for Liu Guangtian. She handed the tea to Liu Guangtian and tried to speak in a gentle tone: "Guangtian, don't be angry. You must be tired today. Have some tea to moisten your throat first."

Liu Guangtian was flattered when he saw this. He stared at Zhang Xiuhua with wide eyes and looked at her in disbelief. It took him a while to react. He took the tea and asked in confusion, "What happened to you today? Did the sun rise from the west?"

However, he felt a little warm in his heart because of Zhang Xiuhua's sudden tenderness, and the fatigue and unhappiness of the day seemed to be alleviated a little.

Zhang Xiuhua looked at Liu Guangtian, her eyes flashing with anxiety. She pulled Liu Guangtian's arm and said, "Guangtian, I have something to talk to you about today. That Yan Jiecheng said he had a job that could earn him 100 yuan. You didn't want to do such a good job. Are you stupid?"

When Liu Guangtian heard this, his brows immediately frowned, and a look of dissatisfaction appeared on his face: "Yan Jiecheng? Why did he come to you? What good can he do? That guy is no good, don't be fooled by him."

Zhang Xiuhua shook off Liu Guangtian's arm and said angrily, "What do you know? Yan Jiecheng said clearly that if you finish this job, you will get 100 yuan. How much can you earn in a month by working so hard in the workshop? And you are still talking nonsense here. If it weren't for me, would you have gotten this good thing?"

Liu Guangtian frowned and looked at Zhang Xiuhua suspiciously, asking, "Do you know what he asked me to do? Why do you trust him so easily?"

Zhang Xiuhua was stunned for a moment, then she stiffened her neck and said, "I... I don't care what he asks you to do, as long as I can make money."

Liu Guangtian was so angry that he stamped his feet and shouted, "He asked me to go to Li Weidong's office to steal the blueprints! This is illegal, you know? If I get caught, I'm done, and our family is done too!"

Zhang Xiuhua curled her lips in disapproval, with greed in her eyes: "Breaking the law? How can it be that serious? Yan Jiecheng can give you a hundred yuan. How can you earn so much money without taking risks? You are just timid. Think about it, with this hundred yuan, we can buy so many good things. We can buy new clothes, eat meat every day, and repair this broken house. This is such a good opportunity, don't be stupid."

Liu Guangtian looked at Zhang Xiuhua in disbelief: "Are you crazy? For this hundred yuan, you don't even want my life? If this is discovered, I will have to go to jail. How will you live by yourself then?"

Zhang Xiuhua walked up to Liu Guangtian, took his hand, and tried to persuade him: "You won't be discovered. Just sneak in, take the blueprints and leave. Yan Jiecheng will definitely have his way and will not let anything happen to you. Just listen to me and do this job. We can't miss this opportunity to make a fortune."

Liu Guangtian shook off her hand and said resolutely: "No, I will never do this. It's too dangerous. I can't sacrifice the rest of my life for this little money."

Zhang Xiuhua looked at Liu Guangtian and gritted her teeth in anger: "You are a loser, you will never achieve anything in your life! You didn't seize such a good opportunity, you deserve to be poor for the rest of your life!" After that, she sat down on the bed, turned her back to Liu Guangtian, and stopped talking.
Liu Guangtian was a little flustered when he saw that Zhang Xiuhua was really angry. He hurriedly walked over to sit next to Zhang Xiuhua, gently pulled the corner of her clothes, and his tone became gentle: "Xiuhua, don't be angry. I know you want to make more money for the good of our family. But we can't do anything illegal or criminal. Once something goes wrong, it will be all over."

Zhang Xiuhua snorted and turned her head away, not looking at Liu Guangtian. She was obviously still angry.

Liu Guangtian continued to persuade him, "Look, I don't earn much in the workshop now, but I have skills, and I will work hard. Last time, our factory director praised me for my good motorcycle assembly. Maybe I will have a chance to get a promotion and a raise in the future. Besides, I am also thinking about whether there are other legal ways to make money. We can't go astray."

Zhang Xiuhua glared at Liu Guangtian, her tone filled with dissatisfaction and doubt: "Humph, you said you can make me live a good life, then tell me, when can you be promoted to a third-level worker? Don't just talk nonsense here."

Liu Guangtian was stunned by this sudden question. He opened his mouth but couldn't say anything for a long time. Yes, he had been in the factory for several years, but because of his poor performance in the factory and his laziness, he was still only a second-level worker. Every time he was evaluated, he was either deducted points because of problems with the assembly of parts or because of violations of workshop discipline.

Seeing Liu Guangtian speechless, Zhang Xiuhua smiled mockingly. She stood up, walked around Liu Guangtian, and said as she looked him up, "I knew you were just a boaster. Look at yourself. You've been in the factory for so long, and you're still a second-level worker. You still have the nerve to say that you can give me a good life in the future? Don't you look at your own behavior? You're lazy all day long. What future can you have? Yan Jiecheng has shown you a way to make money, but you're still unwilling to go. Just stick to your pitiful salary. I've been unlucky for eight lifetimes."

After saying this, she snorted disdainfully and stood aside with her arms folded across her chest.

Liu Guangtian was silent, frowning, and his heart was full of mixed feelings. Zhang Xiuhua saw this and became more and more excited, with a hint of complaint and determination in her eyes: "I think you must have offended the leaders in the workshop, otherwise how come you are still only a second-level worker after so many years? Look at those people who entered the factory with you, who all moved up? Only you are still standing still."

Liu Guangtian raised his head, his eyes wavering a little. He thought carefully about his past in the workshop. It seemed that he was always criticized by Qin Jingru, the workshop assistant, for some minor mistakes, and Qin Jingru was merciless every time. Then he thought of Li Weidong, the workshop director, and the time when he was caught being lazy. Li Weidong's stern eyes and reprimanding words, was it really because he had offended them?
Zhang Xiuhua continued, "You are just too ignorant. You don't know how to please your boss in the workshop, and you always make mistakes. If you had been smarter earlier, you might have become a fourth-level worker and your salary would have increased several times. You wouldn't have to live like this, living a tight life and not even having a good meal."

"Since there is no future in the workshop, why not take the opportunity to make some money."

Liu Guangtian nodded slightly. He began to think that what Zhang Xiuhua said made sense. (End of this chapter)