Restarting life in Siheyuan

"Uncle Yang, can you still hold on now?"

After sending the two little guys away, Zhu Xuefeng took time out to come to the steel mill again. Zhu Xuefeng was still worried about Lao Yang, so he had to come to the steel mill again to check the situation.

"What's the point of talking about whether I can hold on or not? I'm fine. I have a lot of co-workers taking care of me. Now they don't seem to be interested in me. It's just that this steel mill, ah...", Old Yang shook his head, looking heartbroken.

"As long as you are okay, they can make trouble as they please. We should preserve our strength. Only when the green mountains remain can we have firewood to burn. You must take care of your green mountains."

Old Yang no longer lives in the steel mill. He has been transferred back to his original street. The old house is gone. The current house is much smaller than before, only about ten square meters. The old couple lives there and has no big problem with their life. The family still has some savings from the previous period. Their situation in the steel mill is also acceptable. With a group of people including Director Zhang secretly protecting them, they have not suffered too much.

Knowing that Lao Yang was a stubborn person, Zhu Xuefeng had no other ideas. He chatted with Lao Yang for a while, comforted him, said goodbye to Lao Yang, went to visit a few classmates, and met Chen Zhihe at the Materials Research Institute.

The Materials Research Institute was also affected. Chen Zhihe was speechless. He chose the strategy he used in college and did not participate in either event. However, he became a minority. That is, he had a few years of experience in the steel rolling mill, and no one had taken the initiative to cause trouble for him. However, he was very confused.

Chen Zhihe has already confirmed his relationship with Xiao Lin, a girl from Northeast China who was assigned with him, and they are just waiting for a day to get their marriage certificate. Zhu Xuefeng also advised him to focus on managing his family in the next few years. At Chen Zhihe's repeated request, the two discussed the research project on metal physics together.

"Okay, it's getting late, I have to go back, you guys still have to work overtime."

"Overtime?" Chen Zhihe smiled, pointed at his colleague who seemed a little absent-minded, and said in a low voice.

"Who has the mind to do this now? Your idea just now is good. I'll take care of myself first."

Zhu Xuefeng smiled along and said goodbye to Chen Zhihe helplessly. He went to Director Chen's office and sat for a while, then left the laboratory with a bit of disappointment.

When he arrived at the gate, he saw Lin Yilan standing at the door of the duty room from afar, looking at him. Zhu Xuefeng rode over and got off the bike. Lin Yilan came over and accompanied Zhu Xuefeng out of the factory gate before whispering.

"Brother, Xu Damao has come to the factory, and Guo Er is here to pick him up."

"Xu Damao?"

"Well, that's him."

Zhu Xuefeng nodded, "I see. Will you be in charge of the class tonight?"

Lin Yilan shook her head and said, "I'm not on duty today. I'll go home after get off work."

"Okay, I'll go back and cook, and we'll talk in the evening."

Zhu Xuefeng rode his big scooter onto the road. Why did Xu Damao come to the steel mill? He had been expelled from the steel mill. Logically speaking, there was no hope for him to return to the steel mill after serving his sentence.

Xu Damao, whom Zhu Xuefeng was thinking about, was currently in Li Huaide's office with a fawning look on his face.

"Thank you for your guidance, leader. Don't worry, I will follow your instructions from now on..."

Li Huaide waved his hand, "No need to say these words, just do it quickly, you are quite capable and smart, do your best, go now, get things done quickly, you will be of great use later."

Xu Damao then bowed with a smile on his face, left the office, and went downstairs happily. When he reached the second floor, he saw a pretty girl hurrying upstairs with a pile of materials. Xu Damao squinted his eyes and looked down at her. The other person's work clothes were slim and smooth, which was very pleasing to the eye. He couldn't help licking his lips.

"Young comrade, may I ask how to get to the Propaganda Department?"

The tall girl stopped and looked up. The man in front of her had a horse face, was well-groomed, had short, neatly combed hair (he had just been released from prison), looked very neat, and was looking at her enthusiastically.

"I'm from the Propaganda Department. You've asked the right person. The Propaganda Department is on the third floor of the factory office. Go downstairs and head east. The six-story white building over there is the factory office building. You're not from our factory, are you?"

"Young comrade, you are from the Propaganda Department. That's great. Is Section Chief Sun here?" Xu Damao did not dare to reveal his identity. His reputation was already ruined, so he did not dare to introduce himself.

"Do you know Section Chief Sun?" The person who came was Yu Haitang from the Propaganda Department. With Lao Yang's care, he became the section chief of the Propaganda Department in a few years. After Lao Yang was dismissed, he was implicated and sent to the workshop, but he returned to his original job not long after.

"Well, little comrade, can you take me there? This factory is too big and I'm a little confused."

Although she didn't like the other person's pair of sneaky eyes, she had seen this kind of look many times. Yu Haitang didn't care and responded enthusiastically.

"Yes, our factory is quite large, but I am busy right now. If you still don't know, you can go downstairs and ask about the factory office building. It's not far away. Just walk a few hundred meters to the east. It's the building to the north after entering the south gate of the factory. It's easy to find."

Xu Damao had a disappointed look on his face, and tried hard to appear confused yet grateful.

"Thank you, young comrade. By the way, what's your name? When you meet Section Chief Sun, ask him to praise you."

Yu Haitang smiled slightly, "My name is Yu Haitang, it's just a small thing, no need to thank me."

Yu Haitang's innocent smile immediately touched Xu Damao's heart, which had been silent for several years. This little girl is good, very good, and seems a little silly, which is good.

Yu Haitang had already gone upstairs. Xu Damao stayed downstairs for a while before leaving in a slightly excited manner.

"Why did you think of hiring him? His reputation is ruined." A female voice asked in Li Huaide's office.

Li Huaide leaned back and said, "Next time I talk to someone, don't eavesdrop."

The woman used ten slender fingers to gently massage the man's hair. "You think I want to listen? Your door is not soundproof. I can't listen even if I don't want to."

Li Huaide closed his eyes and frowned, "Looks like I have to ask Lao Zhang to replace the door for me." The woman's hand gently smoothed the man's brow, "I haven't told you why you thought of using him yet."

The man closed his eyes. "No one wants it now. Huang Wanglong, that idiot, was criticized by Liu Haizhong. Let him wait a little longer. It's not appropriate for him to show up for the time being. Xu Damao is capable, smart, and quick-witted. I want to give it a try."

"But you also know that if you use people like this, how will people view you?"

The man still closed his eyes. "Don't worry, I have a way. Besides, we recruit talents regardless of their background. He just graduated and he has been able to join the joint defense team of the Opera Academy in such a short time. He has also become a team leader. I heard that he is very motivated and has made outstanding achievements. We are such a big steel rolling mill, but we are not as good as an opera academy in this regard. We have no achievements at all. What do you want me to do?"

The woman sighed, "He used to be from our compound. He was quite clever, but he didn't seem to have such great abilities. It seems that after spending a few years in the kiln, he has become more capable."

"You're right. After a person has been in the kiln for a few years, there will be some changes. He was able to come out so quickly. This shows his ability."

The woman stopped and looked puzzled. "Why did he come out so quickly?"

"Why, are you interested?" the man couldn't help but tease.

"I'm not interested at all. When that guy met me in the yard, his eyes were staring straight ahead. He was not a good guy. At that time, I thought that this bad boy would die on a woman's belly sooner or later. You see, it's because women have been in there for so many years."

When it comes to hooking up with women, men feel a little awkward and change the subject.

"Remember you said that he shouldn't be able to have children, right?"

The woman pulled her hand away. "That was something He Yuzhu let slip. I overheard it. Who knows if it's true? Why are you asking this?"

Li Huaide still closed his eyes. "This is almost certain. The cotton oil thing you mentioned is true. You didn't read the newspaper. Contraceptive pills are being extracted from cotton oil now."

Li Huaide did not continue to speak. He was thinking carefully, and a way to conceal the truth was forming in his mind. He became excited for a moment, opened his eyes and sat up. The man's sudden action scared the woman.
"I have an idea about having a child."

The woman's body trembled noticeably, as she was hesitant. Ever since the trust came to an end, the plan had been shelved. She didn't expect the man to bring up the old matter again. The woman's pause made the man feel a little dissatisfied, and his actions became rude.

"What's your idea? Hey, be gentle, I'm asking you."

The man ignored her and didn't explain. After a long while, the office door was gently opened, and a figure poked his head in for a while, turned back and cursed, and sneaked downstairs.

Li Huaide had left the office at some point and was standing in the corridor, smoking a cigarette and watching the woman disappear.

Thinking of his father-in-law's criticism, Li Huaide strengthened his determination again. He used Xu Damao himself. Although he tried his best to make it happen at the prestige meeting before the New Year, he knew that not everyone believed it. It had been several months, and he had not yet restored his previous prestige. He hated Zhu Xuefeng, the instigator.

Xu Damao's timely appearance gave him hope of dealing with him. He already knew that Xu Damao was sent in because of Zhu Xuefeng's real-name report. This was good. He had never figured out the details of Zhu Xuefeng, who had humiliated him. Even his former ally, Director Guo, did not seem to know the other party's background very well.

It is said that Director Guo was implicated and brought down because his sister framed this guy. Before Li Huaide really knows the boy's background, he will never take action himself. It is just right to let Xu Damao come and test it out.

Xu Damao is a really smart guy. As soon as Li Huaide missed a hint, he already had an idea. Li Huaide is very much looking forward to it.

In the compound, Zhu Xuefeng was having dinner with Lin Yilan. The dinner was simple. One was stewed potatoes with beans and a few slices of meat, which was quite fragrant. Another was egg with green peppers, a bowl of clear soup with a few vegetable leaves floating in it, and a few steamed buns made from two kinds of flour.

"Senior brother, they have all left, are you going to leave too?" Lin Yilan opened her big eyes and looked straight at her senior brother.

"I did have this idea. Why, are you worried about abandoning you?"

"Yeah!" Lin Yilan nodded. "You sent them all away, but you never told me about the future." Lin Yilan felt a little jealous. Although she knew that her senior brother would not abandon her, she still complained a little.

"Are you willing to leave your home?"

"Brother, you know what's going on in my family." Lin Yilan tore off a piece of steamed bun and chewed it carefully, her voice sounding a little sad.

Zhu Xuefeng was speechless for a moment. Lin Yilan was almost 23 years old, she was beautiful, had a good job, and was now a deputy section chief with a high income. How could her family give up? They couldn't get into the steel mill. Lin Yilan's living in this compound had long been a secret. Her brothers and sisters came to the compound to find her from time to time, hoping to get some money. It was only because the two old men refused to let them into the compound that they would come more often.

Knowing that Lin Yilan was doing well now, her brothers and sisters plucked up their courage and tricked her into going home once, claiming that her father was seriously ill. Zhu Xuefeng was not sure what happened exactly, but after that incident, Lin Yilan obviously no longer gave face to her brothers and sisters and always avoided them.

Even though she was stopped outside the yard, Lin Yilan did not give her brother and sister any face. She just said a few words and threw down a few bills to send them off. "Your father sold me for 500 yuan a few years ago, and now he wants to sell me again. I don't dare to want this family anymore. I have nothing to do with you anymore. Don't come to me in the future."

It is said that her father asked her several times to go back for blind dates, but Lin Yilan never went back once. After all, it is rare for a girl to be unmarried at the age of 23, especially after her childhood friend Zhou Xiaoyu and Xie Minghui got married.

"I originally wanted you to stay at the steel mill. After all, we will come back. Now I think it doesn't matter. Come with me when the time comes."

Zhu Xuefeng finally expressed his thoughts, and he was also very troubled. Forget it, wait until she goes out and broadens her horizons and gains experience, who knows, she might come up with new ideas.

"Okay, I'll listen to you, brother." Lin Yilan finally heard the news and felt relieved. She concealed her happiness, picked up the small bowl to drink the soup, but her eyes secretly looked at her brother along the edge of the bowl.

"Eat your food well, what are you looking at? Keep this matter to yourself."

"Okay, don't worry, senior brother." Lin Yilan put down the bowl awkwardly. It was so embarrassing that her senior brother discovered every little move she made.

A few days later, Lin Yilan brought back an astonishing piece of news. Xu Damao returned to the steel rolling mill and resumed his job. Moreover, the propaganda column of the steel rolling mill stated that the public security had proved that Comrade Xu Damao had been wronged in the past, and it was a complete injustice that has now been vindicated. In view of the great contributions Comrade Xu Damao had made in prison, he was promoted to deputy section chief.

It was indeed shocking news. Before the news had died down for a few days, Zhu Xuefeng, who had returned to the compound, was shocked again. But he was obviously very disappointed and left cursing. (End of this chapter)