Courtyard House: Report enemy agents at the start, and you'll take off immediately.

Page 54

"I was transferred to the cleaning team due to health reasons."

"However, this comrade had a problem with his thinking. While cleaning the bicycle shed area outside the workshop of the Sixth Forging Workshop, out of personal grudge against Comrade Zhao De, he removed the valve core from Comrade Zhao De's bicycle without permission."

"It has been decided that Comrade Jia Dongxu will be given a factory-wide reprimand and a demerit, and will be ordered to pay Comrade Zhao De five yuan as compensation for bicycle repair costs."

"If Comrade Jia Dongxu makes this mistake again, he will be dismissed and removed from his post. Please take this as a warning..."

The factory-wide announcement was played three times in a row.

This caused an uproar throughout the factory, becoming the biggest news in the factory.

The steel rolling mill, which had just calmed down, has once again stirred up a heated discussion. The reason it caused such a commotion is that Zhao De, the person involved, was not long ago a topic of conversation among everyone.

As for Jia Dongxu, he's just trying to ride the wave of popularity!

In the second fitter workshop, after hearing the report, Yi Zhonghai stopped what he was doing, pondered for a while, then said goodbye to the workshop director and left.

Since it was almost lunchtime anyway, it wouldn't matter if he left a little early. Yi Zhonghai decided to go to the security department to say a few good words for Jia Dongxu.

He wanted to show Zhao De that he, as the master, was genuinely concerned for his apprentice.

This would also increase the likelihood of accepting Zhao De as an apprentice. In addition, he wanted to take this opportunity to promote the spirit of respecting the elderly and caring for the young, and mutual assistance among neighbors.

To ease and repair the tense relationship between Zhao De and the Jia family.

As long as the conflict between the two families exists, there will be no peace in the courtyard, and Yi Zhonghai is already having enough of a headache.

When he entered the security office, he first saw Jia Dongxu looking dejected, and then he noticed that Zhao De was still there, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.

"Zhao De, on behalf of your master, Dongxu apologizes to you."

"Master Yi, your apprentice is really a headache!"

When Zhao De saw Yi Zhonghai approaching, he was full of doubt. Could this guy really be here to mediate?

"It might have been a moment of impulse on his part."

Yi Zhonghai quickly defended his apprentice, then hurriedly added:

"Dongxu, you all live in the same courtyard, how could you do such a thing? Apologize to Zhao De right now!"

Out of politeness, Jia Dongxu stood there without responding, but Zhao De had already understood the meaning from Yi Zhonghai's words and replied directly:

"Sigh, Master Yi, of course I have to apologize, but the five yuan compensation is unavoidable."

"The reasoning needs to be made clear. Besides, I didn't ask for more than I should have. The cost of materials alone for repairing the car is more than four yuan!"

Zhao De remained wary of Yi Zhonghai, harboring considerable suspicion towards him.

This person appears to be very proper on the surface, but actually has a lot of ulterior motives!

Yi Zhonghai did not expect Zhao De to be so ruthless. He had spoken up for him during the meeting a few days ago. Had he not heard about it?

Zhao De had indeed heard about it, but he didn't believe it; Yi Zhonghai's help was imposed on him without his consent.

It's fine to accept it or not, why should he have to accept this favor?

You should know that if you accept Yi Zhonghai's favor, you will have to repay it tenfold in the future.

Zhao De dared not easily accept this favor, nor did Liu Hai feel any gratitude in his heart.

In Zhao De's view, it was all offset by the bowl of braised pork he had that night.

"Dezi, everyone says that a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative."

"Besides, it's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester. You don't really need those five dollars, do you?"

Yi Zhonghai continued to persuade Zhao De, holding firm to his own beliefs, hoping that he could compromise like Sha Zhu.

Once Zhao De acknowledges the debt, his behavior can be gradually changed.

However, Zhao De was furious when he heard this. Does having money mean you deserve to be taken advantage of?

“Master Yi, I stand by my original statement; this money must be paid.”

"Why don't you, as his master, pay for it for him? After all, we're all neighbors living in the same courtyard."

"Otherwise, I can only use the salary he received this month that has been deducted to make up for it."

"As you know, the Jia family's life will be even more difficult without these five dollars."

Zhao De retaliated without hesitation, and was even more eager to receive the compensation money immediately.

As for Jia Dongxu himself, he naturally had no money on him. The security personnel had just searched him, and he only had one cent left to buy lunch.

That makes sense, since the Jia family's money is now managed by Jia Zhangshi.

According to the canteen's prices, a white steamed bun costs five cents, a cornbread costs three cents, and a serving of vegetarian dishes costs three cents.

Generally speaking, one cent can fill you up. Hearing this, Jia Dongxu immediately looked at Yi Zhonghai with expectant eyes—five yuan!

If a craftsman helps pay the money in advance, he will be able to explain things to Jia Zhangshi more effectively when he gets back.

Before doing this, Jia Dongxu never expected to be caught.

After all, if everyone thought about the consequences before doing bad things, probably not so many people would dare to do bad things.

At this moment, Yi Zhonghai interjected:

"Dezi, one cannot only think of oneself."

"Just like when you first entered the fitter's workshop, we were in the same courtyard."

"We will also do our best to help you adapt to the job quickly and improve your skills."

Yi Zhonghai absolutely refused to part with those five yuan.

Even for the three yuan he paid on behalf of Jia Zhangshi yesterday, he made her write an IOU.

The key is that he cannot set this precedent, otherwise the Jia family will frequently cause him trouble.

Therefore, Yi Zhonghai brought up work-related matters.

The real hope was that Zhao De would take the initiative to offer to use Jia Dongxu's salary to offset the compensation.

As for the Jia family's life becoming more difficult?

That's not just his problem. We could hold a hospital-wide meeting and ask everyone to donate!

Zhao De certainly understood the implied meaning, but he wasn't worried. Director Yang had already promised to promote him to a level six fitter!

Yi Zhonghai was truly helpless against this 24-year-old level-six fitter in the factory and workshop.

As for the technical aspects?

Jia Dongxu had been with him for seven or eight years, and even before his health collapsed, he was still only a level two fitter. If he said he was hiding something, who would believe him?

Just as Zhao De was pondering how to respond to Yi Zhonghai, the factory's loudspeaker came on.

"Attention, fellow workers! Attention, fellow workers! We have an important announcement to make."

"Comrade Zhao De, a worker in the Sixth Forging Workshop, is known for his noble moral character, his willingness to help the weak and oppressed, his diligence in learning, his proactive attitude, and his outstanding professional skills."

"It made a significant contribution to the factory, and the decision was made after discussion at the factory leadership meeting."

"Effective immediately, Comrade Zhao De will be transferred to the Second Fitter Workshop and promoted to Level 7 Fitter."

"We hereby call on all employees to learn from Comrade Zhao De, work diligently, study assiduously, and contribute their strength to the country's development."

"This is to inform you as a form of encouragement."

This caused an uproar throughout the entire Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

"He's only 24 years old and he's already a level 7 fitter! My goodness, his future is limitless!"

"How much does a level 7 fitter earn in a month?"

"Ask Master Liu, isn't he a level seven fitter?"

Someone went to ask Liu Haizhong for advice, but Liu Haizhong stood there for a long time, unable to come to his senses.

He was truly stunned!

Level seven! That's level seven! How many years did it take him to reach level seven?

Having spent almost half his life there, Liu Haizhong, an old fitter, was one of many old fitters who worked at the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, which was founded in the early years of the Republic of China.

He was stuck at either level five or level six, and for a moment, Liu Hai felt quite uncomfortable.

After all, this person who was promoted lived in the same courtyard as him, and they were both in the backyard. It would be impossible for him not to feel jealous or envious.

"Master Liu, why don't you say something? How much do you earn a month again?"

The person who asked the question actually knew it before, but can't remember it right now.

"71.5 yuan, go stand aside and don't cause trouble, get back to work."

His bangs looked a little irritated; wasn't this hitting a sore spot?

Meanwhile, the atmosphere inside the security department was quite lively.

Jia Dongxu opened his mouth wide and stared at Zhao De with wide eyes.

Yi Zhonghai was still in shock, and Zhao De himself was also surprised, as he had originally prepared himself for the position of Level 6.

Unexpectedly, the factory manager was truly capable and managed to secure him a level seven position.

Now we must thank them properly. Shifting our focus back to the present, Zhao De said directly to Yi Zhonghai: