Courtyard House: From Bloodsucking Jia Zhangshi to Industrial Giant

Chapter 40: I fear both the hardships my brothers endure and my brothers' suffering...

Just as He Yuzhu was feeling carefree, Zhang Chengfei suddenly appeared and slapped him on the shoulder: "Brother Zhu, what are you thinking about? You're grinning like that."

He Yuzhu's thoughts were interrupted when he saw Zhang Chengfei's big face in front of him, and his old face immediately drooped.

He's not stupid. Although Qin Huairu said she wanted to keep her distance from Jia Dongxu because she was afraid he would overthink things.

But he understood that, in the end, it was because of Zhang Chengfei's relationship with the Jia family that their lives had improved. Qin Huairu no longer needed the lunchboxes he brought back, nor did she need the small favors he gave her, which was why she wanted to distance herself from him.

Regardless of Qin Huairu's attitude of "if someone is there, they'll go first; if someone is there, they'll go back first," He Yuzhu harbored no resentment towards her. Instead, he secretly held a grudge against Zhang Chengfei.

Seeing Zhang Chengfei suddenly appear and startle him, he felt a surge of disdain and said unpleasantly, "Dafei, what are you doing here?"

Zhang Chengfei shoved him aside and sat down himself: "Let's see what delicious food you've prepared for tonight."

He Yuzhu secretly rolled her eyes in her mind: "What business is it of yours what delicious food I make? You can't eat it anyway."

"Who says I can't have any?" Zhang Chengfei picked up a cucumber from the table. "Where would I get cucumbers in the dead of winter?"

Ma Hua smiled at him: "They're from the warm caves in Fengtai, costing a little over two yuan per jin!"

"Hey, this is good stuff." Zhang Chengfei took a bite, chewed a quarter of it, and swallowed it. "It's sweet, but the cucumber flavor isn't as strong as it is in the summer."

Sha Zhu laughed angrily: "You're even giving your opinions now? I'm asking you, what are you even doing here?"

Zhang Chengfei shrugged: "Didn't I tell you? Your factory's Director Yang treated me to dinner."

Sha Zhu's eyes widened: "I don't believe you for a second! You're just like Zhang Erya, always talking nonsense."

Zhang Chengfei glanced at him sideways: "If that's what you're saying, then I'm leaving. Don't come crying to me when your Factory Director Yang can't find me."

After saying that, he was about to leave while munching on a cucumber, but He Yuzhu hesitated.

He grabbed Zhang Chengfei's arm: "Brother, I was just kidding with you. Look at you, getting all worked up again."

Zhang Chengfei snorted: "From the moment I walked in, you've been acting like you're doing me a disservice. He Yuzhu, tell me, what have I done to offend you?"

Of course, Sha Zhu couldn't say that he hated Zhang Chengfei because of Qin Huairu, so he could only make up an excuse: "Yesterday we clearly agreed to give Xu Damao a good beating, but you didn't come back until ten o'clock at night."

Zhang Chengfei knew he was making excuses, but he didn't care.

What he wanted was for everyone in the courtyard to have grievances against him. Only when they had grievances could he reap a lot of dislike points, right?

He scratched his head: "I was working overtime drawing last night."

As for why he paints at the factory instead of at home? Of course! Wouldn't it waste electricity if he did it at home? He knows how to manage money wisely.

Seeing that the topic had been changed and Zhang Chengfei had been successfully detained, Sha Zhu stopped pressing the issue and simply said that it would be tomorrow. In any case, he wouldn't be able to quell his anger until he had thoroughly ripped off Xu Damao.

Zhang Chengfei nodded: "Okay, then tomorrow."

Sha Zhu then asked, "Da Fei, did our factory manager really invite you?"

"Of course, please don't cook the dishes too spicy later, I can't eat too much spice."

After Zhang Chengfei finished speaking, he looked at the tomatoes on the cutting board and said, "Make a 'Volcano Snow' dish, I love to eat it."

A clear look of naiveté flashed in Sha Zhu's eyes: "What do you mean by 'volcanic snowfall'?"

Zhang Chengfei explained that it's simply tomatoes mixed with white sugar: "Tomatoes at the bottom, white sugar sprinkled on top, isn't that like snow falling on a volcano?"

Sha Zhu laughed heartily and then asked if there were any other interesting dish names.

Zhang Chengfei: "There's also the 'shattered to pieces' little green dragon, which is basically cucumber smashing."

"Anything else?"

"These two are fine. Are you planning to make the leaders eat a completely vegetarian diet?" Zhang Chengfei said, then picked up a piece of pork intestine that Ma Hua had just cut and left.

As soon as he left, He Yuzhu also began to take action.

7:30 p.m., a small private room on the second floor of the cafeteria.

Yang Gangtie, Li Huaide, Deputy Director Nie in charge of production at the steel rolling mill, Section Chief Qian of the technical department, Xu Damao, and Feng Dapangzi, Lao Ma, Lao Tai, and Zhang Chengfei from the machinery factory all gathered together.

Everyone present was an acquaintance, except for Zhang Chengfei, who was new. Li Huaide greeted him with a smile and introduced him to everyone one by one. When he introduced Xu Damao, he simply said that Xu was their factory's film projectionist, a good drinker and talker, and that he was brought along to liven things up.

Zhang Chengfei thought to himself, "Xu Damao can really drink? I doubt it. A few days ago, when several young men from the courtyard got together for a meal and drinks, he managed to avoid drinking quite a bit."

Xu Damao was adept at flattering his superiors, speaking to people in a way that suited them, and he was often brought along by his superiors to liven up the atmosphere.

But today, when he realized that the person he needed to curry favor with was Zhang Chengfei, and saw that Deputy Factory Director Li, whom he had gone to great lengths to ingratiate himself with, was very friendly towards Zhang Chengfei, he suddenly felt a little unbalanced...

Deputy Factory Director Li is adept at social maneuvering and knows how to be flexible. He does treat people this way sometimes, but none of those people know Xu Damao.

People don't envy millionaires or high-ranking officials they can't reach, but they do envy their neighbor, Old Zhang, for being slightly better off than themselves...

Xu Damao felt a sour feeling in his heart, like he had eaten a lemon. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he noticed Zhang Chengfei glance at him, and his gaze was a little strange...

He quickly composed himself, stood up, and smiled ingratiatingly: "It is my great honor, Xu Damao, to be able to drink with the leaders of our factory and the machinery factory today."

I have a rule for toasting: one big, three small, two fives, ten.

Li Huaide chuckled mischievously: "What do you mean by 'one big, three small, two fives ten'?"

Xu Damao looked over and smiled obsequiously: "The biggest thing is that the leaders are the biggest. What are the leaders? They're the sky of our factory!!"

"If those big shots like the leaders drink one cup, then I, a nobody, have to drink three."

Fatty Feng frowned and exchanged a glance with Old Ma, clearly looking down on him.

Although Deputy Factory Director Nie stood to the side with a blank expression, his eyes were filled with disdain.

"And what about 2510?" Li Huaide continued to ask with great interest.

"Two times five equals ten..." Xu Damao answered fluently.

Li Huaide raised his glass: "Then I'll have a drink first."

"Then I must have three cups!" Xu Damao laid out three cups, filled them, and drank them all in one gulp. In an instant, his face flushed.

Li Huaide watched him finish his drink as if he were watching a monkey show, then turned to Zhang Chengfei: "Technician Zhang, did you like the food today?"

Zhang Chengfei nodded: "It tastes good."

Li Huaide: "Eat more if you like it. When I saw that electric kettle this afternoon, I thought to myself that the person who designed such a thing must be a talent."

Now we see that Zhang is not only highly skilled, but also young. Truly, a young hero emerges!

After praising Zhang Chengfei, the conversation shifted to the response from the Ministry of Machine Building: "I heard that the leaders of the Ministry of Machine Building are very interested in electric heating cups and are preparing to discuss the issue of setting up a production line at a meeting."

Yang Gangtie, who was standing to the side, knew that Lao Li was about to get to the point, and chimed in, "The production line must be built, and we can't skimp on patents either."

He looked at Section Chief Ma diagonally across from him: "Little Ma, didn't you want me to solve your patent problem today? I'll give you a definite answer now: I will definitely help you solve the patent problem! However..."

At this point, he changed the subject.

Everyone at the machinery factory knew that the main event of today's banquet was about to begin, and they immediately became extremely attentive.