Siheyuan, my new life

It is important to know that at the Lou's Steel Rolling Mill at that time, the income of workers of different levels varied greatly. An apprentice only earned five silver dollars a month, while a junior fitter earned twelve silver dollars a month, an intermediate fitter earned twenty-eight silver dollars a month, and a senior fitter earned fifty-two silver dollars a month.

After the peaceful liberation of Beijing, Lou's Steel Rolling Mill, like some other large and medium-sized important enterprises, was taken over by the Military Control Commission. At that time, Director Feng was already a mid-level fitter, and according to the old master, his skills were among the best of the mid-level fitters. With a little more training, he had a good chance of being promoted to senior fitter.

In August 1951, Beijing began implementing an eight-level worker system in state-owned enterprises. In September of the same year, Shougang Group was also approved to implement the eight-level worker system. Lou's Steel Rolling Mill was renamed Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, also known as the Third Steel Rolling Mill in Beijing. As one of the first pilot enterprises for joint state-private ownership, it soon began implementing the eight-level worker system in the factory as well. In the first fitter technical assessment, Director Feng, starting from the first-level fitter, and more than 20 others, including Yi Zhonghai, successfully passed the sixth-level fitter level assessment and became senior fitters. However, Hao Aiguo only passed the third-level fitter technical assessment.

Unlike Yi Zhonghai, who always believed in the feudal traditional concept of "teaching an apprentice will starve the master", Director Feng not only taught his apprentices everything he knew, but also often selflessly guided his fellow workers in the workshop. Whenever someone asked him for advice, he would teach them without hesitation. Therefore, he had a very high reputation among the workers in the fitter workshop. It was precisely because of Director Feng's outstanding performance that he was promoted to team leader, deputy director of the workshop, and director of the workshop.

Director Feng was very patient with his fellow workers, and he especially devoted a lot of effort to teaching Hao Aiguo, his junior colleague with whom he had a special relationship. However, what frustrated Director Feng was that Hao Aiguo really didn't have any talent in the fitter's trade. Despite spending so much time and energy, almost teaching him step by step, Hao Aiguo barely passed the fifth-level fitter qualification exam two years ago. His monthly salary reached more than sixty yuan, which was enough to support his family of four. Moreover, Director Feng would often give him some scarce receipts in private, since as a section-level cadre in the steel rolling mill, he received a considerable amount of extra receipt subsidies every month.

Director Feng was quite troubled by his junior colleague. Whenever he had a spare moment, he would wander into the workshop director's office, where he would sit, drink tea, smoke, and read the newspaper. Director Feng had privately reminded him to try to build good relationships with the workers in the workshop so that when the opportunity arose, he could be promoted to a team leader. That way, he would receive an extra five yuan in cash subsidies and some receipts every month. But Director Feng didn't know what Hao Aiguo was thinking. Director Feng had made it so clear to him, but Hao Aiguo still did as he pleased and spent time in the workshop director's office almost every day.

Since the other party wouldn't listen, Director Feng could only let it be. He couldn't very well lose face and reprimand them, could he? After all, they were both in their early forties.

Lost in thought, Director Feng had already run breathlessly to the gate of the fitter's workshop. He stopped to calm his breathing before pushing open the large iron gate and entering the workshop.

Seeing Director Feng walk into the workshop with a gloomy face, the workers who had been huddled together in small groups and whispering quickly returned to their workstations and picked up their workpieces to get to work.

Director Feng glanced at the workers who had already started to get busy, and walked towards the workshop director's office next to the gate.

Pushing open the office door, Director Feng saw Deputy Section Chief Chen of the Security Department sitting at a desk, with a security guard sitting next to him with a notebook in front of him.

Director Feng forced a smile and greeted, "Hello, Section Chief Chen, I am Feng Tao from the Fitter Workshop No. 2."

Deputy Section Chief Chen stood up, shook hands with the other person, and then said with a smile, "Director Feng, I'm sure that statistician Liu just told you that our security department is here today to take Hao Aiguo back for investigation, and at the same time to question the workshop workers living in the courtyard at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang."

Director Feng took out a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes from his pocket, first offering one to Deputy Section Chief Chen, then taking one out and placing it on the desk in front of the security guard who was writing furiously. He then said with a wry smile, "Section Chief Chen probably already knows that Hao Aiguo and I are apprentices taught by the same master, and Hao Aiguo even saved my life back then, so I've always taken good care of him. I wonder if Section Chief Chen would be so kind as to tell me what happened to Hao Aiguo?"

Deputy Section Chief Chen pointed to the chair opposite his desk, gesturing for him to sit down. Then, his smile faded, and he sat back down before speaking seriously: "Director Feng, you should know about Hao Aiguo's position as the 'Third Uncle' in the courtyard house at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, right? Last night, at the courtyard's general meeting, Hao Aiguo openly pressured He Daqing, the canteen manager of the security training base, and Guo Yongping, a purchasing agent from the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, demanding they procure grain at low prices for other courtyard residents. This is a violation of the national policy of unified purchase and sale. Therefore, He Daqing and Guo Yongping refused on the spot and refuted Hao Aiguo's unreasonable demands. Enraged, Hao Aiguo then demanded that Guo Yongping..." Guo Yongping, labeled a "sabotage element," is the nephew of Dou Dagang, the former head of the archives department at the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill. He had just started his job and moved into the courtyard house at number 95 two days ago. Dou Dagang, a retired deputy regimental-level soldier, has a "Family of Honor" plaque hanging outside Guo Yongping's house. Hao Aiguo's unfounded accusations against the descendant of a retired soldier are absolutely intolerable. This morning, Comrade He Daqing directly reported last night's events to Director Qin and several other deputy directors of the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill's security department. Director Qin instructed the security department's public order section to bring Hao Aiguo back for investigation and questioning, and also to investigate and question all steel mill employees residing in the courtyard house at number 95 Nanluoguxiang.

After hearing Deputy Section Chief Chen's words, Director Feng's head nearly exploded, and a chill ran down his spine. What was that thing on Hao Aiguo's neck? Was it a chamber pot? Had he eaten a leopard? How dare an ordinary worker in a workshop openly force the head of the security department's training base canteen and the purchasing agent of the steel rolling mill to get you cheap grain?