Siheyuan: I live next door to Xu Damao, my last name is Cao

Cao Wei held the mysterious envelope tightly in his arms, as if it were a rare treasure. With a heart full of joy, he walked out of the office in a flash, with light and agile steps as if there was wind.

His alert eyes kept looking left and right, like a vigilant rabbit, vigilantly observing the movements around him.

After confirming that there was no one around, he breathed a sigh of relief, but he still did not dare to take it lightly.

He quickly turned his back, stretched out a finger, gently pinched a corner of the envelope, and then very carefully tore a small hole in it.

After completing this little action, he stopped again, took a deep breath, and calmed his excitement.

Then, he narrowed his eyes slightly, and peeked inside through the narrow gap with a bit of anticipation and trepidation.

It was this fleeting glimpse that instantly made a hint of surprise flash across his eyes.

It turned out that there was a thick stack of banknotes in the envelope!

The banknotes were neatly stacked together, and under the dim light, they emitted an alluring luster, as if waving to him.

He couldn't contain his joy and started to count them roughly.

As his fingers flipped the bills quickly, his heart pounded. "One, two, three..." When the last bill was counted, he was surprised to find that there were actually fifty dollars in it!

He couldn't help but smack his lips, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.

"No wonder there was no response from the machinery factory. It turns out they were waiting for me here. I was wondering why I didn't see any results after all the hard work. I thought it was all in vain. I didn't expect that I could get this extra income. It's equivalent to half a month's salary. It's really good."

This unexpected fortune seemed to be the best reward for today's hard work, and it made him feel very happy.

With this unexpected surprise in mind, Cao Wei felt as if there was wind under his feet, and his steps became lighter and lighter. He hummed a tuneless little song along the way, and his mind was like a kaleidoscope of thoughts, constantly thinking about what meal to prepare for his family tonight.

"Should I buy a few pounds of spare ribs and go home to stew a pot of fragrant spare rib soup, letting the rich aroma of the bones fill the house? Or should I cut some fresh meat and stir-fry it with green peppers and meat? The combination of green peppers and tender meat slices will definitely increase the appetite of my family."

Thinking of the scene of his family sitting together and enjoying the meal, the corners of his mouth unconsciously raised, as if that warm scene was right before his eyes.

That afternoon, Director Yang's mellow and powerful voice spread through the loudspeaker like a spring thunder to every corner of the steel rolling mill: "Dear workers, today we want to especially praise Comrade Cao Wei from our factory. During the exchange with the machinery factory, he successfully solved the other party's difficult machine failure with his superb skills and extraordinary wisdom, and won a very high reputation for our steel rolling mill. His professional, responsible and courageous spirit is worthy of learning for every worker!"

As soon as the broadcast ended, the entire steel mill exploded like a lit powder keg.

The workshop, which was originally orderly with roaring machines and busy workers, became extremely noisy in the blink of an eye.

After walking around the workshop, my fellow workers gathered around me like cats that smelled blood, and started asking about the situation at the machinery factory.

Cao Wei cleared his throat and described his experience of the trip in an exaggerated manner, especially focusing on how he turned the tide at the critical moment and solved the difficult machine failure.

He spoke eloquently and vividly, and his fellow workers listened with great interest, their eyes full of admiration and exclamations from time to time, as if they had also experienced that thrilling repair work themselves.

I saw everyone put down the tools and parts they were working on, and as if pulled by an invisible force, they quickly gathered in one direction like a tide.

For a moment, noisy discussions filled the entire workshop.

"Cao Wei's ability is truly amazing! He was able to easily solve such a difficult problem as the one at the machinery factory. This really makes our factory director proud!"

An experienced master gave a thumbs up and said with admiration on his face.

His eyes were fixed on Cao Wei, who was smiling and talking to someone not far away, and his eyes revealed undisguised admiration.

"That's right! Normally everyone thinks he has superb skills and outstanding abilities, but I didn't expect him to shine so brightly this time!"

Several young workers nearby also nodded in agreement. They looked at Cao Wei with envy in their eyes, as if they were looking at an unattainable idol.

"Yes, yes. We must learn more from Director Cao in the future so that we can withstand pressure and solve problems like him when we encounter critical moments!"

Someone proposed loudly, and immediately received unanimous response from many workers around.

Everyone nodded in agreement, and their words were full of high recognition and sincere yearning for Cao Wei.

At this moment, the voices of praise were like surging waves, coming one after another.

Cao Wei, who was among them, walked calmly among the crowd with a smile on his face.

From time to time, a fellow worker would come forward or pat him on the shoulder enthusiastically, and the strength of the pat seemed to contain the deep respect from their hearts.

Or you can say a few cordial words to him and express your admiration for him.

Or they raise their thumbs high, with eyes full of admiration and envy, as if to say that he is a role model in everyone's hearts.

Faced with this flood of praise, Cao Wei blushed slightly, waved his hands modestly, and said: "Thank you for the compliments, these are just empty words. I just did my job well. If it were any skilled technician in our factory, they would definitely be able to handle it properly."

Although he said this, Cao Wei still felt a little sweet in his heart. It is always a good feeling to be recognized.

This recognition, like the warm sunshine in spring, warmed his heart.

He quickened his pace and returned to his office. Just as he sat down, several young technicians knocked on the door and looked at him eagerly, as if their eyes showed that they were hungry for knowledge.

"Director Cao, please tell us what the problem is with the machine in the machinery factory? How did you solve it?"

They sat around Cao Wei, with their notebooks and pens ready, eager to absorb the nutrients of knowledge.

Cao Wei smiled, asked them to sit down, and began to explain in detail like an experienced instructor.

From the symptoms of the fault, that is, the abnormal sound and abnormal vibration of the machine, to the ideas for preliminary investigation, how to narrow down the scope of the problem step by step.

From then on to finally determining the key to the problem and the solution, no detail was left out, as if recreating a wonderful battle.

The technicians listened with fascination, writing down key points in their notebooks from time to time, their eyes full of desire for knowledge, as if they were swimming in this ocean of knowledge.

After everyone left, Cao Wei sat in his office, leaned back in his chair, and breathed a long sigh of relief.

My mood gradually calmed down and I began to seriously reflect on my experiences of the day.

He looked out the window into the distance, but his thoughts drifted back to the matter of Yi Zhonghai and Liu Guangqi.

That incident was like a dark cloud, weighing heavily on his heart.

He knew very well that this time bomb could explode at any time and he had to act with caution.

"I can't act rashly and get myself into trouble, but I have to find the right time to teach Yi Zhonghai a lesson..."

Cao Wei muttered to himself, his brows slightly furrowed, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table, each tap seeming to weigh the pros and cons.

He gradually formed an idea in his mind and decided to keep his troops in place for the time being, secretly watching Yi Zhonghai and Liu Guangqi's every move, collecting enough evidence, and waiting until the critical moment to strike at the right time, making Yi Zhonghai completely lose face in front of everyone, while at the same time cleverly clearing himself.

I have to take good control of the matter between Yi Zhonghai and Liu Guangqi. As long as I seize the opportunity, I can make Yi Zhonghai notorious.

He knew very well that if this matter spread in the factory, it would probably cause quite a stir. Also, if Liu Haizhong knew about it in the courtyard, he would definitely not let Yi Zhonghai off.

However, this matter must be exposed at a suitable opportunity, otherwise Cao Wei might be implicated.

"Although I originally wanted to watch the fun, if it gets out of hand and I get implicated, it won't be worth it."

Cao Wei frowned tightly and tapped the table rhythmically with his fingers.

His eyes were deep and sharp, as if they could penetrate the thick tabletop in front of him and reach the future full of unknowns and variables.

At this moment, countless thoughts flashed through his mind rapidly, and various possibilities kept appearing and disappearing like a revolving lantern.

Just as he was immersed in his thoughts, a clear and pleasant ringtone suddenly rang throughout the office.

That was the signal to get off work, like a sharp sword cutting off his thoughts.

Cao Wei came to his senses, quickly put away the tools on the table, and carefully put an envelope into his arms.

Then, with firm and powerful steps, he strode towards home.

Along the way, the setting sun gently caresses the earth with its warm and soft afterglow.

Cao Wei was bathed in the golden light, his figure was elongated and projected on the ground, as if a road leading home was slowly unfolding for him.

He looked up at the horizon and saw the sunset spreading across the sky like a colorful painting.

The colorful colors were red like fire, orange like the sun, yellow like golden ears... just like the ups and downs he experienced today, sometimes passionate and exciting, sometimes melancholy and dull.

However, despite such complex and changeable emotions, his heart is always filled with deep attachment to his home and earnest expectations for a better life in the future.

As night fell, Cao Wei finally returned to the familiar courtyard.

Just as he was about to reach the door of his house, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye - it turned out to be Liu Guangqi.

Looking at Liu Guangqi's expression, he seemed a little guilty. He was holding some delicious food in his hand. He must have done something bad today and wanted to please his parents and ask for forgiveness.

Liu Guangqi obviously noticed Cao Wei as well. He suddenly stopped and a very forced smile appeared on his face.

Then, he raised his hand and greeted Cao Wei with a slightly awkward look: "Cao Wei, what a coincidence, you just got off work too?"

That smile looked unnatural no matter how you looked at it, and his eyes kept dodging, as if he was afraid that Cao Wei would see through his thoughts. The cloth bag in his hand seemed to be held even tighter by him, as if the bag contained his unspeakable secret.

Cao Wei sneered in his heart, but remained calm on the surface. He nodded slightly and replied: "Guangqi, what delicious food did you buy? You are filial to your parents. You are very sensible."

While the two were talking, Liu Guangqi's eyes seemed to pass over the bag inadvertently, but in fact his eyes were always fixed there.

Through the slightly open gap of the bag, I could vaguely see a small corner sticking out from inside. Upon closer inspection, I saw that it was actually a layer of oil paper wrapped around something.

With experience and sense of smell, it is not difficult to guess that it should contain some food such as cakes.

The exposed corner of the oil paper exuded an enticing aroma of oil in the gradually falling dusk.

Seeing this, Liu Guangqi quickly put on a dry smile, raised his hand and scratched his head, and responded a little awkwardly: "It's not... I got some benefits today, so I thought about improving the food at home and making my parents happy?"

After saying this, he looked at the other person with expectant eyes, as if hoping to be recognized.

Cao Wei, who was standing nearby, saw all of this and thought to himself, "Humph, this guy is really good at making excuses for himself! But I'm not in a hurry to expose him on the spot."

Thinking of this, the corners of Cao Wei's mouth rose slightly, revealing an elusive and meaningful smile.

Then he said no more and just walked forward.

When passing by Liu Guangqi, Cao Wei casually stretched out his right hand and gently patted Liu Guangqi's shoulder.

The blow seemed to be light and the force was neither too strong nor too gentle, but when it landed on Liu Guangqi, his whole body suddenly stiffened, as if he was suddenly hit by a strong electric current, and he was instantly unable to move.

"Yes, we should really spend more time with our parents. Otherwise, if we fail to fulfill our filial duty in time, it would be a great sin! Okay, let's go back together."

As Cao Wei spoke, he continued to walk forward with big strides, leaving Liu Guangqi standing there in a daze for a long time before he hurriedly followed as if waking up from a dream.

As soon as I entered the yard, I heard the third uncle Yan Bugui talking loudly with others in the yard: "Who in our alley can hide anything from my eyes? I know everything..."

Seeing Cao Wei coming in, he changed the subject, "Hey, Director Cao is off work. I heard that you made a big splash at the machinery factory today. You brought honor to our hospital!"

As soon as these words came out, the other people in the yard looked over, some with envy and some with admiration, as if Cao Wei was the most dazzling star in the yard at that moment.

Cao Wei smiled and waved his hands: "Uncle, please don't flatter me. I just did what I was supposed to do."

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