He Daqing, do you know how I've lived these past years?

"How could you do this? Have you forgotten that Le Weiguo provided us with weapons, ammunition, and supplies back then?"

"That's what he should do."

"Okay, even if he's an undercover agent and should be providing support, he's currently leading troops out there risking his life. It's not fair for you to sabotage him from your own backyard."

"One was armed and acted aggressively, the other was protecting him; since they broke the law and violated organizational discipline, whoever it was should be punished."

"Alright, since you value Yang Guoliang so much, then I'll send someone to the steel mill to see if he's more capable than my man. You'll regret it!"

"..."

As soon as the phone call ended, a ruling was issued from somewhere and quickly notified the relevant personnel.

"Jia Gui, for displaying a weapon and acting aggressively, has violated discipline. His merits and punishments are canceled out; he is stripped of his military rank, and his gun license and weapons are confiscated."

"Huang Ying, as the director of the subdistrict office, knowingly protected Jia Gui for violating discipline and abused her position to illegally issue a gun permit. She is now dismissed from her post for investigation and has been moved out of the tenement building."

"Wang Sainan, unafraid of powerful figures, courageous in exposing wrongdoing, and dedicated to serving the people, was promoted from deputy director of the subdistrict office to director."

As the appointment and punishment orders were issued, an uproar erupted throughout Beijing.

Different opinions were expressed in various departments across different districts, but amidst the sneers of the middle-aged and elderly, the only solution was to form factions, eliminate all those who voiced their opinions, and promptly replace them to maintain operations.

From then on, no one recommended by Le Weiguo was appointed to any important position within Beijing.

Some comprador businessmen who were close to the government also began to panic, including Lou Zhenhua, after all, he had a big "Le" character (乐) above his head.

Meanwhile, some compradors sided with middle-aged and elderly people, seeking to sell cotton-padded clothes and medical products at low prices in response to the North Korean war.

"Dad, when winter comes, we already don't have enough cotton-padded clothes to sell, why should we sell them to them at a low price?"

"Heh heh, look at Lou Zhenhua's state. Le Weiguo is fighting abroad and we don't know when he'll die. Everyone in the city has been wiped out. What do you think he'll do?"

"But Dad, we don't have that much cotton."

"You're still young. Sometimes cotton-padded clothes don't necessarily need to be filled with cotton. Besides, people die in wars, so it's up to us to decide how many cotton-padded clothes we give out."

Similar sentiments were also heard somewhere in Beijing.

"Ergou, pack up all the expired and damp medicines in the warehouse. We'll use them to support the troops going to North Korea."

"But boss, those medicines are all useless now. Some of them are moldy, and applying them might cause infection."

"Do you even want to keep your job? The medicine's useless now, so I'm stuck with it. I'll lose a fortune. You can bring over some fake medicine to smuggle in. Oh, and send those blackened, damp bandages over too. Remember to get some good quality ones, otherwise it won't look right."

"Good boss"

……

Upon hearing the news, Jia Gui hurriedly fled to Jiajia Village with his wife and son, and then asked a brother from Changsheng Escort Agency to deliver a message to Lei You in North Korea.

Upon receiving the news, Huang Ying flipped the table and, seeing Wang Sainan grinning smugly at the door, rushed over and smacked her across the nose.

"You scoundrel, how dare you hit me! I'll fight you to the death!"

Huang Ying also sneered, running back and forth, using both hands simultaneously, and soon Wang Sainan was slapped until her face was bruised and swollen.

"Pah, you despicable person!"

Seeing Huang Ying, her hands bright red, spit at Wang Sainan and walk straight towards the door,

A moment later, she returned to the tenement building. Unexpectedly, Sister Xian was sitting on a large leather suitcase, with many bags and packages beside her, waiting for her to return.

"Sister Xian, why did you move out so quickly?"

Before Jingxian could speak, Nianmin cried out:

"Before we even received any warning, someone rushed in and threw all our belongings out of the house."

Upon hearing this, Huang Ying's eyes turned red.

"This is outrageous! This is outrageous!"

Jingxian grabbed Huang Ying, who was about to rush in, and said:

"Alright, let's go to the Lou family first. I brought the things out; I'll send a copy to Weiguo later. Don't act impulsively."

As he spoke, he shoved Jianguo, who was in his arms, into Huang Ying's arms, and called over the donkey cart that was already waiting on the side to begin directing the driver to load the cart.

……

娄家

"Young Master, General Yue's family will be arriving soon. Should we greet them?"

Lou Zhenhua nodded, stood up, and walked towards the door.

"Master, Le Weiguo has no important positions in Beijing, even his sister has been dismissed, and his wife has been kicked out. Why are you still bringing them to our home?"

Lou Zhenhua was speechless after hearing Tan Yali's words; this was exactly the kind of person described as "big-breasted and brainless."

When we first met, you were so eager to get close to me, but now that I'm seemingly down on my luck, you want to distance yourself. If we anger Le Weiguo, he could just send a few people back and the entire Lou family would be in trouble.

Besides, Le Weiguo still holds military power and is leading over 30,000 soldiers in battle.

So he turned around and said:

"That's just a woman's opinion. If you neglect them after they arrive, you should take Xiao'e and leave the Lou residence yourself."

Tanya Li couldn't help but let out a cold snort.

……

Intermediate People's Court, No. 95 Nanluoguxiang

"My benefactor, I've finally found you! Thank you so much, Shan Chu, otherwise I'm afraid I would have..."

The wealthy old woman tugged at Yang Guoliang's hand, which was gripping hers, and said:

"Hmm? This is a new society now, we can't say unlucky things. Thank you for coming to see this old woman."

Yi Zhonghai was also staring intently.

The old woman was so certain that she could get me promoted to level 7 worker because she knew the new factory manager.

Liu Haizhong secretly watched from the window, his mind in turmoil, torn between two conflicting emotions.

If I could pass the exam to become the new factory director, would I be able to get a government job again? But I would definitely be inferior to Yi Zhonghai, and it wouldn't look good for me to be with Jia Gui either.

Although the official notice stated that Jia Gui was being discharged from the military, he was a close confidant of General Yue. I wouldn't have known this if it hadn't been inadvertently mentioned during our last drinking session.

As the old saying goes, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse.

Suddenly, Guangqi ran over crying and said:

"Dad, He Yuzhu stole my food, and when I refused to give it to him, he hit me."

"Xu Damao next door got kicked and is now lying outside, motionless."

Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong's heart also wavered.

Sorry, Mr. Jia, I'll promote that ungrateful idiot Zhu after I become the director.

Just as he was about to rush out the door to intercept Yi Zhonghai's introduction,

The wealthy old woman suddenly waved and called out:

"My dear grandson, come quickly!"

He Yuzhu, who was haphazardly stuffing a steamed bun into his mouth, went over when he heard the old woman's call.

The wealthy old woman stroked He Yuzhu's hair and said to Yang Guoliang:

"Little Yang, my dear grandson works in your factory's canteen, so please take care of him."

Yang Guoliang patted He Yuzhu on the shoulder and said:

"Alright, you'll need to learn the skills well in the kitchen. Even in a famine, cooks won't go hungry."

He Yuzhu patted his chest and said:

"Hmph, my family is descended from the Tan family cuisine lineage, and I also know Sichuan cuisine. Just anyone can't teach me that."

One day, He Yuzhu, soaked by the rain, found himself collecting trash in front of his master's house, but everything had changed.

My neighbor said he's already gone back to Sichuan. Before leaving, he sat at the gate of the courtyard for a whole day and night, as if waiting for someone.

The wealthy old lady also laughed and said:

"Xiao Yang, this Zhu Zi is still a bit too young. Why don't you just let him go and test his skills? After all, it's a special case."

Yang Guoliang nodded and said:

"Okay, Comrade He Yuzhu, you can go directly to the factory canteen tomorrow. I'll bring some people to sample the dishes at noon."

After chatting with the old lady for a few minutes, he left a pile of food and then departed.

The wealthy old woman happily encouraged He Yuzhu to do his best tomorrow, but then noticed that he had a slightly blackened half-eaten steamed bun in his arms, which she disdainfully took out and threw away.

He Yuzhu also hurriedly tried to pick it up, but Yi Zhonghai pulled him away.

"Wait a minute, sir, those steamed buns are for the rainwater."

……