Era: A college student came to the courtyard house

Fang Yuan saw that Guo Feng's resolve had wavered.

He quickly added, "Director Guo, many of my classmates are thinking about finding partners, and their families are all quite well-off. How about I introduce them to you?"

Faced with Fang Yuan's fabricated friendship, Guo Feng had no intention of taking the bait.

He was looking for a son-in-law who was easy to control and obedient. If his daughter hadn't secretly gotten pregnant and the doctor hadn't said that once she had an abortion, she would likely never be able to conceive again, why would he have gone to such lengths to choose such a man?

"This, this, this is unnecessary."

Guo Feng's Adam's apple bobbed as he spoke, taking off his glasses, exhaling a breath, and wiping them on the corner of his clothes.

"Xiao Fang, since you really have no intention of getting married, let's pretend Uncle Guo didn't come today. If you have any questions about anything at work in the future, you can come to the steel rolling mill to find me. I will definitely help you if I can."

Before he could figure out Fang Yuan's true intentions, the experienced Guo Feng chose to take the initiative to make overtures.

In the workplace, bully the weak, not the strong; bully the old, not the young.

Especially someone like Fang Yuan, who managed to get into the industry before most college graduates had even been assigned jobs, might be believable to a scoundrel like Liu Haizhong, but Guo Feng didn't believe it at all.

Seeing that Guo Feng was no longer putting on airs as the factory manager, Fang Yuan naturally smiled and saw him off: "Uncle Guo, don't worry, this matter is between heaven, earth, you, and me, and I will never tell anyone else."

Guo Feng paused slightly as he reached the door, then turned around, shook hands with Fang Yuan, and left without looking back.

Fang Yuan saw Guo Feng to the door and noticed Liu Haizhong pacing back and forth not far away, so he stopped seeing him off.

Liu Haizhong led Guo Feng out of the courtyard, not even asking about the result, and kept rubbing his hands together, saying with a fawning smile, "Director Guo, what do you think about my chances of being promoted to deputy director this time?"

Guo Feng glanced at Liu Haizhong, and despite being furious inside, he maintained his usual smile.

"Master Liu, you are a level seven forging worker in our factory. In terms of seniority, you are absolutely qualified. However, becoming a manager is not just about skills, but also about having a good working relationship with the people. In addition, your education level is also a problem."

Listen carefully to the underlying meaning.

When a leader speaks, don't be fooled by what they say at the beginning; often, the key point comes after just a couple of words.

Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong immediately looked dejected, knowing that his plan was doomed.

Guo Feng, being a seasoned veteran, suddenly felt that this old guy might still be useful. Instead of dismissing him outright, he leisurely continued, "But don't worry, I'll put you on the list this time. As for whether you'll actually get the job, that depends on the factory's meeting results."

Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong's eyes lit up as if he had grasped a lifeline, and he hurriedly replied, "Okay, okay, then thank you, Director Guo. Please put in a good word for me at the meeting."

The speed at which he changed his tune reveals the extent of his obsession with power.

"By the way, I think Fang Yuan is a pretty good guy. Even though things didn't work out, please keep an eye on him for me."

Pay attention to these two characters; Guo Feng's pronunciation is particularly heavy.

Liu Haizhong was stunned for a moment before he finally understood that Guo Feng wanted him to keep an eye on Fang Yuan's every move. He immediately patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry, my house is right across from his. I'll know if he makes any move."

Seeing that Liu Haizhong understood what he meant, Guo Feng didn't say another word and rode his bicycle towards the alley entrance.

Liu Haizhong was sticking his butt out behind him, smiling, and waving his right hand for a long time before finally putting it down.

Only after Guo Feng's figure completely disappeared at the end of the alley did he turn around, find no one around, immediately put on a stern face, put his hands behind his back, and swayed as he walked towards the backyard.

Liu Haizhong's home.

Upon seeing her second uncle enter the house, her second aunt immediately stood up from her seat with a smile. This smile did not look like the kind expression between husband and wife, but rather like a somewhat obsequious tone.

This is also due to the Second Uncle's usual patriarchal style at home.

"How did it go? Didn't work?"

Auntie asked with concern, but noticing Uncle's downturned lips, she sensed something was wrong: "It still didn't work out? Didn't you already agree?"

The second uncle picked up his teacup, downed it in one gulp, and said breathlessly, "Sigh~ I didn't realize this bookworm was so stubborn this time. He actually turned down a good family that came knocking on his door."

After Uncle Er finished speaking, Aunt Er pursed her lips and nodded, saying, "If that's really the case, the Fang family's young man is truly ambitious; no wonder he's the kind of person who can go to university."

The second uncle snorted coldly and said disdainfully, "Young people haven't done any tricks before, they don't know the limits. Director Guo has such a good connection but doesn't know how to cherish it. He'll definitely regret it in the future."

The second aunt pressed on, "So what did Factory Director Guo say about your nomination for deputy workshop director this time?"

Uncle Erda said, still uneasy, "He loosened his grip a bit and agreed to give me my name."

"That's great!" Auntie Er's face lit up with joy, but then she became worried again: "But I heard that Fang Yuan is already working in the factory office. Have we offended him?"

Uncle Er waved his hand and replied, "It wouldn't be that bad. After all, we were just trying to do what's best for him, and we didn't really want to harm him."

The second aunt didn't expose her husband's true colors, but simply said, "I think it's better to make amends if there's a chance. After all, he's always around the leader, and he's handsome. Even if the Guo family is gone today, who knows what the Wang family or the Li family might do in the future."

Upon hearing this, Uncle Er lost even more interest. When he thought about how Guo Feng had asked him to keep an eye on Fang Yuan, he became even angrier.

Just then, Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu, brothers who had just finished wandering around outside, returned.

The second uncle happened to be holding back a lot of anger and had nowhere to vent it, so he immediately picked up the fire tongs next to the stove.

"I told you two little brats to stop wandering around all day and not do anything productive..."

The two brothers were used to being beaten by their father, so they knew perfectly well that their father must have been upset somewhere and was taking it out on them.

Liu Guangtian obediently hunched over and became an ostrich, while Liu Guangfu, being younger, knelt down on the ground with a "thump".

Seeing this, the second aunt, who was the mother, not only did not go up to stop it, but also laughed and watched the show.

.......

On the other end.

After seeing Guo Feng off, Fang Yuan was planning to make himself a bowl of noodles for dinner.

"Knock knock knock".

Suddenly, there was another knock on the door.

Fang Yuan opened the door and found Qin Huairu standing there, holding a bowl of peanuts.

"Sister Qin, is something the matter?"

Fang Yuan blocked the doorway as he spoke, preventing her from entering.

Today is Sunday, and there are many people coming and going from each household in the backyard, making it a noisy and chaotic place.

Qin Huairu glanced at Fang Yuan's pectoral muscles before raising her head with a smile and saying, "Little Fang, how's it going? Did your second uncle introduce you to someone?"

Upon hearing that they had come to inquire about information, Fang Yuan replied with a smile, "Well, I must thank Sister Qin for reminding me."

Qin Huairu was secretly pleased, and said softly, "So you didn't agree?"

Fang Yuan shook his head and said, "I really don't have that in mind. I'll wait until my job is stable before thinking about it."

After listening, Qin Huairu's eyes darted around, knowing that now was not the time to mention her cousin, so she smiled and pushed the bowl of peanuts in front of Fang Yuan: "Xiao Fang, dinner hasn't been prepared yet, has it? You're home alone, and there's no one to help you cook. Here's a plate of peanuts to add to your meal."

Looking at Qin Huairu standing at the bottom of the steps in front of his house, Fang Yuan suddenly had a picture pop into his mind: she would look even better if she tied her hair up.

After a brief moment of distraction, Fang Yuan refocused his gaze on the bowl of peanuts in front of him.

What's going on today?

First, the third uncle delivered fish, then the second uncle introduced a potential partner, and then this widow came to deliver peanuts.

It's worth noting that Qin Huairu usually only "borrows" food from others; it's quite rare for someone to offer food to her.

If you eat just one peanut, you'll be sucked dry in the future!

Unlike later generations, when you could just walk into a restaurant and be served a bowl of peanuts, and there was no limit to how much you could eat.

Without even considering it, Fang Yuan pushed the peanuts back to Qin Huairu: "Sister Qin, there's no need for that. I'm only eating, and I know your family's situation. You should take them back for the children."

"Take it. We're all neighbors, it's only right to help each other out." Qin Huairu said as she tried to carry the peanuts into Fang Yuan's house, but Fang Yuan stood still at the door. So Qin Huairu continued, "You never cooked before, but if you ever need any help in the future, just tell me, don't be shy."

"Thank you in advance, Sister Qin, but about these peanuts..."

Just then, He Yuzhu suddenly turned from the covered walkway into the backyard and quickly walked up to the two of them.

He had come to find Fang Yuan for a drink, but he happened to see Qin Huairu holding a bowl of peanuts, so he unceremoniously grabbed one and popped it into his mouth, then smacked his lips a few times.

"what?"

"No, this tastes wrong."

He Yuzhu picked up another one, ate it, and then said in an annoyed tone, "Good heavens, no wonder this tasted so familiar. It must be one of my treasured possessions under the bed. No wonder I couldn't find it after searching all over."

"Hey Qin Huairu, I'm calling you 'sister,' did that brat Banggeng sneak into my room and rummage through my things again?"

As the old saying goes, no one knows a child better than their mother.

A mother knows her son's character better than anyone, especially since Banggeng kept chasing after her when she went out.

Faced with He Yuzhu's unintentional question, even Qin Huairu, who was usually very eloquent, couldn't help but feel embarrassed, and two shy blushes instantly appeared on her fair face.

Normally, if it were just her and He Yuzhu, she could have chatted for a while and then get He Yuzhu to obediently give her the peanuts. But now that Fang Yuan was next to her, she was too embarrassed to open her mouth.

"Here you go."

Having no other choice, Qin Huairu stomped her foot in frustration and embarrassment, stuffed the peanuts into He Yuzhu's arms, and swayed her hips as she ran towards the central courtyard.

Before leaving, he secretly glared at He Yuzhu.

He's ruining all her plans.

Watching Qin Huairu's retreating figure, He Yuzhu couldn't help but click his tongue and say, "Look at this widow, her son has stolen my peanuts several times, and she can't even say anything."