Chapter 20: It hurts

The next day, the spring was beautiful.

When Li Jiandong opened his eyes, Qin Huairu was already making breakfast.

"Brother Jiandong, the meal will be ready soon, you should wash up first."

Qin Huairu saw Li Jiandong get up and a happy smile appeared on her face.

Li Jiandong went over to hug her, kissed her on the cheek and said, "We just got married, there's no need to get up so early. Does your body still hurt?"

Qin Huairu shook her head and her face turned red again before she could say anything.

"It hurts a bit, but it's okay, just like a small knife pulling it, it doesn't interfere with my work."

Li Jiandong said, "That won't work either. You should have a good rest and get well soon. We still have to continue researching how to create a little man."

Qin Huairu had never seen such a scene before. Li Jiandong now looked like a gangster.

She could only lower her head and shrink in his arms, not daring to answer a word.

Li Jiandong laughed and let her go, then he filled a cup of warm water and started brushing his teeth.

After dinner, they went to work. Jia Dongxu was waiting in the middle courtyard, while Yan Jiecheng was waiting in the front courtyard.

Yan Bugui also accompanied him and kept reminding Yan Jiecheng in his ear: "When you go to the factory, you must listen to the leaders and old comrades. If there are any problems that cannot be solved, go to your master. Remember to be honest and do things in a down-to-earth manner. Don't embarrass your master."

"I know, Dad. If you keep saying that, my ears will soon get calluses."

Yan Jiecheng looked helpless, but fortunately Li Jiandong appeared. He was able to avoid Yan Bugui's nagging and left the compound with Li Jiandong.

When they arrived at the steel rolling mill, Li Jiandong gave Yan Jiecheng some directions and asked him to go and complete the job registration process himself.

Then he went to a workshop with Jia Dongxu.

Level 8 fitters do not usually have much work to do. They are only asked to help when molds are needed. They usually spend most of their time instructing apprentices and other workers.

While explaining the operation to a female worker, Li Jiandong suddenly heard a ding sound in his mind.

[Ding~ Your apprentice Yan Jiecheng has learned how to start a car, and I will reward you with some truck driving experience.]

[Ding~ Your apprentice Yan Jiecheng has completed a screw removal, and you will be rewarded with some automotive theory experience. ]

[Ding~ Your apprentice Yan Jiecheng has completed a tire inflation, rewarding you with a point of car maintenance experience. ]

[Ding~ Your apprentice...]

Li Jiandong frowned slightly. He had clearly arranged a job for Yan Jiecheng as a car driver, but how come except for the initial start of the car, the subsequent system prompt sounds were either about removing screws or inflating tires?

Could it be that the team leader was trying to make things difficult for him by deliberately assigning him to the team maintenance team?

"Director Cao, I have something to do. I'll be out for a while."

Li Jiandong took off his gloves, then went to the factory supply and marketing cooperative to buy a Daqianmen cigarette, and then went to the motorcade.

The steel rolling mill's fleet is a large department, which includes a small car team, a large truck team, a forklift team and a vehicle maintenance team.

Li Jiandong assigned Yan Jiecheng to the truck team. As soon as he arrived at the convoy, he saw a rough man walking towards him.

"Hey, isn't this Master Li? Why are you here?"

As one of only three level eight workers in the factory, Li Jiandong is not only famous in the production workshop. Moreover, he used a car from the fleet for his wedding yesterday.

Li Jiandong casually handed over the cigarettes he brought: "Team Leader Hao, these are my wedding cigarettes, you can share them with the brothers in the truck team."

"Then I have to thank Master Li on behalf of my brothers."

Squad Leader Hao accepted the cigarette, and Li Jiandong asked again, "By the way, Yan Jiecheng from our hospital joined our truck team today. What is he busy with now?"

After Li Jiandong said this, squad leader Hao understood.

He smiled and said, "I've heard that Master Li is particularly concerned about the people in his academy. He brought an apprentice to work overtime every day to help him improve his skills. It seems that the rumors are true. Master Li, you are really a warm-hearted person."

"Yan Jiecheng just reported in. I received him personally. He is currently practicing car repair in the maintenance class."

Li Jiandong frowned slightly: "Why are you guys in the truck team still doing the work of the maintenance team?"

Team Leader Hao laughed and said, "Master Li, you don't understand. You have to repair the car before you can drive it. Especially for the brothers in our truck team, we often drive all over the city and suburbs. If we drive a new car, it's okay. But if we encounter some old cars, no one can predict where they will break down. If we don't know some maintenance techniques, how long will we have to wait for the mechanics to come and fix it?"

"Besides, we have dozens of vehicles in our truck team, but only seven people in the maintenance team. If there is a problem, we have to go to them, but the queue is too long. So, apart from due maintenance and overhaul, we usually repair everything we can by ourselves."

Li Jiandong understood.

He had only driven small cars before and didn't know much about driving big ones.

Since Yan Jiecheng is still in the truck team, there will be no problem.

"I didn't expect that the brothers in our truck team are so versatile. I still have work to do in the workshop, so I'll go back first. Please take care of Jie Cheng in the truck team, Team Leader Hao."

Li Jiandong felt relieved and prepared to say goodbye and leave.

Team leader Hao walked him out a few steps and said, "We are a family now. Don't worry, Yan Jiecheng is here. Master Li can come and visit more often when he has time."

Li Jiandong asked Team Leader Hao to stay and left the truck team alone.

The reminder sounds continued to sound on the road. It felt like the experience gained in mechanics was much faster than that in locksmithing.

But this is normal. After all, compared with the work of fitter, the difficulty of mechanical maintenance is slightly smaller. One is creation and the other is restoration, the difficulty is not at the same level.

At lunch time, Yan Jiecheng ran from the convoy to a cafeteria.

"Master, oh no, Uncle Li, I heard from our squad leader that you came to see me this morning, but I was busy studying the car and didn't have time to spare, otherwise I would have come earlier to report to you."

Liu Haizhong was also eating in the cafeteria. Seeing Yan Jiecheng calling Li Jiandong "Master", he couldn't help but ask in confusion: "Li Jiandong, isn't this Jiecheng from the old Yan family? He also went to your workshop? How come you have a car for him to study in your workshop?"

Li Jiandong smiled and replied, "He didn't go to our workshop, he went to the truck team. He just started working today. You can tell by the oil all over his body."

Yan Jiecheng was wearing his newly issued work clothes. When he thought about being a member of the large truck team at the steel rolling mill, his mood became cheerful again.

"Uncle Liu, you are eating here too."

Yan Jiecheng greeted Liu Haizhong.

During the last grade examination, Liu Haizhong also passed the grade-blacksmith assessment, and now he looks a little arrogant.

Hearing this, he just hummed and pointed at Yan Jiecheng, "Yan's boy, you must work hard when you get to the unit. You and I and Lao Li are from the same courtyard, so you can't do anything that will bring shame to me and Lao Li. Do you understand?"

Yan Jiecheng nodded repeatedly: "Uncle Liu, even if you didn't remind me, I would definitely pay attention to it."

As he said this, he looked at Li Jiandong. His main concern was not to embarrass Li Jiandong.

Another working day is over.

Li Jiandong returned to the courtyard with his two apprentices. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they heard sounds of beating and scolding coming from the middle courtyard or the back yard.

"It seems to be Shazhu. Why is he fighting with Xu Damao again?"

Jia Dongxu whispered beside Li Jiandong.

Sha Zhu and Xu Damao have known each other since childhood, but because of their different personalities, Xu Damao always thought that Sha Zhu was stupid and liked to play tricks on him, and Sha Zhu would then come to his senses and beat Xu Damao up with his fists.

Over time, the two guys became sworn enemies.

Whenever you get the chance, you should give the other person a good beating.

Li Jiandong said to Yan Jiecheng, "Jiecheng, you should go back first. You have worked all day today, so take a good rest."

Yan Jiecheng was really tired. He had been tinkering with the car all day. Moving parts and changing tires were not easy tasks.

Li Jiandong and Jia Dongxu continued to walk towards the central courtyard. When they passed the archway, they saw that the central courtyard was already surrounded by many people watching the fun.

"Hey, Lao Li, you're back. Where's Jie Cheng?"

Yan Bugui was standing next to the archway. When he saw Li Jiandong and Jia Dongxu coming back, he immediately stepped forward and asked.

Li Jiandong teased, "I was wondering why you didn't act as a door god today, Old Yan. It turns out you were just watching the fun here. Jie Cheng was tired today, so I asked him to go back and rest."

Yan Bugui smiled a little embarrassedly, and then continued to ask: "How was Jie Cheng's performance today? Did he not cause you any trouble?"

Li Jiandong said, "Don't worry, Old Yan. Jie Cheng is already such a grown-up man. You don't need to worry about everything for him. Besides, since I have accepted him as my apprentice, even if he causes me some trouble, I, as his master, have the obligation to help him solve it."

"By the way, what happened to Shazhu and Xu Damao? Why did they fight again?"

Yan Bugui suddenly looked a little embarrassed.

He stammered, "Old Li, I told you not to be angry. It is said that when Qin Huairu was washing clothes today, Sha Zhu was peeping at her and was caught by Xu Damao. He even shouted for everyone in the hospital to come out and see. As a result, Sha Zhu got angry and beat Xu Damao up."

Li Jiandong was stunned. He didn't expect it was because of such a trivial matter.

Qin Huairu is so beautiful, let alone Shazhu, even he can't help but want to hold her in his arms and look at her every day.

You're not leaning over the window to look into the house. What's there to be afraid of if you take a second glance at someone while they're washing clothes? Are you afraid of being looked at when you're so beautiful?
"I thought it was something serious. Damao is so jumpy."

Li Jiandong smiled and waved his hands, and Yan Bugui finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He also laughed and said, "If you ask me, Xu Damao just wants to embarrass Sha Zhu. These two little bastards have been fighting for a long time."

Li Jiandong nodded and was about to walk over to pull Sha Zhu and Xu Damao apart.

Suddenly, Yi Zhonghai came out of the room and shouted, "Shazhu, Damao, what are you two doing? Stop it right now."

Sha Zhu and Xu Damao, both juniors, immediately let go of each other when they heard Yi Zhonghai's scolding.

At this moment, Xu Damao's face was already black and blue, and there was blood at the corners of his mouth. He cried to Yi Zhonghai, "Master Yi, please judge for us. Shazhu peeked at Uncle Li's wife washing clothes, and I saw him and he beat me up. Tell me, is it possible to bully people like this?"

"Xu Damao, I think you haven't been beaten enough. If you dare to talk nonsense again, do you believe I will tear your mouth apart?"

Sha Zhu was embarrassed and angry, his face turned red like a monkey's butt.

He did look at Qin Huairu a few more times today, but he did it openly.

She was washing clothes there, and as a younger generation, I went over to say hello to my aunt. Should I deliberately avoid looking at her face? That would be so rude.

But after Xu Damao yelled at him like that, he couldn't explain himself even if he had a mouth.

"Okay, Shazhu, you've gone too far. Look at what you did to Xu Damao. Your father and Damao's father have been co-workers for more than ten years. You and Xu Damao grew up together. How could you beat him up like this just because of such a small matter? Apologize to Xu Damao immediately."

Yi Zhonghai pointed at Sha Zhu's nose and started scolding him.

It was as if Shazhu was his son.

"Master Yi, how can this be considered a small matter? Xu Damao not only slandered me, but also embarrassed Aunt Qin. Beating him is the least I can do."

Sha Zhu clenched his fists and said with an unconvinced look on his face.

Qin Huairu next to her didn't know what to say.

She just came out to wash clothes, did she have to cover her face? The key point was that she didn't feel that Sha Zhu was secretly watching her.

"Let's not talk about whether Xu Damao slandered you or not. Even if he really saw it wrong, you can't beat him like this. It's normal for a boy like you to like looking at girls. Even if you peeked, no one will laugh at you. There's no need to get so angry about this."

Yi Zhonghai is full of fallacies and heresies, but he is actually trying to mislead Sha Zhu on purpose.

He knew better than anyone that Qin Huairu was beautiful, otherwise he would not have used Qin Huairu to seduce her and sow discord between Li Jiandong and Jia Dongxu.

Now that he has failed to instigate Jia Dongxu, he can use Sha Zhu to create an enemy for Li Jiandong.

Yi Zhonghai had evil intentions. As soon as he opened his mouth, Li Jiandong knew what he was thinking. His face darkened. "Yi Zhonghai, as an elder, is this how you educate the younger generation? How can you peek and no one laugh at you? Do you think everyone is as dirty as you?"

When Yi Zhonghai saw Li Jiandong coming back, his momentum weakened by three points.

But he soon straightened his chest and said, "Li Jiandong, what do you mean? Do we have to close our eyes when we pass by the Intermediate Courtyard just because your wife comes out to wash clothes? I know your wife is pretty, but you can't say that it's a crime for others to look at her just because she's pretty, right?"

Li Jiandong sneered, "Yi Zhonghai, don't change the concept. I never said that anyone who looks at anyone is committing a crime. I only said that peeking is a dirty behavior. It's not shameful that my Huairu is beautiful. As long as everyone doesn't keep staring at her with dirty thoughts, and communicates normally, there's nothing wrong with it."

"But Yi Zhonghai, you teach young people to peek and say that peeking is nothing to be ashamed of. This is blatantly shameless and vulgar."

"you……"

Yi Zhonghai was speechless after being criticized.

Li Jiandong is not only better than him in locksmith skills, but also far superior to him in terms of being a person and speaking. Yi Zhonghai's specious rhetoric and substitution of concepts have no effect at all in front of Li Jiandong.

"Okay, Zhuzi, don't take this to heart. I believe Damao must have made a mistake. And Damao, I know about the grudge between you and Zhuzi, but sometimes when things involve other people, you should think twice before speaking or doing anything."

Li Jiandong said something to Sha Zhu and Xu Damao respectively.

Xu Damao nodded quickly and said, "Uncle Li, I was too rash this time. I just wanted to protect my aunt too much. Maybe I really was wrong."

When Sha Zhu saw Xu Damao admit his mistake first, his anger subsided a lot.

He also said: "I am also wrong in this matter. I was angry just now and hit him too hard. But I will not apologize to Xu Damao. He still owes me several beatings before."

"Hey, you idiot, you're not done yet, are you?"

When Xu Damao heard what Sha Zhu said, he became very angry again.

"Alright, alright, stop making trouble. Both of you should stop talking. Damao, go home and get some medicine. Zhuzi, you haven't made dinner yet, right?"

With Li Jiandong's mediation, Sha Zhu and Xu Damao finally put aside their conflict and went home.

The other residents who came to watch the fun also went home to cook and eat.

Li Jiandong looked at Qin Huairu who seemed somewhat helpless, and said with a smile: "It's not your fault. You are so beautiful. Even if someone peeks at you, there is nothing you can do. This is the price of being beautiful."

Qin Huairu was originally depressed, but when he teased her, she burst out laughing.

He stepped forward to take the bag from Li Jiandong and said, "Brother Jiandong, you've been tired all day. Go home and have a rest. The food will be ready soon."

"Ah."

Li Jiandong agreed and went back into the house with Qin Huairu.

Yan Bugui followed Li Jiandong in and whispered, "Old Li, I have something to tell you."

Li Jiandong pointed to the stool and said, "Come, sit down and talk."

Yan Bugui was not polite. He sat down and said, "Ever since you passed the eighth-level fitter exam, Yi Zhonghai has been like an invisible man these days. He usually locks himself at home after get off work and rarely talks to people even when he goes to the toilet or goes out. But today he suddenly showed up to resolve the conflict between Sha Zhu and Xu Damao."

"Old Li, do you know why?"

Li Jiandong saw that he was keeping things a secret, so he followed up with the question, "I don't know, did something happen?"

Yan Bugui chuckled: "You may not know yet, but I heard that the street will hold an election for the mayor next month, and during this period, a temporary mayor will be arranged for each courtyard. Our courtyard is Yi Zhonghai."

Li Jiandong frowned slightly, he didn't expect that Yi Zhonghai would become the boss.

But fortunately, he is just a temporary boss.

But if I don’t do something, this temporary position may be taken away and I will become the official boss.

"I see. Thank you, Old Yan."

Yan Bugui is a smart man. When he heard Li Jiandong thanking him, he knew that Li Jiandong also wanted to be the boss.

He took the opportunity to show his loyalty and said, "Li Jiandong, I'm going back first. I will definitely vote for you on the day of the election."

Li Jiandong stood up to see him off: "Me too, when the time comes, we will vote for each other and support each other."

After seeing Yan Bugui off, Qin Huairu’s meal was ready soon.

Just after I had eaten and drunk my fill, I heard the sound of bells ringing outside.

This was Qin Huairu's first time experiencing this, and she asked in confusion, "Brother Jiandong, what's going on with the bell sound outside?"

Li Jiandong took a sip of water and said, "This is the bell for the whole courtyard meeting. Once it rings, it means that a meeting is about to begin. Every time there is an instruction from the street, or a collective study session, each courtyard will hold a meeting to organize a study session. Of course, if something happens in the courtyard, a meeting can also be held for the whole courtyard to discuss and solve it."

"But there are no uncles in our courtyard right now, so it should be some new instructions from the street, or some collective study."

But this time Li Jiandong guessed wrong.

After the meeting was over, Li Jiandong realized that there were no street officials present today, and there was only one person presiding over the meeting, Yi Zhonghai.

"Well, I have gathered everyone here today because I want to explain two things to you."

"Today, the street appointed me as the temporary master of our hospital. Before the official master election is over, I will be in charge of all affairs of our hospital and liaise with the street."

“That’s the first thing.”

As soon as Yi Zhonghai finished speaking, a discussion broke out among the residents.

"Why is it Lao Yi? Why not Lao Li?"

"That's right. Lao Li is a top-level fitter, while Yi Zhonghai is only a top-level fitter. Even though there is only one level difference between them, it is actually a world of difference."

"Needless to say, he must have dug a backdoor. I've heard that Yi Zhonghai has someone in the street, otherwise why would he suddenly become the temporary boss and we, the residents, don't even know the news?"

When Yi Zhonghai heard the discussions below, he slammed the table with a grim face.

"Quiet, all quiet."

(End of this chapter)