Chapter 85 Persuading someone to drink
But he was still a little behind Hu Haodang and Director Dai. Last night, Director Dai and Hu Haodang were both persuading Li Jiandong to drink. On the contrary, Cao Dazhuang, who had the worst alcohol tolerance, was the least drunk because he drank less.

After a while, the sound of bicycle bells was heard outside, and soon Cao Dazhuang pushed open the door and walked in.

Seeing Li Jiandong there, Cao Dazhuang couldn't help but be a little surprised: "Director Li is really good. He drank so much last night and he can still continue today. Lao Hu, you have met your match this time."

Hu Haodang laughed and said, "Who said it wasn't true? Old Dai hasn't woken up yet. Jiandong and I woke up at about the same time. It seems that Old Dai's title of Wine Immortal will have to be taken over by someone else."

"Where's the food?"

"I've got someone to buy it. Please wait a while. It will be delivered soon."

Hu Haodang invited Cao Dazhuang to sit down.

Then he poured a glass of water for Li Jiandong and Cao Dazhuang respectively, and started chatting while they drank.

Cao Dazhuang suddenly asked, "By the way, Jiandong, I saw Li Huaide go to your logistics office this morning. Why did he come to see you?"

Hearing this, Hu Haodang also looked over.

Although things are calm now, all team members know that there may be an additional deputy director in the factory next year.

The position of deputy factory director was definitely given to Director Dai, but after Director Dai was promoted, his position as director of the Political Affairs Department became vacant.

Now, the only two people who are qualified to compete for this position are Li Jiandong and Li Huaide. Even if they say one thing to each other and another behind the scenes, they should try to avoid hypocrisy when meeting each other. What does it mean to take the initiative to find him?
Li Jiandong waved his hands and said, "What else can I do? Come and show off your muscles to me."

This time when Li Huaide came to see Li Jiandong, he only said a few words, and his meaning was very clear: I have someone behind me, so just follow me.

Among the team members, the Propaganda Department is ranked behind the Logistics Department. Even if Li Huaide has someone behind him, it is a bit disrespectful to say this.

When Hu Haodang heard this, he sneered: "This grandson, he has no real skills, he just knows how to play with relationships, and married a wife who can live off him, so he really thinks he is a big shot?"

Cao Dazhuang also laughed: "You know what, being able to have a gigolo is a skill."

"Haha, yes, being a gigolo is a skill, but Lao Li, you should have less contact with him in the future. People like him are very sinister inside."

Hu Haodang was afraid that Li Jiandong was too young to understand people, so he deliberately reminded him.

Li Jiandong certainly knew that Li Huaide was a treacherous villain, and villains are hard to guard against and you can't guard against them just by paying more attention.

After buying the food and wine, Li Jiandong and the other two started eating and drinking.

Soon it was night.

Yi Zhonghai went from street to street collecting junk, but after a tiring day he collected nothing and returned to his courtyard with an empty sack.

His target now is no longer those ordinary rags such as needles and thread, but some antiques with high value and high profit.

Yi Zhonghai didn't know much about antiques, so in order to ensure he could make money, he always gave the lowest price.

Therefore, although the residents of the North City have a lot of antiques, because the prices are low, he would often go back and forth all day and get nothing.

But if he could receive one or two items occasionally, the money he earned would be enough for him to eat for two or three weeks.

Sometimes, you can even make 20 or 30 yuan at a time by meeting a sucker, which is more than what you earn at work.

"Old lady, it's time to eat."

After returning home, Yi Zhonghai threw the empty sack on the ground and said to the deaf old lady.

Before, Yi Zhonghai was tortured beyond recognition by this old lady, but later he learned his lesson.

Anyway, I have to support her whether I like it or not, so I might as well calm down and take good care of her.

Not only would this save her from being tortured by him, but there might also be a day in the future when she would be of use to him.

The deaf old lady knew that he had now become a ragpicker, so her demands on him were not as high as before. It was good enough for him to give her something to eat, and she did not want to force Yi Zhonghai to death.

"Why pickled radish again? Steamed cabbage will do."

The deaf old lady looked at the cold dried radish and said somewhat unhappily.

Yi Zhonghai explained to her: "Every household is having a hard time now. You have seen these past two days that I come back with empty sacks every day. I can't even get any scraps, so how can I have money to buy cabbage?
Please bear with me for a while. Next time I receive the money from selling something, I will definitely get you something good right away."

Yi Zhonghai is pretending to be pitiful. He has made a lot of money during this period.

However, given his cleverness, he would definitely not let the deaf old lady know, otherwise, she would still ask for meat every day.
Therefore, every night, Yi Zhonghai would try to eat as little as possible. If he really wanted to eat well, he could go out and buy something to eat alone while collecting scraps during the day.

"Hey, you are such a grown-up, neither stupid nor dumb, how come you can't even collect some rags? Forget it, forget it, just make do with what you have today."

The old lady picked up the chopsticks reluctantly and picked up the steamed bread with her other hand.

Just then there was a knock on the door from outside, and Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old lady were both stunned.

They are now like rats crossing the street in the yard, who would come knocking on his door?

"Who?"

After hesitating for a moment, Yi Zhonghai turned around and asked the door.

Soon a child's voice was heard outside the door.

"Master Yi, I'm Ermao, someone asked me to bring you a message."

When Yi Zhonghai heard that it was the child in the yard, he walked over, opened the door and asked,

"Ermao, who asked you to bring me a message?"

Ermao shook his head: "I don't know who he is either. He told me to tell you that Shundelou will treat you to dinner at 6 o'clock tonight."

When he heard it was Shunde Building, Yi Zhonghai subconsciously thought of Li Huaide.

At this time, the old lady also stared and asked hurriedly, "Old Yi, who invited you to Shunde Building? No wonder you used pickled radish to fool me, so you knew someone invited you to eat good food?"

Yi Zhonghai said speechlessly: "Old lady, you saw this with your own eyes. I just found out that someone invited me. Besides, I don't know whether it is a good thing or a bad thing. How can someone invite guests for no reason?"

The deaf old lady also knew it, but Yi Zhonghai probably didn't know it before.

Otherwise, he could just finish eating first and come back later, then he could say he went far away to collect junk, and there would be nothing I could do to him.
So, he put away his irritable tone and said, "How can it be a bad thing to be treated by someone? It's almost 6 o'clock now, you should hurry over and don't make people wait anxiously. When the time comes, remember to bring me some food after you finish eating, and try to bring meat, okay?"

"understood."

Yi Zhonghai agreed and left again.

Although, I guess Li Huaide has no good intentions in looking for me.

But you won’t lose anything by going and taking a look. At worst, if it’s not worth it, you can just leave.

When he arrived at Shunde Building, Yi Zhonghai asked the shopkeeper Li Huaide which private room he was in and soon found him on the second floor.

Li Huaide saw Yi Zhonghai coming for the appointment and greeted him with a smile: "Old Yi, you are still as punctual as when you were in school. Come on, I have prepared a table of delicious food for you. Let's sit down and eat while chatting."

Yi Zhonghai looked at the table and found that all six dishes were indeed very tempting.

However, he still asked first: "Li Huaide, you didn't ask me to come here just for dinner, did you? If you have anything to say, just tell me. I may not be able to help you."

"Look at what you said. We have been classmates for so many years. There must be some purpose for inviting you to dinner."

Li Huaide said with a smile. Seeing that Yi Zhonghai said nothing but just looked at him, he knew that it was useless to beat around the bush with such a person.

So he coughed and continued:
"But then again, I really do need your help with something this time. Of course, it's not just for me, it's also good for you."

Yi Zhonghai asked: "What's the matter?"

"Well, you live in the same courtyard with Li Jiandong, so you should know him very well. I want to throw a basin of dirty water on him now. What do you think is the most appropriate way to do it?"

Li Huaide no longer hid it, he knew the conflict between Yi Zhonghai and Li Jiandong.

It could almost be described as a blood feud. Not only did Li Jiandong take away his job, but he also lost an arm.

Li Huaide thought that when Yi Zhonghai heard that he was going to deal with Li Jiandong, he would immediately get excited and give him advice.

Who knew that after listening to it, he said calmly.

"I helped you with this matter, you can find someone else."

Yi Zhonghai is not a fool. What he is best at is instigating others to do trouble for him.

Li Huaide is now using the same method as him. He doesn't dare to deal with Li Jiandong himself, but instead wants Yi Zhonghai to deal with it for him.

Yi Zhonghai would have to be crazy to fall into his trap.

Seeing that Yi Zhonghai was about to leave after he finished speaking, Li Huaide hurried forward to grab him.

"Old classmate, don't worry. I know you and Li Jiandong have conflicts. Isn't this for your own good?"

Seeing that Yi Zhonghai didn't respond, Li Huaide continued, "As long as you can help me deal with Li Jiandong, the first thing I will do after I become the director of the Political Affairs Office is to recall you back to the steel mill. What do you think?"

After hearing this, Yi Zhonghai could no longer remain calm.

Although he can now earn thirty or forty yuan a month, it is more than what he earns in the security department of the steel mill.

However, collecting scrap is not a stable job after all, and it will not be good for your reputation if you tell others about it. It is also more tiring than working in a steel mill.

If he could return to the steel mill, Yi Zhonghai would not hesitate to start as an apprentice for 20 yuan a month.

However, Yi Zhonghai soon calmed down. Based on his understanding of Li Huaide, he was very confident that he could give him such a great benefit.

This incident is definitely not a small matter and is likely to cause great harm to Li Jiandong.

Of course, Yi Zhonghai hopes that Li Jiandong will be as unlucky as possible.

But he was also afraid that Li Jiandong would take it out on him after he suffered a loss.

Although Yi Zhonghai is a bad guy, he still has some self-awareness. He doesn't think that he can be a match for Li Jiandong now.

However, Yi Zhonghai himself did not dare to go up, but he could instigate others to go up.

"Li Huaide, I'll tell you the truth. It's impossible for me to help you deal with Li Jiandong. But I do have someone I can introduce to you. If she knew you wanted to deal with Li Jiandong, she would definitely help you without hesitation."
When Li Huaide heard this, although it was different from what he thought, as long as someone could help him deal with Li Jiandong, it didn’t matter whether it was Yi Zhonghai or not.

So he quickly asked:

"Old classmate, I know you have the best solution. Can you please tell me who this person is?"

Yi Zhonghai suddenly laughed.

"This person is the deaf old lady in our hospital. She lives in the same room with me now."

"This old lady was once sent to prison by Li Jiandong. Not only did she stay there for two years, but after she was released, Li Jiandong and the people in the compound almost kicked her out."

"Although I forced her to stay, the free house that the street arranged for her is gone. The main reason is because of Li Jiandong. Now no one in the courtyard takes her seriously. Before, she could go to other people's houses to eat, and no one could stop her. Now, she can only eat steamed bread and pickled radish with me every day. If she knows that someone wants to deal with Li Jiandong, will she rush to help you?"

What I just said is only one of the reasons why Yi Zhonghai recommended the deaf old lady.

Another reason is that he now has to feed the deaf old lady every day and provide her with a place to live, which makes Yi Zhonghai very unhappy.

Even if Yi Zhonghai has come to terms with it now, it's just a few more dollars spent every month.

But since he had the chance to drive the old lady away, he must seize it.

As long as Li Huaide finds the deaf old lady, given her character, she will definitely help him without hesitation. There will be only two possible outcomes.

Either Li Jiandong will be dealt with by Li Huaide and will never recover.

Either Li Jiandong was not defeated, or he would take crazy revenge on the deaf old lady and even send him to jail.

No matter which of the two results is in the end, it will be a very good result for Yi Zhonghai.

I have to say that Yi Zhonghai is really an invincible old villain.

When Li Huaide came to him, he had no idea what was going to happen.

However, in such a short time, he had already thought of such a perfect way to cheat people.

"A deaf old lady? Is she reliable? Old Yi, tell me your thoughts in detail."

Li Huaide came to find Yi Zhonghai because he knew that Yi Zhonghai was an old scoundrel who had many ways to cheat people.

But he knew nothing about this deaf old lady.

Having said that, Yi Zhonghai no longer hid anything.

He sneered and said:

"In fact, the method is simple. Li Jiandong and I live in the same courtyard, and in the middle courtyard. The distance between our two homes is less than ten meters."

"Just ask the old lady to put something in Li Jiandong's house when no one is there. Then, you can suddenly show up with the people from the factory discipline department and the security department. Even if you give Li Jiandong ten mouths, he won't be able to explain himself."

Li Huaide's eyes lit up and he gave a thumbs up:
"Old Yi, you are really amazing. I knew I would go to you for this kind of thing. To be honest, I now feel more and more that you are a human being.

After I become the director of the Political Affairs Office.

I will definitely call you back, and then you can work with me, and I guarantee you will have a good life."

Yi Zhonghai smiled slightly:
“It’s too early to say that now, you need to get a valuable item for the old lady.

Then, ask her to put the things at Li Jiandong's house. I will not interfere in the whole process. You also need to contact the old lady yourself."

Yi Zhonghai felt that this plan should be perfect, but he decided to be cautious and not get involved in it personally.

Otherwise, if Li Jiandong failed to be killed, he would be the one who would be in trouble.

"Don't worry, you are mine now. I will definitely not betray you easily."

Li Huaide now truly regards Yi Zhonghai as a talent, a sinister and cunning person who is suitable for playing tricks on others. Such talents are rare and will be very useful to him in the future.

After finishing the meal, they both went home.

Yi Zhonghai brought leftovers to the deaf old lady. The meal was very rich, but apart from bringing the meal, Yi Zhonghai said nothing else, nor did he mention that the meal was treated by Li Huaide.

Early the next morning.

After Li Jiandong got up, he saw He Daqing as soon as he went out.

"Old Li, you got up very early today."

He Daqing greeted with a smile.

Li Jiandong replied, "It's almost the end of the year. We've been preparing for the banquet and New Year's goods these past two days. We have to receive several batches of supplies a day. Some delivery trucks are waiting at the factory early in the morning. It's not good to let them wait too long."

He Daqing said with interest: "Yes, I almost forgot that you are now the logistics director in charge of distributing New Year's goods. What will we have this year?"

At this time, Jia Zhang also came out, and he was also very interested in this issue.

"Yes, Lao Li, what can we get this year? Can you give us more meat?"

Li Jiandong shrugged. "What else could it be? It's the same as in previous years. I mean, you two, one is the canteen director, and your son is the workshop director. You already have more New Year's goods than the workers. What else do you want?"

He Daqing laughed: "That's right, I'm an official this year too, so I have more New Year's gifts than others, it makes me feel good just thinking about it."

"Look at your potential."

Jia Zhang rolled her eyes and said, "Old Li, it's not that we are greedy. It's just that the coupons were suddenly implemented this year. Sometimes, we can't buy things even if we have money. We are counting on getting more New Year's goods during the New Year."

Li Jiandong nodded: "I know, but our factory also has a limited quota. Compared with other units, the treatment of our steel rolling mill is already very good."

"Oh, yes, everything is difficult now."

Jia Zhang sighed.

In fact, her family has two working parents, and Jia Dongxu is a cadre, so getting double and a half portions of New Year's goods is already quite wealthy.

But, Jia Zhang was greedy, and no matter how much she was given, it would never be enough.

When Li Jiandong arrived at the steel rolling mill, he started his day's work.

Truckloads of supplies were sent into the factory from outside, some of which were ingredients for banquets, and a small amount were New Year's goods prepared for everyone.

The weather is very cold now, and things stored in the warehouse are not likely to go bad. This is to prevent the situation where you cannot buy things as the New Year is approaching.

Li Jiandong bought the meat that was easy to store early on.

After a day of unloading.

Although Li Jiandong did not do it himself, his legs were a little tired after standing by and doing the statistics for a whole day.

Before this, all the things that Director Wang and others wanted had been purchased.

However, it was not sent to the steel mill. It is easy for things to come in, but if you want to take them out, you need procedures, otherwise no one will know if you stole them.

Of course, if Li Jiandong and Hu Haodang told each other, this procedure could be skipped, but it is better to have less trouble than more, and Li Jiandong doesn't like to cause trouble for his friends.

Leave the steel mill ten minutes early.

Li Jiandong found the driver waiting outside, then unloaded all the things in the car and put them into the box.

(End of this chapter)