Immediately, the fat man recounted to Yu Li everything that had happened that day: how he had gone to the high-ranking leader's house with Director Wang, and how Xu Damao and Sha Zhu had been kicked out.

Yu Li asked, as if listening to a myth: "Is this Sha Zhu really stupid or is he just pretending?"

The fat man scoffed, "He's not stupid! He's just spoiled and can't leave his comfort zone, otherwise he'd be a goner!"

The comfort zone is a new term I hadn't heard of before, but it's also very simple and straightforward, and easy to understand at a glance.

Yu Li asked him with a smile, "So, what? Should we give some of these things to Widow Qin?"

The fat man didn't say anything, he just stared at her.

Sure enough, Yu Li quickly gave in, blushing as she carried all her things into the house. She didn't even intend to give them to her own family, let alone Qin Huairu, with whom she had almost gotten into a fight.

She doesn't even deserve it?

Sha Zhu didn't return to the courtyard all night.

He probably couldn't bring himself to do it, and he was even more afraid that Xu Damao and the fat man would come to his door to ridicule him.

The atmosphere at Qin Huairu's home was gloomy. Cornmeal porridge, cornbread, and pickled vegetables were laid out on the table, but none of her three children would eat.

Banggeng even questioned her, "Mom, where's the meat that Shazhu gave us?"

Qin Huairu was already furious, and now she felt even more enraged: "Meat what! All you think about is eating meat all day long, do you even have the life to eat meat?"

Bang Geng was scolded and dared not speak. Jia Zhangshi was displeased: "What are you doing? It's just that Sha Zhu didn't bring us lunchboxes today."

Banggeng muttered, "It's not just today, he hasn't given us lunchboxes in ages."

Huaihua chimed in, "That's right, Uncle Sha hasn't given Huaihua meat in a long time."

Only Xiao Dang kept his head down, slurping his cornmeal porridge, without saying a word.

Qin Huairu disliked everyone, especially Xiao Dang, who snatched her bowl away: "Eat, eat, eat! All you do is eat! Do you know how hard it is for me? I still have 5 days until payday!"

Madam Jia sighed, "What are you doing? Didn't Lou Xiao'e just bring us twenty catties of cornmeal?"

Cornmeal, cornmeal, she only deserves to eat cornmeal! Thinking about the big bags and small packages the fat man had just carried, Qin Huairu became angrier and angrier, and simply pushed the table and refused to eat!

That evening, just as Fatty was about to cook, Xu Damao arrived: "Brother, don't cook anymore. Let's go out to eat, and bring some back for Yu Li when we come back."

The fat man nodded: "Brother Da Mao, please wait a moment, I'll go and tell them."

The two rode Xu Damao's bicycle all the way to Donglaishun.

After ordering a plate of mutton and a few vegetable dishes, and starting to drink, Xu Damao asked him, "Brother, tell me, what happened at the high-ranking leader's house today?"

The fat man said, "Sha Zhu treated the leader's wife like a nanny, asking her 'Where's the hot water?' the first thing he did was ask her. And guess what happened next?"

Xu Damao laughed heartily: "How about it? How about it?"

"Later, he asked someone for sesame paste, and they asked him, 'Why would a Sichuan chef like you need sesame paste?' Guess what Sha Zhu said? He just told them, 'It's none of your business, don't ask around!'"

Xu Damao excitedly downed three glasses of baijiu in a row!

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, the fat man, seeing Xu Damao almost sliding under the table, resignedly paid the bill and left.

He had to hold the bicycle with one hand and carry him with the other; what kind of trouble had this fat guy gotten himself into!

At first, Fatty envied Xu Damao and wondered if he should get a bicycle too.

Now he's not envious at all; he'd rather walk than carry such a burden.

It took a lot of effort, but we finally got Xu Damao home.

He's usually just tossed onto the bed, like a pile of...

Lou Xiao'e was utterly speechless: "Why does he always come back like this whenever you two are together?"

That look, that tone, it was as if the fat guy had deliberately gotten Xu Damao drunk and then done something to him!

The fat man trembled with fear. Lou Xiao'e asked him, "I heard you went to a high-ranking leader's house today?"

The fat man didn't hide anything from him: "I cooked him a meal over the past."

Lou Xiao'e wanted to give the fat man some pointers: "When dealing with superiors, work comes first. You must do your job well. Let me test you: how do you naturally get along with your superiors?"

The fat man hesitated before uttering three words: "Shameless?"

Lou Xiao'e reached out and pushed him outside: "Get out!"

The fat boy clung pitifully to the doorframe: "Sister Xiao'e, you haven't taught me yet!"

Lou Xiao'e, hands on her hips in anger, said, "You already know everything, do I need to teach you?"

Even after leaving Lou Xiao'e's house, the fat man kept laughing.

Isn't that shameless? He has no vested interests with the big boss, and he doesn't plan to pursue a career in politics. Isn't that just a case of "the one who doesn't need to ask favors is the best"?

The more "shameless" and straightforward a person appears, the less scheming they are, the more likely their superiors will think highly of them.

The fat man only came to his senses halfway through the journey.

Wait a minute, Xu Damao was supposed to treat us, but he ended up paying. The meal cost almost 4 yuan. How could I have forgotten to ask Sister Xiao'e for the money?

Back home, Fatty gave Yu Li the cured mutton and flatbread he had brought back, and then went over his performance at the big boss's house that day.

I'm basically satisfied; overall it's decent but not exceptional.

※※※※※※

Time quickly passed and the hottest time of the year arrived.

This summer is exceptionally hot. Every time Fatty enters the kitchen, he feels like he's being boiled alive. Even wearing just a thin short-sleeved shirt, he still feels so hot that he wishes he could peel off a layer of clothing to relieve the heat.

The situation is getting worse every day, and the kitchen, which used to be full of laughter, is now much quieter.

No one dared to speak carelessly, fearing they might say the wrong thing. Only when Sha Zhu, Ma Hua, and others were not around could they speak freely.

Things started going wrong in the courtyard. Liu Haizhong somehow managed to persuade Yan Bugui, and the two of them, along with Xu Damao, used a courtyard-wide meeting to pressure Yi Zhonghai into resigning.

Fatty had just returned to the compound when Yan Bugui stopped him: "You're back just in time. We're having a compound-wide meeting later, so you must attend."

The fat man asked him, puzzled, "Why are we having a meeting?"

Yan Bugui glanced around and whispered, "Old Liu and I both feel that Old Yi is no longer keeping up with the times, so we plan to ask him to step down and make way for someone more capable. We also want you and Xu Damao, who are cadres combining old, middle-aged and young talents, to come up together and lead the work of this institute together in the future."

This was really... The fat man didn't know what to say, and politely declined, saying, "I'll pass, Uncle San. I have low political awareness, and even our leaders say I don't understand politics..."

"..."

At the meeting, Yan Bugui was the first to speak out: "Old Yi, as a member of the working class and as a veteran comrade with an 8th-grade fitter qualification, I think your political awareness is too low!"