Seeing that things were getting out of hand, Yi Zhonghai hurriedly said to Director Wang, "Director Wang, there's no need for this. As long as Ma Hua apologizes publicly, that's enough..." He knew Sha Zhu all too well; he'd been a troublemaker since childhood. If it weren't for Yi Zhonghai cleaning up his messes, he'd be dead long ago.

Before Yi Zhonghai could finish speaking, Director Wang interrupted him: "Master Yi, this is the canteen, not your workshop. Let me tell you, you still want Ma Hua to apologize? What are you apologizing for? Let me tell you, Yi Zhonghai, this is the canteen. Do you think you can just let it go after you've turned black into white and slandered your own comrades?"

Ma Hua was secretly delighted as he watched Director Wang berate Yi Zhonghai. He had long anticipated that Yi Zhonghai and his group would not let Sha Zhu go so easily, and he had already informed the director privately.

When the union leaders arrived and heard Ma Hua's account, they were immediately furious. They exclaimed, "What kind of character is this Sha Zhu? How come we didn't notice before? As a teacher, it's one thing to not teach your apprentice, but when you get caught stealing, you make your apprentice take the blame and then retaliate against them behind their backs!"

How could Yi Zhonghai and the others dare to plead for someone like Sha Zhu? And Qin Huairu isn't any better; I've heard she's always slacking off and not doing her job properly, always flirting with other men.

What's more, the target was the canteen cook from the MCA organization, and they ate all the dishes he cooked—they were delicious. Plus, the canteen manager was there, so he naturally knew what was going on.

The union leader's surname is Chen, and most people call her Aunt Chen. She's the one in the original story who dared to strip Xu Damao naked to see the melon. Aunt Chen is known for her shrewishness at the steel rolling mill and loves to stand up for the weak.

Now that she knew about Sha Zhu's affair, she naturally wouldn't let it go. More and more people gathered to watch the spectacle, and even Factory Director Yang and Li Huaide were drawn in.

When Factory Director Yang and Li Huaide arrived, the canteen was already packed with workers who had come to watch the commotion. Factory Director Yang glared angrily at Yi Zhonghai. This Yi Zhonghai was always causing trouble. He had already spoken to the police, and Sha Zhu was only supposed to be detained for a few days before being released. Now, things had blown up so big that he was only going to get himself into trouble.

"Quiet!" Looking at the bustling crowd of workers around him, Director Yang's secretary could only shout.

"Comrades, don't gather here. Get back to work and don't delay the normal production tasks," Factory Director Yang said somewhat displeased. It's time to start work, why are you still watching the commotion?

Then, with a stern face, he looked at Yi Zhonghai and Ma Hua: "Master Yi, if there are any problems in the future, you can report to the leaders, and the organization can handle them. As for Comrade Ma Hua, we also understand your situation. I think we should leave it at that for now and get back to work. We will definitely give our comrades a reasonable answer."

Yi Zhonghai wanted to say something more, but Director Yang stopped him, saying, "Don't you think this place is chaotic enough already?"

Ma Hua had initially trusted Factory Director Yang, considering him a fairly upright person. However, upon seeing how Factory Director Yang handled the situation, he immediately retorted, "Factory Director Yang, if this matter isn't resolved, it will break the hearts of us apprentices!"

We came to the factory to learn skills to build the country. Aren't we apprentices also factory employees? Why should we suffer this unfair treatment in this new society? And this accusation of betraying our teachers and ancestors is something my MCA can't bear.

Li Huaide's eyes lit up, and he immediately stood up: "Director Yang, I think Comrade Ma Hua makes a lot of sense. If this matter is not resolved, it will dampen the enthusiasm of our comrades."

Hearing Li Huaide's words, Factory Director Yang frowned slightly. This Li Huaide was fighting so fiercely with him, he couldn't let him find any fault. "Then, what does Director Li mean?"

"Director Yang, I suggest that our factory conduct a self-examination from top to bottom. If there are any unethical masters like Sha Zhu, they should be punished. If they are highly respected masters, they should be praised. We live in a new era now, and we can't afford to have any more incidents like this that dampen the enthusiasm of apprentices in our factory," Li Huaide said calmly after a moment's thought.

"Alright, let's do as Director Li says and have a meeting to discuss it," Factory Director Yang said, then walked away with a stern face. Seeing that things had come to this, everyone gradually dispersed.

After everyone dispersed, Li Huaide, along with Director Wang and Ma Hua, went into the office. Li Huaide looked at Ma Hua with a broad smile: "Comrade Ma Hua, you're quite something! Looks like I should thank you this time!" He had long wanted to extend his reach into the production department but never had the chance. Now, if he handled things well, he was sure these people wouldn't follow him.

Ma Hua quickly replied, "Not at all, not at all. It's all thanks to Director Li's leadership. Under Director Li's guidance, these monsters and demons will be overthrown sooner or later."

Ma Hua sighed inwardly. He was powerless now and could only rely on Li Huaide's influence. Even though it was only 1964, the social atmosphere had changed drastically... He didn't want to be dragged out of bed and paraded through the streets in public criticism later on.

He had only given Li Huaide a slight push; there was nothing he could do about the prevailing trend, and he, a nobody, couldn't stop it. He could only sacrifice his friend to save himself.

Before leaving, Li Huaide said to Ma Hua, "I read your report; it's very well written."

Although Ma Hua cursed inwardly, "You just said it was okay to vote, and it's my fault for making the decision if things went wrong," he still pretended to be grateful and said, "It's all thanks to Director Li's excellent guidance."

After Li Huaide left, Director Wang looked at Ma Hua hesitantly, gritted his teeth, and said to Ma Hua, "Ma Hua, are you sure you want to do this?"

Ma Hua sighed, looking helplessly at Director Wang: "Director, I have no choice. If I don't do this, believe it or not, Sha Zhu and Yi Zhonghai will spread rumors everywhere that I, Ma Hua, am ungrateful and a traitor to my master." Ma Hua was also somewhat helpless.

I never expected that I would still have to use the trick my mother told me to do: publish my story in the newspaper. I didn't want to do it, because it's like killing a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of my own. There are still a lot of stubborn old people these days. I guess once the article is published, a lot of people will criticize me.

But if I don't nail Sha Zhu to the pillar of shame, and Sha Zhu comes back from the police station, he might directly accuse me of stealing his apprentice's skills, and then all the pitiful apprentice image that I've painstakingly cultivated will be ruined.

There's no way to explain it. Should I say I time-traveled? Or that I'm a idiot who already knows cooking and didn't just learn it by stealing? It's all hard to explain. I might as well just cut off their supply lines.

Ma Hua glanced somewhat helplessly at the note he had written on Director Wang's desk: "Does the New Era Still Require Respect for Teachers?"

Ma Hua chuckled to himself, "Director Wang, let alone outsiders, I'm afraid many people in our own factory will hate me."

Director Wang patted Ma Hua on the shoulder without saying a word. There were idiots in the canteen, but even more in the workshop. They not only sucked the apprentices dry, but also beat and verbally abused them every day. They refused to teach their apprentices real skills until their dying day. They were afraid their apprentices would surpass them and they would starve, so they always held back some of their skills.

I'm afraid these people will go wild once the MCA's article is published.