On their way to work the next day, Yi Zhonghai, Sha Zhu, and Qin Huairu, the three-person team, still went to work together.

"Uncle, I heard that Xu Damao is going to become the leader of the newly established auto repair shop. Do you think if I go to him, I can get a job at the auto repair shop?" Qin Huairu asked, seeing that no one was around.

"That won't do. Sister Qin, that's just hearsay about Xu Damao. How could he possibly be the head of the new factory? Besides, given Xu Damao's greedy nature, he won't do anything for you unless you give him some gifts."

Before Yi Zhonghai could answer, Sha Zhu, standing beside him, objected. In his mind, his beloved could only ask him for help; how could she possibly ask Xu Damao, a dangerous individual, for help?

"Probably not. I see quite a few people looking for him at night these days. Besides, we're all from the same compound, and Dongxu used to have a good relationship with him. He probably wouldn't ask me for anything, right?"

Besides, I'm not going to be a leader there, so why should he ask me for gifts? Qin Huairu was also a little unsure.

A few years ago, Xu Damao used to follow Sha Zhu around like a shadow. But in recent years, Xu Damao suddenly seems to have grown up and doesn't interact much with the other people in the compound.

“What Zhu Zi said makes some sense. Xu Damao is different from before. He’s not very close to the people in the compound anymore. Even if we talk to him, they might not give us face.”

"Besides, you'd just be an ordinary worker there, what's the point? The new factory over there has just been built, and the benefits and treatment can't compare to our main factory." Yi Zhonghai echoed Sha Zhu's words.

Since Jia Dongxu's death, Yi Zhonghai has also been considering his retirement. In the end, he decided on a double insurance policy: Sha Zhu and the Jia family.

Sha Zhu is relatively easy to control. He's a chauvinist, obedient, and even after marriage, his words should carry weight at home. Although the Jia family is currently struggling, with his and Sha Zhu's help, Bang Geng will become his support system in his old age in a decade or so.

Therefore, he couldn't let Qin Huairu leave the courtyard with Banggeng. But if Qin Huairu went to work elsewhere, away from his watchful eye, she might be kidnapped by some man.

Despite having three children, Qin Huairu's charm is irresistible to many men. Even he sometimes fantasizes about her, let alone young men who lack self-control.

Qin Huairu was suppressed by the two of them, but once the seed of resentment was planted, it would eventually sprout.

After returning to work, Qin Huairu felt increasingly uneasy and couldn't concentrate on her work, so she asked her supervisor for a short leave.

"Knock knock knock," Qin Huairu finally came to find Xu Damao alone in the end.

"Qin Huairu, you wanted to see me?" Xu Damao was surprised to see Qin Huairu. This woman hadn't had a very happy life since her husband died. However, with Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu's help, she hadn't bothered the other families in the compound, nor had she engaged in endless fundraising activities.

Therefore, Xu Damao admired Qin Huairu quite a bit; she was a very resilient woman. However, this woman was also extremely vicious, willing to sacrifice someone else's happiness for her son's sake, and in the end, she gained nothing in return.

"Da Mao, this is the first time I've been to your office. Being a section chief is really something else; your office is bigger than my room at home. Look, there's even tea here. Your living conditions are truly amazing."

After Qin Huairu entered, she didn't immediately state her purpose for coming. Instead, she wandered around Xu Damao's office, looking here and there like a country bumpkin visiting a grand mansion. He had only been to their workshop director's office once before, during his first day at the company, and even then, it was just a fleeting glimpse.

Xu Damao didn't stop the other party from doing so, since his office door was open and there were quite a few people in the office across the street.

"Sit down, would you like some water?" Xu Damao said, seeing that Qin Huairu had finally finished reading.

"Then let's have some tea, how about that tea?" Qin Huairu asked boldly.

Xu Damao hadn't expected the other party to have this request, so he went along with it. Xu Damao took a cup, made a cup of tea, handed it over, and then sat back down behind his desk.

"Da Mao, I heard you're building a new factory. Do you have any suitable positions for Sister Qin? To be honest, Sister Qin really can't keep up in the fitter's workshop. The work is too heavy and too difficult."

After Qin Huairu sat down, she noticed that Xu Damao didn't ask why she had come, and since her leave was limited, she had no choice but to speak first.

"Qin Huairu, putting aside whether I can decide on the entry and exit of personnel, let me ask you, can you decide where you work? If the new factory is willing to hire you, will Jia Zhangshi feel comfortable letting you go to the new factory?"

Xu Damao knew the Jia family quite well, and the questions he asked were crucial. The current situation was that Jia Zhangshi and Yi Zhonghai were desperately trying to control Qin Huairu, while Qin Huairu was desperately trying to control Sha Zhu.

"Da Mao, you know my family situation. We have three young children and the elderly don't do any work. So I hope to find a better job."

"Do you have any jobs where the pay is good and the work is easy?" Qin Huairu did not give a direct answer to Xu Damao's three questions.

"Hehe, the kind of job you're talking about does exist, but you can't do it. You need to be educated and literate. Even if you went there, you could only do auxiliary work, and the pay wouldn't be very high."

"I suggest you think carefully about how to learn some real skills. We have female colleagues in our factory who do fitter work, and they're very good at it. You could go and ask them how they do it," Xu Damao said.

Knowing she wouldn't get anything out of Xu Damao, Qin Huairu could only leave, looking back every few steps.

Xu Damao thought the matter was over, but he didn't expect that Sha Zhu would also come to him that night.

"Xu Damao, I heard you rejected Sister Qin?" Sha Zhu asked naively.

"Shazhu, speak properly. What do you mean I rejected Qin Huairu? What did I reject her for?" Xu Damao was almost startled by Shazhu's sudden question.

Fortunately, Wang Minzhi wasn't home. Ever since Yu Li married into the family, Wang Minzhi and Yu Li had become quite close, often visiting each other. The Third Uncle's family, aside from being a bit calculating about small gains, had no major faults, and Xu Damao was happy to have Wang Minzhi around in the courtyard, so he let her be.

"You refused to let Sister Qin work at the new auto repair shop. Don't think I don't know you'll be the manager of the new shop in the future, so this is a small matter for you. We're all from the same compound, and helping each other is a traditional virtue. Why didn't you help her?" Sha Zhu was furious.

“Shazhu, if we’re talking about helping, why don’t you help? I know you know a lot of high-ranking officials, and they all praise your cooking. Apparently, quite a few even hire you to cook for them. These officials usually take such good care of you, I don’t believe that changing positions is such a small thing for you. Or is it that you don’t want Qin Huairu to find a good job and are just ignoring you?” Xu Damao didn’t tolerate Shazhu and returned the same logic to him.

Sha Zhu was stunned by Xu Damao's question. Yes, he could ask his superiors for help, but deep down he seemed reluctant to let Qin Huairu experience more of the outside world.