Chapter 33: A Three-Party Deception
Upon hearing this, Wu Jianhua did not become wary, but instead said dismissively, "You said it yourself, if everything goes smoothly, let alone two female comrades, even if two more female comrades come, I don't need to worry. Even if, as you say, Comrade Lin Yuanshu is excellent, I am not bad either, how could I possibly lose!"
He's been working for so many years, it's embarrassing to talk back to an apprentice.
Director Xia didn't continue to persuade Wu Jianhua. After all, whether Wu Jianhua or Lin Yuanshu won first place, they would both be his subordinates, and he wouldn't suffer any loss. So let them compete! Only outstanding people can appear before the factory leaders.
Lin Yuanshu heard the clock strike 6:00 AM after some time. He hurried to the locker room to change. Not having a watch was inconvenient; he couldn't keep track of time and could only guess the time by looking at the sky outside.
An ordinary watch costs 90 yuan, but her monthly salary is only 18 yuan. If she wants to buy a watch, she not only has to save up for several months, but she also has to find a way to get watch coupons. Money is easy to earn, but coupons are hard to come by!
The team leader relayed Director Xia's words to Lin Yuanshu while she was clocking out.
Lin Yuanshu said with a smile, "I will definitely do my best to live up to Director Xia's trust. Team leader, let's work together."
The team leader nodded. She had a feeling that her team would definitely win first place this time. She had also had a feeling about the last labor production competition, but she had a feeling that they would come in last place.
Lin Yuanshu said a few words to the team leader and left the office; no one could stop her from leaving get off work on time.
Then, she met Zhou Xiangyang at the door and said in a low voice, "I have something to do. You go back first."
Zhou Xiangyang hesitated for a moment, then agreed, "Okay."
Lin Yuanshu decisively turned around and walked towards the dormitory building where Director Tang was located.
Zhou Xiangyang watched Lin Yuanshu leave with a sense of loss. The solitude he usually enjoyed was now tinged with loneliness. He was used to going home with Lin Yuanshu after get off work, and going home alone felt strange. He had always gone home alone since he was a child. It was true that companionship was something that could be addictive...
At the same time, Zhou Dafu walked up to Grandpa Wei with a beaming smile and asked knowingly, "Old Wei, that's not very friendly of you. Why would you want to transfer to another group? Haven't I treated you well? What you're doing makes me lose face."
Grandpa Wei said with a forced smile, "Since you've already shown some ambition, it's not appropriate for me to stay stagnant. I'm thinking of transferring to another group to see if there's any hope. I can't keep staring at your current position forever!"
Zhou Dafu's expression was complicated because he remembered what Xiao Er's wife had said before, that if he didn't work hard, the position of group leader would belong to Lao Wei. Although he enjoyed seeing Lao Wei doing his work according to his orders, it was better for Lao Wei to stay away from him so that his position would be more secure.
"Don't worry, I won't stop you from making progress. As long as you get the transfer application, I'll be happy to sign it for you," Zhou Dafu assured him, patting his chest.
Grandpa Wei was extremely frustrated. He couldn't understand why someone like Old Zhou could become a group leader. He tentatively said, "I really envy you. You have a good daughter-in-law who helped you become a group leader."
A hint of guilt flashed in Zhou Dafu's eyes, and his voice unconsciously rose, "It has nothing to do with my second wife! I got it through my own abilities."
Grandpa Wei nodded thoughtfully. He had only said it casually, but judging from Zhou Dafu's reaction, he knew that Zhou Dafu's appointment as group leader was probably due to his daughter-in-law's help. Zhou Dafu was really lucky to have such a capable daughter-in-law.
He explained with a smile, "What I mean is that your daughter-in-law is bringing good fortune to the family. As soon as she married into the family, you became the team leader, and she became a worker herself. Who knows, you might be able to hold your grandson in your arms in a while."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Dafu's eyes lit up instantly. He felt that what Lao Wei said made some sense. These good things really did happen after Xiao Er's wife arrived. Although the country now emphasizes believing in science, there are some things that the older generation says that cannot be ignored.
Seeing Zhou Dafu deep in thought, Grandpa Wei silently packed his things and prepared to leave work.
Zhou Dafu originally planned to go home with Grandpa Wei after get off work, but his team members insisted on walking home with him to get closer to him. He couldn't refuse and had no choice but to agree.
He invited Grandpa Wei to join him, but Grandpa Wei refused without hesitation. Zhou Dafu understood Grandpa Wei very well; if they were in the same situation, he wouldn't want to see a group of people praising Grandpa Wei either.
Grandpa Wei returned home with a heavy expression. Ever since Lao Zhou became the group leader, he had been in a bad mood. Although he hoped that Lao Zhou would do well, he couldn't be doing this well! He had even surpassed him.
He looked at Sun Yiyi, who was wiping the table, and asked, "The transfer to another production team is basically settled. Which production workshop do you think would be best for me?"
Hearing this, Aunt Wei scoffed, "Yiyi has never worked a day in her life. She probably doesn't even know which way the chemical plant's gate faces. What's the point of asking?"
Grandpa Wei slapped his forehead with his palm, realizing he had completely lost his composure. How could he have asked his daughter-in-law such an important matter! He then turned his gaze to Wei Yong.
Wei Yong thought for a moment and said seriously, "Why don't you come to the anthraquinone intermediate production workshop? If my son and I work together, we can achieve great things."
Just as Grandpa Wei was pondering which production workshop to go to, Sun Yiyi expressed her opinion, "I think the naphthalene intermediate production workshop is pretty good. If Dad goes to this production workshop, he will definitely be able to make great strides."
She didn't speak at first because after thinking it over and over, she remembered that a few months later, around the time of the Chinese New Year, one of the team leaders in the maintenance group of the naphthalene intermediate production workshop would pass away unexpectedly at home, leaving a vacancy for the team leader position.
My father-in-law in his previous life always regretted that he didn't work in the maintenance team of the intermediate production workshop and missed the opportunity to become a team leader again.
After hearing Sun Yiyi's words, Grandpa Wei became even more conflicted.
Aunt Wei said impatiently to Sun Yiyi, "You don't understand anything, what nonsense are you talking about?"
Sun Yiyi naturally couldn't reveal anything about her past life, so she could only awkwardly say, "My intuition tells me that Dad should go to that workshop. My intuition is always right."
Aunt Wei retorted without holding back, "Did your intuition tell you how long it will take for you to get pregnant!"
Sun Yiyi obediently shut her mouth. Getting pregnant isn't something she can just decide to do. The fact that she was able to conceive Wei Yong's child in her previous life means that there's nothing wrong with her body; it's just that the timing wasn't right.
"Stop arguing, I'm going to the naphthalene intermediate production workshop. It's not so easy for me to get promoted if I'm in the same workshop as Yongzi," Grandpa Wei said decisively, as he himself was somewhat biased towards this workshop.
Aunt Wei thought for a moment and said uncertainly, "I seem to remember that Zhou Xiangyang's wife is also in this workshop."
The neighbor's daughter-in-law is truly formidable, making the neighbor constantly complain to the other neighbors about her hardships. She used to boast about how well she could train her eldest daughter-in-law, making her daughter-in-law go east while her daughter-in-law dared not go west.
Her daughter-in-law seemed filial and obedient, but she was also a cunning person. When asked to clean, she agreed, but only started cleaning after Lao Wei and Yongzi got home from work. That wasn't cleaning at all! It was cleaning for Lao Wei and Yongzi to see, to make herself look very diligent.
Sun Yiyi was taken aback. She hadn't paid much attention to Lin Yuanshu's work situation. After all, Lin Yuanshu now left early and returned late, and even when he got home from work, he didn't do any housework. She could only see Lin Yuanshu when she was queuing for the toilet.
Lin Yuanshu's life made her inexplicably envious.
Every daughter-in-law in the apartment building envied Lin Yuanshu. It wasn't that they envied her for having a job, but rather for her ability to easily control her mother-in-law, who was forced to complain to the neighbors about her hardships.
She was actually quite pleased to see this. Seeing this scene, she instantly felt that saving Lin Yuanshu was worthwhile. Evil people need to be dealt with by other evil people. She had suffered so much because she was too kind in her past life.
Grandpa Wei waved his hand dismissively and said seriously, "Zhou Xiangyang's wife is just an apprentice who is summoned and dismissed by her master. She has nothing to do with me. I doubt we'll even run into each other."
Aunt Wei nodded slowly, agreeing with Uncle Wei's statement.
Wei Yong didn't care about what happened next door like his parents did. After all, he was exhausted from work and had no time to pay attention to such trivial matters.
On the other side, Lin Yuanshu, wearing a mask, entered Director Tang's home.
Director Tang said with a smile, "You've already left the chemical plant, why are you still wearing a mask?"
As Lin Yuanshu removed his mask, he explained, "To avoid being recognized."
Director Tang raised an eyebrow and teased, "I didn't expect you to be so professional. I called you here today not for Director Xia's matter, but because I want to trouble you to go to the countryside again to select suitable comrades to go with Tang Rong to the mosquito coil factory for a period of time. After all, among the people around me, you are the most familiar with the production team. Although Tang Rong is also capable, she is still young and prone to acting impulsively. And this matter cannot afford to have any mistakes, so as not to affect the subsequent plans."
She couldn't control the production team leader, and she couldn't be sure that the leader didn't have ulterior motives. She was also worried that since the factory's employees were all handpicked by the leader, her daughter's achievements would be taken by the leader. Her daughter couldn't outmaneuver such a cunning old fox as the leader.
Lin Yuanshu sat on the sofa next to Director Tang and asked curiously, "Has it been decided to build a mosquito coil factory in the production team?"
Director Tang nodded. Considering Lin Yuanshu's advice, she kindly explained, "I have a good relationship with the mosquito coil factory manager. Right now, the mosquito coil factory can't complete the production tasks assigned by the higher-ups at all. We can allocate a batch of goods to the production team to work on. We can also give me the previously abandoned mosquito coil production line. With some repairs, it can still be used, albeit barely. I've already instructed the brigade leader to set up a mosquito coil factory in the production team."
If it weren't for the need to win over the mosquito coil factory manager, she would have started cooperating with the production team to establish a factory long ago, instead of waiting until now.
Lin Yuanshu thought for a moment, then stopped asking questions and readily agreed, "Okay, I understand. I'll take care of it when I have time off this week."
She already has enough troubles; there's no need for her to take on Tang Rongjian's factory project as well. Anyway, with Director Tang overseeing things, the general direction is bound to be right, so she'll just help out with small favors.
Director Tang smiled and said, "I'm very relieved to leave it to you."
Lin Yuanshu patted his chest and promised, "I guarantee to complete the task. By the way, Director Xia attaches great importance to this labor production competition. He plans to make a name for himself in this competition, win first place, gain the factory director's favor, and thus wash away his previous 'stain'."
She wasn't lying. She was Director Xia's subordinate, and her plan to make a name for herself and win first place was the same as Director Xia's plan to make a name for herself and win first place. Whether Director Xia had this plan or not didn't matter; she could arrange it for him.
Director Tang chuckled lightly and said dismissively, "I knew he was always up to no good. He's just daydreaming. He tries to make a name for himself every year and win first place, but unfortunately, I've always been number one, and this year will be no exception."
Lin Yuanshu hesitated, "Director Xia wants my help. After all, I work under Director Xia, and I can't pretend to know nothing. I can only catch Director Xia's eye and ultimately help you if I demonstrate my abilities. But I'm afraid I might..."
Although Lin Yuanshu hadn't finished speaking, Director Tang had already grasped her intention. She said nonchalantly, "Just do your best. Don't worry about me. My subordinates aren't made of rice porridge; they can't possibly lose. This time, first place will still belong to me."
It wasn't that she looked down on Lin Yuanshu, but rather that she felt that since Lin Yuanshu only worked at the Evolution Factory, even if he was skilled, he wouldn't be that skilled.
Although Lin Yuanshu proposed the plan to use his status as an educated youth to run a factory and enter the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University, she personally handled the specific operations. Therefore, she felt that Lin Yuanshu was somewhat clever, but not clever enough to help Director Xia win first place.
"Okay, then I'll do my best." Lin Yuanshu said with a smile. Even if Director Tang asked her to go easy on him, she wouldn't.
Director Tang winning first place in the labor production competition is not as important as her winning first place. After all, Director Tang has so many subordinates. Even if she becomes the deputy factory director, the cake she gets is only a small piece. So instead of waiting for others to divide the cake, she might as well find a way to be the one dividing the cake herself.
"Oh, by the way, there's a set of pig intestines in the kitchen. Remember to take it with you when you leave. Pig intestines are too troublesome to cook, and I'm too lazy to clean them." Director Tang pointed to the kitchen with a smile on his face.
Lin Yuanshu smiled brightly. She knew she wouldn't leave empty-handed after coming to Director Tang's place. She said generously, "Then I won't stand on ceremony."
Director Tang waved his hand dismissively, "Why are you being so polite with me!"
Lin Yuanshu smiled. If she really didn't stand on ceremony, things would turn out differently. She asked Director Tang for a piece of oil paper to wrap things in, wrapped the pig intestines from the kitchen in the oil paper, and then put them in her handbag.
Although doing so might cause her handbag to smell like pig intestines, she had no other choice. Carrying pig intestines out of Director Tang's house would attract far too much attention, almost like the sensation caused by a child carrying gold across the street.
"Where does Director Zhou live?" Lin Yuanshu asked seriously.
Director Tang answered truthfully, "He lives in a courtyard house at No. 25 Zhuque Street. His residence is on the left side of the front yard. Why are you looking for Director Zhou?"
Lin Yuanshu certainly wouldn't admit that she was going to fool Director Zhou. She said in a serious tone, "The more chaotic the situation, the more advantageous it is for you. I'm going to sow discord between Director Zhou and Director Xia. If Director Xia deliberately tries to sow discord between you and me, I'll have to give him a big gift."
Upon hearing this, Director Tang smiled with satisfaction and instructed, "Then be careful in your actions, and don't let others find out."
Lin Yuanshu nodded and left Director Tang's house, heading to Director Zhou's house.
Fortunately, she ran into Director Zhou on his way home in a street alley, and she greeted him warmly.
Director Zhou asked curiously, "What are you doing here?"
Lin Yuanshu gestured to someone nearby, and then the two walked to a secluded corner where no one would notice. Only then did Lin Yuanshu speak: "I'm here to report some news to you. Director Tang and Director Xia are both preparing to make a big splash in this labor production competition, hoping to gain the factory director's appreciation and pave the way for their promotion to deputy factory director."
Director Zhou said with a serious expression, "I didn't expect that the two of them had already put in their efforts in secret, but I'm not sure if I can get first place. After all, my workshop group's performance in the past few years wasn't very good. We were always in the middle, neither good nor bad."
Lin Yuanshu sighed and said helplessly, "It's a pity that I can't help you with any advice right now. In order to gain Director Xia's trust, I can only do my best to participate in this labor production competition. It's such a pity that I can't help you."
"It's alright, you've already helped me a lot. Now that I know their plan, I'll naturally find a way to deal with them. You don't need to worry about these things. Just keep an eye on Director Xia for me and prevent him from using disgusting methods against me," Director Zhou comforted him.
Lin Yuanshu nodded, looking honored. "It's great to be able to help you. You must become the deputy factory director. Then I can openly offer you advice."
Director Zhou was quite satisfied with Lin Yuanshu's undercover work, and he promised without hesitation, "No problem, you're qualified to be my subordinate."
Lin Yuanshu: "..."
Director Zhou really is someone who thrives on a little sunshine and overflows with joy.
She felt she could fool three people at the same time, the key being that the workshop foremen never imagined she was so bold as to dare to deceive everyone. And what gave her this confidence was, of course, her ability. Even if the workshop foremen discovered her true colors, she had the ability to make them have no choice but to give her more important positions.
Director Zhou frowned, pondering how to win first place in the labor production competition. As he walked, he arrived at his own courtyard house. He went through the gate and saw Zhou Moli washing vegetables in the yard.
Zhou Moli asked, looking bewildered, "Uncle, what's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
My uncle is acting strange today. He keeps staring at her without saying a word.
Thinking of Lin Yuanshu's outstanding performance, Director Zhou subconsciously asked, "How do you think I can stand out in the labor production competition?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Moli immediately threw the vegetables she was holding into the sink and said excitedly, "Uncle, do you need me to give you some advice?"
Director Zhou smiled awkwardly, "Perhaps female comrades are not as unreliable as I imagined."
He certainly didn't distrust women's abilities, but he felt that women's ideas were limited. Rather than climbing the social ladder, they wanted to get married, have children, and live a stable life. However, Lin Yuanshu's appearance changed his thinking a little, making him realize that women, if used properly, could also become a thorny knife.
Zhou Moli snorted coldly and said unhappily, "The big leader said that women can hold up half the sky, but you focus on our gender. How superficial."
Director Zhou said with a helpless expression, "You're right, I underestimated you."
Although Zhou Moli didn't know who had changed her uncle's mind, she was sincerely grateful to that person. She pointed to Director Zhou's room next door and said with great interest, "Uncle, this is not the place to talk. Let's go inside and chat."
When Director Zhou saw Zhou Moli's excited expression, he instantly regretted talking too much.
As soon as Zhou Moli's mother went out, she saw that Zhou Moli hadn't washed the vegetables and had followed Director Zhou. She shouted loudly, "Moli, I told you to wash the vegetables, where did you run off to?"
Zhou Moli replied loudly, "I need to talk to my uncle, don't disturb us."
Zhou Moli's mother sighed helplessly. She always felt that Zhou Moli was born the wrong gender. She was a little girl, but she was more ambitious and ruthless than her brother.
Director Zhou led Zhou Moli into his study. Zhou Moli sat casually in a chair and asked seriously, "Uncle, why do you want to stand out in the labor production competition? You didn't have this idea before!"
“Some people who know the inside story say that Director Tang and Director Xia both plan to perform well in this labor production competition and strive to achieve good results. If I do nothing, won’t I be outdone by them?” Director Zhou’s expression was very serious.
Zhou Moli gave a playful smile and sighed, "Uncle, I didn't expect you to have your own people around Director Tang and Director Xia. You don't seem like such an ambitious person. However, it's normal for them to have this plan. After all, what happened before made you lose face in front of the factory. It's normal for you to want to regain your face."
Director Zhou touched his nose guiltily, and had to admit that if it weren't for Lin Yuanshu, he really wouldn't have anyone by Director Tang and Director Xia's side.
He had no intention of becoming the deputy factory director before. It was only after the deputy factory director was preparing to retire next year that the other two workshop directors started vying for the position, and he joined in unwilling to be outdone.
"Let's not talk about these irrelevant things. Tell me what good ideas you have?" Director Zhou asked earnestly.
Zhou Moli took a deep breath and slowly said, "I don't have any good ideas, but you can make two plans. On the one hand, strengthen the capabilities of the workshop team you manage, so that they can focus their energy on the competition. On the other hand, ask Director Tang to cooperate with my actions. I will lead my team to win first place. In this way, it won't matter if your workshop doesn't win first place, because your niece will. I will speak well of you in front of the factory director. In this way, you and Director Tang will both benefit, while Director Xia will get nothing."
Director Zhou fell into deep thought, and said with difficulty, "Director Tang is not as easy to talk to as you think. Getting her to cooperate with you and let you shine is difficult! Besides, it won't be easy for you to get first place. Director Xia and Director Tang's subordinates are not easy to deal with."
Zhou Moli said confidently, "How will we know it won't work if we don't try? As long as the benefits are good enough, I don't believe she won't agree."
Director Zhou fell silent. If his niece didn't get first place, and neither did his subordinate, he would be at a loss.
Seeing Director Zhou's silent demeanor, Zhou Moli knew he was reluctant to give away any benefits. She said with exasperation, "Uncle, if you do nothing, only Director Tang and Director Xia will benefit, while you'll be a complete loser, getting nothing at all. At this crucial moment, don't falter or hesitate. Time waits for no one, and you can't afford to hesitate. You're not as capable as Director Tang and Director Xia precisely because you lack their ambition..."
Director Zhou was getting a headache from Zhou Moli's nagging, so he could only give in and say, "I understand. I will go to Director Tang tomorrow to discuss it. If Director Tang doesn't agree, then there's nothing I can do."
“I’ll go with you,” Zhou Moli said earnestly. She was afraid that Director Zhou wouldn’t take this matter seriously, since it concerned her future.
"Whatever you want," Director Zhou replied casually.
As soon as Lin Yuanshu got home, he took the large intestine out of his bag. Sure enough, the bag smelled strongly of fatty intestines. It seemed he would have to wash the bag tonight.
When Zhou Ma saw Lin Yuanshu take out something wrapped in oil paper, she asked, "What is this?"
Lin Yuanshu did not answer, but instead unfolded the oil paper, revealing the true face of the bloated intestines.
Zhou Ma was initially delighted, but then, remembering that it was pork intestines that Lin Yuanshu had brought back, her smile vanished instantly. She frowned and said, "You never cook, you just cause me trouble. Do you know how difficult it is to prepare pork intestines? If you want to eat pork intestines, then you'll have to prepare them yourself! I certainly can't."
Lin Yuanshu nodded thoughtfully and said seriously, "In that case, I can only trouble the aunt next door to make me some pork intestines. I'm willing to give half of the pork intestines as payment."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhou quickly stopped Lin Yuanshu. She couldn't let the neighbor benefit from the good deal, and Sister-in-law Xue hadn't come home yet. She could only reluctantly accept the fatty intestines, gritting her teeth and saying, "I will clean them thoroughly."
Lin Yuanshu smiled sweetly, "Then I'll trouble you, Mom."
Zhou's mother said angrily, "Being your mother is the worst thing that could have happened in eight lifetimes. I don't know what sins I committed in my past life to have met you in this life. You should learn from the neighbor's daughter-in-law, she is so filial and hardworking."
Lin Yuanshu said nonchalantly, "Mom, what you said makes some sense. You should learn from Aunt Wei next door. At least she doesn't talk as much nonsense as you, and she's good to her daughter-in-law, speaking softly and gently, unlike you. I'm even embarrassed to say anything to you..."
Zhou's mother retorted instinctively, "You're talking nonsense! Where next door treats their daughter-in-law well?"
Lin Yuanshu said confidently, "It's good in every way, at least it's better than you."
Zhou's mother was furious. She admitted that she was not a good mother-in-law, but she was not worse than the neighbor. The neighbor was just pretending to be a good person, and she was very fake.
Seeing that the two were arguing endlessly, Zhou Dafu said to Zhou Ma, "Go and wash the pig intestines! I have something to say to Xiao Er's wife."
Now, whenever he sees the two arguing, he automatically chooses to ignore it, because they argue so frequently, bickering every day, arguing in the morning and then again at night.
Her wife liked the sarcastic and witty Xiao Er's wife. Since she couldn't fight back, she could only use her mouth. And Xiao Er's wife was never one to back down verbally, so the two of them would argue whenever they were in the same space.
Aunt Zhou glared at Lin Yuanshu, then picked up the pork intestines and turned to leave the living room.
Lin Yuanshu shrugged helplessly, not understanding why his mother-in-law was angry again. She was just telling the truth!
After Zhou Ma left, Zhou Dafu asked, "Where did you get the pork intestines?"
Pork intestines are much harder to obtain than pork. They are usually sold out at the slaughterhouse and never reach state-run meat shops. Therefore, Lin Yuanshu could not have bought them from a state-run meat shop.
Lin Yuanshu sat on the sofa, picked up today's newspaper from the table, and said calmly, "You don't need to know where I got the intestines. You just need to know that they came from legitimate channels."
"You must not accept bribes or go astray," Zhou Dafu instructed sternly.
Lin Yuanshu looked at Zhou Dafu speechlessly. "I'm just an ordinary apprentice now. Who would be so foolish as to try to bribe me? What would they want? That I'm young and have little work experience?"
Zhou Dafu awkwardly scratched his head. It was all because Lin Yuanshu had acted so impressively that he had forgotten that Lin Yuanshu hadn't even finished his apprenticeship and hadn't been officially hired yet. Although Lin Yuanshu was very capable, only close acquaintances knew this.
He changed the subject, saying, "I already asked someone to pass on a message to Grandma Xiangyang today, asking them to come to Beijing the day after tomorrow for a banquet to celebrate my becoming the group leader. Don't forget to go home early for dinner and ask your boss not to schedule you for the night shift."
“Okay, I understand,” Lin Yuanshu replied.
After cleaning the pork intestines, Zhou Ma called Zhou Xiangyang to the corridor to cook them. She was good at cooking ordinary dishes, but cooking meat dishes like this would be a waste of the ingredients.
Zhou Xiangyang smelled the pork intestines to make sure there was no odor, and then began to blanch them...
Seeing the pork intestines in the pot, Aunt Wen smiled and asked, "You're eating so well! These pork intestines are so fresh, where did you get them?"
Zhou Ma rolled her eyes, put the pot lid on the pot, and said smugly, "You'll have to ask Xiao Er's wife about this. I have no idea where she got it from."
Aunt Wen said with a smile, "Comrade Lin Yuanshu is very filial to you. He specially brought back fatty intestines for you to eat."
Zhou's mother retorted instinctively, "She didn't buy it to be filial to me. She's just greedy. If she argued with me less, that would be true filial piety. I don't need her to eat this meat."
"That's true. Old Zhou has become a group leader, which is a leader in a way. Your family's meals will definitely be even better." Another older woman chimed in.
The moment Zhou Dafu was mentioned as a group leader, she got excited and started telling the middle-aged women around her her thoughts, "Oh my! I never thought my husband could become a group leader, especially after what the neighbors said, looking down on him so much. I thought her husband would be the group leader, but it turns out he's just a paper tiger. Now he has to work under my husband..."
When Aunt Wei, who was cooking for Sun Yiyi, heard Zhou Ma's sarcastic remarks, she couldn't help but retort, "My husband is about to be transferred and won't be working under Zhou Dafu anymore. You don't need to brag in front of me. You just got lucky to marry Zhou Dafu."
"Bullshit! My family has been poor farmers for three generations. We're a perfect match for Zhou Dafu," Zhou's mother said confidently.
Aunt Wei snorted coldly, "What's so great about it? Who hasn't been a poor peasant for three generations!"
Zhou Ma stood with her hands on her hips and engaged in a passionate argument with Wei Da Ma, while the others watched the spectacle.
Zhou Xiangyang focused all his attention on the pork intestines. He planned to make braised pork intestines because Lin Yuanshu didn't like chewy food, so braising was just right.
Sun Yiyi couldn't help but glance at Zhou Xiangyang. Zhou Xiangyang was still as quiet as ever. She really didn't know how Lin Yuanshu could put up with Zhou Xiangyang.
Wei Yong is better; at least he's a normal person who cares about her, takes care of her, and most importantly, is willing to be close to her. She can be a normal woman.
As night fell, Zhou Ma brought the food to the table and called Lin Yuanshu, who was in his room, to eat.
Lin Yuanshu quickly left the room, went to the living room, and sat down at the square table.
Once everyone was present, Zhou Dafu said, "Let's eat!"
Lin Yuanshu had just taken a steamed bun out of the steamed bun basket when he saw Zhou Ma holding a bowl of braised pork intestines and pouring a full bowl of pork intestines into her own bowl.
She gave Lin Yuanshu a defiant look.
Lin Yuanshu gave a helpless smile and looked at Zhou Dafu. Seeing that Zhou Dafu remained silent, he tacitly approved of Zhou's mother's behavior.
Without any hesitation, she pulled the bowl of braised pork intestines in front of her and leisurely ate it, taking a bite of steamed bun and a bite of pork intestines at a time.
The pork intestines were soft and chewy, and even the lean parts were tender. The salty and savory flavor with a hint of spiciness suited her taste perfectly.
Seeing this, Sister-in-law Xue knew that something bad was about to happen. She quickly lowered her head and ate her steamed bun on an empty stomach. No matter who she helped, she would offend the other person.
She really wanted to say to them, "Please, stop fighting! My heart can't take it anymore. It's the two of them arguing that terrifies me."
Zhou Ma took a deep breath and questioned, "Second daughter-in-law, what are you doing? How are others supposed to eat like this?"
Lin Yuanshu said in a serious tone, "Isn't this what I learned from you? First come, first served! If you're slow, you won't get any! Besides, there are pickled vegetables on the table! Why can't we just eat properly? We never even had pickled vegetables before!"
Zhou Ma knew that Lin Yuanshu was doing this on purpose, trying to make her bow down. He was shameless. She looked at her eldest son and daughter-in-law and found that they didn't say a word. They ate pickled vegetables when they were told to, and they didn't even dare to question her. They were really useless.
Zhou Dafu completely pretended to be deaf and dumb, refusing to help anyone. She said reluctantly, "This time it was Mom's oversight. I won't do it again next time. Could you please bring out the braised pork intestines?"
There's no way Lin Yuanshu could eat all this pork intestines by himself! She wasn't sure about others, but Lin Yuanshu was definitely capable of doing something like this.
Lin Yuanshu thought for a moment, then poured a full bowl of braised pork intestines into his and Zhou Xiangyang's bowls before pushing the bowls away. About a third of the intestines were still inside.
Zhou's mother: "..." How shameless.
In the end, Sister-in-law Xue and her elder brother shared the remaining pork intestines. Zhou Ma poured half of the pork intestines from her bowl into Zhou Dafu's bowl. After all the fuss, Lin Yuanshu and Zhou Xiangyang ate the most pork intestines, which dampened Zhou Ma's good mood for eating meat.
Zhou Xiangyang also ate the pork intestines like Lin Yuanshu did without caring. He had someone protecting him now, and his mother couldn't bully him.
After the meal, Lin Yuanshu helped Sister-in-law Xue clear the table.
The older brother let out a burp, rubbed his belly, looked at Zhou Xiangyang, and asked curiously, "Little brother, why did you make braised pork intestines today? You used to like stir-fried pork intestines."
Zhou Xiangyang glanced at Lin Yuanshu subconsciously, then replied, "I want to try something different."
Upon hearing this, the older brother muttered under his breath, "You've only made stir-fried pork intestines a few times, and you're changing the flavor again? I remember the last time we had stir-fried pork intestines was during the Chinese New Year..."
Zhou Xiangyang said confidently, "I just don't want to eat stir-fried pork intestines anymore."
Big Brother: "..."
Alright! I'm the cook, so I'm in charge.
The next day, as Lin Yuanshu was getting ready to go to work with his bag, Zhou Xiangyang walked up to him, mustered his courage, and kissed him on the forehead. "Good morning kiss."
As a gay man, he shouldn't always let women take the initiative; he should also take the initiative and show his masculinity.
Seeing Zhou Xiangyang's embarrassed expression, Lin Yuanshu couldn't help but smile, then tiptoed and kissed Zhou Xiangyang's cheek.
Afterwards, the two went to work with smiles on their faces.
Lin Yuanshu did not go to the workshop to operate the equipment today. Instead, he tried to draw the design of the inclined blade type reactor agitator and strived to write an operable technical innovation plan as soon as possible and then submit it to the review panel.
Once the technological innovation plan is approved, the inclined blade reactor agitator can be used during the competition. This is to prevent everyone's technological innovations from being too novel, which not only fails to improve production efficiency but also hinders progress.
Only if the technological innovation plan is approved will the score for technological innovation and rationalization proposals be secured.
Fortunately, she had seen the design drawings of the inclined blade reactor agitator in her previous life and had some impression of the shape, angle, size and other parameters of the inclined blade. However, she would need to conduct multiple experiments to make the inclined blade reactor agitator work.
Lin Yuanshu originally wanted to invite technicians to help design the inclined blade reactor agitator, but unfortunately the technicians were too busy. Every group was inviting them, and they were the ones who had to choose, not Lin Yuanshu.
Even so, no one wanted to help, so she had to bite the bullet and design it herself. Fortunately, she had a strong memory since childhood and could basically remember things she had seen once.
The veteran employees were initially somewhat dissatisfied that Lin Yuanshu wasn't working in the workshop, but once they learned that Lin Yuanshu was writing a technical innovation plan, they immediately stopped complaining.
They had failed several times before due to their technical innovation proposals. Each proposal they wrote was rejected, and they only received an encouragement point. Therefore, they really admired Lin Yuanshu for daring to take the initiative to write a technical innovation proposal. He was truly fearless!
Every time they passed by the office, they would encourage Lin Yuanshu, fearing that if he gave up, the problem would fall into their hands again.
Lin Yuanshu was completely baffled. Why were the veteran employees suddenly being so enthusiastic?
After lunch, Lin Yuanshu went to Director Xia's office. Fortunately, he didn't come empty-handed; Director Xia was in his office processing documents.
He looked at Lin Yuanshu and asked, "Why are you here? Did you run into some trouble?"
Lin Yuanshu shook his head, closed the office door, and looked mysterious. "Last night I inquired about the latest developments of Director Tang and Director Zhou. Someone told me that Director Tang and Director Zhou are planning to make a name for themselves in this labor production competition and gain the factory director's special attention."
Upon hearing this, Director Xia stood up abruptly and asked in a serious tone, "Where did you get your information? Is it accurate?"
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