Yan Bugui picked up a piece of beef and put it in his mouth. While chewing, he mumbled, "Da Mao, this beef is really good. It's all thanks to you that you remember me, Old Yan."
After being enlightened by Yan Bugui, Xu Damao gradually forgot about what Yi Zhonghai had said earlier. He chuckled and opened the wine bottle, pouring a glass for himself and Yan Bugui.
Seeing this, Yan Jiecheng was extremely envious. He brought over his empty bowl and looked at Xu Damao with eyes full of flattery.
Xu Damao didn't hold it against him for laughing at him earlier, and casually poured him a small half bowl.
Yan Jiecheng took a deep breath, slowly brought the bowl to his lips, and took a small sip. Needless to say, the satisfaction on his face was evident. After putting down the bowl, he stared intently at the beef in the lunchbox.
Xu Damao knew that the Yan family rarely ate meat except during holidays, so he pointed to the beef with his chopsticks and said, "Jiecheng, if you want to eat, hurry up and start eating. There are no outsiders at this table today."
Yan Jiecheng nodded hurriedly, grabbed his chopsticks, picked up a piece, put it in his mouth, and chewed it vigorously.
In order to solidify his position as the head steward, Xu Damao had long ago figured out that during the three-month observation period, he had to sacrifice the "child" and keep Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong, these "two wolves," firmly under his control.
The solution to deal with these two is simple: as long as Yan Bugui occasionally gets the upper hand, he'll make sure you understand everything perfectly.
As for Yi Zhonghai, not only do they have to test him with eggs, but they also have to constantly offer him gifts to fulfill Comrade Liu's dream of becoming a cadre!
After a few rounds of drinks, Xu Damao's face flushed red. He looked at Yan Jiecheng and said, "Jiecheng, look, I'm the manager of the courtyard now. I have a good relationship with Old Yan, and we're practically brothers. From now on, you have to respect me as your elder. You should at least call me 'Uncle' when you see me."
Upon hearing this, Yan Jiecheng swallowed the beef in his mouth without chewing it properly, almost choking and unable to breathe.
He stared wide-eyed at Xu Damao, unable to understand how he could have eaten two pieces of beef from Xu Damao and ended up looking like his nephew!
Yan Bugui chuckled from the side, "Da Mao, aren't you taking advantage of me?"
“Yes, Da Mao, this is not appropriate.”
Yan Jiecheng finally managed to swallow the beef and hurriedly said, "You said yourself that you are the boss now. I think if it doesn't work out, we can each do our own thing."
Xu Damao picked up his wine glass, glanced at Yan Jiecheng, and slowly said, "Jiecheng, you can call Wang Dabao 'uncle,' and I'm no worse than him. From now on, you can call me 'uncle' too."
Xu Damao then looked at Yan Jiekuang beside him.
Just as he was about to speak, he saw the kid glare at him, and he immediately sobered up a bit. This guy was the kind of person who dared to hit Sha Zhu with a stool and slash Jia Dongxu with a kitchen knife.
Make him call me "uncle"? How many lives do I have that he can mess with?!
Yan Bugui picked up a piece of beef, raised his glass and clinked it with Xu Damao's, saying, "Damao, let's not talk about this for now. When Yi Zhonghai was in power, he always suppressed me and Lao Liu. Now that he's out of power, he's scheming to come back. It's time we taught him a lesson!"
"Alright, then let's listen to you, Lao Yan, and not discuss seniority for now. Actually, I just think it's not too much for Jie Cheng to call me Uncle. Wouldn't that make our two families seem closer?"
Xu Damao finished his drink, picked up the bottle and refilled his and Yan Bugui's glasses. "Old Yan, you're right. Dealing with Yi Zhonghai is of utmost importance, but we can't think of a good way to do it right now."
"We need to think of a way to embarrass Yi Zhonghai, so he won't have the face to keep thinking about the manager."
Yan Bugui touched the temple of his glasses, chuckled, and lowered his voice, saying, "How about we set up a trap? We can spread the word that there's a great opportunity to make some extra money, but it requires a skilled fitter like Yi Zhonghai to do it. We can quote a higher price, and he'll definitely be tempted and fall for it."
"Then, we'll find two people that Yi Zhonghai doesn't know to cooperate, pretending to be superiors investigating people who are taking on jobs without permission, and catch Yi Zhonghai on the spot. As a factory employee, he dared to take on jobs without permission and violate the regulations, he'll definitely be scared out of his wits."
"After the news spread, once the neighbors in the compound heard about it, Yi Zhonghai would feel that he had lost face and would no longer have any desire to compete for the position of the steward."
Xu Damao's eyes lit up after hearing this. He clicked his tongue, pondered for a moment, and then shook his head. "No, this plan is too complicated. If any part goes wrong, it will also affect us, and we'll all be doomed."
The proposal was rejected, and Yan Bugui frowned, unable to think of a better solution for the time being.
The beef in the lunchbox was almost gone. Yan Jiecheng broke off a piece of cornbread, dipped it in the broth, and swallowed it in big gulps. Then he said seriously, "I do have a solution."
Xu Damao didn't take Yan Jiecheng's method seriously at all and waved his hand to let him continue.
“We can spread rumors that Yi Zhonghai embezzled factory supplies. Even if he didn’t do it, as long as the rumors start, he’ll be busy clarifying things and will be overwhelmed. He’ll be at risk of losing his job, so he won’t have time to think about things in the institute.”
Seeing that his method had made Xu Damao fall into deep thought, Yan Jiecheng immediately picked up his chopsticks, put a piece of beef in his mouth, and said, "By the time he comes to his senses, Damao, your term as acting mediator will have expired, and you will have become the official steward."
Xu Damao frowned and pondered for a while, then looked up and said, "Will this work? Don't forget that he and Shazhu were beaten for spreading rumors. Don't end up shooting yourself in the foot!"
“That’s different. Last time, Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu spread rumors in front of you.”
Yan Jiecheng moved a stool closer to Xu Damao, saying, "We're not questioning Yi Zhonghai in front of him. By the time the news reaches his ears, how will he know who said it?"
"Don't worry, this will definitely work out. Then we'll have a few gossipy women in the compound add fuel to the fire, and I guarantee Yi Zhonghai won't have a moment's peace."
Yan Bugui chimed in, "This method of solution is indeed a brilliant plan."
Xu Damao gritted his teeth, slapped his thigh, and said, "Okay, let's do it this way. But we have to be discreet about it and not let anyone find out that we're the ones behind this."
The three exchanged a smile, as if they could already see Yi Zhonghai in a sorry state.
Xu Damao laughed triumphantly, raised his wine glass and clinked it with Yan Bugui and his son Yan Jiecheng, and then the three of them drank it all in one gulp.
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