"However, we need to carefully select the person who spreads the rumors, lest they mess things up."
Xu Damao stroked his chin and said, "To prevent our identities from being exposed, it's safer to spread the rumors from the factory to the yard. The most important thing right now is to select the right people."
Yan Bugui smacked his lips, his small eyes behind his glasses darting around, "I think we should have Old Sister Zhou from the front yard spread the word. She's a notorious gossip, and in a couple of days everyone in the neighborhood will know. The key is that her family and Yi Zhonghai don't get along, so isn't that just what we need?"
"Yes, she's the one they've chosen from the hospital."
Yan Jiecheng agreed, "Let's subtly pass the message on to her and let her spread it around the nearby courtyards. As for the factory, Da Mao, you'll have to handle that."
“But it’s not safe for her to do it alone. We need to find reliable people in the nearby courtyards to spread the word and make a big fuss,” Xu Damao added.
"Da Mao is very thoughtful."
Yan Bugui flattered Xu Damao, then suddenly thought of Liu Haizhong, "We need to discuss this with Liu Haizhong. He's just as cunning as Yi Zhonghai, and he's a senior technician with wide connections in the factory. I heard he often contacts the leaders. If we have him mention it to his apprentices in the factory, it will definitely be more secure."
"Alright, I won't go to his place now that I've had a drink."
Xu Damao nodded and continued, "When I get to work at the factory tomorrow, I'll go to the workshop and talk to him about this. Today, let's think about the details again, like when would be the best time to release this rumor."
So the three of them huddled together again and whispered among themselves.
Xu Damao's face occasionally revealed a sinister smile. A conspiracy against Yi Zhonghai was about to unfold, and the three of them couldn't wait to see Yi Zhonghai's miserable state after falling into the trap.
So, after the meal, the three of them began to spread rumors in the courtyard that Yi Zhonghai had embezzled public funds.
Under the instructions of Xu Damao and Yan Jiecheng, Aunt Zhou, the gossipy woman in the compound, has already devised the way to spread the word tomorrow.
Xu Damao had drunk his fill and gotten what he wanted, feeling much more at ease. He hummed a little tune as he walked back from the front yard.
Passing by the Intermediate People's Court, he saw Jia Dongxu coming out to splash water. His eyes immediately lit up, and he couldn't resist having a mischievous thought. He called out to the other man.
"Dongxu, have you recovered from your foot injury and started working yet?"
Xu Damao stood at the Jia family's door with a slouching posture, looking down at Jia Dongxu with an air of superiority. "I heard from Lao Yi that you have no ambition at all. Instead of learning the skills properly, you're always up to crooked ideas, always thinking about exchanging the factory's materials for money. Is that true?"
Jia Dongxu squinted at Xu Damao, snorted coldly, shook the remaining water in the aluminum basin, turned around, lifted the cotton curtain, and went into the room.
"Hey, Jia Dongxu, let me tell you, I'm the third-in-command now. I'm only talking to you because I respect you. Don't push your luck, or I'll get you sooner or later."
Upon seeing Jia Dongxu's attitude, Xu Damao immediately lost his temper.
He's now considered a cadre, is this how you treat a cadre?!
"Fine, you, Jia Dongxu, don't take me seriously. Sooner or later you'll realize there's no going back."
Xu Damao tossed his head and went back to the backyard, cursing.
Back inside, Jia Dongxu slammed the aluminum basin to the ground with a bang, his anger surging to the top of his head, almost bursting out from the roots of his hair.
How could he not regard Xu Damao as an official? If he really didn't take him seriously, he would have started cursing on the spot. Why would he hold back his anger and vent it at home?
"Xu Damao, don't be so smug. So what if you've become a mediator in the compound? One day I'll make you beg me like a dog on the ground, hmph!"
"And then there's that old guy Yi Zhonghai. Back when he was a senior official, he always kept quiet and refused to teach me the skills properly. Otherwise, I would have passed the Level 3 fitter exam long ago. Now that he's retired, he's still doing things that trample on people."
As Jia Dongxu muttered to himself, he picked up a cleaver and began chopping the cabbage stalks on the cutting board.
After learning the reason, Jia Zhangshi also added fuel to the fire, saying, "That old Yi is really wicked. He used to pretend to take care of our family, but what happened? Now you can't even pass the third-level worker exam, and the family is struggling to make ends meet."
"And that bastard Xu Damao, what's he so smug about? He got kicked in the groin by Sha Zhu so many times, his thing is probably already dead. He'll be childless sooner or later. He thinks he's someone special just because he's a mediator. He's so cocky, he'll suffer a lot in the future."
As Jia Zhangshi spoke, she wiped her nose with her greasy sleeve.
The temperature suddenly dropped these past two days, and she caught a cold.
Since the Jia family's relationship with Yi Zhonghai cooled, they have been struggling to make ends meet due to a lack of support. Jia Dongxu was penalized with a pay cut and demoted. Now they can barely afford vegetables and are on the verge of running out of food.
Qin Huairu, listening to the Jia family mother and son cursing Xu Damao and then Yi Zhonghai with such vile language, felt a little embarrassed.
"Mom, Dongxu, please stop scolding that old man. He's been good to our family, giving us plenty of food and helping us through many difficult times. We can't talk badly about him behind his back."
"You know nothing!"
Jia Zhangshi immediately started cursing at Qin Huairu, "Isn't Yi Zhonghai just trying to control Dongxu with this little bit of food? He doesn't teach Dongxu any real skills because of this idea. If Dongxu could pass the fifth or sixth grade worker exam, what kind of life would our family live? We would be eating meat every day, and we wouldn't need Yi Zhonghai's help with the mixed noodles!"
"In the end, Yi Zhonghai had no good intentions. If I had known it would turn out like this, I would never have let Dongxu become his apprentice. What bad luck!"
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