As the movie's plot gradually reached its climax, Xu Damao's narration added the finishing touch, immersing the neighbors in the story.
Suddenly, the image on the screen flickered a few times, then went completely black.
A gasp rippled through the crowd, and someone shouted, "What's going on? The power's out?"
Yan Bugui hurriedly stood up, "This is terrible! Everyone was enjoying watching this."
"Everyone, don't panic. Guangtian, go check the electrical box to see if the circuit breaker has tripped."
Liu Haizhong shouted at Liu Guangtian.
At this point, some of the children started to cry, and the women comforted them.
A short while later, Liu Guangtian ran back, shouting, "It's fixed! The circuit breaker tripped!"
As the lights came back on and the movie resumed, everyone sat down again, their emotions even higher than before, having just experienced a minor incident.
As the movie drew to a close, the snacks were sold out. Yan Bugui counted the small bills in his hand, grinning from ear to ear. "This little stall is really profitable."
Yan Bugui, Auntie Yi, and Auntie Er gathered together to tally up their profits and found that they had made quite a bit.
Everyone was very excited and discussed adding more types of snacks for similar events in the future.
Finally, when the movie ended, the entire audience erupted in enthusiastic applause.
As the neighbors from the nearby courtyards left with their benches and stools, the residents of the compound began to pack up their belongings and went home to rest contentedly.
As for the melon seeds and peanut shells scattered all over the courtyard, Liu Guangtian and others will clean them up tomorrow.
The night was made exceptionally beautiful by the movie; the courtyard was filled with laughter and a warm, pleasant atmosphere. Everyone was extremely satisfied with this innovative move.
Wang Dabao and Wang Tiangao returned to the house. Wang Tiangao's mood remained unsettled for a long time: "Dabao, life in the city is really exciting. In the past, once it got dark, you couldn't see a single person in our village. But in the city, everyone sleeps so late."
"Everyone is staying up late today because of the movie screening; it's just like usual in the village."
Wang Dabao explained to Wang Tiangao, "Alright, go to sleep now. I'll take you through the onboarding process tomorrow."
After lying down, Wang Tiangao was wide awake and kept asking Wang Dabao all sorts of questions, such as: Who was that young wife with three children? Who was that big girl sitting next to Sha Zhu? And who was that girl with braided pigtails?
Wang Dabao's head was spinning from the questions, and in the end, he could only gloss over the situation with a snoring sound.
The next day, Wang Dabao helped Wang Tiangao complete the onboarding procedures smoothly, and then, led by the head of the Political and Duty Section, they went to the Housing Management Section.
Wang Tiangao was assigned a side room, not far from the Hongxing Courtyard, only a ten-minute walk away.
The two were busy until noon before they finished cleaning up the side room. Afterwards, Wang Dabao took his uncle to a state-run restaurant for a meal, which broadened Wang Tiangao's horizons once again.
Now Wang Dabao is Wang Tiangao's immediate supervisor, and he gave him two days off, telling him to buy his daily necessities before going back to work.
Before leaving, Wang Dabao left behind a number of receipts and then returned to the steel rolling mill.
Meanwhile, at the factory, Yi Zhonghai was having a lively conversation with Director Zhou.
Director Zhou chuckled: "Old Yi, everyone's been looking forward to the announcement of the lecture this afternoon. I see quite a few people have even prepared some questions to ask you!"
Yi Zhonghai humbly replied, "Director Zhou, I dare not accept everyone's questions. I will do my best to answer my colleagues' questions to the best of my ability. I just wanted to make a contribution to the workshop."
"Old Yi, I've always said that among these senior workers, you have the highest level of awareness."
Director Zhou took out a pack of cigarettes and handed it to Yi Zhonghai, saying, "The factory has decided to give you a reward after the lecture."
Yi Zhonghai quickly waved his hand: "Director Zhou, that won't do. I'm not giving lectures for rewards. I'm satisfied as long as I get your and the factory leaders' approval."
In the afternoon, the workers entered the fitter's workshop one after another.
When Yi Zhonghai entered the workshop, the space reserved for his lecture was already full of people.
He stepped onto the podium, cleared his throat, and began to speak.
I was a little nervous at first, but the more I spoke, the smoother it became.
He explained things in a simple and easy-to-understand way, and many workers listened with great interest, nodding frequently. His fellow workers also asked questions from time to time to interact with him.
Jia Dongxu was among them. Looking at Yi Zhonghai on the podium, he felt disdain and thought that he would surpass this old guy sooner or later.
As Yi Zhonghai explained some key technical points, the other workers took careful notes, but Jia Dongxu crossed his arms and smiled slightly. If you gave him a tail, he would definitely unconsciously curl it up.
Yi Zhonghai's gaze swept over unintentionally, only to see Jia Dongxu looking distracted.
Yi Zhonghai calmly called Jia Dongxu over and deliberately asked a rather difficult question, which happened to involve the key points he had just explained.
After Jia Dongxu stood up, he was completely stunned and stammered, unable to answer.
His fellow workers all looked at him with schadenfreude. He couldn't even answer his master's question; he was sure to be in big trouble later.
At this moment, Yi Zhonghai said seriously, "Dongxu, don't be arrogant and complacent just because you have some skills. The sea of knowledge is boundless."
Jia Dongxu's face turned bright red, and he lowered his head, feeling resentful but daring not to show it.
The lesson was surprisingly effective, and Yi Zhonghai won praise from his fellow workers.
Yi Zhonghai was secretly delighted, his face beaming with pride, feeling that he was one step closer to his goal. He thought that this time he would definitely gain more respect in the factory, and his words would carry more weight in the compound in the future.
Even after the lecture ended, many workers surrounded Yi Zhonghai, asking him all sorts of questions and showering him with compliments, which inflated his vanity.
Jia Dongxu leaned over to his three senior colleagues and whispered, "Look at our master, he's practically a star employee in the workshop now. Although the three of us copied down what he taught us beforehand, he never actually taught us any of it."
After hearing Jia Dongxu's words, the three of them looked rather grim.
This is not their fault. Yi Zhonghai was very secretive about his skills before. The most capable of his four apprentices is now only a third-level worker.
The group was always mistaken for not working hard enough. There was an eighth-level craftsman who had been stuck at the third-level and second-level craftsman positions for many years, but little did people know that this craftsman did not teach any real skills.
The eldest disciple snorted coldly and glanced at Jia Dongxu: "You and Master are from the same courtyard and have such a good relationship. Master treats you like half a son. How could he not teach you real skills?"
"Come on."
Jia Dongxu sneered, "I don't have anything more than you guys. I still won't teach you if I shouldn't. I don't know what he's thinking. Does he want to take all his skills to his grave?!"
Jia Dongxu's words startled the three senior brothers.
They dared not speak ill of Yi Zhonghai in front of Jia Dongxu, fearing it would reach their master's ears, but they never expected Jia Dongxu to be so direct.
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