"Master Yi, wait for me," Jia Dongxu chased from behind, panting.
Yi Zhonghai heard his voice, slowed his steps, and waited for him to catch up: "Dongxu, what do you need me for?"
Jia Dongxu took a moment to compose himself before speaking: "Master Yi, I saw everything that just happened. I think Sha Zhu was in the wrong. As the saying goes, distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors. You were concerned about him just now, how could he not appreciate it?
However, Sha Zhu has the personality of a simpleton; he doesn't know what's good for him, so don't be angry. I originally wanted to come out and help you just now, but my mother stopped me. She said everyone is a neighbor, and it wouldn't be good for me to help anyone."
Yi Zhonghai felt quite relieved, thinking that someone finally understood his thoughts. This child in front of him was much better than Sha Zhu. The only drawback was having such a troublesome mother. But he couldn't be blamed for that; who could dislike their own mother?
On the contrary, for Jia Dongxu to be so reasonable despite facing a mother who was constantly causing trouble was very rare.
Sha Zhu wasn't even fit to carry Jia Dongxu's shoes.
Yi Zhonghai's bad mood was driven away by Jia Dongxu, and he chatted cheerfully with him before they entered the workshop together.
There were many workers in the workshop, and they were very surprised to see Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu walking in, chatting and laughing.
Yi Zhonghai was always known for his strictness at the Rolling Mill, and he rarely interacted with the apprentices. Among the hundreds of apprentices at the Rolling Mill, not a single one had ever caught his eye.
Could it be that Jia Dongxu had caught his eye?
Those workers quietly discussed among themselves, and the managers in the workshop were also whispering.
Especially the team leader responsible for managing apprentices like Jia Dongxu, his attitude towards Jia Dongxu made a ninety-degree turn. He didn't assign him too much work today.
Those who worked with Jia Dongxu not only weren't angry about this but also tried to curry favor with Jia Dongxu at every turn.
Jia Dongxu was a clever child and quickly guessed the reason from what those people said. When everyone asked, he told them that he lived opposite Yi Zhonghai.
Not only that, but he also helped Yi Zhonghai gain a good reputation by telling them about how he took care of the Deaf Old Lady.
For a time, everyone was filled with respect for Yi Zhonghai.
When this matter reached Yi Zhonghai's ears, he was even more satisfied with Jia Dongxu. When he saw Jia Dongxu, he even showed concern for him with a few words.
Everyone saw this as proof of Jia Dongxu's good relationship with Yi Zhonghai, so no one made things difficult for Jia Dongxu anymore.
Jia Dongxu's work became easier, and his heart was filled with gratitude for Yi Zhonghai. When it was time for lunch, he specifically stayed by Yi Zhonghai's side, helping him queue and reserving a seat for him.
Yi Zhonghai's vanity was greatly satisfied, enjoying the treatment Jia Dongxu brought him, while also observing Jia Dongxu.
In a place they didn't notice, a forty-something old worker watched everything unfold.
He was older than Yi Zhonghai, but his skills were far inferior to Yi Zhonghai's; at most, he could be considered an intermediate worker, nowhere near a Master Craftsman like Yi Zhonghai.
Sha Zhu arrived at the Emei Restaurant with the wine and, as He Daqing instructed, gave the wine to Wu Bangming.
Wu Bangming held the two bottles of wine, a look of nostalgia in his eyes: "Zhu Zi, do you know the origin of these two bottles of wine?"
Sha Zhu shook his head: "My father never told me."
Wu Bangming sighed: "These were given to your father by your master's father when your mother and your father got married. These two bottles of wine carry blessings for your mother."
Sha Zhu didn't have many memories of his mother. Most of his memories were about the 'Old Age Care Group' and Qin Huairu, such as how the 'Old Age Care Group' took care of him, how good they were to him, how beautiful Qin Huairu was, and so on…
On his mother's side, there were no more relatives, so after He Daqing left, Yi Zhonghai and others had enough time and opportunity to trick Sha Zhu, and successfully tricked Sha Zhu into becoming a cripple.
Wu Bangming was not in the mood to say too much: "I'll keep these two bottles of wine for you. When you get married, I'll give them to you as a wedding gift."
He put the wine away, then turned to Sha Zhu and said: "Since you are my apprentice, you must follow my rules. Just cook, and don't inquire about guests."
"This 'don't inquire about guests' not only requires you not to pry and reveal the guests' identities; it also requires you to put your heart into it, no matter who is eating."
"Always remember that diligently cooking is a chef's duty."
This was something Sha Zhu had not learned.
Sha Zhu only understood the first meaning of this sentence but did not understand the latter. If he had understood it earlier, he wouldn't have had such a miserable time at the Rolling Mill. As the Rolling Mill's only head chef, he worked there for more than ten years and only became an Eighth Grade Worker.
"Alright, go and get to work!"
For the next period, Sha Zhu found that Wu Bangming assigned him more work.
This was clearly a form of training for him.
Although he was already familiar with these exercises relying on the memories in his mind, he did not refuse.
He was too young, and his true skill couldn't be revealed. Once those things were revealed, even if he could fool Wu Bangming, he couldn't fool He Daqing.
Only when He Daqing left earlier could his life become comfortable. He hoped the 'Old Age Care Group' would be more effective and get He Daqing to leave sooner.
The original body was a muddlehead and had no idea when the 'Old Age Care Group' was formed, or when they set their sights on He Daqing.
He could only rely on his memories and He Daqing's actions to determine when He Daqing would leave.
At this time, the Deaf Old Lady was not idle; she was also looking for a way to break the situation. She was old now and had to quickly trick a fool to live comfortably in her old age.
In the entire Siheyuan (Courtyard), the most suitable person was He Daqing, but obviously, that scoundrel He Daqing would not accept.
Besides He Daqing, there was only Yi Zhonghai. Xu Fugui, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui's families were not even in her consideration. Jia Dongxu was good, but he had a troublesome mother, and she wasn't confident she could control Jia Dongxu.
The Deaf Old Lady, deep in thought, was walking on the street when she suddenly heard a quarrel ahead.
"Comrade, you've really misunderstood. I didn't intentionally bump into your wife just now. I was just thinking about something and wasn't paying attention."
"Misunderstand my ass. If you didn't do it on purpose, could your whole body have fallen onto my wife? I think you did it on purpose. You wanted to take advantage of my wife."
The Deaf Old Lady saw that the person hastily explaining was well-dressed and had a good demeanor. Such a person was clearly not an ordinary person, at least a leading cadre.
In the Deaf Old Lady's opinion, such a person shouldn't intentionally take advantage of others.
Looking at the person arguing with him, wasn't that the hooligan from the Lane entrance? He probably saw that this person was a stranger and wanted to take advantage.
Having made a judgment about the situation in her heart, the Deaf Old Lady also decided what to do. When the Jiefang Army entered Beijing, many people were too scared to approach them, but she bravely approached them and helped them. Because of this, she established connections with those people. Now, those people were all officials in various military districts. Relying on this favor, she now received Government relief.
From these matters, the Deaf Old Lady realized that befriending people in the Government would bring great benefits.
The person in front of her was clearly in trouble. If she stepped in to help him resolve it at this moment, it would be like sending charcoal in the snow.
She understood the people in the Government very well; they would remember any small kindness. Especially since she was an Old Lady, those people wouldn't be on guard at all, and this favor would be magnified.