Siheyuan, my new life

In the front yard of Courtyard No. 95, five or six unemployed housewives gathered under the shade of a tree after lunch, chatting about family matters while busying themselves with their own work. Usually there are at least a dozen people coming here, but most of those who were not here today were because someone in their family was arrested last night and some felt embarrassed to see people, while others had gone out to seek help from their connections and had not returned yet.

This is the gathering place for aunties and grandmas who are good at spreading gossip. Often, many incredible gossips are quickly spread to the surrounding streets and alleys through here. The most popular topic today is, of course, what happened last night.

Just as the aunties and grandmas were chatting animatedly, someone with sharp eyes noticed that Yi Zhonghai, the manager of Courtyard No. 95, walked into the courtyard with a pale face and hurried steps.

The always quick-talking Third Auntie Yang Ruihua was the first to call out, "Uncle, why are you back so early today?"

Yi Zhonghai had no time to pay attention to these old women at this moment. He responded with a few words and quickly walked into the hanging flower gate leading to the central courtyard.

After entering the middle courtyard, Yi Zhonghai did not go home, but went directly to the backyard. He did not see his wife in the group of women chatting in the front yard just now. Obviously, she was most likely at the deaf old lady's house in the backyard at this time.

He walked quickly to the main house in the backyard where the deaf old lady lived. Sure enough, through the open door, he could see his wife sitting with the deaf old lady at the eight-immortal table and chatting.

Aunt Xiuqin heard hurried footsteps in the yard, looked up and saw her husband walking towards her in a hurry. She thought he was looking for her for something, so she quickly got up and walked out of the deaf old lady's house, greeted him, and whispered: "Zhonghai, why are you back at this time? What's the matter?"

Yi Zhonghai forced a smile and whispered, "I came back to discuss something with the old lady. I left in a hurry and left my cigarettes behind. Go to the supply and marketing cooperative and buy me a pack of cigarettes."

Although Xiuqin was full of doubts, she just agreed and walked out.

Yi Zhonghai walked into the deaf old lady's room in a few steps. Before he could speak, the deaf old lady smiled and said, "Zhonghai, you came back in such a hurry. Did something bad happen?" There was a hint of ridicule in her tone.

Yi Zhonghai sat down on the chair where his wife had just sat, grabbed the teacup on the table and drank a few sips directly, then he let out a long, rough breath and said in a low voice: "Old lady, something big has happened."

The deaf old lady restrained her smile and said with a bit of displeasure: "What big thing could happen? Is the sky falling or the ground sinking? You are so old, can't you be more stable?"

Yi Zhonghai smiled bitterly and said, "Old lady, it's not a big deal. I just heard a piece of news at the factory. Someone said that this morning, Lou Bancheng and Yang Weimin were arrested by the director of the security department, Lin Yu."

"What did you say?" The deaf old lady raised her voice in disbelief, "Zhong Hai, you are kidding, right? The famous Lou Bancheng is publicly recognized as a red capitalist by the higher-ups, and Yang Weimin is also the deputy director of the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill. How could Lin Yu, the director of the Security Department, arrest the two of them?"

Seeing the deaf old lady's expression change, Yi Zhonghai couldn't help but complain in his heart. She was just teaching him to be steady, but now after hearing this news, she didn't look any better.

Although he was complaining in his heart, Yi Zhonghai did not dare to be negligent. He whispered: "Old lady, this is absolutely true. After I sent you back this morning, I was afraid of being late for work, so I rushed to the steel mill without stopping. When I arrived at the factory gate, I found that in addition to the original security personnel, there were also many soldiers standing guard at the gate. Today, everyone entering the factory must be checked before being allowed in, and must show their work permit. If they do not bring their work permit, they must be personally confirmed by the workshop director before entering the factory. Less than half an hour after I entered the workshop, there were soldiers with live ammunition and people from the security department guarding the door of the workshop. No one was allowed to enter or leave without permission. At that time, the workers in the workshop were talking about it, but no one knew what had happened. At about 9:30 in the morning, the factory broadcast a notice saying that the army and the Criminal Investigation Department of the Municipal Public Security Bureau were jointly arresting saboteurs, so that the majority of workers could work with peace of mind. Some people in the workshop were very surprised. The person broadcasting on the loudspeaker today was neither the factory broadcaster nor any of the factory directors or deputy directors, but the director of the logistics department, Li Huaide. Another worker joked, "Are all the factory directors in our factory arrested? Otherwise, how could it be the turn of the director of the logistics department to speak on the radio? At that time, we all thought it was a joke. How could the factory director and deputy director of the factory be arrested?"

At this point, Yi Zhonghai picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea to moisten his throat before continuing to speak: "It was not until the bell for the end of get off work in the morning rang and we walked out of the workshop to go to the canteen for lunch that we discovered that the soldiers and security personnel who were originally at the door of the workshop had withdrawn. I usually eat in the second canteen closest to the workshop. Today, out of curiosity, I went to the first canteen closest to the factory office building, thinking of getting some news from the people in the office. When I arrived at the first canteen, I saw hundreds of soldiers eating in the canteen. Many workers and cadres had their meals taken back to eat. I bought the food and went to a corner to eat with a few workers. While eating, I kept an eye on the soldiers, hoping to hear some useful news from their conversation. Unfortunately, none of the soldiers spoke while eating. After eating, they washed their dishes and left the first canteen directly. I originally thought why There was no news to be found out. I was just about to finish my meal, wash my lunch box and leave, but who would have thought that several more soldiers and people from the Security Department would come in at this time. The soldiers went directly to the second floor, and the people from the Security Department got their food and started eating. A worker at a table near me was a neighbor of a security guard from the Security Department who was having dinner there. He directly called the security guard over and asked him about what happened in the factory this morning. So I continued to eat slowly while listening carefully to their conversation. According to the security guard, Director Lin of the Security Department arrested a lot of people in the factory this morning, including not only the famous Lou Bancheng, but also Deputy Directors Yang Weimin and Dong Dongliang, and more than 30 people including the former Chief of the Security Department Lian. Many people were also arrested in the smelting workshop, forging workshop, fleet, technical department and warehouse. It is said that Lou Bancheng was the leader of the collusion between internal and external forces to steal and sell special steel."

Yi Zhonghai shuddered when he said this. When he heard that Lou Bancheng and Yang Weimin were arrested, he almost peed himself. In fact, Yi Zhonghai did not tell the deaf old lady the truth just now. He did not go directly to the canteen.

When the bell rang for the end of get off work, Yi Zhonghai found that the soldiers and security guards who were guarding the workshop door had all withdrawn. He did not go to the cafeteria to eat first, but went directly to the office building.

This morning, Yi Zhonghai went to Lou Zhenhua's house at No. 58 Dongjiaomin Lane with the deaf old lady on his back, but he got nothing. He originally planned to take the opportunity to get to know the famous Lou Bancheng, but unfortunately the deaf old lady had no intention of introducing him and kept him outside the door.

Yi Zhonghai was very angry as his wish was completely shattered. He realized clearly that the deaf old lady did not trust him and was even wary of him.

Yi Zhonghai was annoyed but could only rage helplessly, and he did not dare to let the deaf old lady notice anything unusual. He had noticed this morning that Lou Bancheng's housekeeper was very respectful when facing the deaf old lady.

Yi Zhonghai was a smart man. Just from the attitude of the housekeeper of Lou Bancheng's family, he could tell that the deaf old lady was extraordinary. You know, even the housekeeper of Lou's family was considered a great figure outside. Such a person whom he needed to look up to was so cautious in front of the deaf old lady. From this, it can be concluded that the deaf old lady was definitely a big person with real status and position. Obviously, he had underestimated her before.

Yi Zhonghai had been thinking about how to gain benefits with the help of the deaf old lady's power this morning. He didn't care about the existence of the soldiers outside at all. After all, if you don't do anything wrong, you don't have to be afraid of ghosts knocking on your door. He has always been working diligently and conscientiously in the steel rolling mill. Even if something happens to someone in the factory, it won't be his fault.

After a whole morning of deep thought, Yi Zhonghai finally decided to take advantage of the situation. Since the deaf old lady asked Lou Bancheng to ask Deputy Director Yang Weimin for help, he could completely approach Deputy Director Yang under the banner of the deaf old lady. You must know that as the deputy director in charge of production, Yang Weimin is definitely a powerful figure in the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill. As long as he has the opportunity to get to know him, Yi Zhonghai believes that he will be able to get enough benefits.

As for whether the deaf old lady would notice, Yi Zhonghai was not too worried. As she grew older, the deaf old lady rarely went out, and even if she did, she would usually let him carry her on his back like he did this morning.