Chapter 776: Early Morning Farce
He Daqing, who was still asleep in the early morning, was awakened by a loud knock on the door. He frowned and shouted impatiently, "Who is so unfortunate to report a death so early in the morning? Who died in your family?"
According to the rules of the old city, when you knock on someone's door, you usually knock on the door knocker first, which means to alert the owner that someone is coming, and then knock twice in succession; if you knock continuously at the beginning, it means to announce a death.
It’s no wonder that He Daqing got angry after seeing the person knocking on the door so repeatedly.
After putting on his clothes and walking to the door, He Daqing opened the door with a gloomy face, and saw Zhou Erniu's wife and her daughter standing in front of him, both of whom also had unhappy expressions.
Without waiting for the other party to speak, He Daqing directly scolded: "Do you two know the rules? Is it normal to knock on the door like you? What do you mean by this? How did I, He Daqing, offend your Zhou family? Let you two block the door early in the morning to announce the death of my family?"
In Courtyard No. 95, only the central courtyard has running water. Every morning, residents who need to go to work early will gather here to wash their faces and brush their teeth. With He Daqing's roar just now, many residents who were washing by the sink in the central courtyard have stopped what they were doing and are gathering here curiously. It's still early now, so it's a good time to watch the excitement.
At this time, the residents who were ready to watch the fun could not help but whisper when they heard what He Daqing said. They had also heard the sound of Zhou's mother and daughter knocking on the door just now. It was indeed rude. If the owner didn't care, it would be nothing. But it was obvious that He Daqing did not intend to ignore it today.
Zhou Erniu's wife said gloomily, "He Daqing, we have something urgent to discuss with you."
How could He Daqing not know the purpose of this strange mother and son, so he refused straightforwardly: "Daughter-in-law of the Zhou family, ever since Zhou Erniu of your family forced me to find the street office to arrange a job for your family, there is nothing to say between us. You don't have to say anything. I, He Daqing, am not a cheap bone, and I can't afford your Zhou family. There is nothing to say between us. Go back to where you came from."
Zhou Erniu's wife stared at him and asked loudly, "He Daqing, they say that distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors. Our courtyard has always been a place of mutual assistance and solidarity. You are a cadre now, and we old neighbors ask you for a small favor, but you have this attitude. Do you look down on us poor people?"
He Daqing sneered and said, "Don't use Yi Zhonghai's words to make things worse. I have already made it very clear just now. Your Zhou family is a bad neighbor. I can't afford to marry you. It's best for us to never have anything to do with each other. I have lived in this courtyard at No. 95 for so many years, and this is the first time I have seen such an attitude when asking for help. Please go back, no matter what the Zhou family's problem is, I will not help even if I can."
Zhou Hongjun suppressed his anger and quickly stopped his mother from speaking. He said with a fake smile, "Uncle He, we really need your help. My mother has a bad attitude. I apologize to you here. We really have a very important matter and we want to ask you for help."
He Daqing sneered and said, "Hongjun, I can guess why you two are here. Isn't it because Zhou Erniu was caught by the Security Department for stealing materials from the steel mill? Today I will tell you the truth. It's useless for you to ask anyone for help. Director Qin of the Security Department even rejected Secretary Chang and Director Liu of the steel mill yesterday evening. The leaders above have directly instructed that the illegal and criminal workers of the Red Star Steel Mill who refuse to change after repeated warnings will be severely punished. You two should go home and wait patiently for news."
The residents who were watching the excitement nearby were talking about it in surprise. The news of the surprise inspection by the Security Department of the Red Star Steel Mill yesterday evening had already spread throughout the courtyard as the workers returned from get off work. They also knew that Zhou Erniu from the front yard and Yu Kangning from the back yard were both arrested by the Security Department for stealing materials from the steel mill. When they heard what He Daqing said, some people were looking at Zhou Erniu's wife and her daughter with gloating eyes. The quick-witted residents could already imagine what would happen to the Zhou family.
At this time, Yue Xiangqian came over and said with a smile: "Director He, Zhou Erniu and Yu Kangning are our neighbors after all. You work in the cafeteria of the Security Department, so you must have a say with the leaders of the Security Department. I would like to trouble you to say a few good words for them."
To be honest, if Yue Xiangqian had not been in front of the courtyard manager, he would never have said this. He had just seen Zhou Erniu's wife and her mother's actions, and he couldn't help but curse in his heart, "Are you two mentally ill? If you want to ask He Daqing for help, how can you bang on the door so early in the morning? Besides, don't you know the tense relationship with He Daqing?"
He Daqing shook his head helplessly. "Old Yue, although I am not a big shot whose words are always on the line, I will not lie to you about this kind of thing. If you go to work at the steel mill today, you will find out by asking around. Yesterday evening, Director Qin of the Security Department really rejected Secretary Chang, Director Liu, and several other factory leaders in public at the gate. Think about it carefully. If there was no instruction from a big leader, why would Director Qin not give any face to all the factory leaders of the steel mill?"
Yue Xiangqian couldn't help but take a breath after hearing this. If this was really the case, then Zhou Erniu and Yu Kangning would probably be doomed this time. He would not suspect that He Daqing was lying about such a thing. After all, if Director Qin of the Security Department really had directly rejected the faces of all the leaders of the steel rolling mill at the gate, then as soon as work started this morning, this matter would quickly spread throughout the factory.
Thinking of this, Yue Xiangqian sighed softly, shook his head, turned and walked towards his home.
Just now, Yue Xiangqian asked He Daqing for mercy, and Zhou Erniu's wife and her mother couldn't help showing a hint of joy on their faces. In their minds, He Daqing had to give the steward some face. But now seeing Yue Xiangqian leaving directly, Zhou Erniu's wife immediately shouted: "Second Uncle, you are the steward of the courtyard, how can you not care about our Erniu's affairs?"
Yue Xiangqian almost stumbled and fell, and said without turning his head: "Are you two mentally ill? Even Secretary Chang and Director Liu of the Red Star Steel Mill were rejected by Director Qin of the Security Department. I, the manager of the courtyard No. 95, am nothing! Don't forget that I am just an ordinary worker in the steel mill!" After that, I walked straight into his home.