Siheyuan: I just came across and wanted to chase me away

Chapter 1187 Lu Jia's Little Thoughts

Hearing this, Lu Jia felt even more nauseous, but she still nodded, her eyes flickering, as if she had mentioned it casually: "Alright, I understand. By the way, didn't Gu Nan go out to study? It's been quite quiet in the courtyard these past few days. I was thinking that Sister Qiu Ye must be feeling a bit lonely taking care of the child alone, so I'm planning to visit her more often, keep her company, and help her with the child."

He Yuzhu didn't think much of it, assuming she genuinely wanted to be friends with Ran Qiuye, and casually replied, "Sure, you two are good friends, it's only right that you visit each other more often. Qiuye is an honest person, just a bit too reserved."

He paused, then suddenly lowered his voice, leaned closer to Lu Jia, and said with a hint of schadenfreude in his eyes, "But Lu Jia, I have something to tell you—Gu Nan went out this time, supposedly to study, but actually… it was specially arranged by Director Zhu! It's all over the factory. Director Zhu just wants to take over his power while he's away and teach him a lesson!"

He Yuzhu became more and more smug as he spoke, his mouth almost stretching to his ears: "You know, with his stubborn nature, he's offended a lot of people in the factory. If he falls this time, he'll probably have a hard time getting back up! Then..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Jia suddenly chuckled, her voice soft but carrying an inexplicable strangeness.

He Yuzhu was taken aback by her sudden laughter, and scratched his head: "What are you laughing at? Am I wrong?"

Lu Jia quickly composed herself, picked up the bowl of porridge on the table, and gently stirred it with a spoon, trying to cover up her feelings. "It's nothing, I just think you're overthinking it. Gu Nan is so shrewd, how could he be so easily dealt with? Let's eat, the food is getting cold."

But in her heart, she was already overjoyed.

If Gu Nan really falls from grace, Ran Qiuye, a woman raising a child alone, will face even greater difficulties without a man's support. I should help her out—bring her food, lend a hand with the child, and comfort the crying baby at night… Ran Qiuye will definitely be grateful. When Gu Nan returns and sees how good I am to his wife and child, he might lower his guard and treat me like a genuine neighbor.

As long as he lets his guard down...

Lu Jia kept her eyes lowered, and no one saw the icy killing intent that flashed across her eyes for a moment. Her hands, hidden in her sleeves, clenched tightly, her nails almost digging into her flesh.

When the time comes, it will be time to do it yourself.

She wanted to kill Gu Nan with her own hands to avenge her unjustly killed brother!

Once the thought popped into her head, it spread wildly in her mind like weeds in a field. The more Lu Jia thought about it, the more flawless the plan seemed, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly again. This time, however, she hid it very well, so He Yuzhu didn't see it.

Gu Nan, Gu Nan... your death is not far off.

He Yuzhu said nothing, simply sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), too lazy to even take off his shoes, stretched his legs out on the ground, and sighed heavily. He was truly exhausted. The work in the factory's kitchen was piling up. Although he was just a step away from becoming the head chef, he had very few capable subordinates—either slow or lazy. From monitoring the weights when purchasing and inspecting goods, to overseeing the heat when cooking, and then checking the oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar after work, he had to do everything himself. At the end of the day, his arms ached so much he could barely lift them, and he was too lazy to even move his fingers. Leaning back on the kang, he felt a deep, bone-deep fatigue.

Not to mention weekends. He barely gets a chance to rest before having to figure out how to take on a few "side jobs" – if someone's getting married or having a daughter married off, he'd cook, earning a few cents for each meal, enough to buy candy for Qin Huairu's kids a couple of times. The rest of the time, he had to deal with Qin Huairu's side. One day she'd say the window hinges were loose, so he'd go and tighten them; the next day she'd say the kids were craving meat, so he'd get a couple extra meat buns from the cafeteria and send them over. Before long, he was like a wound-up top, constantly spinning. He'd fall asleep almost immediately after his head hit the pillow, his snores gently echoing in the small room, mingling with the chirping of insects outside.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and the factory's appointment finally came down—He Yuzhu became the head chef of the steel rolling mill canteen. Holding the red booklet in his hand, the three words "Appointment Letter" in gold foil were dazzling, and his salary also increased, five yuan more than before. This was a big deal in the courtyard, because an ordinary worker only earned thirty or forty yuan a month, and five yuan was enough to buy half a bag of flour.

He walks with a swagger now, chin slightly raised, exuding an indescribable smugness. After all, not only did he get a raise, but he's also become Director Zhu Tao's favorite. For all kinds of banquets and entertaining guests at the factory, he's the designated chef. Even the director praises his braised pork knuckle as a masterpiece. In the courtyard, he's all set for himself—who doesn't know how successful he's become? Everyone greets him politely as "Chef He," and even Uncle San will offer him a cigarette. His attitude is ten times warmer than before.

That day, He Yuzhu returned to the courtyard house and bumped into Yan Bugui, who was about to leave, just as he turned into the middle courtyard. The second uncle was carrying a blue cloth bag, with half a scallion leaf sticking out of the opening, looking like he was going to the evening market to grab a bargain.

Yan Bugui squinted at him, noticing that he was wearing brand-new blue overalls with a red armband that read "Cabinet Chef" on his sleeve. He immediately smiled and said, "Zhuzi, you've been coming back quite early lately. At this time before, weren't you still busy finishing up at the factory?"

He Yuzhu leaned against the door frame, grinning widely with a hint of smugness: "I'm the head chef at the steel rolling mill now, overseeing several chefs. I can arrange all the work properly, so naturally I can leave early. Unlike before, when I had to carry everything myself and couldn't even leave the factory until dark."

Yan Bugui's heart skipped a beat, and his smile froze. He knew that Gu Nan was the deputy factory director, in charge of production and logistics. Logically, the canteen should be under Gu Nan's management, so how could He Yuzhu have so easily become the head chef? This didn't make sense. His eyes darted around, but he still voiced his doubts: "Yuzhu, so your relationship with Gu Nan... has it reconciled? Otherwise, as the deputy factory director, would he let you become the head chef so easily?"

He Yuzhu had just had a couple of drinks with his apprentices at the factory today, and his face was slightly flushed. Coupled with his recent string of successes, he had long since lost his former fear of Gu Nan. He scoffed, his voice rising several decibels, as if he wanted everyone in the factory to hear: "Gu Nan? He's hardly favored at the steel rolling mill these days! You don't know, the one who calls the shots in the factory now is Director Zhu Tao. Gu Nan's position as deputy director is just a title; his words don't carry much weight!"

Yan Bugui's eyes lit up, and he quickly leaned forward, lowering his voice to ask, "Zhu Zi, are you saying... Gu Nan isn't in power right now? And Director Zhu values ​​you more?"