Before heading out, he brought along his childhood slingshot, intending to use it to ping the windows at Lou Xiaoe’s home. The very thought made him chuckle.
Good things truly come in pairs. No sooner had He Yuzhu arrived at the plant than Director Li approached him with a letter of appointment. Director Li was beaming; he had always addressed He Yuzhu as "Shazhu"—just as casually as any other worker—but today, he greeted him with unusual courtesy: "Yuzhu."
He Yuzhu immediately tensed up. He had beaten this man up just recently, and for this old guy to not only hold no grudge but be so polite—he was definitely up to no good. However, He Yuzhu had misread Director Li’s intentions.
"Yuzhu, congratulations! From now on, we’re colleagues!" Director Li’s voice was filled with genuine joy.
He Yuzhu was stunned. How could a mere cook stand on equal footing with a high-level official like Director Li?
Director Li cleared his throat and held up the paper in his hand. "Comrades from the logistics department, Comrade He Yuzhu’s performance while screening the film last night was truly outstanding, and the plant leadership has recognized it. Everyone agrees that his performance during his time as head of the kitchen staff has been exemplary. Therefore, it has been decided that he will be appointed as the Deputy Director of the Steel Mill, specifically in charge of logistics. Let’s have a round of applause!"
The kitchen staff erupted into applause. Even though He Yuzhu was long-winded and often annoying, he was sincere. He always shared his extra rations with them, and for the past six months, he hadn’t touched a single scrap of leftovers, leaving them all for others. This had deeply touched the workers.
What they didn’t know was that He Yuzhu was a transmigrator from the future; how could he possibly eat someone else’s leftovers? Besides, he didn’t need the food anyway. All in all, everyone was happy that He Yuzhu had become a logistics leader; it meant their lives would likely improve.
Director Li was a shrewd man. Despite their previous friction, he knew that Director Yang himself had personally handpicked He Yuzhu for this promotion. With his keen sense, Director Li concluded that He Yuzhu must have deep ties to Director Yang and that his future was boundless! Even though he was still He Yuzhu’s superior, he decided to drop his ego and win him over.
He Yuzhu held no deep hatred for Director Li; he had just been annoyed by the man’s tendency to take liberties with women. After the announcement, He Yuzhu expressed his gratitude and handed over a small bag of tea. This made Director Li very happy—no wonder Director Yang liked him; this way of doing things was truly admirable. Furthermore, He Yuzhu’s way of giving a gift was so subtle that it didn’t feel like a bribe at all; it was as natural as a friend passing a pack of cigarettes. Director Li felt he had learned a lot from He Yuzhu.
After Director Li left, Master Yang, Liu Lan, and Mahua all came over to congratulate him. He Yuzhu smiled and accepted their well-wishes. He didn’t particularly care about the title, but he felt that this status would allow him more freedom in his daily life. Besides, if he didn’t manage his social circle well, he might run into trouble later. As someone who had been through life, if he didn’t even have that much foresight, he would have lived in vain.
There were no catering tasks that noon, so the kitchen only needed to prepare standard big-pot meals. The cooking was simple, and Master Yang and the others could handle it, but everyone had grown accustomed to He Yuzhu’s cooking; if someone else took over, the workers would surely complain. He Yuzhu felt helpless about this; it was the burden of being a master of his craft. He had some free time now, but what if he became busy in the future? Would he have to cook for them forever? He Yuzhu felt a bit troubled; his culinary skills weren't something just anyone could pick up. He was currently trying to train Mahua, hoping he would grow quickly. Master Yang and the others had tried to learn from him, but none had succeeded. Mahua was clever, and He Yuzhu had high hopes for him. Mahua was not only smart but also deeply respectful of his teacher, viewing He Yuzhu’s status as even higher than that of the plant director.
After resting for a bit following lunch and delegating some tasks, He Yuzhu left the plant early. As planned, he rode his bike to Lou Xiaoe’s home. Her house was a luxury villa. He circled the place for a long time before he finally spotted her at a window. He couldn’t think of a proper excuse to visit, so he pulled out his slingshot to try his luck. People back then often used such tools. However, He Yuzhu’s marksmanship was mediocre; he missed the target five or six times in a row. He persisted and fired four more shots, finally hitting the edge of the window frame—though not where he had intended.
"Where is that hooligan from?"
A car pulled up to the curb at that moment, the window rolled down, and an elegant, middle-aged woman leaned out to shout.
*Oh no...* He Yuzhu was mortified. That was Lou Xiaoe’s mother. He had always been composed regardless of who he faced, but now he was in a panic. Without a second thought, he turned around and bolted. After running for several minutes, he sat by the side of the road, gasping for air. The date he had looked forward to was ruined. He felt a wave of shame—not out of shyness, but because he felt like he had acted like a fool. It was truly embarrassing.
But what could he do? Although he had mastered many skills, he had zero romantic experience in his previous life. After resting for a while, he trudged back, sullen. He had to go back; his bicycle was still left near Lou Xiaoe’s place.
After retrieving his bike, seeing that it was still early, he decided to head to Beihai Park to get some exercise. He hadn’t trained much over the past few days and wanted to stretch his limbs. For now, he had only mastered Baji Quan. It was a close-quarters boxing style—simple in movement but incredibly powerful, focusing on close-range fighting and rapid counter-attacks. As he practiced, his power surged from his heels, traveled through his waist, and reached his fingertips. Every strike carried a muffled whistle of wind, proving his technique was already quite proficient.
After finishing the set, He Yuzhu opened his Baji Quan skill panel:
**Boxing Style:** Baji Quan
**Level:** Silver High (660/1000)
He needed over 300 more skill points to level up. He nodded in satisfaction. According to the System, Silver High was the level of a martial arts expert, and if he could reach Bronze Low, he would be considered a hidden master. He had once asked Elder Uncle about it, and the old man said he had only seen two such hidden masters in his entire life; as for whether anyone stronger existed today, he didn't know.
After resting, He Yuzhu went to Jingxin Studio to see if that girl was around. Regrettably, he didn't run into her. This puzzled him. It was currently the holiday season, and it was obvious she had only been able to visit the park because of the break, so why did she stop appearing after a few visits? He Yuzhu didn't feel disappointed. Everything is about the process; if one only cared about the outcome, the very concept of romance wouldn't exist. You might as well skip marriage entirely and head to a brothel like in ancient times.
He Yuzhu hopped back on his bike and headed home. At the entrance of the Siheyuan, almost all the residents were gathered, waiting for Shazhu’s return. They had heard that Shazhu had been promoted to a logistics position—a real, substantive job. Elder Uncle wasn't the type to take advantage of others, but seeing Shazhu’s promotion, he felt a sense of pride and agreed to Second Uncle’s proposal to line up and greet him.
Inside the courtyard, Qin Huairu and Qin Jingru were doing laundry.
"Jingru, when Shazhu gets back, you must thank him properly. If it weren't for him, you’d probably be done for by now."
"Mm." Qin Jingru seemed a bit distracted.
"You have to seize this opportunity. You should be able to see it by now—Shazhu is actually quite an excellent man."
"I know that!"
"Then why did you go to those places with Xu Damao?"
"That..." Qin Jingru was a bit annoyed, but she didn’t want to argue with her cousin, as she was a guest in her home. "Cousin, I want to ask you something, and I hope you'll tell me the truth."
"What is it?" Qin Huairu looked up, a flash of doubt in her eyes.
"Cousin, I believe you, but Xu Damao swears up and down that it's true, and he even told me to ask the three uncles about it. It’s driving me crazy."
Qin Huairu realized what Qin Jingru was going to ask and grew very nervous, though she maintained a calm exterior. "Can you believe anything Xu Damao says? He never blushes when he lies."
"I believe you, Cousin." Qin Jingru, while a bit slow, understood that once things were laid bare, there would be no turning back. Besides, even if something had happened between them, as long as He Yuzhu was willing to marry her, she didn't care.
"You have to grasp this opportunity. Our family will need your help in the future! I’m alone with three children and an elderly woman; I really can’t hold on much longer."
"Cousin, why don’t you consider marrying someone else?"
"It’s not shameful to tell you this. How could I not want to? But if I remarry, what would happen to the children’s future? I’m afraid they’d suffer. Besides, the children’s grandmother won’t agree."
"That old woman—she seems untrustworthy. Why do you listen to her?"
"You're still young. If I don't manage this, the whole neighborhood will talk behind my back. Then, life will be even harder."
Qin Jingru couldn't understand Qin Huairu’s logic at all. If it were her, she would have sent the old woman back to the countryside immediately. She realized then that it was no wonder Qin Huairu wanted her to marry Shazhu; she was planning to use her to help out the family. *Dream on! If I really marry him, I’ll make sure Shazhu stays far away from your place. Don't even think about taking advantage of us.*
He Yuzhu returned humming a tune, only to find a crowd standing at the entrance. He found it very strange.
"Silly Uncle is back!" Xia, who saw him first, shouted loudly.
"Oh my, Shazhu is back!"
"Shazhu..."
Just as people were about to crowd around him, Second Uncle stopped them. "Today, I must make a solemn announcement. In the past, we lived in the same courtyard, and we were close, so both adults and children called him Shazhu. I feel that from now on, we shouldn't call him that anymore. Yuzhu is older now, and he holds a high position; he should be respected."
"From today on, we seniors can call him Yuzhu or Zhuzi, those of his generation can call him Brother Zhu, and the children should call him Uncle He."
Third Uncle immediately raised his hand in agreement. Seeing that no one objected, First Uncle nodded as well. He Yuzhu watched this scene silently, finding it somewhat amusing. *No wonder those with power and influence love sycophants.* First Uncle could never say something like this, and Third Uncle would never think of it; only someone like Second Uncle, who was obsessed with authority, would try to guess the intentions of his superiors. He Yuzhu naturally wouldn't object. "Shazhu" was fine within the courtyard, but it did feel a bit inappropriate when facing outsiders. Even Qin Jingru, upon hearing the name "Shazhu," had wondered if he was actually stupid.
"Three Uncles, what are you doing?"
"We're welcoming you! You've been promoted; it’s an honor for our courtyard."
"Well then, thanks to you all!" He Yuzhu took a handful of candies from his pocket and handed them to Third Uncle. "Third Uncle, could you please distribute these for me?"
"Yes, yes, yes! I’ll handle it!"
When the crowd saw the candy, their eyes lit up. In that era, let alone candy, even a single peanut was a luxury. Even during the Lunar New Year, only Xu Damao’s and He Yuzhu’s homes ever saw candy. Of course, the candy in He Yuzhu’s home usually ended up in the bellies of Banggeng, Xiaodang, and Huaihua. He Yuzhu secretly slipped some more candy into First Uncle’s pocket before pushing his bike into the courtyard.
In the middle courtyard, Qin Huairu and Qin Jingru heard the noise outside but didn't come out, waiting inside instead. There were too many people outside; they wouldn't have a chance to talk.
"You must grab the opportunity!" As soon as He Yuzhu appeared at the entrance to the middle courtyard, Qin Huairu whispered a reminder.
Qin Jingru nodded firmly.