He Yuzhu knew perfectly well what kind of person Xu Damao was. The reason he had brought him some meat today was merely to make himself feel a little better.
The worse a person was, the less psychological burden he carried in life. No matter what evil deeds or shameful acts he committed, he could always find an excuse to justify himself.
By contrast, kindhearted people were prone to worry over every gain and loss. Even the slightest moral flaw would lead them to reflect on themselves.
Today, He Yuzhu had used a fake photograph to frighten Xu Damao. Although it had produced astonishing results and directly raised the system funds to their limit, he still felt somewhat strange inside.
When all was said and done, the photograph was not real, while Xu Damao had been so terrified that he had practically lost his soul. His disheveled appearance was honestly rather pitiful.
Kindness, mercy, and showing leniency were privileges reserved exclusively for the strong.
If one could not even defeat an evildoer, yet insisted on being kind, merciful, and lenient, that would simply be the biggest joke in the world.
He Yuzhu was now practically standing from the perspective of God, looking down upon the crooked and worthless residents of the Siheyuan as though they were mere ants.
As for what kind of person Xu Damao was, the television series had portrayed it in full.
For the sake of promotion and wealth, that fellow had colluded with the Official-obsessed Second Uncle Liu Haizhong, even confiscating his father-in-law’s entire family’s property and giving the gold bars to his superiors in exchange for an official position.
He had been even more reckless toward the beautiful and kind Lou Xiaoe, beating and cursing her. In the end, he had thrown her out into the freezing winter, truly displaying no humanity at all!
He Yuzhu had a steelyard in his heart. If these crooked and worthless people did not run their mouths or cause trouble, and honestly struggled along just to survive, he would leave them a way to live.
But if they still planned to use their petty schemes to harm good people, then they should not blame him for being ruthless!
Now, not only did no one in the Siheyuan dare call him Silly Zhu, several young people had even begun addressing him as Director He.
The greatest changes could be seen in the Second Uncle and the Third Uncle.
Second Uncle Liu Haizhong was an officialdom enthusiast. Unfortunately, although he was nearly old, he was still an ordinary worker. When he saw He Yuzhu become Factory Director Yang’s favorite, he immediately began thinking of befriending and currying favor with him.
Third Uncle Yan Bugui loved taking advantage of every little opportunity. After discovering that He Yuzhu now possessed both power and money, and that his own spouse still had to rely on others for aid, he changed his attitude as well.
As it happened, just after He Yuzhu finished delivering the meat to Xu Damao, he entered his home and had not even sat down when he heard knocking from outside the door.
The knocking sounded unusual. It seemed as though two people were knocking at the same time. What was going on?
When he opened the door, he found Second Uncle and Third Uncle had come together by appointment. Both wore ingratiating smiles, and it was obvious at a glance that they needed to ask someone for a favor.
“Zhuzi, my spouse is much better now. It is all thanks to you sending vegetables to my home every day, so I came especially to express my gratitude,” Yan Bugui said with an apologetic smile.
Second Uncle Liu Haizhong was unwilling to fall behind. With an awkward smile, he said, “I heard Factory Director Yang has taken a liking to you recently. I have something I want to ask Factory Director Yang about, so I came to ask you first, Zhuzi.”
Seeing the situation, He Yuzhu could not bring himself to turn the two old men away. He could only invite them inside and pour them tea.
Yan Bugui had not come merely to express his gratitude. He also had a favor to ask. The moment he sat down, he went straight to the point.
“Zhuzi, your auntie really is much better lately, but I will not hide it from you: my family is truly struggling. We have so many half-grown boys, and there is not enough food to eat.”
“You work in the Canteen. Is there any way you could get us some grain? It need not be much; whatever you can help with would be something. I am begging you, as your Third Uncle.”
If he had not truly reached desperate straits, Yan Bugui, who usually prided himself on being an intellectual, would not have casually asked anyone for help. He really had reached the end of his rope.
He Yuzhu was now extremely wealthy. The system funds had already reached their limit of 9,999. Buying several dozen pounds of grain would cost only a few dozen to a little over a hundred yuan, which was nothing to him.
Thus, he casually said, “That is easy. Tomorrow is Monday, isn’t it? We are preparing to drive to the countryside, so we should be able to exchange for some grain. Come find me tomorrow after I get back.”
Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui’s excited heart nearly leaped out of his throat. Although he had asked for help, he had not actually held out much hope.
It went without saying what kind of year 1961 was. At that time, grain was practically more precious than gold!
Yet He Yuzhu had agreed readily without the slightest hesitation, and had not even mentioned how much the grain would cost!
Yan Bugui was so moved that tears filled his eyes. For a moment, he did not know what to say. His lips trembled for a long while, but not a single word came out.
Suddenly, the usually sanctimonious Third Uncle stood up and began bowing deeply and properly to He Yuzhu.
One bow, two bows...
Regardless of his character, he was still an elder. It was truly inappropriate for him to perform such a grand courtesy toward a young man.
He Yuzhu hurriedly stood up and held Third Uncle down with both hands, saying with a smile, “I say, Third Uncle, are you trying to shorten my life? If I had not stopped you, you would have made it to the third bow.”
“We see each other every day, and we are neighbors, after all. Are you trying to give me a funeral farewell?”
Yan Bugui also realized that he had lost his composure. The smile on his face became awkward.
“It is only a little grain. Now that I am the Canteen Director, should I not work for everyone’s benefit? Leave this matter to me.” He Yuzhu said with a smile.
Yan Bugui hurriedly pulled money from his pocket. The bills were in terrible condition, with many held together by paste, and there were quite a few coins as well.
“Why are neighbors being so formal with each other? Take your money back. Your family is having a hard time, so keep it for emergencies.”
A few words brought tears streaming down Yan Bugui’s aged face. He truly did not know how to thank him. After rambling on with many words of gratitude, he finally left and returned home.
Second Uncle Liu Haizhong was dumbfounded as he watched from the side. In just a few days, Silly Zhu had become a completely different person.
In the past, Silly Zhu had indeed been very loyal, but he had also been narrow-minded and could be considered the sort who took revenge for the slightest grievance. He had never seen him be so generous and magnanimous toward anyone.
Yet today, he had witnessed it with his own eyes. Yan Bugui’s request had been utterly unreasonable, but Silly Zhu had agreed to it readily!
Seeing this, there was an eighty-to-ninety percent chance that asking Silly Zhu for help would work!
“Second Uncle, go ahead and tell me what you need. It is getting late. Once you have said what you came to say, get some rest early.” He Yuzhu urged him on.
Liu Haizhong hesitated for a moment before finally making up his mind. Lowering his voice, he said, “Zhuzi, the section chief of the Forging Workshop is about to retire, so the position is going to be vacant.”
“You see, I am still in my prime and can work for several more years. I also have work experience. Could you speak with Factory Director Yang and ask him to let me take over as section chief?”
He Yuzhu secretly sneered when he heard this. It seemed that Second Uncle Liu Haizhong really was an arrogant officialdom enthusiast who had no idea of his own limitations.
Recalling his arrogance when confiscating other people’s homes in the future, along with the domineering way he bullied good people, He Yuzhu felt his anger flare up.
People like this had to be taught a harsh lesson!