After speaking, Yi Zhonghai waved at Wang Ze, and only when Wang Ze walked forward did he continue, “His name is Wang Ze, sixteen years old. He bought the East Rear Wing and the garden in the back courtyard. In a couple of days, he’ll start working at the Rolling Mill as a fitter.”
“Hey, another fitter. Uncle Yi, why don’t you take him on as an apprentice too?” a voice from the side said.
“Quiet, Sha Zhu, don’t interrupt. Let me finish first,” Yi Zhonghai said, glaring at Sha Zhu.
“Hmph, if you don’t want me to talk, I won’t,” He Yuzhu mumbled and then fell silent.
Wang Ze watched with amusement from the side. This scene indicated that it was still early, and Yi Zhonghai hadn't truly thought about having Sha Zhu support him in his old age yet.
Otherwise, he felt that Yi Zhonghai definitely wouldn't have spoken to He Yuzhu like that.
“Exactly, Sha Zhu, quickly shut up! Can’t you see we’re having a meeting? You have no respect for Uncle Yi!” Xu Damao, who was squatting nearby, saw this and immediately grinned, loudly scolding him.
Laughter erupted for a moment.
“Xu Damao, you be quiet too.” Yi Zhonghai frowned, staring at Xu Damao. Xu Fugui, who was nearby, patted Xu Damao when he saw this.
Only then did the middle courtyard become quiet again.
“Wang Ze will be living in the courtyard from now on. We need to help each other more in the future. The small garden he bought has too many weeds. Tomorrow is everyone’s day off, so those who are free should go help clear the weeds,” Yi Zhonghai said, looking at everyone.
“The second matter: the Street Office notified us to elect three managers for the front, middle, and back courtyards to handle disputes and prevent spies within the courtyard. We need to elect them today, and I will report the names tomorrow,” Yi Zhonghai said. Immediately, the ground below became a buzz of discussion.
“Can anyone be elected as a manager?” Xu Damao asked loudly.
The courtyard quieted down; everyone wanted to know the answer.
“Xu Damao, you still want to be a manager? With you like this, I’d be better,” He Yuzhu said disdainfully from the side.
“Why are you comparing yourself to me? I’ll be a projectionist soon, and you’re still an apprentice!” Xu Damao said, pointing at He Yuzhu.
He Yuzhu’s face turned red with anger. He was already skilled enough to cook, but he had to start as an apprentice at the Rolling Mill. This had been a long-standing source of dissatisfaction for him, and now that Xu Damao had brought it up publicly, he felt even more aggrieved and wanted to vent.
So, He Yuzhu stood up and, without a word, charged directly at Xu Damao.
Before anyone could react, Xu Damao was directly body-slammed to the ground by He Yuzhu with a loud thud.
Xu Fugui, who was nearby, quickly stopped He Yuzhu: “Sha Zhu, what are you doing?”
After speaking, he quickly went to check on Xu Damao.
Xu Damao endured the pain and stood up, glaring resentfully at He Yuzhu, then, without a word, he staggered slowly towards the back courtyard.
Xu Fugui glanced at He Yuzhu, who still looked unconvinced, and said, “I won’t participate in this manager election. I’m going back first.”
With that, he quickly caught up with Xu Damao and walked back to the back courtyard together.
“Alright, Zhu Zi, quickly sit down.” Yi Zhonghai understood He Yuzhu’s temperament well and couldn’t be bothered to manage He Yuzhu’s affairs, so he merely suppressed him and continued discussing the manager election.
“Each of the front, middle, and back courtyards will elect one person. Those who wish to run can step forward,” Yi Zhonghai said.
As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Haizhong immediately stood up and said, “I’m in the back courtyard, and I want to run for the manager of the back courtyard.”
This was a manager position recognized by the Street Office; even if it was small, it was still an official position, and Liu Haizhong certainly wouldn’t miss it.
The Xu family in the back courtyard had already explicitly stated they wouldn't participate, and Liu Haizhong was a mid-level master at the factory. After he stepped forward, some younger people and those with insufficient skills consciously did not follow suit.
And Yan Bugui from the front courtyard also stood up and said, “I am currently a gate guard arranged by the police station. I am also running for a manager position. After this, if any children in the family have questions about their studies, they can come and ask me.”
This sentence left many people present speechless. Who didn’t have children at home? Who wouldn’t understand the hidden threat in these words? It was just that Yan Bugui truly had a hold over many people in the courtyard.
Afterward, two more people stood up. Both were from the West Courtyard. One was a mid-level blacksmith at the factory, and the other was a mid-level welder.
They were all master craftsmen from the Rolling Mill. Although it was called the Rolling Mill here, since the public-private partnership, it had expanded significantly in just one year. Now, it no longer just rolled steel but also manufactured various steel parts.
In less than a year, the small factory, which originally had only two thousand people, had now grown to nearly ten thousand.
Wang Ze’s job was also so easy to get only because of the current expansion and recruitment.
Although the factory had more people and a larger area, there were only a few senior workers.
There was also a senior worker living in No. 95 Courtyard, but he did not step forward to run this time.
“I think Yi Zhonghai can be competent as a manager. This way, it’s just right: Liu Haizhong for the back courtyard, Yi Zhonghai for the middle courtyard, and Yan Bugui for the front courtyard,” Granny Long said with a smile, sitting on a stool.
“Alright, then I’ll also run for manager. Let’s start voting with me. Those who object to me, raise your hands,” Yi Zhonghai said immediately after hearing what Granny Long said.
The people below looked at each other, and no one raised their hand. Raising a hand in this situation would be completely offending someone.
They were all from the same factory, seeing each other constantly; no one could bring themselves to be the first to raise a hand in opposition.
“If everyone agrees, then it passes. Next is Liu Haizhong, who opposes him?” Yi Zhonghai waited for a while, then continued to talk about Yan Bugui.
After the three, Yi Zhonghai said, “No one opposed any of the three, but the process still needs to be completed. Next is Master Zhang from the West Courtyard. Those who oppose, raise your hands.”
Swish, several hands suddenly went up in the middle courtyard.
Everyone looked and saw that it was actually Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui’s family members.
Suddenly, everyone was shocked. These two had no shame!
Master Zhang even stood up and snorted coldly. Ignoring the situation at the scene, he turned around and walked straight back to the West Courtyard.
He hadn't expected to encounter such shameless people and was quite infuriated.
Yi Zhonghai saw Master Zhang leave and immediately announced the result. However, before he could continue with the last candidate,
Master Liu smiled and said, “I’m withdrawing. I won’t participate.”
Master Liu clearly understood the current situation and knew that even with a vote, he wouldn't have a chance with those two shameless families, so he simply saved face and withdrew himself.
Yi Zhonghai said, “Alright, then I’ll report the voting results to the Street Office tomorrow.”
After speaking, he reminded the young people to help Wang Ze clean the garden tomorrow and then announced the dismissal.
Wang Ze was very happy watching. There wasn't much entertainment in this era, and such large meetings were actually quite fun, as long as they didn't involve him and he could just watch the excitement.
After the excitement was over, Wang Ze returned to the back courtyard. The sky gradually darkened.
Every household turned on their lights. While other places might lack electricity, in Beijing, urban families already had electricity.
However, electricity was not cheap at the time; each kilowatt-hour cost 2,500. Fortunately, there weren't many appliances then, and most families only used electric lights at night. Low-wattage light bulbs didn't cost much each month.
As long as a family had a formal job, they could afford electricity.
Lying on the bed for a short while, Wang Ze’s dissatisfaction with this era grew even deeper.
He looked at the light bulb on the ceiling, but his mind was filled with thoughts of mobile phones, computers, and the internet.
Wang Ze felt as if he was experiencing withdrawal symptoms, and his body also felt a tightness in his chest along with his thoughts.
He didn’t feel it during the day, but now that it was night, he would habitually fumble for his phone in bed.
After staying in a daze for a long time, Wang Ze didn’t know when he finally fell into a deep sleep.
Because he went to bed early, Wang Ze was already awake before dawn the next day.
Wang Ze got up and leaned against the headboard. With a thought, the system panel appeared before his eyes.
Huh? There’s a change.