Yang Xuan saw it clearly. To bring down Yi Zhonghai, he needed to surpass Yi Zhonghai in his qian gong skills, and he also needed to be more important in the eyes of the factory leaders.
Before, Yang Xuan had also planned to improve other skills. But now he decided to focus solely on qian gong skills until they reached the maximum level. He wouldn't level up any other skills until his qian gong skills were maxed out.
Skill is the foundation. In this era, no matter how talented an individual is, they can't make a splash against the tide of the times. But with skill, one can gain status in the factory.
An eighth-level qian gong like Yi Zhonghai wouldn't be intimidated by the factory leaders. If Yang Xuan maxed out his qian gong skills, he could far surpass Yi Zhonghai.
With the right opportunity, Yang Xuan could use his skills to become an indispensable part of the steel mill. At that point, what would an eighth-level qian gong matter?
Qin Huai Ru's level of cunning was truly remarkable. After what happened at the factory, she went straight to the Yang family after work.
"Yang Xuan, I wasn't deliberately targeting you at the factory today. I was just being objective. When I told the old man that you were processing the workpiece, it was for your own good. Think about it, you're a new apprentice who hasn't even been in the factory for three months. You're operating the machinery. What if something got scrapped? Your master would be in trouble. Thankfully, you didn't have any problems with the workpieces today," Qin Huai Ru said.
"Qin Huai Ru, you were the one who scrapped those workpieces, weren't you? You're really vengeful. Last night, Sha Zhu didn't lend you money, and you think it's our family who told him to do that. So you turn around and try to sabotage me. If it wasn't for my master, I would have been tricked by you today." Yang Xuan sneered.
Qin Huai Ru's acting was truly masterful, she played the victim perfectly. "Yang Xuan, you've really misunderstood. We have five mouths to feed with only one salary. Our family is truly struggling. But I don't blame Sha Zhu for refusing to lend me money. Whether or not he's willing to lend is his right."
"You don't need to tell me these things. If you applied your cleverness to your work, Yi Zhonghai would have already promoted you to a third-grade worker. Would you still need to scheme against Sha Zhu? Just leave. We're not on the same page. I'm not as easy to manipulate as Sha Zhu," Yang Xuan said.
"Why can't I make you understand?" Qin Huai Ru walked out of Yang's house with a face full of grievance.
After Qin Huai Ru left, Yang Da Cheng quickly warned his son, "This woman is no ordinary person. Don't let her get close to you. Otherwise, you'll end up just like Sha Zhu."
"I'm not stupid. Why would I be interested in a widow at my age? Do I want her age or her kids?" Yang Xuan said.
Yang Da Cheng and his wife were amused by Yang Xuan's words.
"Stinky boy, why are you being so mean? Just ignore her. Don't be fooled by her. Her family isn't struggling at all. There are many families in the city who are worse off than her. Others don't even have jobs. She at least has a job and a steady income every month. Which child in this courtyard can eat as well as hers, looking so plump and healthy? Jia Zhang Shi is less than fifty years old, and she just sits at home eating and sleeping. She never goes out to find work!" Zeng Wen Fang said.
Many women in the courtyard who didn't have jobs would take on work to do at home. Zeng Wen Fang made matchboxes. She could make a few yuan a month, enough to cover the family's daily expenses.
"Anyway, we should stay out of these people's business," Yang Da Cheng said.
After leaving Yang's house, Qin Huai Ru went to He Yu Zhu's.
"Sha Zhu, I know you misunderstood me. I have no ill intentions. Don't listen to rumors. By the way, the factory is going to show a movie in a few days. I'm going to bring my cousin from my uncle's family, Jing Ru. Jing Ru also wants to marry into the city. My cousin is a country girl, but she's very beautiful. She's definitely not worse than the girls in the city. If you're interested, I can introduce her to you during the movie. If you think it's a good fit, we can settle things down." Qin Huai Ru said.
Seeing that He Yu Zhu was not very interested, Qin Huai Ru added, "My cousin is much prettier than me."
He Yu Zhu originally didn't want anything to do with Qin Huai Ru. But after hearing Qin Huai Ru's words, he became a little interested.
Before He Yu Zhu could answer, Qin Huai Ru saw that he was a little moved and settled the matter. "That's settled then. I'll take some time off and go back to my hometown. I'll bring her to you."
The next day, He Yu Zhu found Yang Xuan during his lunch break and secretly handed him a white steamed bun.
"Qin Huai Ru said she's going to introduce her cousin to me. What do you think?" He Yu Zhu asked.
"No chance." Yang Xuan didn't stand on ceremony and took a big bite out of the white steamed bun.
Even though he had come from the future, where coarse grains were more expensive than refined grains, since he was reborn, he had been eating steamed buns made from three-parts wheat flour every day. He was truly missing the taste of white steamed buns.
"How is it no chance? Am I not good enough for a country girl?" He Yu Zhu said with dissatisfaction.
Yang Xuan chuckled, "Sha Zhu, I'll make a bet with you. This is 100% going to fall through. Qin Huai Ru introducing her cousin to you is just to mend your relationship and further solidify your status as her meal ticket. She's going to push you to someone else."
He Yu Zhu's brain wasn't quite up to par, "Why would she introduce her cousin to me then?"
"If she didn't introduce her cousin to you, would you still be helping her family out?" Yang Xuan retorted.
"Then wouldn't it be even better if I got together with her cousin? We'd be family, and I could continue to help her family, right?" He Yu Zhu said.
"If she gets married to you, she might not be happy with you helping her family. Qin Huai Ru will definitely think that it's better to hold on to her meal ticket than to give it to someone else," Yang Xuan laughed.
"Then if she tries to sabotage things again, I won't let her get away with it!" He Yu Zhu asked in confusion.
"So, this time, she won't do it herself. But there's more than just Qin Huai Ru in this courtyard who doesn't want to see you happy. Like Xu Da Mao," Yang Xuan said.
"Xu Da Mao? Qin Huai Ru and Xu Da Mao don't seem to get along well. Qin Huai Ru has told me that Xu Da Mao often tries to get physical with her." He Yu Zhu shook his head.
Yang Xuan chuckled, "If Qin Huai Ru didn't get something from Xu Da Mao, would Xu Da Mao dare to touch her? Every time, she uses that trick to make you beat up Xu Da Mao, right?"
"I just can't stand such lowly people! I'll beat him to death!" He Yu Zhu said.
"See, you've been used by Qin Huai Ru all this time. No wonder Xu Da Mao hates you so much," Yang Xuan said.
"Then tell me how Xu Da Mao is going to try to sabotage things?" He Yu Zhu asked.