Chapter 28: Xu Damao Sent to Re-education Through Labor

After the incident with Xu Damou, the courtyard gradually returned to a semblance of calm.

Second Uncle Liu Haizhong went to give a statement at the police station and came back with a slight sweat on his brow, mostly from lingering fear. “Good grief, that Xu Damou had over ten jin of national grain coupons hidden in his pockets! The police said he was caught red-handed. That’s a hefty amount—enough to keep him afloat for a while!”

Neighbors in the courtyard buzzed with gossip. Some felt vindicated, others thought Xu Damou deserved it, while a few whispered that He Yuzhu had been too harsh.

He Yuzhu paid no mind and went to work as usual the next day.

News traveled faster at the factory. As soon as He Yuzhu entered the procurement department, Ma Hua and Xiao Wang surrounded him, lowering their voices but unable to hide their satisfaction.

“Master, did you hear Xu Damou got busted? Is it true?”

“Yeah, caught red-handed, selling grain coupons illegally. The police took him away,” He Yuzhu replied calmly, setting down his bag.

“Serves him right! That bastard was always scheming against you at the factory. Now he’s got what’s coming!” Xiao Wang clenched his fist in triumph.

“Enough, get back to work,” He Yuzhu said, refusing to dwell on it. Xu Damou was a biting dog, but the one holding the leash was still around.

———

In the steel rolling mill’s deputy director’s office, the atmosphere was stifling, like the oppressive calm before a storm.

Li Huaide sat behind his desk, his face dark as he stared at a freshly delivered report titled “Explanation on Comrade Xu Damou’s Detention by Public Security for Illegal Grain Coupon Trading,” submitted by the factory’s security department.

He held his pen poised above the paper, unable to bring himself to sign it off.

“Fool! Useless!” Li Huaide slammed the pen onto the desk, ink splattering onto the document.

His chest heaved as he cursed under his breath. Xu Damou had been his dirty but useful weapon—though recent attempts to undermine He Yuzhu had failed, at least he could still cause trouble.

Now the knife was broken, nearly cutting its wielder as well.

What frustrated him most was the clear message from the police: caught red-handed with an unbroken chain of evidence, the case was serious and damaging, and the factory couldn’t cover it up.

That reckless He Yuzhu had gone straight to the police, leaving no room for maneuver.

Li Huaide impatiently loosened his disciplinary collar. He Yuzhu was becoming more and more troublesome. First, he deftly handled the Dianzhi procurement incident, and now he had managed to ruin Xu Damou...

He would have to think of another way to keep him in check—he couldn’t let him rise so smoothly.

———

A few days later, a notice stamped with the police station’s red seal was posted on the courtyard’s bulletin board.

Xu Damou was sentenced to three months of labor re-education for “profiteering and illegal trading of planned supply coupons,” disrupting the social and economic order.

The entire courtyard was shaken.

“Three months of labor re-education?!” Jia Zhangshi leaned against the doorframe, staring wide-eyed at the glaring red seal on the notice, then curled her lips. “Serves him right! Always causing trouble!”

Qin Huairu stood at her doorstep, biting her lip tightly and twisting the hem of her clothes with tense fingers.

When Xu Damou was arrested, she had still held a flicker of hope, thinking his close ties with Deputy Director Li might help lessen the blow.

This labor re-education notice was like a bucket of icy water poured over her hopes. Xu Damou was finished, at least for the next three months.

Just days ago she had been planning to squeeze some money or coupons out of him once he returned, to ease their family’s difficulties... Now it was all ruined.

The elderly deaf woman stood by the moon gate between the back and front yards, leaning on her cane.

Her cloudy eyes scanned the bulletin board, then glanced at Qin Huairu at the Jia family’s door, before settling on He Yuzhu’s tightly shut door. She shook her head softly, said nothing, and slowly turned to walk away.

When He Yuzhu came home from work, he naturally saw the notice as well. He didn’t pause, pulling out his key to enter. Xu Damou had brought this on himself; the outcome was no surprise.

———

With Xu Damou’s turmoil temporarily settled, He Yuzhu quickly turned his attention back to his duties.

The large poultry joint procurement contract for the second half of the year at the meat processing plant had been signed, and the source of supply was critical.

Accompanied by Ma Hua, He Yuzhu returned to a sizable chicken farm in the western part of the city.

The farm manager, Zhao, was a burly man in his forties with dark skin and a loud voice. Hearing that the procurement team from Red Star Steel Rolling Mill had arrived, Zhao warmly greeted them.

“Team Leader He! Welcome! Our farm is big enough—you can count on us for steady supply!” Zhao patted his chest and led He Yuzhu and Ma Hua on a tour through rows of neat chicken coops.

The coops were reasonably ventilated, and most of the chickens appeared spirited, feeding and drinking normally.

Yet He Yuzhu’s gaze was sharp, scrutinizing the color of the combs, the luster of the feathers, and the shape of the droppings. He paid special attention to the area where he had found sickness last time.

“Manager Zhao, those rows of coops over there...” He Yuzhu pointed to a slightly distant set that looked quieter and dimmer. “The chickens there don’t seem very lively?”

Zhao’s smile stiffened for a moment, then he waved it off. “Cough! No worries! The weather’s been unpredictable recently, a few chickens had minor issues, but the technician is taking care of it! Nothing serious! Just some weak ones, already isolated. I guarantee the ones we supply you are healthy!”

———

He Yuzhu didn’t reply and headed straight toward those coops. Ma Hua hurried to keep up.

Zhao’s smile faltered, and he quickened his steps to stop them. “Team Leader He, it’s dirty over there, and the smell’s unpleasant...”

He Yuzhu was already outside the chicken wire fence enclosing those coops. The stench was indeed stronger, a mix of fishiness and mold.

Inside, the chickens were clearly listless, many crouching with necks drawn in, feathers ruffled and dull.

He Yuzhu crouched down, fixing his gaze on a chicken near the fence. Its claws were an abnormal dark purple. His brow furrowed sharply.

At that moment, a young man in a stained white coat emerged from one of the coops, looking troubled, clutching a notebook, muttering, “...Still no improvement, sulfa drugs made it worse... These purple claws...”

Zhao’s face turned grim when he saw the technician talking to strangers and immediately scolded, “Xiao Sun! What nonsense are you spouting!”

The technician, Xiao Sun, flinched at the reprimand, then shut his mouth and avoided their gaze.

He Yuzhu stood up and fixed Zhao with a serious look. “Manager Zhao, this isn’t a minor problem. Purple claws, ruffled feathers, listless spirits, greenish droppings... these symptoms resemble fowl cholera or fowl typhoid.”

Both Zhao and Xiao Sun’s eyes widened in shock.

“Team Leader He, you... you understand this?” Xiao Sun blurted out, disbelief mixed with a glimmer of hope as if a savior had arrived.

Zhao’s expression completely changed; his earlier warmth vanished, replaced by suspicion and panic. “Team Leader He, don’t scare me! How could that be possible...”

“I’m a buyer, not a vet,” He Yuzhu interrupted quietly but firmly. “But I’ve been to many places and seen similar outbreaks. Manager Zhao, the contract we signed is for live poultry!”

“If an epidemic breaks out, losing chickens in droves is the least of our problems. If the virus spreads, your farm closes, and our factory’s tens of thousands of workers lose their meat supply—who will be responsible? You, or me?”

A cold sweat broke out on Zhao’s forehead, and his legs nearly buckled. Xiao Sun’s face turned pale as well.

Seeing their terrified expressions, He Yuzhu’s mind was made up.

The hidden danger in this chicken farm was worse than he had imagined. The contract with the meat processing plant was just signed; if the source was rotten, the trouble would be huge.