Fusion System: Rebirth in a Courtyard - Bird Fighting Chronicles

Chapter 62 A New Life Through Needle and Thread: A Sudden Awakening and Breaking the Mist

March in Beijing finally shed its chill, and new green shoots sprouted from the locust tree branches in the Red Star Courtyard. Lin Chen sat by the window, holding his speech for the Industrial Conference, his pen hovering over the paper, yet he hesitated to move—Zhou Ming's letter last night had stirred his emotions; the cooperation invitation from the Southern Machinery Factory was like a ray of light, illuminating his path to escape the courtyard's strife and forge a new future. The "click-clack" of a sewing machine coming from the inner courtyard interrupted his thoughts. The sound wasn't crisp, carrying a hint of awkwardness, but it was unusually persistent, ringing out from dawn until afternoon.

The voice came from Qin Huairu's house. Lin Chen got up and walked to the courtyard gate, just in time to see Yan Bugui's wife carrying a stack of old clothes towards the Qin family's house, muttering, "Huairu, the cuffs of these few jackets of mine are worn out, could you mend them for me? The one you mended last time, the stitches were even neater than those in department stores." Qin Huairu came out of the house to greet him, her face no longer showing her usual deliberate gentleness, her forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, her hands were covered in a few loose threads, and several needles of different sizes were clipped to her apron. "Aunt Wang, don't worry, I'll have it done for you before evening, the same old rule, two cents for labor." Her voice was calm and gentle, without the previous fawning or calculation.

Lin Chen was somewhat surprised. Ever since Qin Huairu was transferred to the logistics workshop as a temporary worker and had run into a few obstacles with him, she hadn't been bothering Sha Zhu or Yi Zhonghai like before. A few days ago, he had heard that Jia Zhangshi had tried to steal cabbages from her neighbor's house, but Qin Huairu had forcibly dragged her back, and the mother and daughter had a big fight at home, so loud that the whole courtyard could hear it. At this moment, through the half-open door, he saw Qin Huairu wearing reading glasses (borrowed from Yan Bugui), carefully hemming a blue jacket. Next to the sewing machine was a half-stack of clothes waiting to be mended, and Jia Geng was sitting on a small stool next to her, eating a cornbread and clutching an old textbook in his hand—a textbook that Lin Chen had lent to Yan Jiedi before, which was later given to the Qin family after Yan Bugui was suspended from his post.

"Mom, I'll never steal again," Jia Geng suddenly said, his voice muffled but earnest. "Last time you stole radishes from Grandma Li's house, Uncle Lin scolded you and even made me go hungry. I know I was wrong. From now on, I'll help you fold clothes and collect recyclables after school to sell for money." Qin Huairu paused in her actions, looked up, and ruffled her son's hair, her eyes filled with both relief and bitterness. "Geng'er, I was confused before. I always thought about relying on others for help, forgetting that people have to rely on themselves. Your father passed away early, and I have to support this family. You also have to study hard and earn a living through your own abilities in the future, unlike me before."

Just as Lin Chen was about to turn around, he heard Sha Zhu's footsteps behind him. He was carrying a toolbox, his face somewhat embarrassed. He paused for a moment when he saw Lin Chen, but unlike before, he didn't give him a harsh look. He simply mumbled "Director Lin" and headed straight for Qin Huairu's house. Lin Chen stopped curiously, hearing Sha Zhu say at the door, "Huairu, I see your sewing machine keeps getting stuck. Let me fix it for you. I used to fix dough mixers in the cafeteria, this should be similar." From inside came Qin Huairu's thank you, the usual forced intimacy replaced by pure neighborly politeness.

Back in his room, Lin Chen opened the system panel and looked at the description of the "Team Management" function. He suddenly remembered that the cafeteria rectification team was short of someone to be in charge of material registration. The previous registrar had been transferred because she was close to Sha Zhu and helped conceal the inventory during the flour scandal. He recalled Qin Huairu's earnest expression as she sewed clothes earlier—although she used to be cunning, she was meticulous in her work and had worked in the workshop, familiar with the factory's processes. If he could have her in charge, it might be a good choice. But then he thought again and felt it was inappropriate. After all, the two had a past conflict, and promoting her rashly would inevitably attract criticism.

Just then, Jia Zhangshi's tantrum came from the courtyard gate: "Yan Bugui, you old miser! My Huairu mended three pieces of clothing for you, and you only give me fifteen cents? Are you trying to fob me off with a beggar's money?!" Lin Chen walked to the gate and saw Jia Zhangshi standing with her hands on her hips at the Yan family's door, clutching a few cents in her hand, spitting as she spoke. Yan Bugui squatted on the threshold, fiddling with an abacus, and said slowly and deliberately, "Comrade Qin mended patches, not made new clothes. Each cuff patch is three cents, three is nine cents; each hem of the trousers is two cents, two is four cents; a total of thirteen cents, I'll give you fifteen cents, and even give you two extra cents, that's more than enough."

"You're talking nonsense!" Jia Zhangshi reached out to snatch Yan Bugui's abacus. "My Huairu stayed up half the night, her eyes are bloodshot, and this is all she's worth? You have to give her two more cents today, or I'll report you to the neighborhood committee for bullying a widow!" Qin Huairu rushed over upon hearing the commotion and grabbed Jia Zhangshi: "Mother! Stop it! We agreed on a price, how can you go back on your word?" Jia Zhangshi shook off her hand: "What do you know! This old hag is just taking advantage of our family's lack of connections!"

"Aunt Jia, if you think the price is unreasonable, you can go to the neighborhood committee for a settlement." Lin Chen stepped forward, holding a small notebook. "I was just noting down the prices of materials in the cafeteria. Coarse cotton cloth is 11.2 cents a foot, and a pack of needles and thread is 0.5 cents. Senior Sister Qin used less than a foot of fabric to mend three garments, 0.5 cents for needles and thread, and 0.1 cent for labor, totaling 27 cents. Teacher Yan's offer of 15 cents is indeed a bit low, but your asking price of 25 cents is also beyond a reasonable range." He paused, opened the notebook, and said, "How about this, according to the market price, the labor cost is 12 cents, the material cost is 0.1 cents, totaling 22 cents, and Teacher Yan will add 0.7 cents, and that'll settle the matter."

Yan Bugui's eyes darted around, and the abacus clicked away. "Alright, we'll do it as Director Lin says." He pulled a seven-cent coin from his pocket and handed it over. Jia Zhangshi wanted to throw a tantrum, but Qin Huairu held her back tightly. Qin Huairu apologized to Yan Bugui and then said to Lin Chen, "Thank you, Director Lin. From now on, I'll put up a price list for all my mending services and post it on the door to avoid any more misunderstandings." Lin Chen nodded. "That's best. Earning a living with your skills isn't shameful, and putting up prices will prevent gossip."

When Lin Chen arrived at the workshop in the afternoon, he was called to the office by Director Zhou. Director Zhou held a list in his hand: "Lin, the material registerer for the canteen rectification team hasn't been decided yet. Who do you think is suitable? I think Qin Huairu from the logistics workshop is good. She used to work in the fitter's workshop, knows the material models, and has been behaving well lately, not doing any shady things anymore." Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat; he hadn't expected Director Zhou to think of Qin Huairu as well. "Director Zhou, I think it's a good idea, but we need to make it clear to her first that we must strictly follow the rules and not show favoritism."

Director Zhou smiled and said, "I knew you'd agree. I've already spoken to the logistics workshop and told her to report to the rectification team tomorrow. By the way, how's your speech for the industrial conference coming along? The city leaders are taking it very seriously, and representatives from other factories will be coming to learn from us, so you'd better prepare it well." Lin Chen took out his speech: "The first draft is done, please take a look. I've also prepared slides, which will be displayed using a simple projector, making it more intuitive." Director Zhou took the speech and became more and more satisfied as he read it: "Good, well written! It has both technical details and management experience, so let's go with this."

The next morning, Qin Huairu reported to the rectification team. Wearing clean work clothes and carrying an old notebook, she said respectfully, "Director Lin, I'm here. Don't worry, I will do my job well and will never let you and the factory leaders down." Lin Chen handed her the material registration system and procedures: "These are the rules and regulations; familiarize yourself with them first. All materials entering and leaving the canteen must be clearly registered, and every transaction must have a receipt. There can be no mistakes. If you encounter any problems, tell me immediately." Qin Huairu nodded earnestly, picked up the regulations, and began to read them, occasionally taking out a pen to make marks.

Lin Chen hadn't expected Qin Huairu to be so meticulous. She not only kept a clear record of every day's material inflows and outflows, but also proactively organized previous inventory records, discovering several missed entries. Once, the cabbages delivered by the purchasing department were ten pounds less than the invoice. She insisted on taking the invoice to the purchasing department to verify, only stopping when they had made up the difference. Lin Chen observed this, and his impression of her gradually changed—perhaps this woman had truly come to terms with it and wanted to establish herself through her own abilities.

That noon, Lin Chen was inspecting the cafeteria's hygiene when Qin Huairu approached with a report. "Director Lin, this is last week's material consumption report. I noticed that flour consumption is 30% less than before. Is there a mistake in the statistics?" Lin Chen took the report and examined it carefully. "No, it's correct. Previously, the cafeteria was very wasteful. Excess steamed buns were thrown away, and excess cooked vegetables were fed to the pigs. Now, with the 'take-as-you-go' system, workers take only what they need, and we've optimized the menu, reducing flour usage, so consumption is naturally lower." He paused. "You've observed very carefully; that deserves praise." A long-lost, genuine smile appeared on Qin Huairu's face. "It's what I should do."

As she was leaving get off work in the afternoon, Qin Huairu stopped Lin Chen: "Director Lin, thank you so much. If it weren't for you and Director Zhou giving me this opportunity, I'd still be cleaning toilets in the logistics workshop. I've made many mistakes in the past, and I'll definitely change them in the future and support my family with my own hands." Lin Chen looked at her: "Senior Sister Qin, the past is the past. It's never too late to turn back. Work hard, and if you perform well in the future, you can be transferred back to the technical workshop." Qin Huairu nodded vigorously, her eyes filled with tears.

Back at the courtyard house, Lin Chen had just entered the middle courtyard when he saw Sha Zhu squatting at his door, repairing a bicycle. The old Sha Zhu was always either busy in the canteen, being called to work by Qin Huairu, or fighting with Xu Damao; he'd never been this well-behaved. Seeing Lin Chen, Sha Zhu put down his wrench and scratched his head: "Director Lin, I heard you transferred Huairu to the rectification team? Thank you." Lin Chen paused, then said, "That was the factory leadership's decision; it has nothing to do with me. But she has indeed been performing well lately, working very diligently."

Sha Zhu sighed, "I was foolish before. I was brainwashed by my master, thinking that taking care of someone else's needs would guarantee a good outcome. I was also morally blackmailed by Qin Huairu, turning my perfectly good life into a mess. Now I understand that relying on yourself is worse than relying on anyone else. I clean the logistics workshop; it's tiring, but I feel at peace. Huairu has changed too; she doesn't ask me for things anymore and even encourages me to work hard." He paused, "Director Lin, I'm sorry for always going against you before."

Lin Chen was surprised and relieved that Sha Zhu would apologize so readily. "Let's not dwell on the past. It's good that you've come to your senses. Work hard from now on, and if you perform well, you might be able to go back to the cafeteria." Sha Zhu's eyes lit up. "Really? I can go back to the cafeteria as a cook?" Lin Chen nodded. "As long as you perform well and don't repeat your past mistakes, you'll always have opportunities." Sha Zhu rubbed his hands excitedly. "I'll definitely work hard! Thank you, Director Lin!"

Just then, Yi Zhonghai walked over carrying a lunchbox, his face bearing his usual stern expression: "Shazhu, come home with me for dinner." Shazhu stood up: "Master, I won't go. I'll just cook some noodles myself." Yi Zhonghai's face darkened: "What? You've grown too big for your britches, and you don't even listen to your master anymore?" Shazhu shook his head: "No, Master. I don't want to rely on you anymore. I want to rely on myself. I used to always think about taking care of you in your old age, but you only cared about yourself and never truly thought about me."

Yi Zhonghai's face instantly changed: "What nonsense are you talking about! How have I not thought about you? I treat you like my own son, and I even wanted you to marry Qin Huairu and give you a home. And now you're turning around and blaming me?" Sha Zhu became agitated: "Marry Qin Huairu? That's because you want her to take care of you in your old age! You never even asked me if I wanted to! Last time I used expired flour, you knew it was wrong, but you still sided with me, causing me to lose my chef's job. Did you ever really think about me?"

"I was doing that to help you!" Yi Zhonghai trembled with anger. "I've worked in the factory for thirty years, and it wasn't easy to get to where I am today. If you get fired, who will take care of me in my old age?" The entire room fell silent as soon as he said this. Lin Chen stood aside, coldly watching the scene—Yi Zhonghai had finally revealed his true colors. His so-called "moral exemplar" and "deep mentor-disciple relationship" were nothing more than a tool to secure his retirement.

Sha Zhu stood there, stunned, his face deathly pale. He finally understood that he had always been just a pawn in Yi Zhonghai's game. "Master, I was so blind to believe you before," Sha Zhu said, his voice trembling with tears. "From today onwards, I am no longer your disciple, and I will not take care of you in your old age! You'd better take care of yourself!" With that, he turned and went into his room, closing the door behind him.

Yi Zhonghai trembled with rage, pointing at Sha Zhu's door and yelling, "You ungrateful wretch! I've wasted so many years teaching you this skill!" He turned and saw Lin Chen standing to the side, his eyes filled with anger and resentment: "Lin Chen, were you the one instigating Sha Zhu behind my back? Let me tell you, don't think you can bring me down like this! I'm a level eight fitter; the factory can't do without me!"

Lin Chen sneered, "Master Yi, do you think you can blame others for your own actions? You treated Sha Zhu as a tool for retirement, and Qin Huairu as a pawn to consolidate your position. Your image as a moral exemplar is nothing but self-deception. Sha Zhu's awakening is his own doing; it has nothing to do with me." He paused, "Besides, the factory doesn't need you. There are more and more young technical backbones now, and if your old skills aren't updated, they'll be eliminated sooner or later."

Yi Zhonghai was so angry he couldn't speak. He picked up his lunchbox and slunk away. The neighbors gathered around, gossiping. "I never knew Master Yi was this kind of person! You can never judge a book by its cover!" "I used to think he was so fair and selfless, but it was all an act!" "Silly Zhu has finally woken up; he won't be a sucker anymore!"

That evening, Lin Chen was revising his speech when there was a knock at the gate. Opening the door, he found Qin Huairu holding a mended shirt. "Director Lin," she said, "this is the shirt you asked me to mend last time. I've mended it and even ironed it." Lin Chen took the shirt; the tear was neatly stitched, the stitches fine and even, with no visible signs of repair. "Thank you, Senior Sister Qin," he said, "it's really well done."

Qin Huairu stood at the door, hesitating for a moment. "Director Lin, I'd like to ask you something. I heard you're going to attend the city's industrial conference and will be sharing your experience in renovating the cafeteria?" Lin Chen nodded. "Yes, what's up?" Qin Huairu said, "I learned a little drafting when I was in the fitter's workshop. I'd like to draw some before-and-after comparison pictures of the cafeteria renovation for you to put on the slides; that would be more intuitive. Is that alright?"

Lin Chen was taken aback for a moment, then said happily, "Of course! That's great! I was just worried about not having anyone to help me with the drawing! Thank you, Senior Sister Qin." Qin Huairu smiled, "It's what I should do. I used to deliberately hide my skills in the fitter's workshop, but now I want to put my skills to good use." Lin Chen nodded, "As long as you're willing to work hard, you'll definitely have a bright future."

For the next few days, Qin Huairu came to help Lin Chen draw blueprints every day after get off work. Her drafting skills were indeed excellent; although she hadn't drawn in a long time, she picked it up quickly, producing clear and accurate drawings. She even used different colored pens to mark the changes before and after the modifications. Sha Zhu also frequently came to help, serving them tea and water, and sometimes even helping to cut the blueprints. Looking at the scene before him, Lin Chen suddenly felt that perhaps the courtyard house wasn't all about intrigue and backstabbing; it also had warmth and hope.

That evening, Lin Chen was discussing the layout of a PowerPoint presentation with Qin Huairu and Sha Zhu when Jia Zhangshi's cries came from the courtyard gate: "Why is my life so miserable! My chickens are gone! They must have been stolen!" Lin Chen frowned, went out of the house, and saw Jia Zhangshi sitting on the ground wailing, holding an empty chicken coop. "Aunt Jia, when did your chickens go missing?"

"Just now! I went out to take out the trash, and when I came back, the chickens were gone!" Jia Zhangshi cried. "They must have been stolen! Xu Damao is the most thieving person in this yard; it must have been him!" Just then, Xu Damao returned from outside, carrying a cloth bag. Hearing Jia Zhangshi's words, he immediately became furious: "You old hag, don't make false accusations! When did I steal your chickens?"

"Who else could it be but you? You stole my chickens before!" Jia Zhangshi jumped up, trying to snatch the cloth bag from Xu Damao's hand. Xu Damao quickly dodged, "I bought some braised pork hock to take to my mother! Look for yourself!" He opened the bag, and sure enough, there was a braised pork hock inside. Jia Zhangshi froze for a moment, then began to wail again, "Then where's my chicken? My chicken must have been stolen!"

Lin Chen stepped forward and scanned the chicken coop with the system's "item identification" function, finding several black cat hairs on it. He remembered that the deaf old lady in the backyard had a black cat that always wandered around the yard. "Aunt Jia, your chickens probably weren't stolen by someone, but carried away by a cat," Lin Chen said. "There are cat hairs on the chicken coop. The black cat from the deaf old lady's backyard usually likes to steal chickens."

Jia Zhangshi's eyes lit up, and she immediately scrambled to her feet, about to rush to the backyard: "Good heavens! That old hag dared to steal my chickens! I'll make her pay!" Qin Huairu quickly grabbed her: "Mother! Don't go and cause trouble! The deaf old lady is a martyr's family member and receives care from the neighborhood committee. If you go and make a scene, you'll definitely get nowhere!" Jia Zhangshi shook off her hand: "So what if she's a martyr's family member? Does that mean she can steal my chickens? I'm going to get an explanation today!"

Lin Chen stopped her: "Aunt Jia, if you make a scene, you won't get any answers, and you might even get criticized by the neighborhood committee. How about this, I'll ask the deaf old lady for you. If it really was her cat that took it, I'll make her compensate you with a chicken." Jia Zhangshi was skeptical: "Are you sure you can do that? That old hag is not someone to mess with." Lin Chen nodded: "Don't worry, I have a way."

Lin Chen arrived at the backyard, where the deaf old lady was sitting in the yard enjoying the cool air. Seeing Lin Chen, she pretended not to hear him and continued sunbathing with her eyes closed. Lin Chen approached her: "Deaf old lady, Aunt Jia's chickens are missing. There's hair from your black cat on the chicken coop. What do you think we should do?" The deaf old lady opened her eyes, feigning confusion: "What chickens? I don't know anything about them. My cat never steals anything."

Lin Chen sneered, "Deaf old lady, stop pretending. I know you're not really deaf, and I know your status as a martyr's family member is fake. Your husband wasn't a revolutionary martyr at all; he was a small merchant from the Republican era who disappeared during the war. If you don't want the neighborhood to know about this, you'll have to compensate Aunt Jia with a chicken and keep your cat under control from now on."

The deaf old woman's face changed instantly; she hadn't expected Lin Chen to know her secret. "You...you're talking nonsense! My status as a martyr's family member is recognized by the neighborhood committee!" Her voice trembled. Lin Chen took out a photograph: "I found this at a flea market. It's a photo of your husband from the Republican era, with his signature and occupation on the back. If you don't believe me, I can show it to the neighborhood committee."

The deaf old woman looked at the photo, her face turning deathly pale, and she could no longer pretend. "Fine, I'll compensate her with a chicken," she said through gritted teeth, "but you have to promise me you won't tell anyone about what happened to me." Lin Chen nodded: "As long as you don't do anything underhanded in the future, I won't tell anyone." Helpless, the deaf old woman had no choice but to take a chicken out of the house and hand it to Lin Chen.

Lin Chen handed the chicken to Jia Zhangshi, who was overjoyed and thanked him profusely. Qin Huairu looked at Lin Chen with admiration in her eyes: "Director Lin, you're amazing! Even the deaf old lady is afraid of you." Lin Chen smiled: "It's not that I'm amazing, it's just that she did something wrong and felt guilty."

Back inside, Lin Chen opened the system panel, which displayed: "Side quest 'Facilitate Qin Huairu's transformation, enabling her to establish herself through her skills,' reward: 7000 points, current points: 174500. Side quest 'Awaken Sha Zhu, freeing him from Yi Zhonghai's control,' reward: 8000 points, current points: 182500. Side quest 'Defeat the deaf old lady's hypocrisy, making her compensate Jia Zhangshi for the chickens,' reward: 5000 points, current points: 187500."

Lin Chen nodded in satisfaction, and a new main quest popped up on the system panel: "Successfully showcase your R&D achievements and cafeteria renovation experience at the city's industrial conference, reach a cooperation agreement with Southern Machinery Factory, and receive a reward of 25000 points, unlocking the 'Technology Transformation' function." Lin Chen's eyes lit up. The Technology Transformation function would allow him to transform the technology he developed into actual products and bring them to market, which would be crucial for his future entrepreneurship.

Looking at the blueprints Qin Huairu had drawn on the table, he felt a surge of confidence. The industrial conference was not only a stage to showcase himself, but also a new starting point in his life.