Siheyuan: Being a fisherman in 1962

For Sha Zhu, the three days were a mixture of torture and anticipation.

He imagined countless times the embarrassing scene of Chen Fei being exposed in public, and the pleasure made him almost unable to sleep at night.

For Chen Fei, these three days were like the calm before the storm. He silently endured the strange looks from those around him, but his heart was as firm as a rock. He believed that those who were innocent would be cleared.

Finally, this day has come.

Director Yang and his assistant walked into the canteen kitchen in the first rays of morning sunshine.

Their arrival immediately attracted everyone's attention.

When Sha Zhu saw this, he couldn't help but feel ecstatic, as if he had seen the dawn of victory.

"Good morning, everyone. You've all worked hard." Director Yang's voice was steady and powerful, breaking the silence in the kitchen.

Everyone put down their work and greeted him respectfully.

Chen Fei also stopped what he was doing, and joined the welcoming crowd with a smile on his face. His eyes were clear, as if everything was under control.

However, what happened next was beyond everyone's expectations.

Director Yang looked solemn. After looking around, he slowly said, "Recently, I received a letter of complaint about our canteen employees stealing vegetables. I know that such behavior has seriously damaged the reputation of our canteen and violated our professional ethics. Therefore, I decided to investigate the matter myself and clear everyone's name."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire kitchen exploded.

Everyone looked at each other and talked a lot. Some were surprised, some were confused, and some were nervous.

Sha Zhu's heart tightened even more. He didn't expect things to develop so quickly, and he didn't expect Director Yang to take this matter so seriously.

"Director Yang, this...how is this possible?" Sha Zhu shouted in pretended surprise, but his heart was beating as fast as a drum.

Chen Fei stood there quietly, his eyes as sharp as torches, as if he could see through everything.

The early morning at the steel mill is always accompanied by a prelude of the roar of machines and the sweat of workers.

Today, this ordinary morning became extraordinary because of the appearance of one person.

Sha Zhu stood in front of the bulletin board in the factory, his eyes sharp, holding tightly in his hand a letter of complaint about the recent frequent thefts of public property, the fire of justice burning in his heart.

"Dear workers, listen to me!" Sha Zhu's voice was loud and clear, instantly attracting the attention of the people around him.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, gathered around, and looked with curiosity and anticipation at this man who always loved to stand up for the weak.

"Our factory is our common home! But recently, someone has been reaching out to our 'family assets', stealing and destroying public property! This kind of behavior must not be tolerated!"

"I suggest that this kind of disciplinary violation must be dealt with seriously! Those who should be fired should be fired, and those who should have their salaries reduced should have their salaries reduced. We must not let them think that we are easy to bully!" Before he finished speaking, there was already a chorus of agreement from the crowd.

Director Yang, the usually dignified yet amiable leader, also stood up at this moment, looked around, and spoke slowly:

"I fully agree with what Comrade Sha Zhu said. So, what do you think of Comrade Sha Zhu's proposal?"

"agree!"

"Must be severely punished!"

"Support Shazhu!"

The voices of the workers rose one after another, forming an unstoppable torrent, demonstrating the power of unity of the working class.

Seeing this, Director Yang nodded and looked at Sha Zhu with satisfaction: "Sha Zhu, since everyone agrees, please supervise this matter. However, in order to be fair and open, we must first find the vegetable thief. What do you want me to do?"

Sha Zhu took a step forward without hesitation and looked at Director Yang with a firm gaze: "Director, please publish the investigation documents so that everyone can see who is behind this!"

Upon hearing this, Director Yang nodded slightly, then took out a sealed document from his desk drawer and opened it in public.

As the document unfolded, a detailed investigation record came into view, which clearly recorded a person's frequent thefts of public property in the past few months. The time, place, and even the type of stolen items were listed one by one.

"Now, I ask this comrade to stand up, admit his mistakes, and accept the punishment he deserves." Director Yang's voice was not loud, but it was full of power, making everyone present feel his majesty.

However, at this critical moment, an unexpected reversal occurred.

Sha Zhu's gaze lingered on the document for a moment, then suddenly froze and his face instantly turned as pale as paper.

With trembling hands, he pointed at a name on the document. That name was his own - He Yuzhu!

"This...how is this possible? I clearly haven't stolen anything this month!" Sha Zhu's voice was full of disbelief and shock. He looked around, trying to find a hint of understanding or comfort from his fellow workers' faces, but he only saw confusion and puzzlement.

At this moment, there was an indescribable depression in the air.

After get off work, Fade Chen was carrying a slightly worn lunch box in his hand. His pace was neither hurried nor slow, but he exuded a sense of calmness.

At this moment, in a corner of the factory, Sha Zhu was standing in the shadows, his eyes flashing with complex light, and his heart was like a turbulent sea.

"This kid Chen Fei brings food home every day and says he's feeding the dog. Who would believe him? He must be secretly hiding something shameful!" Sha Zhu muttered to himself, his fingers twisted together unconsciously, which was his habitual action when he was nervous.

In the past few months, he took advantage of his position to secretly take away a lot of small items from the warehouse, thinking that no one would notice. However, he did not expect that the situation in the factory had become increasingly tense recently, especially Director Yang's sharp eyes, which seemed to see through everything.

Sha Zhu's heart was almost torn apart by fear and unwillingness.

Finally, he made a decision - instead of just sitting there and waiting to die, he might as well take the initiative and drag Chen Fei into the water, which would at least make him feel better.

The next morning, when the first ray of sunlight broke through the clouds, Sha Zhu mustered up his courage and stepped into Director Yang's office. The door closed gently, and a low conversation could be heard from inside, mixed with Sha Zhu's slightly trembling voice.

"Director, I have something to say..." Sha Zhu took a deep breath, as if he wanted to gather all his courage in this moment.

"I...I admit that I took some things from the warehouse in the past few months. But that's not the point. The point is Chen Fei. He brought food back from the factory every day this month, saying it was to feed the dog, but who knows if there's a bigger secret hidden!"

Upon hearing this, Director Yang frowned and looked at the man in front of him, who seemed honest on weekdays, with a sharp gaze.

He did not express his opinion immediately, but asked Sha Zhu to go back first and said that he would investigate it thoroughly.

After Sha Zhu left, he inexplicably felt a sense of relief in his heart, as if as long as he dragged Chen Fei into the water, he could escape the net of punishment.

He secretly calculated that Chen Fei, that guy, usually looked like he didn't cause any trouble. If he was found to have any major problems this time, he would definitely be fired.

And perhaps I could get a lighter punishment by confessing voluntarily.

However, Chen Fei knew nothing about this.