Siheyuan: Xu Damao, I want to go to the moon

January 1 – the 5th day of the winter month in the lunar calendar

In the logistics meeting room of the steel rolling mill in Sijiucheng.

"What? You want to quit? Why?!"

Liu Lan was surrounded by the crowd and kept her head down in silence, while Xu Damao, Section Chief Huang and others surrounded her and waited for her to give an explanation.

After such a long period of training, the speaker problem has been solved, Lao Huang has also mastered the B-BOX rhythm problem, and the props problem has been solved. Now the costumes are being customized and the background curtains are being made. Most of these are sponsored by Li Huaide, and a small part is covered by the Logistics and Publicity Department.

The official performance will be on the 11th, and you are telling me to quit now?

Both Xu Damao and Section Chief Huang were a little angry.

Aren’t they kidding us?

Li Huaide was also present. His training room was in a room downstairs. Twenty people there were practicing a cappella with background music. Relatively speaking, the training difficulty over there was lower, so Li Huaide always liked to come over here whenever he had time.

Because Liu Lan was not in his group, his program was not affected. But Liu Lan's withdrawal was puzzling. Was there any misunderstanding?

"I'm sorry, Xu Damao, Director Huang, it's all my fault."

"But I really can't come to training anymore, you should find someone else."

After saying that, Liu Lan bowed repeatedly to apologize to everyone, then ran out almost crying.

Only a few people were left in the conference room looking at each other, at a loss as to what to do.

There are still 6 days left before the performance, and the female lead singer ran away. Are you not going to play anymore?!

Where can I go to seek justice?

Besides, he is an apprentice in the cafeteria. Strictly speaking, your Propaganda Department has no say over him.

A few people sat there smoking and thinking of a solution, but there were only 6 days, and it was really impossible to find someone who could sing folk songs, could learn them, and could cooperate with everyone so well.

"Da Mao, why don't you do a show with me, and add Lao Huang in as the background rhythm? Can't you just make some changes to this aspect?"

"Our recitation is a joint program for logistics and publicity. With you and Lao Huang joining us, the quality will definitely be no problem."

Li Huaide mentioned it, he didn't have any good solution, he had a mission and Lao Huang also had a military order, so he could only think of this compromise solution.

Xu Damao actually looked up to him. He thought that this man was capable of being willing to give up the honor that was within his grasp so that everyone could share it.

Xu Damao stepped hard on the cigarette butt and said, "Brother Li, your rehearsal is basically complete. It is taboo to make temporary changes at this time. Lao Huang and I will not get involved. If it really doesn't work, I will change the music when the time comes. This matter is not difficult for me."

"But I just want to find out who stabbed me in the back at this critical moment!"

"There must be a reason why Liu Lan quit. She is an apprentice and doesn't have any key work to do. Someone must be behind this!"

"Let's go! Let's go to the Second Canteen to ask Director Liu about the situation!"

So the three of them rushed to the cafeteria.

----------------

As soon as they reached the cafeteria door, they heard Sha Zhu's voice coming from inside, so the three of them slowed down and listened secretly by the wall.

It turned out that Liu Lan was standing there alone, while Sha Zhu was sitting in a rocking chair with a cup of tea, scolding Liu Lan like a big boss.

"You said you were just an apprentice, why were you messing around with Xu Damao instead of doing your job properly in the cafeteria?"

"How can Xu Damao be a good man? He broke the legs of a six or seven-year-old child in our yard, demolished the house of an old lady in her seventies or eighties, and even knocked out a tooth of our seventh-level worker Master Yi Zhonghai! He also broke my leg! He is such a scoundrel!"

"Why would he want to rap with him? Xu Damao is just a movie director, what kind of artistic talent can he have?"

"Liu Lan, either you stay here and be my apprentice, or you can go wherever you want. Our Second Canteen cannot afford to serve a genius like you."

"You don't do your work all day long, but you're playing music with Xu Damao. You do the least work in the cafeteria, but you get the same salary as everyone else? Why?"

"Even a chef like me who broke a leg has to come to work on crutches. I'm working with an injury but I haven't received a pay raise."

"I just want to ask you, Liu Lan, why?"

"Are you trying to marry into a rich family? Let me tell you, Xu Damao and Director Li are already married, and Xu Damao is infertile."

"Even if you don't mind, people still look down on you as a widow with a burden!"

"You should give up on this idea as soon as possible and work honestly in the cafeteria. Wouldn't it be better if you could get a permanent job soon?"

Everyone was shocked to hear this. There had long been rumors in the factory about Li Huaide, Section Chief Huang, Xu Damao, and Liu Lan, saying that they were always hanging out together and doing something unclear.

For this matter, Li Huaide specially invited Sister Zeng from the Women's Federation to bring people to visit and guide the work, and only then did the rumor get suppressed. Unexpectedly, this evil wind blew up again - the root cause was Shazhu?

"Chef He, I was wrong. I have already quit. Please don't chase me away. I have elderly people and children to support at home..."

Liu Lan had never seen such a scene before. She was so scared that she started crying and almost knelt down to Sha Zhu.

Just as she was about to kneel down, Xu Damao and others rushed in and grabbed Liu Lan.

"No kneeling!"

"Silly Zhu, you have such great authority!!"

Everyone protected Liu Lan directly, while Sha Zhu was still sitting there lazily on the recliner. Even if he remembered, it would not be convenient. Ma Hua stood beside him like a door god.

Only then did Liu Yidao rush over with sweat on his forehead.

"Director Li, why are you here?"

"If I hadn't come, I wouldn't have known that the head of your cafeteria had changed? Is he so stupid that he can fire workers at will?"

"Also, are you, Liu Yidao, the director, or is he, Shazhu? Why didn't the Personnel Department notify me? Do you really think that I, the logistics director, am just a decoration?" Li Huaide was also full of anger. The cafeteria was also under his logistics jurisdiction. What does it mean that you, Liu Yidao, can't even manage a cook?

Liu Yidao quickly pulled Li Huaide aside and said, "Director Li, I have no choice. We have been entertaining a lot of guests recently, and Director Yang somehow called Sha Zhu back."

"He had to prepare the afternoon reception, and his legs were not flexible, so he asked a few apprentices to help him."

"Originally everyone knew about Liu Lan's rehearsal and could understand it, because it was all for the sake of bringing honor to the factory. But Sha Zhu kept yelling that it was unfair and insisted that Liu Lan stay to help..."

"This is not..."

Liu Yidao was also in a difficult situation. Director Yang had spoken, and he couldn't afford to offend him. For the sake of the development of the factory, the reception dinner had to be done well.

Sha Zhu is the head chef for the banquet, so there's nothing wrong with him asking a few apprentices to help. What's more, they are injured when they go to work, so they should at least take some care of their emotions, right?

Liu Lan went to rehearsal to bring honor to the factory, and there was nothing wrong with that;

But the bad thing is that Sha Zhu specifically asked Liu Lan to help, and it would be unfair if Liu Lan refused to do it.

This put Liu Yidao in the middle and he didn't know what to do.

Xu Damao and the other two looked at each other, not knowing what to do - what Liu Yidao said was right. It was the end of the year, and many things had to be compromised in order to negotiate business with the factory. This was everyone's consensus. After all, the performance of the coming year would depend on whether the business could be negotiated by the end of the year.

And Sha Zhu is a key link in this. There is nothing wrong with him appointing an apprentice to help him.

Seeing that the others were silent, Sha Zhu suddenly felt a strange pleasure in his heart - Xu Damao, you have finally met this day! Grandpa is going to ruin your performance! And he can't find any fault with it!

This time, this bastard Jia Dongxu really came up with a good idea!

If you, Xu Damao, want to go, there is a way!

"What's the matter, Xu Damao? This is the internal work arrangement of our cafeteria. Do you think you can control it as a movie projectionist?"

How could Xu Damao tolerate this - he immediately came up with a plan!

"I really don't have the right to manage your cafeteria's affairs, but if you bully Liu Lan like this, who can really control you, you idiot!"

"You are a bully in the workplace, bullying and slandering female comrades, and spreading rumors. Then please invite Sister Zeng from the Women's Federation—"

"Justice for lesbians! (Showtime!)"