Fusion System: Rebirth in a Courtyard - Bird Fighting Chronicles

Chapter 44 The Mischievous Son Gets Caught Stealing Iron, and the Wicked Mother-in-Law's Tantru

At the end of April, the furnaces in the forging workshop of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill burned day and night. Lin Chen was squatting next to the machine tool, instructing Liu Guangtian on how to calibrate the measuring tools. A crowd had gathered in front of the newly posted "Apprentice Training Class Enrollment Brochure" on the workshop bulletin board. Yan Bugui's son, Yan Jiekuang, was squeezed at the front, clutching a crumpled notebook in his hand, glancing at Lin Chen every now and then with eager eyes.

"Measuring tool calibration must be precisely aligned with the scale lines; even the slightest deviation is unacceptable." Lin Chen held Liu Guangtian's hand and slowly turned the fine-tuning knob. "The precision requirements for military orders are IT6 level. Our training course teaches us to turn 'almost' into 'perfect accuracy.'" Liu Guangtian listened with exceptional attention, and the handwriting in his notebook became much neater than before. Liu Haizhong stood to the side watching, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up—since learning technology from Lin Chen, the atmosphere at home had become much more harmonious, and he also regarded Lin Chen as a truly respected junior.

During lunch break, Lin Chen had just finished organizing the registration forms for the training course when he saw Qin Huairu carrying a stack of clean work clothes through the back door of the workshop. Her sleeves were rolled up high, and her exposed wrists no longer bore the deliberately crafted "delicate" marks of her past; instead, they bore several faint scratches—accidental scrapes from cleaning the machine tools in the workshop. Seeing Lin Chen, she put down her work clothes, hesitated for a moment, and then walked over.

"Junior Brother Lin, this is a cloth cover I sewed for the apprentices who have signed up, for storing measuring tools." Qin Huairu handed over a small bag made of coarse cloth, the stitches fine and neat. "I heard that the training course will distribute measuring tools uniformly, and using a cloth cover will prevent them from getting damaged." Lin Chen took the cloth cover, his fingertips touching the lingering scent of soapberry on the fabric. A notification popped up on the system panel: "Item detected: Hand-sewn measuring tool cover, maker: Qin Huairu, emotion attached: guilt + peace of mind."

"Thank you, Senior Sister Qin, for your trouble." Lin Chen thanked her with a smile, then pointed to Yan Jiekuang in front of the notice board, "Yan Jiekuang from Teacher Yan's family has also signed up. If you have time, you can come over and teach the apprentices some basic fitter skills, after all, you are Master Yi's personal apprentice." Qin Huairu's face turned pale instantly, and she quickly waved her hands, "I can't, my skills are not good, don't let me hinder the children." After saying that, she picked up the empty bucket and hurriedly left the workshop, her steps somewhat flustered.

Lin Chen watched her retreating figure, lost in thought. Since Yi Zhonghai was demoted and she was transferred to logistics, Qin Huairu had indeed toned down her behavior considerably. She no longer deliberately feigned pitifulness to gain sympathy, nor had she asked Sha Zhu for anything. However, the system showed that she still had a strong aversion to "fitter skills," clearly indicating that she hadn't yet let go of her desire to hide her abilities. Just as he was pondering this, a series of hurried footsteps came from the workshop entrance. Old Zhang from the security department rushed in, his face grave: "Xiao Lin, lately there's been a lot of things going missing from the scrap heap in the workshop. Last night, another small bundle of alloy scraps went missing. The factory wants you to keep an eye out—your anti-theft methods are effective; we caught Jia Zhangshi stealing chickens last time thanks to you."

Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat, and he took out the system panel and scanned it towards the waste pile. A prompt immediately popped up on the panel: "Suspicious trajectory detected, pointing to a gap in the east wall of the factory area. Trajectory residue: child's footprint + cotton fiber (consistent with the material of the cotton-padded jacket that Jia Geng often wears)." He recalled the scene he saw in the courtyard yesterday evening—Jia Zhangshi was squatting by the chicken coop, secretly stuffing a burlap sack into Jia Geng's hand, muttering something to herself. He had felt something was wrong at the time, but he never expected that this old woman would actually set her sights on the waste in the workshop.

"Brother Zhang, don't worry, I'll work overtime tonight and make sure we catch them red-handed." Lin Chen patted Old Zhang on the shoulder and turned to go to the scrap heap. He squatted down, carefully examining the marks on the ground, and took out the "trigger-activated bell" he had previously fused from the system space—an upgraded version made of wire, spring, and copper bell, with higher sensitivity. As long as it touched an object within a preset range, it would emit a continuous, sharp ringing sound and could also be linked to the nearby warning light via a thin wire.

Liu Haizhong came over to help, watching Lin Chen skillfully set up the equipment, and asked suspiciously, "Lin, who do you think is so blind as to steal things from the workshop?" "Besides some unscrupulous people, who else could it be?" Lin Chen pointed to the alloy scraps in the waste pile. "These materials look like scrap, but they can be melted down and recast into small parts, which are in high demand on the black market. Last time, Jia Zhangshi was caught stealing chickens; she definitely didn't learn her lesson." Liu Haizhong suddenly realized, gritting his teeth, "If it was that old woman from the Jia family who did it, she absolutely can't be let off easily this time!"

As evening fell, Lin Chen deliberately locked the main gate of the workshop beforehand, leaving only the small door on the east side ajar. He even sprinkled some talcum powder at the entrance—a method he often used against the Jia family, leaving footprints as evidence and creating obstacles for their escape. He and Old Zhang from the security department hid in the tool shed next to the scrap heap, observing the outside movements through the cracks. Liu Guangtian volunteered to help keep watch, clutching a wooden stick in his hand, his eyes filled with tension and anticipation.

As night fell, a small head peeked out from outside the factory wall. Jia Geng, wearing a faded cotton-padded jacket and a tattered cotton hat, furtively looked around. Seeing no one was watching, he slipped through a gap in the wall, carrying a bulging burlap sack—the very one Jia Zhangshi had given him the day before. He tiptoed to the scrap heap and, following Jia Zhangshi's instructions, carefully selected the heavy, gleaming alloy scraps and stuffed them into his sack, muttering, "Grandma said this iron can sell for a lot of money, enough to buy meat buns."

Just as he bent down to drag a bundle of short steel bars, his foot suddenly bumped into something. A sharp, ringing bell pierced the night, and the warning lights above the waste pile flashed on, illuminating the entire area as if it were daytime. Jia Geng was terrified; the burlap sack in his hand fell to the ground. He turned and ran towards the gap in the wall, but stepped on talcum powder and fell flat on his back with a thud. The short steel bars crashed against the nearby iron plate with a loud clang.

Lin Chen and Lao Zhang immediately rushed out of the tool shed, Liu Guangtian following closely behind. The three of them quickly surrounded Jia Geng, who was trembling with fear. Lao Zhang picked up the burlap sack from the ground, weighed it in his hand, and his face darkened: "Good lad, you stole leftover alloy materials from military orders. This isn't ordinary scrap metal!" Jia Geng lay on the ground, tears and snot streaming down his face: "It wasn't my idea to steal it, Grandma made me! She said I could sell it for money to buy meat buns!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than Jia Zhangshi's voice rang out from outside the wall: "Genggeng, run fast! Get the stuff and come back right away!" She peeked out from the gap in the wall as she shouted, and her face instantly changed when she saw Lin Chen and the others surrounding Jia Geng. She turned to run, but was stopped by Li, the workshop supervisor who had been waiting outside. "Jia Zhangshi, you're really something, instigating your grandson to steal from the factory!" Li grabbed Jia Zhangshi's arm and shoved her in front of Lin Chen. "You didn't learn your lesson from stealing chickens last time; this time you're even bolder!"

Seeing that she couldn't escape, Jia Zhangshi immediately changed her tune, plopped down on the ground, slapped her thigh, and wailed, "Injustice! I just came to call my grandson home for dinner, how could I have instigated him to steal? You must have framed us! Lin Chen, last time you got me arrested and sent to a labor camp, and this time you deliberately set a trap for my grandson, what are you up to!" Her crying grew louder and louder, attracting many workers who were working overtime, who all gathered around to watch the commotion.

"Aunt Jia, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want." Lin Chen squatted down, pointing to the trigger-activated bell on the ground. "This is an anti-theft device I installed in the scrap heap. It only rings when a specific area is touched. If you didn't instigate Jia Geng to steal, what was he doing coming to the workshop in the middle of the night? And carrying a burlap sack that could hold dozens of kilograms of iron?" He took out his phone (the system's integrated recording device), pressed play, and Jia Geng's words immediately came through: "It wasn't me who wanted to steal it, Grandma made me steal it!"

The onlookers immediately started discussing: "So he was instigating his grandson to steal, how outrageous!" "Last time he stole Aunt Li's chicken, this time he stole the factory's iron, he really never learns!" Yan Jiekuang squeezed into the crowd, looking at the alloy material on the ground, and whispered to the person next to him: "My dad said that this kind of material can sell for 50 cents a pound on the black market, this bag must be worth several dollars!" When Jia Zhangshi heard this, her crying stopped abruptly, and a trace of panic flashed in her eyes.

Old Zhang took out handcuffs and was about to put them on Jia Zhangshi: "Come with me to the security department. This matter must be reported to the factory!" Seeing this, Jia Zhangshi suddenly jumped up and tried to scratch Lin Chen's face: "It's all your fault, you little beast! I'll fight you to the death!" Liu Haizhong reacted quickly, grabbing her wrist and twisting it forcefully. Jia Zhangshi winced in pain: "You old bastard, you dare twist me? I'm going to report you to the neighborhood committee!"

"Sue me? You should think about your own business first." Liu Haizhong sneered. "The workshop's surveillance cameras (the simplified surveillance system integrated with the system) have all recorded it. You crawled in through the gap in the wall and instigated Jia Geng to steal iron. The evidence is conclusive. It won't do you any good no matter where you sue!" He pointed to the surveillance camera not far away. Jia Zhangshi looked in the direction he pointed and was so frightened that her legs went weak and she almost sat down on the ground again.

Just then, Qin Huairu rushed over. She had just finished get off work when she heard about the incident in the workshop and ran all the way here. When she saw Jia Geng being arrested and Jia Zhangshi throwing a tantrum, her face instantly turned deathly pale. "Mom, how could you have encouraged Geng Geng to steal!" Qin Huairu squatted down, hugged the trembling Jia Geng, and couldn't help but shed tears. "I'm working hard in logistics now, earning eighteen yuan a month, enough for us to eat. Why did you still have to do this kind of thing!"

"You useless thing!" Jia Zhangshi broke free from Liu Haizhong's hand, pointed at Qin Huairu's nose and cursed, "What can eighteen yuan do? Genggeng wants to eat meat buns, and I need to save money for retirement. Your meager salary isn't even enough to fill a tooth gap! If it weren't for Lin Chen meddling, Genggeng and I would have succeeded long ago. We could have sold the iron and bought meat to eat!" She cursed more and more fiercely, completely ignoring the contemptuous looks from those around her.

Lin Chen stood up and said to Lao Zhang, "Brother Zhang, take them to the security office. Also, contact the neighborhood committee and the police station. Last time, Jia Zhangshi was sent to a labor camp for stealing, and this time she instigated a minor to commit a crime. This must be dealt with seriously." He glanced at Qin Huairu and softened his tone, "Senior Sister Qin, take Jia Geng home first and give him a good talking to. Stealing is no small matter. This time it was iron; if he steals something more important next time, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Qin Huairu nodded, holding Jia Geng, and silently followed behind the security personnel. When they reached the workshop entrance, she suddenly stopped, turned back to Lin Chen, and said, "Junior Brother Lin, thank you. I will educate Geng Geng properly, and I won't let him learn bad things from my mother again." Lin Chen watched her retreating figure, and a system panel popped up with a notification: "Qin Huairu, Emotions: Guilt + Determination, Current Needs: Educating Children + Escaping Jia Zhangshi's Control, Behavioral Tendencies: Actively Distancing from Jia Zhangshi's Evil Deeds."

Back at the courtyard house that evening, news of Jia Zhangshi being taken away by the security department had spread throughout the entire compound. Yan Bugui sat at the courtyard gate with a small ledger, making accounts while telling the neighbors, "I told you Jia Zhangshi was no pushover. Last time she was caught stealing chickens, and this time she instigated her grandson to steal iron from the factory. That's a serious crime; she'll get at least six months of labor reform!" Old Wang sighed, "There's always a reason why someone is pitiful. She doesn't learn good things herself and corrupts her grandson. She's ruined the Jia family's life."

After Qin Huairu brought Jia Geng home, she didn't pamper him as usual. Instead, she made him kneel in the yard, took out a ruler, and pointed to the "family rules" on the wall: "The first rule is no stealing. Have you forgotten? Grandma tells you to steal, so you steal. Do you know that stealing iron from the factory will get you arrested and imprisoned?" Jia Geng lowered his head and whispered, "I want to eat meat buns..."

"If you want meat buns, you can tell me. I can save my meal tickets to buy them for you, but you absolutely cannot steal them!" Qin Huairu threw the ruler on the table. "Tomorrow I will go to the neighborhood office to apply for a sewing training class to earn more money so that you can all eat meat buns in the future. But the premise is that you must learn well and not follow your grandmother's bad ways again." Jia Dang and Jia Huaihua stood aside and nodded sensibly. They also knew that what their grandmother was doing was wrong.

When Lin Chen returned home, he saw Liu Guangtian squatting in the yard reviewing the knowledge of measuring tool calibration. Liu Haizhong sat beside him, explaining it to him, and occasionally showing his son his old work notes. Seeing Lin Chen, Liu Guangtian quickly stood up: "Master Lin, thank you so much for today. If it weren't for you, I might have been hurt by Jia Zhangshi." Lin Chen smiled: "It was nothing. Be more careful in the workshop in the future, especially when working overtime at night."

The next morning, the factory's decision was announced: Jia Zhangshi was sentenced to one year of labor reform for "instigating minors to steal factory property, a serious offense," with her previous wages from cleaning the workshop deducted to offset the losses; Jia Geng, being under fourteen years old, was taken home by his parents for strict discipline, with the neighborhood committee regularly checking on his upbringing; Qin Huairu received a warning for "inadequate supervision" and was disqualified from year-end performance evaluations. When the news reached the courtyard, everyone applauded.

Yi Zhonghai sat at his doorstep, staring at the old "Moral Exemplar" certificate on the wall, his face so gloomy it could drip water. Since his demotion, he'd become a laughingstock in the workshop. When Jia Zhangshi was arrested, he wanted to help but dared not, fearing he'd get himself into trouble again. Aunt Yi came out with a bowl of thin porridge, sighing, "You used to help the Jia family so much, and now that they're in trouble, you don't even dare leave the house. Who will remember your kindness in the future?" Yi Zhonghai irritably pushed the bowl aside, "It's all because of that brat Lin Chen! He always ruins things for me! I'm not finished with him!"

Just then, Officer Wang from the neighborhood committee walked into the courtyard, holding a notice: "Is Comrade Lin Chen home? The district is holding a 'Young Technical Expert' selection, and the neighborhood committee has recommended you. Here's the application form; please fill it out and submit it the day after tomorrow." Lin Chen came out of the house, took the application form, and said with a smile, "Thank you, Officer Wang. I will definitely fill it out carefully." Officer Wang patted him on the shoulder: "This is all you deserve. You not only have excellent skills, but you also help the workshop train talent and inspire the neighborhood to improve. You are a truly deserving role model for young people."

Hearing this, Yi Zhonghai felt even worse. He turned and went back into his room, slamming the door shut. Officer Wang glanced at Yi Zhonghai's door, shook his head, and said to Lin Chen, "Yi Zhonghai used to be quite respected in the neighborhood, but his reputation has been ruined ever since he was demoted for cheating on the last assessment. A person should be honest and reliable, and let their true abilities speak for themselves." Lin Chen nodded. He knew that Yi Zhonghai's "moral exemplar" mask had long been torn away layer by layer by Lin Chen.

In the morning, Lin Chen was preparing for the start of the training course in the workshop when Director Zhou walked in, holding a document: "Lin, the factory has approved your application and allocated ten sets of new measuring tools and five old machine tools to the training course. The course officially starts the day after tomorrow. In addition, the military unit has received a new order with even higher precision requirements than last time, and you will still be in charge." Lin Chen took the document and glanced at it with the system. The panel displayed: "New order: High-precision turbine blades, material: high-temperature alloy, precision requirement: IT5 level, difficulties: blade curved surface machining, high-temperature performance stability. Recommended integration: ceramic cutting tools + intelligent temperature measuring instrument to generate special machining tools."

"Don't worry, Director Zhou, I guarantee I'll complete the task on time," Lin Chen said confidently. Director Zhou nodded and added, "By the way, the security department found out that the report about you accepting bribes from Liu Haizhong was actually done by someone hired by Yi Zhonghai. The factory has already criticized him, so you should be more careful in the future." Lin Chen smiled. He had already guessed that it was Yi Zhonghai who was behind it, but Yi Zhonghai couldn't cause any more trouble now.

At noon, Qin Huairu arrived at the workshop carrying a lunchbox containing two meat buns and a bowl of millet porridge, which she had specially bought for Jia Geng that morning. The remaining meat bun and millet porridge were for Lin Chen. "Junior Brother Lin, thank you for speaking up for me in the workshop last time." Qin Huairu handed over the lunchbox. "This is your lunch, have a taste." Lin Chen took the lunchbox and was about to speak when he saw Jia Geng peek out from the workshop door, holding a drawing. It depicted a worker holding tools, with the words "I'm sorry, I will never steal again" written next to it.

"Uncle Lin, I'm sorry." Jia Geng lowered his head and handed over the drawing. "My mother taught me that stealing is wrong. I'll never steal again. I want to be like you, earning a living through my skills." Lin Chen took the drawing and patted his head. "It's good that you know you were wrong. If you want to learn a skill in the future, you can join our training class when you grow up." Jia Geng's eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously. "Okay! I will definitely study hard!"

In the afternoon, Lin Chen led Liu Guangtian and Yan Jiekuang to debug the newly assigned machine tools. Although Yan Jiekuang was sometimes mischievous, he had a natural talent for learning technology and quickly mastered the basic operation of the machine tools. Watching the three young men learning so diligently, Liu Haizhong was filled with emotion: "Lin, if I had met you a few years earlier, I wouldn't have taken so many detours." Lin Chen smiled: "Master Liu, it's not too late now. Let's work together to improve the technology and make the forging workshop the benchmark for the entire factory."

As Lin Chen stepped out of the workshop at dusk, he saw Yi Zhonghai standing at the door, holding an envelope and looking at him with a gloomy expression. "Lin Chen, I have something to tell you," Yi Zhonghai said, handing him the envelope. "There's fifty yuan in here. Can you cancel one of my spots in the training course, and put in a good word for me with Director Zhou so I can get back to my technical instructor position?" Lin Chen didn't take the envelope, his eyes cold. "Master Yi, the training course is based on exams, not money. If you want to get back to a technical position, you have to rely on real skills, not bribes."

"Don't push your luck!" Yi Zhonghai angrily threw the envelope on the ground. "If it weren't for your meddling, I wouldn't be in this situation! Do you believe I can make sure you can't stay in the factory anymore!" Lin Chen picked up the envelope and handed it to Old Zhang from the security department next to him: "Brother Zhang, Master Yi is suspected of bribery. Please handle this." Old Zhang took the envelope and said seriously: "Comrade Yi Zhonghai, please come with me to the security department." Yi Zhonghai looked at the workers who had gathered around him, his face pale, knowing that he had once again shot himself in the foot.

Back at the courtyard house, Lin Chen had just entered the central courtyard when he saw Qin Huairu and Jia Geng cleaning the yard, while Jia Dang and Jia Huaihua helped pick up trash. Seeing Lin Chen, Qin Huairu stopped what she was doing and said with a smile, "Junior Brother Lin, I applied to the neighborhood committee for a sewing training class. It starts next month, and I'll be able to earn more money then." Lin Chen nodded, "Great! Earning money with your own hands is more reassuring."

That evening, Lin Chen sat at his desk and opened the system panel. A new notification popped up: "The host has successfully thwarted Jia Zhangshi's instigation of theft, and has helped Qin Huairu and Jia Geng change their ways, completing the 'Returning from the Wrong Path' advanced mission. Points +5000. Current points: 44000. New feature unlocked: Materials Analysis (can accurately analyze material composition, performance, and applicable scenarios)." He looked at the points and new feature on the panel and smiled.

Outside the window, moonlight spilled onto the bluestone slabs of the courtyard, illuminating Qin Huairu leading the children in cleaning. From the north room came Liu Haizhong teaching Liu Guangtian to read, while in the west wing, Yan Jiekuang diligently reviewed the basic notes Lin Chen had lent him. Lin Chen knew that this courtyard, once filled with scheming and strife, was slowly becoming warm and reassuring. His path of revenge was also progressing step by step; his next target was the calculating "calculator" Yan Bugui. He took out paper and pen, beginning to plan his next move. Under the lamplight, his eyes were resolute and composed.