Marrying My Bestie's Ferocious Brother - He Calls Me His Baby!-Chapter 26: The Logistics Department Bows Together!

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: The Logistics Department Bows Together!

The next morning, the entrance of the Gu Family’s small courtyard was bustling with people.

The military wives from the entire compound seemed to have arranged it beforehand, crowding around to block the already small courtyard completely.

The new head of the logistics department, Chief Zhou, led a group of ten department officers, standing in a line in the center of the courtyard.

Each person wore a look of discomfort and embarrassment, especially Mr. Li at the end of the line, with his head hung low almost to his chest, his face a mix of blue and white like yesterday’s pig head meat.

Lin Wan Yi stood on the steps of her house, while Gu Yanshen resembled a silent iron tower beside her.

She said nothing, just quietly watched them.

Chief Zhou felt his scalp tingle under the circumstances, forcing himself to step forward, clear his throat, and then swiftly bent over in a standard ninety-degree bow.

"Mr. Lin! I’m sorry!"

Behind him, all the logistics department officers, including a reluctant Mr. Li, bent over in unison.

"We’re sorry!"

The chorus of apologies echoed in the small courtyard, causing a buzz in everyone’s ears.

The watching military wives were in an uproar but quickly regarded this group of previously arrogant logistics personnel with a satisfied look.

Lin Wan Yi waited a full ten seconds before she leisurely spoke, "Chief Zhou, what are you doing? I can’t bear this."

Chief Zhou maintained his bowed posture, sweating on his forehead, "You can bear it, you can! We’re the ones who neglected our duties, almost causing a disaster! We’ve troubled you and all the families in the compound! The political commissioner instructed us to sincerely apologize to you and humbly ask to learn the method of making honeycomb coal."

Lin Wan Yi extended her slender fingers, tapping her temple, showing a slightly troubled expression.

"It’s possible to teach, but my method is passed down from my ancestors, with many rules."

"Please tell us, please! Even if the rules are many, or even strange, we will certainly follow them!" Chief Zhou quickly responded.

"First, when learning, don’t talk too much. Do as I say."

"Second, the ingredients in the formula are fixed, don’t alter them freely, nor question them deeply."

"Third," she said, her gaze passing over Mr. Li in the lineup, "since you’re here to learn, adopt a learning attitude—no idle hands, no idle talk."

"No problem! Absolutely no problem!" Chief Zhou agreed immediately, straightening up and scolding the people behind him, "Did you hear? Anyone who doesn’t pay attention, don’t blame me, Mr. Zhou, for flipping out!"

The teaching area was set up on the open ground outside the courtyard.

The logistics department operated efficiently, quickly hauling over coal powder, yellow clay, and several large barrels of clear water.

Lin Wan Yi walked to the materials, scanning them, then pointed directly at Mr. Li who wished he could disappear into the ground.

"You, come here."

Mr. Li’s body stiffened as he lifted his head, his face filled with bewilderment and humiliation.

"Roll up your sleeves, mix the coal powder and yellow clay in a ratio of one to three, blend them dry." Lin Wan Yi’s voice was neither high nor low, yet clear to everyone’s ears.

"I..." Mr. Li’s face instantly turned pig liver red, as a distinguished, albeit suspended officer, how could he stoop to this kind of manual labor!

The surrounding military wives began whispering.

"Oh, isn’t this Mr. Li? Yesterday he seemed quite high and mighty, today he’s mixing coal clay."

"Serves him right! For selling us toxic coal, he should be mixing coal clay daily!"

Chief Zhou saw Mr. Li standing idle, boiling with rage, stepping forward to kick him in the calf, "What are you dawdling for! Do as Teacher Lin says! Are you deaf?"

The title "Teacher Lin" completely subdued Mr. Li’s temper, his face flushed as he knelt, rolled up his sleeves, and put his hands into the cold coal powder and yellow clay.

Next, Lin Wan Yi began directing.

"Add water slowly, yes, don’t pour too much."

"Mix, use strength, did you not eat? Mix until the color of the yellow clay disappears."

Mr. Li and several other officers worked hard like laborers under numerous observations, sweating profusely as they mixed the coal clay.

Once it was mostly mixed, Lin Wan Yi took out a small package wrapped in oiled paper from her cloth bag.

She carefully opened it, revealing some gray-white powder.

"This is the key to our family’s formula, called ’Hundred Herbs Dust Clearing Powder.’" She spoke with a mysterious tone, "It contains seventeen flavors of Chinese herbs, gathered by specific seasons, ground together. Excess causes dryness, deficiency extinguishes—it’s specifically used to neutralize sulfur toxicity in coal, and aids combustion. This formula must not be transmitted."

The logistics department people craned their necks to look, only seeing a plain package of powder, but hearing terms like "seventeen flavors," "specific seasons," "sulfur toxicity," each felt clouded and sensed its profoundness, looking at Lin Wan Yi with eyes that transformed from mere help-seeking to reverence.

Lin Wan Yi scattered the powder into the coal clay, directing them to mix it again, then took out pre-prepared molds to demonstrate how to press and shape it.

After more than an hour, the first batch of improved honeycomb coal was neatly stacked on the open ground.

Chief Zhou couldn’t wait to ignite one, indeed, only a wisp of blue smoke, and the flame quickly rose, warm and clean!

Though it seemed less vigorous than the one he saw in the conference room yesterday, compared to the deadly inferior coal, it was worlds apart!

"Success! Real success!" Chief Zhou was thrilled, face red, deeply bowed to Lin Wan Yi, "Teacher Lin! You’re truly the benefactor of our logistics department—no, you’re the benefactor of the entire compound!"

The crisis was thus settled.

Within three days, the logistics department worked overtime, replacing all the compound’s coal with this improved honeycomb coal.

Lin Wan Yi’s reputation was completely transformed.

No one called her the pampered capitalist lady anymore; everyone respectfully called her "Teacher Lin" or "Young Sister Yi," with words full of respect and gratitude.

In the evening, the little room was brightly lit.

The table was piled with items; a basket of fresh eggs sent by Sister in law Zhang, layered cloth shoes sewn by Sister in law Liu, and an old hen forced over by Sister He.

Lin Wan Yi was sorting them item by item, her face carrying a smile she hadn’t even realized.

The door creaked open, and Gu Yanshen stepped inside from the cold outside.

He took off his army coat, hung it on the wall, his gaze landed on the pile of gifts on the table resembling a small mountain, then looked at his wife smiling under the lamp.

He said nothing, moving directly to the table.

Under Lin Wan Yi’s puzzled gaze, he pulled an envelope and a stack of vouchers from his jacket pocket.

He poured all the money out from the envelope, a stack of crisp unity notes, mixed with some loose vouchers, then neatly stacked them next to the old hen, holding down several round eggs.

After finishing, he finally lifted his head, looking at Lin Wan Yi, his Adam’s apple moving slightly, his voice deep and carrying a hint of unnoticeable huskiness.

"This is what you earned, for household use."