Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 1003 Temporary Calm
Before the Lunar New Year, a simple funeral brought silence to the residents of No. 95 Courtyard. The cold winter night also brought a sense of sadness to the people. After all, the person who was laughing and chatting with the neighbors in the courtyard just yesterday had suddenly left the next day.

Liu Gen returned to the courtyard after get off work. He was actually quite unhappy and somewhat helpless. His master had promised to help him advance in this assessment, but with Jia Dongxu's accident, Yi Zhonghai was completely stunned and then went to the hospital.

Liu Gen's technique is not yet at level three. If it weren't for Yi Zhonghai's leniency, he definitely wouldn't have been able to advance. He is aware of this.

But who could he blame? Jia Dongxu? He'd already left. Yi Zhonghai? In this situation, Yi Zhonghai had no time to bother with him. He could only lament his bad luck.

Liu Gen also made up his mind not to get involved in Yi Zhonghai's affairs. He would pretend that this had never happened, return to the courtyard, and fulfill his responsibilities as a neighbor. He would do his part, help out when he needed to, and give the appropriate gifts as usual.

After dealing with Jia Dongxu's matter, Yi Zhonghai locked himself in his room and refused to see anyone. He didn't even come out for Jia Dongxu's thank-you banquet, which was arranged by Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui. Jia Zhangshi was now just staring blankly at her son's photo without moving.

Qin Huairu kept vigil alone with her child, but what surprised everyone was that someone else was also sitting at the door of the house, accompanying the Jia family mother and her two children. That person was He Yuzhu, and he was quite persistent, staying with them for three days.

The unsuspecting neighbors all thought that this was a sign of the deep affection between Yi Zhonghai and Master Jia Dongxu, noting how heartbroken Yi Zhonghai was and how he wouldn't even leave his house.

In the west wing of the backyard, Mr. and Mrs. Xu Wude returned today with Xu Xiaoling. They attended the Jia family's funeral at noon and also gave a monetary gift, which was the proper etiquette as old neighbors.

That evening, Xu's mother cooked four dishes, all made with ingredients that Xu Wude had brought back. And you know what? That old guy really had some wild ideas; besides a fish and a chicken, there was even a piece of roe deer meat among the ingredients.

Xu Damao admired his father immensely. He took out a bottle of Xifeng liquor, poured it for his father, and the two of them drank it together, while Xu's mother and Xu Xiaoling ate their meal nearby.

"Dad, how do you think the Jia family will manage from now on?" Xu Damao asked with a sigh.

Xu Wude looked at his son with a hint of amusement. He could see the changes in his son since Wang Wenyuan left. He had become more responsible, his attitude towards learning had changed, and he was less impulsive. There was just one bad thing, though. He didn't know if he had learned it from Wang Wenyuan, but he loved to stand up for what was right and would speak his mind if he didn't like something. This had caused him a lot of trouble at school.

After graduating, I diligently followed him to learn projection technology, and now my skills are quite good. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to get into the factory. Now, whenever I have free time, I also read books to learn about history, which is also influenced by Wang Wenyuan.

Therefore, Xu Wude was very grateful to Wang Wenyuan. But after Xu Damao asked him this question today, Xu Wude realized where his son's shortcomings lay: he couldn't see the essence of things, or to put it bluntly, he couldn't see people and things clearly.

Xu Wude took a sip of his drink and asked, "Why do you think his family would be having a hard time?"

“Isn’t it obvious? With Brother Jia gone, the quantitative column is gone. There are old people and young children in the family, and I guess only a pregnant woman is left. She can’t go to work and can’t earn money now,” Xu Damao said to his father.

"Hehe, you silly son, you only see the surface. Things inside are much more complicated. Let me put it this way: the Jia family is probably the second richest in the courtyard now. The only one richer than them is probably Yi Zhonghai." Xu Wude finished speaking, took a sip of wine, and started eating.

Xu Damao was shocked. Looking at his father, he didn't rush to speak, carefully recalling the details after Jia Dongxu's death. Finally, he remembered that Jia Zhangshi and Yi Zhonghai had gone to the factory to discuss compensation. Xu Damao then said, "That can't be right. Even if there is compensation, it wouldn't be that much, would it?"

Xu Wude smiled and, seeing that his son was starting to understand, said, "Your dad had dinner with Secretary Wang the day before yesterday. You know Secretary Wang, right? He's Director Yang's secretary. You have to call him Uncle Wang. I told him about what happened that day during the dinner."

"Ah, Dad, you have this connection? Tell me about it." Xu Damao took out a cigarette, handed it to his father, and lit it for him.

Xu Wude took a puff of his cigarette and said, "When Jia Zhangshi went in, she started throwing a tantrum, refusing to listen to anyone, and sat on the ground wailing. Yi Zhonghai, who was next to her, initially tried to persuade Jia Zhangshi, but then he started complaining to Director Yang, saying that this family of women, old and young, would have no income for the next year, and so on."

"At first, Director Yang was a little angry, but after listening to what Yi Zhonghai said, he also felt some sympathy for the family. Later, when he heard that Old Jia of the family had also died in a work-related accident at the factory, he felt even more sympathetic."

"You know what, this Jia Zhangshi is really something. As soon as Director Yang comforted her, she naturally stopped her performance, wiping away tears and sobbing, and then sat down in the chair."

Xu Damao was stunned and said, "This is obviously a collaboration between Jia Zhangshi and Yi Zhonghai to fool Director Yang."

Xu Wude nodded and said, "That's right, but this Factory Director Yang really lacks experience in interpersonal relationships. In the end, he directly called the deputy factory director and the head of the labor and personnel department and gave them the highest compensation, plus an increase of 20%. This is unprecedented in the factory."

Xu Damao was now very curious about the compensation and asked, "Dad, did Uncle Wang say in the end how much he paid?"

Xu Wude nodded and said, "The compensation is six hundred yuan, and child support is ten yuan. If Qin Huairu doesn't work, you can stay with her until she's sixteen. If she starts working, it will be canceled. Qin Huairu's current allowance is fifteen yuan per month, which will continue until she starts working. You calculate how much that is."

Xu Damao thought for a moment and said, "That doesn't make sense either, Dad. This can't possibly be the second richest person in the compound, can it?"

Xu Wude said, "What do you know? When Lao Jia left, he gave three million, which is equivalent to three hundred yuan now. In addition, when Lao Jia was alive, Jia Zhangshi managed all the money. Later, she also managed Jia Dongxu's money. Jia Zhangshi is a spender who doesn't earn. Even the sewing machine for Jia Dongxu's wedding was paid for by Yi Zhonghai. You do the math. I estimate that his family has more than 1,500 yuan. In addition, the six hundred yuan went into Jia Zhangshi's pocket. Her family has at least two thousand yuan in assets. And that's an underestimation."

Xu Damao was stunned. This family, who had to owe money to hold banquets, was actually so rich.

At this moment, Xu Wude said, "You haven't been around the yard long enough to know everyone. After the New Year, your mother, your sister, and I will move in for a while, so you won't be taken advantage of by the people in the yard without even realizing it."

Xu Damao nodded. He didn't really know much about this place. He usually just came back to sleep and then went off to do other things.

(End of this chapter)