Courtyard Houses: Starting with the principle of hard work paying off

Chapter 227 The dust has settled, Yi Zhonghai faces a dead end (9k)

Sha Zhu has a talent for cooking, He Daqing is certain of that, but this only applies to ordinary people.

His talent is nothing compared to Li Hongbing's!
"Dad, you're overthinking it. I've long since given up on competing with Hongbing."

Faced with He Daqing's persuasion, Sha Zhu couldn't help but smile bitterly and said helplessly, "It's so much better for me to stay in the steel rolling mill by myself. The factory leaders usually treat me with great respect. Why do I have to make myself unhappy?"

Compared to Li Hongbing, what makes him stand out?

Even someone as proud as Sha Zhu has to accept his fate when facing a genius like Li Hongbing, a talent that only appears once in a century.

I can't accept it!

Rather than saying that Li Hongbing's performance was too outstanding and put him under immense pressure, it was more accurate to say that he compromised after his confidence was shattered.

To sum it up in a later term, it would be—to give up.

Actually, before, Shazhu really liked this state, and even enjoyed it.

He is now the highest-ranking cook in all the canteens of the steel rolling mill, and he is the only one in the entire steel rolling mill who can cook special meals.

Or rather, only he could prepare special meals that satisfied the factory leaders.

Even if it's just a simple, large-scale meal, it's the most popular among all the factory workers. The canteen where Sha Zhu works is always the most crowded, packed every day.

As the saying goes, it's better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix.

In the steel rolling mill, Sha Zhu was practically unique; almost no one could replace him. Even the factory leaders treated him better than the other cooks.

Once he left the steel mill, looking across the entire city of Beijing, the only things that Sha Zhu could boast about were his titles as Dong Congyou's apprentice and He Daqing's son.

Sha Zhu preferred to "dominate the battlefield" on the map of the steel mill, the starting village, rather than go out and fight his way to become an unknown soldier.

"Sigh, whatever you want!"

Having discerned Sha Zhu's true intentions, He Daqing was speechless, but too lazy to worry about it anymore.

In fact, from the moment Sha Zhu was tricked into entering the steel rolling mill by Yi Zhonghai and later decided to stay, his career advancement path was already limited.

The factory is the workers' world, and the common pot of food is the mainstream. All the skills and crafts that Sha Zhu had learned before could only be used to cook special meals for the factory leaders occasionally.

He Daqing and Dong Congyou had considered getting Sha Zhu out of the steel rolling mill, but it wasn't that easy.

On the one hand, the leaders of the steel mill were unwilling to let go of Sha Zhu, a skilled cook who had been apprenticed to a famous chef, after much difficulty.

on the other hand.

With the subsequent comprehensive reform of public-private partnership, the ownership of restaurants and eateries outside the city has changed, and job adjustments and staff turnover are obviously not as easy as before.

It wasn't impossible for Dong Congyou and He Daqing to force Sha Zhu to leave and move to a restaurant, given their connections and relationships. However, that would easily offend people. Later, the leaders of the steel mill even found a middleman to intervene. In addition, Sha Zhu himself didn't care, so in the end, they had to give up on this idea and plan.

Having such an unambitious son, Dong Congyou and He Daqing, as mentor and father, were at their wits' end.

He Daqing had just thought that Sha Zhu was like this because he had been hurt by Li Hongbing and had given up on himself, but it turned out that he was overthinking it.

He's just plain useless!
Next.

He Daqing would be content as long as Shazhu could settle down, get married properly, and have a few healthy sons to carry on the He family line. He didn't expect Shazhu to achieve anything great in the future.

When He Daqing learned the reason for his imprisonment, he was already prepared to spend his time in a labor camp. He didn't even think about having a chance to get out in the future, since he was almost fifty and no longer young.

So in just one day, He Daqing had thought a lot, and even made arrangements for the future of Sha Zhu and He Yushui.

Unexpectedly, Sha Zhu's appearance today brought a glimmer of hope, and perhaps there will be a chance for them to see the light of day again and reunite as a family.

Regardless of what happens, for the next few years, Sha Zhu and Yu Shui will probably have to go back to their old life of relying on each other.

When they came out, Sha Zhu looked at He Yushui, who was in low spirits, and couldn't help but comfort her, "Yushui, don't worry, Dad will be fine inside. We siblings will work together to make a good life for him, so that when he comes out, we can take care of him together and let him enjoy the good life with us."

"Ok!"

Upon hearing this, He Yushui looked up at her brother, Shazhu, and nodded heavily.

……

Two days have passed.

Following Yi Zhonghai, news of He Daqing's imprisonment also began to spread.

Without any warning, two major events occurred in succession, and gossip and discussions about the courtyard house were rampant, with all sorts of speculations emerging.

Originally, it was just their courtyard house, but gradually, the news spread throughout the surrounding area.

"Sigh, with these two things happening, our courtyard will definitely not be selected as an advanced courtyard house at the end of the year."

That evening, just as Li Hongbing returned home, Yan Bugui came to his door, looking worried, and said, "Hongbing, you're quick-witted and knowledgeable. Do you have any ideas on how to help our institute get rid of these negative influences?"

"Uncle Yan, you overestimate me. What can I possibly do about this?"

Upon discovering that Yan Bugui had come seeking advice and solutions, Li Hongbing complained somewhat helplessly, "Yi Zhonghai has been abusing women for a long time. This matter has had a very bad impact, alarming the street office, the women's federation, and the police station at the same time."

In my opinion, unless you can organize a large group of people to arrest three or five enemy agents and receive praise and rewards from the neighborhood committee and police station, perhaps you can offset the impact of this incident. Otherwise, I don't think it's going to work.

That's what they say, but even if it were possible, competing with other courtyards for the title of advanced courtyard would obviously not be so easy.

Although the outcome of Yi Zhonghai's case is still pending, it will certainly not be lenient. For their courtyard house, it will always be a major stain that cannot be washed away.

Even if they have made meritorious contributions, it is easy for the neighborhood committee to award the advanced status to their institute, which could easily cause controversy and be questioned by other institutes.

This is different from the case of the deaf old woman.

Although both were individual actions, the deaf old woman brought it upon herself by crossing the line, while the people in the nursing home were simply misled.

From another perspective, they were deceived because they respected the elderly and supported and loved the families of martyrs and national heroes, which is why everyone only condemned the deaf old woman.

While Yi Zhonghai's abuse of his wife Wang Guihua was his personal act, it lasted for several years. As neighbors in the same building, the fact that no one noticed anything amiss makes it hard not to suspect, even question, or speculate that they were accomplices, or cold-blooded bystanders.

Besides.

The reason why a person's bad reputation can easily affect everyone in the courtyard is that when outsiders gossip and mention related matters, they often say that someone in a certain courtyard did something, which drags the whole courtyard into it, just like regional discrimination. Other residents in the courtyard also suffer undeservedly.

"Catch enemy agents, and three or five of them at that? That's not that easy."

Upon hearing Li Hongbing's answer, Yan Bugui became extremely frustrated.

In the early years after the founding of the People's Republic of China, enemy agents were rampant and often came out to cause sabotage. However, catching enemy agents was not something that ordinary people were good at; at most, they could only help provide some intelligence and assist official operations.

With the continuous crackdowns and arrests of spies by the authorities, coupled with the effectiveness of the country's efforts in several foreign wars, although the spies in Beijing have not been completely wiped out, many have gone into hiding and are not so easy to detect.

Regardless of the difficulty or the level of danger, Li Hongbing's plan was obviously rejected outright by Yan Bugui.

There's no need to take such a big risk for the sake of selecting an advanced courtyard house. Moreover, Yan Bugui is quite self-aware of his own abilities and those of the people in the courtyard house.

Right now, in the entire courtyard, if we're talking about who can stand up to the enemy agents, besides Sha Zhu, the only other one who has a chance is Li Hongbing.

Li Hongbing was not surprised by Yan Bugui's reaction. He calmly said, "If you want to offset a mistake, you must strive for credit. And often, the credit must outweigh the mistake. This has always been the case. Uncle Yan, you should understand this principle. I don't need to say more."

To erase the negative impact of Yi Zhonghai and He Daqing and to participate in the competition for the advanced courtyard house, the merit of one enemy agent is certainly not enough. Li Hongbing also proposed a theoretically possible approach.

"Is there no other way?"

Yan Bugui understood these principles, but he was still somewhat unwilling to accept it.

It's not just about being selected as an advanced courtyard house and receiving peanuts, melon seeds, or a few ounces of sesame oil as year-end rewards; it's also about the reputation of the entire courtyard house, which is related to the young people finding partners in the future.

Leaving aside others, Yan Bugui himself has three sons, and Yan Jiecheng is already of marriageable age.

If it weren't for this, Yan Bugui wouldn't be in such a hurry.

Despite Yan Bugui's usual stinginess and meticulous calculations regarding his sons' food, clothing, and daily necessities, he still takes finding wives for his sons very seriously.

On the one hand, Yan Bugui would definitely not help bear any of the expenses incurred in getting a wife, such as matchmaker's money, bride price and wedding candy. Instead, whichever son was looking for a wife would have to pay for it himself. At most, he would help pay a portion, but it would have to be with a signed IOU and interest.

on the other hand.

Finding a daughter-in-law to bring into the family, preferably one who can work, would provide an extra source of income and at least another source of labor, allowing Yan Bugui to make even more calculations.

"There are plenty of ways, but they have to be feasible. The one I just mentioned was one of the simplest methods I could think of."

Li Hongbing shrugged, seemingly helpless but actually not caring at all.

Li Hongbing was fully aware of Yan Bugui's ulterior motives.

Although he also lived in this courtyard house, the reputation of the courtyard house was not really related to him, or rather, it did not affect him.

Not only is it because Li Hongbing has already married and doesn't need to worry about his reputation being affected by the courtyard, but also because Li Hongbing's personal fame and influence now surpasses that of the entire courtyard.

Its reputation and status are already established.

Even if someone knew about Yi Zhonghai's affairs, and Li Hongbing was also from this courtyard, people would only say that Li Hongbing was unlucky to have such a neighbor, rather than discussing Li Hongbing's shortcomings or faults because of the negative impact of the Yi Zhonghai incident.

"Uncle Yan, you'd better not think about the selection of advanced courtyard houses. Besides, this process won't start until at least the end of the year, it's still a long way off!"

Yan Bugui's consideration was meaningless and hopeless, purely superfluous. Li Hongbing naturally wouldn't waste his brain cells on it, but instead offered a word of advice.

"Sigh, this isn't just my opinion. Many people in the courtyard share this worry. It's really bad luck for our courtyard to be caught up in this."

Knowing that the matter was beyond saving, Yan Bugui looked distressed.

It's probably not just Yan Bugui; many people in the compound, especially those with sons or daughters who are looking for partners or arranging blind dates, have probably already cursed Yi Zhonghai, the culprit, to the core.

In fact, Yan Bugui knew that this matter was not easy to handle, and he did not have much hope when he came to Li Hongbing. He just came to complain and seek comfort.

Just as I saw Yan Bugui out the door, Director Wang from the neighborhood office arrived.

"Old Yan, gather everyone in the courtyard for a meeting. I have something to say to them."

Director Wang must have something important to announce coming here so late at night; otherwise, he wouldn't be creating trouble for himself.

Realizing this, Yan Bugui couldn't help but probe, "Director Wang, is there any result regarding Yi Zhonghai's matter?"

"More or less, we'll discuss it at the meeting if anything comes up, so don't ask so many questions."

Director Wang was not in a good mood, but he did not show any displeasure towards Yan Bugui.

During this process, Director Wang took the initiative to visit Li Hongbing's home, spoke with Li Hongbing, Chen Xueru, and Chen's mother, and also went to see the two children, Li Jianwu and Chen Jiwen. His mood improved considerably.

Throughout the entire conversation, Director Wang never discussed Yi Zhonghai with Li Hongbing, as if he were unaware that Li Hongbing was involved and that it was he who had initially reported the matter.

This was naturally done to protect Li Hongbing and prevent him from causing trouble.

Although Yi Zhonghai is already in jail and will never be able to return to the courtyard house in his lifetime, there is no need to worry that he will find out about this or retaliate against Li Hongbing.

However, the consequences and impact of this matter will more or less affect other people in the hospital. If someone finds out that Li Hongbing was the one who exposed this matter, they will inevitably blame him or be dissatisfied with him.

In this regard, Director Wang is clearly very experienced and quite cautious.

However, everyone noticed Director Wang's closeness and friendliness towards Li Hongbing's family. This kind of "differential treatment" was obviously not the first time. Everyone was envious, but they could never get it.

Not long after.

As Yan Bugui gathered everyone in the courtyard, Director Wang and Li Hongbing arrived at the Intermediate Court.

Besides Yan Bugui, who took the initiative to lead the way, Li Hongbing, who was following Director Wang, obviously received the most attention.

Feeling everyone's gaze, Li Hongbing didn't feel anything special, nor did he get carried away. He quickly separated from Director Wang and Yan Bugui and quietly slipped into the crowd's "camp".

"I'm sure you've all guessed what's going on since I'm here tonight, so I won't waste any more words."

"The exposure of Yi Zhonghai's misdeeds this time is truly shocking. Judging from the investigation results, the things Yi Zhonghai did in the past can be described as numerous misdeeds, which are abhorrent..."

"The fact that Yi Zhonghai abused, bullied, and oppressed Wang Guihua could continue for several years in the courtyard is not only due to his cunning and deceit, but I also want to criticize everyone here. It is truly disappointing that not a single person noticed this and promptly reported and exposed it. Your vigilance and awareness are seriously lacking and problematic."

"I hope that you can learn from this incident and strive to improve your awareness. In the future, if you discover anything, you must promptly report it to our street office or police station. You must not take it lightly, and you must not intentionally conceal it or condone the existence and growth of evil. Otherwise, you will ultimately harm yourselves."

"Given Yi Zhonghai's numerous misdeeds, after careful consideration, it has been decided that he will be sent to the northern frontier... As a negative example, Yi Zhonghai's many crimes will be publicly announced tomorrow, so that everyone can learn from his example..."

"In addition, this incident involving Yi Zhonghai has also brought to light another old case that also occurred in your courtyard. The case has now been resolved, and I will briefly announce it."

"...Although He Daqing injured and disabled someone, considering that there were extenuating circumstances and that he was emotionally overwhelmed at the time...after being arrested, he showed a good attitude in admitting his guilt and actively cooperated with the police investigation. After investigation, trial, and deliberation, it was decided that He Daqing would be sentenced to three years in prison..."

"..."

After announcing two major notices in a row, Director Wang was feeling quite exhausted.

She actually had quite a few opinions about the people in the hospital.

Because Yi Zhonghai's abuse of Wang Guihua was relatively secretive, and because Wang Guihua, the victim, actively helped cover it up, not many people knew about it, but it wasn't that no one knew.

But from beginning to end, not a single person stood up to expose or report it, not even anonymously.

If it weren't for Li Hongbing's high level of awareness, such heinous acts would likely have continued, allowing a demon like Yi Zhonghai to continue committing crimes and escaping justice.

This is an outcome that Director Wang cannot tolerate.

Unfortunately, this matter was rather unusual, and even someone like Wang Guihua, one of the parties involved, was in such a state that Director Wang couldn't publicly hold others accountable; he could only offer criticism and warnings. In comparison, the fact that no one in the entire hospital spread the word about the serious incident involving He Daqing and Yi Zhonghai, and that everyone kept their mouths shut, was what truly shocked and troubled Director Wang.

Although the matter was complicated, He Daqing's actions were not without reason. Furthermore, Yi Zhonghai, for the sake of his reputation and his own situation, took the initiative to choose to settle the matter peacefully and even kept his decision to have his penis removed from everyone's sight. However, this did not change the fact that they disregarded the law.

It wasn't just Yi Zhonghai and He Daqing, the two parties involved, but also the indifference and disregard of these people in the court, who even actively helped cover it up.

At the time this incident occurred, the subdistrict office had not yet been established, and Director Wang was not in charge of the work in this area. In addition, Yi Zhonghai's evil deeds were obviously more prominent; otherwise, this case would not have been treated so lightly.

Of all the families in the courtyard, only Li Hongbing's family could impress her.

Although Li Hongbing was one of the people who knew about He Daqing and Yi Zhonghai's affair, because of Li Hongbing's relationship with Yi Zhonghai at the time, and because He Daqing and Yi Zhonghai had already "settled things privately," Director Wang naturally wouldn't be too demanding in this regard, and even took the initiative to find reasons for him.

Regardless of the circumstances, Li Hongbing's actions in exposing the deaf old woman's impersonation of a national hero and martyr's family member, his previous defense of his wife and respect for women's status and rights, and his act of repaying evil with kindness by speaking out for Wang Guihua, a woman who has been violated and oppressed, have clearly earned him a lot of goodwill from Director Wang.

Now, Director Wang looks at Li Hongbing with an almost unrealistic, biased view.

not to mention.

Chen Xueru, now Li Hongbing's wife, is adorned with several accolades and honors, including receiving state donations, reporting and assisting in the capture of enemy agents, and actively responding to national policies by participating in public-private partnerships.

Both husband and wife have such sound values ​​and awareness, and they have both contributed to the country. Why shouldn't Director Wang treat them differently?

Even without the comparisons made by the people in the hospital, in Director Wang's mind, they were all different.

If everyone were like Li Hongbing and Chen Xueru, their neighborhood office wouldn't be so busy every day, with all sorts of things and troubles constantly arising.

"That's all for today. I hope everyone can learn from this and think about it carefully when you get back. You may all leave now."

After announcing the outcome of the cases involving Yi Zhonghai and He Daqing, and having said everything that needed to be said, Director Wang clearly had no intention of taking up any more of everyone's time. As he dismissed the crowd, he turned to Yan Bugui and Du Jianguo, who were senior members of the management team, and said, "Old Yan and Old Du, you two stay behind for a moment."

Upon hearing Director Wang's words, Yan Bugui and Du Jianguo, who were already feeling uneasy, became even more nervous and broke out in a cold sweat.

At this point, neither Yan Bugui nor Du Jianguo would naturally believe that Director Wang had specifically kept them behind to praise them.

as predicted.

Yan Bugui and Du Jianguo, who were left behind, were immediately subjected to a barrage of criticism from Director Wang. After the criticism was stern, Director Wang then used a more lenient approach to guide and educate them.

It's one thing for the other people in the courtyard, but they are the big shots in charge of the courtyard. They can't just enjoy the honor without taking on their responsibilities.

For Director Wang, it wasn't just disappointment, but also mental exhaustion.

Even with the addition of the police station staff, the total number of people in their neighborhood office is only so many compared to the total population of the entire jurisdiction. It's impossible for them to be attentive to everything. They still need to rely on and connect with the masses to carry out their work more effectively.

If everyone were like the people in this courtyard, like Yan Bugui and Du Jianguo, then their work would be even more difficult.

Since the establishment of their subdistrict office, a series of incidents have occurred in this courtyard, and several of them have attracted the attention of higher authorities and even made it into the news. Director Wang is afraid that something else might happen next, so he naturally has to be vigilant and pay close attention.

This courtyard house is unique in the entire area.

……

the next day.

The days when Yi Zhonghai made public appearances.

The last person to enjoy this treatment was obviously a deaf old lady; considering their past relationship, it's a continuation of the same lineage.

The operation was not led by the neighborhood committee, but by the women's federation, with assistance from the local police station.

Obvious.

Because of the heinous nature of Yi Zhonghai's abuse and oppression of women, the higher authorities, especially women's organizations, intentionally portrayed him as a negative example to warn the world and to launch a propaganda campaign to further deepen the work of women's liberation.

Faced with Yi Zhonghai's fate, Li Hongbing did not gloat or come over to kick him while he was down.

It wasn't that Li Hongbing was magnanimous, but rather that he had absolutely no interest in it. For him, eliminating the threat posed by Yi Zhonghai was enough.

As for how tragic Yi Zhonghai's fate was, even if Li Hongbing saw it, he wouldn't feel particularly satisfied or relieved.

Li Hongbing harbored no hatred towards Yi Zhonghai.

If such a thing truly existed, Yi Zhonghai would have been thoroughly destroyed long ago, instead of waiting until now.

If Yi Zhonghai hadn't brought this upon himself by threatening Li Hongbing with his family, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation.

seriously.

Although it was done under the guise of rescuing women, Yi Zhonghai and Wang Guihua were both willing to hit and be hit, and Li Hongbing had no sympathy for Wang Guihua.

Although Wang Guihua was deceived by Yi Zhonghai at the beginning, she has been colluding with him over the years, so she is not entirely innocent.

Internally, Wang Guihua is a victim.

But to outsiders, she might not say the same thing.

Not only Li Hongbing, but almost no one in their compound came to join in the fun.

Because it's embarrassing.

If they were recognized as being from the same compound as Yi Zhonghai, it would be a disaster.

Because of Yi Zhonghai, all the residents of the courtyard house are now ashamed to face the world.

Sha Zhu, on the other hand, somehow managed to gather some rotten eggs and rotten vegetable leaves, and went up to greet them, causing a commotion.

Rotten vegetable leaves are easy to deal with, but in this era of scarcity, even precious things like eggs are in short supply, and it's rare for them to rot.

Sha Zhu's preparations alone are enough to show how much "effort" he put into "hosting" Yi Zhonghai.

Nowadays, apart from Wang Guihua, probably no one hates Yi Zhonghai more than Sha Zhu.

Although He Daqing was only sentenced to three years this time, and he can get out and reunite with his family after this period, if it weren't for Yi Zhonghai, He Daqing wouldn't have had to go to jail. Moreover, now that he's in jail, he's lost his job at Emei Restaurant.

With a criminal record, even if you get out of prison in the future, it will be virtually impossible to find a job again, especially a good position with good pay like at Emei Restaurant.

Sha Zhu's conspicuous behavior naturally caught Yi Zhonghai's attention. However, upon seeing him, Yi Zhonghai, who had been numb, showed no anger. Instead, a smug and pleased expression appeared on his face, and he even launched a provocative mockery at Sha Zhu.

Although he failed this time, he at least dragged He Daqing down with him. The more Sha Zhu hates him, the more it proves that He Daqing's fate will not be good.

Unfortunately.

No one told Yi Zhonghai about He Daqing's outcome. Otherwise, if he knew that He Daqing had only been sentenced to a mere three years, Yi Zhonghai would definitely not have been able to accept the result and would have felt extremely resentful.

His precious treasure was only exchanged for three years of He Daqing's life.

The key point is that if it weren't for the painful loss of this, Yi Zhonghai wouldn't have changed so drastically in his personality, or even treated Wang Guihua that way.

If it weren't for this incident, he wouldn't be in his current predicament.

At this time, Yi Zhonghai had no idea why he had led himself to his demise.

Even though all of this was caused by Yi Zhonghai himself, if no one had triggered it, he might never have swallowed the consequences in his life.

Fortunately for Yi Zhonghai, he didn't get any peanuts this time and instead escaped with his life.

Even though being exiled to the northern frontier was a tragic end, for Yi Zhonghai, it was better to live a miserable life than to die.

As long as people are alive, there is still hope.

maybe.

What opportunities or divine favor did he encounter later, leading to a turning point in his fate?
a few days later.

With such wishful thinking and illusions, Yi Zhonghai and his "companions" boarded a train bound for northern Xinjiang.

At that time, the northern frontier was still in the stage of exploration and development, and it was not so beautiful. But for Yi Zhonghai, who had already prepared to embark on the road to the underworld, it was a hope for life.

When a person is on the verge of despair, or has even given up and compromised completely, a ray of light suddenly appears, just like a drowning person suddenly grabbing a lifeline.

However, when Yi Zhonghai actually arrived at the farm where he was to work, he found that the conditions there were much harsher than he had imagined, and the food was not just average, but extremely poor.

The initial hope began to be gradually worn down by the hard work every day.

The key is.

To Yi Zhonghai's surprise, his health began to deteriorate during the arduous physical labor.

"Report, my stomach hurts..."

One day, after finishing their work, when it was time to eat, Yi Zhonghai, who could no longer stay awake, quickly raised his hand to report.

Seeing Yi Zhonghai lying on the ground clutching his stomach, his face pale and covered in cold sweat, the staff, who had previously thought Yi Zhonghai was trying to use his illness as an excuse to avoid labor discipline, had to take it seriously and quickly had him taken to the infirmary.

Conditions at the labor farm were harsh. Although a medical clinic was provided, the doctor who stayed there was a quack with only a smattering of medical knowledge.

After taking Yi Zhonghai's pulse and asking about his condition, the other party frowned and said, "His condition... is hard to say. I'll prescribe some medicine to try first. If it doesn't work, then we'll have to go to the county hospital."

"Go to the county..."

Upon hearing the other person's words, the discipline officer frowned but did not object.

If the local clinic can't treat Yi Zhonghai's condition, he'll have to be sent to the county hospital.

Even though Yi Zhonghai was a criminal, and a serious offender at that, they couldn't just sit idly by and do nothing, leaving him there.

However, the distance from their farm to the county is extremely far, and the road is difficult to travel. Cars often cannot get in and it is common for them to break down on the way.

Most of the time, oxcarts were the primary means of transportation.

Sending Yi Zhonghai to the county hospital is troublesome and time-consuming, and the journey itself is quite arduous. I just don't know if he can handle it.

What if you die on the way to the hospital?

Fortunately, Yi Zhonghai's condition seemed to improve the next day, and he returned to work.

Exactly.

To everyone's surprise, Yi Zhonghai, who was perfectly fine that night, was already dead when he lay on the communal bed at dawn.

Yi Zhonghai's fellow workers initially thought he had slept too soundly because he had worked too hard the day before, but when they discovered that his body had completely lost its breath and temperature, they were terrified.

Thinking about how they had spent the entire night sleeping with this "fellow immortal," everyone felt a sense of unease and fear.

The discipline officers who discovered this situation were also quite helpless and had no choice but to report it.

He had taken the medicine and was clearly feeling better. He even worked all day yesterday. Nobody expected him to suddenly pass away like this, without even giving them a chance to save him.

The farm naturally launched an investigation into Yi Zhonghai's incident, but after ruling out human factors, it could only be classified as an accident caused by illness.

In cases like Yi Zhonghai's, unless it was intentional, no one would bother to perform an autopsy to investigate the cause of death.

Even if nothing goes wrong, he will basically have to stay here and work until he dies of old age.

This outcome can be considered a relief.

As the investigation concluded and a result was obtained, news of Yi Zhonghai's disappearance reached back to Beijing.

Although it was unexpected, it didn't cause much of a stir.

Soon.

Li Hongbing also learned about this situation from Director Wang.

"No one is alive?"

Upon learning of this, Li Hongbing was stunned for a moment, but quickly regained his composure.

"Yes, for the first two days, he complained of stomach pain and went to the farm clinic. He took some medicine, and his condition improved the next day. He even participated in labor. But then, overnight, he passed away..."

Listening to Director Wang's感慨 (sentiments/reflections), Li Hongbing was basically certain that it was his kick that sent Yi Zhonghai on his final journey.

This was also the first time Li Hongbing had used that trick on a person, so he wasn't very experienced with it.

Knowing that it would leave behind troubles and make things difficult for Yi Zhonghai, the exact extent of the troubles is still uncertain.

Of course.

This is related to the fact that Yi Zhonghai did not receive timely treatment at the time, and that after arriving at the labor farm in northern Xinjiang, he participated in high-intensity physical labor continuously. Otherwise, even if Yi Zhonghai's condition was certain, it would not have developed so quickly.

All things considered, it didn't take many days in total.

Before Yi Zhonghai threatened him, Li Hongbing never imagined that he and Yi Zhonghai would one day come to this point.

However, this is all Yi Zhonghai's own fault, and he can't blame anyone else. Li Hongbing will not regret kicking that ball.

With everything settled, Li Hongbing felt no pressure at all, but rather a sense of relief.

This time, there are absolutely no future troubles.

(End of this chapter)