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However, Yi Zhonghai must have some skills to be able to become an old man.

He tapped the table twice with his enamel mug, and after everyone quieted down, he slowly began to speak: "Please don't be in a hurry, let me finish what I have to say!"

"Since I became an old man, have I ever done anything that would make people gossip about me?"

Yi Zhonghai brought the situation under control with just a few words, silencing everyone temporarily.

At this moment, Xu Damao spoke up: "Uncle, what exactly is the main purpose of our conference? It's been almost an hour and nothing has been explained clearly!"

“Yeah, old man, let’s not talk about anything else, let’s get straight to the point! We have to go to work tomorrow, we’re all exhausted after a long day!” Xiao Shan echoed Xu Damao.

Yan Bugui, who was standing to the side, also spoke up quietly: "Yeah, Lao Yi, let's get straight to the point! I have to get up early tomorrow to go to school to supervise the students' morning self-study and memorization!"

Yi Zhonghai was somewhat exhausted; he still lacked prestige.

At the same time, he also knew in his heart that if he didn't blew himself out today, things would probably get out of hand!

After thinking it over in his mind, Yi Zhonghai said, "What I mean is that our compound is a united compound. If one person is in trouble, everyone will help!"

"Dongxu is a level two fitter, and his salary is thirty-six yuan and fifty cents. But he is the only one in his family who has food, so it is not enough to eat when divided among them."

“There are a few other households in our compound that are in similar or even more difficult situations than Dongxu and his family.”

"What I mean is that those of us who are a little better off should set aside one or two yuan each month, even if it's just to buy some cornmeal or sweet potatoes, and share it with families who are struggling to make ends meet. If we can help out, we can at least do our part to show our community's goodwill!"

Yi Zhonghai's words were righteous and awe-inspiring, and everyone present nodded slightly.

At this moment, Xiao Shan spoke up: "Uncle, what are the standards for this assistance? What are the standards for donations? There should be some kind of rule!"

Yi Zhonghai glanced around and saw that everyone was staring at him.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip of water, and said unhurriedly, "My initial idea is to calculate based on each person's grain ration! Families with an average of less than 20 jin of grain per person will be on the list of those to be helped!"

"Uncle, to be honest, your standards are a bit unfair!" Xiao Shan said calmly after pondering Yi Zhonghai's words for a moment.

Upon hearing Xiao Shan's words, Yi Zhonghai was taken aback.

The standard I came up with on the spot should be fairly fair!

So Yi Zhonghai looked at Xiao Shan with some displeasure: "Xiao Shan, explain yourself clearly. Where did I, your old man, do something wrong? If you have any objections, you can bring them up on the spot. If I made any mistakes, I will correct them immediately!"

“Xiaoshan, you can tell us what you’re thinking. We three old men are here, and we absolutely won’t let you suffer any losses.” Yan Bugui spoke up at this moment.

Xiao Shan first flattered Yan Bugui: "Alright, Third Uncle is the fairest and most impartial person in our courtyard, so let me share my thoughts!"

Then he slowly said, "An old man said the standard for being helped is no less than 20 catties of grain per person. So, should we calculate it based on adults, or adults and children together?"

Yi Zhonghai replied without hesitation, "Of course it counts as adults! Children eat less, so the government's rations are enough!"

"According to your standard, Uncle, only Dongxu's family in our courtyard meets the criteria!" Xiao Shan said with a serious expression. "No one else does, not even Grandma Xu's family! Because they are all urban residents with rationed food, and Grandpa Wang meets the adult standard too!"

"Only Dongxu's family, Jia's sister-in-law and aunt Jia have rural household registration, and their two children follow their mother's household registration, so they don't have any rationed food!"

"Uncle, after all this talk, you're still only helping Dongxu's family, just in a different phrasing."

Although many families in this courtyard came from rural areas, they later changed their household registration to urban.

In recent years, almost no couples getting married in the neighborhood have married men from rural areas.

Because rural residents don't have a fixed food ration, they already earn less, and marrying a rural woman would only be a burden on their family.

After hearing Xiao Shan's words, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

Even Xu Damao and He Yuzhu were somewhat incredulous: they never expected that the old man would be so cunning! It seemed like he was doing it for the sake of unity in the courtyard, but in reality, he was helping the Jia family.

The three adults from Jia Dongxu's family stared at Xiao Shan with resentment, clearly unhappy that Xiao Shan had exposed Yi Zhonghai's scheme.

Yi Zhonghai felt like he was going to vomit blood, because he really hadn't expected things to go this far!

I only came up with this idea to help those in need because of the circumstances.

In Yi Zhonghai's view, there are probably not many families in the courtyard who meet the criteria for receiving assistance.

Cornmeal isn't expensive; it doesn't cost much a month, and you can still gain a good reputation.

Unexpectedly, after careful calculation, it turned out that only the Jia family in the entire hospital met the criteria for assistance because two adults had rural household registrations; the others did not.

Yi Zhonghai was so embarrassed that he wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground.

However, his embarrassed expression was seen by everyone as a guilty conscience.

"Uncle, if you want to help Jia Dongxu's family, you can do it secretly. You're Jia Dongxu's mentor, and we won't say anything if we see it!" Someone in the crowd voiced their dissatisfaction with Yi Zhonghai. "But your roundabout way of asking us to subsidize Jia Dongxu's family is a bit unfair! If Xiaoshan hadn't pointed it out, we would still be in the dark!"

Chapter Twenty-Seven: An old man being pointed at and judged from a moral high ground!

Madam Jia never expected that Yi Zhonghai would scheme so deeply to help her family.

Seeing that Yi Zhonghai was in an awkward situation, Jia Zhangshi reached out and tugged at the sleeve of Qin Huairu, who was sitting next to her, signaling Qin Huairu to step forward and play the victim to help Yi Zhonghai out of the predicament.

After receiving a signal from Jia Zhangshi, Qin Huairu stepped forward and said with a pitiful expression, "Xiaoshan, there are five people in our family, and only your brother Dongxu has a ration. We are really struggling to make ends meet!"

"Adults can skip a couple of meals without any problem, but children are growing and shouldn't go hungry!"

Hearing Qin Huairu stand up and say these words, Jia Dongxu, who was sitting next to her, felt a little embarrassed!

Xiao Shan looked at Jia Dongxu, whose face was flushed, and said with a smile, "Brother Dongxu, I really didn't expect you to have such a difficult time. If your wife hadn't told us, we wouldn't have known!"

"Although I'm only a level two welder right now, I can still contribute one yuan and five kilograms of cornmeal to help Brother Dongxu get through this difficult time!"

Jia Dongxu glared at Xiao Shan, wishing he could slap his mother and Qin Huairu across the face right now.

There's a grown man at home too!

Did those two women really need to throw a tantrum and act pitiful in front of so many neighbors?

I've completely lost face today!

So Jia Dongxu stood up, looked at his mother and wife and said, "Alright, I'm not dead yet! Master, our family is doing alright. Even if we don't have food, we still have money. Let's not bring this up again!"

After saying that, without waiting for anyone to react, Jia Dongxu turned and walked towards his home.

boom!

The sound of the door closing echoed in the courtyard.

Xiao Shan smiled and said to Jia Zhangshi, "Aunt Jia, I meant well! When you get back, explain to Brother Dongxu that I'll bring you five catties of cornmeal later so the children can have a good meal!"

Upon hearing Xiao Shan's words, Yi Zhonghai felt as if he were slapping himself in the face.

He was Jia Dongxu's mentor, an eighth-grade worker at the steel rolling mill, earning about one hundred yuan a month.

If word got out that he wouldn't help his apprentice but instead let a second-level welder help him, he would become the laughingstock of the entire Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

What's most frustrating is that he can't get angry with Xiao Shan because Xiao Shan is doing something good.

Regardless of Xiao Shan's intentions, at least he genuinely wanted to help Jia Dongxu's family.

"Xiaoshan, thank you! You should keep the cornmeal for yourself!" Jia Zhangshi said, noticing Xiaoshan's somewhat unpleasant expression.

After saying that, he took Qin Huairu home.

Seeing that the main characters of the incident, Jia Dongxu and his family had all gone home, Liu Haizhong chimed in at the right moment: "Old Yi, what you did today was not fair! Jia Dongxu's monthly salary of thirty-six yuan and fifty cents is by no means difficult."

"How much is cornmeal per pound now? Five cents! Wheat flour is only twelve cents! The Jia family doesn't have enough food, so they can trade with their coworkers for some cornmeal or wheat flour!"

"For such a small matter, you've held a hospital-wide meeting, wasting everyone's time! Everyone's already tired after a long day of work, and you're just taking away their rest time!"

Liu Haizhong finally felt relieved today. This was the first time he could stand on the moral high ground and point fingers at Yi Zhonghai.

However, Yi Zhonghai was a man who could take things in stride. He sincerely said to the people in the courtyard, "I apologize to everyone first. This time, it was indeed because I didn't investigate properly that I wasted everyone's time!"

"I'll have my wife deliver two jin of flour to everyone's family later. It's not much, but it's a small token of my appreciation!"

"I will investigate everything thoroughly from now on!"

Yi Zhonghai's tactful maneuvering instantly dispelled everyone's displeasure.

Of course, the main reason was that he was willing to give each family two jin of flour.

These days, food is precious, and many people, even if they have money, still eat coarse grains.

The grains included in the quota are mostly whole grains, with not many refined grains.

If you want to eat fine grains, you have to go to the pigeon market and buy them at a high price, and even then, there's no market for them.

Yi Zhonghai is an eighth-level fitter in the factory. He has helped many people over the years and receives a lot of gifts every month, which is why he has so much white flour in stock.

At this moment, He Yuzhu, who had been watching the drama unfold, finally stepped forward to support Yi Zhonghai: "Uncle, I can't take the white flour. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. I bet you didn't expect that Jia Ge's family in our courtyard really does have the least amount of grain."

"Please take my share back. I appreciate your help all this time. I'm not the kind of person to kick someone when they're down!"

Upon hearing He Yuzhu's words, Yi Zhonghai's heart stirred slightly.

It seems that the training of He Yuzhu needs to be adjusted in the future.

During the college-wide meeting, I need someone to help me by encouraging me!

Otherwise, how could he have been so passive today, almost becoming the enemy of the entire hospital?

However, He Yuzhu's words offended the others present.

You, He Yuzhu, are a cook; you have no shortage of food and drink.

If you don't want white powder, you can talk to Yi Zhonghai alone. What's the point of saying it in front of everyone?

So several people who usually cared about their reputation spoke up, saying they would forgive Yi Zhonghai's mistake and that they didn't need the white flour.

In this era, people value face highly, and no one wants to lose face.

So even if many people are unwilling, they can only agree to say that they don't want those two pounds of flour!

Unexpectedly, Xu Damao spoke up at this moment: "Uncle, it's all thanks to your noble character. I don't want my share! Isn't Brother Jia's family in trouble? Give my share to Brother Jia and steam a pot of whole steamed buns for Banggeng and Xiaodang so that the two children can have a full meal."

Everyone's eyes lit up when they heard Xu Damao say that.

They all said they would send their share to the Jia family for the two children.

Since I can't get those two pounds of flour myself, I might as well do a favor and have something to brag about later.

Moreover, Jia Dongxu couldn't refute this, because everyone had indeed sent out the white flour.

Yi Zhonghai was initially quite pleased by He Yuzhu's words, thinking that he could bleed less.

But Xu Damao's words put him in a difficult position again.

If I don't produce this white flour myself, I won't be able to face anyone in the future.

But if he were to give the white powder to Jia Dongxu, he himself would not gain a good reputation.

Even if the people in the courtyard brag about this outside, Jia Dongxu might blame his master for making him lose face.

So Yi Zhonghai could only swallow his pride and say, "Dongxu is my apprentice. How can I let you provide the food? Wouldn't that be a slap in my face? It's only right and proper that I, as his master, should contribute money and effort!"

"I'll have my wife take some flour inside for everyone in a bit! Da Mao, thank you for your kindness on behalf of your brother Jia!"

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Xu Damao, Having Gave His Breath Away! (Please add to your favorites, give flowers, and leave reviews!)

Seeing Yi Zhonghai suffer a setback and financial loss at the hospital-wide meeting today, Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui exchanged a secret glance, their eyes both hiding smiles.

Over the years, the hospital-wide meetings have gradually become a one-man show by an old man. Today, these two old men finally found a bit of presence.

Liu Haizhong then took the opportunity to give a concluding speech: "Since the old man has realized his mistake and made amends, that concludes today's hospital-wide meeting. Everyone has to get up early for work tomorrow, so please disperse!"

Upon hearing Liu Haizhong's words, Yi Zhonghai's face immediately darkened.

It seems that Uncle Liu Haizhong is getting a bit cocky now. I need to find a chance to show him who the real boss in the courtyard is.

Seeing that there was no more excitement to be had, everyone carried their stools home.

Xiao Shan had just gotten up when He Yuzhu came over; "Xiao Shan, the old man is a good person. He just didn't understand the situation of each family this time, which is why he made such a blunder!"

Hearing He Yuzhu speak well of Yi Zhonghai, Xiao Shan waved his hand dismissively: "Don't worry, Brother Zhu, I'm fair and square, I won't hold a grudge against that old man afterwards! Besides, nobody's perfect, who can be without fault?"

"By the way, Brother Zhu, Director Wang should be bringing people to our compound to arrange a meeting between you and her in the next couple of days!" Xiao Shan said to He Yuzhu. "You'd better be prepared, make sure your home and yourself are clean and tidy, leave a good impression on the girl, and try to make it happen on the first try!"

He Yuzhu patted his chest and assured her, "Don't worry, I'll definitely put a good job on it! Besides, I'm the head chef at the steel mill, I get special meals every now and then, what could that girl possibly want?"

Xiao Shan was speechless at He Yuzhu's reckless attitude.

When I took him to see Director Wang before, he was quite humble.

Now that he knows Director Wang is going to arrange a relationship for him, he's starting to get all excited again.

So Xiao Shan decided to give He Yuzhu a warning: "Brother Zhu, having this idea is a mistake!"