“Did you notice? Master Yi, Master Hu, and Jia Dongxu, all three of them are gone.”
“Could it be that Master Yi…?”
“Nonsense, I just saw Master Yi.”
“I feel like something’s off. Did you see the Squad Leader? I haven’t really seen him since the meeting this morning.”
Many workers chatted casually.
Just before it was time to get off work.
“Everyone, please stop what you’re doing. I have a few words to say.”
Wang Lif said with a haggard expression.
The Pliers worker team gathered at the Team Leader’s area.
“What I’m about to say must be kept secret. If the Workshop Leader and Security Section Leader find out you’ve been spreading rumors, don’t blame me if you get punished.”
Wang Lif lowered his voice and spoke seriously.
The workers of the Pliers worker team’s eyes lit up.
Humans are naturally curious.
And Wang Lif was speaking so seriously, it must be a big deal.
Perhaps it was related to the death in the Workshop that they had just been discussing heatedly.
“Our good colleague, good friend, Jia Dongxu, has left us forever.”
“He had just passed the Second-Level Fitter exam and was supposed to have a bright future, but unexpectedly, he sacrificed himself in the Workshop.”
Wang Lif said with a sorrowful tone.
Although he cursed Jia Dongxu in his heart for being so incredibly stupid, Wang Lif gave Jia Dongxu full respect in front of the Team Leader’s workers.
After all, the deceased are to be respected.
If someone is dead, and the living still speak ill of him, it would ruin their reputation.
“Jia Dongxu is dead?”
“Holy cow, I was just talking to him this morning.”
“No wonder I didn’t see Jia Dongxu and Master Yi, what about Master Hu?”
“This… this…”
The Pliers worker team discussed animatedly.
They found it incredibly unbelievable.
Chen Jianye also put on a surprised expression, blending in smoothly with the crowd.
“Everyone, quiet down. The Workshop Leader and the factory’s Leader have issued an order that this matter must be kept confidential.”
“Regarding Comrade Jia Dongxu’s pension work, we have formed a group specifically responsible for this matter, to ensure that Jia Dongxu’s family is satisfied.”
“You just need to know about this; absolutely do not spread it outside.”
Wang Lif repeatedly emphasized.
After that, he announced the dismissal of the meeting and sat alone, savoring his sorrow.
In just one month, two people from his Team Leader had died consecutively.
Either he, this Team Leader, was at the end of his rope, or he would be removed from his position.
Having caused such big trouble for the Leader, how could things turn out well?
Chen Jianye returned to his workstation to pack his tools, waiting for work to end.
He didn’t participate in others’ discussions; there was no point.
Taking advantage of the free time, Chen Jianye opened his panel.
Name: Chen Jianye
Skills: Yang Style Tai Chi (Mastered)
Cooking LV2 Experience 13/500
Carpentry LV2 Experience 207/1000
The experience points for Cooking and Carpentry had slightly increased.
Carpentry experience increased by 25 points.
‘I took the Carpentry transfer exam this morning; I only officially started working this afternoon, so half a day of work added 25 points.’
‘Not bad.’
Chen Jianye calculated in his mind.
If he worked a full day, he could get fifty experience points from daytime work.
That was almost double the twenty-seven or twenty-eight experience points he got before.
Fifty points from daytime work, plus about twenty-five points from reading at night, bringing in seventy-five experience points a day.
With 1000 experience points needed to upgrade, it would take about 15 days.
Half a month, Chen Jianye could accept that.
When the closing bell rang, he promptly left work and went home.
As he reached the threshold of the Siheyuan (Courtyard), Chen Jianye heard wailing coming from inside.
“My son!”
Jia Zhangshi knelt at the doorway, wailing loudly.
In front of her, a cloth was spread out, and on it lay Jia Dongxu’s body.
The body was covered with another layer of cloth.
After all, Jia Dongxu looked too gruesome now.
If he wasn't covered, the other people in the Courtyard wouldn't agree.
Chen Jianye walked into the front Courtyard with a calm expression.
He noticed that only a few old people remained in the front Courtyard; everyone else had probably gone to the Middle Courtyard.
“Old Bai, what’s going on inside?”
Chen Jianye pretended to know nothing and asked.
“Ah, Jia Dongxu of the Jia, he’s gone.”
“Tsk tsk, such a young lad, gone just like that.”
Old Bai sighed heavily.
“Ah? That’s what it is, the Squad Leader told us before work ended.”
“Alas, he was unlucky, it was as if a ghost was hurrying him to his death.”
Chen Jianye also sighed.
He secretly thought, it seemed Old Bai had said the same thing when his own father, Chen Tuntian, died.
In Old Bai’s eyes, these people in the Courtyard were all good young lads.
“Who says it isn’t so? The Jia’s world has collapsed now.”
“The Jia are not like the Chen Family; at least you’ve grown up and can work to support yourself.”
“Bang梗 is still young, and there isn’t a single capable adult in the family. I think in the future, alas.”
Old Bai sighed again.
In these times, if a family had no able-bodied male, they would generally not escape the fate of the entire family being wiped out.
The Jia having two consecutive generations of orphans and widows was truly something else.
Chen Jianye stepped into the Middle Courtyard.
He glanced in the direction of the Jia.
Several old women from the Courtyard stood beside Jia Zhangshi, wiping away tears.
Several Grandpas gathered together, discussing matters.
Qin Huairu and Bang梗 Ding Dang were not seen.
Chen Jianye walked towards his own home.
He had no intention of getting involved in the Jia’s affairs.
But even if he didn’t want to get involved, the people in the Courtyard wouldn’t let him off.
At the gathering place of several Grandpas.
The Three Great Masters were all there.
“We need to arrange Jia Dongxu’s burial. Old Ding will take care of the transportation then.”
Yi Zhonghai had rested all afternoon, and now he was arranging Jia Dongxu’s burial.
“Old Ding, no problem?”
Liu Haizhong looked at Old Ding.
“No problem, we’re all from the same Courtyard. If something happens, I definitely have to lend a hand.”
Old Ding nodded repeatedly.
Funerals and weddings were the biggest events in an ordinary person’s life.
If one didn’t help at this time, it would not only easily create enmity but also lead to being looked down upon by others.
“Sha Zhu, if the Jia holds a banquet, you’ll be in charge of Cooking, no problem?”
Yi Zhonghai said again.
“No problem, I’ll make sure it’s done beautifully.”
Sha Zhu grinned.
Although he tried his best to look sorrowful, sometimes he just couldn’t control the joy in his heart.
Jia Dongxu was dead, that was great.
That kind of person shouldn’t have messed with Qin Jie.
Poor Qin Jie gave birth to three children for the Jia; Jia Dongxu must have put in a lot of effort.
It’s good that he died.
“Each household sends one person to help the Jia.”
“No problems, right?”
Yi Zhonghai looked around and asked.
Everyone nodded.
When there was a funeral in the Courtyard, helping was a given.
Even if some families had quarreled with the Jia before, at this critical moment, they still had to send someone to help.
If they didn’t help, it would be tantamount to severing ties, never to interact again.
They were all from the same Courtyard; there was no need to go that far.
“What about the Chen Family?”
Someone asked.
The Chen Family only had one person left; if someone were to be sent, only Chen Jianye could come out to help.
“Old Yan, go call Chen Jianye over.”
“I believe he is a sensible child.”
Yi Zhonghai spoke.
Yan Fugui glanced at Yi Zhonghai, feeling a surge of annoyance in his heart.
They remember me for errands.
In the end, he still listened to Yi Zhonghai and went to the Chen Family to call Chen Jianye.
Chen Jianye was picking vegetables. Upon learning that Yi Zhonghai wanted to call him over to discuss something, he sneered, put down the vegetables in his hand, and followed Yan Fugui.
“Jianye, we just discussed this. Dongxu is gone, so each household in our Courtyard will send one person to help the Jia.”
“When your father passed away, the Jia also helped your family. What do you think?”
Yi Zhonghai was very good at speaking.
First, he used rules to pressure him, then he brought up sentiments.
“Of course, no problem, but I have a few words to say.”
Chen Jianye said with a smile.
“Go ahead.”
Yi Zhonghai was very satisfied, feeling that Chen Jianye knew what was important in matters of right and wrong.
Chen Jianye coughed twice, cleared his throat, and drew everyone’s attention to himself.