Chapter 22: Punishment for Jia Zhangshi

Originally, this matter needed to go through the process, which would take at least a week. However, now that Jia Dongxu was dead, the dead were the greatest, and they had to be buried in the earth for peace, so Jia Zhangshi had to finish the funeral first.

But the problem was that He Yuzhu also reported that Jia Zhangshi deliberately mistreated Jia Dongxu and also suggested that Jia Zhangshi was likely Jia Dongxu's stepmother. In this way, whether Jia Dongxu could be buried in the earth for peace became a problem.

Factory Director Yang became interested. If it was really as He Yuzhu reported, then the Rolling Mill would instead bear secondary responsibility. Factory Director Yang also had something to say in front of the high-level leaders in the Ministry: it was Jia Zhangshi who deliberately mistreated Jia Dongxu and didn't let Jia Dongxu eat enough, which caused Jia Dongxu to indirectly die in the Rolling Mill.

The current law was not sound, and it was mainly based on rule by man, and people had to pay attention to human feelings and worldly wisdom. Section Chief Ma couldn't engage in one-man rule, and even if he did, it had to be Factory Director Yang, because Factory Director Yang's rank was the highest.

Factory Director Yang saw that the matter was beneficial to him, so he didn't engage in one-man rule, but strictly ordered Section Chief Chu to thoroughly investigate Jia Zhangshi's mistreatment of Jia Dongxu. Factory Director Yang only wanted a legitimate excuse; anyway, the person was already dead.

Just as He Yuzhu said, as a leading cadre of the Party, what was there to be afraid of if a few people died? The key was not to commit political errors.

Factory Director Yang had this kind of mentality.

"Let's take it one by one. Let's talk about Jia Zhangshi's matter first," Director Zheng said with a final word.

The leaders nodded. Director Zheng, Section Chief Ma, and Factory Director Yang had different focuses. Strictly speaking, they were now divided into two factions.

Factory Director Yang, Section Chief Chu, Director Zhang, and Section Chief Ma were one faction. Their work content focused on investigating Jia Zhangshi's causing of Jia Dongxu's death as reported by He Yuzhu.

This was a homicide case. Human life was greater than heaven; this was a big matter.

Factory Director Yang was eager for Section Chief Ma to investigate this case, also for his own future.

Factory Director Yang had been scolded by the high-level leader today. If what He Yuzhu reported was true, the high-level leader would feel a bit guilty towards Factory Director Yang after learning the truth, and would make up for it in other aspects. This was what Factory Director Yang wanted.

Section Chief Chu, Director Zhang, and Section Chief Ma were eager to make contributions.

Director Zheng and Director Wang were another faction. They focused on resolving civil disputes in the Siheyuan. Director Zheng even wanted to use the No. 95 Siheyuan as a pilot to test whether the set of things He Yuzhu said could work. If it worked, it would be popularized throughout Sijiucheng, which was also a contribution.

If people don't work for themselves, heaven and earth will destroy them!

Did they really think they were serving the people? They were too eager to progress.

"Jia Zhangshi slandering He Yuzhu is established. Does anyone have any opinions?" Director Zheng said.

"No opinions." Everyone nodded. With solid evidence placed there, everyone naturally had no objections.

"Let's discuss Jia Zhangshi's mistreatment of Jia Dongxu," Director Zheng said.

"Through investigation, it is proven that what He Yuzhu said is true. Jia Zhangshi did mistreat Dongxu, making Jia Dongxu not eat enough every day, while Jia Zhangshi would occasionally go out to eat alone, and Jia Dongxu was extremely filial to his mother, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it foolish filial piety," Section Chief Ma said while looking at the testimony transcript in his hand.

"After Jia Dongxu's accident, our factory also investigated this matter and found that Jia Dongxu was working in a near-comatose state due to lack of concentration, which led to operational errors and caused the tragedy," Factory Director Yang immediately said.

This was a great opportunity to shift the blame! Factory Director Yang felt that this wave was stable. As long as he took the testimony to the high-level leader early tomorrow morning, the matter would be over.

"Factory Director Yang is right. This is also the result obtained by our Security Section through visits and investigation and evidence collection," Section Chief Chu continued. Not only could Factory Director Yang finish the job, but Section Chief Chu could also finish the job.

"The problem is, can we convict and sentence Jia Zhangshi based on this?" Section Chief Ma said with a frown.

Everyone was silent, and even He Yuzhu felt silent. This kind of case was not easy to solve even if it was placed in later generations.

Jia Dongxu was filial to his mother, preferring to eat less so that his mother Jia Zhangshi could eat more. This was filial piety, fulfilling filial duty; no one could say anything.

Even if Jia Zhangshi deliberately starved Jia Dongxu, Jia Zhangshi had something to say. What did this have to do with her? Wasn't it caused by the famine years? Was it that she didn't want to buy grain? It was that she couldn't buy it. If she couldn't buy it, someone had to go hungry.

"Regarding Jia Zhangshi slandering He Yuzhu, the street should punish her as it should; regarding Jia Zhangshi mistreating Jia Dongxu, this belongs to Jia Zhangshi's lack of private morality and is a loss of morality. Currently, I suggest that the street mainly focuses on criticism and education," Director Zheng said with a frown.

When Section Chief Ma was investigating and collecting evidence, he also investigated whether Jia Zhangshi was Jia Dongxu's biological mother.

Jia Dongxu was born in the old world and had no files established at all, so it was impossible to investigate in detail. They could only investigate and collect evidence through the elderly in the Siheyuan.

The Deaf Old Lady, the Yi Zhonghai couple, the Liu Haizhong couple, and others could all prove that Jia Dongxu was Jia Zhangshi's biological son.

However, this further proved that Jia Zhangshi had a lack of private morality and was how much of a piece of work she was; in order to eat her fill, she would rather starve her own biological son.

Section Chief Ma and the others also understood that He Yuzhu did this on purpose, just to ruin Jia Zhangshi's reputation, make Jia Zhangshi notorious, and by the way, disgust Jia Zhangshi. However, Section Chief Ma and the others wisely didn't mention it.

"I have no opinion. After all, this is also the Jia family's family affair. We mainly focus on persuasion for this kind of thing. Sigh, even if it's persuasion, it might not be useful. Jia Dongxu is so foolishly filial, he might not necessarily listen," Factory Director Yang said.

"I have no opinion either," Section Chief Chu continued.

"Does Master He have any opinions?" Director Zheng looked at He Yuzhu.

In fact, He Yuzhu's opinion was the most important today. Director Zheng and the others were afraid that He Yuzhu would not be satisfied, and on the surface, they would politely send them away, and then immediately run to Zhongnanhai to complain.

"I also know that this kind of thing makes the leaders very difficult, and there is no precedent to follow for this kind of thing. I have no opinion, but I want to add one sentence: the reason why Jia Dongxu is so foolishly filial is not innate, but caused by Yi Zhonghai's constant education and brainwashing," He Yuzhu smeared Yi Zhonghai again.

"I know your Siheyuan is very complicated, so I came one by one. Since Master He has no opinion, then, Director Wang, please specifically talk about the punishment for Jia Zhangshi," Director Zheng said.

"My suggestion is to hold a full-courtyard meeting in a while, let Jia Zhangshi apologize to you, Silly Pillar, in front of everyone, and then let Jia Zhangshi accept three months of ideological education," Street Office Director Wang said.

Objectively speaking, Director Wang's punishment was standard. In Director Wang's view, Jia Zhangshi and He Yuzhu were just a verbal dispute and did not bring substantial harm to He Yuzhu. This kind of thing happened almost every day on the entire street, and there was no need to elevate it to the level of principle.

"It seems Master He has a different opinion. Master He, if you have any high opinions, feel free to say them. We are not engaging in one-man rule here. Feel free to say them; we need to pool wisdom," Director Zheng had been staring at He Yuzhu and couldn't help but say when he found He Yuzhu frowning.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 23 =====