Chapter 83: Jia Zhangshi Wants the Pension

A funeral shed was quickly erected in the Siheyuan. After the crowd conferred, they unanimously elected He Daqing as the head of the funeral committee—ostensibly because he was reliable in handling matters, but secretly, who wasn't eyeing him, seeing that he was currently well-off and wanting him to shoulder more of the burden?

Jia Zhangshi, however, was the type to count every single cent as if it were attached to her ribs. When He Daqing asked her for money for the coffin, she slapped her thighs and threw a tantrum on the spot, wailing so loudly the entire courtyard could hear: "Want money? Where would I get money! If you've got the ability, go ask the factory for it! Lao Jia gave his life for their factory, and now look, they're bullying us, a widow and an orphan! This bunch of heaven-forsaken white-eyed wolves, heartless things, they'll get their retribution sooner or later!"

Watching the shameless face of this old woman, He Daqing felt his temples throbbing with anger, but he was helpless.

Regardless of whether Lao Jia had panicked and wanted to run, or truly had the intention to save others, if Lao Jia hadn't blocked that blast, he himself, who had been closest to the bomb at the time, would have been left disabled even if he hadn't died.

Recently, his family's expenses were all provided by his son He Yuzhu. He earned over sixty Big Ocean every month and couldn't possibly spend it all. He was already willing to pay this money, and thinking of the several others who had been saved, he felt they couldn't just make no gesture at all, so he made up his mind to find them one by one to raise funds.

Yi Zhonghai was quite straightforward. As soon as He Daqing mentioned Jia Zhangshi's stinginess, he didn't hesitate and immediately took out ten Big Ocean and handed them over: "What should be paid must be paid; we can't let Lao Jia leave in such a shabby state."

When it came to Liu Haizhong, things became dawdling.

He clutched the money in his pocket, looking as if he had suffered a great loss, and muttered: "Daqing, it's not that I can't donate, but my heart really feels blocked. You say Lao Jia clearly wanted to run at the time, so how did he end up being a hero?"

He Daqing got angry upon hearing this and retorted on the spot: "When you eat an egg, do you have to dig into the chicken coop to check which hen laid it? Are you just idle with nothing to do? Stop spouting useless nonsense here. If you're willing to pay, then pay up quickly; if you're not, then say so clearly. Don't be here disgusting people!"

"Alright! Man, you're right!" Liu Haizhong was scolded into submission and quickly put on a fawning smile, "No wonder you were able to become an official as soon as you entered the factory, I admire you!"

He Daqing then found Wang Zhifu. The other man squatted on the ground, pondering for a long time, before finally turning to the corner of the wall to pry up a few bricks. He dug out five Big Ocean from inside, gripped them tightly, and handed them over: "If it weren't for Lao Jia... my life would have been gone. If I don't pay this money, my conscience won't be at ease!"

"Brother Zhifu, just for this conscience of yours, plus your name, you'll definitely make a big fortune sooner or later!" He Daqing took the money and offered a casual compliment.

When it was Ma Bingchang's turn, he said a lot of flowery words, but simply had no money: "Daqing, it's not that I don't want to donate, it's that I really don't have any. Can you help me cover it first? As soon as I get my wages, I'll pay you back immediately!"

He Daqing had no choice but to take out another fifteen Big Ocean himself, incidentally covering five for Ma Bingchang. In the end, they had gathered a total of forty-five Big Ocean, finally enough to cover the basic expenses of the funeral.

He immediately instructed Ma Bingchang and Wang Zhifu to take the money and hurry to buy a coffin, so as not to miss the auspicious time.

It was mid-winter, and the cold in the courtyard drilled into the gaps of one's bones like a knife.

Lao Jia's corpse was kept in the courtyard and had already been frozen stiff; it could only be covered with an old quilt, otherwise, the sight was truly terrifying.

The children in the courtyard were so scared they didn't dare go out, and even had to relieve themselves indoors—even the adults who had seen the corpse couldn't sleep at night.

The next day, the coffin was finally bought, and Lao Jia was placed inside.

Subsequently, Lou Gang, a representative from the steel factory, also rushed over.

But Jia Zhangshi didn't know what had gone wrong in her head; she stubbornly refused to let Lou Gang enter the house, insisting on dragging him to the funeral shed to pay respects, and saying that the matter of the pension had to be discussed in the funeral shed, letting Lao Jia "watch."

He Daqing and Yi Zhonghai tried to persuade her for a long time, saying it wasn't according to custom and would make Lou Gang uncomfortable, but Jia Zhangshi was impervious to reason, and no one's persuasion worked.

In the end, they could only go along with her—Jia Zhangshi, with her hair disheveled, pulled her son Jia Dongxu to kneel before the corpse, crying for a while, then saying a few words to Lou Gang! She would also occasionally ask Lao Jia in the coffin. It must be said that although this Jia Zhangshi was illiterate, she understood psychology very well; facing a dead person, she really had to weigh her words.

Lou Gang stood to the side, rubbing his hands because of the cold, and still had to patiently discuss the pension with her.

Lou Gang hesitated for a long time before saying: "Sister-in-law Jia, I have also seen your home, it is truly not easy. The factory is willing to offer a pension of one hundred Big Ocean to help your family get through this difficult time."

As soon as Jia Zhangshi heard that the factory was only giving 100 Big Ocean for the pension, her wailing instantly rose in pitch, like a slaughtered pig: "Lao Jia! You gave your life for the factory, you even threw your life away! Now, they only give one hundred, not even worth as much as a pig? You were stubborn, and now that you're gone, how are we, a widow and an orphan, supposed to live! This black-hearted factory can't even bear to give 300 Big Ocean, you died in vain! If you hadn't thrown yourself on it, the ones blown up would have been those officials; they have plenty of money, why should you die for them..."

Lou Gang frowned, suppressing the anger in his heart, and patiently explained: "Sister-in-law Jia, the country has its laws, and the factory has its rules. The pension is all based on regulations; it's not something I can change at will."

"Regulations? Aren't rules set by people!" Jia Zhangshi suddenly raised her head, her eyes red as if they were dripping blood: "Can our family be the same as others? I still have a son to raise, and I don't have a job. You are forcing us to our deaths! You want Lao Jia to die with his eyes open... Lao Jia, don't go! Look at how these white-eyed wolves are bullying your wife and child!"

"Sister-in-law Jia, please calm down." Lou Gang heard these words and cold sweat broke out on his back. He thought to himself that this countrywoman was truly difficult to deal with. He took a deep breath, tried to soften his tone as much as possible, and said: "Lou Laoban also said that this time Brother Jia truly performed a meritorious service. Besides the one hundred Big Ocean pension, we can give priority to arranging for your son to enter the factory in the future. This, this is already an exception."

"Three hundred Big Ocean or nothing!" Jia Zhangshi's voice suddenly rose an octave, her hands frantically slapping the blue bricks on the ground: "What is one hundred worth? Even a decent coffin costs 30! You are killing the donkey after it has finished grinding the mill, throwing people away after using them!" The more she spoke, the more agitated she became. She suddenly waved her arm, sweeping all the bowls and plates on the offering table to the ground, and an oil lamp was also swept to the ground, splashing the lamp oil all over Lou Gang.

"Get out! Get out now! Tomorrow I will carry Lao Jia to the factory gate, let everyone see how black-hearted you are, and let everyone know how you bullied us, a widow and an orphan!"

Lou Gang took two steps back, brushing the oil stains off his overcoat. His patience finally exhausted, his tone turned cold: "One hundred and fifty Big Ocean, this is my limit. If Lou Laoban is unwilling to give more, I will pay the extra fifty myself. If you still don't accept it, there is nothing I can do." After speaking, he didn't care whether Jia Zhangshi was willing or not, turned around, and flicked his sleeves as he left.