Chapter 69

Yi Zhonghai stumbled back to the siheyuan; in fact he didn't even know how he had gotten back there, his mind was in a daze all the way.

"Old Yi, what's wrong with you?" Yan Butgui was tending to his two flower pots, seeing Yi Zhonghai's expression off, he hurried forward and asked.

"Dongxu got injured at the factory; Factory Director Yang told me to come back and notify the family." Yi Zhonghai said with a sorrowful expression.

"What, Dongxu got injured? How serious is it?" Yan Butgui was also startled.

"From the scene it looks pretty serious; I won't say more, I need to go notify Jia Zhangshi." Yi Zhonghai walked unsteadily toward the central courtyard.

"Old sister-in-law, old sister-in-law" Yi Zhonghai saw Jia Zhangshi mending shoe soles at the door and hurried forward shouting.

"What's wrong, Old Yi?" Jia Zhangshi saw Yi Zhonghai's expression and asked curiously.

"You hurry to the hospital and have a look; Dongxu had an accident at the factory. Factory Director Yang sent me to notify the family."

"Old Yi, what are you saying?" Jia Zhangshi's shoe sole slipped from her hand and fell to the ground.

"I said Dongxu had an accident at the factory; you guys hurry to the hospital." Yi Zhonghai repeated.

"Elder Yi, is what you're saying true?" At that moment Qin Huiru heard the commotion and came out to ask.

"Can I joke about this kind of thing?" (Note: The line is ambiguous; likely Yi Zhonghai speaking: "Can I joke about this kind of thing?" We'll translate as is.)

"Mom, let's go to the hospital quickly." Qin Huiru kept saying.

"Old Yi, why are you coming back at this time?" One Big Aunt saw Yi Zhonghai and came over to ask.

"Dongxu got injured at the factory; Factory Director Yang told me to come back and notify the family."

"How serious is Dongxu's injury?" One Big Aunt's heart skipped a beat; Yi Zhonghai had always regarded Dongxu as his support for old age, if something happened, what would they do?

"I'm not clear on the specifics; when I arrived I saw a large pool of blood on the workshop floor, I guess the injury is not light, I heard someone even died." Yi Zhonghai said painfully.

"Mom, let's go to the hospital quickly." Upon hearing Yi Zhonghai say that, Qin Huiru burst into tears.

"Yes, go to the hospital, let's go now." Jia Zhangshi also came to her senses.

"One Big Aunt, could you please look after Xiao Dang and Bang Geng for me?" Qin Huiru and One Big Aunt said. Now that school is also on holiday, otherwise Bang Geng wouldn't be at home.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of the kids; you go check on Dongxu first." One Big Aunt hurriedly said.

Qin Huiru, holding her big belly, and Jia Zhangshi cried and hurried toward the hospital.

"Old Yi, aren't you going to the hospital to see Dongxu?" One Big Aunt asked Yi Zhonghai.

"I'll wait until they come back and ask about the situation first." Yi Zhonghai said.

"You've always cared about Dongxu, why aren't you going?" One Big Aunt asked.

"The situation is still unclear; how can I go? I heard someone even died; if it's Dongxu who died, what will we do in the future? Even if it's not him, seeing the blood in the workshop I think it won't be good; maybe he'll end up paralyzed or disabled—will he support us or we support him?" Yi Zhonghai had been thinking about this all along, so he now started preparing to distance himself from the Jia family. If Dongxu really kicks the bucket, then the whole Jia clan would have to rely on themselves to make a living; he's not that foolish.

"The situation is still unclear; are you doing this a bit…?" One Big Aunt said.

"You don't understand; this is preparing for a rainy day. If Dongxu really has an accident, if I show up now, later the Jia family might blame me for being a burden." Yi Zhonghai cut off One Big Aunt before she could finish.

Li Qiang and Li Huade arrived at the hospital; Jia Dongxu and another injured worker had already been sent to the emergency room. The two waited outside the emergency room for over twenty minutes before a doctor came out.

"Doctor, how are our factory workers?" Li Huade hurried forward and asked.

"Nothing serious; the one with the arm injury just had a piece of flesh cut off, the other is also fine—just a head wound that got a few stitches, already treated. Send them to the ward first, you go handle the admission procedures, observe for a few days."

"Okay, thank you." Hearing the doctor say the two were not seriously injured, Li Huade also relaxed. If one had died or been seriously injured, the problem would be much worse.

"Qiang, I'll go handle the paperwork; you need to find out what's going on, go talk to them first." Li Huade knew why Factory Director Yang had asked Li Qiang to come.

"Sure, you go ahead." Li Qiang replied.

"Qiang, how is my Dongxu?" Just as Li Huade left, Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huiru came to the hospital; seeing Li Qiang they rushed over anxiously.

"Aunt Jia, Sister-in-law Qin. Don't worry, Dongxu only suffered a minor injury; the doctor has already bandaged him, Director Li has already gone to handle the admission." Li Qiang comforted.

"Oh, as long as it's not serious, that's good." Qin Huiru and her mother heard Li Qiang's words, and their worried hearts eased.

"Brother Dongxu, Master Qian, could you tell me what happened then?" In the ward Li Qiang asked the two for details.

"At the time I saw Xiao Mao working on a part; for some reason the part flew out, hit Xiao Mao, then flew toward Master Qian, so I pushed Master Qian aside, and the part grazed my arm as it flew past." Jia Dongxu recalled the incident.

"The situation is similar to what Xiao Jia said; I hadn't even reacted when Xiao Jia pushed me aside; if it weren't for Xiao Jia, I probably would have been killed too." Master Qian said, still feeling uneasy.

"Alright, you two rest and recover; you don't need to worry about the factory. Brother Dongxu, you acted bravely." Li Qiang said with a smile.

"Brother Dongxu, I didn't think much at the time; it was just an instinctive reaction." Jia Dongxu said embarrassedly.

"Mom, Huiru, why did you come?" Jia Dongxu turned his head and asked.

"Your master told us you were seriously injured and asked us to come to the hospital quickly to see you," Jia Zhangshi said, wiping away tears.

"Mom, don't cry, didn't the doctor say it's just a minor injury? I'll be fine after a period of rest. Why hasn't my master come?" Jia Dongxu asked curiously.

"At this point, he's probably at home wondering what to do next. He thinks you're seriously injured, so it's uncertain whether you'll be able to work in the future, and how will he support himself in his old age?" Jia Zhangshi, who knows Yi Zhonghai best, immediately guessed his thoughts.

"My master shouldn't be that kind of person, right?" Jia Dongxu said.

"Dongxu, believe it or not. If we go back and say you suffered a serious injury and can't work anymore, you'll see whether he'll still treat our family the same as before," Jia Zhangshi said.

"Mom, it can't be that bad?" Jia Dongxu still couldn't believe Yi Zhonghai was that kind of person.

"Whether it's true or not, we'll find out by trying," Li Qiang said from the side. He disliked Yi Zhonghai the most, and this was a perfect opportunity to let Jia Dongxu see his true colors.

"Qiangzi, how do you suggest we test it?" Jia Zhangshi immediately became interested.

"When you go back, just say that Brother Dongxu is seriously injured and still under observation; even if he recovers, he won't be able to work. Then you'll see what he does and you'll know," Li Qiang suggested.

"I think that works," Jia Zhangshi immediately agreed. "This time we'll see whether he truly cares for Dongxu or just wants to use him for his own support in old age."

"All right, I'll talk to Director Li and the doctor later and ask them to temporarily keep this secret. If Yi Zhonghai comes to the hospital to visit, you two pretend to be unconscious," Li Qiang said to Jia Dongxu and Master Qian.

"Okay," Master Qian replied without hesitation. Now that Jia Dongxu was also his lifesaver, he was willing to help with this small favor, and besides, he wanted to see the drama unfold.

"All right," Jia Dongxu said. Earlier, when he was promoted, Jia Zhangshi had told him about Yi Zhonghai's thoughts; he hadn't believed it then, but now he had a good chance to test him.