Chapter 4: Jia Dongxu is Killed by the Plot

It was not until the next morning.

Zhao Gangzi finally emerged from his home, swaying as he walked.

Everyone in the entire Siheyuan looked at Zhao Gangzi with a gaze different from before; in the past, they still called him Zhao Shazi, but now, no one dared to call him that.

A few of the bolder ones even dared to step forward and greet Zhao Gangzi.

"I'll go to the Rolling Mill today to handle the onboarding procedures; a happy life is just around the corner!"

Zhao Gangzi stretched, sauntering out from the Back Courtyard; the three Uncles were diligent in their work and had already gone to work early in the morning.

The distance between the Siheyuan and the Rolling Mill was not too far; almost all the neighbors who worked at the factory walked back and forth every day, reaching the Rolling Mill in just over ten minutes.

Just as he passed the entrance of the Jia Family in the Middle Courtyard, Zhao Gangzi felt a malicious gaze.

Needless to say, this gaze was definitely from Jia Dongxu.

The few in the Jia Family were quite lazy; Jia Dongxu had fought all night to have a son for his third child, and having been beaten by Zhao Gangzi yesterday, he didn't roll out of bed until the sun was high.

"Hehe..."

Zhao Gangzi let out a chuckle, a mischievous thought arising in his heart; he pretended to walk away, then returned to the Jia Family's window and slammed his hand against it.

Jia Dongxu, who was still peeking through the window crack, was startled; he was scared out of his wits, his legs went weak, and he went limp instantly. "That damn Zhao Shazi! Once I get my wages next month, I'll buy a few young roosters to nourish myself, and I'll definitely beat the shit out of you!"

Jia Dongxu cursed while putting on his clothes; although his job was inherited from Lao Jia, he couldn't always be late, otherwise, he would be docked one dime in wages for every time he was late.

On the large bed, Qin Huairu also woke up with sleepy eyes, rubbed her sore calves, and said to Jia Dongxu, "Dongxu, going to work so early? It's only past seven..."

"I start work at eight. I won't eat breakfast today; later, wife, you go outside and buy a young rooster, and we'll have a good meal at noon!"

Jia Dongxu hugged Qin Huairu and gave her a peck, then took a one-yuan note and a ration coupon from the drawer; on the other side, Jia Zhangshi, who was sleeping with Bang Geng, heard there would be meat at noon.

She immediately sat up with a scoot, snatched the one-yuan note and the meat coupon, and muttered, "This kind of thing should be left to me, so that certain people don't take the opportunity to skim off some grease..."

Ever since Qin Huairu entered the family, Jia Zhangshi had been looking for trouble, insisting on doing the meat shopping herself every time.

She always suspected that Qin Huairu would secretly wipe the grease from the meat onto her handkerchief.

And soak it in water to drink when no one was home.

"Mom, what do you mean by that? I have never done such a thing," Qin Huairu felt wronged and couldn't help but pout.

Jia Dongxu, standing to the side, was used to this scene; he quickly put on his clothes and scooped a ladle of water from the vat, gulping it down.

During this period, Jia Dongxu was quite agile; he could jog from home to the Rolling Mill in ten minutes.

He even overtook Zhao Gangzi, who was strolling slowly on the road.

Eight o'clock.

Workshop No. 1 of the Rolling Mill.

Jia Dongxu arrived at his workstation right on time.

"Dongxu, you're here at this time again. Sigh, if you keep going like this, you won't even be promoted to a First-Grade Fitter next year!"

Yi Zhonghai, as Jia Dongxu's master, worked in Workshop No. 1; seeing his little apprentice arrive so late, he couldn't help but lecture him.

Jia Dongxu curled his lips.

With his 20-plus yuan a month, he could eat and drink well enough; why work hard for a raise of only a few yuan? It was better to slack off every day and live a carefree life.

Jia Dongxu picked up a file and fiddled with the machine, casually replying, "First Uncle, isn't this because I'm trying for a son for our third child?"

"It's already not bad that I could arrive on time today!"

Yi Zhonghai was very uncomfortable with Jia Dongxu's attitude toward work, but he really couldn't teach him, so he had to let him be.

Boom, boom...

A burst of noise rang out from outside the workshop.

Before long, quite a few machines were pushed in, all looking brand new and shiny; the Workshop Director, with a dry tobacco pipe in his mouth, shouted loudly, "Comrades, put down your work for a moment and hurry up to move the machines!"

"So many machines!"

Many people put down their work and went forward to help.

Jia Dongxu hadn't intended to go, but since everyone else was going, he couldn't be the only one slacking off openly here.

"Damn it, I didn't sleep well last night, and I didn't eat breakfast this morning; my legs are weak, and now I have to do heavy labor..." Jia Dongxu cursed inwardly.

"Xiao Jia, hurry over and help!" a worker called out.

Jia Dongxu spat on the ground and reluctantly went over to help lift.

Four people were each lifting a corner; Jia Dongxu's body had been hollowed out, he didn't have much strength, and his legs couldn't stop trembling.

He wasn't even as nimble as the few "muscle-bound beauties" working nearby.

"Hey, Brother Jia, look at how weak you are! You must have been worn out by Sister-in-law Huairu yesterday, right?" a female worker teased.

"Get lost!"

Jia Dongxu hated it most when others called him weak.

But once this was mentioned, he really felt his kidneys aching slightly.

"Move faster, move the newly arrived machines onto the machine tool!" the Workshop Director commanded from the side.

It was already the hot summer, and with only a few machines, everyone was sweating profusely, their backs soaked; Jia Dongxu's legs were trembling uncontrollably.

The machine tools in the factory were over a meter high, almost reaching Jia Dongxu's height; several people were lifting it together, and Jia Dongxu was slacking off again, so his side was the weakest point of force.

"Use your strength! Up!"

The others shouted, and they finally managed to push the machine up.

"I can't do it, I can't do it, I need to rest for a while."

Jia Dongxu was covered in sweat, waving his hand as he leaned against the machine tool, panting heavily.

Seeing this, the others also prepared to take a break; just as Jia Dongxu was about to reach for his water cup to drink, his feet suddenly went weak, and he fell backward, limbs splayed.

Before the other workers could react, they heard a loud crash as Jia Dongxu's body slammed heavily onto the machine tool.

Boom!!!

The way the machines were positioned at his station was already improper, which directly caused the bearing on the machine tool to shift, and the machine, which had been set up incorrectly to begin with, fell off...

"Ah!"

A scream like a slaughtered pig rang out.

The machine, weighing over a thousand catties, slammed heavily onto Jia Dongxu, pinning his entire lower body beneath it.

"Dongxu!"

"Xiao Jia!"

"Brother Jia!"

The crowd suddenly panicked, and Yi Zhonghai rushed to Jia Dongxu's side in a single stride.

At this moment, Jia Dongxu had already fainted.

Beneath the machine, pools of crimson blood were seeping out...

It stained the floor of the Workshop red, the scarlet blood even reflecting the panicked faces of everyone present.

"Hurry and take him to the Hospital!!!" Yi Zhonghai's eyes were bloodshot as he roared directly at the crowd.

"Okay, okay..."

For a moment, the group of people did not react.

The Workshop Director, in a blind panic, ran limpingly toward the Factory Director Office.