Chapter 69 Intercession
Li Jiandong also said: "Director Zhou, the weather is so hot now, and there are two furnaces in the slag washing workshop, and the workers in the workshop are having a hard time.

I suggest that the factory provide additional high temperature subsidies to the workers in these workshops in the form of labor insurance and ice water, so that the workers can suffer as little as possible. Do you think this is okay?"

Deputy Director Zhou nodded and said, "This is a good suggestion. When you go back and write a detailed implementation plan, we will implement it as soon as possible."

After that, he turned to the two workshop directors and deputy directors and said, "Mistakes are inevitable in work, but we must reduce the probability to a minimum. Three people have been seriously injured in your workshop since the end of last year. If a similar accident occurs again, you two should stop working."

"Yes, Director Zhou, we will definitely learn from this lesson and ensure that this kind of accident will not happen again."

The two workshop directors quickly assured.

It is very normal for safety accidents to happen in a large factory with tens of thousands of employees, especially a steel rolling mill with many high-risk jobs.

Not to mention serious injuries and disabilities, even if someone dies, it won’t be treated too seriously.

Deputy Director Zhou was already accustomed to this, so he simply warned the two workshop directors and did not hold them accountable in depth.

After get off work in the evening, Li Jiandong took Jia Dongxu, bought some things in the market and went to the hospital to visit Yi Zhonghai.

No matter how inappropriate it is, the proper etiquette must be observed.

No matter what, Li Jiandong is the boss of the hospital and the deputy director of production of the steel rolling mill.

Both publicly and privately, Yi Zhonghai is his man. It would be unreasonable not to go and check out such a serious accident.

When I arrived at the hospital, I asked around and found Yi Zhonghai's ward.

Yi Zhonghai has woken up.

However, suffering the double blow of losing his right arm and infertility, he now looked like he had lost all hope in life.

When he saw Li Jiandong, Yi Zhonghai suddenly became excited.

"Li Jiandong, what are you doing here? I'm already like this, and you still come to see my joke. Do you still have any conscience?"

Li Jiandong was not surprised by Yi Zhonghai's reaction. Having lived in the same courtyard for such a long time, he already knew what kind of person Yi Zhonghai was. It was normal for him to judge others by his own standards.

So, when he heard Yi Zhonghai's words, he was not angry.

Jia Dongxu couldn't bear it.

He stared at Yi Zhonghai and said, "Yi Zhonghai, do you know what is good and what is bad? My master came to see you out of kindness, and this is your attitude?"

“If life is not going as you wish, you should look for the reasons in yourself, instead of thinking that the whole world is against you.”

"Okay, Dongxu, put your things down and let's go back first."

Li Jiandong persuaded Jia Dongxu to stay.

He came here today not because he really cared about Yi Zhonghai's life or death, but because he had to come out of courtesy as a neighbor and leader.

Now people have seen it, and I've been scolded. I've already gone through the formalities. If I don't leave, I'll be asking for trouble.

Jia Dongxu was still feeling indignant on behalf of Li Jiandong, and put the things on the bedside cabinet with force.

Then the master and disciple left the ward together.

Back in the courtyard, everyone was talking about Yi Zhonghai.

Especially Li Huilan, although she had already divorced Yi Zhonghai, she was deeply hurt by Yi Zhonghai at that time.

But after all, they had lived together for so many years, and Li Huilan still missed Yi Zhonghai a little when she heard that he had gotten into trouble.

Zhao Quezi was indeed generous. He took the initiative to take her to find Li Jiandong and asked about Yi Zhonghai's injury.

Li Jiandong tells the truth.

When Li Huilan heard that Yi Zhonghai had lost an arm, she wiped away tears.

She thought of Yi Zhonghai's high spirits when he just passed the 7th-level fitter exam, but she didn't expect that in less than two years, he would fall to such a state.

Not only was he demoted to the slag flushing workshop to do the most tiring work, but now he has even lost one of his arms.

This is life.

…………

Time flies, and summer goes and autumn comes in a blink of an eye.

Yi Zhonghai had been discharged from the hospital a long time ago. He was lucky as he was rescued from the converter in time by his co-workers. He lost an arm but was otherwise fine. After being discharged from the hospital, he was assigned to the security department to guard the gate.

There are two types of guards at the steel rolling mill. One type needs to stand guard and have a good appearance. The other type sits in the guardhouse and is responsible for delivering letters and registering.

Yi Zhonghai's current job is to sit in the guardhouse every day, drink tea and read newspapers.

Then when the postman comes, he is responsible for collecting the letters, sorting them into mailboxes according to departments and workshops, and waiting for them to pick them up.

Apart from that, all the vehicles entering and leaving the vehicle need to be registered, while pedestrians can be recorded or not.

Anyway, the purpose of registration is to prevent theft because the license plate can be checked. How much can a pedestrian steal?
"Old Yi, how about tea?"

The security team leader came to check on Yi Zhonghai and saw him sitting in the duty tower drinking tea. He was sensible enough not to interfere.

Yi Zhonghai glanced at him and just snorted through his nose: "Hmm."

The reason why he dared to be so arrogant and did not take his superiors seriously was because Yi Zhonghai's work registration had been changed to a security guard job, which was different from his previous job in the slag flushing workshop.

Although Yi Zhonghai was a slag washer at that time, he was still a fitter in his work registration book, so he was paid according to his fitter grade, that is, the salary of a level 3 fitter.

Now Yi Zhonghai's work status has been changed to security guard, and of course he receives a security guard's salary. However, the salary of the security department is incomparable to that of the workshop workers, which is only 18 yuan a month.

The security captain saw his boastful attitude and didn't take it seriously. He took out a stack of letters from the security department from the mailbox and prepared to leave.

Suddenly, Yi Zhonghai said, "Captain Cao, I'm going to take a day off tomorrow."

Captain Cao stopped and turned around to ask, "Master Yi, the day after tomorrow is the weekend, do you have something to ask for leave?"

"Ah."

Yi Zhonghai simply said "hmm" again, with an expression that said he had nothing to say.

Captain Cao laughed and said, "Okay, Master Yi, since you have something to do, just go ahead and do your thing. I'll arrange for someone else to come and take your place tomorrow."

After saying this, Captain Cao left.

Yi Zhonghai kept drinking tea until the song of "The East is Red" rang out, then he picked up his things and left the duty post. However, he did not go back to the courtyard directly, but went to the market to buy meat and vegetables.

It's been two years.

Tomorrow is the day that the deaf old lady will be released from prison.

Yi Zhonghai is doing so badly now that everyone in the yard avoids him like the plague.

When the old lady came out, the two of them could at least keep each other company, since they had a common enemy after all.
"That little flower."

"To!"

"Today is the day you get to turn over a new leaf. Pack up your things and follow me."

"Yes!"

Chengde Prison.

Doorway.

Yi Zhonghai had been waiting here since early morning, and it was almost 10 o'clock before he saw the small door of the prison open.

An old lady in her 70s but in good spirits walked out of the prison.

"Ma'am, I'm here to pick you up."

When Yi Zhonghai saw the deaf old lady, he felt like he was seeing a relative.

This was his only like-minded comrade-in-arms in the courtyard.

"Lao Yi, why are you the only one coming to pick me up?"

When the old lady saw that Yi Zhonghai was the only one there, her face suddenly became very long.

Yi Zhonghai sighed and said, "Old lady, you don't know that Huilan and I are divorced. I live alone now, so I am the only one who can pick you up."

"Where are Li Jiandong and the others?"

The deaf old lady continued to ask.

Yi Zhonghai didn't expect that she was asking about Li Jiandong. He thought to himself, don't you have any idea that you actually want Li Jiandong to pick you up? But then he thought, isn't this a good opportunity to sow discord between the old lady and Li Jiandong?

So he sneered and said, "Li Jiandong? He's an official now, the deputy director of production at the steel mill. How can a commoner like us hire him?"

"Bah, what's the point of a deputy director of production? My old lady got in because of him.

Today is such an important day, but he didn't even come to see me. It seems that he has no regrets at all."

The deaf old lady gritted her teeth and said that it was obvious that the two years of re-education through labor had not changed her.

It is difficult to change one's nature, let alone the deaf old lady who is over 70 years old and her personality has been fixed for a long time. How can it be so easy to change?
Yi Zhonghai was worried that she had been reformed by now, but when he saw her gritting her teeth at Li Jiandong, he finally felt relieved.

"Old lady, please don't get angry. This is not the place to talk. I have prepared meat and vegetables for you at home. Let's go back to the courtyard and talk first."

Hearing that there was meat to eat, the deaf old lady felt a little better.

On the way back, the deaf old lady saw that Yi Zhonghai was missing an arm and asked him what happened. Yi Zhonghai told the old lady everything that had happened in the past two years.

When I learned that in the two years since I was in prison, the hospital often held parties and big dinners.

The deaf old lady was very angry. With so many good things, they should all be given to her. Why should they be shared among all the residents in the hospital?
They have no respect for the elderly, and they all deserve to go to hell.

Finally they arrived at the station. Yi Zhonghai used his remaining hand to help the deaf old lady get off the bus, and soon the two of them returned to the courtyard.

In the morning, the women were washing clothes and chatting about gossip from the surrounding alleys while washing.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of someone walking in the front yard. I turned around and was stunned.

"Why is the old lady back?"

"Oh, two years have passed in the blink of an eye."

Jia Zhang, Li Huilan, Hu Guiying, Wang Chunmei and others were all in the middle courtyard.

When they saw that it was the deaf old lady who came back, everyone was like they were under a spell and stood there motionless.

When the deaf old lady walked in from outside just now, she heard happy laughter in the yard. But when she thought about the hardships she had endured in there in the past two years, she became angrier and angrier at the comparison.

"What are you all looking at? Old lady, I'm back. Don't you even know how to say hello?"

The deaf old lady shouted loudly, and her aura overwhelmed everyone on the opposite side.

Even Jia Zhang, who was usually the most arrogant, didn't dare to look her in the eye. She just pouted and turned her head in the other direction to express her protest.

Li Huilan and the others did not have the temper of Jia Zhangshi. Seeing the old lady getting angry, they became a little nervous and hurriedly greeted her, "Old lady, you are back."

The deaf old lady really enjoys the feeling of suppressing others and has been in jail for too long.

She almost forgot what it felt like to be an ancestor.

"I'm back. Be polite to me next time you see me. Li Huilan, come here."

The deaf old lady called out Li Huilan first.

When she came back, the first thing she did was to establish her authority and prestige as the ancestor.

Before, because of her identity issue, she had always been relatively restrained, but now the identity issue has been resolved.

The deaf old lady was like being freed from the shackles that bind her, and while in prison, she also learned some laws.

Therefore, I am confident that I can make a bigger fuss this time without getting arrested again.

"Ma'am, what do you want to ask me?"

Li Huilan came to the old lady timidly. As soon as she finished speaking, she was slapped hard by the deaf old lady.

Pa~!

The crisp slap stunned Li Huilan, and the other women were also shocked and opened their mouths wide.

Li Huilan came back to her senses, her eyes filled with tears, and she asked, "Old lady, how could you hit someone?"

The deaf old lady had a ferocious expression on her face, and said viciously, "I am beating you, a woman who does not keep her husband's promise. Zhonghai treats you so well. He spends so much money every month just to buy you medicine. Not only do you not listen to him, but you also divorced him to give birth to a child for someone else. Do you think you deserve to be beaten?"

"Old lady, you misunderstood. Huilan is not to blame for this."

Yi Zhonghai started to act like a good guy again, and with the help of the deaf old lady playing the villain, he had more room to perform.

The two men had agreed to use Li Huilan as a target before they came back, one reason being to vent Yi Zhonghai's anger.

The second reason is that Li Huilan has a weak character and would never fight back even if she was hit.

The deaf old lady pointed at Li Huilan's nose and cursed: "Why don't you blame him? I'm not blind. I've seen how good you are to her. You're still protecting her. Do you think she deserves it?"

Li Huilan really didn't dare to fight back, she just said loudly: "I don't deserve it, okay?"

Then she ran away crying.

The deaf old lady was very proud of herself after showing off her power. She looked at the others with a sneer, and immediately everyone lowered their heads, not daring to look at her.

5pm.

Li Jiandong returned to the courtyard.

As soon as he entered the house, he saw Yan Bugui standing at the door of his house, waving at him: "Old Li, come here quickly."

"What's wrong, Old Yan? Why are you so mysterious?"

Seeing that Yan Bugui didn't dare to speak loudly, Li Jiandong smiled, stopped the car and walked towards him.

Yan Bugui took his arm and led him into the house. After closing the door, he said, "Old Li, the old lady is back."

"Ok?"

Li Jiandong had forgotten about this matter long ago. All he thought about all day was work and the future. How could he have the time to think about such trivial matters?
But the old lady is back, so why is Yan Bugui so nervous?
"What's wrong with the old lady coming back? She causes trouble as soon as she comes back?"

Yan Bugui slapped his thigh and sighed, "That's right, that old guy has been in prison for two years and is no longer a good person."

The third aunt also said, "Old Li, you don't know that when the old lady came back today, she slapped Huilan hard in front of us."

"She scolded Huilan so much, and Huilan is pregnant. What if she gets angry and something bad happens to her? What will we do?"

Li Jiandong was a little surprised. He didn't expect that the deaf old lady would cause trouble as soon as she came back.

It stands to reason that most people will be more restrained after two years in prison and then go home. This is not to say that the reformation effect is good, but because they have been in prison for a long time, and when they first come out they will feel unfamiliar with society. This fear will make them dare not commit crimes immediately.

The deaf old lady caused trouble on the first day she returned home. It's not just that she was born bad.

There should be someone around to give her confidence and ease her fear.

"I understand. Old Yan, you keep watch at the door. When most people have returned, ring the bell to call a meeting of the entire hospital."

"I'll go to Brother Zhao's house first to see how Li Huilan is doing."

Li Jiandong was about to leave after saying this.

Yan Bugui agreed and followed him out, then continued to guard the door, acting as his door god as usual.

Arriving at Zhao Quezi's house, Li Jiandong knocked on the door and walked in.

At this time, Zhao Quezi had just come back from get off work. When he saw Li Jiandong, he said with tears in his eyes,
"Uncle, look at what that old lady did. My Huilan didn't provoke anyone, but she beat and scolded her as soon as she came back. We are from the same courtyard. How can there be such a person?"

When Li Huilan saw Li Jiandong coming, her eyes started to turn red.

It’s not that she can’t stand being wronged. She suffered a lot of wrongs when she was with Yi Zhonghai before, but now she is with Zhao Quezi, and she feels uncomfortable because her affairs have made her man sad.

"Uncle, I'm fine. Maybe the old lady just came back and she's a little angry. She should be fine after a while."

Li Huilan said with a forced smile.

After all, the old lady is so old.

Last time, if Li Jiandong hadn't caught something against her, he wouldn't have been able to punish her.

She had just had a few days of good life and didn't want to cause any trouble because of this slap. The worst that could happen was that she would just endure it.

"Okay, stop talking, leave this to me."

Li Jiandong came over just to check on Li Huilan's condition and was relieved to see that she was fine.

As for the deaf old lady, it wasn't just a slap on Li Huilan's face. She was destroying the harmonious atmosphere of the entire compound.

Li Jiandong has worked so hard to bring harmony and friendship to this compound, how could he let a single bad apple spoil the whole pot of broth?

Soon, everyone in the courtyard returned to the courtyard one after another. Yan Bugui counted the number of people and asked Yan Jiecheng to go to the middle courtyard to ring the bell.

Yi Zhonghai was tidying up the bedding for the deaf old lady at her home. The deaf old lady said with some disdain,
"Old Yi, your ability to do housework is far worse than Huilan's. In my opinion, you are at least a level 7 fitter. If you want to get Huilan back, why are you afraid of that cripple? Why don't I come forward for you and get her back? The baby in her belly will also belong to you."

The deaf old lady asked Yi Zhonghai a lot of questions today. She didn't expect that Yi Zhonghai was no longer a level 7 fitter, and was not even a workshop worker.

Yi Zhonghai said somewhat embarrassedly: "Old lady, I am probably not as good as the cripple now. He has one leg missing, and I have one arm missing. He earns 20 yuan a month, and I only earn 18 yuan."

"18 yuan? How can it be so little?"

The deaf old lady was surprised. If Yi Zhonghai only had this little money a month, could he still buy meat for her regularly?

Yi Zhonghai knew the deaf old lady's idea, so he told her his income.

Just as he was about to explain, a bell suddenly rang in the middle courtyard.

Yi Zhonghai laughed immediately: "What do you think, old lady? I said that when Li Jiandong came back, he would call a meeting of the whole hospital immediately. Look, the bell has rung now."

The deaf old lady's expression also changed, and she said viciously: "It's just right that he rang the bell. Now that my identity problem has been solved, I want to see what else he can do to me."

Middle Court.

Residents came out of their homes in groups of three or four and gathered in the central courtyard.

Those who had just returned home had already learned what had happened from their wives.

Everyone was a little nervous and expectant, waiting for the conference to begin.

(End of this chapter)