People in the Siheyuan: I am a Buddhist who is in a mess

After saying this, Yan Fugui felt very uncomfortable. His family still owed foreign debts because of Yan Jiecheng's work. If he donated money, it would definitely start from scratch, which was like cutting his flesh.

"There is no problem with the donation, but there are a few residents in our courtyard who are in a worse situation than the Jia family. What should we do if someone follows suit?"

Yi Zhonghai did not object. He just mentioned other residents in need, and left the rest to Yan Laokou to handle on his own.

Sure enough, when Yan Fugui heard what Yi Zhonghai said, he immediately shook his head like a rattle and said, "This won't do. We can't open this door. Otherwise, our courtyard will become a den of beggars, right?"

Liu Haizhong then said, "So what do you think we should do?"

If it could bring him peace and quiet, Liu Haizhong wouldn't mind spending a little money to avoid disaster. Although it would hurt, it was better than Qin Huairu coming to his house and crying all the time.

Liu Guangqi got married, but his daughter-in-law was not willing to live with her parents-in-law. The two of them had been renting a house outside. She only came over once when there was meat or vegetables at home and she was called back for dinner. If Qin Huairu came one or two more times, judging from the attitude of his daughter-in-law, she might not come over again.

Liu Haizhong raised three sons, and he was counting on his eldest son to take care of him in his old age. However, Liu Guangqi listened to his daughter-in-law the most, so Liu Haizhong attached great importance to his daughter-in-law's opinion.

"Lao Yi, Lao Liu, you are both senior workers in the steel mill. The factory leaders should listen to what you say. Can you give us some suggestions and ask the factory to compensate the Jia family?"

Yan Fugui thought of another way, trying to divert the trouble away.

Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong looked at each other and said at the same time: "How is this possible?"

Yan Fugui realized something was wrong at this time. Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong rarely had the same opinions on normal days, and what's more, they spoke in unison, which meant something must be going on.

"Lao Yi, Lao Liu, are you hiding something from me?"

Yan Fugui was angry. The eldest and second in command in the compound knew the truth but kept it from him, the third in command. Wasn't this bullying him? In this compound, he had the lowest income and status. He was also the last among the three uncles. They couldn't bully him, the weakest one, right?

"Old Liu, please tell me." Yi Zhonghai pushed Tai Chi first and then threw the words to Liu Haizhong.

Liu Haizhong had no choice but to say, "You know about Jia Zhang holding the urn and kneeling at the factory, right?"

"I know. Didn't the factory originally only let Qin Huairu take over the job, but later added a year of paid childbirth leave?" Yan Fugui was an honest boy at this time. He could only say what he heard.

"In fact, this is not a secret. Ordinary workers just don't know it, but those who are a little capable know it."

Liu Haizhong emphasized the words "somewhat capable", but unfortunately, no one followed suit, so he had to continue, "The factory paid another sum of money as compensation. It's not a small amount, but I don't know the exact amount, but I heard it's equivalent to Jia Dongxu's annual salary."

"What? One year's salary must be around 400 yuan?" Yan Fugui was very sensitive to numbers and guessed the specific figure immediately.

"I don't know if there are so many, it's just rumors."

Liu Haizhong said hesitantly that this time the Jia family had indeed taken a bite out of the steel mill. One year's paid leave plus the compensation of four hundred yuan, the total compensation was about six hundred yuan, which was the highest compensation for work-related death in recent years.

"Such a large sum of money is enough for the Jia family to live comfortably for five or six years without doing anything. Moreover, Qin Huairu is also taking over the shift and will have a salary in the future. If they save a little, this will be enough money for Banggeng to get married in the future."

Yan Fugui calculated the Jia family's situation based on his own lifestyle and was shocked.

Even though Yan Fugui invested 400 yuan in Yan Jiecheng's work, it is still unknown when he can recover the cost from Yan Jiecheng. Now Yan Jiecheng has no money and can agree to anything, but in a few years, will Yan Jiecheng still obediently hand over his salary? Yan Fugui has no plans, after all, his son knows it himself.

"What should I do?"

The three uncles in charge of the courtyard looked at each other, and no good solution was available for the time being.

"Old Yi, you are now an eighth-level worker, and your salary is the highest in our hospital, ninety-nine. It's just you and your sister-in-law, so how about you take out ten yuan a month to help the Jia family?"

Liu Haizhong spoke, and Yan Fugui looked at Yi Zhonghai with hope.

At this moment, Yi Zhonghai felt as if ten thousand horses were galloping through his heart. It was so uncomfortable, not to mention exciting.

"That's right, Lao Yi, you have such a high salary, and you are the most capable of supporting the Jia family."

Yan Fugui also spoke for Liu Haizhong. In his opinion, Yi Zhonghai's willingness to pay money was the best solution. Yi Zhonghai's salary has always been the highest in the Siheyuan, which means he lives a low-key life. In addition, he is a rich man, so many people are jealous but don't say anything.

"Where can I get so much money? My wife is not in good health. She had a heart attack last time. Do you know how much it cost? Go ask around. People with heart disease need to take medicine every day. Those medicines are Western medicines. How much do they cost? I also have to take care of my old lady. I don't have any children, and I will have to provide for her in the future. This money is not enough."

Yi Zhonghai retorted that he was somewhat thankful that Liu Mei fainted from anger and was hospitalized last time, so this excuse of spending money could be used to make up for it.

"Old Yi, you are going too far. Everyone knows that the old lady is now being taken care of by the new kid Lin Yi. You don't need to give more. Just give the share of taking care of the old lady in previous years to the Jia family."

Yan Fugui thought he had made a very clever plan and thought he had found a loophole in Yi Zhonghai's words, so he spoke quickly.

Yi Zhonghai looked at Yan Fugui with contempt, and then he stopped being anxious and said calmly, "Old Yan, your son Jie Cheng is also working, and now both of them are working in the family."

"How can that be? I spent 400 yuan on Jie Cheng's work. All my savings are gone, and I still owe a lot of debts. Moreover, he is an apprentice, and the salary of an apprentice is not enough to support himself. Lao Liu's eldest son, Liu Guangqi, has been working for many years, and he has also been converted to a regular employee and married. I heard that his daughter-in-law also has a job. There are three employees in this family."

Seeing that the fire was about to burn him, Yan Fugui immediately cried out in pain, and then pulled Liu Haizhong in to share the fire.

Among the three managers, Liu Haizhong was the least eloquent. When he saw the fire burning on himself, he wanted to find a reason to object, but he couldn't find any.

Liu Haizhong was extremely concerned about his reputation, so he couldn't just tell the truth. Liu Guangqi and his wife never took a penny of the money they earned, but instead asked him, as their father, to add to the pile. If he said that, wouldn't it seem that Liu Haizhong didn't know how to teach his son?

"Old Liu, what do you think we should do? Although I have the highest personal income, my family income is not the highest in the compound. How about you help the Jia family?" Yi Zhonghai was really adding insult to injury. His words pushed Liu Haizhong against the wall.

Liu Haizhong was in deep pain, and after a while, he said, "Why don't we hold a meeting in the compound to see what everyone thinks?"

"Okay, let's hold a meeting and let everyone vote. I suggest that we vote anonymously and tear up the paper balls so that no one will be embarrassed to do so."

Yan Fugui agreed and suggested a voting method. There were many people in their family and there were also many people in Liu Haizhong's family. So voting was naturally the most advantageous option for them.

"Okay, then you go and gather everyone. It's getting dark now, so let's hold the meeting while there is still light." Yi Zhonghai also agreed.

For the sake of his reputation, Yi Zhonghai did not want to take the initiative to offer to help the Jia family, nor did he want to take the initiative to oppose the Jia family. If it were in the past, he would definitely stand on the side of the Jia family, but after Lin Yi's enlightenment, his mentality did change.

Liu Haizhong's suggestion just now made Yi Zhonghai break out in a cold sweat. If he really wanted to tie himself to the Jia family, he would be eaten to the bone in the future.

The Jia family has two widows and three children, one of whom is still pregnant. When Yi Zhonghai gets old, the children will grow up, and at that time, grown-up children will also need money. Xiaodang is a girl, so she has to get married. The one in Qin Huairu's belly, if it is a boy, it will be fine, but if it is still a girl, she will also have to get married. By then, Banggeng will be the only one to support Yi Zhonghai and his wife, Jia Zhangshi, and Qin Huairu in their old age. Yi Zhonghai feels that it is impossible. What's more, his grandmother and mother are still there. It will be a big difference in their relationship to support Yi Zhonghai, the legal advisor, in their old age.

"I was blinded by my own ignorance and was too lazy to realize it. Fortunately, Lin Yi reminded me in time."

Yi Zhonghai felt very fortunate and became more determined to discuss things with Lin Yi in the future.

There is a set of procedures in this institute for convening meetings.

Generally speaking, if Yi Zhonghai disagrees, Yan Fugui and Liu Haizhong cannot convene a meeting of the entire court alone. Of course, these two people can also convene small meetings in the front and back yards, but there are not many people in the front and back yards, and most of them are in the Middle Court. This is why Yi Zhonghai in the Middle Court is the boss.

Yi Zhonghai agreed to hold a meeting, and then Yan Fugui and Liu Haizhong went to their respective courtyards to notify everyone door to door. The work of notifying was done by the children of the two families, and then they gathered in the central courtyard.

There is a small platform on the large open space in the central courtyard. Three long tables will be placed on it, and then the three managers will take chairs and prepare them for the meeting.

Yi Zhonghai's house faces the open space in the central courtyard, so he can see whether everyone is there.

After everyone had arrived, Yi Zhonghai came out and made his final appearance. This was something he figured out on his own, and appearing last often showed a stronger ability to control the situation.

"Everyone is here. Let the Third Master talk about today's meeting first."

Yi Zhonghai didn't want to talk about business first, so he gave the opportunity to Yan Fugui. It's not that he didn't want to give it to Liu Haizhong who was eager to try, but he was really not confident in Liu Haizhong's speaking ability.

Yan Fugui was very happy. In a meeting at the compound, there were not many opportunities to be the first to speak. This was also a chance to stand out. Not only Liu Haizhong liked it, but Yan Fugui also liked it.

"There is something going on today, and we need everyone to vote. It's about the Jia family."

"Jia Dongxu died of a work-related injury, leaving behind an orphan and a widow. The whole family needs to eat and drink. Qin Huairu has been crying every day these past few days, and we, the managers, feel bad too."

"As the saying goes, many hands make light work. We, the masters, have limited abilities and want to help, but we are unable to do so. Therefore, we still need everyone to help together."

"But, as I said before, helping is a favor, not helping is a duty. This is a new society, and we can't force everyone to do something they don't want to do."

"So, the three of us have discussed a method for everyone to vote. We will give everyone a piece of paper, and those who agree will draw a circle on it, and those who disagree will draw a cross."

Yan Fugui was boasting on the stage.

Jia Zhang and Qin Huairu were also there. When they heard Yan Fugui ask everyone to donate money to the Jia family, they were so happy. Qin Huairu was able to control her expression well and did not laugh out loud, but Jia Zhang was unable to hold back.

Yi Zhonghai's attention was on the Jia family. When he saw Jia Zhang's expression, which seemed like she wanted to laugh but was trying hard to hide it, he felt as if a fly had been eaten and was very uncomfortable.

However, the Jia family's happiness only lasted for a short while. When Yan Fugui proposed a secret vote on whether to donate money to the Jia family, Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu both realized that the wind was blowing in the wrong direction. In this private vote, there would definitely be more people who would not donate. To be fair, if the Jia family were asked to vote, they would definitely draw a cross. Who would be willing to give money to help others?

Yan Fugui was still speaking on the stage.

"Everyone knows the situation of the Jia family. Currently, there are only two adults, Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi, and two children in the family. According to the regulations, children only have 40% of the quota of adults. Two children are counted as one person, so there are three people in total to eat and drink. The compensation given to the Jia family by the steel mill is that Qin Huairu will take over the job. During the period of pregnancy and childbirth, she can still receive 17 yuan per month without going to work. If divided among each person, it is 5.66 yuan."

"This is the current situation of the Jia family. Everyone should do the math and think about whether you can squeeze out some food and whether you should help the Jia family."

"Okay, everyone, come to the table to get your ballot. Find a place and draw a cross or a circle. This time, for the sake of fairness, we won't be anonymous. When you're done, fold it up and put it in this cardboard box. Once everyone has voted, the three of us will count the votes."

As soon as Yan Fugui finished speaking, the place became noisy. At the beginning, many people felt that the Jia family was quite pitiful. The pillar of the family was gone, and the life of the orphans and widows was difficult.