1952: Walking through Nantongluo Alley

The next morning, at daybreak, Jia Dongxu forced himself to sit up in bed. A thick, dark ring of blood clung to his eyes, as if he'd been punched twice. Clearly, the sudden arrival of three children had kept him awake most of the night.

Yet, even exhausted as he was, Jia Dongxu couldn't bear to leave the children for too long. He slowly moved to the bedside, looking at their three adorable little faces, his lips curling up unconsciously. Then, he reached out and gently stroked the children's rosy cheeks, murmuring softly from time to time, as if he were engaging in a conversation only they could understand. And so, unnoticed, a long moment passed.

Finally, Jia Dongxu realized it was getting late and that if he didn't leave for work, he would be late. So, he reluctantly stood up and left the room, looking back every few steps. He walked unsteadily, as if a gust of wind could blow him to the ground.

Tingting, who had been watching all this silently from the side, couldn't help but feel worried when she saw Jia Dongxu like this. She quickly walked over, reached out to support Jia Dongxu's shaky body, and asked with concern, "Dongxu, can you go to work like this? You look so tired. Why don't you ask for leave from the factory today and have a good rest at home?"

Jia Dongxu couldn't help but yawn loudly when he heard his wife's words, then shook his head vigorously, trying to wake himself up. He waved his hands and said, "No, it's okay. I can earn about a dollar a day from this job! If I take a day off, what will happen to our three little ones? We can't let them starve!" After saying this, he even smiled casually.

At that moment, in Tingting's eyes, Jia Dongxu instantly became the pillar of the family. Despite his flaws, this didn't diminish Tingting's admiration for him. Watching her husband walk away, Tingting secretly resolved to take good care of the family and never let Jia Dongxu worry about household matters.

The morning sun shone through the mottled leaves, casting patches of light and shadow on the ground. After finishing breakfast, Jia Dongxu walked slowly and alone towards the steel mill. He felt a little heavy all the way.

Ever since his falling out with Yi Zhonghai, things had only gotten worse. Fearing the possibility of offending Yi Zhonghai, his fellow workers who lived in the courtyard all distanced themselves from Jia Dongxu. This left him, already unpopular, even more isolated and helpless.

Furthermore, news of Jia Dongxu's theft had spread throughout the compound, sparking widespread public outrage. Consequently, no one greeted or spoke to him on his way to work. Some even turned their heads away when they saw him approaching.

Yet, Jia Dongxu acted unfazed by this cold reception. He continued to go about his business, a nonchalant expression on his face. As he entered the workshop, the busy workers around him ignored him, as if he didn't even exist. But Jia Dongxu seemed completely unfazed. He stretched, yawned loudly, then slowly walked to his lathe, expertly started it up, and began preparing for the day's work.

On that sunny morning, Jia Dongxu seemed enveloped in a thick haze, his entire body appearing dazed and listless. His steps were sluggish, his movements slow, and he moved through the workshop like a zombie. And in this moment of trance, danger was quietly approaching. In just one morning, Jia Dongxu had several near-injuries.

The experienced workers in the workshop couldn't stand it any longer and came over to warn Jia Dongxu. They said earnestly, "Young man, you can't do this! Your health is important. Don't take your life lightly! Why don't you take a leave this afternoon and go home to rest well?"

However, Jia Dongxu showed no appreciation for these well-intentioned advice and even responded with harsh words. He barked arrogantly, "Stop meddling in my business! I think you're just jealous that my wife gave birth to three big, fat boys! Humph!" Then he went back to his toil.

Around noon, everyone gradually put down their tools and headed to the cafeteria for lunch. Jia Dongxu was already ravenous, but his fatigue hadn't improved in the slightest. After quickly shoveling a few mouthfuls of food, Jia Dongxu's already dark circles were even more pronounced, making him look like a giant panda.

He also kept yawning, and his eyes gradually became blurred, as if he would fall asleep at any time.

Despite this, Jia Dongxu persevered and returned to his job. Perhaps it was a lingering sense of responsibility, or perhaps he simply didn't want his salary docked. In any case, even though he was extremely exhausted, he chose to persevere.

But as time passed, Jia Dongxu finally succumbed to the overwhelming sleepiness. First, his head began to nod, like a chick pecking at rice; then, gradually, his entire body began to falter. Finally, at some point, Jia Dongxu could no longer hold on and fell into a doze while standing...

At this critical moment, no one anticipated a sudden disaster. A hair-thin, yet incredibly tough wire, like a venomous snake hidden in the darkness, silently snaked toward Jia Dongxu and precisely wrapped itself around his arm.

The iron wire seemed to have life. The moment it wrapped around Jia Dongxu's arm, it suddenly exerted force and pulled his arm towards the high-speed running main shaft with lightning speed.

Instantly, a piercing pain surged like a tidal wave, instantly spreading throughout Jia Dongxu's body. The pain suddenly woke him up from his initial confusion, but by then, it was too late.

Jia Dongxu's eyes widened in horror as he watched his entire arm being mercilessly drawn into the rapidly spinning spindle. It was as if his arm was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, tightly wrapped around the spindle in an extremely twisted and exaggerated position.

There was no doubt that Jia Dongxu's arm had been severely damaged and completely destroyed. Even if the machine was immediately shut down and he was rushed to the hospital for treatment, it was likely that there was no way to save him. However, the nightmare did not end there. The main shaft that had wrapped around Jia Dongxu's arm seemed not satisfied with just taking his arm away.

As the main shaft continued to spin at high speed, the enormous centrifugal force it generated began to pull Jia Dongxu's entire body frantically. At this moment, Jia Dongxu's face was as pale as paper, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, soaking his clothes.

Extreme fear and despair enveloped him. He shouted for help in the workshop at the top of his lungs: "Help! Come and save me! Please!"

"I don't want to die! My wife just gave birth to a lovely son, and I want to watch him grow up! I really don't want to die like this!"

Amid the clamor in the workshop, several experienced craftsmen were concentrating on their work. However, when they noticed the unusual noise coming from Jia Dongxu's direction, they all cast concerned glances. In an instant, their faces lit up with disbelief, and they exclaimed in unison:

"Oh no! Jia Dongxu was actually sucked into that terrible main shaft!" One of the masters shouted in horror.

Another master was extremely anxious, his voice trembling: "Quick! Go and save him! Otherwise, Jia Dongxu's life might be in danger!"

At that moment, Yi Zhonghai, who had been busy not far away, also noticed the situation. When he took in the scene, his heart trembled, and he froze for a moment. But a moment later, he regained his composure and, without hesitation, sped towards Jia Dongxu like an arrow. Although he and Jia Dongxu no longer had a master-disciple relationship, he simply couldn't stand by and watch indifferently at such a critical moment.

At the same time, Liu Haizhong was also extremely anxious. As the second uncle in the courtyard and a colleague working in the same workshop with Jia Dongxu, he knew that if anything happened to Jia Dongxu, the consequences would be disastrous. Not only would Jia Zhang never let him go easily, but she might even fight him to the death. Thinking of this, Liu Haizhong did not dare to delay any longer. While running as hard as he could, he shouted at Jia Dongxu at the top of his voice:

"Dongxu! You have to hold on! No matter what, you can't let your body be completely sucked in! Don't worry, Uncle Er will come to rescue you soon!" His shouts echoed throughout the entire workshop, as if to grip everyone's heart.

At this moment, the vast workshop was filled with an atmosphere of tension and fear, but one person seemed remarkably calm and composed: Chen Xiao. He stood there quietly, his gaze calmly observing the scene unfolding before him—Jia Dongxu being slowly drawn into the massive, relentless machine.

However, unlike the others who panicked and rushed forward to help, Chen Xiao simply watched calmly, showing no intention of rushing in to save the man. He frowned slightly, his lips moving slightly as he muttered to himself, "Could this be a pre-staged scripted killing scene? It's truly unexpected..."

In reality, Chen Xiao knew full well that Jia Dongxu's accident and eventual death at the steel mill seemed preordained. Even if he tried his best to save his life, it would likely be futile. No matter how hard he tried, Jia Dongxu would eventually die from work-related injuries. When that happened, the mill would naturally provide his family with a generous pension as compensation. And, as is customary, a member of the Jia family would be assigned to take over Jia Dongxu's previous job.

Unfortunately, the current situation is different from the original novel. In the original novel, Qin Huairu has become Chen Xiao's wife, while Jia Dongxu's current wife is Tingting. It seems that it won't be long before Tingting will naturally replace Jia Dongxu's position.

Just when everyone was in a panic and at a loss, Yi Zhonghai, who was running as fast as the wind, finally arrived at Jia Dongxu's side panting.

His face was pale, beads of sweat dripped down his forehead, and his eyes were filled with fear and anxiety. With lightning speed, he stretched out his right hand and slammed the power button on the machine. However, it was too late; the tragedy had already occurred.

By this point, half of Jia Dongxu's body was a horrific sight, a bloody mess, as if he'd been brutally torn apart by a wild beast. Blood splattered all over his body from the spindle's frantic swings, and the bright red liquid rained down around him, creating a horrifying scene.

Jia Dongxu's consciousness gradually faded, and his heavy eyelids slowly drooped like lead. But when he forced his eyes open and saw that the person who came to rescue him anxiously was Yi Zhonghai, a relieved smile appeared on his blood-stained face. He used up his last bit of strength and shouted to Yi Zhonghai with difficulty: "Master... I didn't expect that in the end... it was you who saved me..."

"I regret it... I regret that I have done so many wrong things... I regret that I went to Sha Zhu's house to steal things... I regret even more that I broke off the master-disciple relationship with you... I really should have kneeled down and begged you to forgive me..." Before he could finish his words, Jia Dongxu felt his head spinning, and then his eyes went black, and he completely lost consciousness, and his body fell limply backwards.

In a flash, Yi Zhonghai took a step forward and quickly hugged Jia Dongxu tightly in his arms, fearing that he would fall heavily on the cold and hard ground.

"Dongxu, Dongxu, wake up! It's all Master's fault. Master came too late and couldn't save you earlier! Please don't be in any harm..." Yi Zhonghai shouted at the top of his lungs while holding Jia Dongxu in his arms, tears streaming uncontrollably from his eyes.

At this time, Liu Haizhong and other masters also ran over.

They looked at Jia Dongxu lying in Yi Zhonghai's arms and felt scared.

Half of his body was covered in blood and flesh, and there was a high probability that he could not be saved.

"What are you still standing there for? Why don't you send Dongxu to the hospital right away?" Yi Zhonghai roared at them angrily.

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