She won't clear her name; she'll throw away all the scum.

The group reluctantly shut their mouths, and Director Shao then pointed towards the bed and said, "Those are your parents, not enemies or adversaries. As far as I know, even during the most difficult years, they never let you go hungry."

You should know how many people starved to death here during those years, but even so, they would rather go hungry themselves than miss out on food for you. Their feelings for you were such that they would die for you.

But how did you just treat them? You complained that they were old and useless, that they were a burden, and even cursed them to die. Are you even human? You treat your own parents like this? Aren't you afraid your own children will treat you the same way in the future?

Seeing that the factory's women's director had spoken up, Pan Li retorted indignantly, "But they're biased, why can't I say so? As the third child, Dad's job was given to the eldest, and Mom's job was given to the second. When the family property was divided, the remaining money was split equally between me and my two younger brothers. The three of us are the ones who suffered the most. The little money we received couldn't even buy us a job. The responsibility of taking care of our parents should fall on the eldest and second eldest."

Pan Fu was indignant. "My job is supposed to be a permanent position, but in reality, I'm just a gofer. At my age, my promotion and salary increase have always been suppressed by the director. It's all because Dad offended the factory leaders before, which has made it impossible for me to see any hope of promotion. If you ask me, the one who benefits the most is the second son. He should be the one to take on the responsibility of supporting us in our old age."

And so, a new round of arguments began. As the arguments escalated, these elderly people, who were about the same age as Grandma Xia, started fighting, smashing several small stools and making the already impoverished Pan couple even poorer.

This stool was borrowed from a neighbor yesterday by Mr. Pan, which really worried him.

He shouted hoarsely, "Stop fighting! Stop fighting, please!"

This time, they wouldn't listen to the advice of the women's director and other leaders. At first, they were just venting their anger, but as they continued to beat each other, they got angry and their beatings became more and more violent.

With her fiery temper, Old Lady Xia turned around and laboriously carried a large rock from outside, smashing it down at their feet with a "bang," just two fingers' width away from Pan Li's shoes.

Everyone stopped in shock at the noise. That old hag was really daring to throw things; it wouldn't be worth it if someone got hurt.

Pan Li was so frightened that he jumped up and took five steps back.

"Can you calm down now?" Old Mrs. Xia stood in front of them, her complexion no better than theirs.

The five of them fell silent.

"Director Shao and other directors and leaders, is there anything else you would like to say?" Old Mrs. Xia spoke politely to these people, wanting them to express their opinions first.

However, none of the Pan family members listened to what the others had just said; they even started fighting right in front of them, showing absolutely no respect for them. Therefore, when Old Madam Xia stepped forward and made this move, they naturally wanted her to give her opinion first.

Grandma Xia nodded to them and began to speak, “I don’t care how much you resent your parents, legally speaking, all of you have a responsibility to support them, whether you like it or not, it is something you must bear.”

Today, after we leaders leave, if you are willing to take responsibility, then we can discuss anything. If not, we will discuss whether to raise your issues at the leadership meeting, and if possible, deduct a portion from your wages as support for your parents. This is the result we, the women's directors, discussed beforehand. Whether or not to implement it ultimately depends on your attitude and the factory's decision.”

Pan Fu was unhappy. Why should the factory deduct money he had worked so hard to earn? "This is my money, the factory has no right to deduct it."

Grandma Xia nodded: "You're not qualified yet, but if we report it to the civil affairs department, they'll issue a certificate to the factory, and then you'll be qualified. This isn't about discussing retirement with you; it's about you having to take care of yourselves. Not only will the factory give you ideological education, but they'll also post a notice, and the neighborhood committee might even post your story on the bulletin board as a warning."

Pan Fu grinned, looking at Old Lady Xia as if she were an enemy.

Old Mr. Pan coughed, covering his mouth, and said softly, "Eldest son, second son, and you little ones, your mother and I don't need much money each month. Five yuan a month is enough to buy medicine and groceries, no, three yuan, three yuan is enough..."

The children remained silent. Even though, when divided among themselves, three yuan would only amount to six jiao per child, and a meal at a state-run restaurant would cost the same, or two meals if the food was less expensive.

Director Shao said angrily, "It's only six cents per family, and you're not even willing to pay?"

They all looked dissatisfied. Six cents could buy a lot of things, and only they, as leaders, didn't take six cents seriously.

When Grandma Xia saw their condition, she was reminded of how her children in her previous life had treated her in her old age in the same way. One family would pass the buck to another, and in the end, no one was willing to take on the responsibility.

If it were Xiang Hong, Grandma Xia would truly feel she had wronged her in her past life. As for them, Grandma Xia didn't think she had done anything wrong.

Old Mrs. Xia's temper flared up instantly. "You lot...you lot are beasts! Why don't you be struck dead by lightning? You're all educated, but you've wasted your education. Even crows know to feed their parents, and all you've learned from grooming is how to exploit your parents even more?"

Your parents are not as well-educated or as knowledgeable as you, so they have worked hard for you according to the ideas of the previous generation, willing to give you everything they have, hoping that you will have a bright future and that you will live a more comfortable life. That's why they gave up their jobs and shared their wealth with you early on; they have spent most of their lives on you.

But what about you? How could you abandon them when they needed you most, thinking they were useless? You're still thinking about promotions and raises, yet you're unwilling to shoulder the responsibility of supporting your parents. How can the factory dare to promote you? You don't even utter a word about the most basic responsibility of supporting them. Who will believe you can shoulder the responsibilities at work and in society afterward?

"Pah! A bunch of shameless bastards! You deserve to be utterly disgraced. I'd like to see what kind of good end awaits you ungrateful wretches!"

Old Mrs. Xia grew angrier and angrier, not only at the five members of the Pan family, but also at her three sons from her past life. "Bah, they're all no good!" she thought. "They look respectable now, but it's hard to say whether their kindness towards me is because of my status."

If she were still the unemployed old lady from her previous life, would her children be able to be filial to her? Old Mrs. Xia really didn't dare to gamble.