pjbooks Chapter 27: The Punishment
Chapter 27: The Punishment
When Sha Zhu saw that Yi Zhonghai was angry, he knew he was in trouble this time, but he stubbornly said, "Grandpa, do you think I can accept this? I only said one sentence and I was fined five yuan. I only make a little over thirty yuan a month."
"You only have yourself to worry about. Besides, we already agreed that this money isn't a fine, but rather a contribution you, He Yuzhu, have made to the hospital. Of course, we can't let you pay for it all yourself. Old Yan, put five yuan on my tab too."
Have you ever heard of having to accompany someone in smoking and drinking, or even being punished?
Yan Bugui readily agreed and quickly wrote down five yuan for Yi Zhonghai.
Liu Haizhong sat down again, his feet off the ground, his intelligence once again taking over. Yi Zhonghai, Yi Zhonghai, I never expected you to have so many thoughts with your thick eyebrows and big eyes. Fixing the toilet is a matter of pride for the street office, how could I, Liu Haizhong, be left out?
The clever man immediately counted out six yuan and slapped it on the table, not only wanting to contribute but also wanting to contribute one yuan more than Yi Zhonghai: "Old Yan, write down six yuan for me. When it comes to contributing to the toilet repair, how can I, as the second uncle, fall behind?"
Sha Zhu, now that he was venting his anger, even chuckled, "Second Uncle's awareness is truly remarkable. What's wrong, Third Uncle? Both First and Second Uncles have already given, aren't you, Third Uncle, going to do something too?"
Yan Bugui was embarrassed and stammered, unable to speak.
Fortunately, Yi Zhonghai came to his old friend's rescue: "Alright, fixing a toilet shouldn't cost that much. Old Yan, tell everyone your calculations."
"Well... the materials for rebuilding our toilet after it was demolished are readily available, and the neighborhood committee also approved some cement for us, so the main expenses are labor costs, and we also have to provide meals and boiling water for the workers."
"We have contacted the construction team from the street office. One foreman and two bricklayers, plus our courtyard, if anyone lends a hand, it will only take five days at most to demolish and rebuild. The budget for this part is 13 yuan."
"The old man and the others gave us a total of sixteen yuan, which is more than enough. The remaining money can be used to buy groceries, and they'll provide lunch."
Liu Haizhong was very dissatisfied with Yan Bugui's statement: "Cough... It was an old man and me, especially me, who paid six yuan. Remember that."
Sha Zhu was also unhappy: "Me too, I also paid five yuan. But this isn't right, does it mean that everyone else in our compound is not going to use the toilet? Especially Xu Damao."
Yi Zhonghai had a reason for calling the deaf old lady over today. He said, taking advantage of Sha Zhu's words, "Zhu Zi's words make sense. So... I propose that we each pay two cents. Of course, as Lao Yan just said, we have enough money, but we can use the extra money to repair the houses in the yard, especially the old lady's house which leaks badly."
"Old Yi, I want to add something. If you do the work, you don't need to pay. For example, if you help out when the toilet is being repaired, or if you cook, then you don't need to pay. Look, Jiecheng and Ruihua in our family will be helping out, so do they not need to pay for that?"
"Okay, it's settled then. Everyone, please sign up now."
Except for some people who were at work and had no one at home, everyone in the courtyard voluntarily paid their share. However, the Jia family only paid for Jia Dongxu and Banggeng, so it seems that Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi will have to help out.
The deaf old woman took out two cents and said to Sha Zhu, "Sha Zhu, help me pay the money."
"Hey, why would an old lady like you pay money? Just take it."
The deaf old lady beamed with joy, but still insisted on paying, which made Sha Zhu look at her in a different light.
Tang Zhenghong observed for a long time during the meeting but couldn't find anything suspicious. Who were the other two people who were with his grandfather back then?
They hid it so well, or maybe I'm overthinking it, or maybe the other person really doesn't blame them for what happened that day and has a clear conscience?
"Zhenghong, you're on good terms with Xu Damao, why don't you pay him off first?"
"Brother Da Mao is a projectionist, so let him come back and pay the difference himself. Who knows, he might make an outstanding contribution like Uncle Er."
Liu Haizhong originally wanted to say something about Tang Zhenghong, saying that even though he was a railway policeman, how could he still only pay two cents like everyone else? That kind of awareness was unacceptable. However, he didn't expect the other party to praise him. Although it didn't sound right, this was the first person in the institute to praise him, so he didn't bring up Tang Zhenghong.
"Also, Teacher Yan, you should post a detailed list of all expenses, especially for those who made contributions, like Master Liu and the others. Make sure their names are at the top of the list so that other departments can see who our department's manager is. We need to make sure everyone knows about and remembers these good deeds."
Liu Haizhong was extremely satisfied: "Hey, Lao Yan, Zheng Hong's words make sense, especially regarding the top contributor. I contributed the most money, so I should be listed first."
The rest was just arranging who would cook and who would boil water, and it went very smoothly.
"Second brother, Da Mao and the others insist on calling me auntie, hehe."
Tang Hongxin played all day and was sleepy early in the evening. Her eyelids were drooping as soon as her head hit the pillow, but she was still sharing interesting stories about her new friend with her second brother.
"Okay, go to sleep."
"Second brother, I miss Mom and Dad."
After all, it was the first time the little girl had been away from her parents. Tang Zhenghong was about to comfort her when he found that she had already fallen asleep after smacking her lips.
The little girl doesn't sleep very soundly at night, I don't know what sweet dreams she's having, she's chewing on her little arm with great relish.
At this moment, Sha Zhu swaggered into the house. It turns out he learned to not knock from Yi Zhonghai.
"I knew you wouldn't be asleep this early. Hey, little girl, are you asleep? Want to come over for a drink?"
Tang Zhenghong didn't have any problem with Sha Zhu. He had exchanged a few words with him at the toilet door early last morning, which was normal. People in Beijing like to banter with familiar people, and they forget about it as soon as they turn around. They won't hold a grudge about it.
"It's getting late today, let's do it another day. I'll try your cooking another time. Also, next time you should knock before entering someone else's house."
Sha Zhu asked Tang Zheng Hong for help today, and since Tang Zheng Hong wouldn't go, how could he ask for help? So he kept insisting on dragging Tang Zheng Hong over.
Tang Zhenghong was afraid of waking his sister, so he had no choice but to follow Sha Zhu to the Intermediate People's Court.
"Please sit down first, I'll get us a couple of dishes."
"No need for that. Do you have any peanuts? And a dish of pickled vegetables will do."
Sha Zhu proudly tossed the braised pork he took out of the cupboard onto the cutting board to chop: "Don't worry about that, a chef's house would never lack snacks to go with drinks."
Before long, Sha Zhu finished preparing the drink, filled his glass, raised it, and said, "Come on, let's have a drink together, it's been years since we sat down together, hasn't it?"
"It's been four years. The last time we drank together was when I went to serve in the army, and Dongxu organized the gathering."
"Yeah, four years have passed in the blink of an eye. Back then, Dongxu had just gotten married and his personality wasn't like this yet. Sigh... Now that he has a wife and kids, he's completely changed. He hasn't organized any gatherings anymore, and he always shows up empty-handed when it comes to drinking."
In the original owner's memory, Jia Dongxu was indeed a very good person: "I can understand. Having a child means having a responsibility on your shoulders. The whole family depends on his meager salary to support them. It's not easy for anyone."
"That's true. By the way, I haven't asked you yet, how did you end up getting involved with Xu Damao? I remember you used to be close to no one in this courtyard. As your older brother, let me remind you, Xu Damao is not a good person, be careful he doesn't lead you astray."
"For example?"
Sha Zhu paused, holding his wine glass, then put it down and scratched his head. "You almost stumped me. Tell me, does it count when he goes to the countryside to show movies and takes bribes from the farmers? And what about the rumors that he has illicit relationships with many women? Does that count?"
"Heh... that's all I can say. Nobody's perfect. Try to focus on his strengths. Besides, chefs always bring back some dishes, right? Don't make excuses, we only care about the results."
Sha Zhu chuckled upon hearing this: "Excellent aspects? I really haven't noticed that."
"For example, although you may seem reckless, you always retain a kind heart. And for another example, your culinary skills, honed since childhood, are unmatched by many."
This was the first time Sha Zhu had been praised like this, and he waved his hand somewhat shyly: "Let's not talk about me, let's talk about Xu Damao."
"Even though I haven't been to your factory to learn about it, I can guess that Brother Da Mao is very popular there. That's his strength. Interpersonal relationships are an art, and he's definitely better at it than you are."
Sha Zhu muttered indignantly, "What kind of merit is that? It's inappropriate to chat and laugh with some female comrades all day long, and it's also flattering the leaders."
"Are all leaders blind? Can't they see he's just flattering them?"
"We are the working class, do we need to be like this? In my opinion, Xu Damao would have been a traitor in the past."
Alright, I admit I was being nosy. People can't remember what they're taught, but they can learn something after just one lesson.
There's a line from Illaoi that says it perfectly: "Preaching is useless; broken bones are the best textbooks."
Tang Zhenghong didn't have the habit of being a know-it-all, so he ended the conversation by asking, "You called me so late at night because you need something, right?"
"There is something I'd like to ask you for a favor. I heard that you brought back those leather shoes for Xu Damao's grandson. How much did they cost? If it's convenient next time, bring me a pair too, no, two pairs, the other pair for Yushui."
Before the white lotus bloomed, Sha Zhu still had some wealth and hadn't forgotten his sister who never came home.
"Okay, you've already asked, how can I refuse? I'll pay you according to the ticket price when I get back."
"Alright, I won't let you work for nothing. Just let me know if you need help with braised meat or cooking. Come on, let's drink. We'd better finish this half-bottle today."
Just then, Tang Zhenghong vaguely heard someone crying outside. The voice didn't sound like anyone from the Central Courtyard. Curious, he got up to take a look and found it was his younger sister, Tang Hongxin.
The little girl fell asleep and realized that her second brother was no longer beside her. She rubbed her eyes and went out to look for him. Yan Bugui had locked the main gate, so she wiped away her tears and went to the central courtyard.
Right now, she's squatting pitifully by the pool crying, which startled Jia's son, Banggeng, who had just fallen asleep. He thought it was the words his grandmother often muttered that had worked, so he snuggled into his mother's arms and trembled uncontrollably.
"Let's drink again next time. It's my sister's first time in the yard, and she can't sleep soundly without me by her side."
"Waaah... Second brother, I thought you didn't want me anymore."
Tang Zhenghong picked up the little girl and smiled apologetically at the face behind the curtains of the Jia family.
"Silly girl, your second brother just had drinks with the neighbors. Come on, let's go home."
Back home, even though the little girl was asleep, she still clung to her second brother's collar with one hand and wouldn't let go, her fingers gripping him quite tightly.
Tang Zhenghong had no choice but to make do and sleep there.