Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

Inside the first workshop of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, machines roared and dust filled the air. The eighth-level worker qualification assessment was imminent, and the air, besides the smell of metal and machine oil, was thick with tension and anxiety. The workers were all buried in their work at their stations, either processing parts or repairing equipment, all hoping to accumulate more skill before the assessment and achieve a higher level, thus earning a few more yuan in wages.

Jia Dongxu was sweating profusely as he operated an old-fashioned belt-driven lathe, machining a high-precision bushing. Yi Zhonghai stood by, hands behind his back, watching and occasionally offering a few pointers.

"Dongxu, your cutting speed is still too fast. You need to be more steady. Look at the surface finish, it's not good enough." Yi Zhonghai frowned, his tone carrying a hint of dissatisfaction. "At your level, you'll have a hard time even passing the Level 3 worker exam."

Jia Dongxu was seething with anger, but dared not let it out. He had been working at the factory for several years, but because Yi Zhonghai had intentionally or unintentionally "held back" his skills, and because he himself wasn't particularly bright, he had always remained a level two worker, earning a monthly wage of 27.5 yuan (Singapore dollars). This meager income had to support his elderly mother, his wife Qin Huairu, and his son Banggeng. Now, Qin Huairu was pregnant with their second child, due in a few months, making life extremely difficult. Although his mother-in-law occasionally provided some assistance, it was far from enough. Not to mention his own mother, Jia Zhangshi, who invariably demanded 3 yuan a month for "retirement expenses," plus the indispensable painkillers, which cost another 1.5 yuan. Just thinking about all this made Jia Dongxu feel extremely agitated.

"Master, I... I'll try again." Jia Dongxu wiped his sweat and readied the knife again. He desperately wanted to pass this assessment; even if he only reached the third-level worker rank, he could earn an extra five or six yuan a month, which would make things much easier for his family. Qin Huairu's pregnancy wasn't going well this time, and the doctor said she might need some good nourishment, so this money would come in handy.

Looking at Jia Dongxu's impatient demeanor, Yi Zhonghai inwardly shook his head. This apprentice of his was mediocre in talent but arrogant, easily swayed, and always controlled by his unruly mother. Yi Zhonghai's teaching of him was also driven by ulterior motives. On one hand, Jia Dongxu was his "number one backup plan" for retirement; he couldn't be too bad, or he wouldn't be reliable in the future. But on the other hand, he couldn't let him become too outstanding, lest he become too arrogant and leave, ensuring Jia Dongxu would always need his help. Therefore, Yi Zhonghai always kept the crucial technical secrets to himself, keeping Jia Dongxu stuck at the level of a second or third-grade worker.

"A calm mind leads to steady hands. Impulsiveness is the worst thing you can do when doing fitter work," Yi Zhonghai remarked casually, his gaze drifting towards the workshop entrance. He saw Wang Huanbo from the technical department inspecting the equipment with two technicians, and his discontent deepened. That hothead Wang Huanbo, relying on his overseas background and technical skills, was thriving in the factory. Even Director Yang and Deputy Director Li treated him with utmost respect, and he was on the verge of being promoted to deputy head of the technical department. Looking at his own disappointing apprentice… Yi Zhonghai increasingly felt that relying solely on Jia Dongxu for his retirement was unreliable; he needed to work on Sha Zhu's side more quickly. But lately, Sha Zhu had changed; he wasn't as obedient to him as before, and instead, he seemed quite close to Wang Huanbo…

In the brief moment that Yi Zhonghai lost focus, tragedy struck!

In his anxiety, Jia Dongxu distorted the operation and tripped over a piece of scrap material that someone had carelessly thrown at him, instantly losing his balance! "Ouch!" he exclaimed, falling headlong into the rapidly spinning lathe!

"Dongxu!" Yi Zhonghai heard the exclamation, turned around abruptly, and was terrified!

Jia Dongxu's right arm was caught precisely between the gearbox and the drive pulley of the lathe! A piercing metallic scraping sound and Jia Dongxu's heart-wrenching scream rang out at the same time!

"Stop the machine! Stop the machine!" Yi Zhonghai was so frightened that his face turned pale. He rushed over like a madman and pulled the power switch! The lathe slowly came to a stop, but Jia Dongxu's arm was already firmly stuck. Blood gushed out from the gaps in the gears, instantly staining his work clothes red. The blood dripped onto the ground and pooled into a small, shocking pool of blood!

"Help! Master! It hurts so much!" Jia Dongxu's face was pale, and large beads of sweat rolled down his face. His body convulsed violently from the pain. He tried to pull his arm out, but it only made the wound tear even more.

"Don't move! Dongxu! Don't move!" Yi Zhonghai's voice trembled as he and several coworkers who rushed over tried to disassemble the gearbox to rescue the man. However, the old lathe had a complex structure, and in their panic and confusion, their tools were not handy. After struggling for a long time, they not only failed to rescue Jia Dongxu, but the shaking also exacerbated his pain.

The chaos and screams at the scene immediately alerted the entire workshop. Wang Huanbo, who was checking the operation of a milling machine not far away, frowned and immediately led his men over.

"What happened?" Wang Huanbo pushed through the crowd of onlookers and his heart sank at the sight before him. Jia Dongxu's injuries were extremely serious; his arm was probably...

Without a word, he immediately stepped forward and calmly examined the stuck situation. His [Advanced Mechanical Proficiency] skill allowed him to instantly identify the key issue. "Wrench! Allen wrench! Quick!" he shouted to the technician behind him, while simultaneously pushing aside the trembling Yi Zhonghai, "Get out of the way! I'll handle this!"

Wang Huanbo took the tools and skillfully and precisely began to disassemble the bolts securing the gearbox. His movements were quick and steady, without the slightest hesitation, a stark contrast to the frantic efforts of Yi Zhonghai and the others earlier. Everyone around held their breath, watching him work.

Just then, factory director Yang Weimin, deputy factory director Li Huaide, and workshop foreman Liu Binglin rushed over upon hearing the news. Seeing the horrific scene, Director Yang's face turned ashen: "What happened! What did you learn about the safety operating procedures?!" Li Huaide immediately instructed his secretary: "Xiao Gao! Quick! Call Hongxing Hospital! Call an ambulance! Hurry!"

Wang Huanbo remained focused and continued disassembling. A few minutes later, as the last bolt was unscrewed, he carefully pried open a crack in the deformed gearbox housing. "All done! Gently pull his arm out!" he shouted to the person next to him.

Two workers carefully removed Jia Dongxu's mangled, grotesquely shaped arm from the machine. Jia Dongxu, due to excessive blood loss and excruciating pain, had fallen into a coma.

"Ambulance! Why hasn't the ambulance arrived yet!" Yi Zhonghai cried out.

"Make way! Make way! The doctor is here!" Just then, paramedics from Hongxing Hospital rushed in carrying a stretcher.

The lead doctor quickly examined Jia Dongxu's injuries, checked his pupils, and said gravely to Director Yang, "Director Yang, the wounded soldier has lost too much blood and is in shock. He has a comminuted fracture of his right upper arm, accompanied by extensive soft tissue avulsion and severe damage to blood vessels and nerves. With the current conditions at our Red Star Hospital, we can only... we can only perform an amputation to save his life. If we want to do everything possible to save his arm, we must transfer him to Peking Union Medical College Hospital immediately! There might be hope there!"

"Amputation?!" Yi Zhonghai was struck dumb, his legs buckling and he almost collapsed to the ground. If Jia Dongxu lost his arm and became disabled, the Jia family would be truly finished! His retirement plans would also be ruined… He grabbed Factory Director Yang's arm tightly, tears streaming down his face, "Director! You can't amputate! Dongxu is the pillar of our factory! His father, Old Jia, sacrificed himself for the factory; we can't let his son suffer the same fate… I beg you, send him to Peking Union Medical College Hospital! You must save his arm no matter what!"

Factory Director Yang and Li Huaide exchanged a glance, both aware of the seriousness of the situation. Jia Dongxu's death was a work-related injury, and the factory had to take full responsibility. Moreover, since Old Jia did indeed die on duty, both morally and legally, they should do everything possible to provide him with medical care.

"Quick! Get him in the ambulance! Head straight to Xiehe Hospital! Use the factory's car to clear the way! Hurry!" Factory Director Yang made a decisive decision. He then said to Yi Zhonghai, "Old Yi, you're his mentor and a respected elder in the compound. Go back and inform the Jia family immediately, then go directly to Xiehe! The factory will cover the medical expenses first; do everything you can to save him!"

Yi Zhonghai's face turned pale. He knew that informing Jia Zhangshi was a difficult task, but if that woman didn't know immediately, there would be even more trouble later. He could only grit his teeth and stagger towards the courtyard.

Wang Huanbo watched Jia Dongxu being carried away and the dejected Yi Zhonghai's retreating figure, and sighed softly. Jia Dongxu was a pitiful man too. He noticed the piece of scrap metal on the ground that had tripped Jia Dongxu, and his eyes turned cold. It seemed there were significant loopholes in the workshop's safety management. This matter wouldn't end so easily.