The few of them reluctantly shut up, and Director Shao pointed in the direction of the bed and said, "Those are your parents, not enemies or foes. From what I understand, 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 not eat themselves and leave all the food for you. They love you so much that they are willing to die for you.
But how did you treat them just now? You thought they were old and useless, that they were a burden to you, and even cursed them to death. Are you still human? You treat your own parents like this. Aren’t you afraid that your children will treat you the same way in the future?
Seeing the factory women's director speak, Pan Li was unconvinced and said, "But they're biased. Why can't I say anything? I'm the third child. Dad couldn't get his job, so he gave it to the eldest. Mom couldn't get her job, so she gave it to the second child. So when the family money was divided, it was split equally between me and my two younger brothers. We three are the ones who suffer the most. The little money we get can't even buy a job. The responsibility of providing for my old age should be borne by the eldest and second child."
Pan Fu was unconvinced. "My job is officially a full-time employee, but in reality, it's just a runner and odd jobs. At my age, my promotion and salary have always been blocked by the director. It's simply because Dad offended the factory leaders before, which has caused me to have no hope of promotion until now. If you ask me, the one who benefits the most is the second son, and he should bear the responsibility for my retirement."
So, a new round of quarrels began. As the quarrel went on, these old comrades, who were about the same age as Old Mrs. Xia, started fighting and smashed several small stools, making the already poor couple of the Pan family even poorer.
This stool was borrowed by Pan's father from his neighbor yesterday, which made him very anxious.
He shouted hoarsely, "Stop fighting, stop fighting, eh!"
This time, they simply refused to listen to the advice of the women's director and other leaders. At first, they beat them just to vent their anger, but as they beat them, they became more and more angry and their attacks became more and more severe.
Old Mrs. Xia, who had a bad temper, turned around and brought a big stone from outside with great effort. With a "bang", it fell at their feet, only two fingers away from Pan Li's shoes.
Everyone was frightened by the noise and stopped. This old woman was really brave enough to throw things. It would be a shame if someone got hurt.
Pan Li was so frightened that he jumped up and retreated five steps.
"Can you calm down now?" Old Mrs. Xia stood in front of them, her expression not much better than theirs.
The five of them fell silent.
"Director Shao and other directors and leaders, do you have anything else to say?" Old Mrs. Xia spoke politely to these people, wanting them to express their opinions first.
But none of the Pan family members listened to what they had just said, and they even started fighting in front of them, showing that they simply didn't take them seriously. So, when Old Lady Xia stepped forward and made such a move, they naturally let her express her opinions first.
Old Lady Xia nodded at them and began to speak, "I don't care how much you resent your parents. Legally speaking, all of you have the responsibility to support them. Whether you like it or not, this is what you must bear.
After we leave today, if you're willing to take responsibility, then we can discuss anything. If not, we'll discuss whether to bring your case up at the leadership meeting. If possible, we'll deduct a portion from your salary to cover the cost of supporting your parents. This is the outcome we women's directors discussed earlier. Whether or not to implement it will ultimately depend on your attitude and the factory's opinion.
Pan Fu was not happy. Why should the factory deduct the money he had worked so hard to earn? "This is my money. The factory has no right to deduct it."
Old Mrs. Xia nodded. "You're not eligible, but if we report it to the civil affairs department, they'll issue a certificate to the factory, and then you'll be eligible. This isn't a discussion about retirement, it's a must. Not only will the factory educate you, but they'll also post a notice. The neighborhood office might even post your story on the bulletin board as a warning."
Pan Fu bared his teeth and looked at Old Lady Xia as if she were an enemy.
Pan's father covered his mouth and coughed, whispering, "Big brother, second brother, and you little ones, your mother and I don't spend much money every month. Five yuan a month is enough to buy medicine and groceries. No, three yuan, three yuan is enough..."
The children still kept silent, even though after sharing the money, three yuan would only amount to sixty cents per child on average, and a meal at a state-owned restaurant would cost only this much, or at most two meals.
Director Shao said angrily, "It's only sixty cents a family, and you guys don't want to pay?"
Several of them showed dissatisfied expressions. Sixty cents could buy a lot of things, but only they, as leaders, did not take sixty cents seriously.
When Old Lady Xia saw their expressions, she remembered that her children in her previous life had treated her in the same way. They kept pushing each other, and in the end, no one was willing to take over.
If it were Xiang Hong, Old Lady Xia would really feel that she had let her down in her previous life. But towards them, Old Lady Xia didn't think that she had done anything wrong.
Old Lady Xia's temper exploded immediately. "You guys...you guys are such beasts! Why don't you just let a bolt of lightning strike you, such an unfilial bunch? You've all been educated, but your knowledge has gone to waste. Even crows know how to repay their parents, but have you learned from books how to exploit your parents even more?"
Your parents haven't been educated as much as you have, nor have they seen nearly as much. So, they've toiled for you according to their past lives' thinking, willing to give you everything they have, hoping you'll have a bright future and a more comfortable life. That's why they gave you their jobs and their money early on, spending most of their lives on you.
But what about you? How could you abandon them, deeming them useless, when they needed you most? You're still thinking about promotions and pay raises, yet you're unwilling to even shoulder the responsibility of supporting your parents. How could the factory dare to promote you? If you don't even offer your basic responsibility of supporting your parents, who would believe you could handle the responsibilities you'll face at work or in society?
Bah, a bunch of shameless bastards, you deserve to be ruined. I want to see what will become of you ungrateful ungrateful wolves in the future!"
The more Old Lady Xia spoke, the angrier she became. She was not only angry at the five Pan family members, but also at her own three sons from her previous life. "Bah, none of them are good people." They looked like decent people now, but it was hard to say if their kindness to her was due to her status.
If she were still the unemployed old lady in her previous life, then Old Lady Xia really didn't dare to bet on whether they could be filial to her.
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