Character side story: Zhang Jizu

"Hey, you know what? I heard from the captain today that another person has arrived."

"Another one? The payroll is only so big, what will anyone else get?!"

"I heard he's a top student, from a C9 university. What's C9?"

"Who the hell knows? Those with English letters in their names will definitely get more points. Damn it, life is getting worse every day. It's one thing to support some poor relatives of leaders, but what are top students doing here? Can't top students find jobs?"

Shh! Keep your voice down, or the captain will scold you again.

"What's wrong with criticizing them? Can't people tell the truth? So many people are drawing salaries without working, and aren't they all squeezing money from us poor folks with no status or connections!"

Just you wait and see, this "West 9" guy is definitely another one drawing a salary without working.

"Sigh, I saw him. He's quite tall and good-looking, obviously a high achiever, but he has this squinty-eyed, cold face that's really intimidating."

"Oh, so this high-achieving student is really going all out with his act? He's really here? Where is he? Point him out to me."

"Come on, come on, I'll take you there. I saw him getting his bedding, and the signature said 'Zhang Jizu,' which you think is quite fitting for our graves."

"Look, that's the one, he must be at least 1.8 meters tall, right?"

"You know what, he really does look respectable. Look at his fair skin and delicate features, he must come from a wealthy family. He came all this way just to shut people up and prevent them from finding fault with him. Just watch, he'll run away in a couple of days. I've seen plenty of people like this. Pah! They must be rich, but they won't even let go of these pittances. Damn it, these people deserve to die."

"No, something doesn't look right to me. It seems like he knelt down. Is that new tombstone his family's?"

"Hmm? Oh ho, I see. No wonder that top student was willing to work as a security guard at the cemetery. His two kids at home are probably... you know, they ate too much rich food and died from overfeeding."

"Huh? What do you mean? Those are his parents?"

"Of course, I carried the tombstone myself. The two of them were both young and good-looking, looking like wealthy people. A lot of people came to say goodbye, and our team leader was sitting on the side like a grandson. I thought to myself, a rich family's child, who is also a top student, would not be so shameless for such a small amount of money. It turns out that his family had gone bankrupt."

What did I tell you? What's the use of a child raised with money? Their academic credentials are just coated with gold paint; once the gold fades, they're rotten inside.

They call themselves top students, but they might not even be as good as you. Pshaw!

"?

"No, bro, why does this sound like an insult to me?"

"I'm not that kind of person, I was just insulting both of you."

"..."

"Where is he? Has he gone to the monument again?"

"Of course! It's so cold outside, I shiver when I go out, but he can stand it."

"Good that you can handle it. From now on, we'll schedule all the night shifts for him, and we can just sleep."

"Sigh, it's freezing cold, who would want to wander around a gravesite? Why do we have to assign someone to keep watch? Besides, there's nobody outside the graves, why do we need to watch over the people inside? I really don't understand, what's the team leader thinking?"

"You don't understand, this is called emotional value. If we don't do it this way, will those sons and grandsons outside the grave give us money? If they don't give us money, who will support us?"

Go to sleep, this isn't something you should be thinking about on a monthly salary of 1500.

"That's true. I heard that top students earn twice as much as me in a month. Otherwise, education would be so useful; even dropping out of school can earn this much."

"How many!?

3000!?

Damn it, this little kid gets 3000 a month?

Serves him right, he deserves it! He earns so much, he deserves to work the night shift. Damn it, lock the door! He needs to make him do 3000 worth of work!

As dawn approached, a cold wind howled.

Having sat in the Bitter Wind all night, Zhang Jizu looked at the distant dawn breaking through the sky and felt a long-lost peace in his heart.

After so many days of grief, he came to a realization and "compromised" with death.

Previously, the family of three lived in different places. The parents each had their own careers, and the child was busy with studies, deeply immersed in projects, papers, and competitions. Almost all communication took place online.

He missed them terribly back then, but he didn't have time to think about them. He tried his best to get closer to them, and even did better than them, just so that they could have a break.

Now, everyone has finally taken a break, no longer busy, no longer rushing around, no longer separated, and has reunited.

Good.

It's really good.

At first, Zhang Jizu was also very sad. He felt that life had lost its meaning, but great pain is often accompanied by great enlightenment. After experiencing such a long period of grief, he finally understood death.

Death is not a separation, but the longest-lasting companionship.

I am their eyes left in this world; I will see everything they wanted to see, even if it is only in this small Cemetery.

Although the Cemetery is small, the "society" it reflects is not small.

Not long after, the captain of the Cemetery security team arrived. He was always punctual for work and, at least, impeccable in his adherence to rules and regulations.

The smiling captain, though fully aware that Zhang Jizu had been sidelined and kept watch all night, said nothing, but instead greeted him with a smile:

"Xiao Zhang, you can switch shifts now. Go back and rest for a while."

Oh right, look at my brain, sigh. I know it's not easy for you, but who has it easy these days? I risked being discovered by the boss to get you in here, just to fulfill your filial piety.

But this adds another person, and I have to figure out how to cover the Cemetery expenses, explain things to my superiors, and deal with the gossip from others.

So you see, isn't this month's signing bonus coming in as soon as possible...?

The team leader patted Zhang Jizu on the shoulder with a kind expression.

Zhang Jizu's narrowed eyes swept over the other person, seeing the undisguised Greed in their eyes, but he said nothing. Money had become just a string of numbers to him, no longer important. It was this Cemetery that had become more attractive to him after he understood the meaning of death.

"5000, automatically deducted on the 7th of each month, please be patient."

As he spoke, Zhang Jizu walked towards the dormitory, bathed in the morning light.

The captain was taken aback, but didn't say anything. Instead, he watched Zhang Jizu's departing figure and hummed a little tune with a smug look on his face.

Hmph~ Hmph~

Filial piety... Filial piety is good! If my son were half as filial as Xiao Zhang, I could die in peace.