Outsider: The Fifth Young Master of the Kang Family

Chapter 34 Life and Death Are Not Easy
Kang Qirui was still thinking about the issue of public medical care until he took a shower at night. After all, this matter was quite important. Kang Qirui sighed and decided to talk to A Yao one last time.

After making the decision, Kang Qirui quickly dried himself, put on his clothes, and went to A Yao's door and knocked. "Third brother and sister-in-law, A Rui, is it convenient for me to come in and talk?"

Sachiko responded from inside, and soon opened the door and welcomed Kang Qirui into the room, "Arui, it's so late, is there anything wrong?" A Yao also looked over.

Kang Qirui didn't want to talk too much at this late hour, so he got straight to the point: "Regarding the medical certificate, I think Third Brother should still pay attention to it. First, if you give it to other people casually, it will be a waste of public resources, and your professional ethics will be criticized. Secondly, if the whole family uses it together, the medical expenses will be very conspicuous. Your health is your capital. If you give people a sickly feeling, who would dare to use you? Especially now is the critical moment for your promotion, and so many eyes are on you."

A Yao finally came to his senses. Today, the leader of the bureau said that he had a bright future because his department had the lowest medical expenses. At that time, the leader also used the phrase "your body is your capital."

But he had already promised everyone, and now he was too embarrassed to say no to everyone, so he looked at Kang Qirui with a pleading look. At this time, Xingzi was A Yao's mouth, "A Rui, your third brother has promised everyone, what should we do?"

Kang Qirui thought for a moment and said, "Dad used the medical certificate just to get some herbal tea, which is fine. A dose of herbal tea doesn't cost much anyway, and it's understandable for us Cantonese people to make some herbal tea occasionally. If other people want to use it, you can just say that the medical certificate has a photo and they can't use it."

"But didn't my father say during dinner just now that he had acquaintances in the hospital?" A Yao recalled what his father said.

"Just explain the situation directly to Dou. Dou knows this is related to your promotion and will definitely support you. You are embarrassed to refuse everyone, so let Dou come forward to be the bad guy. No one dares to disobey Dou anyway." Kang Qirui gave A Yao some advice, telling him to just explain the situation directly to Dou. With Dou's personality, he will definitely be willing to play the bad guy. Dou may be tough on the outside but soft on the inside, and his son's affairs are always the most important.

A Yao and Sachiko looked at each other and thought this method was good. Seeing that A Yao had come to his senses, Kang Qirui said goodbye and left. A Yao and Sachiko sent Kang Qirui out of the room with words of gratitude.

Early the next morning, A Yao went to explain the situation to his father. As Kang Qirui had expected, when his father heard that this might be related to his third son's promotion, he immediately agreed. During lunch, he announced to the whole family that his acquaintance in the hospital could not handle the medical ID photo issue. Everyone was disappointed to hear that they could not use A Yao's medical ID to see a doctor, but there was no other way, so they had to give up.

Kang Qirui had two classes every Wednesday morning and needed to be at school before 8 o'clock. So Kang Qirui got up very early that day, washed up and prepared to go out to work, and then he saw Ayao and Xingzi in pajamas chatting with the old lady in the living room.

"What's the matter? What are you talking about so early in the morning?" Kang Qirui asked curiously.

"Sachiko Arisa." The old maid smiled so hard that her teeth were showing.

"You Zuo? Third sister-in-law is pregnant?" Kang Qirui saw Sachiko nod shyly, and said to A Yao: "Congratulations, third brother, double happiness hahaha."

"Handsome boy, what's double happiness?" A Yao was still a little groggy early in the morning. His wife told him early in the morning that she hadn't had her period for a long time and said she was pregnant. At this time, he was still immersed in happiness and his mind was blank.

"I'm getting a promotion in my career and I'm having a baby in my love life. Isn't this a double happiness?" Kang Qirui explained, and then joked, "When will you arrange a dinner for everyone last time, Third Brother?"

Sachiko didn't hesitate to say anything, and said generously: "Arrange it, arrange it. Let's go out for a meal in a few days when everyone is resting on the weekend."

"Okay, congratulations again to Third Brother and Sister-in-law. I won't say much. I'm going to work." Seeing that it was almost time, Kang Qirui congratulated them again and went out.

A Yao, who was blessed with double happiness, had a cheerful face for several days. He even sang while brushing his teeth in the morning. However, his singing was a little ugly, which made Tian Xiu complain that it was too bad and he ran away without even eating breakfast. However, Kang Qirui reasonably suspected that Tian Xiu just didn't want to eat breakfast.

This joyous atmosphere lasted until Friday. When Kang Qirui returned home from get off work, he saw A Yao sitting on the sofa with a sullen face, looking as if he wanted to keep strangers away.

"Third brother, what happened? You look very unhappy." Kang Qirui asked.

"Hey, isn't Sachiko pregnant? I've been trying to get a birth certificate these days. But the street office said that I had never watched the premarital education film, and then said that my household registration was empty. I thought about going to the housing management department of my unit to write a certificate, but the section chief took another day off today. Just imagine how unlucky I am." When A Yao saw Kang Qirui asking about it, he started to complain.

However, Kang Qirui became more and more confused the more he listened to this. "What kind of premarital education film is this?"

"She asked me if I had seen it, and I said no, so she told me to go back and watch it before opening it," A Yao complained.

"Then what about the empty household registration and certificate? Tell me in detail." Kang Qirui continued to ask.

"Isn't Sachiko's household registration registered at the place where her relative lives? It's in Yuexiu. You know, the educational resources there are so good. I wanted to get our child's household registration in Yuexiu as well. But the street office there refused to do it, saying that we didn't live in Yuexiu. And our unit also allocated housing in Yuexiu District, so I thought about going back to the unit to get a housing allocation certificate." A Yao told the truth.

Kang Qirui couldn't help but shake his head. His third brother was speechless. He wasn't smart when he should be, and he was calculating when he shouldn't be. When people asked you if you had watched the educational film, you said you had. And you wanted to register an empty household registration and go there just because you wanted the educational resources of Yuexiu. I don't know what you were thinking. Who would dare to help you?
"Third brother, why don't you apply for a birth permit here? You can't take advantage of the public by doing this," Kang Qirui advised.

Before A Yao could figure out how to express his opinion, Sachiko came out and said, "Don't worry about it. I'm having my period, not pregnant."

"Ah? Do you know how exhausted I have been these past two days because of this matter? A Yao exploded when he heard this. He was already angry because the process of getting the certificate was not going smoothly, and now he was even angrier when he heard that she was not pregnant. Wasn't this a waste of time?

"Why are you so angry? What can I do? Just treat it as a rehearsal." Sachiko was also angry, and went back to her room after cursing. A Yao gave Kang Qirui an awkward smile and then chased into the room to coax his wife.

Bang bang bang.
Early in the morning on the weekend, a knock on the door woke Kang Qirui up. Kang Qirui had no choice but to get up and open the door. He saw the old woman outside with red eyes, obviously she had just cried. Kang Qirui's mood suddenly disappeared and he asked worriedly, "Mom, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Arui, get up quickly. Your aunt passed away in the early morning. Let's go and see her off for the last time." The old maid said in a very depressed tone.

The aunt in the old woman's mouth is named Cen Azhen, who is the old woman's aunt and the elder sister of Kang Qirui's grandmother. She never married and had no children. In recent years, several relatives have hired a nanny to take care of her. In Kang Qirui's memory, when he was very young, his aunt said that she was 89 years old. Now it is estimated that she is almost 100 years old.

So she comforted the old maid: "Madam, as far as I can remember, my aunt is almost 100 years old. According to ancient customs, this is a happy funeral, and we can't cry."

“When someone dies, it is a sad event. People are too busy mourning to be happy. But there is a so-called happy funeral, which means it is happy that the deceased has both happiness and longevity.” A “happy funeral” means “the deceased has both happiness and longevity.”

When they arrived at the aunt's house, the old nanny, as the closest relative, took charge of the overall situation. Kang Qirui accompanied the old nanny to welcome the guests, while A Yao was arranged to apply for a death certificate, which was required for cremation at the funeral home.

As a result, A Yao never came back and didn't come back for several hours. The old lady had no choice but to let Kang Qirui go out to look for A Yao. Kang Qirui found A Yao at the entrance of the police station, "Third brother, how is it? Is it done?"

"What should I do? I don't even know how to fill in the cause of death. I won't dare to die even if I'm not sick in the future." A Yao looked indignant.

"What's going on? Tell me slowly." Kang Qirui asked A Yao to calm down and tell him what happened in detail.

Time goes back three hours ago.
A Yao brought his aunt's ID card to the police station and found the office where the certificate was issued. He knocked on the door and went in, then politely said, "Comrade, I want to ask if the 'death certificate' is issued here?"

"Yes, yes, it's done here, please sit down first." The certificate processing staff said politely. "It's like this, my great aunt passed away this morning." A Yao said directly after sitting down.

"Age, name." The officer took out the application form and asked.

"Her name is Cen Azhen, and she seems to be 89 years old." A Yao said uncertainly.

"What do you mean 'seem'? Can you please check it more clearly? Otherwise it will be very troublesome, you know?" The certificate processing staff was unhappy.

"No problem, I have her ID card." A Yao said as he took out his great aunt's ID card.

"What was the cause of death? Was it a car accident? Burned? Or poisoned?" The certificate officer was so used to seeing people coming to apply for death certificates that he asked numbly and without emotion.

"Neither, she just fell asleep and never woke up again. It should be called death without illness." A Yao replied.

"Died without illness? What does it mean to die without illness?" The certificate processing officer still spoke in an emotionless tone.

"It's true that she died of natural causes. My great aunt was in good health, but she was too old, almost 100 years old." A Yao explained in a panic.

"Hey, hey, hey, you just said she was 89 years old? How old is she exactly?" The certificate processing officer was confused by A Yao.

"I'm sorry, I remembered it wrong. Please refer to the certificate." A Yao handed over his aunt's ID card.

"How could I have remembered so many things wrong? Tell me honestly, does she have any property? The tone of the certificate officer changed for the first time, and he asked A Yao with a suspicious look on his face.

"She doesn't have any property. Usually, several of our relatives hire a nanny to take care of her."

"What about the house she lives in? Does it belong to you relatives or is it her property?"

"That is her property. But we don't want her property." A Yao explained quickly.

"We can't issue this certificate to you. We can't write 'died of natural causes' in the cause of death column." The officer who processed the certificate found a reason to reject A Yao.

"Why can't I fill it in?" A Yao was confused.

"Of course not. I see that you look well-educated. If someone asks you how this person died, and you say he died of natural causes, then I'm not sick. If you use natural causes as the cause of death, then I'm not sick, so I'm going to die too?"

"Then don't fill it in, just leave it blank."

"Empty? I can't leave it empty. If it's empty, it will cause trouble in the future."

After listening to A Yao's story, Kang Qirui couldn't help but roll his eyes and said helplessly: "My dear third brother, you have been a deputy section chief for five years and this is it?"

A Yao was not convinced, "What does this have to do with anything?"

"Don't you know how government agencies work? With your ID card, you can't tell your aunt's age, and you say you have no property when you clearly have it. Which government agency would dare to issue you this certificate? Who knows if you are coveting your aunt's property? What is your relationship with her? Why should you take responsibility for this?"

Kang Qirui was speechless. No wonder A Yao spent his whole life in government agencies in his previous life, but in the end he couldn't even get a position as a director. Is this all he can do? Kang Qirui shook his head and said, "Where did you get it done? Take me there."

A Yao didn't think his brother could get it done, but he still took Kang Qirui to the police station.

"Comrade, I'm really sorry for what happened just now. This is my third brother. He has a very good relationship with my great aunt. He's still very sad right now, so he was a little flustered. Please don't mind." Kang Qirui came up and apologized first, blaming his third brother's flustered behavior on the sudden incident.

"Oh, I understand. Please accept my condolences!" the certificate processing staff said comfortingly.

"Comrade, I would like to ask, what is the procedure for this death certificate?" Kang Qirui cut the Gordian knot.

"If the person died in a hospital, the hospital will issue a diagnosis certificate; if the person died at home, you need to go to the street or village committee to obtain a normal death certificate; if the person died in an abnormal way, such as an accident, a certificate must be issued by the public security or judicial department." The certificate processing staff said, pointing to the process board on the wall.

"That means we have to go to the street office to get a certificate first, and then you can come back and get the death certificate, right?" Kang Qirui still had a polite attitude.

"Yes, yes, hurry up. We will get off work on time." The certificate processing staff urged them to go to the street quickly.

Kang Qirui thanked him and left with A Yao. After leaving the house, he said to A Yao: "Third brother, don't all the people who go to your place to get work and get certificates have the same attitude as I did just now?" A Yao nodded. It was indeed true, and some of them were even more humble than his brother's attitude just now.

"I see that you are just too proud. You don't know the sufferings of the world." Kang Qirui commented as they walked.

"What are you talking about? How could I be so arrogant?" A Yao was still confused.

"Yes, you are the deputy section chief of the Foreign Trade Office. No matter how big the boss is, he has to be polite and beg you when he goes to your place. Especially since you are the deputy section chief, they are more humble to you. But outside your unit, who knows who you are? Who cares who you are? Do you still think you are a big section chief? Who will do it for you when you ask for help? If they don't do it for you, you will get angry and panic. You are my brother, but I have to say bluntly that if you continue like this, you will only be a deputy section chief at best. Think about it yourself."

After Kang Qirui finished speaking, he didn't care about A Yao's dark face and walked into the street office to get the certificate.

Kang Qirui was busy with his aunt's funeral over the weekend. Fortunately, he had no classes on Monday, so he could take a break. A Yao returned to his room after get off work and did not come out for dinner. Everyone had to ask Sachiko, who said that A Yao's promotion was a failure.

The fact that he had used his connections to get a birth permit across regions was known to the leaders of his unit, especially the fact that he went to the Housing Management Department to try to get a housing allocation certificate, which caused a lot of controversy. There were only so many houses, and if they were divided up, you wouldn't get one for him. Everyone started to make a fuss over the houses, saying that there was something fishy going on in the housing allocation, otherwise how could Kang Qiyao get a housing allocation certificate before the housing allocation policy was released? If this wasn't a fishy deal, what else could it be?

In the end, they had to cancel A Yao's promotion to appease others. Kang Qirui couldn't help but shake his head. It was true that everyone's destiny was determined by God.

(End of this chapter)