Chapter 1395: Rural Absurd Past Events Chapter 1395: Wang Xiaohua Worries Himself Ragged for Poor Households

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

A job with a monthly salary of 1500 yuan could be considered the lowest of the low wages in this day and age, the kind even a dog would disdain if it saw it.

But this job just happened to be Yao Aina's sole source of income, the entire foundation supporting this broken family and keeping it running.

If she lost it, she truly wouldn't know how to go on living.

She had even thought, why not kill her crippled son and then commit suicide herself.

But what about her grandson, not yet ten years old?

Such a vibrant, such a healthy life!

The child is innocent, after all!

After much effort, she finally managed to send that little brat Zhang Jiajun away; Yao Aina then greeted Wang Xiaohua and Liu Yumeng, inviting them to sit in the living room and drink tea, continuing their chat as they drank.

"Xiao Hua, how about... you help me apply for poor household status? I'm not asking you to pull strings for me through the back door, but I really have no other way."

Yao Aina looked at Wang Xiaohua with longing eyes, her attitude humble to the dust, her gaze full of pleading.

Actually, Yao Aina has quite thin skin; she has her pride. After all, back when her husband was alive, she had also experienced half a lifetime of glory.

If she weren't at her wit's end today, she would absolutely never beg Wang Xiaohua like this.

Wang Xiaohua said:

"Aunt Yao, I've already understood your situation. I'll report back to the Town Government about it. As for how things will turn out, to tell the honest truth, I dare not give you a guarantee."

This was the honest truth from Wang Xiaohua. Although he now holds the prestigious position of Director of the Rural Revitalization Office, on this kind of matter, he absolutely cannot open a special channel for her just because Yao Aina's situation is rather special.

If the rules are broken, it will bring all sorts of dire consequences.

First, it easily leads to the superior setting a bad example for subordinates. If he, the Director of the Poverty Alleviation Office, takes the lead in exploiting loopholes, the people below might well learn to exploit loopholes for relatives and friends.

Second, it easily leaves ammunition for others. If someone with ulterior motives infinitely magnifies this small matter to make a fuss, it would absolutely become a significant stain on his, Wang Xiaohua's, official career — a file blemish stuck right at the threshold, neither big nor small.

So Wang Xiaohua can only strive to help Yao Aina within the rules; he will not destroy the rules in order to save Yao Aina.

"Xiao Hua, with your words, I can rest easy..."

Yao Aina grasped Wang Xiaohua's hand, her aged eyes brimming with gratitude, looking at Wang Xiaohua:

"Then I'll wait for your good news!"

Wang Xiaohua felt the weight of this pair of hands covered in wrinkles and calluses, and his heart couldn't help but be a mix of five flavors.

"Good, good. As soon as there's news, I'll call and tell you!"

Leaving Yao Aina's home, Wang Xiaohua took Liu Yumeng to another poor household.

On the way, Wang Xiaohua rode a motorcycle, Liu Yumeng sitting on the back seat.

The stretch of road entering the village ahead was an unpaved dirt road.

Liu Yumeng's two hands didn't know where to put them.

If she held nothing, she feared the bumps would throw her off.

If she held the back, the riding posture was very weird, and she felt uncomfortable.

And if she held the front — Wang Xiaohua's body — she and Wang Xiaohua didn't seem familiar enough for that yet.

"I suggest you buy a motorcycle."

Wang Xiaohua suddenly said this sentence at this moment.

"Ah?" Liu Yumeng was stunned, "Why?"

Wang Xiaohua smiled:

"At least you won't have to sit in someone else's car so awkwardly."

Liu Yumeng smiled awkwardly, not expecting Wang Xiaohua to have seen through her predicament.

This only made her even more awkward.

"I don't know how to ride a motorcycle."

Liu Yumeng answered weakly.

Wang Xiaohua said:

"Then you can buy an electric scooter."

Liu Yumeng smacked her little mouth:

"I haven't ridden an electric scooter much either."

After saying this, Liu Yumeng regretted it a bit.

Because not even knowing how to ride an electric scooter made her look quite useless.

So she hurriedly changed the subject:

"By the way, do you have a girlfriend?"

This topic was very abrupt; it could be said to be extremely bad at chatting.

Wang Xiaohua, however, still kept a calm expression:

"I've been married before."

One sentence killed the conversation dead.

Liu Yumeng stuck out her tongue:

"Good thing I didn't hold your waist or shoulders, otherwise if your wife saw it and got the wrong idea, that would be bad!"

Wang Xiaohua smiled without speaking, not bothering to explain further.

Liu Yumeng reacted at this moment:

"That's not right, you're lying, you graduated not long ago just like me, how could you already be married?"

Wang Xiaohua countered:

"Just graduated not long ago, so you can't get married? I got the certificate during university."

"No way, this early!" Liu Yumeng couldn't help but complain: "Tsinghua students are this sought after?"

Then she added: "If it were me, I couldn't bring myself to do it. To tell the truth, although you're very good, there's one flaw I can't accept, so you're not my type."

After saying this, not waiting for Wang Xiaohua to speak, she hurriedly added another sentence:

"My words won't offend you, right?"

Wang Xiaohua was inwardly speechless, clearly knowing it would offend someone, yet still saying it out loud?

Saying it out loud then feigning innocence to ask "my words won't offend you, right," acting all naive and pure, but actually being quite scheming and even a bit bitchy.

However, Wang Xiaohua just laughed it off.

He indeed didn't feel offended, and even if he really was offended, so what?

Two people who originally weren't from the same world, no need to waste mood over such trivial matters.

"It's fine, you're not my type either, so I'm saying, you really should buy an electric scooter."

The subsequent visits went fairly smoothly.

After visiting the several poor households and marginal households planned for today, the time was already past five in the afternoon.

They hadn't even eaten lunch.

Liu Yumeng was so hungry she was dizzy, Wang Xiaohua's stomach was also growling, but he remained energetic throughout, maintaining full patience to do the work at hand.

By the time they returned to town, it was already approaching evening.

Wang Xiaohua treated Liu Yumeng to a meal at a small shop in town.

Liu Yumeng accepted readily, not even saying a word of thanks, as if everything was only natural.

Wang Xiaohua saw it, remembered it, but said nothing.

While eating, Wang Xiaohua found time to call his second brother Wang Erhai.

"Hello, Second Brother, it's me, Xiao Hua!"

"Third Brother, how have you been lately? The grassroots civil servant life, still adapting?" Wang Erhai's voice came from the other end, not waiting for Wang Xiaohua to answer, Wang Erhai hurriedly said: "If you find it too hard and can't carry on, then don't do it. You're a Tsinghua student, doing grassroots work is really a waste of talent. Go find a job in a big city, and you won't make tens of thousands a month in minutes? Your current post, monthly salary doesn't even reach three thousand, right?"

Wang Xiaohua didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and truthfully said:

"Second Brother, last month's take-home was two thousand three hundred plus, still far from three thousand."

Wang Erhai heard this and felt even more that his Third Brother was getting a raw deal!

"This is too low!"

Wang Xiaohua didn't want to discuss salary matters, so he said:

"Second Brother, I called you not to discuss salary, but to ask you something."