Suddenly, an excited voice was heard from the bungalow, and a man wearing only a pair of torn and deformed autumn trousers on the lower body, while putting on his coat, rushed out. He saw Cao Qingfeng at a glance.

Then he looked around Cao Qingfeng, his expression suddenly turned unhappy, "You come here empty-handed?"

Cao Qingfeng frowned, and the man leading the way kicked him lightly, "What are you talking about? Mayor Cao came to see you, you son of a bitch, I'm giving you face!"

"I don't mind him coming to see me." The man in long johns snorted, then immediately dodged to the side, guarding against possible attacks from the man who led the way.

The man leading the way was about to say something, but Cao Qingfeng shook his head at him, then took a step forward and looked at the man in long johns, "You're only wearing this, aren't you cold?"

The man in long johns wrapped his coat around himself and did not answer him. Instead, he turned his head and looked at the old woman, "Call me when the meal is ready!"

After saying that, he hurried into the house. The man who led the way came over and looked at Cao Qingfeng, "Mayor Cao, it's not that he can't afford to wear pants, he's just sleeping in bed."

Cao Qingfeng's expression quickly returned to calm after a moment of shock. He smiled bitterly, walked over, and said kindly to the old woman: "Auntie, I came to bother you with a meal today!"

The old woman stretched out her hand, which was as thin as a withered vine, and waved, "You're welcome! The village chief mentioned this morning the matter of having a pair of fast kids. I hope you don't mind."

"How can I dislike it! Is there anything else you need to do? Let me help you!"

"There's nothing left. Everything is ready. You can sit for a while and eat."

Cao Qingfeng was just about to ask if the food hadn't been cooked yet, and then he quietly realized that there was no food for this meal.

He didn't just sit there, so he called the man and went into the house to take a look.

As I walked into the bungalow, a strange smell hit me.

The smell of sweat mixed with the sour smell, the musty smell, and the stench of the urine bucket, mixed together, it smelled very overpowering.

A large house was divided into two rooms by a wall, with a bed in each room. I guess these were the residences of the mother and son.

Layers of clothes were piled up in the corners of the bed and on the cabinets, and shoes and other debris were scattered on the floor. Cao Qingfeng even saw a mouse with a long tail sliding along the wall, disappearing under the bed.

The man just now was half lying on the bed wrapped in a quilt, staring at the TV on the cabinet beside him.

“It’s time to eat!”

Outside the house, the old woman shouted.

The man lifted the quilt, and a stronger strange smell rushed out with the movement, making Cao Qingfeng and the man who led the way couldn't help but cover their noses.

When I walked out, the old woman had already scooped out three bowls of porridge and placed them on the door panel, and was carefully dripping sesame oil into the bowls.

The man directly took the largest bowl, squatted on a stone nearby and started sipping it.

Cao Qingfeng looked at the two half-full bowls left in his hand, and with a glance, he found another bowl hidden by the old woman. There was only a small half bowl in that bowl, so he said, "Auntie, I have a small appetite, I'll give you some."

To be honest, one reason was that I didn’t want the old woman to be hungry, and the other was that I really couldn’t eat much.

The man who led the way also called the old woman without saying a word.

Cao Qingfeng touched the bowl which was not greasy, and did not move. Instead, he picked up the bowl and tried to take a sip. Unexpectedly, the taste was quite good, with the sweetness of vegetables and the rich fragrance of rice.

After a simple meal, Cao Qingfeng wanted to help wash the dishes but failed, so he had to say goodbye.

Because he didn't bring any comfort items, the man didn't bother to pay attention to him and didn't even come to deliver any. Only the old woman sent them outside.

Cao Qingfeng reached for his trouser pocket, but the man leading the way quietly held his hand, then smiled at the old woman and said, "Auntie, we are leaving now. Take care of yourself."

"Okay, okay, take your time!" The old lady, who was shorter due to shrinkage, was wearing an apron and standing on the side of the road, smiling and waving.

After walking a few steps, the man took the initiative to explain: "Mayor Cao, don't give me money. Once you give me money, that bastard Yousheng will take it to the town to eat and drink. It's a complete waste."

Cao Qingfeng nodded slowly and walked over a hillside. He turned his head and looked back at the bungalow that was about to disappear from his sight. He imagined the old but hardworking figure busy somewhere in the house, and suddenly he felt a strong urge to change all this.

Suddenly, he understood the purpose of Huo Qianli's action.

.......

In the office of the Zhuyang Village Committee, a group of town leaders were sitting there with different expressions, and there was no one else.

Huo Qianli sat at the head of the table and asked, "What did you eat for dinner? Did you enjoy it?"

Cao Qingfeng did not hesitate and said seriously: "Wild vegetable porridge with a few drops of sesame oil. To be honest, for someone like me who usually eats a lot of meat and fish, it tastes pretty good. But for the villagers who can only eat this every day, it is very difficult."

The chairman of the town's People's Congress said, "My family may be better off than Mayor Qingfeng's. We had a meal of dried sweet potato rice and a plate of stir-fried vegetables."

Gao Yuanming said: "My family is impoverished due to disability. Our economic conditions and family situation are good, but after losing the main labor force and having to pay medical expenses, the family economy collapsed quickly. This family is more thoughtful and guessed some of the situation. Although Village Chief Gao told them to eat as usual, they still tried their best to prepare two dishes and a soup. To be honest, I don’t deserve it!"

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It’s even more exciting later!