Zhou Jianzhong called out a few times before an old man came out of the house. Li Xiuyuan sized him up. The old man was in good spirits, but he was indeed quite old. He had to be careful what he said, lest something bad happen.
“Jianzhong.” Zhou Yongxiang nodded at Zhou Jianzhong, then looked at Li Xiuyuan: “Mayor Li, welcome, welcome, please come inside.”
"Excuse me, Second Uncle." Li Xiuyuan called out to Zhou Jianzhong, then followed him into the house. The house was truly poor; it was an earthen cave dwelling without a single decent piece of furniture.
The wooden table and cabinets have turned completely black, making it impossible to see their original color. As for the appliances, they're even worse; the only thing that could be considered an appliance is the light bulb hanging there.
However, there was a kerosene lamp on the table, and it smelled of kerosene, so it was obviously used frequently and people probably didn't even want to turn on the electric lights at night.
They were truly poor.
Zhou Yongxiang brought over two glasses of water: "Mayor Li, please sit down. I'm sorry, this home is simple, please excuse my humble abode."
Li Xiuyuan took the water glass but didn't drink from it. He put it aside, clearly finding it unclean. Then, Li Xiuyuan asked about his family's situation and how much they received in minimum living allowance each year.
The family's source of income, and so on.
After understanding the situation, Li Xiuyuan looked at Zhou Jianzhong and said, "Director Zhou, when you go to the town later, help your second uncle apply for special hardship status so he can receive an extra subsidy. Also, this child is studying at a high school in the county, so help him apply for poverty student status. I'll put in a good word with the Education Bureau later."
"Oh, thank you, Mayor Li," Zhou Jianzhong said. As the village party secretary, his abilities were limited. It was true that his second uncle Zhou Yongxiang's family was in dire straits, but there were others in even worse circumstances. Zhou Yongxiang was already a recipient of the Five Guarantees, and if he were to be added to the list of extremely impoverished households, that would be beyond his ability to handle.
As for the application for poverty alleviation by students in county schools, he had no say in it.
"Thank you, Mayor Li, but no need," Zhou Yongxiang quickly said. However, after a moment's hesitation, he added, "Mayor Li, I know you came today about the demolition, right? I..."
“Hey.” Li Xiuyuan waved his hand to interrupt Zhou Yongxiang: “Second Uncle, I did come here about the demolition, but these two things are separate. Your family’s difficulties are your family’s difficulties, but the demolition is the demolition. I am the deputy mayor. Your family’s difficulties are our responsibility, but the demolition is a separate matter.”
Zhou Yongxiang fell silent, his dark face flushed. At his age, he had been lectured by this young man, Li Xiuyuan, and his face stung with pain. He felt like he had wasted his life, but he had no choice but to do this for his granddaughter's college education.
"Also, your granddaughter's university tuition can be covered by a student loan. If she's frugal, the money will definitely be enough. The student loan can be repaid after she graduates," Li Xiuyuan continued.
"Really?" Zhou Yongxiang's face lit up with surprise upon hearing this.
Li Xiuyuan nodded affirmatively: "Really, if you don't know how to do this, you can find someone in the town to help you apply. It's definitely possible. In the past two years, the country's policies have been getting better and better. This is not only reflected in the construction of new rural areas, but also in education, living security and other aspects. Do you understand?"
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