Chapter 21 Li Mingshuan cares about the grassroots 2
But Nie Laosan was in a really gloomy mood. A grown man had a broken bone and could not get off the kang. He could only lie on the kang every day without doing any work. He had to rely on Nie Laosan's wife for everything. As time went by, Nie Laosan's wife felt depressed and unhappy. She would vent her anger by cursing others and ordering the two children at home to do work.
Shengjin is a boy, the baby of Nie Laosan's wife, so naturally he doesn't have to do anything for the time being. But Shengyin can't escape. He has to chop vegetables, feed chickens, go up the mountain to collect firewood, wash pots and dishes. Even at such a young age, he has to do all kinds of work.
When others saw all this, they suddenly remembered the time when Fubao was in her house. At that time, Nie Laosan's wife asked Fubao to work every day. Now that Fubao was driven away, it was Shengyin's turn.
Shengyin naturally felt resentful as she toiled daily. But when she thought about how the Nie family would eventually become wealthy, how her father would become wealthy in business, and how her brother would be admitted to a prestigious university, she began to find peace. Better days lay ahead, so why rush? It was only a matter of time.
She controlled her temper and worked at home, not afraid of hard work or fatigue, and always smiled sweetly and said warm words to her mother.
Now she dared not think about anything and just tried to endure it. Sooner or later, the Nie family would have a turn for the better like in the previous life, and good luck would come to them. At that time, she would naturally be the treasure in her mother's hands.
When Shengyin thought of this, he suddenly became motivated and went to feed the chickens with a broken porcelain basin in his hand.
While I was feeding the baby, I heard footsteps and laughter outside.
Looking up, she was stunned.
I saw Chen Youfu coming over with a few men in Zhongshan suits, followed by some members of the production team, all of them with happy smiles on their faces.
The man in the Mao suit, who looked the most prestigious and had a gentle expression, was no different from Secretary Li from his previous life. Later, it seemed that Secretary Li had been promoted and had a prosperous career.
What was he doing in his own house?
Shengyin's heart moved and he realized something. Was it the quota for the city's five-good families?
That is certainly a good thing. You can receive the award, which is more than 20 yuan, and you will also get a certificate. You can write it on your resume when you go to school in the future. In short, it is a very glorious thing.
Shengyin was suddenly overjoyed. Is everything belonging to the Nie family finally about to begin?
Just when she couldn't help grinning, she suddenly saw Secretary Li Mingshuan holding a little girl in his hands.
The little girl was clean and pretty, and the clothes she wore were carefully made and neatly arranged. She was completely different from the rough country children running around in the fields.
She was led by Secretary Li Mingshuan, who was the center of attention, like a little princess loved by everyone.
Shengyin looked at the little girl's face and his heart sank.
It’s Fubao.
Why did Secretary Li come here holding Fubao’s hand?
When Li Mingshuan arrived at Nie's house, he found something wrong as soon as he entered the yard. The yard was a mess, with chicken manure all over the yard and some farm tools thrown on the ground. Right in front of the door, there was a little girl with a dirty face feeding chickens with a broken porcelain basin.
This family was as poor as the Gu family. The windows were also covered with tattered oilcloth to block the wind. However, although they were both made of oilcloth, one was clean and tidy, while the other was covered with chicken manure, bird droppings, and some strange marks.
When Chen Youfu saw this, he almost stamped his feet. The loudspeaker had clearly shouted for everyone to clean up their homes, but one after another did so. Why was it all like this?
He quickly asked Shengyin, "Where's your mother?"
Shengyin was still staring at Fubao. She didn't understand why Li Mingshuan was holding Fubao's hand and looked so doting on him.
She frowned and said, "My mother is in the room."
Chen Youfu ignored Shengyin and quickly led Li Mingshuan into the house.
Li Mingshuan held Fubao's hand and couldn't help but glance at Shengyin.
This child was obviously not taken care of well, and looked like an unwanted child. It was really not easy.
But just as he looked at Shengyin, he vaguely caught a glimpse of a cold light in Shengyin's eyes. He was slightly surprised, and when he looked again, he could no longer see anything.
I was vaguely confused, but then I thought maybe I was seeing things. He was just a five-year-old kid from the countryside who only knew how to feed chickens with a coarse porcelain bowl and didn't know anything else.
At this time, Nie Laosan's wife heard the noise and came out. When she saw Fubao, she immediately disliked him and wanted to hit him with a broom on the spot. Fortunately, Chen Youfu quickly stopped her and told her the situation.
When Nie Laosan's wife heard that someone from the commune had come to express their condolences, and saw a man in a Zhongshan suit holding a nylon net bag with some things in it, her eyes suddenly lit up. She didn't even bother to talk about Fubao, and started complaining about how difficult her life was. Her husband was lying on the kang, the house was a mess, and she had a pair of children to feed and drink. She was crying and it was so difficult for her to speak.
Li Mingshuan had just returned from the Gu family, where everyone was cheerful and full of energy. But when he came to the Nie family, although the families seemed to be in similar financial circumstances, this one was gloomy and dirty.
Li Mingshuan had no choice but to patiently comfort Nie Laosan's wife, and then took the nylon net bag next to her. Inside the net bag was a bag of egg cakes, a can of malted milk, and three pounds of brown sugar.
"These are all condolences sent to us by the district. We hope that Comrade Nie Laosan can recover well from his injuries. Health is the capital of our members. Only when he recovers well can we better devote our energy to the great development of our rural areas."
Nie Laosan's wife quickly took the net bag and turned from crying to joy: "Thank you Secretary Li, thank you Secretary Li!"
He then asked Li Mingshuan to sit down and went to pour him some water. Of course, Li Mingshuan refused to drink it. Instead, he went to the kang and asked about Nie Laosan's injuries.
There was a rotten and foul smell on the kang in the Nie family's house, and even Chen Youfu couldn't stand it. But seeing that Li Mingshuan was still chatting with Nie Lao San without changing his expression, he had to suppress the pinching of his nose.
Fubao walked in hand in hand with Li Mingshuan, and now he was standing beside Li Mingshuan's legs.
She stood there obediently, looking at the Nie family where she had lived for more than four years.
The house was still the same house, but the beams had long been blackened by smoke, and the walls were covered with New Year pictures from who knows how many years ago, and the original patterns could no longer be seen. A worn mat was exposed at the head of the kang, and on the mat was covered an old blue-flowered quilt, the edges of which had a glossy black luster due to the dirt.
She had lived here for more than four years.
Looking at the kang, she would remember getting up every morning and going to the kitchen to light the fire and cook.
But now she has left the Nie family and is no longer the daughter of the Nie family. She has become the daughter of the Gu family and is away from all this.
Nie Laosan was lying on the kang, answering Li Mingshuan's questions with a stiff expression and clumsy movements. He felt very uncomfortable with the leader of the commune coming to his home, and another reason for his discomfort was Fubao.
Nie Laosan didn't even dare to look at Fubao.
But he knew that Fubao was now dressed neatly and cleanly, and looked handsome, like a little boy. He could hardly believe that this was the Fubao who was always timid and silly in their home before.
Actually, he felt somewhat guilty towards Fubao. However, he had to listen to his wife in everything, so he had no choice but to apologize to Fubao. Now that Fubao came in neatly dressed with Secretary Li, he felt a little guilty, so he had to bite the bullet and talk to Li Mingshuan, pretending not to see Fubao.
As for Nie Lao San's wife, she would occasionally glance at Fu Bao and her eyes would turn into knives.
At this time, some members who had come to watch the fun outside the house started to make fun of the Nie family. Wang Fugui's wife was especially fond of her. She couldn't help but say, "Oh my god, Shengyin used to be neatly dressed and did nothing, just like a landlord's daughter. How come she's feeding chickens and working now?"
The talkative daughter-in-law nearby laughed, "In the past, there was Fubao. Although Fubao was small, he worked at home every day, doing everything inside and outside the house. Except for the heavy work, Nie Laosan's wife let Fubao do it. Now that Fubao has gone to the Gu family, who will do the work for her? It must be her own daughter!"
This was somewhat sarcastic and some people joked that Nie Laosan's wife had miscalculated this time. By letting Fubao continue to work, she could relax and her daughter would not have to suffer.
Li Mingshuan chatted with Nie Laosan for a while, and when he got up to leave, he heard the gossip outside when he stepped out of the door.
He frowned and said nothing.
After leaving the Li family, Li Mingshuan looked at the members behind him and saw that most of them had left. He squatted down and looked at Fubao at eye level. He asked Fubao, "Fubao, I want to ask you something."
Fubao nodded obediently.
Li Mingshuan: "That lady from the Nie family doesn't seem to like you. What's going on?"
Fubao hesitated for a moment before whispering, "I originally lived in her house. She was my old parents, but she didn't want me anymore, saying I was the reincarnation of a jinx. So I had no choice but to live in the Gu family and found new parents there."
Li Mingshuan frowned even tighter, and Fubao kept calling them "old parents" and "new parents".
She is not even six years old yet, and is an ignorant child. She has never been loved, and doesn't know that her parents are her parents, they are unique and irreplaceable, and they are the people in the world who should treat her the best.
Li Mingshuan felt distressed and looked at Chen Youfu in confusion.
Chen Youfu had no choice but to tell the whole story: "It was Nie Laosan's wife who threw a tantrum and insisted on not wanting Fubao anymore, so I had to let the members draw lots and then sent Fubao to the Gu family."
Li Mingshuan's face darkened as he suddenly asked, "Are those members telling the truth? Is Fubao working at their house every day? And they don't give him enough to eat?"
Chen Youfu was helpless and said vaguely: "They are definitely not starving, but their family is poor, so their conditions are just like that..."
Li Mingshuan suddenly said in a deep voice: "What nonsense!"
Chen Youfu lowered his head and dared not speak.
Li Mingshuan's face darkened as he spoke seriously, "Fubao is an orphan. The commune promised to take good care of her by placing her in the care of nuns in a nunnery. This was the commune's mission, and it was also the mission assigned to your Pingxi Production Brigade. And now, Fubao has been adopted by the Nie family for four years, yet she's been abused the entire time. And now they've kicked her out?"
Of course he could see the momentum of the Nie family's daughter-in-law. If Chen Youfu hadn't stopped her, she would have thrown Fubao out long ago.
Chen Youfu sighed and didn't dare say anything else.
Li Mingshuan's expression eased slightly. "You understand the situation of the members in the production brigade better than I do. I know your job has its difficulties, but making sure Fubao is properly accommodated and not allowed to starve or freeze is the least you should do."
Chen Youfu was scolded word by word, and in the end he could only nod his head.
Instead, Fubao, who had been silent beside him, said, "Uncle Li, I'm fine now."
She had been quiet all the time, but when she suddenly spoke, her voice was soft, sweet, and she addressed him as "Uncle Li," in a polite and approachable manner.
Li Mingshuan was a little surprised and looked at Fubao kindly: "Little Fubao, is it true?"
Fubao nodded heavily and said seriously, "I have a father and a mother now. My father loves me, my mother loves me too, and my brothers and sisters all take me out to play. My family members are very kind to me and even give me brown sugar water to drink. Brown sugar water is very sweet."
Li Mingshuan laughed when he heard this: "Really? You also drank brown sugar water?"
Fubao looked around and saw no one else except a few cadres, so he pursed his lips and smiled, as if he had secretly eaten honey: "My grandma gave it to me to drink, secretly gave it to me."
This time, not only Li Mingshuan, but also several other cadres laughed.
It seems that Fubao is doing well now, so they feel relieved.
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