Unable to get a response from Shen Yanming, Ke Wenpei turned to look at the others.
Since the newlyweds had never met him before, they were all busy with their own things and pretended not to see him.
Some of the older folks felt that since they had worked together for so many years, they should at least lend a hand. The rest were worried that if they helped, the other person would become clingy and demanding.
Moreover, none of them were willing to speak up first, for fear of embarrassing others and offending people for no reason.
Therefore, even if they felt compassion, they only planned to provide some financial assistance privately.
But Ke Wenpei was unaware of this situation. When he saw that no one except Yu Shui agreed, he was overcome with grief and cried his heart out, as if he were about to die at any moment.
This really scared everyone in the office, and they no longer dared to hide their little schemes.
"Wenpei, don't cry. I'll get you some rice when I get home."
"Yes, yes, we've been together for so many years, how can we just abandon you like that? We were all thinking about how much we could make for you."
"Yes, it's heartbreaking to see you like this. But these days, life is tough for everyone, so we won't be able to give you much."
Upon hearing these words, Ke Wenpei nodded repeatedly, "I know, I know. I'm not relying on everyone's relief. I just want to borrow some food to tide me over. Once the summer harvest is over, things will be better at home."
My family has four mu of land, all planted with wheat. As long as there's a harvest, we won't have any problems with food and drink.
As Ke Wenpei spoke, a hopeful light flashed in his eyes.
Everyone fell silent. If that was the case, then after the summer harvest, it seemed that their wealth was even greater than theirs.
So it turns out they were just being petty.
Shen Yanming watched from the side, only letting out a soft sigh.
Summer harvest—what an enticing phrase!
However, before the grain is stored in the granary, no one can say for sure how much grain the summer harvest will yield.
Of course, he wouldn't dampen everyone's spirits at a time like this.
Knowing that there was a high probability that the lent grain would be returned, those who still had some hesitation suppressed their unease.
Some people are even planning for the future, intending to lend him more food.
Thinking that when I'm at my wit's end, I hope that with this little bit of kindness I showed today, the other person will lend a hand.
However, Ko Wen-pei politely declined.
In his words, he was not there to beg. He couldn't possibly rely on everyone's charity to enrich himself.
“I know that life is tough for everyone these days. Before I came here, I thought that I could borrow three to five pounds of grain from each person. That way, I can make it until the summer harvest without affecting your lives,” Ke Wenpei said.
It wasn't that he lacked dignity, nor was he unaware that going door-to-door to borrow grain would be distasteful. It was simply that, at this point, he had no other choice.
Zhu Shiliang sighed and patted Ke Wenpei on the shoulder. "Alright, as your former boss, I'll lend you ten jin of cornmeal. Consider it a contribution for those who aren't very well-off."
Then he looked at the others and said, "If any of you are struggling financially, don't try to save face. Those of you who are better off can chip in and that will be enough."
He said this while also taking into account the risks of the last month or two.
It's hard to say how much the harvest will be if there's a drought or flood.
He offered to help Ke Wenpei because he usually eats with the guards, which saves his family enough food for one person. Giving him ten or eight kilograms of food wouldn't have a big impact.
Ko Wen-pei nodded in agreement.
Finally, after discussion, those who wanted to help decided to go home and take a pound or two of grain to their workplace, which Ke Wenpei would then collect the next Monday. Yu Shui and Zhu Shiliang planned to each give ten pounds.
In this way, Ke Wenpei managed to borrow over thirty kilograms of grain, which was enough to feed his family for a while.
Once things were settled, he prepared to say goodbye to everyone.
He arrived with a long face, but left with a beaming smile. Anyone could tell he was in a good mood because he was full of hope for the future.
Shen Yanming didn't rush to chase after him, since that person was on foot and wouldn't be fast.
After he left, everyone chatted for a while longer. Seeing that it was getting late, Shen Yanming and Zhu Shiliang also prepared to leave.
After another round of wishing each other well, it was time to say goodbye.
After walking quite a distance from the office, Shen Yanming said, "I have some grain in my car. I'll go catch up with Ke Wenpei and give him some."
Yu Shui asked in surprise, "Why didn't you say anything when you were inside?"
Shen Yan rolled his eyes. "Do you want to put pressure on others by saying this? Don't you know, besides you and Director Zhu, who else is so generous as to give ten catties of grain directly?"
Yu Shui felt a little guilty and awkwardly touched his nose. "I... I was forced into that situation."
"You just can't keep your mouth shut. If you don't learn to control yourself, one day you'll get into trouble because of that lousy tongue," Zhu Shiliang said with a hint of exasperation.
Yu Shui knew that he had been speaking without thinking lately, so he smiled and apologized to Zhu Shiliang before walking to the car.
"Hey, I also have some grain in my car. Could you take it to him for me? That way I won't have to make another trip this weekend," Yu Shui said, opening the trunk.
Shen Yanming nodded, "Okay!"
Zhu Shiliang was shocked, "Why are you all putting grain on the trucks?"
Yu Shui frowned, "You didn't put it?"
Seeing the other person shake their head, he then recounted how, last winter, when he hosted people from Beiha City seeking refuge from the cold, Old Shen had taken out various kinds of food from the trunk of his car.
Then, pointing to Shen Yanming, he said, "I learned it from him, and I think it's very good. Moreover, back in Suzhou, Old Shen supported Qiao An with this trunk full of food."
"Is that so? I thought he brought it from home. But your preparations are really good; they can handle unexpected situations."
Zhu Shiliang nodded, and then said, "Do you have a lot of grain in your truck? If so, you can sell mine too. I'll pay you back when I go home this weekend."
"Okay!" Yu Shui smiled smugly, then patted a storage box, "There are thirty or forty catties of cornmeal here, enough for the two of us."
Zhu Shiliang hummed in agreement, then took the two vacuum bags from Yu Shui, walked up to Shen Yanming, and handed them to him.
Shen Yanming put it in the trunk, then looked at his phone and said, "It's already 5:30. You guys should hurry back, or you won't have time to eat. We still have evening training today, so don't be late."
"What about you and Joan? She can't go hungry."
Shen Yanming chuckled, "We're staying in a suite, how could we not have meals? We can just cook something simple when we get back."
Zhu Shiliang thought about it and realized that staying in a suite was indeed much more convenient than their dormitory, so he didn't refuse out of politeness.
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