The phone rang for a while before someone finally answered, and a middle-aged man's voice came through.
With a smile on his face, Xiao Shan's father said into the phone, "Hello, Section Chief Liu, this is Xiao Wei!"
"Oh, Xiao Wei, what's up?"
"Oh, it's like this, Section Chief Liu, I have something I'd like to ask you for a favor. I was wondering if you have some time right now?"
Upon hearing that he needed help, the other person paused for a moment before returning to the main road: "Alright, come over now. I'm at home. I just got some new tea these past couple of days. Come and have a taste!"
"Haha, thank you very much, Section Chief Liu. I'll be right there!"
After hanging up the phone, Xiaoshan's father immediately muttered under his breath, "I knew this would happen! Sigh! Another huge financial blow!"
However, Lu Yuan was very happy. The other party did not refuse on the phone, which meant that as long as enough gifts were brought, there would be no problem.
"That's great! Section Chief Liu should be willing to help us!"
"These kinds of people, once they ask you to come over, you can't get anything done without bringing something! It's really...sigh!"
Lu Yuan was certainly aware of this situation, especially after the apocalypse, when all kinds of resources became extremely scarce. Anyone with a little power would use their authority to make their family's life better.
This is extremely common for Section Chief Liu. The fact that the other party didn't openly ask for things over the phone is already quite restrained. However, it's uncertain whether the other party will still be so polite in another six months.
"It's alright, Uncle. When asking someone for a favor, you have to make sure they save face! I'll go back and get something and come back later!"
After Lu Yuan finished speaking, he was about to go home, but Xiao Shan's father grabbed him and said, "Alright, I know you don't need anything at home. I'll carry it this time. If you run back, it will take up some time. Let's get there as soon as possible so that Section Chief Liu doesn't have to wait for us. That would be too awkward!"
Lu Yuan could only nod and follow Xiao Shan's father to the freezer in the storage room.
Xiao Shan's mother originally ran a braised meat business, and the family already had two huge freezers. Later, Lu Yuan foresaw the arrival of the mutated rats and persuaded Xiao Shan to buy two more freezers. So the two of them bought two more freezers at the second-hand market.
Fortunately, Xiao Shan listened to Lu Yuan's advice, and Xiao Shan's parents always listened to their daughter. Otherwise, the various grains, fruits, and water in the house would probably have been ruined by the rats.
In fact, according to Lu Yuan's idea, they should prepare more freezers at home, but Xiao Shan's house is an old house and the area is not large to begin with, so if they really bought two more freezers, they really wouldn't be able to fit them all.
Looking at the freezer full of things, Xiaoshan's father fell into deep thought.
"What exactly is Section Chief Liu lacking right now? What could we give him to satisfy him?"
Lu Yuan scratched his head and looked into the freezer. Every two days he would send some vegetables to Xiao Shan's house. There were still quite a few vegetables and fresh fruits in the freezer, and another freezer contained a lot of frozen and smoked meat.
"I think it would be better to send some fresh vegetables and fruits, since it's basically impossible to buy vegetables and fruits outside now. What you get are mostly dehydrated vegetables and fruits."
"Moreover, Section Chief Liu is a leader of a state-owned enterprise, so his benefits are quite good. He certainly doesn't lack water, and he definitely has some grain, but they probably won't have fresh green vegetables!"
Xiao Shan's father nodded approvingly and said, "That's right, then let's bring him some bok choy, spinach, and apples. I happen to have quite a lot here! You should also keep some for your family, as the old man and woman still need to eat!"
"Hehe! Uncle, don't worry about our family. Grandpa and Grandma have more than enough fruit! By the way, the pomelo tree in our yard had a lot of fruit again the other day. I'll send some over for you another day!"
They packed some vegetables and apples into two full plastic bags and put them in the trunk of their car before driving to Section Chief Liu's house.
Section Chief Liu's home is in the steel plant's staff quarters. The staff quarters may not sound very high-class, but it is actually a very high-end community.
The surrounding area boasts a full range of amenities, including hospitals, supermarkets, and shopping malls. Across the street is a multi-functional school that offers education from kindergarten to high school.
The houses here were originally intended for the leaders of the steel plant to live in. Later, for some reason, the development here was upgraded, and the houses were built to the standards of a high-end residential community, including more than ten villas.
The houses were sold at low prices to some leaders of the steel plant. The plant provided substantial subsidies based on their rank and seniority, so at the time, one could buy a house for only a small amount of money.
As for these villas, it's said they were sold to some wealthy people, but later they were occupied by directors and senior executives of the steel mill.
However, these villas are quite different from villas in other places. They look ordinary on the outside, unassuming and unremarkable. If you didn't know better, you would think they were just ordinary houses. But the interior decoration is extremely luxurious.
This also shows how generous the treatment the leaders and senior executives of the steel plant received when the plant was doing well.
Compared to these high-level leaders, Xiaoshan's father, a business manager who is neither high-level nor low-level, seems much less impressive.
Although there are housing subsidies, they are much less than the average. Although you only need to spend a small amount of your own money to buy a detached house, those houses are all very old and have been exposed to the elements for more than ten years, and they are already dilapidated.
Later, the factory stopped mentioning their housing subsidies.
Although Xiaoshan's father is a business manager at the steel factory, the job is quite unethical. He only earns a base salary of a little over two thousand yuan a month, and his commission is pitifully small.
After each contract he signed outside, after being exploited by layers of intermediaries, he usually didn't get much left.
Xiaoshan's mother has always run a braised meat business, but due to management issues and her interpersonal relationships, the business has only been able to support the family to a comfortable standard of living, but she can't be considered wealthy.
The couple had saved up their entire lives to buy a house for their daughter, so she wouldn't have to worry about being mistreated by her in-laws when she got married. However, before the wedding even took place, the apocalypse came early, and they had almost squandered all their money.
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