Chapter 80 Money-Making Expert
Chi Zhengyang stood aside, coldly watching the mountain of corpses in the square, and the people dragging their bodies in. Their faces were numb from the pain and resigned to their fate.
He sympathized with them, but that was all he felt. Wastelanders couldn't live with dignity through anyone's sympathy or charity; they had to rely on their own hard work.
Suddenly, his gaze fell on a woman holding a corpse.
She was very young, perhaps just turned 18, but she was heavily pregnant, clearly a pregnant woman.
Unlike the numbness and helplessness of the other residents of District 50, her face was lively and vivid.
The body she was holding was cleaned thoroughly, with no bloodstains, and she had even dressed it in a clean set of old clothes. This showed that she had given the deceased the utmost respect she could.
She was wearing a cheap, old thermal suit, which, although washed fairly clean, was still stained with many indelible light yellowish-brown bloodstains.
She walked step by step toward him, and when her eyes met his, her gaze was neither humble nor arrogant, as if he were not a big shot from above, but just an ordinary person of the same status as her.
He suddenly developed a strong interest in her.
When she reached him and carefully laid the body down, he suddenly spoke to her:
"Go to the exchange hall later. There's a special window set up there today to distribute aid to orphans and pregnant women."
"Really? Thank you for reminding me. The authorities are really considerate of us lowly scavengers this time. Please convey my and my sister's sincerest gratitude!" She bowed to him earnestly and pointed to the little girl not far away.
"Alright, then you guys go ahead." Chi Zhengyang showed his first smile since arriving in District 50, and the administrator accompanying him was so surprised that his eyes almost popped out.
This big shot, who looked like a black-faced judge, had a dark and inky face from the first moment I saw him, as if he were filled with anger and dissatisfaction towards all the administrators.
He thought this big shot was unhappy about being sent to their godforsaken District 50 to carry out a mission, but he never expected him to be so kind to an ordinary pregnant scavenger.
Chi Zhengyang's smile was indeed from the heart. He had helped the lowly scavengers in District 50, and although he was acting on Mr. Matt's orders and had not expected any gratitude from them, he couldn't help but be moved when he saw their heartfelt thanks.
Giving without expecting anything in return is a state pursued by people with noble character and sentiments. But he was ultimately just an ordinary person. He helped them, and even if only one of them gave him sincere thanks in return, it made him feel that his efforts were not in vain.
The bodies were finally gathered together. Zuo Shan, with Pan Duole in his arms, witnessed this shocking scene.
Dozens of fireballs, each the size of a fist, were instantly launched from the palm of the important figure who had kindly reminded her, and all landed on the pile of corpses.
At the same time, a transparent barrier enveloped a hundred-meter radius around the pile of corpses, forming a huge transparent shield that blocked the billowing smoke and stench emanating from the burning corpses.
Half an hour later, thousands of corpses had turned to ashes, and all the sorrow had been burned away by the fireballs.
The ignorant scavengers of District 50 forgot their sorrow and were completely immersed in the immense shock brought about by the fireball and the isolation barrier.
Even Pandora stopped crying. After a long while, she clenched her fists and said, "Sister, if only I could awaken my powers and become as strong as that person, then I could protect you and baby Achen and give you a good life!"
She didn't mention that if she had awakened her powers sooner, her mother might not have died. Wastelanders are pragmatic and don't fantasize about changing past regrets.
When Zuo Shan took Pan Duole to the exchange hall, the temporary windows for settling orphans and helping pregnant women had just been set up.
Looking through the transparent window, Zuo Shan saw that the person in charge of handling this matter was none other than her acquaintance, Chi Xiaofan.
Upon seeing her approach, Chi Xiaofan greeted her with a smile, "Hello, Miss Zuo! It's been a while! Come and collect your money!"
Let me tell you, you've really hit the jackpot this time. A big shot from above has brought the latest instructions: pregnant women can receive a subsidy of 500 yuan per month, and the bonus after giving birth has doubled to 10,000 yuan!
Now you and your child don't have to worry anymore. During the extreme cold, you can buy nutritional supplements to stave off hunger and won't go hungry.
"Really? That's great! Oh, right, I have another important matter to discuss with you."
"This is the child. Her mother is gone, and she has no other relatives. I've discussed it with her, and we've agreed that I will adopt her. Could you please guide us on what procedures we need to complete?" she said, pulling Pan Duole to the window.
“If it were before, I would have advised you not to put a burden on yourself, but now the policy has changed, and I think it would be good for both of you if you could adopt her.”
Families who adopt orphans can now receive 800 yuan per month in care fees, provided that the orphan himself is willing to be adopted.
Those who are unwilling can choose to receive the 800 yuan child support payment and live alone, or go to the charity hall to live. "Chi Xiaofan explained.
Then she looked at Pandora and said solemnly, "Are you really willing to be adopted by her? You can have better options, such as being adopted by families without children, whose burden would be lighter."
“No, I only want to be adopted by my sister. If you don’t agree, I will live alone and will never go to another family or the charity hall!” Pan Duole said firmly.
“Since you both agree, I’ll have someone from the household registration office come over to complete the formalities and re-register your family member information,” Chi Xiaofan said with a smile.
She made an internal call, and soon an administrator came over. The administrator first checked Pan Yuduo's information through the system. From the moment her mother lost vital signs, she had already been shown as dead in the official website system.
Her orphan information was directly confirmed by the system without needing repeated verification.
Then the administrator operated the wristwatches of Zuo Shan and Pandora in a series of steps, and the entire process took only five minutes, during which the adoption and household registration transfer procedures were completed.
Zuo Shan couldn't help but marvel at how fast the electronic office work in this wasteland era was!
She then took out five silver coins and asked the administrator to change her name from Pan Duoyu to Pan Duole. The moment she saw her name changed, Pan Duole laughed until tears streamed down her face.
On the other side, Chi Xiaofan also brought up the page for receiving subsidies, and asked her and Pan Duole to write their names with their fingers at the signature area.
Looking at Pan Duole's crookedly written name, especially the last character "Le," which he wrote even more horribly as he tried to imitate it, Zuo Shan decided to incorporate academic studies into his daily routine, even if it was just half an hour a day, without interruption.
"You should be more than five months pregnant. I'll give you a five-month pregnancy allowance first. Go to the hospital for a free prenatal checkup later and then give me a certificate."
As for the child, since they had just experienced a disaster, the higher-ups decided to provide three months' worth of child support so that they could get through this difficult period.
The 2400 silver coins will be transferred directly to the child's account. You can discuss how to allocate and use these child support funds after you get back.
From now on, your monthly maternity allowance of 500 yuan and her child support of 800 yuan will be deposited into your account on time.
Alright, I have a lot of people to do today, so I won't chat with you any longer, Miss Zuo, goodbye!" Chi Xiaofan finished his business efficiently and then calmly said goodbye to her.
Zuo Shan had always had a good impression of Chi Xiaofan, and she decided to contact her again if she had anything suitable to sell in the future.
As soon as he stepped out of the exchange hall, Pan Duole raised his wristwatch and said, "Sister, I'm transferring the child support to you."
"Keep it for now. I'll ask you for money when I need it later. We'll have many expenses in the future, so there's no rush." Zuo Shan smiled and ruffled her hair.
The little girl's eyes reddened again. She was overjoyed when she learned that orphans could also receive child support payments. Now she wouldn't waste her sister's money.
Today's breakfast made her realize that even if she worked hard at scavenging, her income would still be less than the food her sister gave her. Now, with this monthly subsidy of 800 yuan, she felt much less burdened.
But to her surprise, her sister had no intention of taking her money and wanted her to keep it in her own account.
She secretly decided that she would save all this money and would never spend a single penny recklessly. She would use it to buy nutritious food for her sister and baby after she gave birth.
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