One day, condom advertisements suddenly appeared on buses in the provincial capital.
That morning, the No. 2 bus heading to the provincial university was packed with people going to work and school. Some were reading books and newspapers, some were daydreaming, and some were chatting together.
"Vehicle advertising isn't unusual; it used to be all about hospitals, restaurants, and health products. Why are there condom ads all of a sudden? What's even more interesting is that there aren't any condom stores on the street. Who would spend money on this kind of advertising?"
"Sister Huang, this is a public service advertisement."
“I know this is a public service advertisement. The bus company is not a public welfare organization. How could they put up an advertisement that doesn’t make money? Someone must have paid for this advertisement. Sister Sun, my son works in the publicity department of the provincial government. He told me that this is not a public service advertisement made by a government agency. It must have been made by a private individual.”
"Sister Huang, who would pay for this kind of advertising? It's truly immoral! By the way, what is AIDS?"
At this point, the driver couldn't help but speak up, "AIDS is a sexually transmitted disease, and it's also an incurable disease. It can be transmitted through sexual intercourse. If one partner has the disease, the virus can be transmitted to the other person through sexual intercourse. Using a condom during intercourse can prevent AIDS."
"Driver, please stop talking, it's quite scary."
The bus made an unscheduled stop, and the two middle-aged women who had been talking earlier got off. The bus continued its journey and stopped again outside the Provincial Daily newspaper office. Zhao Meina, the editor-in-chief of the health and wellness section of the newspaper, walked into the office carrying a briefcase.
She went to the office, took out her phone book, and called the head of the publicity department at the bus company. The two were good friends and classmates, and she soon learned that the person was doing charity work.
"That's strange. Why would a self-employed person who sells cigarettes and alcohol, and is also a college student, spend his own money on this kind of advertising? Condoms are not commodities now, but family planning supplies issued by the Family Planning Commission, and are not allowed to be sold privately. What exactly is this Mr. Wang's goal?" Zhao Meina was completely puzzled.
As the editor-in-chief of the health and wellness section, she felt this incident was worth exploring.
Zhao Meina pressed the hands-free button on the telephone and dialed the number for Brothers Tobacco and Liquor Store. The call connected successfully, and a man's voice came from the speakerphone, "Hello, this is Brothers Tobacco and Liquor Store."
"Hello boss, I'm a reporter from the provincial capital's daily newspaper. My name is Zhao Meina."
"Reporter? Hello, hello, do you need any cigarettes or alcohol?"
"It's not cigarettes or alcohol. You guys did the condom ads on the buses, right? I just want to ask, why are you doing these kinds of ads? Could you tell me?"
"This was our boss's idea, I don't know the specifics. Please give me your phone number and I'll have him call you. By the way, are you sure you don't need any cigarettes or alcohol? The cigarettes and alcohol in our store are genuine, and we'll compensate you tenfold if they're fake."
"I don't need cigarettes or alcohol right now. My phone number is..."
Zhao Meina left her office phone number, hung up, and carefully considered whether this could become news.
A few minutes later, he left the office to report to his supervisor.
The newspaper's leader, Zhao Kaitian, is fifty years old, has a receding hairline, and a potbelly. He is Zhao Meina's uncle.
After listening to Zhao Meina's report, Zhao Kaitian chuckled and said, "This matter has news value, but not much. Let's wait and see. I always feel that we're missing a catalyst."
At noon, Wang Peng drove back to the tobacco and alcohol shop.
"Brother Peng, around eight or nine o'clock this morning, a reporter from the Provincial Daily named Zhao Meina called you, wanting to ask why you were doing public service advertisements on the bus. I wrote down her phone number." Du Lei chuckled.
"Brother, don't call her back," Li Mingzhu said hurriedly.
“I know, let’s ignore him for now.” Wang Peng understood what his friend meant.
Actively seeking out reporters to explain the situation, versus passively waiting for reporters to come and interview you, are two completely different concepts. Actively expressing a desire for fame could easily backfire.
At that moment, a girl wearing a short skirt and with curly hair walked into the tobacco and liquor store.
Her features were beautiful, but she wore heavy makeup, and her lipstick was excessively bright.
Wang Peng recognized her at a glance: Huang Xiaolan, a fellow villager from Ping'an County, a prostitute who worked the night shift. Wang Peng was curious; her daily routine was nocturnal, and he had only seen her twice at night. This was the first time he had seen her during the day.
"Brother Lei, Brother Peng, could you lend me a hundred yuan?" Huang Xiaolan asked in a low voice, her face full of worry.
"Why do you need to borrow money?" Du Lei reached for his wallet. Huang Xiaolan was from the same hometown, and the two had even had a physical relationship.
"Xiao Lan, why do you look so pale?" Wang Peng asked.
A girl who earns a few dollars shouldn't be short of a hundred dollars.
“Brother Peng, I’ve sent all the money I earned back home to pay for my brother’s medical treatment. I caught a cold these past few days and have had a fever and headache, so I haven’t been able to go out to do business,” Huang Xiaolan said.
"You should go to the hospital to get checked out." Du Lei gave her a hundred yuan, and then took out two fifty-cent bills, "This one yuan is for you to take the bus."
"Thank you, Brother Lei. I'll pay you back as soon as possible." Huang Xiaolan hurriedly put the money in her pocket, nodded to Wang Peng, and turned to go to the hospital for a checkup.
Huang Xiaolan reached the door, but suddenly stumbled and grabbed the glass door handle with both hands. Her body convulsed, and she suddenly sat down on the ground.
"What's wrong?"
Wang Peng rushed to the door to help her up, only to find that her jaw was clenched, her arms were tightly closed, and she had completely lost consciousness.
"Brother Peng, what's wrong with her?" Du Lei rushed out from behind the counter.
"She suddenly fainted, let's take her to the hospital." Wang Peng picked her up forcefully.
Li Mingzhu immediately opened the car door, "Brother, do you have any money on you? We might have to pay for her medical expenses."
“We have money.” Wang Peng carefully put her in the back seat of the car. After Du Lei got in, he turned to Li Mingzhu and said, “You and Shishi stay here to watch the shop.”
"Brothers, don't rush, drive as slowly as possible," Li Mingzhu kept instructing.
The next second, the car accelerated away, and a cloud of exhaust fumes dissipated into the air.
“Mingzhu,” Dong Shishi said doubtfully, “that woman isn’t a decent person. I heard Lei Ge say that she’s a prostitute.”
“Sister Shishi, don’t say things like that,” Li Mingzhu said. “She’s from the same hometown as Brother Lei and Brother Peng, and she’s a good friend of Brother Lei. We can’t just stand by and watch her die.”
Dong Shishi quickly waved her hand and said, "That's not what I meant. She's so pretty, what can't she do to make money? Why does she have to do that kind of work?"
Li Mingzhu put her arm around Dong Shishi as they returned to the store. "Didn't you hear what she said? She's using all the money she earns to pay for her brother's medical treatment. She's a pitiful child."
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