132: Chapter 132 Longevity Tablet

Seeing this, Sun Ning couldn't help but smile.

You have to admit, the old man was quite vigilant!

Sun Ning took out a pack of cigarettes and passed them around.

They say cigarettes and alcohol are the medium for bridging the gap between men, and that saying is absolutely true.

After Sun Ning lit the cigarette for the old man, the old man took a puff with great satisfaction.

His guard against the group also lowered.

"This young comrade's cigarettes look quite unique, and they smoke very smoothly!"

Hearing this, Sun Ning quickly shoved the cigarette pack into Liu Deli's hand.

"I still have more than half a pack here; take it all, elder!"

Xiao Zhou, standing to the side, saw Liu Deli addressing Sun Ning as a young comrade and couldn't help but interject: "Grandpa, this is our township's Party Secretary, Sun Ning."

Sun Ning glared at Xiao Zhou, signaling him not to speak out of turn.

"You are Sun Ning, Township Head Sun?"

"It is me, Grandpa. Don't listen to Xiao Zhou's nonsense. Just call me 'young comrade'; it feels more friendly!"

"I wouldn't dare! Township Head Sun, please, have a seat. It's all my fault for being old and dim-sighted—I failed to recognize a distinguished guest when you arrived."

As he spoke, the old man hurriedly took out a few tea cups to pour water for Sun Ning.

It seems if Sun Ning hadn't revealed his identity, they wouldn't even have gotten a drink of water.

"Township Head Sun, you've been promoted to Party Secretary? I knew a good official like you would surely get promoted and make a fortune!"

"Haha, Grandpa, I can get promoted, but we cadres certainly cannot make a fortune."

Hearing Sun Ning's humble response, the old man widened his eyes.

"Hey, others might not be able to, but you can make a fortune all you want."

"If it weren't for you, could our village be this prosperous?"

"Even an old man like me can get paid 150 yuan a month just for sweeping the streets and picking up trash in the village."

"Now, I can often buy some pig head meat to go with my little drink—now that's what you call living!"

"Those youngsters in their early sixties can even go to the township to find work and earn even more."

"They also say the township is going to set up some kind of electric bicycle production base, and they say everyone in the township will have work to do by then."

"With these dry, barren little hills in our village, we can't grow crops and usually have to go out to work to earn money. Now that there's work in the township, it's simply wonderful."

It was clear that the old man was very happy.

And Sun Ning couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment.

The work the old man mentioned, like sweeping the village, was a measure the township had just implemented not long ago.

Now, there is more and more industrial waste in rural areas, but the overall quality of the common people is relatively low, and they just litter wherever they go.

To build a beautiful countryside, Sun Ning specifically hired one to three people from impoverished families, depending on the size of the village, to keep things clean and tidy.

He hadn't expected the old man to be one of the choices for Liu Yuan Gou.

Seeing the old man so happy, Sun Ning felt it was all worth it.

In fact, the expense was very small, but the feedback received was overwhelmingly positive.

Sun Ning smiled modestly and said politely: "Grandpa, this is thanks to good national policies. It's a contribution made by all the Party members and cadres in Mishui Township; I wouldn't dare take all the credit!"

"Yes, yes, yes. The policies this year are so good. We don't have to pay agricultural taxes anymore, and the children's tuition fees have been cancelled. The country is good; the country will only get better and better."

"Yes, we will get better and better."

There was something Sun Ning didn't say: in the future, the 'Five Guarantees' households in the township would not have to pay for medical care, would not have to pay for nursing homes, and would receive more and more financial support.

Due to various reasons, they suffered from emotional deprivation.

But the country would not let them suffer too much material deprivation either.

It can only be said that there will be various shortcomings on our path of development, but the direction of development is ultimately good.

The old man placed the teacup into Sun Ning's hand.

"Look at me, just chatting away with you. Township Head Sun, what brings you to an old man's home like mine?"

"I'm just here to chat with you too. How much is the subsidy you receive every month, elder?"

"The state gives me 66 yuan every month."

"Oh, is that enough?"

"Hey, what do you mean by enough or not enough? It's money given for free by the state; we just spend whatever they give us. It's not like I'm unable to move; I grow some crops and raise some livestock, and that's enough."

"Who are the impoverished households in our village?"

When Liu Deli heard this, he didn't react at all; he just assumed Sun Ning was chatting with him.

But Zhang Pengfei, standing behind him, became anxious.

"Sigh, the Liu Laosan family at the east end of the village has it the hardest. The son is slow-witted, the daughter-in-law is disabled, and they have a grandson and a granddaughter both in school."

"That family at the south end of the village..."

The old man opened up and started introducing the impoverished families of Liu Yuan Gou one by one.

Sun Ning checked them off against his list one by one.

In the end, there were a few families the old man didn't mention.

"I heard that Liu Jinglun's family is also quite poor!"

"Hey, his family is indeed poor. His parents—one is hemiplegic and the other is bedridden year-round. He's the only one at home and couldn't go out to earn money. It's different now; he can earn money in the township. I heard he works at the feed mill, and because he's very hardworking, his salary seems to be quite high. His family is slowly getting out of poverty. I even heard he's particularly grateful to you; it seems he even erected a Longevity Tablet for you..."

As soon as the old man said this, Xiao Zhou and Zhang Pengfei, standing nearby, couldn't hold it together.

Was this something they were supposed to hear?

Both of them simultaneously thought: 'We aren't going to be silenced, are we?'

And Sun Ning glanced at the two of them at the right moment.

This kind of thing cannot be publicized; Sun Ning was warning them.

But deep down, a sense of pride and accomplishment welled up. Throughout history, how many people have had Longevity Tablets erected for them?

Perhaps Liu Jinglun was truly on the verge of collapse, and then the recruitment at the feed mill gave him hope, so he attributed all the credit to Sun Ning.

What the common people want to do is their business, but cadres cannot promote such exaggerated things.

What are you trying to do?

Engage in big-time personal heroism?

After warning the two with a look, Sun Ning quickly changed the subject and continued asking the old man questions.

Since Sun Ning had already memorized the list, he wasn't holding the materials provided by the Civil Affairs Office.

Therefore, Liu Deli didn't suspect anything; he answered whatever Sun Ning asked.

Overall, the Party Secretary of Liu Yuan Gou was still quite honest.

For those optional candidates, Sun Ning turned a blind eye.

This kind of thing simply cannot be eradicated.

What he cared about most were the 'Five Guarantees' households and the extremely poor families.

"Elder, I'm just having a casual look, please don't make a fuss about it."

As he was leaving, Sun Ning urged Liu Deli.

Only then did Liu Deli realize that Sun Ning was on an incognito inspection, not just there to chat with him.

"Ah, Township Head Sun, you're here to inspect the work? Why are there only three of you!"

"If you ask me, you don't need to come to our village to inspect. Our village's Party Secretary is very honest; he wouldn't dare mess around."

"If you really want to inspect, go to the village next door. Their village has been ruined by their Party Secretary; the villagers are all angry but dare not speak out!"

Originally, Sun Ning had already lifted his butt and put his hand into his pocket, preparing to take out the money he had ready.

Hearing the old man say this, he sat back down.