He waited anxiously. However, Lu Yiwei didn't have to wait for long.
On this day, he received a call from Su Qiming, who asked for a face-to-face chat. Hearing Su Qiming's tone, Lu Yiwei's heart skipped a beat. He seemed to know the result. His dream had come to an end. Even so, he still decided to meet him.
Su Qiming chose to meet at the teahouse this time. Obviously, he didn't want others to disturb him. After seeing Lu Yiwei, he felt a little awkward.
"Yiwei, tell me the truth. Do you still have feelings for Mengmeng?" Su Qiming suddenly asked.
Lu Yiwei didn't expect Su Qiming to use this topic as an opening remark. He said without hesitation, "It would be a lie to say that I don't. After all, we've been together for nearly four or five years."
Su Qiming was very happy after hearing that. He then asked, "Is there still a possibility between the two of you?"
Lu Yiwei shook his head and said, "Mayor Su, I met with Su Meng some time ago and expressed my thoughts. The two of us are no longer people of the same world. If we are forced to be together, it will be painful for both of us. So, I won't think about it, and I don't dare to think about it. "
The marriage of his daughter, Su Meng, had always been a pain in Su Qiming's heart. He was very regretful. If he had taken a long-term view or considered from his daughter's point of view, the current ending wouldn't have happened. But it was too late to say anything now. After a short marriage, Su Meng had changed a lot. She became lonely and indifferent. As a father, he had an unshirkable responsibility.
Su Qiming said, "Yiwei, actually, I'm very regretful now. I shouldn't have broken you two up. If it wasn't for my interference, Mengmeng would have a family now. But … sigh! To tell you the truth, I used to look down on you. I thought that you were from the mountains and had no future. But I was wrong. Especially when I was working in Nanyang, I saw the potential in you. No matter what, it's all my fault. I sincerely hope that you can give Mengmeng another chance. She loves you. Besides, her grandpa also likes you very much … "
Once Lu Yiwei decided on something, he would never change his mind. "Thank you for your trust, Mayor Su, but marriage is not a bargaining chip, and it's not a game. Su Meng is still young, and I believe she will find happiness."
"Ai!" Su Qiming let out a long sigh and did not speak for a long time.
"Let's not talk about this. Let's talk about you." Su Qiming said, "I originally thought this matter was in the bag, but I didn't expect that halfway through, there would be a mishap, catching me unprepared. I called all the standing committee members when I was recommending them. They are all old friends, so there shouldn't be a problem. The voting results were also very optimistic. You got eight votes, while that Fan something Fang only got two. Xiao Zhiliang is a wily old fox, he actually reported both of you to the city, causing quite a bit of trouble for the city. "
"Old Han of the Municipal Party Committee had agreed to it, but that woman's identity was not ordinary, so he asked Secretary Qin. Secretary Qin didn't even think about it. He waved his pen and submitted the name of Minister Fan's daughter. After all, Secretary Qin was from the province, and both of them were working in the same building. Hence, Secretary Qin would receive special treatment. So … "
Lu Yiwei's heart sank when he heard Dong Xuebing's words. Everything had gone down the drain.
Su Qiming looked at Lu Yiwei's dejected expression and comforted him. "Yiwei, you must look on the bright side. The government is a complicated society, and everyone will feel the balance in their hearts. It's just a youth training class, and if everything goes according to plan, you will still be sent to the grassroots level. You have been working in the grassroots level for so many years, and you should be satisfied. But this is fine. Focus on your work first, and I will think of a way to get you into the city next year. What do you think? "
Lu Yiwei cheered up and pretended to be relaxed. "I can look on the bright side. No matter what, I have to thank you. You have helped me a lot in this matter. "
"You don't have to be so polite with me."
On the way back, Lu Yiwei gave a call to Zhang Zhiyuan. Regardless of whether the matter was successful or not, Zhang Zhiyuan was very concerned and should inform him of the results.
After listening, Zhang Zhiyuan was silent for a long time. "I've been busy recently, and I didn't have time to care about you. Don't be discouraged if you don't get recommended. Work hard first. After I straighten out my connections here, I will get you over, okay? "
That was the only thing he could do now.
In the blink of an eye, it was the end of August. Lu Yiwei was still living the life of striking the bell, suffering. What was the difference between these days and when he was in Beihe Town? It was even worse. In Dongwa Village, he could at least do some side work to relieve his boredom, but in the United Front Department, he was like a trapped beast, pressured to the point of suffocation.
Fan Chunfang had already reported to the Provincial Party Committee's Party School, and his last glimmer of hope was shattered. Before leaving, Fan Chunfang looked for Lu Yiwei and said a lot of apologies. He did not blame her, but comforted her instead.
Watching the people around him leave one by one, Lu Yiwei's heart was mixed with desolation and loneliness. Was this fate? He had always advocated atheism and did not believe that there was a mysterious force controlling people's thoughts and trajectories. However, along the way, he had stumbled and was unusually bumpy. Was it because he was not working hard enough?
Lu Yiwei listened to He Jian's suggestion and decided to go out for a walk. When he asked for leave from Xiao Zhiliang, Xiao Zhiliang did not hesitate at all. He signed his name and said, "It's good to go out for a walk. You can go as many days as you want. I won't restrict you, and all expenses will be covered by the county. However, when you come back, don't think about anything else. Focus on your work, do you hear me? "
Lu Yiwei did not say anything. He nodded and left with the leave application.
Now that he was free, Lu Yiwei did not know where to go. In the past, he had always yearned for the small town of Jiangnan. He wanted to go to the rainy alley with white walls and gray tiles to find girls with oil paper umbrellas, but now he had no interest at all. He rummaged in his pocket and took out a crumpled piece of paper. He opened it and looked at it with a heavy heart.
This was the address and phone number left by Wang Caixia. The address was faintly visible, but the phone number could not be seen at all. Thinking of her husband, Lu Yiwei was filled with guilt. Under the heavy political interference, he had no choice but to give up the investigation of the Guoguogou coal mine. Until now, he had not given the deceased an explanation. This was a pain in his heart.
He took out his phone and called Song Yong, asking, "Did Ding Changhua transfer some money to the village some time ago?"
Song Yong said, "Yes, he asked me to give it to you, but you didn't want it."
"How much?"
"One hundred thousand."
This cunning old man! Ding Changhua had originally promised to give one hundred thousand to each of the deceased, but now he had only given this much. He was embarrassed to meet Lu Yiwei, so he transferred the money to the account of Shiwan Village and entrusted it to Song Yong.
Lu Yiwei did not want the money. He thought it was dirty. But on second thought, why not? He said, "You can transfer the money to me now."
"Okay, I'll arrange it right away!"
Lu Yiwei decided to make a trip to Sichuan and personally pay Wang Caixia the money that he had risked his life for.
That night, Lu Yiwei took a plane to Chengdu. After a night's rest, the next morning, he took a bus to Daliang Mountain.
Along the way, the scenery was beautiful, but Lu Yiwei was not in the mood to appreciate it. His mind was full of thoughts on how to face her. The mountain road was winding, and the further he went, the more desolate it became. From time to time, he saw dilapidated houses, which were bleak and desolate.
Regarding Daliang Mountain, Lu Yiwei had learned from various media that drug abuse and drug trafficking were rampant there, AIDS was prevalent, and many children were left behind. It was one of the poorest places in the country. If he did not experience it himself, he would not know how poor it was. Everything in front of him shocked him.
When they arrived at Xichang, Lu Yiwei changed to a minivan and set off again. Earlier, the road was asphalt, but now it was completely dirt. On one side of the road was a cliff, which made people's hearts tremble.
The minivan stopped in front of a river, and then they changed to a ferry. After crossing the river, they changed to another transportation. This time, it was an ox cart. Nearly two hours later, the ox cart stopped at the foot of the mountain. The old farmer told Lu Yiwei to climb up the mountain and cross two mountains to reach the place he mentioned.
Climbing a mountain was a piece of cake for Lu Yiwei, but if he did not climb for a long time, he would not feel confident. But the old farmer's next words made him gasp. The old farmer said, "If you want to go, go quickly. Otherwise, it will be dark before you reach."
Lu Yiwei looked at his watch and said, "It's only 5 o 'clock now."
"Yes, it will take at least three hours. Go quickly."
When Lu Yiwei heard that it would take more than three hours to cross two mountains, his legs went weak. But since he was here, he had to overcome the difficulties. He took a deep breath and climbed up the mountain. At first, it was relatively easy, but after a bend, he was already panting from exhaustion. It seemed that he had to admit that he was old.
He sat on the side of the mountain and smoked a cigarette. Just as he was about to get up, he saw a group of children playing. It was better to have a companion than to be alone.
When the children saw Lu Yiwei, they timidly retreated. Few strangers came to this place.
To ease the tension, Lu Yiwei took out a drink from his bag and distributed it to the children. A little girl was brave and took the drink. She took a tentative sip and exclaimed that it was delicious. Following that, the other children all wanted to try it, and soon, the bottle was empty. Perhaps this was the first time in their lives that they had tasted a drink. Lu Yiwei felt a little sad.
After chatting, the little girl who had just taken the drink was heading to the same village as him. Lu Yiwei was energized and asked, "Do you know Wang Caixia?"
"Are you asking about my mother?" the girl asked curiously.
Seeing that the girl was Wang Caixia's daughter, Lu Yiwei was overjoyed and immediately said, "Yes, is she at home?"
The girl shook her head and said, "My parents are both working. They're not at home."
Lu Yiwei was a little disappointed and asked, "Who else is in your family?"
"My younger brother."
"Are there no other adults?"
"Nope."
"How old is your brother?"
"Six."
"Six? He's at home alone? "Lu Yiwei asked in surprise.
The girl said calmly, "Yes, my parents are not at home. I usually take care of him, but I have to go to school, so I have to leave him at home."
"…" Lu Yiwei was speechless. After a while, he asked, "Can you contact your mother?"
The girl shook her head and said, "She only said that she's working. I don't know where exactly."
"When will she come back?"
"I don't know."
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