Bai Suxiang, though busy on weekdays, was free on weekends.
To make her weekends fulfilling, she volunteered at the company's designated rescue station.
Liu Sandao and Fu Ruhai were busy all day, acting jumpy and preoccupied with unknown matters.
Since this week's rescue target was in Huaihua Street, she took a bus there early in the morning.
Following the address she had noted, she walked along the street, searching. She saw a supermarket, but its door was welded shut. Further on, there was a lottery shop.
Next to the lottery shop was a cake shop.
"Wonderful Cake Shop! This is it!"
Bai Suxiang said, putting away her notebook, and walked in.
"Is anyone here?"
"Yes, yes, yes, what kind of cake would you like?"
A woman's voice immediately came from a back room.
Bai Suxiang knew that this woman was called Wang Guihua, and her husband's name was Guo Gouzi.
The couple, along with their six-year-old child, rented a storefront in Sandong City. It was a small business, and though it didn't earn much, it was enough to support a family.
But the problem was that Guo Gouzi's father had contracted cancer, which had depleted all their savings.
With no other option, they submitted a rescue application to the Yingbafang Rescue Station. Bai Suxiang was there to understand the situation first, and after collecting their information, she would report it to the rescue station.
Once assessed, the rescue station would provide assistance.
"Sister, you're too kind! I'm from the Yingbafang Designated Rescue Station, and I've come specifically to understand your family's situation."
Bai Suxiang said politely.
Wang Guihua seemed a bit disappointed, but hearing it was from Yingbafang, she became a little happier.
"Yingbafang? Oh, come, come, come in and sit down!"
Saying so, she turned and gestured for Bai Suxiang to come in.
This was a cake shop, and to maintain food hygiene, no one was allowed inside usually.
However, this matter of aid was different from ordinary matters, so they had to talk in the inner room.
The storefront was small, divided into an outer and inner room.
The outer room was slightly larger, displaying various cake designs, as well as some finished cakes and pastries. The inner room was mainly where the cakes were processed.
Wang Guihua led Bai Suxiang into a small room at the very back, where flour was stored, clearly their storage room.
After pouring a cup of water, Wang Guihua began to talk about her family's situation.
After about an hour of conversation, Wang Guihua eventually talked about the shop being sealed and how it was resolved. It was precisely because of this that their family's hardship was compounded.
After listening, Bai Suxiang became even more indignant.
Such injustices definitely needed to be reported by letter!
This was the country of Huaxia, certainly not a place without law.
Bai Suxiang, having just stepped out of school, didn't understand the complexities of society. But she was educated and could empathize with the difficulties of ordinary people.
Hearing Wang Guihua recount her family's ordeal, she felt even more compelled to help them, both with the rescue and the reporting.
Sometimes, this scholarly passion, though immature, was not without its merits as a way to solve problems.
Perhaps, this situation required someone like her to find the spark.
Indeed, after understanding the situation, Bai Suxiang became busy.
First, she compiled the detailed situation report for Wang Guihua's family, which was the most urgent matter to be resolved.
Fortunately, the company had a complete procedure, and she only needed to submit the relevant materials; the follow-up would be handled by the company according to the process.
After dealing with those, she began to plan the matter of the letter of complaint.
As Bai Suxiang was leaving, Wang Guihua reminded her: someone had said that letters should be written to the investigation bureau.
Bai Suxiang knew that this was a matter for the street, so it should naturally be directed to the street investigation bureau first.
To prevent inaction by the street investigation bureau, Bai Suxiang, after some thought, wrote the letter of complaint anonymously.
Furthermore, upon hearing from Wang Guihua that many small businesses on this street had been suppressed by Jia Shuqing, Bai Suxiang decided to gather more information.
Regarding worldly affairs, Liu Sandao seemed unable to help much; the only thing he could do was wait.
No matter how long it took, he could wait, as it was his only asset. With nothing else to do, he spent his time studying the "Ruoshui Fu" and pondering the "Fude Handbook."
There had been no movement in the past two days, not even small ones, which was unusual.
...
On Jia Zhengqing's desk, there were several opened letters.
Except for Wu Daoning, no other names were on the envelopes. He understood what they feared.
But no matter what, this was the first step he took in this matter.
With this, he could demand a thorough investigation from his superiors. He hadn't acted all these days simply because the quantity was not yet sufficient.
Two or three letters wouldn't accomplish much, and he was also waiting for the number of complaint letters to increase.
This dark hand, which was operating wildly, had to be eradicated completely to his satisfaction!
Every time he thought of these things, Jia Zhengqing couldn't sleep at night.
For several days now, he hadn't slept well.
But soon, he received both good news and bad news.
The good news was that there was a rectification movement at the provincial level; the bad news was that some people at the municipal level would obstruct it.
As the saying goes, a higher rank can crush a subordinate.
According to the procedures, matters from the street were reported upwards in stages. However, the materials he had written and submitted two days ago had not elicited any response from his superiors.
This was unlike before, as the document from the province indicated that such matters should be resolved as quickly as possible, and it might even set a precedent. Yet, the district remained silent.
To understand which link in the chain had caused the problem, Jia Zhengqing had to inquire from the side.
Coincidentally, he had an old acquaintance in the district office. With a bit of peanuts and a couple of drinks, Jia Zhengqing learned the reason.
The problem lay with his immediate superior unit.
Knowing the root of the problem, Jia Zhengqing of course first went to sound out the situation. After all, to treat an illness, one must fully understand it.
This was the way of being an official and the way of handling affairs.
"Director Wu, I've come to report on my work during this period!"
"Come, come, Old Jia, have a seat!"
Jia Zhengqing went to Wu Guozheng's office early in the morning today, needing to get a clear picture.
Since Jia Zhengqing was older than Wu Guozheng, Wu Guozheng called him Old Jia. Of course, this appellation was also because they had known each other for a long time. Although there was still some distance between them, Wu Guozheng was amiable to everyone.
"I have some materials here, please take a look."
Wu Guozheng didn't refuse at all and took them directly.
He read through them page by page, carefully. After a long while, he looked up and said helplessly,
"Let me show you the materials I've received!"