Yang Chengming's home was located in the northeast corner of the town, accessible via a cinder-paved path, crossing a bridge and passing by rows of flat-roofed houses on either side.

  Shen Hua did not know what Tan Qiping said to Xiong Wenbin in the office, he looked at the cement bridge very steep and narrow, so he let Xiao Chu stop the car on this side of the bridge. He, along with He Qing She, Huang Xinliang, and Xiao Chu, carried the comfort goods in their hands and walked across the bridge.

  "Secretary Shen, Yang Chengming's home is in the third alley inside." Huang Xinliang had worked with Yang Chengming at Meixi Middle School for six years and was familiar with Yang's home. He walked up the steep bridge and first pointed out the location of Yang's home to Shen Hua.

  The water of Tongtang River under the bridge is murky and unbearable, with white foam floating on the black surface, and a faint smell of fishy smell drifting up. However, the color seems to be lighter than before. Shen Huai asked Chu Qiang: "Is the textile mill still discharging pollutants these days?"

  "During the day, Old Hu would occasionally go with me to take a look, but didn't see any sewage discharge," said Chu Qiang.

  Shen Huai nodded, the key is still to supervise the printing and dyeing factory to install and use environmental protection equipment.

  Taking a walk outside and letting the cool air blow on him made Shen Hua feel much better.

  Although Tan Qiping may be directly affected by his "father" and become indifferent to his future career development, Shen Hua calmed down and thought that he was already the party secretary of Meixi Town, he already had the decision-making power to manage and improve this land, what's not satisfying about working hard for this land?

  Even if Tan Qiping becomes indifferent to him from now on, it is obvious that he will not be able to trample him underfoot. Even if he no longer regards him as a confidant, he will not be able to kick him out of the circle directly. What's there to worry about?

  Standing on the bridge, Shen Huai took a deep breath and walked towards the inside with He Qing She, Huang Xinliang and Xiao Chu.

  After crossing the bridge, I saw that the paths along both sides of the river embankment were also paved with coal cinder. There were many local dogs raised by the villagers on both sides. These local dogs didn't recognize the party secretary, town mayor or party and government office director, and as soon as they saw strangers approaching, they would bark loudly from front to back. Huang Xinliang led the way in front, while Xiao Chu guarded against these local dogs pouncing over behind him. After turning two small alleys, we finally arrived at Yang Chengming's home.

  Yang Chengming's home was a three-room flat house, with the back wall of the front house forming a small courtyard, the courtyard wall facing the alley had peeled off lime, and the eaves still had withered grass hanging down.

  Pushing open the courtyard door, Yang Chengming was supervising his elementary school daughter doing her homework in the yard.

  Although it was sunny outside, the temperature was not high, and Shen Hua wore a down jacket and ran over in small steps, feeling a bit stiff in his hands and feet.

  A little girl carried a chair into the yard, sat on a small stool to do her homework, wearing an old cotton-padded jacket, round and plump, with a pale face frozen white. She was a shy little girl who was distracted while doing her homework, turned her head and saw Shen Hua poking his head in from outside the courtyard door, their eyes met, and both of their faces blushed red.

  Yang Chengming moved to the town health clinic, Shen Huai went to visit and saw this little girl, smiled and said: "Xiao Pu is doing her homework?" The little girl blushed and didn't say a word, just nodded.

  Yang Chengming turned around to see Huang Xinliang leading Shen Secretary and He Town Mayor in, and was startled. However, the gauze on his face had not been completely removed, and he found it inconvenient to speak with his mouth open, so he pointed to his mouth and smiled humbly.

  Yang Chengming's wife came running out, holding a pair of chopsticks in her hand, with a look of surprise on her face and food still in her mouth. She choked back tears and said: "Secretary Shen, how did you and Town Head He come here?"

  "I was planning to go to the hospital today to visit Teacher Yang, but I heard that Teacher Yang insisted on being discharged from the hospital today, so I just came over for a stroll," Shen Huai said with a smile.

  He Qingxia looked at Yang Chengming's wife who was still eating and asked in puzzlement, "It's already three o'clock, why are you just having lunch?"

  At noon, Yang Chengming was brought back home and it turned out that lunch had been forgotten in the bustle. It wasn't until then that he felt hungry. Yang Chengming's wife swallowed the food in her mouth and spoke with embarrassment as she invited Shen Huai, He Qing She, Huang Xinliang, and Chu Qiang to enter the house together.

  Yang Chengming's home was very simple, with a three-room flat house and an additional kitchen room outside. Yang Chengming, his wife, daughter, and father lived together. The mud floor in the main room had been trodden shiny by footprints, cold and desolate, except for a square table and rice container, there were only two old bicycles in the main room.

  Yang Chengming's wife was having a meal, with dishes all laid out on the table: a bowl of black vegetables stewed with vermicelli, a small bottle of yogurt, and a bowl of tea-soaked rice - this is roughly typical of the simple life in Meixi Town.

  Yang Chengming's wife put away the bowls and chopsticks, because Yang Chengming was not convenient to speak loudly, and hurried back to accompany him chatting as his translator.

  Shen Huai was still on the road when he heard He Qing She say that Yang Chengming's wife was also a small employee of Meixi Town, named Zhang Xiuyun. She used to be a city girl and married into Meixi Town. She looked delicate and fair-skinned.

  Yang Chengming's daughter was doing her homework outside when a classmate came to find her, and after listening to the conversation outside, it turned out that they were asking her to go to town together to buy clothes.

  Yang Chengming's daughter said to her classmates outside, "My dad just got out of the hospital today, I won't go shopping. You guys go ahead, next time I'll accompany you." Yang Chengming's wife Zhang Xiuyun heard this and walked out, a while later she heard Yang Chengming's daughter whispering outside, "Dad and grandpa still need to buy medicine, it's okay if I just wear these clothes for the New Year..."

  Yang Chengming turned his face away in distress, and Shen Huai's heart ached upon hearing this.

  Yang Chengming and his wife's combined income is also around 700-800 yuan per month, which in Meixi Town is neither good nor too bad. They should have the ability to buy their daughter a new set of clothes for the New Year. However, Yang Chengming's father has always been in poor health, taking medicine all the time, and without reimbursement from his work unit, so Yang Chengming's family is considered poor even among teachers.

  Shen Huai and He Qing sat for a while before leaving, in addition to the New Year's goods for condolences, they also left 400 yuan of condolence money with Huang Xinliang, which is almost the highest standard that the town can offer.

  Some topics wouldn't be discussed in front of Yang Chengming and his wife, but once they were out of the yard, Shen Hua stood there and consulted with He Qing: "Yeshin Bank took over the Chinese medicine house and paid 900,000 yuan; I think this 900,000 yuan should be spent urgently last year!"

  "How much does it cost?" He Qing asked.

  "I remember Old He, you said last time that the primary and secondary school teachers in the whole town have not had a salary increase for two years, which is far behind other towns. The teachers are very dissatisfied and do not have the heart to teach well. At first, I didn't feel much about it, but after visiting Yang Chengming's home, I felt deeply moved. His wife and he are considered middle-level in the school, and the situation of ordinary teachers should be even worse," Shen Huai said, "I plan to raise the salaries of all primary and secondary school teachers in the town to match those of other towns before the Spring Festival, and make up for the salary increases that have been missed over the past two years..."

  "Nine hundred thousand yuan has been invested, and the money is almost enough. Should we discuss it with Secretary Li and Secretary Tang?" said He Qing She.

  "If you think it's okay, we'll settle this matter once and for all. The town will immediately gather the principals of each school, get things done before the New Year, and it can be considered a good deed," Shen Hua said, "As for the year-end bonuses for government personnel, just follow last year's standard, tell everyone that I'll make up for it next year..."

  He Qing has been working in Meixi Town for a long time and is now also serving as the director of the Education Office, so he is very familiar with the situation of teachers in the town.

  The primary and secondary school teachers in the whole town have not had a salary increase for three or four years, but the prices of commodities have risen sharply during these three or four years. Ordinary teachers can only make a living with a meager monthly salary of over 200 yuan, which is very difficult.

  Huang Xinliang, although a member of the party committee, did not have any intention of asking for his opinion, and he could only stand by and listen. However, he also had to admit that Shen Hua was very good at winning people's hearts. With just one decision, Shen Hua was able to win over the hearts of more than 400 teachers and staff in the entire town.

  This time, the basic salary of all town teachers was adjusted to be in line with other towns, and for the second time, the salary that was not fully increased in the previous two years was made up. For example, Yang Chengming and his wife were able to receive an additional 5,000 yuan in salary at one time, which is undoubtedly a huge fortune for families in distress.

  As for the town's staff, as long as the year-end bonus is not less than last year, there won't be much resentment.

  "Good," He Qing also agreed, and decided to pay the salaries of all the town's teachers and staff in advance, which wasn't against any policy. Shen Hua was happy to go along with it, as this was his first time making a formal decision as party secretary. "Yang Chengming's wife is in charge of the town's finances," he said. "She has to calculate all the salaries before the new year, and that's no small task..."

  "Then it's hard on you, Old He," Shen Huai said with a smile, "At the end of the year, there are idle hands in the town, just take them all away and use them..."

  Shen Huai and He Qing discussed a good plan, Huang Xinliang's hands and feet were quick and nimble, and he pushed open the door to enter Yang Chengming's home again.

  Yang Chengming and his wife looked at each other in surprise, thinking that Shen Hua and the others had dropped something.

  He Qing Society said: "Secretary Shen has just made a decision, deciding to immediately raise the basic salary of our town's primary and secondary school teachers to match the surrounding towns, and to pay off the wages owed in 1992 and 1993 before the end of the year..."

  "Really," Yang Chengming and Zhang Xiuyun found it hard to believe, the news was too sudden, and they asked doubtfully, "If the Education Bureau doesn't allocate funds, where will the money come from?"

  Zhang Xiuyun is the town's financial officer, she knows that the funds allocated by the Education Bureau have not increased in recent years, but she doesn't know the twists and turns of local finance, and doesn't know that the funds allocated by the Education Bureau are actually taxes paid by the towns, which are then balanced among the counties.

  Meixi Town is implementing a large financial package because it needs to be divided out. The tax revenue indicators submitted by Meixi will not increase, and the county's allocation of various funds will also not increase. If teachers' salaries need to be increased, they can only rely on the town's own adjustments.

  All town teachers and staff have had their salaries increased less over the past two years. It's not that the county education bureau didn't increase funding, but rather the town didn't work hard to make up for this shortfall.

  He Qing wouldn't naturally explain these twists and turns to Yang Chengming and Zhang Xiuyun, but instead said magnanimously: "No need for the Education Bureau to increase funding, Secretary Shen has decided that the reduced salary increases for teachers will be fully compensated by the town."

  Yang Chengming and Zhang Xiuyun were so excited that they didn't know what to say, if they really got the back pay for two years of salary increases, this tight life would be a big relief. They had been looking forward to a raise in salary like waiting for the stars and moon, but Shen Hua's decision was made in just a moment.

  At the same time, he was also puzzled. Isn't Shen Hua the deputy secretary of the party committee? How could He Qing She say that this matter was a decision made by "Secretary Shen" on the spot? Such a big thing, with over 400 faculty and staff in the whole town, and one-time payment of nearly one million yuan in wages, can a deputy secretary make such a decision?

  Yang Chengming and Zhang Xiuyun were skeptical, but Shen Huai, He Qing She and Huang Xinliang were all present, so it shouldn't be a joke, and they didn't ask any more questions.

  "We need to get the wages paid before the end of the year, so we have to start working on it today," said He Qing. "I remember you're in charge of finance at Town Elementary School, Zhang Xiuyun. Can you help me visit Principal Chen and Principal Xiao's homes tonight? We'll be having a meeting at the town education office. It will take everyone three or four days of hard work to calculate all the wages. Is someone taking care of Teacher Yang?"

  "I'm fine." Yang Chengming pointed to his own face and waved his hand, saying with effort.

  After leaving Yang Chengming's house, Shen Hui no longer thought about the phone call his father made that afternoon. He thought to himself: Even if he was forgotten in this corner from now on, he still had the ability to do something and change the lives of so many people; If he couldn't change more people's lives, then he would just do a good job with things around him...