Chapter 739 Planning a House 5
The dim and small room was originally filled with a depressing and dull atmosphere, as if the air was frozen, making it hard to breathe. However, at this moment, the three people seemed to be injected with an invisible vitality, and they talked enthusiastically. The voices were just as fragmented as the gurgling stream at first, but gradually, they became like the surging tide, one wave after another, and they talked more and more vigorously. The originally lifeless atmosphere was like a pile of dry firewood that was suddenly thrown into a spark, and it was instantly ignited and became warm all of a sudden, just like a blazing bonfire, the flames soared higher and higher, and burned more and more vigorously, illuminating the whole room, and even the air seemed to be filled with a fiery passion.
The focus of their discussion quickly shifted to which neighbors to get involved in this matter. Everyone's face was filled with excitement and anticipation, as if they had seen the dawn of victory shining ahead. Then, the topic turned to how to word the letter. Everyone gave suggestions one after another. Some suggested that it should be written more sincerely, while others emphasized that it was also important to be decent. After all, this letter was to be presented to the leader. Only by expressing everyone's housing difficulties sincerely and appropriately could the leader feel empathy after reading it and pay attention to their problems.
Xu Damao frowned slightly, as if his brows were twisted into a knot that could not be untied. He tried hard to recall the situation of his neighbors in his mind. His fingers tapped lightly on the table unconsciously, making a rhythmic "tapping" sound, as if that was the rhythm of his thinking.
He cleared his throat and said excitedly, "I think the Wang family is a good choice. Just think about it. They have so many people in their family, but they live in a small house. Every time I go to their house, I see that the children have no place to do their homework. They can only lie on the dining table to do their homework every night. It's so uncomfortable. I think they are also looking forward to being allocated a house. And the Li family, their elderly are in poor health and need a quiet environment to recuperate. But the house they live in now is noisy and small. If there is any noise outside, it can be heard clearly in the house. It is not conducive to the elderly's recuperation at all."
As he spoke, his eyes sparkled with excitement, like the twinkling stars in the night sky, revealing a vision for the future. It was as if he had seen the beautiful scene of these neighbors joining in and working together to divide the houses. Maybe it wouldn't be long before everyone could live in a spacious and bright new house.
Yan Bugui listened to Xu Damao's words quietly, nodding his head, his eyes full of approval. He narrowed his eyes slightly, thought carefully, and said slowly: "Da Mao is right, these two families are indeed in special situations, just like us, they all hope to be allocated houses to improve their lives. However, we have to talk to them first and see what they think, we can't just pull them in on our own. If they don't want to, or have other concerns, that's not good. After all, this matter is related to everyone's interests, we can't act rashly, we have to be cautious." There was a hint of caution in his tone, just like an experienced captain, when facing unknown waters, he always carefully controls the direction of the ship, for fear that he will accidentally hit a reef and sink.
In the narrow room shrouded in dim light, the third aunt was sitting on an old wooden chair with some paint peeling off, leaning forward slightly, her ears carefully catching every word of Xu Damao and Yan Bugui.
Hearing their discussion about finding neighbors and the wording of the letter, the third aunt also hurriedly echoed them, her voice carrying a bit of urgency and sincerity: "Yes, yes. When we tell people about this, we have to say it nicely and explain the situation clearly and clearly. If they don't understand our difficulties, how can they be willing to act with us? We have to let them know that we are doing this for the common good, not for our own personal affairs. Moreover, when writing letters, we must pay special attention to the tone. It can't be too tough. If the tone is too aggressive, the leader will definitely feel uncomfortable after reading it, and may throw our letter aside; but it can't be too weak either. If it is soft and has no strength, the leader will not pay attention to our problem after reading it. We have to grasp the right degree, just like adding salt to cooking, too much salty, too little bland, only when it is just right, the taste will be right."
As she spoke, her hands unconsciously gestured in the air, sometimes slightly raising them as if she was adjusting the firm yet polite tone when writing the letter; sometimes lightly pressing them down as if she was controlling the subtle balance between weakness and firmness. She looked so serious, as if she was an experienced letter-writing master, carefully crafting a letter that could change everyone's destiny.
The three of them were talking animatedly, the atmosphere was as heated as a volcano about to erupt, when suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew in from the door. The wind was like a naughty and willful beast, rushing into the house without any warning. The candlelight, which had been burning steadily, immediately began to sway when it was blown by the sudden cold wind. The flame trembled violently in the wind, flickering, as if it would be ruthlessly blown out by the cold wind at any time, plunging the house, which had finally become lively, into darkness again. It turned out that the door was not closed tightly, leaving a narrow gap. The wind followed the gap and drilled in like a slippery loach, rushing around the house wantonly.
Seeing this, Yan Bugui stood up from his chair in a hurry. He walked to the door in an anxious pace. He grabbed the door handle with both hands, pushed it gently, and then carefully closed the door. He also checked the crack of the door with his hand to make sure that no wind could get in. After doing all this, he slowly returned to his seat, patted the dust on his body, and said with a smile: "The wind is really strong, as if it is deliberately against us. Don't blow out the fire of hope that we have finally ignited. Our fire of hope carries everyone's dream of living in a new house." There was a hint of ridicule in his words, and that ridicule was like a light-hearted joke inserted in the tense fighting atmosphere, relieving the little tension caused by the cold wind just now. But if you listen carefully, you can also reveal from his words that he attaches great importance to this matter, like a guard guarding a treasure, carefully guarding everyone's hope.
Xu Damao sat on the chair and patted his chest heavily with both hands. The sound was particularly loud in the quiet room, as if he was announcing his determination to everyone. His eyes were shining with a determined light, like the brightest stars in the night sky. He said confidently: "Old Yan, don't worry. This fire of hope will only burn brighter and brighter. It won't be blown out so easily. Let's discuss it now. Let's go to Lao Wang and Lao Li early tomorrow morning and tell them about it. If they agree, we will start writing letters and try to get them to the leaders as soon as possible. As long as the leaders don't see our letters, our housing problem will not be solved. We can't waste time." His eyes were full of determination and determination, as if he had seen victory waving to him and the scene of everyone happily moving into the new house. The scene was like a beautiful picture scroll, slowly unfolding before his eyes.
Under the dim light, Yan Bugui frowned slightly, his eyes showing some confidence after thinking. He nodded gently. Although the amplitude of the nodding was not large, it was full of unquestionable determination. He said: "Okay, let's do it this way. However, we must also be prepared for both situations. The distribution of houses is like a war without gunpowder smoke, and the competition is very fierce. Think about it, so many people in the unit are looking forward to being allocated houses, and everyone has tried their best. We can't put all our hopes on this letter. What if this letter doesn't work, then we will have nothing to gain." There was a hint of calmness in his tone, and that calmness was like a mountain that has gone through wind and rain but still stands tall, giving people a sense of reliability. After all, he has been working hard in the unit for so many years and has experienced so many things. He also knows that he can't put all his eggs in one basket and has to leave himself a way out.
The third aunt was sitting aside, originally listening to Yan Bugui's words attentively. When she heard this, her eyes suddenly lit up, like two stars that suddenly lit up. She quickly agreed, "Yes, we have to think of other ways. This letter is like a bullet we fired, and it might miss the target. We have to start from multiple aspects to increase the chances of success. For example, can we find colleagues in the unit who have a good relationship with the leaders and ask them to help say good things in front of the leaders. These colleagues deal with the leaders every day, and maybe the leaders will listen to them. Or, let's learn about the specific standards for distributing houses and see in which aspects we can work harder. Just like building a house, we have to know what the standards are so that we can build the house to meet the requirements and increase the chances of getting a house." There was a gleam of wisdom in her eyes, and that light was like the stars twinkling in the night sky, revealing a sense of cleverness, as if she was making plans for this matter. As she spoke, she gestured with her hands, as if those methods had been presented one by one in front of her.
The three of them continued to discuss for a while, and their heated discussions echoed in the room. Xu Damao sometimes frowned in thought, and sometimes put forward his own ideas; Yan Bugui nodded from time to time to show his agreement, or put forward some additional opinions; the third aunt actively gave ideas on the side, and the scene was like a fierce brainstorming. They roughly arranged the next plan, from when to go to the neighbors, to when to understand the housing allocation standards, to when to write and send letters, everything was arranged in an orderly manner, as if they had already seen victory waving to them.
Before he knew it, it was already late at night, and the world outside the window fell into silence. Only the pure white moonlight, like a gentle messenger, sprinkled on the ground through the window, forming patches of silver light, as if a thin layer of silver yarn was spread on the ground. Xu Damao looked at his watch, the hands of which flickered faintly in the moonlight. He exclaimed in surprise: "Oh, it's so late, I have to go back. If I don't go back, my family will be worried." As he spoke, he stood up, his movements were a little anxious, as if he couldn't wait to go home. He tidied his clothes, said goodbye to Yan Bugui and the third aunt, and then walked towards the door with firm steps, ready to leave this house full of hope and discussion to welcome new actions tomorrow.
Yan Bugui and the third aunt also stood up and sent Xu Damao to the door. Yan Bugui patted Xu Damao on the shoulder and said, "Damo, you have worked hard today. You came here so late to discuss this with us. Let's work together tomorrow and try to get this done." His eyes were full of trust and expectation.
Xu Damao nodded and said, "Don't worry, Old Yan. If we work together, we will definitely be able to do it." After that, he took big strides and disappeared into the night.
Yan Bugui and the third aunt returned to the house and sat on the chairs. Although they were a little tired, they were full of hope. They knew that although the distribution of houses was difficult, as long as everyone worked together, there would be a chance. They looked forward to successfully persuading Lao Wang and Lao Li tomorrow and working together to get a house.
The next morning, the sun shone through the window into the house, bringing a touch of warmth. Yan Bugui and the third aunt got up early, packed up briefly, and went out to find Lao Wang and Lao Li. They walked in the alley with brisk steps, as if they had seen the dawn of victory.
They first came to Lao Wang's house and knocked on the door. After a while, the door opened, Lao Wang poked his head out, and saw Yan Bugui and the third aunt. He asked in surprise: "Lao Yan, third aunt, you come so early, what's the matter?"
Yan Bugui smiled and said, "Old Wang, we want to discuss something important with you. Come on, let's go inside and talk." Then they followed Old Wang into the house.
In the house, Yan Bugui told Lao Wang everything about the house allocation and the idea of writing a letter to the leader. Lao Wang's eyes lit up and he said, "Oh, that's a good thing. My family is really looking forward to getting a house. The children don't have a quiet place to do their homework. I am willing to work with you and we will strive to get a house together." His tone was full of excitement and expectation, as if he had already seen the beautiful scene of getting a house.
Yan Bugui and the third aunt were delighted when they heard this. They then discussed some details with Lao Wang, such as the content of the letter, the order of signatures, etc. After the discussion, they said goodbye to Lao Wang and went to Lao Li's house.
At Lao Li's house, they also told Lao Li about the matter. Lao Li listened, a little hesitant, and said: "This sounds good, but I'm worried that it will cause trouble. If the leader thinks we are making trouble, it will be difficult to deal with." There was a trace of worry in his eyes. After all, he worked in the unit and didn't want to offend the leader because of this matter.
Yan Bugui said quickly: "Old Li, don't worry. We are just reflecting the situation reasonably, not making trouble unreasonably. What's more, with so many of us together, the leaders will not blame us easily. Think about it, if we can get a house, the elderly can have a quiet environment to recuperate, isn't that a good thing?" He tried to convince Old Li with these words, his eyes full of anticipation.
The third aunt also said, "Yes, Lao Li. We are all trying to improve our lives, not doing anything bad. Besides, this opportunity is rare. If you miss it, it may be even more difficult to get a house in the future." There was a hint of earnestness in her tone, hoping that Lao Li could join them.
After listening to this, Lao Li thought for a while, finally nodded and said, "Okay, then I'll try it with you. But we have to be careful not to mess things up." There was a hint of caution in his tone, but he still decided to join them.
Yan Bugui and the third aunt were delighted when they heard this. They knew that with the addition of Lao Wang and Lao Li, their strength would be greater and their hope of getting a house would be greater. After discussing some details with Lao Li, they said goodbye to Lao Li and returned home.