Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 699 The Distance to the People

The police car quickly pulled up at the entrance of the community.

The old community signs are so worn that the words are no longer legible, and the furnishings and layout inside are the old-fashioned, square, and orderly office spaces, giving people a sense of alienation from the community.

Upon entering, one finds numerous oil jugs, rice, flour, milk, and small lucky fans laid out on the ground beside the entrance, along with two large air conditioners with large red paper bearing the words "donation" affixed to them.

"These were donated free of charge by the owner of an air conditioner store in our city; there were forty units in total. I arrived very early, but I only got two. Although they are all older models, to be honest, they are much better than the ones installed in my apartment building. It's just that..."

The community director shook his head with a sigh, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

"Yes! I'm afraid that the moment we deliver it to their door, before the installation technician even gets there, they'll have already sold it. Even if it's an old-fashioned air conditioner, at least it's unused, so it's easy to sell it for a few hundred or a thousand yuan."

Nie Guoqiang sighed, then shook his head at the community director and continued, "In the end, we only received a few words of thanks, and our mission of providing assistance was accomplished superficially. They say the impoverished elderly received real benefits, but who actually benefited from these benefits?"

"Ha ha……"

The community director could only laugh helplessly.

He knew he couldn't hide this from Nie Guoqiang. If it were Hu Lijun, everyone could have managed to brush it off, but since it was Nie Guoqiang who came, things were going to be tough today.

After thinking about it, he sighed.

"When you came to do this two years ago, you had an installer install it on-site, but it was still taken away by the second-hand appliance recyclers the next day. The old man insisted on selling it, what could we do? Giving it to him is his freedom!"

"Yes!"

Nie Guoqiang was also troubled. He took off his hat and fanned himself, saying helplessly, "But the weather forecast says it's even hotter today than last year. If we don't take precautions against heatstroke, the dog days of summer can really kill people. The elderly are in poor health, so we need to be even more careful about how they avoid the heat. Do they think that just sitting under a tree on a stool all day will cool them down? That might be better than being stuffy indoors with better ventilation, but they're still just as prone to heatstroke."

The community director nodded in agreement, saying, "The elderly have slow reflexes, and they might not even realize they're dehydrated for a while. Preventing them from getting heatstroke is indeed a troublesome issue! But our community resources are limited. Look how small this room is, and the air conditioner is old and doesn't cool very well. Even if we let them all come in and sit, it wouldn't make a difference! I'd like to install this new air conditioner in the lobby so the elderly can come here every day to escape the heat for free; but do I dare? Do you believe that if I install it today, I'll have to resign tomorrow?"

"Nonsense! If it can be used to decorate the lobby today, it can be used to decorate the office tomorrow, and it can be used to decorate your own home the day after! The things that others donate are for the elderly, so why should you hang them on your own wall?"

Nie Guoqiang glared at the man, knowing full well what he was up to.
He wanted to find someone to act as guarantor! But Nie Guoqiang had no intention of doing that! After all, to be honest, the community's funds were not necessarily less than the police station's. Damn it, paying for two air conditioners out of their own pocket would be a really difficult thing for the community.

The rent from those few shops at the back gate of the community is more than just a few air conditioners; not to mention there's a piece of land behind the community that's rented to a large furniture market, which generates a huge income every year.

That's why Nie Guoqiang wouldn't fall for it! He only cared about using the funds for their designated purpose, ensuring that all the supplies and money distributed to the elderly were delivered in full.

As for the elderly selling air conditioners or even Hongyun fans for money, your community should figure out a solution. No matter what, you have to resolve the issue properly!
The community director immediately looked distressed.

"Hehe... It's rare to see Nie Guoqiang being so unreasonable."

Lin Ge squatted happily under the eaves by the door, looking around to see a plump woman busily copying something behind a table in the inner room. She had a lollipop in her mouth, sipping it as she worked, seemingly unconcerned about cavities or gaining weight.

As for Nie Guoqiang making things difficult for the community director, Lin Ge thought the community director deserved it.

If you're in charge of the community and you haven't managed it well, then that's your responsibility! Don't worry about the elderly having this problem or that problem; this is part of your daily work, and you have to live up to the salary the government pays you.

Complaining about how troublesome it is to do such a small thing, what can we expect from people like you?

Lin Ge glanced at the community director with disdain.

Ultimately, under Nie Guoqiang's strong order, the community director called out a few young female grid workers from his office and also called two middle-aged men who often helped with the work in the community. They packed all the supplies onto two community electric vehicles.

It wasn't an electric vehicle parked in the community, but an electric scooter specifically for community workers to use when running errands, with the words "XX Community" printed on it.

These days, even community workers don't have to walk anymore when they're doing their work; but police officers from local police stations still have to walk step by step when they visit homes.

Lin Ge sighed and jumped into the back seat of the car first.

The chubby woman with the lollipop in her mouth wanted to come in, but found a cat sitting in her spot. She could only complain as she pushed out her electric bicycle that was charging next to her.

The group quickly entered the community and began visiting every household with elderly people, starting from the first alley.

There was one category for those aged seventy, another for those aged eighty, and another for those living alone without anyone to take care of them; and yet another for those with family members who had joined the army or who had been wounded or sacrificed for the country. Soon, the vast majority of oil, rice, milk, and lucky fans were distributed.

Lin Ge followed Nie Guoqiang into several of the homes, where Nie Guoqiang inquired about their living conditions. Several elderly residents complained about minor issues such as clogged drains and garbage bins being too far away, which Nie Guoqiang instructed the community director to resolve immediately. Frankly, these matters were not Nie Guoqiang's concern, and he had no right to order the community staff to do anything; however, his demands were all practical, leaving the community director with no choice but to nod and smile awkwardly.

After a short rest, we continued walking, the scorching sun making everyone drenched in sweat.

The chubby girl had the hardest job and couldn't help but complain that in previous years the elderly had to go to the community to collect supplies themselves. As a result, the community director turned around and glared at her fiercely.

Nie Guoqiang pretended not to hear it.

He can't control how the community is responsible for people's issues, but now that he's here, he has to take it seriously and see it through to the end.

The lucky fans were distributed to several elderly people whose homes did not actually have electric fans. This did not escape the notice of Nie Guoqiang and Lin Ge. At least two people who had bought electric fans but hid them at this time to take advantage of the situation were easily found out by Lin Ge.

Neither of the two elderly people felt ashamed. They just muttered things like "it's for the little grandson" before closing the door to the second bedroom that Lin Ge had opened.

Another elderly person simply couldn't bear to spend the electricity bill, saying that using a palm-leaf fan to cool off was just fine. A community grid worker muttered behind them that this elderly person was quite wealthy, but just couldn't bear to spend it, so naturally they were excluded from the gift category.

The community's donations should be given to those who truly need them, not just randomly given to an elderly person who seems to meet the criteria, to complete the task and be done with it.

Nie Guoqiang's words made the community director's face twitch again.

Continuing to walk forward, we finally reached the area furthest from the community office building, which was also near the border with the neighboring community.

The houses here look older, and there are fewer community posters and anti-fraud banners. It's clear that no one wants to travel this far; I guess only the grid worker responsible for this area comes here occasionally.

At the very end of this alley, Lin Ge saw an incredibly large sycamore tree!

It would probably take two or three people to encircle it, and judging from its thickness, it is at least fifty years old. Many branches of this tree have withered, but the top is still covered with a green canopy like an umbrella, providing rare shade for the old man under the tree.

Under the tree, eleven or twelve old men, dressed in thin clothes or even shirtless, gathered together to play "Upgrading" and "Fighting the Landlord." There were also three people playing long cards nearby. Lin Ge couldn't understand how to play these games at all.

There was also a chess set on the side, which looked like imitation ivory, and had been touched until it was shiny and smooth.

The elderly people's electric vehicles in the community are blocked in front of the alley because several families behind the alley have extended their courtyard walls outwards, leaving no parking space inside. Even for the elderly people's electric vehicles, it is very inconvenient to get out once they enter.

The remaining rice, oil, milk, fan, and air conditioner were all dragged over in a small cart.

Upon seeing the people from the community, several of the card players quickly stood up. Only one shirtless, thin old man didn't even glance in their direction, but instead slammed his cards onto the table even more vigorously.

Upon discovering this person, Nie Guoqiang was taken aback.

He stared at the old man for a long time before quickly walking forward.

"Old Director!"

Nie Guoqiang's tone was extremely respectful, immediately stunning the old man's card-playing friends and several community members. Even Lin Ge couldn't help but twitch his ears, first wondering if he had misheard, then looking at the old man in astonishment. Really? The former director of Zhanghe Police Station was such a seemingly unapproachable old man?
Even the community director looked at Nie Guoqiang in disbelief. How could he not know that he had such a big shot under his command, and that he lived in such a dilapidated old house?
"Something wrong? To K!"

The old man still didn't look up, his eyes fixed on the playing cards in his hand, and he played two cards.

His three card-playing friends had lost interest in playing cards and were just looking at their old man, who only knew how to play cards and tend the garden all day, with surprise. So you were an official back in the day? A police station chief?
"It's nothing! I just happened to be in the area to oversee the distribution of summer heat relief supplies and other gifts to the community, and I thought I'd drop by to see you. I'm relieved to see that you're doing well."

Nie Guoqiang was very sincere, speaking to the old man even more earnestly than to Yang Ye. After carefully examining the old man, he found that his temper was still as fiery as before, but his physical and mental health were still quite good, which finally brought a satisfied smile to his face.

"Of course I'm healthy! Better than you!"

This time, the old man finally gave him some face and looked up at Nie Guoqiang.

Anyone familiar with Nie Guoqiang could see that his health and complexion were not as good as before; so the old man put the cards together, turned around and looked at Nie Guoqiang with a sneer.

"Hmph! Look at you now, so sickly and weak. You're so young, yet your health has already collapsed. You've completely ignored what I told you back then, haven't you?"

"Ha ha……"

Nie Guoqiang chuckled twice but couldn't answer.

This was the first time Lin Ge had ever seen Nie Guoqiang act so timidly. He was usually arrogant and domineering, even in the municipal bureau and in Chu City, showing no respect to anyone. It was truly rare to see this guy actually behaving so meekly.

"Is this the police cat we have at our police station now?"

Unexpectedly, the old man quickly shifted his attention to Lin Ge, looked him over, and then curled his lip in disdain, saying, "He seems to have some intelligence, but he doesn't seem to follow the rules very well. What fighting power can a cat that fat have?"

"How did this get dragged into this?"

Lin Ge was stunned for a moment, then looked at the old man speechlessly. So what if the cat's a little chubby? It didn't eat your rice! As for its fighting ability, pulling out all of your whiskers wouldn't be a problem at all!

"Oh ho, you've got quite a temper, haven't you?"

Seeing Lin Ge glaring at him, the old man stood up. He looked even thinner after standing up, but his skin and bones still inexplicably exuded a sense of strength.

The old man was quick-witted and agile, and Lin Ge, out of respect for his status, didn't try to dodge much, so the old man grabbed him by the back of the neck and lifted him up. He pulled the cat in front of his face, and the two stared at each other, Lin Ge feigning innocence.

The next second, he was thrown out by that old geezer.

"Fuck!"

Lin Ge somersaulted in mid-air, quickly adjusting his posture to steady himself before landing. He glared at the crazy old man, annoyed. "You're giving me a break, and you still act like this?"

As a result, the old man ignored Lingo and went back to the card table to continue studying his own hand.

"If you have something to do, get on with it. If you don't, get lost! I'm retired now. I'm just an ordinary idle person. I don't need anyone to come and visit me."

"Yes! I'm relieved to see that you're doing well."

Nie Guoqiang bowed respectfully before returning to the community workers, gesturing for them to continue distributing the gifts.

Upon seeing the rice, oil, and other supplies brought by the community workers, the old man's card-playing friends all stopped their game. After all, distributing these things had to be done household by household; it wasn't feasible to simply divide everything up among the dozen or so elderly people under the tree.

The sight of the brand-new, still-in-package air conditioner unit made the elderly people extremely envious.

This isn't the first time anyone has received community assistance, so of course they know the basic rules. It's simply a matter of whoever's family is the most needy. Every year, they get a few dozen or a hundred yuan from these things; it's like a windfall.

In essence, the elderly people's ideas are not wrong at all. The community is well aware of who is in need and who is not; therefore, they haven't made any mistakes in deciding who should receive the items. As for how the recipients use the items after they are given them, that's their own business, and the community has no say in that. So even if some elderly people resell the items they receive to nearby supermarkets, the community has no right to say that they did anything wrong.

In the past, community welfare visits would include some impractical items. Later, it was discovered that those frivolous things were mostly resold, so they switched to rice and oil. After all, everyone needs rice, so the chances of it being resold are lower.

So, under Lingo's bored gaze and as he lazily strolled from house to house, all the rice, oil, and milk on the cart were delivered.

It basically ensured that everyone received some, so that every elderly person's home could get some.

As for the remaining lucky fan and the air conditioner, we need to find out more about the specific circumstances of these households.

After all, they might resell the fan, or they might keep it. In this heat, it's always good to have something easier.

These things didn't require Nie Guoqiang's supervision; the community staff could handle everything quickly. So, while Nie Guoqiang was enjoying the shade under the only remaining tree, the only thing left to distribute was that air conditioner.

The old director did not participate in the activity from beginning to end, but only watched the community staff work with a cold eye, and saw that the old neighbors all focused their attention on the last air conditioner.

"Who do you want to give this to?"

He started giving Nie Guoqiang questions.

“This is a gesture of care and concern from the community; it has nothing to do with me. I'm just here to check on the elderly people in the community; I have no right to distribute it.”

Nie Guoqiang didn't respond, nor would he take the initiative to make a decision on the matter. He knew the principle that it's not scarcity that's the problem, but inequality; giving this stuff to any poor household wouldn't be wrong. As long as there was no favoritism, the community could arrange it however they wanted.

"Then what are you doing here?!"

The old director glared at Nie Guoqiang.

"I came to see you and also wanted to ask you about something."

Nie Guoqiang didn't hide anything and said directly, "Old Chief, you can see that my body can no longer keep up with frontline work. So I'm considering whether to transfer to another position or continue. If I transfer, I'll miss the frontline; but if I continue... I'm afraid my health will be a burden to everyone. To be honest, you may not know, but the atmosphere in the police station is really good right now! The old, middle-aged, and young generations are thriving, and we really should make way for the newcomers..."

"Is your leg broken? Or are you blind?"

The old director's words stunned Nie Guoqiang and made Lin Ge turn around speechlessly. This old guy really has a sharp tongue.

"Of course I can keep going!"

Nie Guoqiang grinned.

"If you can persevere, why be a deserter? As long as you can still work, work until you're exhausted! With you leading the way, I can rest assured about the police station. As for giving up your position to the newcomer, what position? The deputy chief's position? Who in the police station do you think can take on that responsibility right now? When I handed over the deputy chief's position to you, I spent a long time selecting people; and you, on the other hand, just let anyone go without even choosing?"

The old man spoke in somewhat roguish terms, but his meaning was quite clear. He didn't believe that anyone in the police station was a qualified successor, and that Nie Guoqiang needed to persist for a few more years until someone was brought out.

It's just a position as deputy director of a police station, but this old man treats it like a treasure, looking down on everyone else.

"If Zhang Yong knew about this, he would definitely be devastated."

Lin Ge's smile was somewhat sarcastic.

(End of this chapter)