Beiguan District 3 is located between two main roads. It is home to a row of shopping malls and shops headed by the New Era Shopping Mall, as well as four or five residential areas behind the commercial district. There are four- or five-story apartment buildings, as well as rows of two-story buildings. There are more than 20,000 voters of sufficient age. The 49th District is completely different from it.
Lu Ming is currently strolling in one of the communities.
Although the top leaders of the Grand Ducal Party have not yet made their decision, Lu Ming has some time today, so he decided to take a look around the third district.
This is an apartment community, but the buildings are relatively old and are inhabited by working class people.
"Which building does your uncle live in?" Lu Ming asked Jin Mi Yan who was walking next to him.
Kim Mi-yeon's relative's home is here, so I brought her here.
Originally, Lu Ming called Wen Liangyu to ask if there was anyone reliable who lived in the community near the New Era Shopping Mall and could take him around the place.
Jia Xiaoling should be nearby. She took the phone and said that the relatives where Jin Miyeon was staying moved here after their business failed last year.
Only then did Lu Ming go to Zuo'an Garden and pick up Jin Miyeon.
I also remembered to call Liu Laocai and asked him to help transfer Jin Meiyan to Vernard.
"Over there, the second building..." Kim Mi-yeon pointed ahead. She was wearing a black and white baseball jacket, loose white pants, a baseball cap, and black canvas shoes. She looked very youthful and sweet.
Lu Ming looked at her and thought that the two sisters had grown tall very early, so Jin Meizhen sat in the last row and became his deskmate.
On the other side, the old man walking slowly in a white shirt and black pants was naturally Uncle Sun.
He came here on a whim, and apart from his closest confidants, only the fourth brother and his wife of the Wen family knew about it, so there was no need for him to be surrounded by a large entourage.
However, there was still a car at each entrance and exit of the community, with armed personnel in the car, watching the people entering and leaving.
"Sister Miyeon! Where have you been? I haven't seen you for a long time!" The surprised voice came from a small figure walking out of a building, carrying a large box on her back. It was a girl of seven or eight years old. When she saw Jin Miyeon, her face was full of surprise.
Lu Ming shook his head. It seemed that bad boys and girls were popular among kids.
"I didn't go anywhere, Xiuxiu, did you go selling lemonade again?" Kim Mi-yeon smiled and pinched her little face.
"Yes!" Xiuxiu agreed happily, and even took the trouble to open the box, "Sister Meiyan, let me pour you a cup. The one I made this time tastes really good!"
"Okay!" Kim Mi-yeon helped her open the box, and Xiuxiu took out a large old thermos and a glass from it, and poured Kim Mi-yeon a glass of lemon juice with a faint green flavor.
Lu Ming laughed and said, "I'll have a drink too!"
Jin Mi Yan was stunned and looked at Lu Ming in disbelief.
Lu Ming knew that she felt that this kind of traditional drink, made by a child at home, was unhygienic, so logically, she would not even touch it.
"Also, send a cup to Uncle Sun as well." Lu Ming pointed at Uncle Sun who was not far away.
Xiuxiu was immediately very happy and quickly poured three full cups. She ran to give one of them to Sun Luting.
Lu Ming picked up the cup and tasted it. It was sour and sweet, and tasted pretty good. Moreover, it was not saccharin but real white sugar, and there was a generous amount of lemon.
Jin Mi-yeon took out her small wallet, took out 1 yuan from it and gave it to Xiuxiu, saying, "Here, no need to change!"
"No, no, I'm treating Sister Mei Yan and your friends to drinks, I don't want any!" Xiuxiu waved her hands repeatedly.
"Take it if you give it to me!" Jin Meiyan stuffed 1 yuan into Xiuxiu's pocket and said, "If you don't want it, I won't drink it next time."
"It's not necessary to give so much. I know that uncle doesn't even give you tuition..." Xiuxiu shook her head repeatedly, very anxious.
Lu Ming smiled and said, "Take it. Your sister Meiyan is making money now."
"Ah, I know, Sister Miyeon will definitely make a lot of money!" Xiuxiu immediately became happy, took out the one-yuan bill, and handed it to Jin Miyeon, "Sister Miyeon, I'll treat you today, okay?" Her tone was firm.
Jin Mi Yan thought about it and took it, but when she went to collect the cups while she was not paying attention, she still stuffed the banknote into the gap of her box.
For the first time, Lu Ming drank the drink in one gulp before handing the cup to Xiuxiu. Xiuxiu immediately put the cup in a basin beside her and said, "You can only wash it there!"
"Brother, Sister Meiyan, I have to go quickly, otherwise it will be difficult to wash clean!"
"Well, go ahead!" Kim Mi-yeon touched her little head.
Xiuxiu carried the big box on her back and walked out of the community with great effort, looking back every few steps. It was obvious that she couldn't bear to leave Sister Meiyan and wanted to talk to her, but she was in a hurry to make a living.
"Where does she set up her stall?" Lu Ming asked.
"In front of the mall, the New Era Mall, the small square." Kim Mi-yeon also looked at Xiuxiu's small figure.
"Oh, the mall security doesn't care?"
"She has been selling it for several years. She used to set up the stall with her grandmother. In the past two years, her grandmother has been paralyzed, so she has been selling it by herself. Everyone knows that the lemonade she and her grandmother make is rich, delicious, and hygienic."
Lu Ming nodded. The security guard at Liu Laocai Shopping Mall was still somewhat humane.
"Where are her parents?"
"I don't know. As far as I know her, she has no parents."
As Jin Meiyan spoke, she glanced at Lu Ming cautiously and said uneasily, "Uncle, I'm not wasting money."
"That's what you earned, and it has nothing to do with me!" Lu Ming waved his hand.
The money was given to her by Jia Xiaoling, and when she went back just now, she saw her wiping the floor with great effort, not leaving any gaps untouched, looking very serious. It seemed that she had to wipe the floor like this every day.
It is actually very hard to clean such a big house, especially since you have to wipe it clean to see if there is any dust.
She also does things like changing the water in the swimming pool by herself.
Well, I have done my duty very conscientiously.
"No, I know. That's the pocket money that Sister Ling gave me on behalf of my uncle. I, I..." Jin Miyeon lowered her head.
Indeed, in theory, she was sold, and all she needed was food and drink, but how could she get any wages
Especially since it had been a month and no one had any bad intentions towards her, let alone letting her live in such a luxurious house.
"If I give it to you, it's yours." Lu Ming waved his hand. This little girl is still very loyal even though she has money.
In fact, looking at Xiuxiu’s patched clothes, you can know what Kim Mi-yeon wants to do by drinking lemon water.
"Well, it seems everyone knows you!"
An old man came over and greeted Mi Yan, and asked why he hadn't seen her for almost a year
The boy next to the old man blushed and kept stealing glances at Kim Mi-yeon.
People like Kim Mi-yeon are probably the common dream lovers of the young boys and neighbors on the street.
"Neighbors, whoever has a nicer family, let's go and sit with them!" Lu Ming said.
"Okay!" Kim Mi-yeon secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She seemed to be afraid of going to her relative's house where she was staying.
…
The living room has a sofa and coffee table, and the kitchen and bathroom also look pretty good.
There was a middle-aged woman sitting opposite him, and Lu Ming was chatting with her.
In fact, as the central area of Beiguan, most of the people here can be said to live in the middle class, and families like Xiuxiu's are extremely rare.
The middle-aged woman has no plans to vote in the upcoming council election and doesn't even know who the current councillor for her neighbourhood is.
You know, a few years ago, that congressman came to the community and spoke through a loudspeaker and gave a speech.
But those congressmen have nothing to do with my life.
Lu Ming listened and nodded from time to time.
After leaving Jin Mi-yeon's home, called "Aunt Li", Lu Ming walked slowly out of the community in deep thought.
Jin Mi Yan didn't dare to disturb him and followed him obediently.
Lu Ming thought, it is normal that the voter turnout is not high, especially in local elections in big cities. It was also the same in the West in his previous life. In the elections of local councilors, mayors, etc. in big cities, voter turnout rates of more than 10% to 20% were normal.
However, Western scholars believe that theoretically, there is no difference in the results if 20% of voters vote or 80% of voters vote.
Lu Ming looked at Jin Meiyan and said with a smile: "If you vote for a councillor, how many neighbors can you mobilize?"
Jin Mi Yan said "Ah?" but didn't know how to answer.
Lu Ming laughed. Actually, he was joking, but this kind of community canvassing was actually very important to mobilize the neighbors. After all, the voter turnout in the Third District last year was 15%, which means that only three or four thousand voters participated in the voting. If a few hundred neighbors were mobilized, it would be a considerable force.
At this time, they had already walked out of the community. Looking at the car parked next to the broad-leaved green trees at the community exit, Lu Ming did not walk over to get in the car. He smiled and said, "Let's go to Xiuxiu's place for another glass of lemonade."
…
A crowd gathered in front of the New Era Shopping Mall, and I heard someone crying inside, and it seemed to be Xiuxiu.
Sun Bo was in front, and the people around him somehow made way for him. Lu Ming walked in, frowning slightly.
But I saw Xiuxiu crying while cleaning up the broken glasses on the ground. The big thermos was also broken, and many more glasses were broken into pieces. There were fragments all over the ground, and lemonade was everywhere.
Xiuxiu was picking up the broken pieces of glass and putting them into her big foam box.
Next to him stood a middle-aged man in black clothes and pants, with a pen in his shirt pocket. He shouted, "Pack up quickly, clean up and leave. I won't fine you this time!"
The people watching nearby were all sighing. Lu Ming frowned and was about to walk up to ask.
Jin Meiyan had already hurried in to help Xiuxiu pick up the broken glass on the ground. An old man couldn't stand it anymore and asked, "What are you doing? A little girl is selling some water for everyone to drink. Is it your business?"
"She can't sell without a health permit. This is the law, do you understand?" The middle-aged man looked at the old man with contempt.
Lu Ming nodded and became the health supervisor.
After walking in and waving his hand, a burly man immediately came in to help the two little guys clean up. He smiled innocently at them and said, "Please move aside. Don't prick your little hands and feet."
Lu Ming was dressed in fancy clothes, and he only needed to wave his hand to have his followers do menial tasks.
The middle-aged man looked at Lu Ming twice, feeling a little guilty, and said, "Okay, pack up quickly!" He turned around and wanted to leave.
Lu Ming smiled and said, "Don't leave. Tell me your name. You and I should be under the Beiguan Health Committee, right? You are all waiting to receive my lawyer's letter."
The middle-aged man was startled, turned around, and forced a smile: "Sir, are you a lawyer? Then this joke is not allowed. You know the law. This little girl doesn't have a license, and her products don't have a health permit. She can't set up a stall to sell, what do you think, right?"
"You don't need to tell me these. Tell the judge in court." Lu Ming was too lazy to pay attention to him and made a gesture.
A beautiful girl in a red dress stood in front of the middle-aged man. "Where's your ID? Please take it out and I'll record it!"
The middle-aged man had no choice but to take out his ID. The girl took it, took out a booklet and a pen, wrote a few words on it, and returned the ID to him.
"Ah, you are a lawyer!" The old man who had accused the man earlier came over tremblingly. He was wearing a green robe, very traditional. "Mr. Lawyer, I am willing to testify. This person was very fierce. He kicked the girl's stall right away. You can ask them to close the stall, but you can't do this, right? This girl, her name is Xiuxiu, I often see her selling lemonade. I am too old and my teeth are not good, but people say it is clean, cheap, and delicious. My grandson especially likes it."
Lu Ming nodded: "It's not right to ask people to close the stall." He smiled and said: "Do you often walk here?!"
"Yes, I live behind the shopping mall, across a road from Xiuxiu's community." The old man pointed to the area behind the New Era Shopping Mall. He should live in a two-story building.
"Well, old man, if I need a witness, I will contact you then. Your specific address..."
The girl came over again and recorded the old man's address.
Lu Ming thought that he didn't need to go to court for this matter. He could just wait for the committee to send a lawyer to negotiate a settlement with him and ask for some money. There would be no need for witnesses or anything like that.
I walked up to Xiuxiu who was crying quietly, and next to her, Jin Miyeon was comforting her.
Lu Ming looked at the girl standing next to him, "Do you have a hundred yuan in cash? Give it to me."
The girl hurriedly opened her briefcase and took out a red banknote.
Lu Ming handed them to Xiuxiu and said, "Don't take these things. Buy better ones later." Without waiting for Xiuxiu to refuse, he said, "These are not given by me. They are compensated by me. They will compensate more later. I will advance the money first and you can continue."
But little Xiuxiu didn't dare to take the hundred-dollar bill. She just kept shaking her head and wiping her tears.
Lu Ming gave the banknote to Jin Mi Yan.
Again, although the health supervisor had left, the crowd was still standing around, looking at him curiously. Some of them were probably guessing their own identities and talking among themselves.
Lu Ming looked at the girl next to him and said, "What are we here for?"
The lady in red was stunned for a moment, then she understood. She raised her slender hand and raised her voice: "Dear neighbors, this is Lawyer Lu Qianxing. He is running for councilor of this district. He has been working hard to build a fair community and a fair society!" After that, she took the lead in applauding.
In fact, most of the customers who come to the Times Shopping Mall are naturally not from this constituency, and they are all confused. However, people have the herd effect. The girl clapped, and some big men outside followed suit, so many people also applauded for no apparent reason.
The two reporters who were in the car started taking photos.
Lu Ming stood facing the camera with a smile. Originally, he was just taking a look, and he brought reporters with him just as a backup.
But I didn't expect it, but I actually used it.