After hearing the old leader's words, Wang Xinsheng felt a mix of surprise and joy. He was glad for Lu Zhiyuan, but also found the old leader's predicament amusing, "Old leader, just say it if you're short of money. Although my salary is the same as yours, my expenses are not as high as yours. I can lend you some money since I always have some to spare every month."
Being neighbors with the old leader, Wang Xinsheng had a clear idea of his financial situation.
By regulation, the old leader was supposed to receive the state's first-grade salary of six hundred and thirty yuan per month. But after the three years of hardship, the old leader took the initiative to lower his salary from the first-grade down to the third-grade, just two cents shy of four hundred and five yuan.
