Chapter 24: It Turns Out to be an Exile (Part 1)

Chapter 24: It Turns Out to be an Exile (Part 1)

That night, Hou Weidong’s dreams were a chaotic mix. He saw Xiaojia, then the mysterious long-haired woman, and even fleeting fragments of Duan Ying. In the end, his subconscious chose Xiaojia. They embraced desperately, ignoring everything else. When he woke up, his shorts were damp with a large stain.

He had experienced a nocturnal emission.

Hou Weidong felt a wave of complex emotions. He reached into his pocket for some tissue paper and carefully wiped away the coconut-scented essence of life from his underwear. Since he had started his relationship with Xiaojia, he hadn’t had a wet dream in ages. It was ironic that a mysterious stranger in his dream had triggered this long-lost physiological response.

The next morning, the front of his underwear was stiff and uncomfortable. However, he only had one pair of underwear with him. Despite the discomfort, he had no choice but to make do with it.

At the bus station, he spotted the bus heading to Qinglin Town. Hou Weidong took a deep breath. This vehicle was the dirtiest at the entire Yiyang Bus Station, and it was the only one where passengers boarded first and bought tickets later.

The bus was piled high with various goods. The aisle was cluttered with bamboo baskets containing unidentifiable scraps and junk, alongside two unrecognizable machines coated in shiny, black grease. Hou Weidong tried to navigate carefully, but he still managed to get his clothes dirty.

By the time the bus departed, it was packed tight with people and cargo.

After an hour of travel, the road deteriorated, becoming narrower and rougher. The passengers’ clothes grew increasingly tattered and filthy. The air was filled with coarse laughter and vulgar chatter. A few ducks at the front of the bus quacked loudly, adding to the cacophony.

As they continued, the road underwent a qualitative change. Potholes followed one another, large ones nesting within smaller ones. The bus bounced and swayed like a dancer in a discotheque. Hou Weidong’s clothes had made countless intimate contacts with the bamboo baskets and machinery. Forced by circumstance, he had effectively merged with the masses of Qinglin Town.

Three hours later, they finally arrived at a dilapidated small town. Standing in the center, Hou Weidong could take in the entire town at a glance. Although he knew that township conditions were poor, he couldn’t hide his disappointment. To steady his nerves, he took out his last Hongtashan cigarette, stood by the side of the street, and lit it.

A black Santana sedan drove out of a courtyard. Hou Weidong hadn’t expected to see a Santana in such a small town. He quickly stepped aside, but the dust kicked up by the car enveloped him completely, giving him a thorough dust sauna.

He touched his face and felt nothing but grit. He rubbed his cheeks vigorously with his hands, and within moments, he rubbed off strips of mud. Straightening his chest, he walked toward the direction the Santana had come from. His estimation was correct; from a distance, he saw several signs. The most prominent ones read “CPC Yiyang County Qinglin Town Committee” and “Yiyang County Qinglin Town People’s Government.” Beside them were signs for the People’s Armed Forces Department, the Discipline Inspection Commission, and the Presidium of the People’s Congress. In the corner of the courtyard stood another sign: Qinglin Town police station.

Hou Weidong stood outside for a while, watching villagers enter and exit the government gate. He found the Party and Government Office. Seeing the door open, he walked in.

Inside the office, there were four desks. A dozen villagers were gathered around one desk, seemingly handling some documentation. A plump woman sat at a desk, staring blankly into space. Another man, around thirty years old, was on the phone.

“Mayor Chao, Secretary Zhao needs to attend a meeting in the county. The meeting scheduled for this afternoon has been moved to tomorrow morning at ten o’clock, in the central conference room.”

After hanging up, the man slumped into his chair. The rattan chair had a broken leg, wrapped with cloth strips. Under the man’s weight, it creaked ominously, bending as if ready to collapse at any moment.

Hou Weidong approached the man. “Hello, comrade. I’m here to report for duty.” He handed the relevant certificates from the Personnel Bureau to the man. The man took the documents without looking at them and asked, “What are you reporting for?”

“I’ve been assigned to the Yiyang government. I’m here to report today.”

The man smiled. “Are you a teacher assigned this year? You should report to the Education Office.”

Hou Weidong explained, “I’ve been assigned to the town government. This is the introduction letter from the Personnel Bureau.”

The middle-aged man glanced at the introduction letter and asked the plump woman, “We haven’t heard about any new hires, have we?”

The plump woman shook her head. “Director Tang, we haven’t heard anything. Is he a teacher reporting for duty? I heard several teachers were assigned to the town middle school.” She looked at Hou Weidong with curiosity. “This is Director Tang of the Party and Government Office. If the government were hiring, he would definitely know. Are you sure you haven’t made a mistake?”

Hearing their conversation, Hou Weidong explained again. “Director Tang, I graduated from Shazhou College and was assigned to the Qinglin Town Government. This is the introduction letter from the Personnel Bureau.”

Director Tang finally looked over the procedures from the Personnel Bureau. “Strange. How did I not know about this?”

Hou Weidong pulled out his Shazhou College diploma and the score sheet from the Yiyang County Party and Government Cadre Selection Exam. “I took the selection exam for Yiyang County cadres. I passed and was assigned to Qinglin Town.”

Director Tang examined the Personnel Bureau’s seal closely. “This introduction letter is genuine. This is strange. Wait here for a moment. Xiao Yang, pour him a cup of water. I’ll go ask Mayor Qin.”

Hou Weidong was puzzled when he heard Director Tang call the plump woman “Xiao Yang.” Director Tang was only in his early thirties, while the plump woman was at least in her forties. Why would he call her “Little Yang”?

Xiao Yang found a cup in the cabinet, poured some tea leaves, and brewed a cup of tea for Hou Weidong. “Have some tea. The roads in Qinglin Town are full of potholes from heavy trucks. It must have been a hard journey.”

Hou Weidong had recently dealt with bureaucratic red tape to finalize his procedures and had seen enough of official attitudes. Seeing Xiao Yang brew tea and initiate conversation, he felt a sudden sense of goodwill toward her. He smiled. “It was indeed a difficult ride.”

“Where are you from?”

“Wuhai County. I graduated from Shazhou College.”

Xiao Yang seemed quite interested and pressed on. “What do your parents do?”

“My father works at the Wuhai Public Security Bureau. My mother is a primary school teacher.”

Xiao Yang smiled. “So you’re from a cadre family. Have you ever lived in the countryside? If not, township work can be quite challenging.”

A young man with a small flat-top haircut walked into the office, holding a large enamel mug. He said to Xiao Yang, “Sister Yang, give me some tea leaves.”

Xiao Yang responded enthusiastically. “Gou Lin, another college graduate has been assigned here. We now have three college graduates in Qinglin Town.” She introduced them warmly. “This is Gou Lin, assigned to the Agricultural Economy Station last year. And this is Hou Weidong, a graduate of Shazhou College, Department of Political Science and Law.”

Gou Lin looked at Hou Weidong with an incomprehensible expression. “A graduate of the Department of Political Science and Law from Shazhou College should have been assigned to the public security, procuratorate, or court systems. Being assigned to a township is truly bad luck.”

After Gou Lin left, Xiao Yang whispered mysteriously, “Don’t listen to Gou Lin. He has a bad reputation at the unit.” She added, “My name is Yang Feng. I work in the office.”

At this moment, the circle of farmers around the office gradually dispersed. A middle-aged man in a police uniform picked up a military canteen, took a large swig, and looked up. “College student, come here, have a drink.”

Xiao Yang immediately introduced him. “This is Officer Huang.”

Hou Weidong quickly greeted him. “Hello, Officer Huang.”

Just then, a middle-aged woman entered the office. She looked timidly at Officer Huang and said, “Comrade, I’m here to handle my household registration.”

Officer Huang replied impatiently, “Wait a moment.”

The middle-aged woman stood by the door, watching Officer Huang with eager eyes. Officer Huang stretched several times, moving his body around. “I’ve been sitting here since we opened today. If this continues every day, my penis will develop problems from being held in.” He handed the canteen to Hou Weidong and said unequivocally, “College student, come, have a drink.”

Officer Huang spoke rudely and treated the farmers poorly, resembling the bad cops described in legends. Hou Weidong did not want to offend him easily. He took the canteen and took a sip. “Officer Huang, this is liquor.”

A burning sensation traveled from his mouth directly to the depths of his stomach.

Seeing the new college graduate take a large gulp, Officer Huang praised him. “This college student is alright. He’s straightforward.”

He then left the office, leaving the middle-aged woman standing at the door. After a while, he returned and said to the woman, “Come over here. Which production team are you from? What’s your name?”

The middle-aged woman, relieved, stood in front of Officer Huang’s desk and began to state her name.

Yang Feng’s mouth never stopped moving. She immediately said, “There are only four police officers in the police station. Director Qin took people to Qinglin Mountain. Officer Huang is the internal clerk, left behind to handle household registrations. People haven’t stopped coming since we opened.” She studied Hou Weidong for a moment. “Looking at your build, your drinking capacity must be good. Last year, when Gou Lin reported for duty, he refused to drink Officer Huang’s liquor, even though it was his uncle’s funeral. He offended Officer Huang badly.”

Director Tang returned, fanning himself with Hou Weidong’s introduction letter. He sat back in his chair, which creaked again as if about to fall apart. He took a sip of tea and said, “I just asked Mayor Qin. He told you to come back in ten days.”