Chapter 78: Gods Fighting (Part 8)

Since that ambiguous encounter the previous night, a layer of estrangement had settled between Hou Weidong and Duan Ying, accompanied by a certain indescribable, tangled sentiment.

Duan Ying wore a long purple coat, looking mature and dignified; the youthful student aura was barely visible. Meeting her suddenly at the bookstore entrance, her expression was somewhat awkward.

Hou Weidong tried to act as if nothing had happened, forcing a smile. "Hello, Duan Ying."

Duan Ying quickly adjusted her emotions, putting on a relaxed facade. "Hou Weidong, you’re studying at the Young Cadres Training Class, yet you haven’t come to visit me."

Hou Weidong was surprised. "You know I’m attending the Young Cadres Training Class?"

"Xiaojia called me today, so I found out you were participating in the class." In truth, Duan Ying had already known about Hou Weidong’s enrollment before speaking with Xiaojia; Liu Kun had told her.

Mentioning Xiaojia made Hou Weidong’s face flush with heat, his heart feeling hollow and uneasy.

"I heard you were holding a dance party. Why did you run off to the bookstore?"

This remark left Hou Weidong even more astonished. "Your information network is truly efficient. You even know about our dance party. Who told you?"

"Liu Kun called me at noon today, inviting me to the Party School to dance."

Liu Kun had coveted Duan Ying’s beauty since their university days, a fact Hou Weidong was well aware of. A strange tension gripped him, but he laughed it off. "Then why didn’t you come to dance?"

Duan Ying offered a bitter smile. "My job security is shaky right now. Where would I find the mood to dance?"

Hou Weidong felt a wave of relief and asked with concern, "Why do you say your job is unstable?"

"Market competition is fierce these days. The factory suffered a loss of over two million yuan throughout 1993. Two workshops have already closed, and the workers there have been put on long-term leave, which is essentially unemployment. I might be laid off any day now."

Hou Weidong read the People’s Daily every day and was well-versed in the Party’s major policies. He said, "Our country is currently operating under a planned commodity economy. It is common for county-owned enterprises to go bankrupt; this is part of the broader policy direction."

Duan Ying’s face clouded with worry. "Hou Weidong, do you have any good advice? If I truly lose my job, what am I supposed to do?"

Hou Weidong wanted to help Duan Ying, but he was like a clay Buddha crossing a river—unable to save himself, let alone others. He had no capacity to assist her, so he could only offer comfort. "When you reach the mountain, a path will appear. Worrying too much now is useless."

By this time, people were gradually leaving the bookstore. Duan Ying said, "If I had known this would happen, I would have insisted on entering a state organ no matter what. My major is so obscure. If the factory really goes bankrupt, I’ll become a homeless woman, with nowhere to stand." She sighed, "Reality is truly cruel. If we never had to graduate, life would be so beautiful."

Hou Weidong didn’t know how to comfort her, so he spoke in generalities. "You shouldn’t worry too much. Solutions are created by people. My own situation is quite difficult, but I believe that as long as we persist to the end, we will surely achieve victory."

Having vented her feelings, Duan Ying felt somewhat better. Seeing the crowd coming and going at the bookstore entrance, she said, "Walk with me for a bit. My mind is in chaos."

Hou Weidong accompanied Duan Ying toward her home, chatting intermittently. When they reached her building, Hou Weidong stopped. "From the perspective of national policy, the bankruptcy of county-owned enterprises will become commonplace. You need to start preparing for this contingency now."

Duan Ying did not invite Hou Weidong upstairs. She stood on the balcony without turning on the lights. Under the streetlamp, Hou Weidong’s shadow stretched long as he gradually walked away into the distance.

Hou Weidong returned to his dormitory. Ren Lindu had not yet come back. Opening the window, he could faintly hear music drifting from the large conference hall.

He sat on the edge of his bed, lit a cigarette, and carefully reflected on everything that had happened since graduation: his own awkward predicament, Duan Ying’s job insecurity, Liu Kun’s triumphant success, Ren Lindu’s social adeptness, and even Gou Lin’s marginalization. He felt a surge of感慨 (sighs/regret).

Reality was indeed cruel. The moment one left school, reality tore away its gentle, affectionate veil, revealing a cold, hard truth. It forced one to reconsider the education they had received.

Ren Lindu didn’t return until past midnight. He was somewhat drunk and sat in front of Hou Weidong’s bed, rambling on. "Guo Lan was voted the 'Class Flower' of the 1993 Young Cadres Training Class. After the dance, we went out for night beer."

He stood in the middle of the room and declared, "Guo Lan is still single, with no boyfriend. I hereby announce that I will formally launch a romantic offensive against her."

Hou Weidong was in a bad mood and didn’t want to engage. He ignored him and went to sleep.

On December 30th, the Young Cadres Training Class came to an end. Hou Weidong had originally harbored faint hopes for the class, expecting some miracle or turning point.

However, the one-month program was neither long nor short. During his time at the class, he had met ten civil service recruits, participated in a corrupt outing with leaders, and learned some knowledge of little practical use. That was the sum total of his gains.

Returning to Shangqinglin, everything remained as before. The mountain roads were still difficult to traverse, the forests remained dense, and the sun rose as usual.

On the morning of January 3, 1994, Hou Weidong opened his eyes. The dark gray ceiling spun in his mind for a moment before finally settling. He sat on the bed for a while, rubbing his splitting headache, and staggered out of bed. He could even smell the strong odor of alcohol filling the room.

"That bastard Qin Dajiang. I’ll find a chance to get revenge."

Yesterday, upon returning to Shangqinglin and just stepping onto the town square, he had been spotted by Qin Dajiang. Qin Dajiang had happily grabbed his hand, saying, "The Madman is back! Let’s have a big meal at noon." Then he had dragged Hou Weidong to the highway construction site, showing off the month’s progress like a child.

"The drainage ditch is too narrow; it needs to be widened and deepened. Also, the road lacks culverts. We must build culverts in several mountain gullies."

Hou Weidong walked around and offered his opinion. In the early stages of road construction, he had studied the blueprints daily, imprinting the three-dimensional structure of the road in his mind. Moreover, Engineer Liu Wei had repeatedly emphasized that for the mud-gravel roads on the mountain, the drainage ditches and culverts had to be complete. Thus, he immediately spotted the problems.

"Has Engineer Liu Wei been here?"

Qin Dajiang followed behind Hou Weidong, explaining continuously. "After you left, Engineer Liu Wei visited once. He also said culverts were necessary. However, building them is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and expensive. Jiang Shangshi and Chen Dachuan both opposed it."

"Secretary Qin, this road will definitely bear heavy trucks in the future. We must lay a solid foundation now. If we build it poorly, repairs will be even more troublesome. Since we’ve already invested so much labor, let’s do the job properly." These were points Engineer Liu Wei had stressed many times. Hou Weidong had heard them often and remembered them well. Seeing that the village was not following the blueprints, he began to persuade them earnestly.

As the saying goes, one key fits one lock. Qin Dajiang was a man with clear likes and dislikes. He was often uncooperative with some leaders who visited Dushi Village, but he treated "Madman Hou" with special respect. "The Madman makes sense. There are many resources on this mountain, so there will definitely be many heavy trucks in the future. We need to make it sturdy."

After inspecting the road, Party Secretary Qin Dajiang, Village Committee Director Jiang Shangshi, Clerk Chen Dachuan, Militia Company Commander and Youth League Secretary Yang Binggang, Women’s Director Zhu Yaofen, and the stationed township cadre Li Yong hosted a meal at the Foundation’s restaurant. They also invited Bai Chuncheng from the neighboring village.

The village’s hospitality moved Hou Weidong. Feeling touched, he became generous, drinking cup after cup. He lost count of how much he drank. Finally, he clinked a large glass with Qin Dajiang, got severely drunk, and was carried back to his dormitory.

The next morning, he stepped out reeking of alcohol. In the corridor, he ran into Township Mayor Gao. Mayor Gao pointed at Hou Weidong and said, "Brother Hou, you again. You got drunk by Qin the Barbarian. Only you are so straightforward. Don’t do this next time."

Hou Weidong’s head felt like it was exploding. "I’ll never drink again. I swear."

Mayor Gao laughed. "I’ve made that oath at least a hundred times in my youth. It’s useless. You still have to drink when necessary, just control the amount." He then asked, "You’ve finished the Young Cadres Training Class. Do you have any arrangements?"

Hou Weidong rubbed his head. "I’m back to fixing the earth. I haven’t heard of any other arrangements."

Mayor Gao offered advice. "Now that you’re back from the training class, you should go to the town office and report your learning insights to Secretary Zhao and Mayor Qin. In this regard, you need to be proactive. Don’t wait for leaders to seek you out; take the initiative to connect with them."

"Combine theory with practice, and maintain close contact with leaders. That is how you progress. I have lessons learned in this area. If someone had guided me back then, I might have made it to the county level."

Hou Weidong said sincerely, "Thank you, Mayor Gao."

After cleaning his office, Hou Weidong hesitated. Zhao Yongsheng and Qin Feiyue were clearly at odds. As a nobody, it would be best to stay far away.

But then he thought again: staying away from leaders for too long was not a solution either. In this aspect, he needed to learn from Ren Lindu.

After much deliberation, Hou Weidong decided he must make contact with Zhao Yongsheng, but the method had to be subtle, avoiding a situation where he pleased neither side.

"Sister Yang, hello. This is Hou Weidong from the work group."

Yang Feng, the internal staff at the Chunlin Town Party and Government Office, was peeling sunflower seeds. Hearing it was Hou Weidong, she joked, "University Student Hou, I heard you have a new nickname: 'Madman Hou.' That name sounds a bit harsh."

Hou Weidong laughed on the phone. "Sister Yang, I brought a few packs of Wu Hai sunflower seeds. I’ll bring them over another day."

"You’re so thoughtful. Thank you."

Hou Weidong added, "Are Secretary Zhao and Mayor Qin in town?"

Yang Feng, being the office’s internal coordinator, knew the leaders’ whereabouts. "Mayor Qin went to the county for a meeting on the agricultural power grid renovation. Secretary Zhao is in his office."

Hou Weidong now had a plan. He had designed a "Shangqinglin Highway Construction Progress Schedule" at the Party School. He went to the office to fill it out, had Mayor Gao sign it, made seven copies, and then, carrying the Wu Hai sunflower seeds he had bought in Yiyang County, headed for the Chunlin Town Government.

Upon arriving at the Chunlin Town Government, Hou Weidong first went to the Party and Government Office. He took a moment to give the sunflower seeds to Yang Feng, whose round face lit up with a brilliant smile.

"This is the highway progress schedule. I’m submitting one copy to the Party and Government Office."

Yang Feng took the form. Seeing that it listed major items such as highway progress, personnel arrangements, funding status, and difficulties, along with several sub-items, it was very clear. She praised, "As expected of a university graduate, this form is really well-made."

Hou Weidong arrived at Zhao Yongsheng’s office and knocked rhythmically three times.

"Who is it? Come in."

Zhao Yongsheng was reviewing accounting statements. Seeing it was Hou Weidong, he lowered his head and continued reading the documents, leaving Hou Weidong standing aside in silence.