Chapter 81: Unintentional Willow (Part 2)

*Chapter 81: Unintentional Willow (Part 2)*

Hou Weidong and Zeng Xiangang found themselves at odds regarding the operational philosophy of the stone quarry.

Zeng Xiangang’s approach was straightforward: there was no need to bother with a business license. They simply needed to clear the mountain, apply for some explosives, and the quarry would be open for business. When customers arrived, they would exchange money for goods on the spot. It was simple, practical, and efficient.

Hou Weidong, however, held a slightly different view. He believed that running a stone quarry on a small scale was pointless. To truly succeed, they needed to obtain a proper business license and register for taxes. Only then could they establish credibility and do business with larger enterprises. Although this required upfront investment, it would ultimately yield greater profits.

Zeng Xiangang had invested his entire family’s savings into the quarry, so he viewed it with immense weight. Consequently, he was unwilling to yield easily and argued stubbornly with Hou Weidong.

"At this stage, we haven't even scratched the surface. We don't even know if anyone will come to buy the stone. Spending money on these formalities is a waste. My suggestion is to get the site up and running first. Once we have business, we can fill in the paperwork later. It’s not too late then."

Hou Weidong had never actually run a business before; his ideas were largely derived from textbooks. "Operating without proper procedures means we can’t issue invoices. That is illegal. If we are caught, we will be fined. Furthermore, if we want to deal with large enterprises in Yiyang County, we must be正规 (formal and standardized). This is a long-term strategy."

Zeng Xiangang shook his head. "There are stones everywhere on the mountain. Once we two start the quarry, many others will follow suit. They certainly won’t bother with formal procedures. If our costs are higher than theirs because of these fees, we won’t have any customers."

Hou Weidong remained firm. "I still advocate for getting the paperwork in order. Only with a legitimate status can we speak with authority. We must focus on large clients; small-scale operations are not very meaningful."

Eventually, both men took a step back. They agreed to start the quarry by leveraging the opportunity of road construction, while simultaneously working to complete the necessary procedures gradually.

By mid-January, the rough draft of the road connecting the lower Qinglin Highway to the Dushi Village office was complete. Once they laid down slab stones and gravel and compacted the surface, the road would be passable. However, reaching this stage required investment; manual labor alone could not solve the problem.

Hou Weidong approached Su Ming and submitted an application form containing Engineer Liu Wei’s recommendations, hoping to secure some funds.

Su Ming examined the progress schedule carefully. "If we lay slab stones and gravel, the cost will be quite high."

Hou Weidong explained, "The entire road is actually divided into two sections: the uphill road and the road on the mountain top. The top section is flat, so we can temporarily skip laying slab stones there. However, the uphill section is a winding mountain road. Without slab stones and gravel, the road would be dangerous and essentially impassable." Hou Weidong smiled slightly at Su Ming. "Township Leader Su, didn’t the county reward us with two hundred thousand yuan this time? Could we allocate a portion of that to the road project?"

The township government operated under a single-pen financial approval system. As a deputy, Su Ming did not have signing authority for large sums of money; he only had the right to make suggestions, not decisions. He said, "I will discuss this with the Township Mayor. Wait here for a moment; I will go find Mayor Qin."

Qin Feiyue looked at the application form and said, "Let’s put this matter on hold for now. I just received accurate news that I haven’t had a chance to announce to everyone yet."

"The Transportation Bureau has drafted a county-wide rural highway plan. The four major leadership teams collectively listened to the report and, in principle, agreed to the plan. According to the plan, there will be a road from Shangqinglin that not only connects to Xiaqinglin but also extends westward, linking Li Family Town, Wutan Town, and Youlong Town—a large area."

Li Family Town, Wutan Town, and Youlong Town were established towns in Yiyang County. They faced Qinglin Town and Chimei Town across the mountains. The straight-line distance was only four or five kilometers. However, since there were no direct roads connecting them, one had to travel to Yiyang County first and then transfer vehicles. In other words, walking from Qinglin Town to Li Family Town over the mountains took only about an hour, but taking a jeep required at least five hours, let alone a bus.

Qin Feiyue continued, "In this case, the Shangqinglin Highway will become a county-level road. County roads are funded by the county finance. Therefore, the township should not rush to invest money, lest we spend it unnecessarily."

Su Ming, whose mind worked quickly, said, "A plan is just a plan. It will take some time to implement. 1994 is the year of transportation construction. No township is foolish; everyone will certainly use every means to争取 (strive for) county financial investment in local road construction."

Qin Feiyue replied, "I have considered this issue. The township cannot invest money, but the three villages must continue to contribute labor. The rough draft of the Shangqinglin Highway has already been excavated. Having the rough draft ready is our most competitive advantage. We must hurry to write a report to the county government, applying to start the Shangqinglin Highway project this year."

"This matter needs to be discussed at the Party and Government Joint Meeting. Once a consensus is reached, I will report to County Mayor Ma. The county is about to hold the People’s Congress session. We should strive to include the Shangqinglin Highway in the county government’s key projects." Qin Feiyue, who had a background in enterprise management, deeply understood the value of road connectivity. He said happily, "If the Shangqinglin Highway is truly built, the resources of Shangqinglin will be revitalized, and my job as Township Mayor will be much easier."

Hou Weidong was also pleased to hear this news. He said to Su Ming, "The grade of a county road is much higher than that of a rural road. Fortunately, when we built the rough draft of the highway, we strictly followed the drawings. If we had cut corners back then, we might have to redo the work. It’s a relief."

Suddenly, he thought of a question. "Since the county is going to invest money, should we continue building the road ourselves?"

Su Ming conveyed Qin Feiyue’s opinion. "The plan is on paper; it only counts when implemented. No one can guarantee this. You must continue building the road to lay the foundation for future competition."

That afternoon, Qinglin Town held a Party and Government Joint Meeting. The first agenda item was primarily the Shangqinglin Highway. The attendees reached a high degree of consensus on striving for county financial investment in road construction. They decided that Su Ming would continue to lead the effort to implement this, and Township Head Gao would personally go to Shazhou to report to Gao Zhiyuan, the Director of the People’s Congress, hoping he could speak on behalf of Qinglin Town to promote the implementation of the plan.

The second agenda item caused serious disagreement. Three township-owned coal mine bosses submitted applications for loans. Township Mayor Qin Feiyue naturally agreed to help Yang Jiafu of the Wanwan Coal Mine secure a loan. However, Party Secretary Zhao Yongsheng believed that the Wangri Coal Mine had better conditions and should be prioritized. The two slammed their desks during the office meeting and parted on bad terms. The subsequent agenda items were not even raised.

Hou Weidong returned to the Shangqinglin Forestry Station and reported the latest news to Township Head Gao. Gao looked troubled. "Brother Hou, according to the township’s opinion, the three villages must continue to build the rough draft. But if the county upgrades the Shangqinglin Highway to a county-level road, the village cadres may be unwilling to continue working on the road voluntarily."

Hou Weidong dismissed the concern. "Township Head Gao, I think it this way: regardless of the county’s policy, as long as it is not officially confirmed, the road construction plan remains unchanged. Qin Dajiang and the others should support this."

The three villages of Shangqinglin had fully exerted their subjective initiative to build the highway well. Those with money contributed money, and those with strength contributed labor. They paid not a single cent in land compensation fees, and the adjustment of fields was handled by each village themselves. According to national standards, these expenses were a significant sum. However, because the villagers were eager to build the road, the seven thousand people of the three villages jointly bore this cost.

But if the rural road was upgraded to a county-level road, the theoretical responsibility for construction would shift to the county government. Asking the cadres of the three villages to continue providing unpaid support would likely be difficult. Hou Weidong had only been in the township for half a year and had not yet realized the complexity of the issue.

Sure enough, the next day, when the news was announced in a small meeting, the six main cadres of the three villages showed varied expressions.

He Hequan, the Party Secretary of Wangri Village, spoke first. He was most worried about changes in the situation. He said loudly, "The road has already reached Jianshan Village. Wangri Village has contributed labor and money. I don’t care if it becomes a county-level road or not. Let’s first build the rough draft to Wangri Village."

Qin Dajiang started doing his own calculations. The rough draft of the highway had already connected the entire Dushi Village. If the county took over, Dushi Village would no longer need to spend money. Moreover, even if the county did not invest immediately, laying a layer of block stones and slab stones would allow cars to go up the mountain. He said, "If the highway is upgraded to a county-level road, it is no longer the business of our three villages. The county will definitely have to spend money. If we continue to build, we are fools, wasting money for nothing."

Qin Dajiang’s remarks were echoed by the village cadres. The funds required for road construction were not small. If the county finance could cover the cost, the villagers would not only be exempt from labor but might also receive some subsidies.

Seeing the village cadres one by one echoing Qin Dajiang’s views, Hou Weidong finally understood what Township Head Gao had said before the meeting. In terms of understanding village and community cadres, he was indeed far inferior to Township Head Gao.

Hou Weidong said, "My opinion is clear. The road has already reached Jianshan Village. With one more month of effort, we can reach Wangri Village. If we stop now, the future situation will be unclear."

He Hequan stood up and said, "When building the section between Dushi and Jianshan, Wangri Village did not miss a single person or a single penny. Now, if we want to stop, it will never be accepted. If we really have to stop, I will organize people to dig up the road ahead. No one will be able to pass through."

Tang Guiyuan took a deep drag on his cigarette and said, "Has the county clearly decided to build the Shangqinglin Highway?"

Hou Weidong explained, "It is only a plan for now, something still on paper. Whether construction will start is unclear. Moreover, the county-wide rural road plan involves all townships in the county. It is not clear which road will be built first. My idea is to continue building the road according to the original plan."

Jiang Shangshan said, "Hou the Madman, if the county agrees to build the road, our three villages will suffer a huge loss."

Township Head Gao had remained silent until now. He then spoke. "By pulling out the rough draft of the highway, we increase the competitiveness of the Shangqinglin Highway. If we also get Secretary Gao to intervene, our hopes are great. As for the labor everyone has invested so far, it can only be considered a contribution. The effort is spent, but it doesn’t make you lose two ounces of flesh. Don’t calculate small accounts; look at the long term. Moreover, once the county confirms the construction of the Shangqinglin Highway, they might even pave a cement surface. Compared to that, what does your initial investment amount to?"

Township Head Gao’s words were reasonable and sensible. Everyone fell silent, each calculating their own accounts.