Chapter 122: Divergence (Part 3)

After more than half a month of serving as a deputy township head in a relatively uneventful manner, Hou Weidong’s greatest gain was gaining a clear understanding of his responsibilities.

On May 1, 1996, Shazhou City launched a funeral reform initiative. This marked the first major test for Hou Weidong since taking office.

On the morning of February 9, the Qinglin township government convened a joint party and administrative meeting to discuss this matter in detail.

Su Ming, the administrative head, spoke first. "Yesterday, Deputy Head Hou and I attended a funeral reform work conference at the county government. The county has issued a directive: starting May 1 of this year, funeral reform will be implemented. The entire Shazhou City is designated as a cremation zone, and naturally, Yiyang County will have no areas permitted for earth burial."

"As for the significance of this reform—eliminating outdated funeral customs and conserving land—I won’t dwell on it here. I’ll leave the specifics of implementation to the divisional leader in charge."

Funeral reform was a unified directive across the entire Lingxi Province. Shazhou City, being a moderately developed region within the province, had its entire jurisdiction classified as a cremation zone. The new funeral practices were to begin in May. Since Hou Weidong oversaw social affairs, this difficult and conflict-prone task naturally fell to him.

After receiving the funeral reform mandate from Yiyang County, Su Ming and Hou Weidong had discussed it multiple times and reached a basic consensus. Su Ming had also consulted with Zhao Yongsheng, and they too had aligned on the approach. Consequently, it was up to Hou Weidong, as the divisional leader, to present the formal plan at the joint party and administrative meeting.

Through this process, Hou Weidong keenly realized a hidden rule in Qinglin Township: any major decision had to be pre-approved by both Zhao Yongsheng and Su Ming before it could be brought to the joint meeting for discussion.

Hou Weidong had already reviewed the details of the funeral reform several times in his mind and was well-prepared. He briefly outlined the general situation from the county meeting and then presented Qinglin Township’s work strategy.

"According to the county’s unified deployment, funeral reform will take effect on May 1. With less than three months remaining, the task is heavy, the timeline is tight, the contradictions are deep, and the difficulty is significant," Hou Weidong said, deliberately using concise, rhythmic phrases to enhance his rhetorical impact.

"To advance the funeral reform, we must focus on three key areas: propaganda and mobilization, specific implementation, and safeguard measures."

"Funeral reform aims to change burial habits that have persisted for thousands of years. The tradition of 'resting in the earth' is deeply ingrained in people’s minds. Changing this in a short period is undoubtedly difficult. However, we must fulfill the county government’s orders. Therefore, I believe we must launch an overwhelming propaganda campaign, ensuring every household is aware, to minimize potential conflicts."

"The propaganda work will be divided into four parts. First, meetings. I suggest the township hold a three-level cadre meeting—township, village, and community—in mid-February. We must thoroughly explain the funeral reform work at this meeting. Once the village cadres’ thinking is unified, we will have succeeded halfway. Second, utilize the existing broadcast system to repeatedly play the relevant documents from the Yiyang County Government, implementing mandatory propaganda. Third, distribute flyers at market days and organize consultation activities. Fourth, paint slogans with lime on both sides of the roads to create a visible momentum."

Zhao Yongsheng nodded. "If the propaganda reaches this level, the effect will certainly be good."

Encouraged, Hou Weidong continued, "Starting May 1, the entire township must fully implement cremation. I believe the first three steps are the most critical. If we don’t execute these initial steps well, subsequent work will be fraught with difficulties. To ensure these first steps are successful, the Social Affairs Office alone is insufficient. We must mobilize the entire township, involving all government officials. I propose establishing a Funeral Reform Leading Group, with Secretary Zhao as the group leader. The group will have an office under it, with Liu Yajun from the Social Affairs Office serving as the director."

Zhao Yongsheng smiled. "I won’t take the role of group leader. Let Head Su serve in that capacity."

Su Ming still wanted Zhao Yongsheng to lead. "Secretary Zhao, you must take the lead on this."

Zhao Yongsheng waved his hand with a smile. "Head Su is the most suitable person for the role. I’ll follow your lead."

Once the two main leaders had settled the matter, Hou Weidong continued, "Finally, regarding safeguard measures. To handle the highly complex funeral reform, we must mobilize all villages to participate, truly boosting their enthusiasm and turning them from passive to active. I suggest allocating 10% of the land occupation fees collected at the end of the year as a reward for village cadres, to serve as their work expenses."

"This is my preliminary plan for the funeral reform. After receiving opinions from the two main leaders and other colleagues, we will finalize the specific scheme."

Since this plan had been jointly discussed by Su Ming and Hou Weidong, Su Ming had no objections. He merely added, "The county has issued cremation quotas to each township, based on the annual natural mortality rate. Our township must complete a cremation task of 200 bodies this year. As long as we meet this quota, other earth burials are permitted but must incur a land occupation fee. The fee ranges from 4,000 to 10,000 yuan per body. My proposal is to set it at 5,000 yuan."

Since this was a meeting of the leadership team, Su Ming skipped the theoretical lectures and went straight to the point. "Our township sees between 240 and 300 deaths annually. If we collect a land occupation fee of 5,000 yuan per body, and assume we collect from 40 cases, that amounts to 200,000 yuan. The county government has stated that the land occupation fees from funeral reform will not go to the county finance; they will be retained entirely by the township."

Su Ming’s eyes lit up. "The Qinglin government’s finances are tight. With this money, we can accomplish many significant tasks. From this perspective, we must go all out to manage the funeral reform well. Doing so benefits the state, society, and future generations, while also generating sufficient revenue for the township. It is a win-win situation."

"For the funeral reform, we must rely on village cadres. I’ve been thinking about this repeatedly last night. If we allocate 10% of the fees as work expenses for village cadres, based on the calculation just now, it would amount to approximately 20,000 yuan annually. With twelve villages in Qinglin, that’s only a little over 1,000 yuan per village. The amount is too small to be attractive. I suggest increasing the allocation to 20% of the fees. This would give each village between 2,000 and 5,000 yuan annually, which would more effectively motivate them."

Finally, Zhao Yongsheng made the decision. "Funeral reform is a major issue for the entire township. It must be advanced steadily. If mishandled, it could cause major unrest; if handled well, it can increase revenue. In principle, I agree with the opinions of Deputy Head Hou and Head Su. Now, I will offer three specific points."

"Secretary Liu Kun will be in charge of the propaganda work. After the meeting, Secretary Liu and Deputy Head Hou should discuss the work in detail, striving to create a propaganda wave in Qinglin Township to lay the groundwork for the May funeral reform."

"Regarding the amount of land occupation fee per body—whether it should be 5,000 or 6,000 yuan—let’s not fix it yet. If it’s too low, it’s not cost-effective for the township; if it’s too high, the villagers may not be able to afford it. Deputy Head Hou, you should contact surrounding townships to see what they are charging, and we will take the average. We shouldn’t charge more or less than the norm."

"I agree with the 20% return ratio. If village cadres don’t put in the effort, villagers will simply bury their dead in the mountains, and we won’t even know. The 20% return is necessary."

After the meeting, Hou Weidong intended to communicate with Liu Kun.

Since Hou Weidong and Liu Kun had taken office simultaneously, they had barely spoken outside of meetings. This time, with their collaborative roles in the funeral reform, face-to-face interaction was unavoidable. Hou Weidong also saw this as an opportunity to improve their relationship.

Liu Kun returned to his office, sat at his desk, and casually flipped through the day’s newspaper. He then sent a pager message to Duan Ying. While waiting for a reply, Hou Weidong appeared at the door.

"Secretary Liu, let’s discuss the funeral reform matters." Hou Weidong ignored Liu Kun’s expression, sat down opposite him, and handed over some documents. "The funeral reform will be implemented in early May. The preliminary propaganda work is crucial. We are holding a special funeral reform meeting this Friday. The propaganda outline and slogans must be distributed at the meeting."

Looking at Hou Weidong’s face, Liu Kun felt a surge of irritation. He replied coldly, "Please leave the documents here. I’ll review them when I have time."

Hou Weidong did not want to create an irreconcilable conflict with Liu Kun. He smiled and said, "Liu Kun, are you free at noon? I’d like to treat you to a meal. As classmates, we should catch up."

Liu Kun’s father had repeatedly advised him to maintain a good relationship with Hou Weidong, at least ensuring no open conflict on the surface.

Initially, Liu Kun had no intention of reconciling with Hou Weidong. However, since they were now both members of the leadership team and their offices were close, constantly seeing each other with stiff faces was uncomfortable. Seeing Hou Weidong’s smiling face, Liu Kun softened his tone. "Forget it. I won’t hold a grudge. Let me treat you to lunch instead."

Just then, the phone rang sharply. Liu Kun made a gesture for Hou Weidong to wait, picked up the receiver, and spoke affectionately, "Hey, why did you take so long to reply to my pager? I’ll try to come back tonight. Come over for dinner."

Duan Ying’s voice came through the phone. "I can’t even smile in your house? I’m not coming." Liu Kun spoke carefully, "Duan Ying, don’t be so petty. My mother didn’t mean it; she has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. It’s settled. I’ll pick you up tonight."

Hou Weidong recalled Duan Ying’s demeanor and thought, She has the temper of an official’s wife. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship will likely be difficult to manage.

Liu Kun had just hung up when the phone rang again. His previously casual demeanor instantly changed to one of respect. He stood up and said, "Yes, yes, Secretary Zhao. I’ll come down immediately."

Liu Kun turned to Hou Weidong. "Sorry. Let’s reschedule for another day. Secretary Zhao asked me to accompany him to the County Party Committee." He said this with a hint of self-satisfaction.

Hou Weidong returned to his office and stood by the window. He saw Zhao Yongsheng and Liu Kun get into a Santana sedan. The car sped out of the compound, kicking up a cloud of dust. When he first arrived in Qinglin Township, the streets full of garbage and the sky filled with dust had left a deep impression on him. He thought to himself, Transforming the old Qinglin market town is a good idea. Even if we can’t completely change its appearance, we can at least improve the environmental hygiene and overall look.

This thought flashed briefly. The immediate priority was to successfully push forward the棘手 (thorny) funeral reform.

Su Yajun, the short-statured director of the Social Affairs Office, appeared at the courtyard gate. Hou Weidong opened the window and called out, "Director Su, wait a moment."

The Social Affairs Office was directly under Hou Weidong’s supervision. However, it wasn’t until Hou Weidong’s third day at the township that Su Yajun came to the office to discuss work. Su Yajun was a veteran in his forties, with rich work experience and extensive connections. Due to age limitations, he had little hope for promotion, making him one of the most difficult subordinates to direct.

Hou Weidong was currently trying to win him over to prevent him from causing trouble behind the scenes.

Su Yajun still harbored some reservations about the suddenly risen Hou Weidong. When Hou Weidong approached him, Su Yajun said calmly, "Deputy Head Hou, what’s up?"

Hou Weidong chuckled. "Nothing special. Let’s go. I’m treating everyone from the Social Affairs Office. You decide which restaurant."

Su Yajun was about to go out for lunch. Hearing that Hou Weidong was treating, he thought for a moment and said, "The restaurants in the township aren’t good enough. Let’s go to Hekou Village. Liu Weibin has opened a farmhouse restaurant there. The environment is nice, you can fish and play cards, and the food is decent."

"Let’s consider this a research trip to Hekou Village regarding the funeral reform. Funeral reform is a major and difficult task. We need to communicate with village cadres first to see what difficulties they face or if they have any good suggestions."

Su Yajun checked his watch. "Let’s go. I’ll send a pager message to get Zeng Qiang and the others to come back." Su Yajun prepared to head to the office, but Hou Weidong waved his hand. "No need to go to the office. Use my mobile phone." At that time, mobile phones were still rare in Qinglin Township. Besides Zhao Yongsheng and Su Ming, who each had one, only Hou Weidong used a mobile phone. Of course, Zhao and Su’s phones were paid for by public funds, while Hou Weidong’s was a personal expense.

Wrinkles appeared on Su Yajun’s forehead. He smiled and said, "Deputy Head Hou, I don’t know how to use these fancy gadgets. Let’s go to the office to make the call."

While waiting for the replies, Su Yajun began to complain. "Deputy Head Hou, our Social Affairs Office manages the broadcast station and the Civil Affairs Office. We have many scattered responsibilities. Especially since the funeral reform started, the workload has increased significantly. I suggest we buy a minivan, costing no more than 100,000 yuan." As a deputy, Hou Weidong dared not make such a decision. He said, "This matter must be decided by Secretary Zhao and Head Su. I’ll talk to them about it."

Su Yajun, of course, knew the ins and outs. He was just testing Hou Weidong with a difficult request.

A few minutes later, after waiting in the Social Affairs Office for ten minutes, Zeng Qiang, Yang Chuanmin, Wang Rong, and Cheng Yilin arrived one by one. The Social Affairs Office had five people in total. Director Su Yajun was in his forties, Deputy Director Zeng Qiang was in his thirties, and the others were in their twenties. Hearing that Hou Weidong was treating them to fishing at Hekou Village, they all beamed with joy.

The group went outside the township and waited by the roadside for over twenty minutes before a dilapidated bus arrived, swaying its way to Secretary Liu’s house in Hekou Village. It was already one o’clock.

The party secretary of Hekou Village was Liu Weibin, a man in his thirties. He was known among the lower-level cadres of Qinglin Township for his shrewdness. In previous years, he had run a flower and tree business, frequently traveling to Guangdong and Fujian. He was well-traveled and had a strong business acumen. In recent years, he had set up a nursery at home, importing high-end small flowers and trees from wholesale markets in Fujian. After transplanting them for a few years, he sold them to Yiyang and Shazhou.

Next to the nursery was a four-acre pond. He had stocked it with many local crucian carp, creating a farmhouse restaurant that combined fishing, flower viewing, and dining. This was an experience imported from the coastal regions and was the first of its kind in Yiyang County. Every Sunday, many people from Yiyang came to play, and the business was thriving.

Since it was Wednesday, there was only one table of guests in Liu Weibin’s garden. He was watering plants with a kettle. He was not familiar with Hou Weidong, having met him only once, so he didn’t recognize him at first glance. He greeted Su Yajun, "Director Su, why are you so late today? You didn’t even call."

Su Yajun said, "Deputy Head Hou is treating today. Make sure the dishes are good."

Liu Weibin then recognized Hou Weidong. "Deputy Head Hou is a rare guest. This is your first time visiting Hekou Village. I’ll go call Director Yang. This meal is on me."

Hou Weidong smiled. "I’ve worked hard to get this chance to treat everyone. No one is going to compete with me."

Zeng Qiang took a simple fishing rod. "You guys chat slowly. I’m going fishing."

Hou Weidong looked at the bleak pond. "Fishing in the dead of winter is truly suffering."

Liu Weibin pulled a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes from his semi-new suit pocket. "Deputy Head Hou, have a smoke." He added, "I’ve set up good fishing spots in this pond. It’s very easy to catch fish. Many guests from the county like to come fishing. Minister Xiao from the Organization Department has been here many times."

Hou Weidong smiled. "I have many friends in the county too. In March, I’ll bring them down to play." Liu Weibin laughed. "For the people Deputy Head Hou brings, I’ll give a 20% discount." Hou Weidong joked, "20% is too little. Give me a 30% discount."

Village Director Yang Wenwu also arrived. After a few words of greeting,