Chapter 180: The Study Class (Part 4)

Zhaoming was not lazy, but he was simply out of money. When the pressure reached a critical point, Hou Weidong, having shared a drink with him and feeling a sense of camaraderie, chose not to press too hard. Instead, he let Fu Jiang, with whom he had little personal connection, take the lead in the confrontation.

Fu Jiang served as the Director of the Comprehensive Management Office and concurrently as a judicial assistant. Mediating disputes among villagers was his daily duty, and through years of arguing, he had honed a skill for twisting logic and talking nonsense. With a barrage of rapid-fire rhetoric, he cornered Zeng Zhaoming until the latter could no longer hold his temper.

"This small coal mine is worth four million," Zeng Zhaoming said angrily. "If anyone is willing to pay five hundred thousand, I’ll sell it right now."

Fu Jiang had no intention of actually paying five hundred thousand, but he seized the opportunity to joke, "I’ll spread the word. Once Boss Zeng sells the mine, he should hurry back to repay the loan. Ha! After repaying one hundred thousand in loans, Boss Zeng would still net four hundred thousand in profit."

Zeng Zhaoming sat on his stool, fuming, and ignored him completely.

Hou Weidong had turned the matter over in his mind several times. Although he believed that resource-based enterprises were bound to be profitable, coal mines were cash-intensive operations. Given the poor market conditions, they were currently operating at a semi-loss. He had no idea when they might turn a profit after acquisition. Therefore, Hou Weidong preferred to let the opportunity pass rather than make a wrong investment. He sat quietly, listening to Fu Jiang and Zeng Zhaoming banter.

Zhou Qing interjected from the side, explaining the policy to Zeng Zhaoming for a while. But Zeng Zhaoming sat like an old monk in meditation, showing no reaction and ignoring the young woman entirely.

Having come from a business background, Hou Weidong understood Zeng Zhaoming’s predicament. "Zhou Qing, bring out the repayment plan for Boss Zeng to see."

The repayment plan was structured over three years: thirty percent of the amount due in the first year, and another thirty percent in the second.

As Zeng Zhaoming reviewed the plan, Hou Weidong offered some advice from the side. "I’ve run a business myself, so I know the pain of lacking working capital. However, the township government was besieged by depositors for over ten days. I hope Boss Zeng can also appreciate the difficulties we are facing."

His words were reasonable and fair. Zeng Zhaoming smiled bitterly. "Deputy Mayor Hou speaks the truth. However, I hope the town can also understand the difficulties of our enterprises. Don’t let the small size of this mine fool you; it has all the necessary components, and there are many places where money is spent. The mine only has a little over ten thousand yuan in cash on hand. If you take it all, the mine will have to shut down."

Hou Weidong had tasted the pain of lacking liquidity himself. He expressed his sympathy deeply. "The fact that coal prices haven’t risen in the past two years is only temporary. Once the market improves, the mine will make money."

Zeng Zhaoming’s face looked as bitter as a gourd. "This mine is a huge burden. If Deputy Mayor Hou values it, I’ll sell it to you. I’ll go back to construction; it’s my old trade. I stick to what I know. I say this often, yet I still make mistakes."

Hou Weidong replied, half-joking and half-serious, "The CEO of Jinggong Group is a friend of mine. She has expressed interest in buying a coal mine. If Boss Zeng really wants to sell, I can help you make the connection."

This mine had cost Zeng Zhaoming considerable effort and blood, sweat, and tears. Production had just gotten on track, so selling it caused him genuine heartache. But not selling it meant bearing the heavy burden of daily losses. He sat on his stool, smoking silently with his head down. After a long while, he finally spoke.

"Deputy Mayor Hou, I will sign the installment repayment plan. However, the most cash I can come up with is three thousand yuan. I have a payment pending from Chongqing Steel. Once I collect that, I will repay this year’s portion."

Hou Weidong agreed readily. "I trust you."

The debt collection team from Shangqinglin received the three thousand yuan and the signed agreement. As they were about to move on to the third household, a call came in from Zhao Yongsheng.

By the time they returned to the town, Zhao Yongsheng, Su Ming, and Zhong Ruihua were already seated in the conference room. Tang Shugang and Liu Kun had not yet returned. Hou Weidong took his cup and notebook and had just sat down when Tang Shugang rushed back in. Only Liu Kun was still missing.

Zhao Yongsheng checked his watch. "We won’t wait. I’ll brief Secretary Liu on the meeting’s spirit separately." His expression was more serious than ever. "I just attended a meeting at the County Party Committee. According to the committee’s decision, anyone with loans exceeding one hundred thousand yuan who fails to repay on time will be concentrated at the Dongfeng Hotel in the county seat for a 'study class.' They can only leave after repaying their debts. Secretary Zhu has issued a strict order: no exceptions, no backdoors for anyone."

Everyone was shocked. Tang Shugang said, "This is a disguised restriction of personal freedom. It’s illegal."

Zhao Yongsheng replied, "This is a decision by the County Government. Even if it’s wrong, we don’t bear the responsibility. We can only execute the county government’s decision meticulously."

Hou Weidong was not too surprised. His second sister, Hou Xiaoying, from Wu Hai County, had already been sent to a study class. If Wu Hai County could organize such classes, Yi Yang County certainly could too. Presumably, these study classes had the tacit approval of the Sha Zhou Municipal Government.

"I will now announce the list of people from Qinglin Town who are to attend the Yi Yang Study Class: Zhou Qiang, Yang Jiafu, Zeng Zhaoming, Qin Ning, and three others, totaling seven people. Deputy Mayor Hou Weidong is responsible for escorting these seven individuals to the study class. Fu Jiang, Li Jianyong, and Chao Jie must be ready to follow Deputy Mayor Hou’s commands at all times."

This was another task that would make enemies. Not doing it would violate the decisions of the County Party Committee and Government; doing it would offend the seven bosses of Qinglin Town. Zhong Ruihua and others looked at Hou Weidong with a hint of schadenfreude in their eyes.

Hou Weidong thought to himself, You fought bitterly to control the power of the foundation, enjoying the perks and privileges. Now that trouble has arisen, you push the responsibility to the front line. Where is the justice in that?

He spoke up, "Secretary Zhao, since the rectification of the foundation began, I have been guarding the main gate every day without a single day of rest. Today, I led the Shangqinglin team to Jianshan Village, collected one thousand yuan in loans from the Zhang family, and collected three thousand yuan from Zeng Zhaoming, signing a three-year payment agreement with him. I am truly exhausted during this period. Could I please be allowed to catch my breath for a moment?"

Zhao Yongsheng had not expected Hou Weidong to oppose him on the spot. He said displeasedly, "Deputy Mayor Hou’s hard work is visible to all. However, other leaders are not relaxed either. Deputy Mayor Zhong has been accompanying the liquidation team, acting as a drinking companion every day, and has already received several IV drips. Deputy Mayor Tang has taken over all daily operations. Secretary Liu has convened four meetings of branch secretaries in a row and attended meetings at every village branch, working continuously without rest. Deputy Mayor Hou, you are young; please endure one more day of hardship. The organization will remember your contribution."

Hou Weidong did not want to cause a conflict with Zhao Yongsheng in the meeting room. He analyzed the situation objectively. "These seven individuals are well-known figures in Qinglin Town. They are sharp-eared. Our actions must be swift, or we won’t be able to find them at all. I suggest that each town leader be responsible for inviting one person. We should depart simultaneously after the meeting ends. This will ensure everything goes smoothly."

The leaders present at the meeting were Zhao Yongsheng, Su Ming, Zhong Ruihua, Hou Weidong, and Tang Shugang. Adding Zhu Dabiao, the Party Committee Member and Head of the Armed Forces Department who had just returned from the hospital, and Liu Kun, who was not present, made exactly seven people. Hou Weidong’s suggestion was for each town leader to escort one debtor to Yi Yang City.

Since the new Party Committee and Government took office, no one had openly contradicted Zhao Yongsheng at a joint Party-Government meeting. When Hou Weidong spoke, the small conference room became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

A barely noticeable smile appeared at the corner of Su Ming’s mouth. He said, "Deputy Mayor Hou’s suggestion has its merits. I think we can divide into four groups. Hou Weidong, Zhong Ruihua, Zhu Dabiao, Tang Shugang, and Liu Kun will each lead a group. Hou Weidong will be responsible for two people, Zhong Ruihua for two, and Minister Zhu, Deputy Mayor Tang, and Secretary Liu will each be responsible for one."

Zhao Yongsheng had already been considering Hou Weidong’s proposal and was preparing to divide them into two groups. However, upon hearing Su Ming’s indirect support for Hou Weidong, his attitude hardened immediately. "Deputy Mayor Hou, do not shirk this responsibility. You managed the funeral reform, which was an enormous difficulty, successfully. I believe you can handle this matter well too."

Pausing for a moment, Zhao Yongsheng added, "I am not asking you to do everything personally. You can select anyone from the town, including the leaders present here. You have full authority over the operation. All official vehicles in the town are at your disposal."

At this point, Hou Weidong could no longer decline. "Thank you, Secretary Zhao, for your trust. Since that is the case, I will begin the arrangements. We will divide by village. Director Fu will lead one group, responsible for Zeng Zhaoming and Zhou Qiang. Director Su will lead another group, responsible for Yang Jiafu. Director Ouyang will be responsible for Qin Ning…"

After assigning the groups, he checked the time on his mobile phone. "If the leaders have no objections, please have Director Ouyang notify these directors to come to a meeting immediately. In fifteen minutes, all groups will depart simultaneously and take the individuals directly to Yi Yang City."

After half a year of operation, the new leadership team had a clear understanding of the abilities and temperaments of its members. Zhao Yongsheng had great confidence in Hou Weidong, the "jumping" deputy mayor. Especially after the funeral reform, whenever urgent or difficult matters arose, Zhao Yongsheng instinctively thought of Hou Weidong. This was one of the reasons why Zhao Yongsheng had consistently made Hou Weidong the vanguard during the foundation rectification.

Another important reason was that Zhao Yongsheng did not want Su Ming and Tang Shugang to interfere too much in the foundation’s affairs. Among the leadership team, Su Ming knew the inner workings of the foundation, and Tang Shugang, having formerly been the Director of the Party and Government Office, was also familiar with many of its matters.

Zhu Dabiao had just returned from the hospital and was still frail; he could not take on such responsibility. Although Liu Kun was also an outsider and did not know the foundation’s secrets, his ability to handle complex situations was inferior to Hou Weidong’s. If he were to handle this matter, he might lose control of the situation. If something went wrong, Zhao Yongsheng would not be able to explain it to Standing Committee Members Liu and Liu.

Considering all these factors, Hou Weidong was the best candidate. Zhao Yongsheng had no choice but to whip the fast ox, using Hou Weidong again.

After Hou Weidong finished arranging the work, Zhao Yongsheng praised him. "Deputy Mayor Hou’s arrangements are very detailed and the work is well done. If there are any problems, call me directly." He then addressed the other leaders. "Everyone has worked hard during this period. When things are not so tight, our team will have a hearty drink together and compare our drinking capacities."

Everyone laughed.

Subsequently, Zhao Yongsheng, holding a water cup in one hand and a notebook in the other, left the conference room in silence and entered his office. He closed the office door and made a phone call.

"Zhou Qiang, where are you?"

"I have arrived in Lingxi Province and am currently having tea. Thank you, Secretary Zhao."

Zhao Yongsheng sat in his high-backed chair. "What kind of card are you using?"

Zhou Qiang laughed. "Secretary Zhao, rest assured. This card was opened with a fake ID. There is no problem."

(End of Chapter 180)

Days in Qinglin