Chapter 246: Blocking the Road (Part 1)

In the secluded villa in Zhongling, County Head Ma Youcai and Yi Zhongling, the former head of the Yiyang Native Produce Company, were sipping wine.

"Old Yi, I truly envy you. You managed to extricate yourself from the muddy waters of Yiyang. Now that Zhu Yan holds absolute power here, he is pressing me at every turn. Being county head has lost all its flavor."

Yi Zhongling had successfully detached himself from the Yiyang Native Produce Company. After personally resolving the issue with Gou Yong, all hidden dangers were eliminated, allowing him to focus peacefully on being an entrepreneur. His mood was naturally different from Ma Youcai’s. He advised, "County Head Ma, you’d best not make things too awkward with Zhu Yan. Try to find a way to transfer out of Yiyang County. That is my personal advice as a brother."

Ma Youcai said angrily, "How much have I done for Yiyang? I spearheaded the transportation projects. The strategy was my idea, and I implemented every detail. Yiyang’s finances are weak, so completing these projects required raising funds from everywhere. It cost me immense effort and blood, sweat, and tears. Now that transportation has improved, it has become Zhu Yan’s political achievement. I cannot let this grievance go."

"Take a step back, and the sea becomes wide, the sky vast. Zhu Yan is currently in a position of strength. Do not clash with him head-on. Yi Zhongda is now a section chief in the Organization Department of the Provincial Party Committee, coordinating management across various regions. His words still carry weight in the Shazhou region."

Yi Zhongda was Yi Zhongling’s cousin. After graduating from Zhejiang University, he was assigned to the Health Department, where he felt stifled and unfulfilled. To help him transfer to the Organization Department of the Provincial Party Committee, Yi Zhongling had provided significant financial support. That investment had finally borne fruit.

Ma Youcai’s eyes lit up. "Yi Zhongda is in a good position. Arrange a meeting with him sometime." Having served in politics for many years, Ma Youcai had his own channels and methods, but he believed that one more friend meant one more path. Thus, he was very interested in Yi Zhongda.

Yi Zhongling had invested heavily in Ma Youcai. He hoped Ma’s official career would grow larger and more stable, which would benefit him. He agreed readily, "Yi Zhongda listens to me. We can arrange a meeting for the three of us in the near future."

After drinking a few more glasses of red wine, Yi Zhongling said, "Zhou Changquan is coming to Yiyang this time. I heard that Yang Weige’s family members plan to block the road to appeal their grievance. Zhu Yan thinks he is so powerful? This time, we will make him lose face."

Ma Youcai remained silent for a moment, pondering. "Who is instigating this?"

"What do you mean?"

Ma Youcai had also taken over two million yuan from the Native Produce Company, so he was concerned about the matter. However, he did not favor causing a major disturbance. He said, "Keeping anger bottled up inside is suffocating, but if someone provokes it, it will tarnish everyone’s reputation. You have no connection to the Yiyang Native Produce Company anymore. It is best you do not get involved."

Yi Zhongling thought to himself, Ma Youcai’s thinking is correct. These officials are truly cunning and shrewd. Out loud, he said, "This has nothing to do with me. It is Yang Weige’s wife causing the trouble. She has always been a lioness, biting people even when there is no reason, let alone now that Yang Weige is dead."

"Does this really have nothing to do with you?"

Yi Zhongling patted his chest loudly, saying, "I was once a factory director, but how could I be involved in such illegal and disciplinary violations? Rest assured."

Ma Youcai snorted inwardly, thinking, You have done plenty of illegal and disciplinary violations.

"Good. The county-owned enterprises in Yiyang are nearly bankrupt, and the contradictions are intense. No one needs to incite them. As long as they know Zhou Changquan is coming to Yiyang for inspection, someone will surely go to report the situation."

Ma Youcai understood this implicitly.

While Ma Youcai and Yi Zhongling were enjoying red wine that cost over seven hundred yuan a bottle, Li Jing was dancing and chatting with Hou Weidong in a small dance hall. Their conversation was deep, and their posture intimate. Three hours passed in a flash.

Li Jing seemed to be recalling her fleeting youth. She shed tears several times, dampening Hou Weidong’s chest. When Zeng Zhaoqiang came downstairs, Li Jing kissed Hou Weidong deeply and said, "I lost my composure today. Please don’t laugh at me."

"I won’t."

As Li Jing left Hou Weidong’s embrace, she whispered, "If you had made any request just now, I would have agreed to it."

They returned from Shazhou to Yiyang at 3:00 a.m. Hou Weidong set his alarm for 6:30 and fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed.

The piercing ringtone woke him from his dream. Hou Weidong groggily got out of bed, thinking about the previous night. He thought to himself, Li Jing is just a young girl who started from scratch and built such a career. She is truly remarkable. Only by enduring the hardest hardships can one rise above others.

He had talked with Li Jing all night, embraced her, and kissed her, but they did not take it further. However, after that night, they shared a deeper understanding and a touch more intimacy.

Yawning, he got into Old Liu’s car. Old Liu smiled and said, "Secretary Hou looks exhausted. You must have stayed up late last night." Hou Weidong mumbled, "No, I just didn’t sleep well."

Zhu Yan, however, was full of energy. Standing at the doorway, he greeted Weidong and said, "If there are no major arrangements this morning, notify Zhang Yajun from the Construction Committee. We will go to inspect the development in the southern part of the city."

Hou Weidong was young. Seeing Zhu Yan, he suppressed his drowsiness and said, "Secretary Zhao has something to discuss with you this morning."

"Oh."

***

When they arrived at the office, Ren Lindu was busy cleaning, and Ren Xiaowei was helping him type on the computer. It was unclear what Ren Lindu had said, but Ren Xiaowei was laughing so hard she bent over. Her laughter was infectious, like pigeons fluttering in a forest.

Most of the staff in the County Party Committee Office liked this sunny girl and her clear laughter. Hou Weidong liked her too. Standing at the door, he said, "Ren Xiaowei, what is so funny?"

Seeing Hou Weidong at the door, Ren Xiaowei blushed and said, "Ren Lindu is telling stories about Chairman He."

Chairman He was the head of the People’s Congress in a township and the only female People’s Congress chairman in Yiyang. She was famous for her bold language. Hearing that it was a story about Chairman He, Hou Weidong smiled and asked, "What new story does Chairman He have?"

Ren Lindu said, "Yesterday, I went to the countryside with Secretary Zhao. At lunch, Secretary Zhao kindly said to Chairman He, 'You have worked hard down below.' Guess what Chairman He said?"

In the Yiyang officialdom, many words were double entendres. On the surface, one thing was meant; underneath, another. "You have worked hard down below" ostensibly meant working hard at the grassroots level. But since Chairman He was a woman, the hidden meaning was "working hard under a man." These were jokes that everyone could accept.

Ren Lindu had excellent eloquence and expressive features. He said, "Chairman He reacted quickly. She immediately retorted, 'Leadership is not easy up above either.'"

Chairman He’s response was also a double entendre, containing both teasing and subtle implication.

Ren Xiaowei’s face turned slightly red. She said, "You people, what is inside your heads? You talk about these dirty jokes all day."

Ren Lindu laughed, "We are serious at work. If we remain tense even during meals, we would be too rigid and unfeeling. Life is like this: finding joy in bitterness, and bitterness in joy. This is also a custom in Yiyang. Dirty jokes come from the people and entertain the people."

Ren Xiaowei pursed her lips and said, "Senior Brother Ren has a slick tongue. You could talk a dead horse into looking alive."

After chatting a bit more, Ren Xiaowei returned to the Comprehensive Section.

Ren Lindu said, "Big Secretary Hou, I heard that Yang Weige’s family is causing a huge stir in the province. The Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection is preparing to send people down. My senior brother works at the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and has become a minor leader. He called me yesterday and said he is coming to Shazhou."

Hou Weidong knew about this. He said, "Regarding this case, the Public Security Bureau has searched Yiyang thoroughly. They have now identified the suspects, but they have not caught Gou Yong, so the case remains unsolved."

Ren Lindu said, "Judging by their methods, they are ruthless and vicious. I estimate Gou Yong has been silenced."

Hou Weidong nodded. "I have that premonition too. If Gou Yong is really dead, the Yiyang Native Produce Company case will become a mystery with no leads. Now it depends on whether Gu Tiejun has the power to turn things around."

Zhao Lin entered Zhu Yan’s office. They had several important issues to discuss that day, one of which was the selection of the Finance Bureau Director. The current director listened too closely to Zhu Yan and was somewhat dismissive of the County Party Committee’s instructions. Therefore, Zhu Yan planned to appoint Gui Gang, the Director of the County Government Office, as the Finance Bureau Director, and transfer the current director to be the Director of the County Party Committee Research Office. Although Gui Gang was the Director of the County Government Office, he was a decent person with strong administrative capabilities. Appointing him as Finance Bureau Director would be easier for County Head Ma Youcai to accept.

An important power of the County Party Committee was controlling appointments and dismissals. With the power to appoint personnel, one essentially held political power.

They talked until 11:00 a.m. Hou Weidong and Ren Lindu enjoyed the rare leisure, chatting, reading documents, and organizing materials on the computer.

Development Zone Director Qin Feiyue had just arrived at his office when he was blocked by a group of laid-off workers from the Silk Factory. In the conference room, Qin Feiyue explained everything from national policies to provincial and municipal guidelines, and finally to Yiyang’s current situation. However, the laid-off workers did not care about any of this. They had only one sentence: "We want to support ourselves through labor. We need jobs." Some workers began to shout, "Zhou Changquan is coming to Yiyang. We will tell him when he arrives."

It was difficult to persuade the Silk Factory workers to leave. Then, a dozen more people arrived, also mentioning Comrade Zhou Changquan.

This made Qin Feiyue alert. He called Hou Weidong and immediately rushed to the County Party Committee.