Chapter 229: Neglecting One’s Duties (Part 1)

Chapter 229: Neglecting One’s Duties (Part 1)

Hou Weidong stepped into the massage room on the top floor. A young woman stood there with her hands clasped, bowing respectfully as he entered and attending to him with cautious care.

Yet, Hou Weidong felt an increasing sense of unease. His mind kept drifting back to the bright lights shining from the second floor of the Shuangjiang Town police station. He had once served in Qinglin Town, where he knew that if the lights in the police station were blazing at night, it almost certainly meant a special operation was underway.

He stepped out of the room. To speak more freely, he climbed to the roof. The rooftop was a garden terrace; he remembered having dinner there once with Li Jing.

Once on the roof, he didn’t bother to admire the night view of Han Lake. Instead, he called his eldest brother, Hou Weiguo.

Hou Weiguo had his arm in a sling. He was in the middle of his habitual argument with Jiang Chu—a domestic war with no winners.

The argument escalated until Jiang Chu grabbed a bag full of products and stormed out of the apartment. Hou Weiguo’s domineering attitude had deeply hurt her. Walking down the street, tears finally spilled from her eyes. But as she walked, she recalled the firm gaze of her teachers on the podium and their powerful words. Courage returned to her. She told herself, “Weiguo looks down on me. I must prove myself by achieving results.”

Standing at a crossroads, she opened her thick address book, selected a potential client, and went to visit them.

When the client opened the door and saw the persistent direct-sales representative, they slammed it shut. Jiang Chu did not give up. She firmly believed that the client’s misunderstanding was temporary and that sincerity would eventually melt even the hardest stone. So, she rang the doorbell again. When rejected a second time, she picked up her materials and moved on to the next house.

Back at home, Hou Weiguo saw that Jiang Chu had left. In a fit of rage, he threw a cup into the bathroom. Since Jiang Chu had become obsessed with direct sales, he had smashed countless cups. Breaking another one merely added a new crack to the bathroom tiles.

Just as his anger peaked, the phone rang. He initially didn’t want to answer, but professional habit made him reluctant to miss a call. He finally picked up his mobile phone and heard his third brother’s questioning tone.

Hou Weiguo immediately grew anxious. “Third Brother, tonight is a unified operation by the Shazhou Municipal Bureau. It’s mainly targeting vice, gambling, and drugs in entertainment venues. Things have been wild in Han Lake for the past few months, catching the Bureau’s attention. Tonight will definitely be a key focus.”

He emphasized, “All participating officers have handed in their communication devices. My arm was injured a few days ago, so I’m resting at home today. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to answer your call. You must keep this confidential. Don’t put your eldest brother in a difficult position.”

Hou Weidong breathed a sigh of relief. If he hadn’t noticed the bright lights in the police station lobby, he wouldn’t have suddenly thought of Qin Feiyue. Tonight, he might have ended up in trouble in Han Lake.

By the time Zeng Zhaoqiang and Zhu Bing got into their car and had just driven out of Han Lake, two police cars came speeding toward them. Cold sweat broke out on Zeng Zhaoqiang’s forehead. He said to Zhu Bing, who was driving, “That was damn dangerous. What’s going on in Han Lake? Didn’t they have good inside information?”

Zhu Bing was equally frightened. “Li Jing used to be in charge here. She was smooth and had a wide network of connections. Now, who knows which bastard is in charge? No one will dare to come here to play anymore.”

When they arrived in Shuangjiang Town, three police cars were already parked at the town entrance. It seemed the scale of this operation was significant.

Zhou Qiang had originally wanted Zeng Zhaoqiang and Zhu Bing to eat and play well, but he had nearly gotten several leaders arrested. Sweat beads like soybeans appeared on his forehead. His car was at the front; after passing Shuangjiang Town, he stopped at the highway entrance and stood pitifully by the car.

“County Magistrate Zeng, I… I… this was purely an accident.” Zhou Qiang, usually eloquent, now stammered. Zeng Zhaoqiang sat in the car and waved his hand. “I’m tired. Let’s go home.” The business van passed Zhou Qiang and drove directly to the highway toll booth.

Seeing Zhou Qiang’s loss of composure, Hou Weidong leaned out of the car window. “In this situation, who has the mood for anything? Mr. Zhou, let’s find another time. Avoiding the bullet tonight is a blessing in disguise. Good fortune will surely follow.”

Zhou Qiang finally snapped out of it. He thought to himself, “Shazhou is too conservative. I need to find a way to get County Magistrate Zeng to the south, where there are more beautiful women and the fun is more open.”

The romantic outing was washed away by the rain and wind. Back at his apartment at the academy, Hou Weidong watched TV while calling Li Jing. Upon hearing Hou Weidong’s voice, she lowered her tone. “It’s too noisy here. I’ll step out and call you back.”

During the brief call, loud music could be heard through the receiver. Hou Weidong held the phone, wondering, “Is Li Jing singing with someone?”

Soon, Li Jing called back. “I’m watching the model team’s training. It’s deafeningly noisy inside. These models have been idle for half a year and are completely out of shape. They need at least two months of closed training to restore their previous level.”

Hearing that she was training models, Hou Weidong felt inexplicably relieved. He said to Li Jing, “The Yichen Road project has entered the substantive phase. Many people are already networking for it. Are you interested?”

Since transferring to the Science and Technology Commission, Hou Weidong had not attended meetings related to key projects. Although he had always known about the Yichen Road project, he wasn’t clear on the details until today.

Li Jing replied, “I know about this. However, most of the group’s cash has been invested in real estate in Lingxi and Yiyang. If we also take on the Yichen Road project, our cash flow might face issues. The impact of the Southeast Asian financial crisis is too deep, and it’s quite difficult for private enterprises to get loans. I have to painfully give up this opportunity.”

After Jinggong Group completed a section of the road in Yiyang, they subsequently built several more roads, yielding considerable profits. However, their recent investment in real estate was too large. If Jinggong Group forced itself to take on the Yichen Road project, their cash flow would likely collapse.

Hou Weidong said, “Road construction is highly profitable. It’s a pity to give it up.”

“I used to want to expand in all directions and build a large conglomerate. Fortunately, that idea didn’t materialize. During this Southeast Asian financial crisis, large conglomerates with tens or hundreds of billions collapsed overnight. My heart couldn’t take it. From now on, I will tighten our operations and cut all unprofitable projects.”

Seeing that Li Jing had no intention of competing for the Yichen Road project, Hou Weidong felt it was a pity, but there was only so much money to be made in the world. A new enterprise could not encompass all profitable projects. Li Jing’s ability to choose what to do and what not to do earned Hou Weidong’s respect. He praised her, “I never expected you to think this way. It seems my initial investment in Jinggong Group was truly a wise choice.”

Hearing Li Jing’s words, Hou Weidong did not mention the matter of buying the coal mine.

Li Jing added, “As for the model team, I still want to keep it. This project doesn’t make much money, but it’s my dream. Spending a little money to fulfill a dream—the board members won’t have any objections, will they?”

Thinking of the model team under Li Jing, Hou Weidong recalled the performance that night. He joked, “As the saying goes, if Jinggong Group cultivates a world-famous supermodel one day, we’ll all benefit from the glory.”

Li Jing giggled. “I haven’t thought about that. But the girls in the model team are all dreaming. I want to give them a chance.”

The next noon, Zhou Qiang called Hou Weidong. “Yesterday, it was all thanks to Director Hou. If you hadn’t been alert, I would have caused a major disaster. How could I still do business in Yiyang?”

Zhou Qiang spoke the truth. His gratitude was sincere. In Yiyang County, the economy was underdeveloped, and the market was poorly cultivated. Businessmen could only make big money by relying on the government. Dealing with officials required understanding unwritten rules and having good luck. Specifically, if a businessman gave money but failed to get things done and then reported the official, or couldn’t withstand the scrutiny of the procuratorate and revealed the bribe-taker, their credibility would drop to zero. No official would dare to deal with such a person. Similarly, if a businessman was unlucky and constantly got into trouble, the officials they interacted with would become much more cautious.

Hou Weidong laughed heartily. “I saw the bright lights in the police station lobby and remembered that every time there was an operation in Qinglin police station, the officers would gather on the second floor. That’s what gave me the alert. I didn’t expect a blind cat to catch a dead mouse—I guessed it right.”

Zhou Qiang beat around the bush with some nonsense, then said, “Director Hou mentioned yesterday that a big boss wants to buy a coal mine. When can you bring him to meet me? Huofu Coal Mine is a good mine, and the facilities are newly replaced. Whoever buys it will get rich. I’m in urgent need of money; otherwise, I wouldn’t be selling Huofu.”

Hou Weidong replied, “The Southeast Asian financial crisis is so severe that Japan and South Korea have been affected. Many large conglomerates have collapsed, and big bosses are investing very cautiously. Who would want to buy a coal mine at this time?” He borrowed this line from Li Jing, and it fit perfectly here.

He left a hook in his words, adding, “Since Mr. Zhou has entrusted me, I will do my best.”

In the following days, Hou Weidong began to prepare for the acquisition of Huofu Coal Mine. During his time as the director of the Management Committee in Dangxin, the quarry business in Qinglin Town had been very good, and he had accumulated over two million yuan in cash. So, money was not the problem. The key issue was his status as a grassroots civil servant, which prevented him from doing this openly. He still had to use his mother’s name to complete the purchase.

Acting as the principal, he negotiated with Zhou Qiang several times. Finally, Zhou Qiang sold Huofu Coal Mine for 1.4 million yuan, leaving all equipment and the entire staff to Hou Weidong. At the time of signing, Hou Weidong’s mother, Liu Guangfen, personally came to Yiyang. She rode in a Passat borrowed from Jinggong Group, wore lipstick, exaggeratedly donned a pair of sunglasses, and had a gold necklace around her neck—a birthday gift from Hou Weidong. She looked somewhat like a boss.

When Liu Guangfen arrived at the factory, she took a tour. The Huofu Coal Mine headquarters was a four-story building, kept quite clean and much better than she had imagined. The only thing that caused anxiety was the sight of coal piled up like small mountains.

Hou Weidong had already negotiated the acquisition contract with Zhou Qiang. Although Liu Guangfen had doubts, out of absolute trust in her third son, she signed the contract.

Back in Yiyang County, Liu Guangfen followed her son to Shazhou Academy. She had only been to the Xinyue Building in Shazhou and had never visited the professors’ building at Shazhou Academy. Walking outside the professors’ building, she saw lush trees and beautiful lake and mountain scenery. She clicked her tongue in admiration. “Xiao San, you really know how to enjoy life. The environment here is so good. Why don’t your father and I move here to retire, and you can buy another house?”

Hou Weidong knew his mother, Liu Guangfen, was joking. She and his father had lived in Wuhai all their lives and would never leave the familiar county town after retirement. He generously said, “If you’re willing, you can call Dad over today.”

Liu Guangfen then thought of the coal piled up like mountains. “The conditions at Huofu Coal Mine are not bad, but the coal market is terrible.” Thinking of her daughter and son-in-law’s silk factory, which was losing money badly, she felt nervous.

“The State Council has issued a document to close wells, reduce production, and adjust the structure. Huofu Coal Mine is relatively large in Yiyang, so it should be fine.” Hou Weidong didn’t have much to do at the Science and Technology Commission, so he had read through the documents issued by the State Council to the province, then to the city, and finally to the county. Since he wanted to buy a coal mine, he paid special attention to these matters. This policy of closing wells and reducing production seemed like a reason to buy a coal mine.

Liu Guangfen’s worries did not decrease. “I worked in the township government with your father. Small coal mines can never be completely closed.”

As they talked, they went upstairs and happened to meet Professor Guo’s wife. Hearing that the stylish middle-aged woman wearing a necklace and sunglasses was Hou Weidong’s mother, she could not hide her surprise. After returning home, she said to Professor Guo, “I heard Xiao Hou’s mother is a primary school teacher. Why is she dressed so strangely?”

Professor Guo said, “Don’t talk nonsense. The older people get, the more they want to dress young. That’s a new mindset.”

Professor Guo’s wife still muttered, “I still can’t get used to this style. Xiao Hou is much more plain than his mother.”

As the couple was talking, there was a knock on the door.

Professor Guo’s wife opened the door and saw Liu Guangfen standing outside with some items. By now, Liu Guangfen had returned to her usual self. She smiled and said, “Professor Guo’s wife, Hou Weidong has lived here for a few years. Thank you for your care and help. I brought some wild wood ear mushrooms from Wuhai County.” Liu Guangfen was thoughtful; she had heard that her son’s neighbor, Professor Guo, had suffered a stroke, so she specifically bought some wild wood ear mushrooms, which were good for patients.

“Teacher Liu, you are too polite.” Professor Guo’s wife had not fully adjusted to Liu Guangfen’s change. Professor Guo called from inside, “Don’t stand at the door. Please invite Teacher Liu in to sit.”

Liu Guangfen had returned to her true self as an elderly woman, so Professor Guo’s wife was very enthusiastic and invited her inside. The two felt like old friends.

The next day was Saturday. Liu Guangfen went shopping with Professor Guo’s wife early in the morning. She bought some millet, goji berries, red dates, and other foods for her son, completely changing the food structure in Hou Weidong’s refrigerator.

At 11:30, Liu Guangfen was still cleaning the house. Seeing that his mother had no intention of cooking, Hou Weidong asked, “Mom, shall we eat out for lunch?”

Liu Guangfen replied, “Professor Guo’s wife is inviting us to lunch. Her daughter is also coming back. Professor Guo’s wife said her daughter doesn’t have a partner yet. I promised to have your brother introduce someone to her.”