Chapter 35: The Reputation of Bravery (Part 7)
Hou Weidong woke up to find the sun already high in the sky.
He glanced at the clock and saw it was 8:40. Panic set in. He rushed downstairs, unlocked the office door, and grabbed the water bottle from inside. He hurried to the backyard, where Chi Ming and a stout woman were eating porridge. Seeing Hou Weidong enter, the woman said, "The water is just starting to boil. Wait a moment."
"This is Sister Tian Xiuying. You can buy your meal tickets from her."
Hou Weidong still had a vague understanding of the working group’s composition. He knew that Township Head Gao, who had stepped back to the second line, served as the group leader. The members included Gao, Xi Zhaoyong from the police station, Li Yong from the Agricultural Technology Station, Duan Pangwa, Chi Ming from the mess hall, Yang Xinchun, a general laborer, Tian Fushen and Bai Chuncheng from the Rural Economy Station, and Zheng Faming from the broadcasting station. But he had no idea what role this Tian Xiuying played.
True to her name, Tian Xiuying had a round face resembling the character "Tian" (field) in clerical script. Her skin was dark, and the corners of her eyes slanted upward. Holding a large steamed bun, she chewed and said, "Little Hou, I’m from the Party and Government Office. Come to me for meal tickets from now on."
Hou Weidong formed a poor impression of Tian Xiuying. Her expression carried a harsh, almost vicious edge. Chi Ming had mentioned two days ago that the members of the Qinglinshan working group fell into three categories: those who were old, which obviously referred to Township Head Gao; those who held no real power, likely referring to people like Tian Fushen, Chi Ming, and Yang Xinchun; and those who were disobedient. By Hou Weidong’s intuition, this last category probably included Li Yong and Sister Tian.
Standing by the large iron pot, Hou Weidong watched the water slowly begin to bubble. He thought to himself, "I need to keep my distance from Tian Xiuying. My gut tells me she’s the kind of woman who loves to gossip."
After filling the office water bottle and tidying up the courtyard, Hou Weidong sneaked over to Yao Shouzi’s tofu pudding stall. Yao Shouzi greeted him warmly. "University student Hou, what would you like to eat?"
Hou Weidong took a seat by the door to avoid the pervasive smell of honeycomb coal briquettes. "The usual. A bowl of tofu pudding."
Yao Shouzi recommended, "We have steamed pork with rice flour today. One point five yuan a portion. Give it a try."
From childhood, Hou Weidong’s breakfasts had consisted of porridge, steamed buns, milk, eggs, and pickles. Since arriving in Qinglin, he had surprisingly started eating tofu pudding set meals for breakfast, and he enjoyed them immensely. However, since it was working hours, he ate with anxiety, hiding in Yao Shouzi’s stall, afraid that Township Head Gao or other staff members might spot him eating breakfast during work time.
After finishing his meal without incident, he hurried back to the small courtyard, locked the door, and settled down to read the newspaper.
A short while later, he heard voices outside. Several unfamiliar men and women, sweating profusely, walked into the office. Judging by their skin and demeanor, Hou Weidong deduced they were government officials. Sure enough, before he could speak, a man with a protruding belly asked, "Is Township Head Gao here?"
Hou Weidong stood up. "He’s not in the office."
The fat man walked to the doorway and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Township Head Gao! Township Head Gao! Come down for a drink!"
A voice, pitched extremely high, replied from above, "Chao Fatty, what are you yelling about? I’m coming down."
Chao Fatty entered the office, turned the ceiling fan to its highest setting, and stood beneath it, looking thoroughly relaxed. The others gathered around him, enjoying the cool breeze.
Hearing the nickname "Chao Fatty," Hou Weidong recalled that the Deputy Town Mayor in charge of political and legal affairs and comprehensive social security management was surnamed Chao. It had been three days since he arrived on Qinglin Mountain, and this was his first time meeting an actual town leader. Without showing any reaction, he stood up, poured a glass of water, and said, "Please have some water. It’s a bit hot."
Chao Fatty took the teacup, set it aside, and asked, "Are you the newly assigned college graduate, Hou Weidong?"
"I am Hou Weidong."
"You did well yesterday morning. The county leaders are taking this case very seriously. Many leaders have come down to investigate." Chao Fatty stood under the fan. "Not bad, young man. Not bad."
Just then, Township Head Gao walked in. He was wearing shorts and old-fashioned sandals. He smiled and said, "Chao Fatty, hiking is good for weight loss. If you go up the mountain twice a week, you’ll definitely succeed. Why bother with diet tea? It’s useless." Then he turned to Hou Weidong. "University student Hou, this is Town Mayor Chao."
Hou Weidong already knew his identity, but upon hearing Gao’s introduction, he pretended to learn it for the first time. He stood up again and said, "Town Mayor Chao, I’m Hou Weidong. I’m new to the job and don’t know much. Please criticize and correct me."
Chao Town Mayor rubbed his belly. "This is Director Huang from the Family Planning Office, Li Hui from the Family Planning Office, and Zeng Wen from the Social Affairs Office." He pointed to the woman. "This is Duan Hongxiu from the Family Planning Office."
In Hou Weidong’s impression, the directors of Family Planning Offices were always women. He hadn’t expected the director of the Qinglin Town Government’s Family Planning Office to be a man.
"Call Li Yong and Secretary Qin and Director Jiang from Dushi Village over here," Chao Town Mayor instructed Li Hui. Then he turned to Township Head Gao. "We’ve received word that there’s a pregnant woman in Dushi Village. We need to take her back. She’s from the Guo Blacksmith’s family. He’s a notorious tough guy, so we need Xi Zhaoyong and Tian Dadao to go along."
"Also, the stationed cadre Li Yong and the new arrival, Hou Weidong, must come with us."
Township Head Gao pondered. "Guo the Barbarian is going crazy wanting a grandson. If we go like this, given his temper, something might go wrong." Chao Town Mayor’s face darkened. "All the families who exceeded birth quotas on Qinglin Mountain are watching Guo the Barbarian. If we don’t take him down, we won’t be able to carry out family planning work in the future. I don’t believe this barbarian can resist the power of people’s dictatorship."
Hou Weidong had studied political science and law. He felt that Deputy Town Mayor Chao’s way of speaking was stuck in the 1980s. But as a fresh-faced newcomer, he had no standing to interject.
After a long wait, Xi Zhaoyong still hadn’t come down. Chao Town Mayor cursed, "Xi Zhaoyong is a veteran of the Sino-Vietnamese War. Does he really fear Guo the Barbarian?"
Speak of the devil, and he appears. As soon as the words left his mouth, Xi Zhaoyong walked in wearing slippers. He sat down next to Hou Weidong and asked, "What’s the matter?" Director Huang from the Family Planning Office distributed cigarettes and smiled. "Guo the Barbarian’s second wife is pregnant again. We’re preparing to bring her to the government for processing."
Xi Zhaoyong said, "The bureau has regulations. The police station cannot dispatch officers arbitrarily. These matters are the government’s responsibility. We don’t get involved."
The police station was not a subordinate department of the township government, but an agency dispatched by the Public Security Bureau. Its salary and personnel relations were managed by the bureau. Therefore, the police officers at the station had a strong degree of independence. However, the station required local assistance for many matters, and some funding needed to be resolved locally. Thus, the relationship between the local government and the police station was interdependent and, to some extent, mutually restrictive.
Seeing Xi Zhaoyong cite rules and regulations, Chao Town Mayor lost face. "We’re not asking you to beat anyone. We’re worried that Guo the Barbarian might resort to violence and obstruct official duties. According to the Public Security Administration Punishments Regulations, that’s definitely the police station’s business."
Xi Zhaoyong crossed his legs and smiled. "The Qinglin police station has a rule: dispatching officers requires Director Qin’s approval. Director Qin hasn’t expressed his stance yet, so how dare I dispatch officers arbitrarily? Family planning is a basic state policy, but police discipline is also strict. I want to wear this uniform for a few more years."
Director Huang saw the two becoming increasingly confrontational. He gave Township Head Gao a look and said, "Officer Xi, I need to ask you something privately. Step outside for a moment."
Xi Zhaoyong followed Director Huang out, leaving Chao Town Mayor to fume silently, rubbing his belly.
No one knew what Director Huang said to Xi Zhaoyong. When they returned, Director Huang said, "Everyone, Guo the Barbarian’s wife happens to be at home today. Let’s go quickly. If she leaves, it will be troublesome."