*Chapter 39: Why on Earth? (Part 1)*
This was Hou Weidong’s first weekend since starting work. The Garden Management Office, where Xiaojia worked, had planned a trip to cruise the Yangtze River. Taking advantage of the Saturday, Hou Weidong made a quick trip back to Wu Hai County. Since his salary hadn’t been issued yet, he was short on cash and had to borrow five hundred yuan from his parents. As always, borrowing money from his parents was like a tiger borrowing a pig—there was borrowing, but never returning.
When Zheng Guangfen heard about Hou Weidong’s situation, she urged Hou Yonggui to use his connections in Yi Yang to help. She pressed him three times, which finally annoyed Hou Yonggui. He said, “I’ve never worked in Yi Yang. Who would I even look for? You have to rely on yourself. Back in the day, I carved out my own path through sheer hard work. Town Mayor Qin promised to transfer Hou Weidong down from the mountain eventually. We just need to be patient; there’s no need to rush.”
“Connections are like savings in a bank account; every time you use them, the balance decreases. So, you should save your best friends’ connections for the most critical moments. Besides, it’s good to temper the arrogance of this third son of ours.”
Liu Guangfen knew her husband’s temperament. After complaining a few times, she realized the old man had a point and stopped nagging. Before Hou Weidong returned to Qinglin, she secretly slipped another one thousand yuan into his hands.
On Sunday night, Hou Weidong returned to Shangqinglin Township. Going from the bustling Yi Yang county town back to the cold, quiet courtyard, it took him a while to readjust to the mountain environment. This time, he brought some books and a small cassette recorder. It could play music tapes and receive radio broadcasts. Although listening to the radio seemed a bit outdated in the early 1990s, when television had become widespread, having a radio was still better than having nothing.
In the deep quiet of the night, lying in bed, listening to warm or even slightly ambiguous talk shows, or quietly enjoying a piece of music, served as a supplement to his life in Shangqinglin. However, by the second week in Qinglin Township, Hou Weidong began to have something to look forward to.
Last time, he had put in significant effort for the Family Planning Office. Director Huang of the Family Planning Office had promised to transfer him there. From Monday to Friday, he waited with great anticipation every day for the transfer order. But the transfer was like the belly of a woman suffering from infertility—no matter how much one hoped, there was not a single sign of movement. Being far away in Shangqinglin, with no close friends in the Qinglin government, he had no way to find out inside information. He could only worry in vain, helpless to do anything.
Full of hope, he eventually fell into disappointment. During these five days, Hou Weidong had nothing to do. He studied the People’s Daily for five days straight and reread Lu Yao’s Ordinary World. Fortunately, this book not only constantly encouraged Hou Weidong but also helped him pass the tedious time.
By Friday afternoon, thinking of Xiaojia in Shazhou, Hou Weidong became restless in the office. Even the People’s Daily lost its appeal.
Hou Weidong had gained a better understanding of the work group. Indeed, as Chi Ming had said, the merger of Shangqinglin Township and Xiaqinglin Township left some people difficult to place. Establishing the work group was essentially a disguised way to settle some unpopular personnel in Shangqinglin Township.
The work group was truly a loose collection of individuals. Among the entire Qinglin work group, only Hou Weidong insisted on sitting in the office during work hours. First, since his home was not on Qinglin Mountain, sitting upstairs would leave him with nothing to do anyway; it was better to read newspapers in the office. Second, he wanted to leave a good impression on Township Head Gao. Leaders from the township government rarely came up to Qinglin Mountain. The impressions that Secretary Zhao and Town Mayor Qin had of him were largely based on Township Head Gao’s opinions. Although Township Head Gao had left his post, Hou Weidong attached great importance to him. Gao was an indirect decider of Hou Weidong’s fate.
At around three in the afternoon, Township Head Gao came down to the ground floor. Seeing Hou Weidong still sitting seriously in the office, he turned in and asked, “University Student Hou, today is Friday. Are you going home?”
Hou Weidong’s heart was itching with anxiety, but his surface remained calm. He replied, “I plan to go down the mountain after work.”
Township Head Gao smiled broadly. “University Student Hou, if you’re going home, leave now. If you go down the mountain now, there are still buses available. If you wait too long, you won’t be able to leave at all. Today is Friday; you don’t need to stay here on guard duty.”
Although Township Head Gao was nominally the leader of the work group, the members belonged to various departments, each with their own tasks and leaders. His position as leader was largely titular; he merely lent his name and took the lead in important activities. Relying on the residual authority from his previous years, the work group members still respected him. However, as the saying goes, when the person leaves, the tea cools. Only ghosts knew the true thoughts in everyone’s hearts.
Currently, only the newcomer, Hou Weidong, sincerely followed Township Head Gao’s arrangements. This made Township Head Gao quite satisfied with Hou Weidong: this young man was not only disciplined but also brave. He lacked the pretentious airs of intellectuals and was completely different from Gou Lin down in the valley.
Hearing Township Head Gao’s suggestion, Hou Weidong hesitated slightly. Township Head Gao urged him, “Hurry up and go.” Hou Weidong then stood up and said, “Township Head Gao, I’ll take my leave then.”
“Go quickly. If you leave late, there won’t be any buses.”
Hou Weidong changed his short-sleeved shirt for a T-shirt. Pretending to be calm, he disappeared from Township Head Gao’s line of sight. As soon as he turned the corner, he quickened his pace, stepping onto the small path. Thinking of seeing Xiaojia, his heart surged with excitement. He broke into a light run along the path. He remembered when his classmates from the track team traveled to Mount Emei, they had raced each other. Those vigorous young men, disregarding the steep terrain, ran from the mountain top to the bottom in one breath. This time, running down from Qinglin Mountain, Hou Weidong moved like the wind, sprinting from the summit to the base. When he checked the time at the bottom, he had descended the mountain in just sixteen minutes.
He waited for half an hour before the bus slowly turned around. Hou Weidong’s heart was burning like a rocket; he only wanted to shoot straight to Shazhou to meet his beloved Xiaojia.
As the proverb goes, haste makes waste. Sitting on the bus, Hou Weidong wished he could kick the driver off the vehicle. It took a long time to finally reach Yi Yang County. By then, the scorching sun had turned into a beautiful sunset.
Fortunately, there was a night bus departing for Shazhou at twelve o’clock. This was a special bus for small business owners in Yi Yang. Departing at midnight, passengers could sleep on the bus and arrive in Shazhou after three in the morning. After a short rest, Shazhou’s largest comprehensive wholesale market would open. Most of these small bosses sold clothes. They would buy a batch of goods, then take this bus back. Arriving in Yi Yang County around seven in the morning, they could set up their stalls and open their shops.
Thanks to this bus service, the fashion trends in Yi Yang County always kept pace with Shazhou, clearly faster than the surrounding counties.
Hou Weidong decided to take this bus. Arriving in Shazhou at three in the morning, he found an all-night video room and sat there for a few hours. At nine-thirty in the morning, he met Xiaojia at Shazhou Park, their agreed-upon meeting place.
The bus fare was indeed not cheap. Everyone on the bus knew each other well, greeting one another and making jokes that mixed the innocent with the risqué. Hou Weidong did not belong to this circle. After getting on the bus, he closed his eyes and began to sleep.
At twelve o’clock, the bus departed on time. On the swaying bus, Hou Weidong fell asleep quickly and had a dream. In the dream, he and Xiaojia were strolling through the grass at Shazhou College in the night, eventually climbing up the unnamed mountain. Just as the plot was gradually reaching its climax, the bus arrived at the Shazhou Comprehensive Wholesale Market.
The small bosses rushed off the bus all at once, and Hou Weidong got off with them. These bosses were familiar with the area; as soon as they got off, they went to a night stall, drank some soup and ate braised dishes, eating slowly. Hou Weidong stood in the night, looking at the dark sky and a row of streetlights, unsure of where to go. He then approached a seemingly quiet night stall, ordered some braised dishes and beer, and sat down to drink slowly.
When the small bosses were there, the surroundings were noisy. But as soon as the comprehensive market opened, they scattered like a swarm of bees, leaving Hou Weidong alone in front of the small night stall. He suddenly felt uncomfortable. He had eaten for over an hour, originally planning to wait here until dawn. However, counting from when he started from Qinglin Mountain, he had been traveling for over seven hours. He was now extremely sleepy.
After sitting for another half hour, the night stall owners began to clean up. Hou Weidong had no choice but to leave. He noticed a decent hotel opposite the main entrance of the wholesale market and walked in.
“No rooms available?” Upon hearing the attendant’s answer, Hou Weidong looked depressed and was just about to turn and leave. The attendant added, “Boss, all hotels in Shazhou are fully booked today. There are still beds in the massage rooms. You can get a massage and sleep for a while; it will have to do for the night.”
On the bus, Hou Weidong had vaguely heard something about a sugar and liquor trade fair, but he hadn’t expected such a big stir. All hotels in Shazhou City were actually occupied. However, mentioning massage reminded Hou Weidong of his previous encounter at the Shazhou bus station. He thought to himself, “It’s almost dawn. I can just endure it for a bit longer.”
Leaving the hotel, Hou Weidong wandered alone in the city. Shazhou City’s economy had developed rapidly in recent years, and urban construction was also quite good. Walking alone in the night, accompanied by bright streetlights, he didn’t feel too lonely.
After walking for a while, he came to a street garden. Seeing a chair in the bushes, he walked in and sat there, waiting for dawn.