Chapter 49 The Road-Building Madman (Part 2)
“Build a road?” “Build a road!”
When Township Head Gao announced the theme of the day’s meeting, the room fell into an unusual silence. The only sound was the rhythmic whirring of the electric fans.
Zeng Xiangang from Jianshan Village was a man of quick temper. His facial muscles were tight and hard, giving him an exceptionally rugged appearance. Like Qin Dajiang from Dushi Village, he was a stonemason by trade. The high-quality stone from Mount Qinglin had produced a generation of skilled craftsmen, yet the lack of a highway meant they sat on a mountain of wealth they could not access. He stood up and said, “We’ve dragged this out for years and held countless meetings. This road should have been built long ago.”
Noticing that only Township Head Gao and the new college graduate were present in the conference room, he spoke bluntly, “For a matter of this magnitude, no leader from the town government has come. I wonder if our words will carry any weight.”
Township Head Gao did not take offense. “The proposal to build the road came from Brother Hou. I’ve gathered everyone here today to solicit your opinions. If we are truly going to build this road, we need to discuss it together, form a preliminary plan, and then report it to Secretary Zhao and Town Head Qin.”
He added, “Hou Weidong is the deputy leader of the working group. He will be in charge of coordinating the road-building efforts.”
Wangri Village was located at the tail end of Mount Qinglin, the farthest from the previous survey site. They had hoped to build the road from a different direction. When Township Head Gao proposed the road construction, Secretary He Hequan and Village Committee Director Sun Hu of Wangri Village remained silent, sitting in the conference room and smoking continuously.
Duan Pangwa, sitting beside He Hequan, made a sarcastic remark, “Township Head Gao, you should have said so earlier. If this was the matter, I wouldn’t have bothered making the trip.”
Hou Weidong had originally expected that once Township Head Gao proposed building the road, the secretaries and directors would enthusiastically respond. He was unprepared for such a cold reception. He raised his voice, “I just graduated from Shazhou College. The world outside is developing rapidly, while Mount Qinglin remains exactly as it was twenty years ago. The main reason is the lack of a highway. I noticed that many houses on the mountain are made of stone bricks or thatch, with very few brick houses. The primary reason is again the lack of a road. Transporting bricks by horse caravan costs significantly more. You all know this better than I do; there is no need for me to explain.”
Qin Dajiang was surprised that Hou Weidong was genuinely organizing everyone to build a highway. On one hand, he secretly laughed at the young man’s naivety; on the other, he admired his courage. Seeing Hou Weidong’s face flushed and veins bulging as he explained, Qin said, “University Student Hou, let’s skip the grand theories. We all understand them better than you. The key is implementation.”
If the road were built, Dushi Village would benefit the most. Director Jiang, adopting a desperate attitude of treating a dead horse as if it were alive, said, “University Student Hou, let’s put other matters aside for now. What about the design fees for Engineer Liu?”
Duan Pangwa swore, “Building a road isn’t high-tech. What kind of design fee are we talking about?”
Seeing Duan Pangwa speaking carelessly, Township Head Gao raised his voice, “This is a mountain highway, not a tractor path. If we build this road, it will be the main artery of Mount Qinglin. The mountain has stone and coal, which means heavy trucks. Without proper design, we don’t know how many vehicles will overturn. Duan Pangwa, use your brain when you speak. Don’t just open your mouth to talk nonsense.”
Tang Guiyuan, looking listless, said, “University Student Hou, since we are building a road, what is your grand plan? Tell us and let’s hear it.”
Township Head Gao knew that Hou Weidong was new to the township and that the complexities here were hard to explain. He interjected, “If everyone agrees, we’ll make a commitment. If everyone disagrees, consider it as if I never said anything. Today at noon, I’ll treat everyone to a tofu pudding set meal.”
Qin Dajiang and Zeng Xiangang said in unison, “Let’s hear the grand plan first.”
Township Head Gao said, “If everyone agrees to build the road, I will go to the town government to report and request some funding. If the government has no money, the seven thousand people of Upper Qinglin will have to raise the funds themselves.”
He Hequan, the secretary of Wangri Village, who had been silent until now, spoke up, “Building a road is everyone’s business. If the government doesn’t provide money, what good is it? Today, we won’t pay the agricultural taxes, retention fees, or统筹 (comprehensive management fees) that we haven’t collected yet. We’ll use all of it for the road.”
Hou Weidong thought to himself, That’s a good method.
Township Head Gao shook his head continuously. “These are two separate matters. Bridges are bridges, roads are roads. Don’t lump them together.”
“We won’t pay the accumulated labor days or obligatory labor days to the town. We’ll use them all for the road. That can’t be wrong.” Secretary Qin stood up and addressed everyone loudly, “Building the road is for Upper Qinglin. University Student Hou is an honest and straightforward person, so we will support him. In the worst case, if we fail to build it, we lose nothing.”
Seeing that Zeng Xiangang and Tang Guiyuan remained silent, Secretary Qin cursed, “You bastards are definitely waiting to pick up fallen peaches. If you few don’t do it, I and Director Jiang will do it. Once it’s built, we’ll put up a barrier and charge you bastards toll fees.”
Amidst the noisy debate, everyone finally tentatively agreed to build the road. At noon, Secretary Qin treated everyone to a tofu pudding set meal at Yao Shouzi’s small restaurant. Hou Weidong had originally planned to go to the town to report in the afternoon, but unfortunately, he was plied with alcohol by several secretaries and directors. When he woke up, the sky was full of stars.
The next day, Hou Weidong waited at Township Head Gao’s door early in the morning. Seeing Gao get up, he smiled and said, “Township Head Gao, I got drunk yesterday and didn’t get up in the afternoon. Today, let’s go down the mountain to report on the road-building matter.”
Township Head Gao had intended to go down the mountain in a couple of days. “Salaries are distributed on September 5th. Let’s go down on September 5th. We can report our work and collect our salaries, saving us a trip.” He patted his waist and said, “I’m getting old. Climbing slopes is exhausting. Age really doesn’t spare anyone.”
For such an urgent matter, Township Head Gao could remain so calm. Hou Weidong calculated: September 5th was still more than ten days away.
His heart burned with anxiety. He said eagerly, “Township Head Gao, this kind of matter cannot be delayed. The longer we wait, the more things change. Let’s go down the mountain today.”
“Brother Hou, good things don’t come from rushing. You can’t eat hot tofu if you’re impatient. Besides, the town didn’t arrange for road construction at the People’s Congress session. They probably won’t agree.”
Hou Weidong was puzzled. “Building a road is a great thing. Since the villages are willing to build it, they have no reason to disagree. Let’s go, Township Head Gao.”
Seeing Hou Weidong’s sincerity, Township Head Gao found it hard to refuse further. “Should I call Secretary Zhao?” Hou Weidong did not fully understand the system in the town. “Township Head Gao, I want to ask, are the Secretary and the Town Head both top leaders? Which one is higher?” Township Head Gao was surprised that Hou Weidong would ask such a question. He touched his short hair and said, “The government is under the leadership of the Party. You tell me who is higher.”
Township Head Gao went to Yang Xinchun’s postal agency to call Secretary Zhao Yongsheng. Returning, he said, “Let’s go. Secretary Zhao is in his office.”
On the way down the mountain, Hou Weidong had no mind to look at the scenery. Upon arriving at the town government gate, Township Head Gao instructed, “Do not mention the accumulated labor days or obligatory labor days. Do you understand? I heard that next year, money will replace labor.”
Entering the town government, staff members warmly greeted Township Head Gao. Only Director Huang from the Family Planning Office nodded to Hou Weidong.
Township Head Gao arrived at the door of Town Party Secretary Zhao Yongsheng. Without knocking, he pushed the door open and said, “Secretary Zhao, it’s been a while since I saw you. I’m here to report on our work.” Secretary Zhao’s room was extremely cool. Hou Weidong, sweating from the walk, felt as if he had fallen into a refreshing world, the coolness soothing him from head to toe.
“Build a road?” Secretary Zhao lit a cigarette. Hearing Township Head Gao’s idea, he felt quite surprised. He glanced at Hou Weidong, who was sitting upright, and said, “Old Gao, I’m afraid this isn’t your idea?”
Secretary Zhao Yongsheng carried a certain authority. Under his pressure, Hou Weidong’s confidence wavered. However, remembering what he had said at the village cadre meeting, he proactively said, “Secretary Zhao, let me report. During this period, I went to the villages and learned that Upper Qinglin has no highway, which has limited development. Moreover, the villagers all want to build a road, so I thought of organizing the villagers of Upper Qinglin to build it.”
Secretary Zhao smoked his cigarette and remained silent for a long time.
Township Head Gao spoke up, “Upper Qinglin has had plans to build a road for a long time. The design drawings were even commissioned, but it was delayed again and again, and ultimately nothing was done. Today, Qin Dajiang and the others attended the working group meeting. They all support building the road. We are looking to see if the town can provide some funding.”
Secretary Zhao flicked the ash from his cigarette and said slowly, “Building a road is a good thing, and it’s good that young people have ideas. However, Hou Weidong, as the deputy leader of the working group, you should have reported to the Party Committee and the government before holding this meeting. This is a matter of principle.”