*Chapter 51 The Road-Building Madman (Part 4)*
“Are the blueprints in Engineer Liu’s hands?”
“They are indeed with Engineer Liu.” Mentioning the blueprints, Township Head Gao sighed with a belly full of grievances. “Engineer Liu is a model worker. Don’t let his status as an intellectual fool you; he is sharp as a tack. Without payment, no matter how many sweet words you say, he won’t hand over the drawings. After Qinglin Township broke its promises several times, he became even more guarded.”
The Party Committee and the township government had both agreed to build the road, which gave Hou Weidong a surge of confidence. He believed the blueprint issue would be trivial. “People respond to sincerity. Engineer Liu is an intellectual. If we approach him with genuine earnestness, even stone will crack open.”
Hou Weidong was eager to start construction immediately. He turned to Township Head Gao, who was still catching his breath, and said, “Township Head Gao, let’s skip the mountain trip. It’s still early. Let’s go straight into the city to find Engineer Liu.”
Township Head Gao looked at him with a mix of amusement and exasperation. “Brother Hou, are you trying to exhaust your old brother to death? I have heart disease; I dare not compete with you young ones. Besides, Engineer Liu spends most of his time on construction sites and rarely stays in the office. If we don’t arrange it in advance, we’ll likely return empty-handed.”
Gao’s reasoning was sound, so Hou Weidong did not insist. He followed Gao back to the Shangqinglin Township town.
That evening, after finishing his teaching session at Tie Bingsheng’s home, Hou Weidong finally couldn’t hold back. He shared the good news that the Party Committee and the government had agreed to build the road.
Tie Ruiqing was delighted. “Teacher Hou, when will the road be finished? Once it’s done, will passenger buses be able to run? Then Mom won’t need to hire horse caravans from the foot of the mountain to bring in goods.”
Horse caravans seemed like a legend from a distant past, but because Shangqinglin Township lacked roads, transportation became a major problem for events like house building. Thus, horse caravans had become a distinctive feature of Shangqinglin.
Hou Weidong replied proudly, “Of course. Once the road is open, Shangqinglin Township will undergo drastic changes. The outside world will bring in many advanced things.”
Among the students at Qinglin Town Junior High, only Tie Ruiqing had been admitted to Yiyang No. 1 High School. After moving to the city, her clothing, belongings, and hobbies were completely out of place compared to her classmates. She endured much disdain, which deeply hurt her self-esteem. Being a strong-willed girl, she buried the grievances she suffered in the city deep in her heart. She channeled her energy into studying hard and improving her grades to earn the respect she deserved.
Therefore, she felt the pain of her hometown’s isolation acutely. Hearing the news about the road, she couldn’t help but jump for joy.
Tie Bingsheng’s reaction was somewhat similar to that of the village cadres. He thought to himself, “Hou Weidong is a university graduate with cultural knowledge and decent interpersonal skills. But he hasn’t even settled in Qinglin Town yet, and he’s already dreaming of building a road. It’s sheer fantasy.” Tie Bingsheng was well-read in history and insightful about human nature. He did not dare to underestimate Hou Weidong’s youthful boldness, for many things in the world were created by reckless youths. Mature people, overthinking and fearing every obstacle, rarely created miracles.
“How much money does the town plan to contribute to this road project? The town’s finances are tight. They owe teachers three months’ salary. Where would they find money to build a road?”
Money is the backbone of courage, just as clothes are the face of dignity. Tie Bingsheng was a primary school principal, but without funds, he could not retain high-quality teachers, improve teaching facilities, or implement good ideas. So, upon hearing about the road, his first thought was money.
“Township Head Qin told us to start construction first. When the town’s economy improves next year, they will provide subsidies in the form of rewards. The town has established a special leading group for the road project, with Township Head Su as the leader.” Hou Weidong concluded, “The town attaches great importance to building this road.”
Tie Bingsheng looked at Hou Weidong’s expression. He did not want to burst his bubble, so he sighed inwardly and said, “I wonder when this road will ever be finished.”
The next day, Hou Weidong went to Dushi Village and told the two village cadres about the situation.
Upon hearing that the town would not contribute a single penny, Qin Dajiang cursed loudly. “Those bastards in the town only know how to collect money. They are stingy when it comes to doing their duty. To promote the ‘Double Three Feet’ agricultural technique, they were willing to spend 50,000 yuan as a reward. Agricultural technology? Hmph. We old farmers have been farming for decades; do we need the town to teach us? That money is wasted. It could have been used to build the road.”
Director Jiang spoke in a low, muffled voice. “We won’t pay the retention and统筹 (comprehensive management) fees this year. We won’t provide accumulation labor or voluntary labor either. Let’s use that for the road and see what the town says.”
Secretary Qin was agitated. “We won’t pay any money this year. I am just a farmer. At worst, I’ll resign as secretary.”
Hou Weidong was surprised by their intense emotions. He did not know the town’s stance on accumulation labor and voluntary labor, but from their words, he realized these were crucial to the town. He hurried to persuade them. “Secretary Qin, Director Jiang, please don’t be angry. Secretary Zhao and Township Head Qin both support us building the road. Once we start, we will find a way. The most critical thing right now is to begin construction.”
Qin Dajiang had a head like a horse’s and a thick waist. He threw his head back and said, “Not giving a single penny and calling it support? Support my ass.”
Hou Weidong felt somewhat embarrassed.
Director Jiang was much more mild-mannered. He smoked quietly for a while, then said, “Old Qin, what do you think? Should we still do this?”
After venting his frustration, Qin Dajiang sat silently beside Director Jiang, looking dejected.
Hou Weidong said, “Building a road is not high-tech. We aren’t paving a cement surface; it mainly relies on labor. I believe this road can be built. If you two give up, who knows when this road will ever be finished.”
The two village cadres remained seated, saying nothing.
Hou Weidong pressed, “Will you build the road or not? Just give me an answer.”
Qin Dajiang looked up and said, “University Student Hou, this is none of your business. Why are you in such a hurry?”
Building the road was Hou Weidong’s path to self-redemption. Moreover, he had made a firm commitment in front of the Secretary and the Township Head. His words were like an arrow leaving the bow; they could not be taken back. Seeing their hesitation, he grew angry. “I’m really the eunuch worrying more than the emperor. No wonder a road hasn’t been built in decades. The men of Shangqinglin are cowards. When faced with difficulties, they only know how to escape and talk big. If you give up like this, no one will ever mention building a road again.”
Qin Dajiang held his head in his hands and thought for a moment. Suddenly, he stood up. “Brother Hou makes sense. We cannot give up this time. Build the road! Even if we have to crawl, we’ll build it!”
“Old Jiang, you and Tang Guiyuan are classmates. You go and work on the people in Jianshan Village. I’ll go find Zeng Xiangang in Wangri Village. As long as we can persuade Jianshan and Wangri, we will start moving.” Qin Dajiang appeared rough on the outside, but his mind was sharp. He glanced at Hou Weidong and handed him a difficult task. “Hou Weidong, you and Engineer Liu are both intellectuals. I’ll leave the blueprint matter to you. We will work together. Let’s aim to start construction in early September and have the road route laid out by November.”
Hou Weidong agreed immediately. “Alright, I’ll take care of this. I’m responsible for the blueprints; you are responsible for organizing the people.”
Having reached a consensus with the two village cadres of Dushi Village, Hou Weidong ate a simple meal in the village. He did not drink a drop of alcohol and returned to Shangqinglin Township town.
Township Head Gao’s door was closed with the gauze screen, suggesting he was taking a nap. Hou Weidong initially wanted to knock but thought it inappropriate. Instead, he went downstairs, opened the office, and saw a layer of dust on the desk. He fetched a bucket of water, wiped the desk carefully with a cloth, and swept the floor clean. Then, he spent some time reading the newly arrived People’s Daily. Since the postal agency had been established, newspapers arrived promptly. The People’s Daily took at most four or five days to arrive, whereas before, it was a semi-monthly delivery.
Around three o’clock, he finally heard Township Head Gao’s voice. Hou Weidong put down his newspaper and ran upstairs.
“Township Head Gao, do you have Engineer Liu’s phone number? Let’s call him and arrange a meeting time.”
Township Head Gao was sweating from his sleep. Seeing Hou Weidong, who was also drenched in sweat, he said, “Even if you meet Engineer Liu, without money, you still won’t get the blueprints.”
“Township Head Gao, just make the call. Whether we get the blueprints or not, we have to try.”
“Brother Hou, you really know how to wear people down. Alright, alright. I’ll look for the phone book. Engineer Liu’s number should be in there.”
At the Engineering Section of the County Transportation Bureau, Liu Dingjiang was working on drawings when the phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and heard Township Head Gao’s voice. He said, “Township Head Gao, when are you going to pay me? For these drawings, I’ve put in both effort and money. It’s been two years, Township Head Gao. Please pay me.”