Chapter 54 The Road-Building Madman (Part 7)
The morning sun streamed through the balcony, piercing directly into the small room and bathing it in bright, glaring light.
Hou Weidong was startled awake. He sat up quickly, trying to mask his embarrassment.
Duan Ying had actually noticed his sleeping posture long ago. She had woken up before six that morning. Seeing Hou Weidong asleep on the cool bamboo bed, she had been initially surprised, but she quickly realized he must have gotten drunk again the night before. Her tolerance for alcohol was very low; one Spring Festival, she had passed out after drinking less than two ounces of liquor. Two bottles of beer had already set a personal record for her. Although his sleeping position was undignified, with half his chest exposed, his clothes were still intact. This indicated that Hou Weidong had not taken advantage of her while she was unconscious.
In his sleep, Hou Weidong wore a pure, innocent smile. His breathing was light and clear. Looking at this sleeping young man, Duan Ying felt a wave of warmth spread through her heart.
Hou Weidong rolled over onto his back. A large bulge formed in his lower body. Although Duan Ying had sexual experience, she had never seen an ex-boyfriend in this state in the morning. Seeing Hou Weidong’s arousal, she was startled, yet she could not look away. She squinted her eyes, pretending to still be asleep, and stared repeatedly at the vigorous man. She felt a trickle of heat rising from her lower abdomen, rushing to every part of her body. She turned to her side, clamping her legs tightly together.
At seven o’clock, Duan Ying sat up. She took a shower and walked out quietly. Hou Weidong was still asleep. Before leaving, she deliberately glanced at Hou Weidong’s tent one last time.
After the events of the previous day, an indescribable emotion had grown between Hou Weidong and Duan Ying. They sat face to face, exchanging words that didn’t quite match their true feelings. After finishing breakfast, they went to the Qinglin Forest Farm town. Having grown accustomed to the tofu pudding set meal, the fragrant porridge and small steamed buns tasted exceptionally good.
“This is a Yiyang old brand, Old Street Buns. They are particularly delicious,” Duan Ying said. She had changed out of her red dress and was now wearing a white silk blouse, looking very relaxed.
Hou Weidong took a sip of porridge and asked, “Aren’t you working today?”
Duan Ying looked at Hou Weidong, who was eating with relish, and felt a surge of tenderness. With a man in the house, the room felt like a home; otherwise, it was just a dormitory. She said gently, “We are an enterprise. We don’t have weekends off; we work on a rotating schedule. Today is my day off.”
When Duan Ying went to the balcony, Hou Weidong’s gaze involuntarily followed her figure. Sure enough, the sunlight penetrated Duan Ying’s thin shirt. Hou Weidong was shocked to discover that Duan Ying was not wearing a bra. Her entire upper body was bare under the direct sunlight. He subconsciously compared her figure to Xiaojia’s; Duan Ying was fuller. Before Duan Ying returned, he swallowed hard. To cover his reaction, he quickly took a bite of a bun. Knowing that Duan Ying was not wearing a bra, Hou Weidong could clearly see the two mounds on her chest appearing and disappearing with her movements.
Hou Weidong felt as if his nose was about to bleed. He finished his breakfast rapidly and fled Duan Ying’s warm yet deadly small room as if escaping for his life.
Along the way, thinking of Xiaojia’s patient waiting, Hou Weidong felt guilty. Although he and Duan Ying hadn’t done anything the previous night, he still felt he had let Xiaojia down. Amidst this constant internal conflict, he arrived at the Transportation Bureau.
This was his third visit to the Transportation Bureau. Hou Weidong made his way familiarly to the Engineering Section. There were seven or eight people in the section, discussing some issue. The short Engineer Liu had his back to the door.
Hou Weidong knocked lightly on the door and said, “Engineer Liu.” Liu Wei saw Hou Weidong again, and his expression turned sour. However, since there were many people in the room, he couldn’t say anything. He was forced to stand up and walk out without a word.
Downstairs, seeing that no one was around, Liu Wei’s face lengthened. “I’m convinced. In our relationship, I am Huang Shiren, and you are Yang Bailao. Huang Shiren didn’t cause trouble for Yang Bailao, yet Yang Bailao is holding onto Huang Shiren. What kind of world is this?”
Hou Weidong maintained a smile on his face, listening to Liu Wei’s rambling. Waiting for a pause in his speech, he said, “Engineer Liu, how about this? The drawings are in the office anyway; they won’t turn into money. I will personally pay five thousand yuan first to get the drawings out. When the project starts next year, I will find a way to make up the rest of the money.”
Liu Wei did not believe at all that Hou Weidong would pay out of his own pocket to get the drawings, as it was too contrary to common sense. He shook his head and said, “Seeing that you are so sincere, pay ten thousand yuan first, and I will give you the drawings.”
“Engineer Liu, I can really only pay five thousand yuan,” Hou Weidong said, gritting his teeth. “As long as the road is built, we won’t lack money. Shangqinglin Mountain is rich in resources. Limestone and coal are money. Our work team can put up a pole at the intersection and collect tolls. We can recover this ten thousand yuan in a year.”
Liu Wei studied transportation. He knew that the stone from Shangqinglin, whether used as rubble or crushed stone, was of excellent quality. Hou Weidong’s words were indeed not empty. Therefore, he was somewhat tempted. However, remembering how Qinglin Town had dragged its feet over twenty thousand yuan for so long, his heart hardened again. He said, “I won’t move until I see the money. Bring ten thousand yuan, and I will give you the drawings.”
Hou Weidong’s long persuasion was ineffective, and he felt anger rising in his heart. However, since he was asking for a favor, he had to lower himself. He restrained himself from losing his temper at Liu Wei, but his anger still made the smile on his face somewhat stiff.
Liu Wei was short, but he was the essence of life, with a mind that turned extremely fast. Seeing that Hou Weidong’s expression had changed, he felt he had hit Hou Weidong’s weak spot. He added fuel to the fire, saying, “Hou Weidong, I have many things to do. If you have no other business, don’t come looking for me.”
At this moment, two cars entered the gate of the Transportation Bureau. A middle-aged man got out of one car and walked quickly to the Crown car, waiting for the person inside to get out. A young man got out of the front door of the Crown car. He was wearing a suit, his hair combed shiny. He carried his bag, walked to the rear door, bent over, and opened it.
This young man was Hou Weidong’s classmate, Liu Kun.
Several people came down from upstairs. A tall, fat man walked quickly forward and said, “County Mayor Ma, welcome to inspect the Transportation Bureau.” The people behind him also rushed forward to greet him.
Liu Wei had sharp eyes and had already recognized who the visitors were. He said, “Hou Weidong, county leaders have arrived. You should go back.”
Hou Weidong stood in the corner of the Transportation Bureau’s small courtyard, watching County Mayor Ma, the tall fat man, and Liu Kun’s group stride arrogantly into the Transportation Bureau office building.
“Has Liu Kun become County Mayor Ma’s secretary? Can I ask him to help speak for me?” Hou Weidong thought of Liu Kun’s face. Earlier, the tall fat man had specifically shaken hands with Liu Kun. This action was originally normal, but for some reason, it made Hou Weidong feel hurt. This feeling of hurt also prompted him to abandon the idea of asking Liu Kun for help.
After leaving the Transportation Bureau, Hou Weidong’s mood was depressed to the extreme. He walked to a public phone booth and called Xiaojia. Hou Weidong and Xiaojia usually talked after work. During working hours, Hou Weidong rarely called to disturb Xiaojia. At this time, Hou Weidong particularly wanted someone to confide in, so he broke the rule and made the call.
Xiaojia answered the phone. Hearing Hou Weidong’s voice, she quickly glanced at Deputy Director Liang of the Construction Committee, who was sitting nearby listening to a report. Before Hou Weidong could say much, she said as calmly as possible, “I am very busy now. Let’s talk another day.” With that, she hung up.
Hearing Xiaojia’s cold voice, Hou Weidong felt as if he had been kicked off a cliff. His face turned exceptionally pale.
He walked like a walking dead man to the bus station, bought a bus ticket, and prepared to return to Yiyang. After sitting in the waiting room for a while, he saw Duan Ying in a white dress appear at the entrance of the waiting room.
“I heard you say that the town outside Shangqinglin Forest Farm is so backward, so I bought you some things. You can change your taste with them usually.”
Hou Weidong felt like an injured child receiving care. He gratefully said, “Thank you so much.” Duan Ying smiled and said, “They are all things girls like: sausage, pickles, and milk powder. I don’t know if you like them. Remember to eat the milk powder.”
“How did things go?”
Hearing Liu Wei’s demands, Duan Ying thought for a moment and said, “I heard that every township has a foundation. Why not borrow ten thousand yuan from Liu Wei? It would also settle this matter.”
Hou Weidong’s eyes lit up. In Shangqinglin Forest Farm, he often interacted with Bai Chuncheng from the foundation and felt that they lent money easily. A new hope arose instantly. His face brightened, and he said, “Three cobblers with their wits combined equal Zhuge Liang. I will go find Bai Chuncheng right now.”
After bumping along the road for more than three hours, Hou Weidong got off the bus and hurried toward the Shangqinglin Forest Farm town. He sweated profusely and returned to the old town as dusk fell. He went straight to Li Yong’s house.
Sure enough, a battlefield had been set up at Li Yong’s house. Bai Chuncheng, Xi Zhaotong, Li Yong, and Duan Pangwa had already started playing mahjong.
Hou Weidong first happily distributed a round of cigarettes and told Bai Chuncheng about his idea to borrow ten thousand yuan. He fully expected that, based on their relationship, Bai Chuncheng would not refuse.