Chapter 62 The Road-Building Madman (16)
The road excavation incident reached a satisfactory conclusion through a mix of struggle and compromise.
Director Guo Guanghui of the Forest Farm visited the Forestry Bureau. Along with Director Ouyang, who had already left his post, he reported on the road excavation dispute in Dushi Village, Qinglin Town. Since the Qinglin Forest Farm was the largest in Yiyang County, Director Zeng naturally paid close attention. He personally went to the Qinglin Town Government and met with Mayor Qin Feiyue. After negotiations, they reached two agreements: First, Dushi Village would allocate a plot of wasteland to the forest farm in exchange for state-owned forest land, and the Forestry Bureau would handle the procedures for utilizing the natural forests along the Yangtze River. Second, the small road would be restored to its original state, with ownership remaining with the village collective, while the forest farm was permitted to use it free of charge.
Upon learning of this agreement, Hou Weidong finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, his joy was short-lived, as discordant notes soon emerged from Wangri Village and Jianshan Village.
The three villages of Shangqinglin were all located on Qinglin Mountain. Together with the old town center, they were arranged from east to west. Dushi Village was at the far east, and Wangri Village at the far west. The planned road was designed to ascend from Dushi Village in the east, extend through the old Shangqinglin town center, and then continue to Jianshan Village and Wangri Village at the western end. Due to the distance, many villagers in Jianshan and Wangri Villages were indifferent to the road construction. Some even harbored resistance, unwilling to contribute money or labor. Furthermore, a group of Wangri Village residents, led by their village cadres, demanded that the road connect to the mountain from the western end.
Under the chairmanship of Mayor Su, the village and community cadres from the three villages held a large meeting. Driven by their respective practical interests, the cadres from the three villages argued heatedly and ultimately failed to reach an agreement. As the meeting dispersed, Mayor Su kept Township Head Gao and Hou Weidong aside, instructing them to work alongside the resident cadres to conduct patient and detailed ideological work.
As a member of the working group, Hou Weidong had been the most active in the road-building issue. Seeing this deadlock, he felt both amused and frustrated. Having never lived in a rural area, his impression of rural people had been derived entirely from films and television, which he could summarize in eight characters: loyal, honest, hardworking, and simple. But after working in the countryside for a while, he realized he had been deceived by these media portrayals for over twenty years.
Rural people were not so different from city dwellers. There were those who were honest and those who were cunning; those of high moral character and those of corrupt character; the hardworking and the lazy. In short, one could find examples of every virtue and vice of humanity in the countryside.
Since the implementation of the household responsibility system, every family had become a production unit responsible for its own livelihood. Coupled with the generally low income of purely rural families, this made them focus heavily on practical interests. Which side the road was built on was absolutely a major issue affecting their future production and daily life.
Hou Weidong and the resident cadres visited Wangri and Jianshan Villages, but the results were not ideal. The difficulty of resolving this matter even exceeded that of the forest farm incident.
Hou Weidong, who was single-mindedly dedicated to building the road, once again felt the weight of his low status and influence, along with a sense of frustration.
Before long, it was Saturday. For Hou Weidong, this was a grand holiday, as Xiaojia was coming to Shangqinglin Township.
On Saturday morning, which happened to be market day, he bought groceries, cleaned his office, and then headed to Jianshan Village to find Village Director Zeng Xiangang.
The two village directors of Jianshan Village had distinct personalities. Zeng Xiangang had the demeanor of a fierce general. Being a stonemason by trade, his muscles were hard and taut, and the calluses on his hands were extremely thick, comparable to the character Chen Bingzheng from textbooks.
Party Secretary Tang Guiyuan looked much like Zhao Shangzhi from television dramas. When he had nothing to do, he would smoke paper cigarettes and ponder matters.
Hou Weidong always felt that Tang Guiyuan had a third eye beyond his two, constantly observing his opponents from the shadows. Therefore, he did not particularly enjoy dealing with him. In contrast, Zeng Xiangang was straightforward, close in age to Hou Weidong, and efficient in handling affairs. Thus, when Hou Weidong went to the village, he preferred to stay at Zeng Xiangang’s home.
Jianshan Village was located in the middle of Qinglin Mountain. The central area was full of cliffs, making it impossible to build a road up the mountain. Regarding the dispute between the eastern and western routes, Zeng Xiangang held an ambiguous attitude, making him a key target for Hou Weidong’s efforts. His strategy was to build a united front, win over some people, and isolate a small minority.
When Hou Weidong found Zeng Xiangang, he was busy working by the fish pond. Hou Weidong sat by the pond and chatted with him casually.
Hou Weidong guided the conversation: "I heard that the county is preparing to heavily invest in transportation. Developing transportation requires stone, so we should take this opportunity to finish the road early. This news is absolutely accurate; I heard it from a classmate working in the county."
"My friend Qin Dajiang and I are both stonemasons. We can’t wait to get the road built. You don’t need to mobilize me; I understand this even more deeply than you, University Student Hou," Zeng Xiangang said, pointing to a small hill by the pond. "This hill is a stone mountain. The soil cover is less than a meter, making it very easy to excavate." He bent down, picked up a stone, and handed it to Hou Weidong. "The stone on Qinglin Mountain is very hard and is considered the best building material in Yiyang. As soon as the road is open, Qinglin Mountain will make a fortune."
Hou Weidong had prepared his counterargument beforehand. He said, "Transporting stone must consider the distance. Building the road down from Dushi Village to Yiyang County is obviously much shorter in distance. Distance equals money, Director Zeng. You need to consider this clearly and must persuade the commune members to support the eastern route plan."
Zeng Xiangang paused his work, thought for a moment, and said, "University Student Hou makes a good point. Qinglin Mountain has never had cars pass through, so I hadn’t considered the issue of transport distance." Having figured this out, he immediately stated his position: "University Student Hou, I support the eastern route. Once the road is built, let’s join forces to open a stone factory. I’ll handle the stone cutting, and you’ll handle sales. We’ll split the income fifty-fifty."
"Great, it’s a deal," Hou Weidong agreed casually, though he had no real intention of opening a stone factory.
"The fish in my pond are all clear-water fish, never fed with feed. The meat is very tender. I caught two this morning. Let’s have a drink together at noon, you and I." Hou Weidong had put in a lot of effort in this road-building project. The heads of the three villages had privately praised him endlessly. Zeng Xiangang sincerely invited Hou Weidong to eat at his home.
"Never mind, I won’t eat at noon today. I need to go pick up my girlfriend."
"Where does your sister-in-law work?"
Hou Weidong smiled broadly. "She works at the Landscaping Management Office in Shazhou."
Zeng Xiangang punched Hou Weidong lightly on the shoulder. "University Student Hou is so lucky to have found a girl from Shazhou. After you bring her up the mountain, come play at my house." Shangqinglin Mountain was remote. It was rare for people who went out to work to marry women from Yiyang County, let alone girls from Shazhou. Therefore, Zeng Xiangang’s heartfelt admiration satisfied Hou Weidong’s vanity.
Zeng Xiangang caught two fish, packed them in a water bag, and insisted that Hou Weidong take them.
To save time, Hou Weidong skipped lunch, asked Township Head Gao for leave, and ran down the mountain in a hurry.
When he arrived in Yiyang, he bought two tickets for the evening bus back to Qinglin at the station and sat in the dilapidated station waiting for Xiaojia.
Waiting was a form of happy torment. Finally, at 4:15, the bus from Shazhou to Qinglin arrived smoothly.
The moment the familiar Xiaojia jumped off the bus, Hou Weidong subconsciously touched the newly bought condom in his pocket. In early September, Hou Weidong had received two months’ salary, 370 yuan per month, totaling 740 yuan. With his own earned money, Hou Weidong generously bought an imported condom for 20 yuan.
The last time they had been intimate in Shazhou, it had almost made Hou Weidong think of it every night. The burning male hormones made Hou Weidong’s desire flare up intensely.
Xiaojia walked up to him, her face full of smiles, appearing both intimate and slightly unfamiliar.