Chapter 66 The Road-Building Madman (20)
It was pointless to argue further with the stubborn old man Li. Seeing that, Mayor Su decided not to waste any more time on the dispute and led his group away from the sharp bend in the road.
“Qin Dajiang, the matter of Old Man Li’s ancestral grave is in your hands. You must resolve this before the road construction begins. Furthermore, the highway project will inevitably affect more than just one burial site. Therefore, do not set a special precedent for Old Man Li’s case. Treat everyone equally to prevent larger conflicts down the line.”
Qin Dajiang nodded. “I’ve done some calculations. In Dushi Village alone, there are at least seven or eight graves that need moving. It’s a significant issue. Old Man Li’s grave is particularly problematic; several geomancers have claimed it sits on excellent feng shui, so he is certainly unwilling to relocate it.”
Mayor Su said, “Li Guangzhong is the Deputy Director of the United Front Work Department of the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee. He should be a reasonable man. I hear he was a classmate of yours. Could you perhaps ask him to help persuade his father?”
Qin Dajiang smiled wryly. “Li Guangzhong returns every year to burn incense at the grave; he is extremely devout. If we ask him to do the persuading, it will be very difficult.”
Mayor Su then turned to Hou Weidong. “You are the township cadre stationed in Dushi Village. When the village encounters difficulties, you must take the initiative to resolve them.”
Hou Weidong stated firmly, “Please rest assured, Mayor Su. Even if I wear my tongue out, I will see this matter resolved.”
“Ouyang Lin, you are from the Land Resources Office and a member of the Road Construction Leading Group. You are to assist Hou Weidong in solving these problems.”
Ouyang Lin walked over, his face covered in sweat. A smear of mud marred his otherwise handsome features. Hearing Mayor Su’s instructions, he smiled nervously. “The Land Resources Office is short-staffed. I currently have over twenty cases pending on my desk. Moreover, the land census begins in October. I’m afraid I won’t be able to spare much time then.”
The Land Resources Office fell under the jurisdiction of another deputy mayor, Wu Youqiang, and the workload this year was indeed heavy. Mayor Su understood his difficulties, but he interrupted Ouyang Lin’s explanation anyway. “The members of the Road Construction Leading Group were appointed by Mayor Qin. Until there is a personnel change, you must be present at the road site for three days a week. Ouyang Lin, you are a university graduate. You should learn from Hou Weidong, not from Gou Lin. Being like Gou Lin will bring you no benefit.”
Mayor Su held considerable authority within the township government and was also a member of the Party Committee. After being reprimanded, Ouyang Lin fell silent, merely nodding in agreement.
Lunch was served at Qin Dajiang’s home. With Mayor Su in attendance, the meal was more lavish than usual. Qin Dajiang’s family had specifically caught two fish from the pond to prepare a popular hotpot fish dish.
Hou Weidong often ate at Qin Dajiang’s house during his stays in Dushi Village. He always felt guilty about the expense. Since he needed to clean up for the district-level “Three Cadres Conference” scheduled for the next day in Shangqinglin Old Town, he did not drink excessively, though he still consumed at least half a jin of liquor. Both Mayor Su and Qin Dajiang had strong constitutions for alcohol. They had engaged in several drinking bouts without a clear winner. Today, in good spirits, they began competing again.
By the end of the meal, only Mayor Su and Qin Dajiang remained at the table.
Hou Weidong and Ouyang Lin moved to sit on the eaves of the house to chat. As fellow university graduates, they first discussed their respective schools and majors. Then, Hou Weidong expressed his admiration. “Secretary Qin is truly selfless. Every time we go to the village, we eat at his home. At this rate, his annual salary would be exhausted long before the year ends.”
Hearing this, Ouyang Lin’s face lit up with a brilliant smile. “Brother Hou, you haven’t quite understood. When people come to eat at Secretary Qin’s house, the village pays for it. Director Jiang’s wife in Dushi Village has very poor cooking skills; it’s simply unbearable. Therefore, all visitors and guests are arranged to eat at Secretary Qin’s home.”
Hou Weidong suddenly realized the truth. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he said, “Brother Ouyang, I have only just arrived in Qinglin Town and do not understand many things. Please guide me.”
Ouyang Lin had drunk over three liang of liquor and was becoming excited. He spoke in a mysterious tone, “Do not let the small size of Qinglin Town deceive you. The interpersonal relationships here are very complex. You need to be careful in the future so you do not get caught in the crossfire.” Seeing Hou Weidong’s serious expression, Ouyang Lin became more animated. “The current leaders are quite skilled at maneuvering against people. Do you know Gou Lin? He has nothing to do in the township government and is ignored by everyone. He has become a shadow, marginalized.”
Hou Weidong knew that Gou Lin had a poor reputation in town, but he had not realized his situation was this dire. As a fellow university graduate, he felt a surge of sympathy for him. “Gou Lin has only been working in town for a little over a year. What exactly did he do to be marginalized by the leadership?”
“To put it simply, it was just some minor issues. Gou Lin’s main problem is that he still treats the township government like a school. He is undisciplined, arrives late and leaves early, complains constantly like an angry youth, and is careless with his work. At the end of last year, the town launched a family planning campaign. He was working in the Family Planning Office at the time. Without asking for leave, he went out to play with his girlfriend for three days. This angered Deputy Mayor Chao, who oversaw family planning, to the point of near-collapse. Consequently, he was kicked out of the Family Planning Office and is now just killing time at the Agricultural Technology Station.”
Although the Family Planning Office was hard work, it offered relatively good benefits. In contrast, the Agricultural Technology Station had been in decline for several years. Gou Lin’s transfer from the Family Planning Office to the Agricultural Technology Station was considered a punishment.
Ouyang Lin thought to himself, “It is not just Gou Lin. You, too, are marginalized. It is just that this guy has outstanding abilities. Although he is far away on Qinglin Mountain, he has quite a reputation in town.”
Ouyang Lin did not say this aloud, but Hou Weidong suddenly thought of the same issue: “My assignment to Shangqinglin Township is nothing less than a disguised form of marginalization.” Realizing this, Hou Weidong felt a thorn in his throat, and his mood grew heavy.
Upon returning to Shangqinglin Old Town, Deputy Mayor Su Ming, Ouyang Lin, Zhao Dengyun, and others descended the mountain. Township Mayor Gao organized Hou Weidong, Yang Xinchun, Tian Xiuying, Li Yong, Duan Pangwa, and others to clean the large conference room on the fourth floor.
Ouyang Lin’s words weighed on Hou Weidong’s heart like a stone, leaving him with a sour taste in his mouth. “I have not offended any of the town leaders. Why was I exiled to Qinglin Mountain? Why was I marginalized?”
The stone was as heavy as a mountain. Although Hou Weidong tried to control his emotions, some of his mood still showed on his face. Township Mayor Gao and Tian Xiuying made some slightly risqué and vulgar jokes. Duan Pangwa and Li Yong discussed their card game from the previous night. Yang Xinchun chattered about trivial business matters. Hou Weidong listened faintly, lost in his own thoughts.
Tian Xiuying was a woman, and one who liked to gossip. Her observational skills were accordingly sharper. Noticing that Hou Weidong was not speaking much, she joked, “Hou Weidong, now that your girlfriend has left, you’ve lost your spirit. It’s currently popular to keep the red flag flying at home while enjoying colorful flags outside. Why not just find another one on Shangqinglin Mountain?”
Hou Weidong had no mind for joking with Tian Xiuying, so he perfunctorily replied, “I am timid and have weak ears. I dare not engage in such things. Duan Pangwa and Li Yong have more experience than I do.”
Sure enough, Tian Xiuying shifted her focus to Duan Pangwa and Li Yong. The three of them began exchanging bawdy jokes with great enthusiasm, some of them quite explicit.
Melancholy is like a spring rain; it arrives unnoticed and departs with light, quiet steps.
Hou Weidong constantly encouraged himself in his heart: “When a man dies, his testicles face the sky.” After repeating it five times, the depression slowly faded away.
The next day, the meeting originally scheduled for nine o’clock did not begin until nine-thirty, when all the village and community cadres had arrived. On the rostrum, Qin Feiyue’s natural curly hair was combed neatly, resembling the orderly square of marching soldiers during the National Day military parade.
“Since the Southern Tour Speech, Yiyang County has undergone earth-shaking changes. In the first half of the year, fiscal revenue exceeded sixty million yuan. It seems we will definitely break the one-hundred-million-yuan mark today. Think back to 1989, when Yiyang County’s fiscal revenue was only forty-five million.”
Qin Feiyue raised his right hand, extending his index finger straight up, and tapped the air several times. “In three years, fiscal revenue has doubled. It is truly an outstanding achievement.”
After rambling for a while, he finally got to the topic of road construction. Qin Feiyue said, “The villages in Shangqinglin have the desire to build roads, and the town supports this. We are preparing to include the road construction project in the 1994 ‘Project for the People’s Hearts.’”
“This road will first go to Dushi Village, then to Shangqinglin Old Town, and then to Jianshan Village and Wangri Village. From Wangri Village, it will continue downward. In this way, the roads on the mountain and the roads below will be completely connected.”
Hearing this plan, the village and community cadres from the three villages began discussing it eagerly, and the atmosphere was very lively.