Chapter 76: Gods Fighting (6)
The trainees in the Young Cadres Class were mostly young saplings in the making. Although their long-term prospects looked promising, none of them currently held real power in their respective units, and the vast majority lacked signature authority. Consequently, their social activities revolved mainly around chatting and playing the card game Shuangkou. Their days passed in a state of leisure and ease.
The only drawback was Guo Lan’s strict adherence to attendance checks. This made many trainees who wanted to slip away feel a bit hesitant, leading to some grumbling against her. However, beauty remained an incredibly sharp weapon. Coupled with Guo Lan’s generally pleasant demeanor, the male trainees readily forgave her.
Having recognized Hou Weidong as the young man from the dance hall, Guo Lan returned to the department to pull his file. After reviewing it, she felt quite puzzled. "Hou Weidong had a glorious university era, so why is his current situation so awkward?"
With this question in mind, she paid closer attention to the situation in Qinglin Town.
As the Young Cadres Class was coming to an end, around the end of December, the county convened a mobilization meeting for the "Great Transportation Campaign." The County Party Committee and County Government attached great importance to this meeting. Attendees included the heads of all bureaus and banks, as well as the Party Secretaries, mayors, and divisional leaders of each town. The meeting lasted for a rare two days. Because Qinglin Town had not waited for instructions but had instead taken the initiative to build roads through self-reliance before the mobilization meeting, the County Mayor had designated Qinglin Town as a typical advanced example for the "Great Transportation Campaign." Mayor Qin Feiyue delivered an exchange speech at the meeting.
The exchange material was personally drafted by Mayor Su, focusing on the town government team’s understanding of road construction and proposing the slogan, "To get rich, first build roads." This slogan received affirmation from Mayor Ma and was adopted as the standard slogan for the 1994 Great Transportation Campaign. Qinglin Town was praised three times at the meeting, and the county government specifically awarded Qinglin Town 200,000 yuan as support for their road construction efforts.
Qin Feiyue had gained significant face at the conference, and the town had received tangible benefits, so his mood was naturally excellent.
Facing congratulations and teasing from neighboring towns, Zhao Yongsheng maintained a smile, constantly expressing humility. However, when no one was watching, his face darkened. After the meeting concluded, Secretary Zhao Yongsheng did not greet Qin Feiyue. He said to Su Ming, "Old Su, let’s go." Mayor Su smiled and replied, "Secretary Zhao, I need to visit the Transportation Bureau, so I won’t leave just yet." Zhao Yongsheng said to Su Ming, "Then I’ll leave first."
With that, he turned and walked out of the venue, telling his driver, Xiao Zhang, "Return to Qinglin."
There were two Santana sedans in the town. Zhao Yongsheng took one, and Qin Feiyue took the other. Since Zhao Yongsheng and Su Ming both lived in Qinglin Town, while Qin Feiyue lived in the city, Zhao Yongsheng asked Su Ming if he was returning to the town.
After Zhao Yongsheng left, Su Ming followed Qin Feiyue out of the venue. Qin Feiyue told his driver, Xiao Wu, "You can go back. I’ll drive today."
Qin Feiyue had often driven while working at the Township Enterprise Bureau, and his skills were not bad. He got into the car and headed straight for the Yiyang Hotel.
Director Huang from the Agricultural Economy Station and Bai Chuncheng, along with several business owners, had also arrived in the city. They had booked a large private room at the Yiyang Hotel, waiting specifically for Mayor Qin Feiyue.
Qin Feiyue arrived at the Yiyang Hotel with a spring in his step. After sitting down, he said, "This special meeting lasts two days, which is rare in recent years. It shows how much the county government values transportation construction."
Seeing that Qin Feiyue was in a good mood, Su Ming suggested, "Hou Weidong made significant contributions to building the highway in Qinglin. He is currently attending the Young Cadres Class at the County Party School. Why don’t we invite him over for a meal?"
Qin Feiyue, riding the wave of excitement, nodded. "That young man is quite good. Let him come over." Su Ming arranged it, saying, "Bai Chuncheng, Hou Weidong is at the Party School. Go pick him up."
At this time, Hou Weidong had already finished dinner and was playing Shuangkou with Ren Lindu, Yang Liu, and Qin Xiaohong. Bai Chuncheng came looking for him. Hearing that the mayor was inviting him to dinner, Hou Weidong felt both surprised and somewhat proud, though he remained calm on the surface. He apologized to the three of them, saying, "Sorry about this." Hearing that the mayor was inviting him to dinner, Ren Lindu, Yang Liu, and Qin Xiaohong looked at Hou Weidong with new respect. Ren Lindu said, "Go quickly. We’ll just find someone else to play with."
Upon arriving at the private room, drinking had already begun. Su Ming called out, "Hou Weidong, come sit over here."
Hou Weidong sat next to Su Ming.
Qinglin Mountain was rich in resources, but because there had never been a highway up the mountain, these resources remained unexploited. However, in areas where roads did reach the mountain, there were numerous coal mines, which naturally gave rise to many bosses. After Mayor Qin was transferred to Qinglin Town, he had clashed frequently with Zhao Yongsheng, a local native, over township enterprise matters, and the contradictions seemed irreconcilable.
Township enterprises in Qinglin Town were divided into two types: town-owned enterprises and private enterprises. Those present today were all factory directors of town-owned enterprises.
Zhou Qiang, a man in his thirties with a short flat-top haircut, was the director of the Huofu Coal Mine. He was hosting the mayor for dinner today. He raised his glass and said, "Mayor Qin, I’d like to report something. The coal mine’s performance has been poor this year, and the price offered by the thermal power plant has dropped repeatedly. I was wondering if the contracting fee could be reduced a bit more."
Mayor Qin was familiar with township enterprises and knew their tricks. He smiled and said, "Cut the nonsense. When we set the contracting fee at the beginning of the year, we already reduced it by 50,000 yuan. Reducing it further would be unreasonable."
Another coal mine boss, Yang Jiafu, said, "Our mine has good coal quality and thick seams, but the facilities are too poor. Could the town government step in and loan us one million yuan to upgrade the equipment? Next year, we could boost our output value."
Qin Feiyue clapped his hands and spoke only of friendship. He refused to take a stance on any critical issues. These bosses were savvy people; they knew that real problems couldn’t be solved in such a setting. This occasion was merely for networking and building relationships. After chatting briefly about business, the topic quickly shifted.
After the meal, Zhou Qiang proposed, "New Year’s Day is just around the corner. We’ve been busy all year, so we should have some fun. Let’s go sing."
In 1993, many karaoke bars had sprung up in Yiyang County. Singing a song cost 2 yuan, with drinks and snacks charged separately. Hou Weidong had only heard of these places but had never visited one. Curious to see what it was like, he followed Qin Feiyue and the others out of the building.
Three small cars pulled up.
The cars quickly left the city. After turning left and right, they entered a winding mountain road. Hou Weidong felt somewhat puzzled, thinking, "Why are we going out of the city to sing karaoke?" He sat in a car with Yang Jiafu and Bai Chuncheng. Yang Jiafu kept telling dirty jokes in the car, livening up the atmosphere.
The car turned into a courtyard with many large trees. The other two cars entered the courtyard and disappeared somewhere. Yang Jiafu led Bai Chuncheng and Hou Weidong into a small hall.
Hou Weidong found an opportunity to ask, "Where is this place?"
Bai Chuncheng smiled mysteriously. "Never been here, right? This used to be a workshop of the former Qianjin Factory. Now it’s Wangcheng Villa."
Yang Jiafu looked very familiar with the place. He told a middle-aged woman, "Find two pretty girls." He emphasized, "These are VIP guests. Make sure they’re beautiful."
The middle-aged woman smiled and said, "Don’t worry, Boss Yang. I’ll find you two authentic girls from Shazhou."
Hou Weidong noticed that Qin Feiyue and Su Ming had not entered. Feeling uncertain, he asked, "Are Mayor Qin and Mayor Su coming?" Bai Chuncheng replied, "Don’t worry about that. Just relax and have fun."
Hearing Yang Jiafu’s tone, Hou Weidong felt a surge of nervousness. Seeing Bai Chuncheng sitting casually on the sofa, he pretended to be experienced and sat down as well.
Soon, seven or eight young girls entered the room. They stood in a row under the dim lighting. The middle-aged woman walked over and enthusiastically said, "Bosses, choose whichever one you like."
Hou Weidong now understood. These were the so-called "girls" from rumors. Bai Chuncheng didn’t hesitate. He stood up, scrutinizing the girls continuously. Feeling he couldn’t see clearly, he lit a lighter and examined each one individually. After turning off the lighter, he pointed to a tall, slender woman and said, "You."
Yang Jiafu turned to Hou Weidong and said, "Boss Zhang, you pick one."
Hou Weidong hesitated briefly. He felt both fear and an inexplicable anticipation. Unwilling to lose face in front of everyone, he randomly pointed to a woman. After making his choice, he thought, "This feels like buying chickens at a market, picking and choosing."
Once everyone had selected a woman, the originally dim lights in the room were turned off, leaving only the glow from the television screen.
The woman walked over to Hou Weidong and poured a cup of tea. Her voice trembling slightly, she said, "Boss, have some tea." Then she sat beside him.
Hou Weidong had never experienced such a scene and didn’t know where to put his hands or feet. The woman moved closer and closer, asking gently, "Boss, do you want to sing? I can help you choose a song." Hou Weidong said, "Play 'Sailor.'"
While singing, the woman stood beside him, leaning against Hou Weidong. By the time Hou Weidong finished singing, Bai Chuncheng and Yang Jiafu were nowhere to be seen.
Hou Weidong sat back on the sofa, feeling awkward. The woman proactively said, "Let’s dance." She selected a slow four-step tune. After a few steps, her body pressed against his, clinging tightly to Hou Weidong.
Hou Weidong wanted to push her away, but his body didn’t obey. Especially his lower body, which reacted immediately. Half-resisting, half-accepting, he held the woman in his arms.
After dancing a few rounds in the main hall, the woman said, "Let’s go inside to dance." She then moved proactively toward a semi-circular doorway. After entering, Hou Weidong took a moment to adjust to the darkness before using the faint light from the television outside to make out the surroundings.
It was a small inner room, devoid of lights, with a few sofas in the corners.
The woman giggled softly and said, "Boss, when you come out to play, you should let loose. I’ll make sure you’re comfortable, but you’ll need to give a little tip."
Hou Weidong was new to this kind of place and didn’t know the prices. He tentatively asked, "How much?"
"If the boss is generous, give more."
Hou Weidong gradually calmed down and said, "Give me a specific number."
The woman said, "There’s a bed over there. For sex, it’s 100 yuan."
Understanding the market price, Hou Weidong felt relieved and said, "We’ll just dance."
The small inner room was pitch black, so dark that one couldn’t see their fingers in front of their face. To the sound of music from outside, the woman intentionally and unintentionally touched Hou Weidong’s lower body, her arms wrapped around his waist, like an intimate couple.
The woman laughed and said, "Boss, why are you so honest?"
Hou Weidong was struggling intensely inside. On one hand, he felt this was wrong—a betrayal of Xiaojia and a betrayal of the education he had received for over twenty years. On the other hand, his desire for a woman’s body caused his physical reactions to continue changing.
As he struggled between desire and morality, the woman giggled and suddenly reached out, grasping the "long sword" beneath Hou Weidong’s trousers.