*Chapter 131: Going with the Wind (Part 1)*
Cai Daoli had racked his brains over this bridge, expending countless mental efforts. Yet, as the saying goes, even a clever housewife cannot cook without rice. His mind was sharp and his ideas plentiful, but his funds were scarce. Consequently, he remained powerless against the small river blocking their path.
"Township Head Hou, if you can truly get this bridge built, I guarantee that Xingping Village will be as quiet as a mouse—no chickens crowing, no dogs barking. We won’t give you a single headache, and you won’t have to worry about anything else."
Having gained experience from the road construction in Shangqinglin, Hou Weidong was not intimidated by the prospect of building a bridge. As he walked toward the riverbank, he said, "Building a bridge isn’t difficult, provided we have the right conditions."
Cai Daoli followed closely behind him. "As long as we can connect the village’s highway, I am willing to do the work to collect one hundred yuan from every household. Township Head Hou, what are your conditions?"
Hou Weidong smiled faintly. "That won’t be necessary. My first condition is that the road on the north bank of the river must be completed first. This will allow the construction team to enter the site. Otherwise, construction will be difficult. The longer the construction team is delayed, the higher the costs. For engineering teams, time is money. Finishing early saves money. That is the first prerequisite."
Building roads involved adjusting farmland boundaries and compensating for lost labor days. If the village did not put in the effort, it would be a difficult task. Hou Weidong raised this issue first to test Cai Daoli’s determination.
Cai Daoli did not hesitate for a moment. "Leave this to the village. We have made plans before, so there shouldn’t be a big problem. Even if someone disagrees, I will handle it firmly. You can rest assured."
"Some tractor tracks have cost a lot of money but were built winding and impractical. My opinion is that if we build a road, we should build a good one, securing blessings for future generations. I will contact the engineers at the Transportation Bureau to determine the route. Most importantly, we need to fix the location of the bridge."
Hou Weidong took out his mobile phone and called Liu Wei at the Transportation Bureau. "Engineer Liu, I have a favor to ask. Xingping Village in Qinglin Town needs to build a road. I would like to entrust this to you. It’s simple—a village-level road, with the main issue being the bridge."
"Brother, I really don’t have the time."
"Engineer Liu, consider it a favor to a brother. I am currently stationed in Xingping Village, and the road problem is the bottleneck for the village."
Liu Wei was now the Chief of the Engineering Section. He had taken on many large projects and looked down on small jobs worth only a hundred thousand yuan. He said, "If it weren’t for you, Madman, I wouldn’t even consider such small jobs. I will come tomorrow. I will ask my newly recruited apprentice to handle this project for you. Rest assured, he graduated from Southwest Jiaotong University. This small project is a piece of cake for him."
"Let’s have it so. Please try to produce the drawings as quickly as possible."
After hanging up, Hou Weidong said to Cai Daoli, "It’s settled. Section Chief Liu from the Engineering Section of the Transportation Bureau will come personally to determine the route, inspect the bridge site, and design the preliminary plan."
Cai Daoli thought to himself, No wonder Qin Dajiang and others from Shangqinglin follow Hou Weidong around. Although Hou Weidong is young, he has some real tricks up his sleeve. I cannot underestimate him. He said aloud, "Township Head Hou, there is no need to make it too formal. I heard that design fees are very expensive. You know, Xingping Village is poor and white—truly without money."
He then added with worry, "Township Head Hou, how will the cost of building the bridge be resolved? There is no source of funding. Even if the design is ready, it will be useless."
Hou Weidong said, "Just listen to me. I will consider these matters."
By the time they finished speaking, they had arrived behind the large stone cliff. Hou Weidong scanned the stone slope with his eyes, then walked around the perimeter of the slope. He found no signs of mining by the river, but there were several abandoned quarrying spots on the back of the mountain. Judging by these abandoned spots, the scale of the stone deposit on this slope was large. The stones were also intact, with almost no interlayers, making it an ideal place for producing stone slabs.
Based on his visual inspection, Hou Weidong was satisfied with the stone slope. He continued his investigation. "If we are to build a bridge, it must be a stone bridge. How large is this stone slope?"
Cai Daoli did not understand Hou Weidong’s true intent. He assumed Hou Weidong wanted to use these stones to build the bridge. He said, "The stone blocks here are very large. The entire hillside is covered with stones. In the past, people used them to cut stone slabs. However, because this place is too far from the market town, the transportation costs were too high, so no one was willing to come here to cut stone slabs."
Hou Weidong pointed at the stone slope and asked, "Is this slope collective property, or does it belong to a specific villager?"
Cai Daoli replied, "This stone field is barren; no one wants it. A few trees have grown on it, so it has been classified as collective forest."
Hou Weidong had basically clarified the situation of the stone slope and now had a plan for building the bridge. He said, "For Xingping Village to connect its highway, this bridge must be built. Building this bridge will likely require fundraising from the villagers, which is not an easy task."
This was precisely Cai Daoli’s weak point.
From Hou Weidong’s conversation and expression, Cai Daoli had vaguely guessed that he had a solution. He said, "Township Head Hou, you are the assigned leader for Xingping Village. You make the decision. To be honest with you, if each household contributes thirty or forty yuan, there should be no problem. If it exceeds fifty yuan, the difficulty increases significantly."
"This bridge should be built as a stone bridge. The stone materials required for the foundation are substantial. I have a method that might solve the problem, depending on the village’s opinion."
"What opinion could the village have? Township Head Hou, just make the decision."
"I have introduced an enterprise to come here. They will invest in building the bridge. However, the stones on this slope must be allowed to be mined by this enterprise for free. The village must actively cooperate and do the work. If you agree to this plan, there will be no need to collect money from the villagers."
This slope of stones had stood there for thousands of years, generating almost no value. Cai Daoli had not expected such good fortune to fall from the sky. He agreed without hesitation. "I can make this decision. As long as the bridge can be built, anything is negotiable."
After discussing the bridge, Cai Daoli took Hou Weidong to the home of Village Director Liu Yong. Since it was Hou Weidong’s first visit to the village, Liu Yong slaughtered a chicken and hosted a lively reception. Hou Weidong had established his authority in the previous drinking battle, and the villagers were somewhat afraid of him. No one dared to step forward to force him to drink. The village cadres only kept urging Fu Jiang to drink. The result was predictable: Fu Jiang barely made it home, while Hou Weidong remained unharmed.
This trip to the village yielded rich results.
On the surface, the biggest problem in Xingping Village was the failure to complete the quota for retained funds and统筹 (comprehensive management fees). However, in the long run, the core issue was its remote location and lack of road access, which restricted development and caused significant resentment among the villagers. Hou Weidong’s basic strategy was to use the stone slope to exchange for bridge construction funds, achieving a win-win situation.
The next day, Liu Wei arrived in Yiyang with a young engineer. He drove a new pickup truck himself, full of enthusiasm.
Hou Weidong also had a new pickup truck, but he had not yet learned to drive, so the car was temporarily parked in the Transportation Bureau’s garage. Liu Yang, the new Director of the Transportation Bureau’s Office, knew that Hou Weidong had an unusual relationship with Director Zhu Bing. He had already arranged matters with the garage, so Hou Weidong’s new car was kept there.
After meeting Liu Wei, Hou Weidong looked around the car with interest. "Director Zhu promised me that he would assign a car and a driver. I have been busy these past few days and forgot about it." He took out his mobile phone and called Zhu Bing. "Director Zhu, long time no see. When are you free? I would like to come and report on my recent work."
Zhu Bing was extremely busy, with two groups of guests sitting in the conference room. He spoke directly. "Madman, I am busy. If you have something to say, say it quickly."
"Brother Zhu, I am still waiting for you to assign me a driving instructor."
"A small matter. Contact Liu Yang directly later. I will call him immediately." After hanging up Hou Weidong’s call, he called the office. Within three seconds, Liu Yang appeared at the door of Zhu Bing’s office.
"Tell Old Li at the driving school to find a driving car in good condition and assign an instructor to teach Deputy Township Head Hou Weidong of Qinglin Town how to drive."
Less than ten minutes after hanging up, a call came in.
"Hello, Township Head Hou. I am Li Li from the driving school. Director Liu from the Transportation Bureau just called me. When do you want to learn to drive? I can make arrangements."
"Principal Li, thank you very much." After exchanging polite words, Hou Weidong said, "I usually work in Qinglin Town, so I can only learn to drive on Saturdays and Sundays. I wonder if that is convenient for you."
Li Li spoke straightforwardly. "I have assigned the driving school’s best new car and the best instructor. During this period, we will follow Township Head Hou’s arrangements at any time. How about this? I will have him drive the car to Qinglin Town first so you can meet. You can discuss the specific details."
"I am causing you trouble."
"No trouble at all. Director Zhu’s friend is my friend. If you have any needs, just say so."
After hanging up, Hou Weidong said happily, "Director Zhu is a true friend. He found me a dedicated instructor."
Liu Wei smiled. "Being able to drive yourself is very convenient. I have already experienced the benefits of having a car." He added, "Let’s go. Let’s go check the terrain." For Liu Wei, building such a small bridge was indeed a piece of cake. He followed Hou Weidong to inspect the terrain, formed a clear idea in his mind, and directly handed the engineering design over to his new assistant.
"Are you familiar with Li Jing?"
"We have met a couple of times."
Since Liu Wei became the Chief of the Engineering Section at the Transportation Bureau, many connections naturally found their way to him. This time, during the construction of the highway in Lingshan Province, a medium-sized road equipment supplier approached him for help, intending to sell some auxiliary equipment.
"A good friend of mine, Mr. Bao from Mountain Road Equipment Company, wants to do some business with Li Jing. Can you introduce us?" Liu Wei’s relationship with Li Jing was average; they had only met twice. He learned from Liang Bifa that Hou Weidong had a good relationship with Li Jing, so he wanted Hou Weidong to make the introduction.
Hou Weidong was unsure of Mr. Bao’s background. He said, "I have met Li Jing a few times, but we are not close. Can you ask Director Zhu to step in? If he intervenes, the matter will definitely be resolved."
Liu Wei pushed up his glasses. "Director Zhu is a leader after all. It is not appropriate for me to ask him. Liang Bifa has gone to Shandong. Madman, you only need to introduce Li Jing. The rest will be handled by Mr. Bao himself."
"Alright, I will try."
Li Jing had recently proposed opening a crushed stone quarry on the mountain. However, due to the unwritten rules of the Crushed Stone Association, outsiders were strictly prohibited from entering the Shangqinglin crushed stone market. Hou Weidong had thought about it but had not found a completely secure solution. With the stone slabs from Xingping Village, Hou Weidong planned to discuss with Li Jing the possibility of each contributing half the funds to mine the stone slabs in Xingping Village. This would also be a large business deal.
Just as Hou Weidong and Liu Wei returned to the town, the mobile phone rang.
"Township Head Hou, this is Xiao Wang from Chang’an Driving School. I am currently in Qinglin Market Town. Where are you?"
"Drive the car to the town government courtyard. I will be back immediately."
Liu Wei smiled. "This Xiao Wang is almost becoming the instructor for the Transportation Bureau. He is also my instructor, and his driving skills are top-notch."
Upon arriving at the market town, a very new driving school car was parked in the courtyard. A young man with short hair, looking quite capable, was opening the engine hood and bending down to inspect it.
"Hello, I am Hou Weidong."
Liu Wei introduced them from the side. "This is Township Head Hou of Qinglin Town. This is Instructor Wang Bing. He is an excellent instructor, and I am also his student." Xiao Wang said, "It is my honor to serve the leader." Liu Wei laughed from the side. "Xiao Wang is a demobilized soldier. He ran the Qinghai-Tibet line for several years. Although he is young, he has rich experience."
Hou Weidong was very interested in driving. He said, "We won’t stay here long. Let’s head straight to Yiyang City. Instructor Wang, I will follow your arrangements completely these next few days." Wang Bing hurriedly said, "No need to call me Instructor Wang. Just call me Wang Bing. Actually, driving is like playing Go. It is easy to get started, but mastering it requires time and effort."
The group did not stay in Qinglin Town and proceeded toward Yiyang City. Hou Weidong sat in the passenger seat, listening attentively to Wang Bing’s explanations. He was itching to drive, wishing he could hit the road in a single day.