*Chapter 146: The Curved Path to Town Construction (Part 5)*
Hou Weidong kept a small notebook in his desk drawer, dedicated solely to recording his critical tasks.
After receiving his assignment in Su Ming’s office, he had opened the notebook and added "Establish a Nursing Home" to the list of important work. However, the task preceding it was the funeral reform initiative. After writing that line, he paused, considered the matter, and inserted the Xingping Village Bridge Project before the nursing home entry.
Routine matters, such as town sanitation, were relegated to the "General Work" section.
On the very last page of the notebook, he had recorded details regarding the Shangqinglin Quarry. Next to the name "Heiwa," he had drawn a large question mark. Hou Weidong never believed that Heiwa would simply swallow his pride and back down after suffering a loss at Sanchakou. He suspected that something bigger was likely to happen.
Every morning before starting work, he would flip through this small notebook. If there were any progress or anomalies, he would make a note in the corresponding column. This was a small tip for improving work efficiency that Ji Daolin, the Vice Dean of Shazhou College, had once mentioned. Hou Weidong had kept this tip in mind and applied it to his daily work.
Seeing the entry for the Xingping Village Bridge Project, he picked up the phone to call Yan Daoli. Before saying anything, he let out a hearty "Ha, ha," and said, "Secretary Yan, I’ve been swamped with work these past few days and haven’t had a chance to visit the village."
Yan Daoli replied, "Leaders have many responsibilities and tight schedules. If there are any orders, a phone call is sufficient."
During Qin Feiyue’s tenure as town leader in Qinglin, he had implemented a project to connect every village with telephone lines. While this convenience benefited the local residents, it also greatly aided the resident cadres. In the past, whether for major or minor issues, cadres had to make personal trips to the villages. For nearby villages, this was manageable, but for distant ones, it was a grueling task. Now, with telephones, unless matters were particularly complex, arrangements could be made over the phone. On this point, all resident cadres secretly thanked the former town leader, Qin Feiyue.
After signing the agreement to exchange the stone slope for a stone bridge, Yan Daoli’s primary concern was when construction would begin. He asked, "Town Leader Hou, when exactly will the Xingping Bridge construction start? If we don’t begin soon, once the rainy season arrives, we’ll have to wait until autumn to start."
"Matters of engineering cannot be rushed. It’s like an old woman spinning thread—it must be done step by step. I will urge Engineer Liu at the Transportation Bureau to see if the blueprints are ready." He then gave Yan Daoli a reassuring boost, saying, "Old Yan, rest assured. The contract for the bridge has been signed. The other party is a large company; they will absolutely not breach the contract over such trivial matters."
Yan Daoli was a man of many thoughts and deep suspicions. He said, "Breach of contract is far too common. If that female general manager feels she’s been shortchanged and disagrees with the bridge construction plan, Xingping Village will have done nothing but waste our excitement for nothing." In Yan Daoli’s mind, the stone slope by the river had little value. Exchanging it for a stone bridge meant Xingping Village had gained an enormous advantage, so he often worried that the young, beautiful female general manager might change her mind.
Hou Weidong detected Yan Daoli’s reservations. He deliberately spoke bluntly, "Leave the bridge construction to me. You handle the petty disputes in the village. Don’t bother me with nonsense."
Hearing Hou Weidong’s coarse language, Yan Daoli was not angry but rather reassured. Half-joking and half-serious, he said, "As long as the bridge is built, Xingping Village will definitely bring honor to Town Leader Hou. If the bridge isn’t built, I won’t care about any issues that arise; you can clean up the mess yourself."
The two exchanged a few more jokes, and the atmosphere was pleasant.
Hou Weidong then called Liu Wei. Over the phone, he could almost sense Liu Wei’s focused expression as he leaned over the blueprints, the thickening frames of his glasses, and his increasingly Einstein-like messy hair.
"Old friend, when will the blueprints be ready?"
Liu Wei let out a scoffing laugh. "Your shoddy blueprints? Are they even worth my effort? I’ve already had Engineer Xia draw them up. This is supporting local construction, not taking on private side jobs." The design fee for the small bridge was too low. Now that Liu Wei had become the Chief of the Engineering Section, he had many responsibilities and no longer cared about such small profits.
After making the two calls, Hou Weidong reviewed his pending tasks once more. Aside from the Heiwa situation, the most棘手 (thorny) issues at work were the nursing home and the funeral reform. The nursing home project had originally been straightforward, but it had become complicated because Zhao Yongsheng did not support the construction of the new town. The funeral reform, however, was like a stone weighing on Hou Weidong’s heart. It was a matter affecting the entire town, and like a young woman’s first marriage, there was no prior experience to learn from.
He went downstairs to Su Yajun’s office in the Social Affairs Office. Several village cadres were sitting in the room. Upon entering, Hou Weidong took out a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes and distributed them around. For village cadres, Hongtashan was considered a good brand, so everyone smiled and lit up.
After the village cadres left, Hou Weidong said, "Let’s take a walk around the town center and discuss the nursing home."
The plan for the curved town construction was still a secret, known only to Su Ming and Hou Weidong. Su Yajun, being a member of the secondary leadership team, was unaware of this. As they walked, Hou Weidong said, "The standards for the nursing home need to be high. It should have at least three mu of land, leaving space for activity areas and the dining hall. We also need to consider expansion, meaning we should reserve space for another building."
This differed from last year’s plan. Su Yajun was taken aback and said, "The Civil Affairs Bureau’s subsidy is only two hundred thousand yuan. If we build it too large, the town probably won’t be able to cover the cost."
Hou Weidong’s true intent was not just the nursing home; he wanted to gradually guide Su Yajun’s thinking onto his own track. "The nursing home is a public welfare project. Doing it well is a merit of immeasurable value. My opinion is that we should take in all the 'Five Guarantees' households from Xiaqinglin. At the very least, we should take in as many as possible."
"As for the money, don’t worry about it. If necessary, we can call for donations from across the town. The coal mine bosses, quarry bosses, and timber merchants can be asked to sponsor. Also, although the original nursing home buildings are dilapidated, the location is quite good. We can use that site to build commercial storefronts. The money from selling those spaces can help cover the shortfall for the new nursing home."
Su Yajun remained silent, his mind fully occupied with calculating the costs of Hou Weidong’s plan. After estimating the figures, he said, "Town Leader Hou, if we change the plan, where will we find such a large plot of land?" Su Yajun’s mind was fixed on the idea of rebuilding on the original site. Hou Weidong’s thinking was completely different from the past, and he found it hard to accept at first.
"I’ve considered the land issue as well. We need to think outside the box. I’ll take you to see a place that is absolutely a feng shui treasure for building a nursing home."
Hou Weidong led Su Yajun to the north side of the old town center. They climbed a small slope and came upon a large, flat expanse of farmland.
Seeing this land, Su Yajun was surprised. "Town Leader Hou, do you intend to occupy this fertile land? The difficulty might be considerable."
"There is no difficulty. What else are we cadres for?" Hou Weidong arrived at the location marked on the blueprint for the nursing home and said, "Look at this spot. It is the perfect place to build a nursing home. Occupying a few mu of land here allows us to build the best nursing home in the county. This is a great deed for the 'Five Guarantees' elderly in Qinglin."
Looking at the open, expansive field, Su Yajun was also moved.
Hou Weidong added, "We talk about innovative thinking and pioneering spirit every day. Today, let’s put that pioneering spirit into practice." He then threw out another bait: "Qinglin Town was formed by merging Shangqinglin and Xiaqinglin. Most of the government officials do not have housing. We can organize a collective housing project on the small slope behind the nursing home. This would solve the housing problem for government officials in one stroke."
Su Yajun was a local, and his family still lived in the countryside. He walked to work every day, which was truly exhausting. Especially after his children had gone away for school, only his wife remained at home. He had long wanted to buy a house in town but had never found a suitable one. Hearing Hou Weidong’s beautiful blueprint, he became excited. "If the town can organize collective housing here, it would be a genuine benefit, truly seeking welfare for the cadres. I raise both hands in approval."
Hou Weidong’s tone shifted. "This is just my personal idea. I have not yet reported it to the Party Committee or the government."
Su Yajun said, "As long as Town Leader Hou advocates for it, the government officials will support it."
Seeing Su Yajun’s enthusiastic gaze, Hou Weidong knew he had been persuaded. He warned, "I have only discussed this idea with you. You must keep it a secret. First, we must facilitate the construction of the nursing home here. Once the nursing home is built, there will be corresponding water, electricity, and road facilities. Then, organizing collective housing will be a natural next step."
He continued to encourage him, "This matter has some difficulties, but it is far less challenging than building the Shangqinglin Road. When I first reported the road construction to the government, people thought I was crazy. Now, that road plays a vital role. As long as we are convinced of a course of action and persist, we will eventually reap the rewards."
"Also, the bridge in Xingping Village was seen as a huge difficulty by Secretary Yan. Now it is resolved. In at most two months, a stone bridge will be built."
Hou Weidong’s plan to exchange the stone slope for a stone bridge was already well-known. Su Yajun sincerely praised, "Town Leader Hou’s head is truly empty." In Qinglin Town’s local dialect, "head is empty" was a compliment, meaning someone was "smart and resourceful." "College students are indeed college students. We could break our heads and never think of such methods."
Having persuaded Su Yajun, Hou Weidong secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "The first step is complete."
Although Su Yajun was part of the secondary leadership, he was a veteran with good relations with Zhao Yongsheng, and his words carried weight. Therefore, Hou Weidong had gone to great lengths to bring Su Yajun into the united front.
Returning from the site, Su Yajun immediately convened a meeting with his office staff to discuss the nursing home. Hou Weidong sat in his office for a while before heading to Su Ming’s office.
The two closed the door and took out the design plans for the new town center. "Town Leader Su, your proposal was indeed effective. I heard that when Su Yajun learned about the collective housing at the nursing home, his eyes lit up. He will no longer oppose building the nursing home on the new site."
Su Ming smiled. "I have worked in Qinglin Town for so long; I understand what these cadres are thinking. Once Su Yajun knows about the collective housing idea, he will certainly tell his good friends. One tells ten, ten tell a hundred, and public opinion will form."
Hou Weidong asked, "I heard there is a joint Party and government meeting tomorrow. Should I propose this plan?"
Su Ming played with the pen in his hand, thinking for a moment before saying, "Not yet. I suggest you visit the Civil Affairs Bureau. Invite the divisional leader out for a meal to build rapport, and share this idea with them to gain their support. This will give us more leverage."
He had previously overseen the Social Affairs Office and was familiar with the leaders of the Civil Affairs Bureau. He made a phone call. "Director Li, this is Su Ming. It’s been months since I last reported my work to you. Ha ha. Are you free at noon? I’d like to treat you to a meal. There’s nothing special, really, just a meal. Hou Weidong is coming with me; you’ve met him."
The two got into their car and hurried toward Yiyang County. They had just sat down at the Yiyang Hotel when Li Wenlong, the Deputy Director of the Civil Affairs Bureau, arrived with two department heads.
Director Li was an ordinary middle-aged man with no distinctive features, except for his small, extremely agile eyes. Upon entering the room, he clasped his hands and said, "Town Leader Su summons us; we are honored."
After a few casual remarks, Hou Weidong adopted a formal posture to report his work. After just two sentences, Li Wenlong quickly waved his hand. "Brother Hou, no need for formal reporting. We are brother units. Let’s stick to the original agreement. We will not shortchange you on the two hundred thousand yuan. Five thousand will be paid before construction begins, and the rest will be paid in full upon passing inspection. Town Leader Su is an old friend; he knows I keep my word and never bluff."
Su Ming smiled gently. "Town Leader Hou has a new idea. I think it’s good. Director Li, you might want to listen." After Hou Weidong finished his report, Su Ming added, "A nursing home built according to this plan would definitely be first-class in Shazhou."
The nursing homes in Yiyang County, including the one in the county seat, were of low quality. Every time the Shazhou Civil Affairs Bureau came to inspect, the county bureau felt embarrassed. They were planning to build two high-standard demonstration sites, one in the city and one in the towns, to handle superior inspections. Qinglin Town’s initiative to raise the standards perfectly aligned with the Civil Affairs Bureau’s intentions.
Li Wenlong feigned hesitation. After a while, he said, "This special fund was allocated by the Shazhou Civil Affairs Bureau. The plan has already been submitted and is difficult to change. Since the Qinglin Town Government has this determination, I will run around and try to get the plan changed. But let me say this upfront: the money from the Shazhou Civil Affairs Bureau is fixed. We have distributed it all; we cannot increase the allocation."
The Shazhou Civil Affairs Bureau had provided two million yuan specifically for building or renovating nursing homes. The Yiyang Civil Affairs Bureau had distributed only 1.8 million, keeping 200,000 in the bureau’s slush fund.
After the meal, Su Ming coaxed and persuaded Li Wenlong to visit Qinglin Town. He showed him the plot of land Hou Weidong had designated. Li Wenlong nodded continuously. "Town Leader Hou has a broad perspective. If the nursing home is truly built according to this plan, it will definitely be the first-class nursing home in Yiyang. I will report to Director Sun upon my return and strive to make the Qinglin Town Nursing Home a demonstration project."
Su Ming seized the opportunity. "Rest assured, this nursing home will definitely be high-standard. Once it is built, the plaque for 'Demonstration Nursing Home' must be awarded to us."
That evening, there was another round of good wine.
The next day, at the joint Party and government meeting, Hou Weidong presented the new nursing home plan. Zhao Yongsheng listened carefully, put down his pen, and looked at Hou Weidong.
(End of Chapter 146)