Chapter 179: The Study Session (Part 3)
The next day, Hou Weidong obtained the list of all thirteen borrowers in Shangqinglin who had not yet repaid their loans. The total outstanding amount exceeded 1.7 million yuan. The smallest loan was 1,000 yuan, and the largest was 100,000 yuan. Both borrowers lived in Jianshan Village, not far from each other. Hou Weidong decided to start with one large and one small case to test the difficulty of debt collection.
Hou Weidong, Fu Jiang, Su Yajun, and Zhou Jing climbed into the Changan car belonging to the Social Affairs Office and headed up the mountain. The borrower with the smallest debt was located in Jianshan Village.
Halfway up the mountain, Hou Weidong called Zeng Xiangang, asking him to wait at home.
Zeng Xiangang was wearing a black eye mask and standing beside a sandbag in the courtyard. He had just finished hitting the bag and was drenched in sweat. Upon hearing Hou Weidong’s purpose, he said, "Madman, you said Old Zhang’s household only has an elderly couple living there. They are poor as church mice. Forget about 1,000 yuan; I doubt they have even 100 yuan in the entire house. This debt is definitely uncollectible."
Hou Weidong did not press for details. Instead, he asked, "Zeng Zhaoming is a construction boss. I heard he built the Yiyang Junior High School. Surely the 100,000 yuan from him should be no problem?"
Zeng Xiangang shook his head. "Hard to say."
"There are twelve loan households in Jianshan Village in total. Which one do you think is most likely to repay?"
Zeng Xiangang took the list Hou Weidong handed him and scanned it. "I can’t say for sure. Every family has its own difficulties. I feel none of them will repay willingly. The foundation sends collection notices every year, but these people are old hands at dodging payments."
Hou Weidong had also hit sandbags during his time at the academy. It had been a dream of his youth, but after starting work, he had been far removed from such activities. Seeing Zeng Xiangang’s pessimistic expression, he stopped asking questions. He asked Zeng Xiangang to step aside and, with great interest, threw a dozen punches himself. His movements were vigorous and full of energy.
"I’ve been drinking, attending meetings, and sleeping every day for so long. I haven’t exercised in ages. I’ll go down the mountain and get a sandbag too. Regular exercise will prevent my belly from bulging and my muscles from degenerating."
Zeng Xiangang’s sandbag training was not merely for physical fitness. Through his struggles with social elements like Heiwa, he had realized that only the strong could live better in this world. Wealth and power made one strong, but a robust body did as well. He waved at a young man standing near Zeng Xiangyong and called out, "Zeng Xiangyu, put the new sandbag in the Madman’s car."
Zeng Xiangyu responded with a shout. Bare-chested, revealing a row of abdominal muscles, he heroically hoisted a sandbag onto his shoulder, walked over, and dropped it into the car.
Hou Weidong and Zeng Xiangang’s group then arrived at the household with the smallest loan.
Old Zhang’s home was in the most remote part of Jianshan Village, the only place not connected by a rural road. As expected, it was destitute. The house still had rare earth walls, with a crack running from the left side of the roof down to the foundation. It looked as if it might collapse at any moment. The central hall had an uneven floor, and due to roof leaks, a layer of grayish-yellow mold covered the ground.
Hou Weidong had originally believed his residence at the grain station was the dampest place in Qinglin Town. But seeing Old Zhang’s home, he realized he was wrong—and wrong by a wide margin. This was truly a damp household.
Although the construction of the Shangqinglin highway had cost many lives, it had generally raised the income levels of the masses. Shangqinglin was much wealthier than Xiaqinglin. Hou Weidong had never seen such poverty before.
After Zeng Xiangang introduced everyone and explained their purpose, Hou Weidong, though sympathetic to Old Zhang, began the collection process according to his duties. "Why did you borrow the money in the first place? The foundation has sent three collection notices. Why haven’t you repaid?"
Old Zhang wore an expression of shame.
Both Old Zhang and his wife had skin like tree bark, rough as pine trunks. He used his coarse hands to scoop out some peanuts and said, "Comrade cadres, we are poor and have little to eat. These are local peanuts. Please help yourselves."
Old Zhang’s wife leaned against him, wiping away tears. "I spent that 1,000 yuan. The year before last, I fell ill and had to be hospitalized. We simply had no money. Secretary Tang helped us get a loan from the foundation. It’s not that we don’t want to repay; we truly have no money."
Old Zhang held out the peanuts with his rough hands, forcing a smile. "Comrade cadres, please eat."
Hou Weidong ate a few peanuts. They tasted like any other peanuts, nothing special, but they were well-dried and fragrant. He asked, "Old Zhang, how many children do you have?"
A trace of unease appeared on Old Zhang’s deeply lined face. "Three children. Two sons and one daughter."
With three children, the family was still so poor. Hou Weidong did not understand. He glanced at Zeng Xiangang, who did not speak directly but simply shook his head.
"Comrade cadres, my second son went to Guangdong to work. He will send money back by the end of the year. Please tell the leaders when you return and ask for a two-day extension."
Hou Weidong noticed that Old Zhang spoke with some structure and used language that sounded somewhat official. He asked, "Old Zhang, did you serve as a village or commune cadre?"
Old Zhang’s expression brightened. "I wasn’t like this back then. I was the Chairman of the Poor Peasants’ Association in Qinglin Town. We fought the landlords and distributed land. It was lively and bustling. It was quite a scene." He stood up and went inside to pour a glass of water, but the water was so dirty it was undrinkable.
Seeing the actual conditions of Old Zhang’s home, Hou Weidong’s heart softened. He had no intention of pressing for the 1,000 yuan loan. However, as he stood up, he still said, "Old Zhang, you have served as a cadre, so you know national policies. When your son returns from Guangdong, repay the money."
Hearing Hou Weidong show leniency, Old Zhang was moved to tears. He tried to stuff peanuts into Hou Weidong’s pocket.
After leaving the first household, the group walked along a small path for a while before getting back into the Changan car. Hou Weidong took the register from Zhou Jing and drew a checkmark next to Zhang Shicai’s name.
Each group was assigned a female comrade to deal with women who might act shamelessly. Women, in this context, referred to married women. Once a girl married, she became a woman. Perhaps because they had seen everything, their personalities often changed drastically, shifting from extreme shyness to extreme boldness.
Hou Weidong had experienced this himself during his time as a stationed cadre in Dushi Village. He and Qin Jiangang had gone to collect retention fees. He Hongfu’s distant cousin refused to pay for some inexplicable reason. Qin Jiangang, who had a short temper, scolded her a few times. The cousin ran into the courtyard, tore her shirt, and accused Qin Jiangang of being a hooligan, leaving both Qin Jiangang and Hou Weidong in an awkward predicament.
Zhou Jing, the propaganda officer, had demonstrated her eloquence during the incident where borrowers surrounded the township government. Therefore, when forming the Shangqinglin debt collection team, Hou Weidong had actively requested Zhou Jing. First, to argue with the borrowers, and second, to handle women who might resort to stripping.
"Let’s cross off Old Zhang’s debt. I’ll make up the money when I return."
Zhou Jing said, "Our group’s recovery target is 1.7 million yuan. These people all have various reasons for not repaying. Town Mayor Hou, you really don’t need to pay out of your own pocket."
Hou Weidong smiled. "Forget it. Old Zhang’s household has the smallest loan, and it’s our opening business. Even if I have to pay out of pocket, we must handle this matter well."
Zhou Jing thought to herself, "Hou Weidong is truly generous. If I were so lucky, I’d find a husband like him." Zhou Jing’s appearance was considered quite good in Qinglin Town, but since meeting the graceful Li Jing, she had felt somewhat inferior. Although she dared not hope to be Hou Weidong’s girlfriend, dreaming a bit and setting Hou Weidong as her standard for a boyfriend was her right.
He then joked with Zeng Xiangang, "Solving Old Zhang’s case counts as a good start."
Zeng Xiangang then explained, "Old Zhang’s household has bad feng shui. The eldest son was mentally disabled. He couldn’t speak much even at sixteen or seventeen. Later, he fell into a pond and drowned. The second daughter married into Xiaohewan Village down the mountain and was beaten regularly by her in-laws. She secretly sends ten or twenty yuan during festivals. The third child is smart. He finished junior high and went south. He hasn’t returned in years. No one knows if he is dead or alive."
He sighed, "Old Zhang’s family has been the poorest in Jianshan Village since his grandfather’s time. Later, he was elected Chairman of the Poor Peasants’ Association. I never expected that after so many years of reform and opening up, they would still be the poorest in Jianshan Village."
Hou Weidong was shaken by this fact. He thought for a moment and asked, "Were there any landlords in Jianshan Village before?"
Zeng Xiangang replied, "There was one landlord. It was Zeng Zhaoming, the one with the largest debt. His family was a landlord before, and now he has become the capitalist of Jianshan Village."
Speaking of Zeng Zhaoming, Hou Weidong was quite familiar with him. When the Shangqinglin highway was completed, Zeng Zhaoming had specifically bought two bottles of Wuliangye, saying it was on behalf of the seven thousand villagers of Shangqinglin to thank Hou Weidong. Hou Weidong had finished those two bottles at Director Gao’s house.
Zeng Zhaoming had gone head-to-head with Hou Weidong in drinking and had vomited profusely.
The group then arrived at Zeng Zhaoming’s home. It was a typical courtyard house with walls four meters high. A truck was parked outside the yard, and a wolf dog, half a person’s height, stood at the door, desperately trying to lunge out, rattling the iron chain.
"Boss Zeng, tie up the dog."
Zeng Zhaoming emerged from the room, looking flustered. Seeing the team led by Hou Weidong, his already small eyes squinted further with worry.
"Town Mayor Hou, repaying debts is a matter of course. However, I have special circumstances. In January, I took over the small coal mine in Group 9 of Wangri Village." Zeng Zhaoming spoke excitedly. "Those bastards tricked me. The mine has resources, but it is dilapidated and about to collapse. I spent over 400,000 yuan just to reinforce the tunnels."
"The coal industry is sluggish nationwide right now, and I can’t collect payments."
Hou Weidong had already planned to acquire small coal mines. Seeing Zeng Zhaoming’s state, he had a thought. "I am not making things difficult for you. Hundreds of masses are waiting to withdraw their money. They surround the government every day. The county has demanded that loan borrowers must repay, especially those like you whose loans have long been due."
Zeng Zhaoming’s face darkened, and he panted heavily. "All my money is invested in the small coal mine and hasn’t been recovered. I really cannot repay the money now. Town Mayor Hou, you know me. I am absolutely not someone who refuses to repay debts."
(End of Chapter 179)