Chapter 183: Pulling Someone Out (Part 2)
Li Jing was like water. But this was not the clear, gentle stream of a mountain spring; rather, it was a vast, icy lake on a high plateau. Standing at the shore, one could only see the shallow clarity of the surface, while the depths of the lake remained impenetrable and mysterious.
Hou Weidong smiled. "Li Jing, don't treat me like a wine jar."
A crisp laugh came through the phone. "Weidong, don't lie to me. County Magistrate Zeng and the Public Security Bureau have both told me about your glorious deeds in the drinking world." She paused, then added, "The people I'm meeting today all have strong backgrounds. There's one guy named Ji Cheng who is particularly annoying. Come over and act as my temporary boyfriend to help me fend off this wolf. If you don't come, I'll drag my feet on your business matters and see what you can do about it."
These two playful remarks effectively blocked any excuse Hou Weidong might have had. He had no choice but to say, "I'm not familiar with Lingxi. Once I enter the city, I'll be lost. How will I find you?"
"I'll have someone pick you up at the city entrance. It will be a red Crown."
Hou Weidong's pickup truck was considered a mid-range vehicle in Qinglin Town and Yiyang County, and driving it usually made him feel quite imposing. However, now that he was heading to the provincial capital of Lingxi, where even the car sent to pick him up was a Crown, his pickup seemed somewhat low-class. But there was no time to change vehicles now.
Thinking about the drinking he would have to endure for Li Jing that evening, he called Wang Bing, asking him to wait in Yiyang City so they could travel to Lingxi together. From Wu Hai County to Yiyang County, thanks to the newly built roads, the trip took just over an hour. From Yiyang to Shazhou City was another hour. The total travel time was around two and a half hours. Although this route was a bit of a detour, the better road conditions meant it took roughly the same amount of time as driving directly from Wu Hai to Shazhou.
When Liu Guangfen returned and heard that Hou Weidong was leaving again, she looked quite disappointed. She said angrily, "You guy, every time you come home, you're in such a rush. It's true what they say: once a son grows up, he cannot be kept at home."
Hou Weidong rested his chin on Liu Guangfen's shoulder. "Mom, this is a huge misunderstanding. I'm going on orders to find money for Second Sister. This is a great opportunity. The vice president of Shadaosi asked to meet with me. If Shadaosi agrees to make the payment, I'll have some surplus funds in hand."
Liu Guangfen thought for a moment. "I think you should get your Second Sister released first. She is capable; there's no problem with her managing the factory."
Hou Weidong laughed. "You've learned from your son-in-law to treat me like an outsider. At critical moments, you still keep your distance."
"That's human nature. You'll understand later. No matter how good a mother-in-law is to you, at key moments, she will always side with her daughter. You'll come to understand this as you experience it."
As the car started, Liu Guangfen leaned out the door. "You've only just learned to drive, so be sure to go slowly. There's a saying: 'Better to stop for three minutes than to rush for one second.' You should learn this from your older brother."
Watching the car drive away, Liu Guangfen couldn't help but sigh. "What is the benefit of raising sons and daughters? From the day they are conceived, you worry about them for the rest of your life."
The greatest achievement of her life was raising two sons and a daughter. Each of these three children had a thin thread tied to her heart.
Her eldest son, Hou Weiguo, was the most steady. Yet, he worked in the criminal investigation team. The job was not only exhausting but also dangerous. Whenever she saw on television that a police officer was injured or died in the line of duty, she couldn't help but worry about her son. As the wife of a police officer, she understood too well the bitterness hidden behind this seemingly imposing profession. That was why she had opposed her eldest son becoming a police officer back then, though her opposition had been in vain.
Her second child, Hou Xiaoying, was a girl, proving the old saying that women are not inferior to men. She was no pushover. Since childhood, she had been mischievous with her younger brother, climbing trees, swimming, and fighting. She hadn't missed out on any activity typically done by boys. She was truly a source of worry. After the factory went bankrupt, she and her son-in-law, He Yong, had started doing business. The business had grown larger and larger. Now, thinking about the large loans the factory had taken, she wondered if they would be afraid if they couldn't repay them.
Her third child, Hou Weidong, was a proper government official who had finally managed to become a deputy town mayor. Yet, he insisted on leaving to run a quarry. He had made money, but for a government official to engage in business was not the right path.
She stood in the courtyard for a while, staring blankly. She didn't even feel like cooking the fish she had bought, let alone the braised pork ribs.
Hou Weidong had become very proficient with his pickup truck. This trip from Wu Hai to Yiyang took less than an hour. He drove to his apartment at Shazhou University, took three thousand yuan in cash, and then went to pick up Wang Bing.
Wang Bing had been waiting at the driving school gate. He was wearing a cyan short-sleeved shirt and ordinary jeans, dressed casually. With his neat short hair and shining leather shoes, he looked very capable. Once in the car, Hou Weidong continued to drive.
After driving for about ten minutes, Wang Bing praised, "Town Mayor Hou's skills are truly good. You drive better than many old drivers."
Hou Weidong humbly replied, "The reason the student drives well is mainly because the teacher taught well."
"Driving also requires comprehension. I've taught many students. Some are like blocks of wood; no matter how many times you tell them, they still can't learn."
Hou Weidong had a good impression of Wang Bing. "Don't stay at the driving school for too long. Do you want to transfer to the Transportation Bureau? Driving for the bureau leaders will give you more opportunities in the future. Director Zhu and I have a good relationship. I can just mention it to him."
Wang Bing pulled out a pair of white gloves from somewhere and tapped them idly. "Forget it. Wait until Brother Hou becomes a high-ranking official and gets an official car. Then I'll drive for you. I don't have any other skills or hobbies; I just love driving good cars. If I can drive a Mercedes or a BMW in this life, I'll be completely satisfied."
"If I buy a Mercedes or a BMW in the future, I'll definitely invite you to drive it."
Hou Weidong drove the whole way. His skills were still not as good as Wang Bing's, so Wang Bing occasionally offered advice at key sections. The speed wasn't particularly fast, but the journey was smooth, and they arrived in Shazhou in just over an hour. They didn't enter the city center but took the ring road, heading straight for Lingxi.
After another hour of driving, houses began to appear more frequently. The road expanded from two lanes to four, six, and even eight lanes. The buildings became increasingly modern, with fewer white-tiled houses and more diverse, contemporary architectural styles. As they approached the provincial capital of Lingxi, Hou Weidong realized how rarely he visited this place. He usually stayed within Shazhou. The last time he had been to Lingxi was during his university days.
As the car entered the wide streets, the traffic was heavy, making it hard to see anything clearly.
"Where exactly are you? Look at the most conspicuous building around you, then pull over to the side. I'll come over to you." Li Jing asked for Hou Weidong's location. She then said to the group playing cards, "Hou Weidong has arrived. I'm going to pick him up."
A young man wearing glasses looked up. "Li Jing, is that Hou Weidong your boyfriend? You're going to pick him up personally? Why not just have him come directly?" The man behind the glasses had been coveting Li Jing's beauty for a long time. He had heard that Li Jing was promiscuous, but despite several attempts, he had never managed to get her into bed.
Li Jing didn't get angry. "Hou Weidong is a major shareholder of Jinggong Group. He just rushed over from Yiyang County. You guys continue playing. We'll be back soon." In the eyes of this group, the position of Deputy Town Mayor of Qinglin Town in Yiyang County was insignificant. Therefore, Li Jing always introduced Hou Weidong as a major shareholder of Jinggong Group. This served to elevate his status.
As she walked to the door, Li Jing made a phone call. "Xiao Mo, come back. They are coming from the East Gate. I'll go pick them up."
Li Jing was not unfamiliar with Lingxi. She quickly arrived at the East Gate. In front of the building of the Lingxi Engineering Design Institute, a dusty pickup truck was parked awkwardly near the green belt. The Lingxi license plate indicated the car was from Shazhou. In Lingxi, Shazhou was also considered a backward place, much like how people from Shazhou viewed those from Yiyang.
Hou Weidong's dark complexion made him look more mature than his actual age. As he got into the car, he brought with him the scent of a man's sweat and a faint aroma of tobacco.
Li Jing liked this healthy, masculine scent. She secretly inhaled deeply twice before saying, "The people we're meeting today are all young masters and mistresses of Lingxi. Some are in business, and some work in the provincial government organs. It's what everyone calls the 'Young Master Circle.' When you meet them, just say you are a major shareholder and vice president of Jinggong Group."
Hou Weidong was sensitive enough to realize that in the eyes of this group, the identity of a deputy town mayor was hardly worth mentioning. He had only heard rumors of a Young Master Circle in Lingxi, whose participants were the younger brothers of high-ranking officials or successful young elites. This circle was rumored to be very powerful, but few had ever come into contact with it. Now, suddenly having to interact with them, he felt a bit uneasy inside.
"When I left, they were playing诈金花 (Zha Jin Hua). The base bet is one hundred yuan per person, with a cap of one thousand. Did you bring money?"
"Fortunately, I was prepared, or I would have been embarrassed," Hou Weidong said calmly. "I have three thousand yuan on me, which should be enough to play for a while."
Li Jing warned him, "These people bully the weak and fear the strong. If you don't show them any respect, they won't get arrogant."
The Eaton Hotel was a newly built five-star hotel in Lingxi. The third floor housed the famous Ming Shi Club. Wang Bing knew the rules of etiquette. He parked the car and did not follow Li Jing and Hou Weidong inside. Instead, he went to the tea lounge on the first floor, ordered some clear tea, and picked up a Go strategy book, reading it with great interest.
Li Jing and Hou Weidong went upstairs. As they entered the club, Li Jing linked her arm through Hou Weidong's, acting like a bird relying on a tree.
The people inside were in the heat of the game. When Hou Weidong and Li Jing entered, everyone except the man with glasses kept their heads down, focused on the struggle at the card table.
The man with glasses paused his gaze on Hou Weidong for a few seconds, then counted out ten one-hundred-yuan bills. "Call."
Another man with a broad face, with a bead of sweat on his nose, picked up the cards on the table, took a look, and then gently put them down. "I'll call too."
The two took turns betting, going through ten rounds without anyone showing their cards. The broad-faced man took a stack of money from his bag. "Let's each put in ten thousand and show our cards."
Two stacks of money were thrown into the pot. The man with glasses flipped his cards: a single Ace with a 10 and a 5. He looked at the cards left and right, then threw them on the table in frustration. "My luck is really bad today." His cards were a single Ace with a 7.
A sexy woman with big waves in her hair slapped the man with glasses. "You idiot, you played randomly. Look at my cards; they are much bigger than yours." She flipped her cards over: 6, 7, and a Jack. "You two scared yourselves into submission."
The man with glasses happily swept all the money on the table to his side. "Scaring them away is better than fighting them. That's the charm of Zha Jin Hua."
Li Jing introduced everyone. "This is Hou Weidong, a major shareholder of Jinggong Group."
The man with glasses who had won the money was Ji Cheng, Deputy Director of the Information Center of the Provincial Government General Office. Although his official title was not high, his influence was significant.
The broad-faced man was Wu Yong, Director of the Credit Department of the Provincial Industrial and Commercial Bank. He was a real power broker.
The young woman was Wu Kening. Hou Weidong didn't hear her name clearly, but she seemed to be the general manager of some transportation company.
Wei Jin was a captain in the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Provincial Public Security Department. Although he looked smiling, there was always a probing look behind his eyes.
Zhang Mushan…
There were also two very beautiful girls who did not participate in the game but stood by watching. They were both dancers from the Lingxi Song and Dance Troupe. These two girls had excellent figures, about one meter seventy tall, with long legs, slender waists, and smooth, youthful faces.
Hou Weidong couldn't help but be struck by the sight of these two girls.
After Hou Weidong sat down, Li Jing naturally stood behind him. She said to Zhang Mushan, "President Zhang, Director Ji's luck is too good today. This little woman wants to avoid his锋芒 (sharp edge). Let Weidong play."
Zhang Mushan said, "President Hou, please don't be polite. Director Ji's luck is good today, and no one can stop him. You come and cool things down."
In Qinglin Town, the maximum bet for cards was capped at one hundred. A card table where bets started at tens of thousands was something Hou Weidong had never experienced. Moreover, playing cards with provincial government officials and company bosses made his confidence waver slightly. However, on the surface, he remained calm. He took out a few thousand yuan and placed it on the table.
Hou Weidong's luck was extremely good. His first hand was an Ace Flush, which is a high hand in Zha Jin Hua. If nothing unexpected happened, he would win this round.
Coincidentally, Ji Cheng had a straight. Without hesitation, he called three times with five hundred yuan each. Hou Weidong made few movements while playing cards and did not deliberately fake expressions or actions. He slowly took out ten one-hundred-yuan bills. "One thousand."
Ji Cheng was not afraid and called again. After calling six thousand yuan, Ji Cheng finally couldn't take it anymore. He threw in another thousand yuan. "Show cards."
Seeing that Hou Weidong had taken revenge for him, Wu Yong shouted excitedly, "Li Jing, what exactly did you and President Hou do last night? His luck is so explosive."
This remark was quite ambiguous, but Li Jing didn't get angry. She smiled without saying a word.
In this round, Hou Weidong won more than ten thousand yuan. A thick stack of one-hundred-yuan bills was piled in front of him.
In the second round, Hou Weidong got a special hand: 2-3-5. In Zha Jin Hua, the 2-3-5 hand beats even three Aces. If the 2-3-5 wins, every participant must pay an extra three hundred yuan.
Remembering Li Jing's instructions before entering, Hou Weidong was not polite. He had the idea of pursuing the defeated enemy. When it was his turn to bet, he called one thousand yuan without hesitation. Li Jing, standing behind him, saw his cards. Although her facial expression didn't change, she placed a hand on Hou Weidong's shoulder and gently squeezed it.
After three rounds of betting, only Wu Kening with the big waves remained in the game. She had a pair of Aces. She threw money on the table but felt uncertain. By the tenth round, Wu Yong looked at Wu Kening's cards and said, "Ningning, show your cards. President Hou's luck is explosive. Don't fight him for too long."
Hou Weidong just smiled casually.
Wu Kening couldn't judge the size of Hou Weidong's hand. After hesitating for a while, she felt scared. "Forget it, I won't call." She pushed her cards into the pot. "President Hou, what cards do you have? Could it be a reverse flush?"
When everyone saw that Hou Weidong had the special 2-3-5 hand, Li Jing punched him a few times on the shoulder. "You dead handsome guy, you don't show any mercy to women at all."
The beauties standing behind Zhang Mushan and Wu Yong also clapped their hands vigorously.
Wei Jin observed Hou Weidong for a while and thought to himself, "Card character reflects personal character; drinking style reflects work style. Hou Weidong is bold enough; he is someone special." He always felt that Hou Weidong looked familiar. He repeated his name. "A few days ago, I went to Shazhou to handle a case. There is a squad leader named Hou Weiguo in the Criminal Investigation Brigade who followed me. He looks very much like you."
"That's my older brother."
"Lingxi is big, yet small. I actually met Weiguo's brother again." Wei Jin added, "Your brother is an expert in handling cases. Our brigade commander wants to transfer him to the brigade, but Director Wang, the 'Fatty' from the Shazhou Municipal Bureau, firmly disagrees."
Chatting while playing cards, Hou Weidong gradually adapted to the scene. His mood calmed down, and his confidence returned. His luck was indeed good; he always lost small amounts and won big ones. The stack of banknotes in front of him had grown thick, amounting to at least several tens of thousands.
Wu Kening lost several rounds in a row and lost interest. "Today, you big men are bullying me. I'm not playing anymore." She added, "No wonder Sister Jingjing didn't play today. She brought a handsome killer."
Hou Weidong gathered the money. "I won money, so I'll treat everyone to dinner today."
Li Jing was very satisfied with Hou Weidong's performance. She placed her hand on his shoulder in an intimate posture. "I suggest we only drink Moutai tonight. I firmly refuse to drink foreign liquor. I support national industry."
Zhang Mushan, who had hardly spoken until now, said, "President Hou, don't compete with me. It was agreed today that I would treat everyone. The time is about right. Let's go to Gao Yu Hao."
Everyone stood up, stretched, and headed out. Hou Weidong noticed that one of the dancers followed Wu Yong, while the other followed Zhang Mushan. He thought to himself, "Zhang Mushan must want to get a loan from Wu Yong, which is why he arranged this gathering."
After going downstairs, Hou Weidong found Wang Bing, who was drinking tea. "You can hang out here casually. The expenses are on me. I'll call you when I'm ready to leave." Wang Bing and Hou Weidong had an established understanding. He was very comfortable drinking tea, reading Go strategies, and listening to music. He nodded. "Brother Hou, I'll keep my mobile phone on. Call me anytime."
Hou Weidong whispered, "The Ming Shi Club on the third floor has rest areas. Arrange yourself as you see fit."
At the car door, Li Jing held the car keys. "How is your driving skill?"
"Rest assured, I've been driving myself for a while now."
Li Jing threw the car keys to Hou Weidong. "These young masters in Lingxi all value gentlemanly demeanor. I can only rely on you to serve them."
Gao Yu Hao was a large boat docked by the Yangtze River. Sitting on the VIP platform on the fifth floor, the river breeze blew, and the water beat against the shore, creating a continuous sound. The handsome men and beautiful women leaned on the railing, looking out. It was quite romantic.
The service staff, dressed in clean uniforms, quietly and quickly set the table. Soon, a waiter approached. "Gentlemen, please enjoy your meal. The large river fish is the best dish. It must be eaten hot to bring out the fresh flavor."
"What business do you do?" Li Jing smiled. "Our main business is highway construction. We currently have two roads in Shazhou, as well as several coal mines and five large quarries. The coal market is not good right now, but the stone business is profitable."
Ji Cheng asked Hou Weidong, "President Hou, which area are you responsible for?"
"I am mainly responsible for resource-based enterprises. I personally manage the coal mines and quarries."
"Where are the quarries located?"
"They are concentrated in Qinglin, Yiyang."
Ji Cheng worked in the Information Center. He had read the briefings and knew that the gravel base for Lingxi highways was in Yiyang. "I'm very familiar with Yiyang. Old Zhu treats us to drinks several times a year. Next time I go to Yiyang, I'll have Old Zhu treat the two of us to drinks." Zhu Yan was the person who called the shots in Yiyang City. In Ji Cheng's mouth, he became "Old Zhu."
Hou Weidong thought to himself, "I wonder if this Ji Cheng is bragging or if he is indeed very familiar."