*Chapter 188: The Solution (Part 3)*
According to the division of labor in the town, which was essentially Zhao Yongsheng’s arrangement, Hou Weidong brought Su Yajun to Shangqinglin. Their plan was to invite the people on the list to attend the study session in Qinglin Town. On the way up the mountain, Hou Weidong specifically went to inspect the housing for the study session. It was a rented two-story private residence. Although it looked old and worn, the surrounding wall was fully three meters high, making it perfectly suitable for a study session.
The list in Hou Weidong’s hand included not only ordinary villagers but also Li Yong, a government cadre, and Yang Bingzhang, the deputy director of the forestry farm. Both were figures Hou Weidong knew very well. At this moment, realizing that his transfer away from Qinglin Town was a settled matter, his mindset changed. He simply could not bring himself to do, nor did he wish to do, something as ungrateful as turning his back on old acquaintances.
Once they reached Qinglin Mountain, Hou Weidong looked for an excuse to slip away. He said, “I have some business with Zeng Xiangang. Director Su, please handle the work with Li Yong. Director Fu, please handle Yang Bingzhang. It’s getting late for lunch; just issue the tickets and charge them to my account.” Without paying any attention to the expressions of Fu and Su, he stepped on the accelerator and drove off.
During this period, Hou Weidong had treated the debt collection team to meals quite often. As the saying goes, if you eat someone’s food, you feel obligated; if you take their gifts, your hand becomes soft. Seeing Hou Weidong trying to shirk his duties, Su Yajun and Fu Jiang felt helpless and had no choice but to split up and act separately.
Hou Weidong parked the car by the roadside and walked along the stone-paved path for a while before arriving at Zeng Xiangang’s house. This familiar place seemed filled with sorrow. As Hou Weidong entered the door, he suddenly remembered the image of Zeng Xiangang’s wife coming out with a bowl of spicy fish soup. In Shangqinglin, the two people Hou Weidong felt closest to and trusted most were Qin Dajiang and Zeng Xiangang. Unfortunately, Qin Dajiang had died in an accident, and Zeng Xiangang’s family had also encountered misfortune.
In the courtyard, Zeng Xianyou was alone, having taken off his shirt to punch a sandbag. Sweat poured down his head like rain. He wiped the sweat with a towel and said, “My brother went to the quarry. I’ll go find him.”
After Zeng Xianyou left the courtyard, Hou Weidong unleashed a flurry of punches on the still-swaying sandbag. During this time, whenever he had free time, he would practice punching the sandbag in front of the grain station dormitory, achieving remarkable results. His abdomen, once invaded by fat, had regained some definition. Back in college, Xiaojia had loved to trace those fit abdominal muscles repeatedly with her slender fingertips.
After throwing dozens of punches, Zeng Xiangang walked back alone. He had short, stiff hair and was wearing a gray short-sleeved shirt. Although he had just returned from the construction site, he looked very clean. As soon as he entered, he said, “Madman, it’s been a long time since you visited.”
Hou Weidong said, “It’s all because of the foundation rectification. The town has decided to hold a study session and asked me to come up here to catch people. I dumped this big problem on Fu Jiang and Su Yajun and came here to slack off.”
Zeng Xiangang looked at the table and saw a basin of large fish. He went inside and fetched two fishing rods, saying, “Since we have nothing to do, let’s go fishing at the pond.”
The two men did not bring a fishing net. They carried their rods and sat by the fish pond. Hou Weidong’s fishing skills were truly mediocre. He could clearly see the float moving, but he always pulled up an empty hook. Zeng Xiangang, however, was an old hand and caught three fish in a row.
Hou Weidong felt as if there were nails in his buttocks. He changed spots several times and scattered plenty of sweet potato pellets. When Zeng Xiangang caught the fourth fish, a small clear-water white fish, Hou Weidong completely lost his patience. He lit a Jiaozi cigarette and paced restlessly by the pond.
“Xiaojia, we spoke in a hurry yesterday. How exactly is the situation?” Hou Weidong sat on a large green stone by the grass and called Xiaojia.
Unexpectedly, Xiaojia’s tone was noticeably cold. “I made it very clear yesterday.”
Hou Weidong’s warm face met a cold shoulder. Knowing Xiaojia was being petty again, he smiled and said, “What’s wrong now? I didn’t provoke you.”
Xiaojia did not hang up, but she held the receiver in silence.
Hou Weidong quickly reviewed the events of the previous night and said, “Is it about Li Jing? Xiaojia, don’t be so stingy. Li Jing is the deputy general manager of Shadaosi. She did a lot of work to ensure Shadaosi generously paid the second installment.”
Xiaojia snorted coldly. “It’s probably not that simple.” She fired off a barrage of questions. “What’s going on with Jinggong Group, Deputy Manager Hou? Are you having fun in Lingxi? Are the actresses in the dance troupe pretty?”
“Who has such a long tongue?”
Xiaojia let out a series of cold laughs. “Are these things true?”
Hou Weidong felt a bitter smile in his heart. Paper cannot wrap fire, he thought. The matter of cooperating with Li Jing will eventually have to be known by Xiaojia.
He chuckled a few times and said, “I’ve wanted to tell you about this for a long time, but I was afraid you would misunderstand, so I held back. Here is the situation: Jinggong Group is a limited liability company. Li Jing is the majority shareholder. I felt this company had good development potential, so I invested some money. I do not participate in management; I am purely a shareholder.”
Regarding the Jinggong Group matter, to cover up one lie, Hou Weidong had to tell ten more. He had long wanted to tell the truth completely. Taking this opportunity, he hid nothing and confessed honestly.
Xiaojia’s voice trembled with tears. “How many more things are you hiding from me?”
“I’m not hiding anything from you, Xiaojia. You must not listen to others sowing discord.”
Xiaojia blurted out, “You did this yourself. If you can do it, why can’t Bugao talk about it?”
Hou Weidong cursed viciously, “That damn Bugao, pushing people too far.” He added, “Look, I’ll return to Shazhou in a moment and explain everything to you face-to-face.”
Xiaojia said angrily, “The most important thing in a marriage is sincerity. Don’t come over. I don’t want to see you for the next few days.” With that, she hung up the phone.
When Hou Weidong called back, the phone was turned off. He then called the Construction Commission office. A young man answered and said, “Director Zhang is not here.”
***
Hou Weidong felt a pile of fire accumulating in his chest, the flames darting back and forth, yet finding no outlet. There happened to be a willow tree by the pond. He stepped forward and kicked it hard twice. The willow leaves swayed and drifted down.
Zeng Xiangang rarely saw Hou Weidong in such a flustered state. He glanced at him, adjusted his sunglasses with his hand, and continued fishing.
Hou Weidong paced back and forth by the pond, puzzled in his mind. Xiaojia and I went to Lingxi for only one night. Only a few people know about it. How did Xiaojia find out? Even if Bugao had someone tailing us, he couldn’t possibly know the details of that scene so clearly.
In fact, this was purely a coincidence.
That morning, the Shazhou Construction Association held its monthly meeting. Wu Kening was also a member of the construction association. After arriving at the Shazhou venue, he happened to sit next to Bugao. In casual chat, remembering that both Li Jing and Hou Weidong were from Shazhou, he asked about their situations.
As the saying goes, the speaker may be careless, but the listener is attentive. Upon hearing the names Li Jing and Hou Weidong, Bugao immediately became alert. Through indirect questioning, he learned about eighty or ninety percent of what happened that night. He suddenly realized, “So Li Jing and Hou Weidong are already in a close cooperative relationship. No wonder I couldn’t dig up any material on Hou Weidong in Hanhu.”
Such a coincidence was something Hou Weidong could never have imagined.
After making that phone call, Hou Weidong had even less mood for fishing. He just walked back and forth by the pond.
Zeng Xiangang remained calm. Since Hou Weidong did not speak, he did not ask. He fished on his own. By eleven o’clock, he had caught five white fish, each weighing about a jin. These small fish raised in clear water had many bones, but their flesh was very tender. They did not require many seasonings. Just grabbing a handful of pickled vegetables, which every household in Shangqinglin had, along with old ginger and fish herb to make a soup, produced a natural fragrance.
Zeng Xiangang personally went to the kitchen and prepared a large basin of fish, the aroma扑鼻 (filling the nose).
Hou Weidong was in a depressed mood. Zeng Xiangang handed him a cup of medicinal wine that had been steeped. Hou Weidong did not drink alcohol, but he was quite active in pouring the wine.
Hou Weidong did not decline. After drinking several cups in succession, he poured out the matters郁积 (accumulated) in his heart. In his mind, Bugao and Zeng Xiangang were people from two different worlds; it was difficult for them to intersect. Therefore, venting his grievances in front of Zeng Xiangang, Hou Weidong had no reservations.
After explaining the cause and effect of the matter, he cursed, “Bugao is a mad dog with reason. He has been sending people to tail me for a long time, making me extremely annoyed. I must solve this problem.”
After drinking a bowl of sour and slightly spicy fish soup, Hou Weidong mocked himself, “Bugao has all the advantages of time and place in Shazhou. His father is the deputy mayor, and he himself is a very successful businessman. Moreover, he sends people to tail me, and I have no concrete evidence. What am I supposed to do?”
Zeng Xiangang was silent for a long time before saying, “You are a government official, so this matter is difficult for you. For me, this matter is too simple.” His expression turned gloomy, quite different from the cheerful man he used to be. He continued, “Bugao is a rich man. Rich people cherish their bodies. Just beat him up, threaten him with a knife, and he will naturally behave.”
Hearing Zeng Xiangang’s suggestion, Hou Weidong felt it was utterly absurd. “Forget it, you’re joking. Bugao is both a powerful dragon and a local snake in Shazhou. Beating him is really not a wise move.” As he said this, a thought struck him. Li Jianyong stubbornly believes that the person who chopped off Heiwa’s hand is in Shangqinglin. If it really is in Shangqinglin, Zeng Xiangang has gathered two or thirty young people and punches the sandbag every day. He is actually a suspect.
Zeng Xiangang did not continue this topic. He drank and ate in silence, just like his son who refused to speak.
Since chopping off Heiwa’s hand and shooting the murderer of his wife, Zeng Xiangang’s胆子 (courage) had grown. He had a hidden desire for violence. After Hou Weidong left, he sat in the courtyard and picked up a thin white booklet with two red characters on it—Criminal Law.