Chapter 232: The Confrontation (Part 2)
After listening to Hou Weidong’s report, Zhu Yan immediately called Li Du, the Chief Prosecutor. “Since the situation has escalated, we have no choice but to face the challenge head-on. There is no turning back now; we must stand our ground. Chief Prosecutor Li, you need to take the initiative and go to the Shazhou Procuratorate to report the case details to Chief Prosecutor Liu. We must strive to gain the understanding and support of the higher-level procuratorate.”
After hanging up, Zhu Yan instructed, “Ask Old Liu to come over. We’re going to Shazhou to report this matter to Director Zhiyuan of the Municipal People’s Congress. Buy some new tea from Yiyang—the best quality.”
Although they had encountered another complication, Zhu Yan was in good spirits because he had caught Ma Youcai off guard during the Standing Committee meeting. He remarked casually, “Gift-giving is an art form. Every time I visit Director Zhiyuan, I bring Yiyang new tea. Other gifts always feel inappropriate. Do you have any new ideas?”
Hou Weidong happened to know Gao Zhiyuan’s specific preferences. Hearing this, he said, “Director Gao has a particular fondness for air-dried wild pheasant from Shangqinglin. He always takes a few with him whenever he returns home.”
Zhu Yan looked somewhat surprised and asked with a smile, “You know Director Zhiyuan?”
“When the Shangqinglin highway was completed, Director Gao came back once. I saw him in the crowd.”
Zhu Yan did not press further. “Since Secretary Zhiyuan likes local specialties, we shouldn’t delay. Arrange for someone from Qinglin Town to purchase them immediately.”
Hou Weidong explained, “Air-dried wild pheasant is a folk delicacy. It isn’t sold in the town market; it’s kept in individual households. We’ll need to go door-to-door to buy it.”
Zhu Yan said, “I’ve scheduled a meeting with Director Zhiyuan for four o’clock this afternoon. If we have to go door-to-door, we might not make it in time.”
Hou Weidong volunteered, “I worked in Shangqinglin before and am quite familiar with the village cadres. I can ask them to help me purchase the pheasants. I’ll drive over to pick them up; the round trip will take just over an hour.”
The last time Hou Weidong had accompanied Zhang Mushan to Tiejian Mountain in Shangqinglin, his good relationship with the villagers had left a deep impression on Zhu Yan. This also confirmed what Tie Ruiqing had once said. Zhu Yan praised him, “The eyes of the masses are sharp. As long as you do practical things for them, they will support you.”
This was the first time Zhu Yan had praised Hou Weidong. Although the praise was indirect, the weight of the evaluation was significant. Hou Weidong quickly responded with humility, “The Shangqinglin highway was the shared wish of seven thousand villagers. They volunteered their labor and brought their own food. That is how we managed to lay the rough foundation for the road despite extreme financial difficulties.” He had originally intended to mention that the county finance had covered the cost of the road surface, but remembering that this was Ma Youcai’s decision, he kept that part to himself.
“Go quickly and return quickly. We will arrive in Shazhou at two-thirty sharp.”
Zhu Yan added, “Since you became my secretary, you haven’t had a chance to go home. Today is Friday. After meeting with Director Zhiyuan, I’ll give you two days off. Spend some time with your wife at home.” He then asked, “Your wife’s name is Zhang Xiaojia, right? What does she do at the Landscape Bureau?”
“Xiaojia is responsible for equipment and facilities at the Landscape Bureau. She is preparing to take a two-year study leave in Shanghai. Once she leaves, I’ll have even more free time.”
Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Hou Weidong left.
After calling Zeng Xiangang to arrange the matter, Hou Weidong went to Liang Bifa’s yard to pick up the pickup truck and headed straight for Shangqinglin. Since becoming Zhu Yan’s secretary, Hou Weidong had had almost no personal time because Zhu Yan was a workaholic. He hadn’t been to the Goubeiwan Quarry in a long time.
After three years of intensive transportation development, Yiyang’s transport infrastructure had improved significantly, achieving remarkable results. Among the four counties, it stood out as the best. It took Hou Weidong less than forty minutes to drive from the county seat to the Goubeiwan Quarry, a journey that usually required over an hour.
The Goubeiwan Quarry had been operating for more than three years, with a large daily output of stone. As he parked at the entrance, he was immediately faced with a quarry face over ten meters high. Although it had been mined in terraces, it still appeared exceptionally steep. With good business, the quarry was running at full capacity, bustling with activity.
Walking into the yard, Hou Weidong immediately spotted a problem. None of the workers loading stone were wearing safety helmets.
Old Tu, who was guarding the site, saw Hou Weidong and hurried over. From a distance, he called out, “Madman, you haven’t been here for ages. Have lunch at the site today; everyone wants to toast you.” Hou Weidong kept his face stern, his smile stiff. He took out a cigarette and handed it over carefully, saying, “Secretary He went to the town for a meeting.”
After Qin Dajiang was killed, He Hongfu had become the village party secretary. Therefore, in addition to matters concerning the Goubeiwan Quarry, he was also responsible for the affairs of Dushi Village.
Hou Weidong silently accepted the cigarette Old Tu offered, took two puffs, and said, “Tell all the workers to stop what they are doing. I have something to say to them.”
The Goubeiwan Quarry was the best among the five major quarries in Shangqinglin. First, its resources were extremely abundant; the current mining volume represented only a small corner of the entire stone mountain. The quarry was preparing to open a second mining face to reduce costs. Second, its equipment was the most advanced. Hou Weidong had spared no expense on equipment; the entire quarry had three large-scale mining machines, achieving semi-mechanization. Third, its systems were the most complete. Procedures, safety measures, and other regulations were all posted on the walls and strictly enforced. Accidents at the quarry were rare; in three years, aside from some minor injuries, no major safety accidents had occurred. Fourth, the workers’待遇 (treatment/pay) was the best. The basic salary for frontline mining workers combined piece-rate and hourly systems. As long as they worked hard, they could earn one thousand yuan a month.
Because of this, Hou Weidong was the absolute boss at Goubeiwan, and his word was law. After he spoke, work stopped at all stations. Soon, more than forty people stood in front of Hou Weidong.
Hou Weidong scanned the crowd and noticed that at least one-third of them were not wearing safety helmets. He said, “Those wearing safety helmets, move to the left. Those without helmets, move to the right.”
When the crowd had divided into two groups, Hou Weidong asked, “Why did you come to Goubeiwan?”
The workers, unsure of Hou Weidong’s intent, looked at each other in confusion.
Hou Weidong said, “To make money, not to lose your lives. There have been many bloody accidents at the Shangqinglin quarries. Many of you have seen the tragic scenes at Tian Damao’s and Qin Dajiang’s quarries.” He suddenly raised his voice. “Workers who do not wear helmets are irresponsible to their own lives and to their families. Anyone without a safety helmet will have fifty yuan deducted from this month’s pay. Old Tu will have five hundred yuan deducted, and He Hongfu will have one thousand yuan deducted. If I catch you a second time, you’re fired.”
The group without safety helmets had been smiling earlier, but upon hearing about the fifty-yuan deduction, their smiles vanished instantly. Their faces fell, looking crestfallen.
After delivering the lecture, Hou Weidong said to the embarrassed Old Tu, “Old Tu, don’t feel aggrieved. Safety measures are a high-voltage line that no one can touch. I established this rule from the day Goubeiwan was built.”
Old Tu stammered, “The weather is hot. Wearing a safety helmet causes heatstroke.”
“Have you prepared Ten-Drop Water?”
“It’s prepared.”
“Have you distributed the cooling allowance?”
“It will be distributed this month.”
Upon receiving affirmative answers, Hou Weidong said, “The rules I set cannot be broken.”
He looked at the group of workers wearing safety helmets, and a smile finally appeared on his face. “Old Tu, the workers who wore safety helmets today deserve praise. Go buy each of them a pack of Hongmei cigarettes. For those who don’t smoke, give them an equivalent amount of white sugar.”
The workers wearing safety helmets clapped loudly.
Hou Weidong used both punishment and reward to turn a minor issue into a major lesson. He waved his hand and said, “Following safety regulations is only beneficial to you. Do not violate the rules again. You may return to your posts.”
Several familiar workers gathered around, chatted for a while, and then gradually returned to their stations. A few people who had left their safety helmets at home hurried back to retrieve them.
Hou Weidong had planned this performance in advance. Since he had been away from Goubeiwan for a long time, he feared that management would become lax and worried that He Hongfu might be skimming money secretly. Therefore, he needed to establish his authority at Goubeiwan.
As he left Goubeiwan, he told Old Tu, “Today’s incident is a lesson. You must manage things more strictly in the future. I will come to check the accounts every few days. Have He Hongfu prepare the receipts in the next few days.”
After leaving Goubeiwan, Hou Weidong called Zeng Xiangang and then headed straight to his home.
Zeng Xiangang’s house remained the same as before: high walls, an iron gate, and two large wolf dogs. Several large sandbags hung in the yard.
Zeng Xiangang had replaced his eye patch with a pair of brown-tinted glasses, and his short hair stood upright. Seeing Hou Weidong enter, he said, “Madman, you dog-day haven’t been back for a long time.” In Zeng Xiangang’s mind, Hou Weidong was still one of the Shangqinglin crew, and he did not feel distant from him just because he had been transferred out of Qinglin Town.
He added, “Rest assured, the air-dried wild pheasants from Wangri Village will be collected soon. All of my dozen brothers have been mobilized.”
Hou Weidong noticed that Zeng Xiangang’s complexion had improved considerably. He thought to himself, “Time is the best medicine. Zeng Xiangang seems to be moving past the pain of losing his wife.”
The two sat at the door and chatted casually about their recent situations. Zeng Xianyong entered the yard carrying several air-dried wild pheasants. A short while later, several others returned.
When they had gathered twenty pheasants, Hou Weidong said, “I have urgent business today and must leave. Let’s have a good chat as brothers another day.” Zeng Xiangang did not try to keep him. As he saw Hou Weidong to his car, he said, “A comrade-in-arms from my class has opened an interior building materials factory in Fujian and asked me to help him sell in Yiyang. I bought a storefront in the city and plan to become his general agent.”
“The Yiyang market is too small. It would be best to develop in Shazhou.”
“Let’s test the market reaction in Yiyang first. If it goes well, we can expand.”
Hou Weidong returned to the County Party Committee Office and placed ten air-dried wild pheasants in the trunk of Old Liu’s car. The other ten he took home, intending to deliver them to Zhu Yan’s family.
He arrived in Shazhou City at four o’clock sharp.
Gao Zhiyuan and Zhu Yan were very familiar with each other. They exchanged several jokes upon meeting. Gao Zhiyuan glanced at Hou Weidong standing behind Zhu Yan and asked, “Secretary Zhu, is this your new secretary? This young man looks very familiar.”