Chapter 248: Blocking the Car (Part 2)
The preparatory work had been done thoroughly, and the vast majority of potential petitioning risks had been eliminated. Consequently, the motorcade traveled in relative calm, unfolding exactly as the County Party Committee had envisioned.
Hou Weidong, serving as a staff member, sat in the back of Ji Haiyang’s car, which was the last vehicle in the convoy. After Zhu Yan accompanied Zhou Changquan to get off at the southern urban planning zone, Hou Weidong stood behind the main group, secretly feeling relieved. "This is the final stop. As long as we return smoothly to the County Party Committee building, this reception mission will be considered a complete success."
The southern part of the county consisted of shallow hills with slightly undulating terrain. Zhang Yajun from the Yiyang Construction Committee led the way. When the group reached a small slope and stood at the crest, their视野 (field of vision) suddenly opened up, taking in the vast expanse of land in the southern city area.
Surrounded by the crowd, Zhou Changquan climbed the hill. The autumn breeze brushed against his face, instantly refreshing his spirit. With his left hand on his hip and his right hand pointing toward a large tract of land, he said, "Old Zhu, the Yiyang County Party Committee and County Government show great ambition. I agree with your viewpoint. The new southern district can be considered for expansion to fifteen or twenty square kilometers over the next five to ten years, effectively creating a second Yiyang City. With the new city added to the old, Yiyang will have the framework of a medium-sized city."
Zhu Yan had originally envisioned the new city covering five to ten square kilometers. Hearing Zhou Changquan double the projected area of the new district, he was immediately delighted.
Zhou Changquan continued, "The western part of Lingxi is covered by continuous mountains, which are not suitable for human habitation. The Provincial Party Committee intends to designate the west as an ecological conservation zone, focusing on developing tourism. The population in the western mountains needs to be gradually relocated. Yiyang has fertile land, and its water sources and climate conditions are excellent. You must be mentally prepared to receive the population relocating from the west. This is a major opportunity for Yiyang’s development."
Secretary-General Huang Zidi and County Party Secretary Zhu Yan stood on either side of Zhou Changquan, while other officials stood behind them. Everyone’s gaze followed the direction of Zhou Changquan’s finger. It seemed as if with just that gesture, the southern city would transform into a forest of high-rise buildings.
Compared to County Party Secretary Zhu Yan, County Mayor Ma Youcai was much more silent. He was not particularly greedy. When he first became a full department-level cadre, he was also ambitious, possessing both the desire to achieve merit and the wish to serve the people. However, since accepting two million yuan from Yi Zhongling, he had come to understand the true meaning of "it is easy to board a pirate ship but hard to get off."
Now that Yi Zhongling had transformed himself into a private entrepreneur, Ma Youcai was looking for an opportunity to leave Yiyang and start over.
After exchanging a few words with Zhu Yan, Zhou Changquan turned to Ma Youcai behind him and said, "Mayor Ma, once the County Party Committee makes a decision, the specific implementation falls to the County Government. Do you have the confidence to manage the new southern district well?"
Zhou Changquan addressed Zhu Yan as "Old Zhu," but referred to Ma Youcai as "Mayor Ma." This subtle difference reflected the varying degrees of relationship Zhou Changquan had with the two men.
Ma Youcai understood the implication of this difference, but he adjusted his mood rapidly. With renewed vigor, he said, "Secretary Zhou, once the Lingxi Expressway is completed, Yiyang’s transportation bottleneck will be completely broken. The value of this land will at least double. We have the confidence to manage the new southern district effectively."
Zhou Changquan nodded, pleased. "It seems Mayor Ma has grasped the essence of the expressway strategy."
He raised his index finger and tapped the air a few times. "Land is a huge wealth that the government can control. With this piece of land, there is no worry about lacking development potential. The state controls land very strictly, but our thinking must be more liberated. First, we must understand what the state permits us to do. Second, we must understand what the state prohibits. Third, we must analyze matters that the state neither permits nor opposes. Especially the third point requires us to use our brains, liberate our thinking, and improve our governance capabilities."
Facing the autumn wind, he waved his hand broadly. "As long as you grasp these three points, you will not make mistakes. Even if any issues arise, the Municipal Party Committee will speak up for you. This is the latest spirit of the speech by Provincial Party Secretary Du. The Municipal Party Committee is even organizing special study sessions for county and department-level cadres."
Several accompanying reporters quickly recorded Secretary Zhou Changquan’s speech.
Hou Weidong’s gaze had been following Zhou Changquan’s figure. He observed that when Zhou Changquan spoke, the expressions on his thin face became exceptionally rich and expressive. Zhu Yan, who was naturally a leader with great bearing,收敛 (restrained) all his sharp edges in front of Zhou Changquan, focusing entirely on being a good listener.
Zhou Changquan was in high spirits, and so was everyone else. After inspecting the new southern district, the motorcade headed back toward the city. Just at the junction between the urban and rural areas, three people suddenly jumped out from behind a fruit stall: a middle-aged woman, a boy of about thirteen or fourteen, and an elderly woman with white hair. Upon reaching the roadside, the middle-aged woman unfurled a banner that read: "The Procuratorate used torture to extract confessions and beat my son to death. Injustice, injustice, injustice."
The lead vehicle of the motorcade was a police car clearing the way. Seeing the three people stubbornly blocking the road, it had to stop and activate its siren, with the police lights flashing continuously.
Ma Youcai’s face turned pale, his expression serious. He thought to himself, "What I feared most has happened. Yang Weige’s wife has still come."
Through yesterday’s conversation, he and Yi Zhongling had reached a consensus: to let the Yiyang Native Produce Company fade from public view. Therefore, he did not want Yang Weige’s wife to cause a scene. Their protest would once again make the Yiyang Native Produce Company the focus of public attention.
However, Zhu Yan was the overall person in charge of this inspection tour. A car-blocking incident causing Zhu Yan embarrassment and loss of face was a major matter.
At this moment, Ma Youcai was torn in his heart. He thought, "Judging from Zhou Changquan’s attitude, Zhu Yan is very likely to be promoted. If workers from bankrupt enterprises cause a major disturbance, it will definitely bring negative impacts to Zhu Yan. Let’s see Zhu Yan suffer, let him know the consequences."
Then he thought again, "If Zhu Yan is transferred away, Yiyang will lose one plague spirit. Perhaps then I could become the County Party Secretary." From this perspective, he did not want the laid-off workers to cause a scene.
In this state of conflicting emotions, Ma Youcai watched and waited.
Ji Haiyang was the on-site overall person in charge of this inspection. He reacted quickly, jumping out of the car with Hou Weidong on either side. Hou Weidong, being younger, moved faster. He quickly ran to the Iveco van following behind and said to the police inside, "Three people are blocking the road. Get them out of the way quickly. Do not allow a crowd to gather."
Several plainclothes police officers jumped out of the car swiftly. A tall police officer said, "Two people per target. Quickly pull them off the road. After the small cars pass, pull them onto the large vehicle."
The police officers were from the First and Second Sections, familiar with security work. Working in pairs, they quickly approached the three people. By this time, a crowd had already gathered on the roadside. Yiyang was an agricultural county with a slow pace of life, and there were always many idle people on the streets. Upon encountering such an incident, the idlers immediately surrounded the scene, with some even jeering from the sidelines.
The plainclothes police acted decisively. Ignoring the curses and struggles of the three people, they dragged them to the side of the road. The tall police officer made a gesture to the lead police car, which immediately shifted gears and started moving.
Zhu Yan’s face turned from white to red, then from red to green. Seeing that Zhou Changquan’s expression remained unchanged, he felt slightly relieved. He immediately offered self-criticism: "Secretary Zhou, let me report on this matter. These three people are related to the Yiyang Native Produce Company. Some time ago, the Procuratorate discovered that Yang Weige, the deputy factory director of the Native Produce Company, had embezzled and accepted bribes. During the investigation, Yang Weige suddenly died. It was hydrogen cyanide poisoning. This is a major criminal case. Deputy Captain Zhu of the Shazhou Public Security Bureau personally led the team to solve the case. The suspects have been identified but have not yet been apprehended. Yang Weige’s family is very dissatisfied with this matter and has petitioned the Provincial and Municipal Party Committees multiple times."
The car had started moving again. Zhou Changquan looked at the three people who had been controlled and said, "Director Gao of the People’s Congress mentioned this matter to me. I have two requirements: first, solve the case as soon as possible and bring the masterminds to justice; second, do not make things difficult for these few people."
Zhu Yan said firmly, "We will definitely follow Secretary Zhou’s instructions."
Zhou Changquan’s high spirits seemed to be interrupted by this unexpected incident. He silently looked at the scenery on both sides. As they approached the County Party Committee compound, he said to Zhu Yan, "The Chinese people’s consciousness of 'clear officials' has existed for over a thousand years. However, society is so complex today that relying on 'clear officials' cannot solve problems. We must rely on the law and resolve issues through normal procedures. From today’s situation, it is clear that governing the country according to law is still a quite long process."
Having resolved the petitioning issue of Yang Weige’s family, Hou Weidong’s back was completely soaked with sweat. He called Public Security Bureau Director Shang Guanghua: "Director Shang, Yang Weige’s family blocked the motorcade." Shang Guanghua had already received the report and said, "Section Chief Hou, what is Secretary Zhu’s attitude?"
Hou Weidong said calmly, "Secretary Zhu instructed that we should educate them well, persuade them seriously, and not make things difficult for them. The police handled the situation decisively and timely, preventing worse consequences. Please commend them, Director Shang."
If this had been a few months ago, when he was a deputy town mayor, speaking to the dignified Public Security Bureau Director would have required extreme humility and caution. Since following Zhu Yan, his circle of contacts had expanded significantly, and he often represented Zhu Yan in calling bureau leaders. Subtly, he had adopted this way of speaking, and both Shang Guanghua and Hou Weidong found it normal.
Zhou Changquan left Yiyang promptly at two o’clock in the afternoon. At Shawanzi, watching the two Audis disappear into the dust, Hou Weidong felt a sense of relief. He carried Zhu Yan’s briefcase and accompanied him into the car.
Zhu Yan’s face was calm, showing neither joy nor sorrow. Since he did not speak, Hou Weidong did not ask many questions.
The roads along the way were exceptionally clean, and the garbage in front of the farmhouses had all been cleared away. Mingle Town had put in meticulous effort for this inspection.
As the car was about to enter the city, Zhu Yan spoke: "I repeatedly emphasized secrecy regarding Secretary Changquan’s inspection, yet it still caused a stir throughout the city. Xiao Hou, I just listened to Standing Committee Member Ji’s report. He praised you for remaining calm in the face of danger and handling the situation decisively."
Hou Weidong said sincerely, "Although we prepared carefully, abnormal situations still occurred, indicating that there are loopholes in our work. In the future, we must learn from this lesson and do our work more meticulously and solidly."
Zhu Yan finally smiled and said, "We must learn from the lessons, but we must not erase the achievements. You were previously at the deputy town level in Qinglin Town. The Committee Office lacks a deputy director. I want you to take on this responsibility. Do you have the confidence?"
The deputy director of the Committee Office was at the same level as a deputy town mayor, but the含金量 (value/prestige) was vastly different. Old Liu, who was driving, heard this and thought to himself, "Hou Weidong, this young man has an unlimited future. I must be more polite to him in the future."