Chapter 142: The Curved Path to Town Establishment (Part 1)

Chapter 142: The Curved Path to Town Establishment (Part 1)

The next day, after drinking, Hou Weidong slept in comfortably. When he woke up, bright sunlight was already shining on the green trees outside the window. The leaves were lush and vibrant with life. He rested his hands behind his head, watching several small birds hopping among the branches. It was a comfortable, leisurely morning.

The phone in the Xinyue Building rang continuously, but no one answered. Hou Weidong dialed twice before switching to her mobile phone.

“I’m at the construction site. I was called out early this morning,” Xiaojia said, yawning into the receiver. Her voice sounded slightly hoarse. “You must come to Shazhou. Tonight, I’ll arrange a dinner with Minister Su from the Organization Department. I’ll explain your situation to him. If he intervenes personally, the effect will be entirely different.”

Deng Xiaoming from the Economic Development Zone had sounded promising that one time, but when Xiaojia went to see him again, he had been evasive, merely saying they had to wait for the right moment and playing the Tai Chi of bureaucracy.

Hou Weidong didn’t have any major tasks for the day, so he agreed, “Alright. I’ll call Wang Bing in a bit and have him pick me up.”

Xiaojia often heard Hou Weidong mention Wang Bing, so she laughed, “Wang Bing is a driving school instructor, but he’s practically become your exclusive driver now.”

“There are three reasons for that,” Hou Weidong explained. “First, the driving school is under the jurisdiction of the Transportation Bureau. Since the Bureau Chief specifically assigned the task, the school wouldn’t dare refuse. Second, I haven’t treated Wang Bing poorly. I pay him one hundred yuan a day, so he’s always ready to go at a moment’s notice. Third, we get along well. We spend two or three hours together in the car every day. If we didn’t get along, it would be quite uncomfortable.”

“Can you drive on the road by yourself now?”

“As long as Wang Bing is in the car, I dare to drive. I just haven’t flown solo yet.”

Xiaojia warned him, “Driving is dangerous. You must master the skills thoroughly before you’re allowed to drive a new car. Do you hear me?”

Hou Weidong dragged out his voice, “Yes, my dear wife, I heard you.”

“Alright, I won’t say more. Director Liu is calling me. Remember, you must come over tonight. I’ll go invite Deng Xiaoming in a bit. You need to remember to invite Su Mingjun.”

Although Xiaojia was far away at the construction site in Shazhou, through the telephone line, Hou Weidong could almost smell her familiar scent, see the faint dimples on her face, and imagine the little curls bouncing on her head.

Bang, bang.

A violent sound erupted from outside the door. Hou Weidong heard it clearly—someone was kicking the door. Instinctively, he flipped over in bed, his hand reaching for the knife on the pillow.

“Brother Frenzy, something big has happened. Come out quickly.”

It was Uncle Tian Dadao’s voice. Hou Weidong put down the knife, got out of bed, and ran to open the door without even putting on clothes. Uncle Tian Dadao looked like a stray dog that had lost its home. He grabbed Hou Weidong’s arm and said, “Township Leader Hou, it’s terrible. The quarry has collapsed.”

Thinking of the sheer, cliff-like walls of Tian Dadao’s quarry, Hou Weidong felt a sudden tightness in his heart. His arm hurt from Uncle Tian’s grip. Seeing the man’s expression and demeanor, Hou Weidong knew immediately that someone had died. A surge of anger rose within him. He violently shook off the hand and said, “You stupid pig. You can teach a pig, but you can’t teach a human.”

After cursing, Hou Weidong asked, “Were any people hurt?”

“One whole shift, ten people. Four were buried at the very bottom.”

Hou Weidong actually sucked in a breath of cold air this time. The mining face was over ten meters high. If they were buried under rocks, there was no chance of survival. The thought of four lives lost made his head ring with a loud boom.

Uncle Tian Dadao squatted on the ground, holding his head, completely at a loss.

Hou Weidong quickly steadied his nerves. He thought to himself, Debts have their owners. Tian Dadao is the main person responsible. Why should I panic?

“Where is Tian Dadao?”

“I don’t know. I called his house, but no one answered.”

Hou Weidong remembered that Tian Dadao had also bought a mobile phone. He went back into the room, took out his phone, and dialed Tian Dadao’s number. First call: no answer. Second call: no answer. Third call: still no answer. He cursed fiercely, “That damn Tian Dadao. I’m not dealing with his mess.”

Uncle Tian Dadao sat on the ground like a dead pig.

Hou Weidong asked again, “Besides the four buried, are there any others injured?”

Uncle Tian Dadao seemed to wake from a dream and said, “Two others were hit by rocks. They’ve already been sent to the health center.”

“How are their injuries?”

“One has a broken leg. The other has no visible wounds, but he’s vomiting blood.”

Seeing Uncle Tian Dadao’s panicked state, Hou Weidong knew he couldn’t rely on him. He made a decisive command, “The health center is useless for this. Send them to the county hospital immediately.”

At that moment, he saw Zeng Xianggang running over. Hou Weidong went back into the inner room to put on his jacket. By the time he walked out, Zeng Xianggang had already come up the stairs.

“I know what happened. You make the call,” Hou Weidong cut off Zeng Xianggang crisply and gave direct orders. “Call Deputy Township Mayor Tang Shugang. He is in charge of enterprises, so he must know. After you call him, call Zhao Yongsheng and Su Ming.”

Zeng Xianggang immediately took out his mobile phone and went to the side of the corridor to make the call. At that moment, Tang Guiyuan, the Party Secretary of Jianshan Village, also rushed over.

Once upstairs, Hou Weidong didn’t give him a chance to speak. “You organize people immediately to rescue those buried under the rocks.”

Tang Guiyuan’s face was dark. “Rescue? They’re definitely dead.”

“Even if they are dead, you dig them out,” Hou Weidong shouted at him. “Go quickly. Don’t let the villagers cause trouble.”

Tang Guiyuan walked over to Uncle Tian Dadao, grabbed his collar with both hands, and said, “Where is Tian Dadao? Let that damn guy come out.”

At this point, Township Mayor Gao was also alerted. He walked out and looked at the several people in the corridor. “What are you arguing about? Did something happen?” Hearing that four had died and two were injured, Mayor Gao was also stunned.

By now, Hou Weidong had slowly calmed down. He called the Party and Government Office to notify the county hospital. He then called He Hongfu, instructing him to stay at Goubewan, not leaving for a single step, strictly guarding his post and ensuring safety production. Subsequently, he called Yang Binggang from the Yinggang Quarry. Yang Binggang was a village cadre with decent ability, currently in a similar position to He Hongfu, helping Hou Weidong and Zeng Xianggang manage the Yinggang Quarry.

When Deputy Township Mayor Tang Shugang arrived at the township government courtyard in a jeep, the yard was already full of people. Originally, they were all surrounding Hou Weidong. When Tang Shugang got out of the car, the crowd parted as if cut by Sun Wukong’s Golden Cudgel, immediately forming a new circle around Tang Shugang.

Tang Shugang was surrounded like a swarm of dense bees. He had no chance to speak. He looked at Yang Fei, the newly appointed Director of the Enterprise Office. Yang Fei had been transferred from another township; this was his first time encountering such a situation. His head was spinning, and he ignored Tang Shugang’s subtle signals.

Tang Shugang thought to himself, If Li Guofu were here, it would be much better.

The former Director of the Township Enterprise Office was Li Guofu. He was very familiar with enterprise management and handled such crises with ease, earning the high regard of Qin Feiyue. A while ago, Li Guofu had been poached by Qin Feiyue to the Development Zone. Although Su Ming was reluctant, Qin Feiyue had used his connections. When the transfer order from the Personnel Bureau arrived, Su Ming had no choice but to let him go.

A level of government has many troublesome matters. Without a few capable people, being a leader is exhausting.

Now that Li Guofu was gone, Tang Shugang stepped forward and shouted loudly, “Everyone, stop making noise. A few representatives should come to the small meeting room.” Unfortunately, he didn’t have Li Guofu’s commanding voice and couldn’t hold the floor. No one listened to him.

Hou Weidong could have controlled the situation, but he held back. After all, in the township government’s division of labor, he was not in charge of enterprises. Moreover, essentially, he was the leader of the Crushed Stone Association and should not interfere too much in this matter. Therefore, he had been waiting for Tang Shugang.

Additionally, there was a hidden thought: Tian Dadao’s quarry had abundant resources and great potential. Letting Tian Dadao run this quarry was a waste. Perhaps this incident was a good opportunity.

Seeing that Tang Shugang could not control the scene, Hou Weidong brought out a chair, stood on it, and said, “Everyone, stop the noise. Listen to me. This is Deputy Township Mayor Tang, who is in charge of enterprises. He is here to resolve this matter. You should listen to his arrangements.”

Most of the men in the courtyard knew Hou Weidong. Hearing him speak, they each called their family members to calm down. After a while, the scene quieted.

Tang Shugang finally broke free from the包围 and walked over to Hou Weidong.

Four deaths constituted a major accident. Soon, Deputy County Mayor Chen from Yiyang County Government arrived at the mountain with his team. In the afternoon, Yin Xintang, Director of the Shazhou Work Safety Administration, also personally led a team up the mountain.

With Tang Shugang present, Hou Weidong naturally retreated to the background. However, since the matter concerned the Crushed Stone Association, he did not leave and closely monitored the development of the situation.

At 6:00 PM, Yin Xintang, Director of the Shazhou Work Safety Administration, gave three instructions to Deputy County Mayor Chen: First, the Shangqinlin Quarry must undergo comprehensive rectification and can only reopen after meeting safety standards; Second, the families of the deceased must be appeased to prevent large-scale group incidents; Third, Tian Dadao’s Quarry must be closed immediately. While civil compensation is being processed, the relevant personnel must be held legally accountable.

At 7:00 PM, the township government held an emergency meeting to discuss the aftermath of the accident.

With many mining enterprises, safety accidents were inevitable. Zhao Yongsheng had experienced many accidents over the years. He was very calm, holding his tea cup and sitting steadily in his usual seat.

Tang Shugang, looking exhausted, said, “County Mayor Chen instructed that we must implement the plan proposed by Director Yin according to the county’s guidelines. The key problem is that Tian Dadao is missing.”

Entering 1996, the standard for death compensation had increased accordingly. According to the relevant regulations of Shazhou City, death compensation had reached around 40,000 yuan. For four people, that was 120,000 yuan.

“Death compensation is a minor issue. There are two others admitted to the county hospital. I called to check their condition. One has a comminuted fracture and will likely be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. The other has not yet regained consciousness,” Tang Shugang said with a worried expression. “These two are the real trouble. I don’t know how much it will cost. The county hospital has already called the Party and Government Office, urging the township government to send money immediately, otherwise they will stop the medication.”

Su Ming glanced at Hou Weidong and slammed his hand heavily on the table. “The immediate priority is to find Tian Dadao and make him pay. Township Leader Hou, you are familiar with Tian Dadao. Have you been able to contact him?”

Hou Weidong said, “His mobile phone was reachable this morning, but now it’s turned off.”

Zhao Yongsheng said to Tang Shugang, “Contact Director Qin. Let him step in to find Tian Dadao. We must find him no matter what.”

At this moment, Yang Feng walked into the meeting room and said to Su Ming, “The office has brought Chi Ming over.”

“Let her in.”

Chi Ming looked quite haggard. Her skin was dull, as if she had aged ten years overnight. Upon entering the office, she lowered her head and wiped away tears.

Tang Shugang said, “Chi Ming, another accident has occurred at Tian Dadao’s quarry. Four people died, and two were injured. You must take out money immediately and send it to the county hospital.”

Chi Ming continued to wipe her tears.

Tang Shugang, growing anxious, raised his voice. “What’s the use of crying? How much money does the family have? Go get it quickly. This is a matter of life and death. We cannot delay.”

Chi Ming finally spoke. “Tian Dadao divorced me in March. His affairs have nothing to do with me. Here is the divorce certificate.”

It was a genuine divorce certificate. Everyone looked at each other in surprise. Su Ming asked, “Why did you divorce?”

Chi Ming said angrily, “Tian Dadao made some money and started gambling and chasing women day and night. He didn’t even come home for the Spring Festival. He didn’t bring any money home, spending it all on those rotten women. Is that even a man?”

“Where is Tian Dadao?”

“He said he went to Guangdong the day before yesterday.”

After Chi Ming left the meeting room, Tang Shugang already felt the problem was棘手 (thorny). He asked Zhao Yongsheng, “Secretary Zhao, what do you think we should do?”

Zhao Yongsheng slammed his cup on the table. “What can we do? We must find Tian Dadao to solve this. Tang Shugang, contact Director Qin immediately. Hou Weidong, organize a few people to keep a twenty-four-hour watch on Chi Ming.”

After discussing some details, everyone dispersed. Hou Weidong did not have housing in the mountains, and since Su Ming and Zhao Yongsheng lived in the town, he couldn’t get a ride. He sat in the office for a while, thinking of a strategy.

Su Ming walked into the office. Since no conclusion had been reached, his expression was not good. “Brother, you are most familiar with Shangqinlin. Tell me the truth, is there any other good method?”

Hou Weidong chuckled twice. “Ultimately, this is a money problem. I remembered something, though I don’t know if it will work.”

“Tell me.”

“After the Yi-Wu Road was completed, the Transportation Bureau still owed the various quarries their final payments. Since the volume of goods from each quarry varied, the amounts differed, but each was probably tens of thousands of yuan. If the township government sends an official letter to advance this payment, it could at least tide us over for a while. There were too many people in the meeting room just now, and with so many mouths, I didn’t mention it.”

Hearing that the Transportation Bureau still had tens of thousands of yuan, Su Ming breathed a sigh of relief. “Township Leader Hou, tomorrow you draft an official letter and make a trip to the Transportation Bureau.”

Hou Weidong smiled. “I don’t have housing in Qinglin Town, so I can only sleep in the office tonight. Rather than going tomorrow, why not send a car to take me tonight? I’ll return to Yiyang tonight and go directly to the Transportation Bureau tomorrow.”

“The car is no problem. I’ll call right away.” Su Ming added with some regret, “It’s my failure as an older brother that you still don’t have housing. However, the Shangqinlin Town really has no housing available.”

Speaking of housing, Su Ming remembered the matter of Jianxin Town. He said in a low voice, “Speaking of housing, I remembered the issue with Jianxin Town. Secretary Zhao is not very agreeable to this matter. Let’s find some time tomorrow to discuss it and see if there is any flexible solution.”