Chapter 187: The Solution (Part 2)

Fu Heyong lacked the free-spirited nature of his sister-in-law, Hou Xiaoying. Although he had entered the study class with a heavier heart than she did, after some time passed, thoughts of the troubles waiting for him outside began to weigh on him. He started to look worried and dejected. When he saw Hou Xiaoying appear as if out of nowhere, he felt a mix of joy and frustration.

Even though he was facing his sister and brother-in-law, Hou Weidong kept a part of himself guarded. He offered only gentle words of comfort, carefully concealing his true capabilities. When Heyong heard that the bail was only three hundred thousand yuan, he could only shake his head in helplessness. Seeing his brother-in-law’s face twisted like a bitter gourd, Hou Weidong’s heart softened for a moment, but then he hardened his resolve again. He thought to himself, “Everyone must bear the consequences of their actions. Suffering a bit and tempering one’s mind might actually be a good thing for my brother-in-law in the long run.”

Hou Xiaoying and Heyong sat in the reception room, whispering closely to discuss business matters. After an hour, Heyong’s younger sister, He Can, entered the room.

“Sister-in-law, why are you out?” He Can had attended the same middle school as Hou Weidong, though she was a year below him. She was known as a fiery little pepper.

This sister-in-law was a major headache in Hou Xiaoying’s husband’s family. In the early days of her marriage, Hou Xiaoying had lived with her in-laws and engaged in four years of open and covert conflict with this younger sister-in-law, exhausting her patience. Hou Weidong knew this history. Seeing He Can enter with a scowl, he wisely remained silent.

Hou Xiaoying, having just left the study class, was in a good mood. She explained to He Can, “Xiao San borrowed three hundred thousand, paid part of the amount, and signed a repayment agreement. That’s why he was released.”

He Can said displeased, “My brother is a stranger in Linjiang County. It’s inconvenient for Mom and Dad to visit, and the loan amount in Linjiang is much smaller than Wu Hai’s. Brother should have been released first.”

Hou Xiaoying let out a cold laugh.

He Can continued, “My brother is the one handling the factory’s business. If he stays in the study class, what will happen to the factory?”

Heyong, knowing his sister’s fiery temper and seeing his wife’s expression darken, hurriedly said, “Your sister-in-law is also a salesperson. She understands everything. Besides, the old factory director is overseeing production, so there are no problems.”

He Can added, “Mom has heart disease. She hasn’t slept well for days. If something happens, you’ll be fully responsible.” Heyong was of a stout build, while He Can was very thin. Though thin, her temper was fierce, and she had a combative spirit.

Hou Xiaoying was already angry. She didn’t bother to argue with He Can and said to Heyong, “I’ll go pay the living expenses.” Although the study class was mandatory, the government had no budget for it, so everyone had to bear their own living costs.

After Hou Xiaoying left, He Can and her brother Heyong whispered closely again. Hou Weidong remembered there was a pack of Jiaozi cigarettes in his car. This was a new, high-quality cigarette from Chengdu, showing signs of replacing Hongtashan as the preferred cigarette for officials. He said, “Brother-in-law, I have a pack of Jiaozi cigarettes in my car. I’ll bring it over. Do you need anything else?”

Heyong adjusted his thick glasses and said, “It’s very boring here. Get me some books.”

Only then did He Can look up and greet Hou Weidong. “Hou Weidong, I heard you became a township cadre. Not bad.” She covered her mouth and laughed, “The class beauty, Yang, from our school is still unmarried. Do you need me to play matchmaker?”

This was an embarrassing incident from Hou Weidong’s high school days. Back then, he and four other handsome boys in his class made a bet: each would pursue a class beauty from a lower grade. There were five classes in the lower grades, so they each wrote a love letter. Two of the boys received responses, but Hou Weidong’s letter was intercepted by Yang’s close friend, He Can. At that time, Hou Xiaoying was passionately dating Heyong, and she ended up with the love letter.

In the end, the entire family read Hou Weidong’s love letter, and Liu Guangfen even corrected two typos.

Now that He Can brought up this old embarrassment, Hou Weidong could only awkwardly stroke his chin and force a bitter smile before quickly walking out.

After Hou Weidong left, He Can’s expression changed again. With a look of disdain, she said, “The Hou family is selfish. No matter what, they should have gotten my brother out first.”

Heyong said in a low voice, “Hou Weidong provided the money. It’s only right that your sister-in-law was released first. Don’t throw a childish tantrum.”

He Can was still unconvinced. “Even though Hou Weidong found the money, my brother has to repay it. Why couldn’t you have been released first?”

Hou Weidong drove to the Xinhua Bookstore and bought a set of The Deer and the Cauldron. Thinking his brother-in-law read quickly, he also bought a set of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. He tied them together with a rope, resembling the cured meat rural families carried when visiting relatives. After parking, he took a pack of Jiaozi cigarettes from the trunk and returned to the reception room.

Hou Xiaoying had already returned to the reception room. She and He Can sat on either side of Heyong, and the three were chatting and laughing.

When they returned to Wu Hai County, it was already late. Hou Weidong hadn’t expected to be delayed for so long. The streetlights were shining brightly in sequence, and the closing music of Focus Interview was playing.

He called his home at Xinyue Building, but no one answered. He tried his mobile phone, and after it connected, the sound of mahjong tiles clacking came through. “Husband, I’ve been waiting for you for so long. Why haven’t you come over yet? I’m playing mahjong at Sister Zhao’s. When are you coming?”

Hou Weidong calculated that the road from Wu Hai County to Shazhou hadn’t been upgraded yet. Even if he rushed, he wouldn’t arrive in Shazhou until around ten-thirty. He would have to head back early the next morning. It was too tiring.

“I accompanied Second Sister and her sister-in-law to Linjiang County to see Heyong today. I just got back to Wu Hai, so I won’t come over. I don’t want to break up your game.”

Xiaojia said, “Wait a moment. I’ll come out and tell you something.”

“I’m on the balcony. I just talked to Brother Su about your situation. He told me that the Municipal Party Committee is preparing to transfer a batch of cadres from various counties to strengthen the municipal organs. The committee offices need new people. This is a great opportunity. Brother Su’s idea is to transfer you to the Organization Department of the Yiyang County Party Committee first, as a stepping stone. After working there for half a year, you can be transferred to the city.”

Hou Weidong knew the importance of being transferred to a key department in the Municipal Party Committee. After a brief thought, he said, “I agree to the transfer to the municipal organs. However, Minister Liu of the Yiyang County Party Committee’s Organization Department is Liu Li’s father-in-law. Their family doesn’t have a good impression of me.”

Xiaojia turned her head and said to the room, “Sister Zhao, wait a moment. I have two more things to say.” She turned back and added, “Brother Su said he would handle the transfer to the Yiyang County Party Committee’s Organization Department. Just wait for the transfer order.”

—

After hanging up the phone, learning that leaving the small town was a done deal, Hou Weidong suddenly felt a sense of emptiness. An indescribable emotion churned within him. He had worked in Qinglin Town for over three years. The time wasn’t long, nor was it short. In this remote town, he had experienced the lives of the most底层 villagers. After passing through a brief period of confusion, life had also given him rich rewards.

Early on Friday morning, when he returned to Qinglin Town, Hou Weidong led his team to Shangqinglin to collect debts in the morning, but they came up empty-handed.

The only result was that the debt collection team collected five thousand yuan in burial fees from Wangri Village.

After collecting the money, Su Yajun, the director of the Social Affairs Office, was in a good mood. After the hard and fruitful work in May, the cremation work in Qinglin Town had fully gotten on track. They not only completed the cremation tasks on schedule but also collected substantial land occupation fees. The Social Affairs Office had transformed into a wealthy department. Eating out, reimbursing expenses, and renting cars were no longer problems.

Su Yajun smiled and suggested, “Director Hou, there’s no rush in collecting debts. Today, He Hequan put in a lot of effort to collect this payment. Why don’t we invite him out for a meal at noon?”

The lineup of the Shangqinglin debt collection team was quite luxurious. The Social Affairs Office had a Changan car, and Hou Weidong drove a pickup truck. They picked up He Hequan in Wangri Village and went to Laochang Town together. As the two cars passed, they kicked up clouds of dust on the road, resembling US military jeeps roaming through the desert.

At 2:30 PM, Hou Weidong rushed back to the township government for a meeting.

Many township cadres used the excuse of going to villages to cool off in various corners. Only a few departments, such as the Party and Government Office and the Agricultural Office, still had their doors open in the township government courtyard.

In the small conference room, the primary leadership team of the township government gathered again. Zhao Yongsheng held a notebook and said, “The progress of debt collection this week is very unsatisfactory. Deputy Mayor Tang, tell us about the debt collection situation in Xiaqinglin.” Tang Shugang looked worried and said, “This week, my team collected three payments, totaling over three thousand yuan.” Hou Weidong saw Zhao Yongsheng’s gaze and said, “My team collected seven thousand yuan, with four payments.”

“Our Qinglin Town has a total of 1.7 million yuan in arrears. With two teams and about ten people, we only collected over ten thousand yuan in a week. Who knows when we’ll be able to collect the loans we’ve issued?” Zhao Yongsheng looked directly at Tang Shugang and Hou Weidong and said, “You must always keep the masses who lent the money in mind. Their money was painstakingly gathered, bit by bit. If you can’t collect the debts, it’s a huge loss for them. With this understanding, your enthusiasm for collecting debts will be much higher.”

Tang Shugang was criticized by Zhao Yongsheng. Although he didn’t refute, there was still a hint of dissatisfaction in his expression.

Hou Weidong, knowing he was leaving, had an outsider’s mindset. His body sat in the chair, but his soul seemed to fly to the ceiling, looking down at the party and government leaders in the meeting. Because of this, when Zhao Yongsheng criticized him, he felt it was like a spider’s web—insignificant.

After Zhao Yongsheng finished speaking, Su Ming smiled and said, “On one hand, we need to solve the problem ideologically. On the other hand, the town has formulated an economic policy. In the future, 10% of the recovered loans will be used as working expenses for each team. Meal expenses can be covered from this, and the remaining money can be distributed as bonuses.”

Finally, Zhao Yongsheng assigned the next task. “The county’s study class has achieved very good results. In just a few days, over four million yuan in cash was collected. Secretary Zhu said during the meeting that each town can also organize its own study class. Based on the debt collection performance of the two teams, Deputy Mayor Su and I have discussed that we should organize a study class in the town.”

As he said this, he scanned the leadership team with his eyes and said, “Deputy Mayor Zhong will be responsible for organizing the study class, with Comrade Chao Jie assisting.”

Hou Weidong muttered to himself, “Fortunately, I wasn’t asked to organize the study class.”

Zhao Yongsheng added, “The task of sending people will be assigned to Deputy Mayor Tang and Deputy Mayor Hou. The rooms are ready. Depart promptly at four o’clock. Here is the list of people who need to be sent in. Deputy Mayor Tang and Deputy Mayor Hou, study it carefully before departing.”

(The End of Chapter 187)

Days in Qinglin