Chapter 215: As Wished (Part 6)

Chapter 215: As Wished (6)

Two girls stood at the courtyard gate, tall and graceful, their radiant presence lighting up the small house surrounded by green trees the moment they stepped inside.

Hou Weidong had drunk quite a bit. Seeing who had entered, he rubbed his eyes and looked again. One of the girls was indeed Tie Ruqing, the daughter of Tie Bingsheng. As the saying goes, a girl changes eighteen times as she grows up. It had been two or three years since he last saw her, and Tie Ruqing had transformed from a shy schoolgirl into a beautiful young woman.

Aunt Zhang, hearing her granddaughter’s call, walked in with a beaming smile, her hands still stained with blood from preparing the meal. Tie Ruqing was busy greeting the elder and hadn’t noticed Hou Weidong sitting in the living room. Only after paying her respects to Aunt Zhang did she turn to the other guests. Seeing Hou Weidong, she paused in surprise, then said excitedly, “Teacher Hou, what are you doing here?”

Zhou Jing was Tie Ruqing’s college classmate, roommate, and best friend. The two had spent countless nights whispering secrets under their blankets, often talking until the early hours of the morning. Zhou Jing had heard many stories about Hou Weidong in Shangqinglin. Seeing Tie Ruqing’s excited expression and hearing her call him “Teacher Hou,” she immediately guessed who he was. She scrutinized Hou Weidong with a critical eye, thinking to herself, How did he end up at my grandfather’s house?

Aunt Zhang liked Tie Ruqing’s politeness. Hearing her address Hou Weidong as “Teacher,” she asked curiously, “Xiao Hou isn’t that much older than you. How is he your teacher?”

Hou Weidong spoke respectfully to Aunt Zhang. “After I graduated from Shazhou College, I was assigned to Qinglin Town. At that time, Tie Ruqing was still in high school. I used to tutor her in spoken English.”

Tie Ruqing said sincerely, “My mother’s recovery is entirely thanks to Teacher Hou.”

Hou Weidong waved his hand. “There’s no need to mention such small matters.” He then asked, “How is your mother’s recovery going?”

“According to the attending physician, the surgery was very successful. The air in Shangqinglin is good, and she exercises on the primary school playground every day. Her recovery is going well. Now that the town has bus service, she doesn’t have to walk to get supplies. Her shop is still open, and business is decent. She is focused on saving money.”

Although Hou Weidong had never pressed for repayment, the debt weighed on everyone in the Tie family. Tie Ruqing’s words hinted that the whole family was working hard to earn money.

Hou Weidong understood the subtext. He thought, It’s true that children of poor families grow up fast. He said aloud, “Tell your parents that health is the capital of revolution. Focus on treatment and recuperation; there’s no need to worry about other things.”

Over the past three years, the reputation of Shangqinglin’s crushed stone had spread throughout Shazhou. All four counties in Shazhou were heavily repairing roads, and larger projects were using Shangqinglin stone for its moderate price and excellent quality. The crushed stone association was doing incredibly well. To collect taxes, Qinglin Town had set up a checkpoint at the entrance of the Shangqinglin road. Every truck leaving had to register its license plate and submit a dispatch note from the quarry. This actually made it easier for Hou Weidong to manage. By looking at the town’s tax records, he could estimate the quarry’s output. During the time Hou Weidong had been away from Shangqinglin, the profits from just a few quarries had made him quite wealthy. He hadn’t given much thought to the money borrowed by Tie Bingsheng.

Tie Ruqing also understood Hou Weidong’s implication. She nodded firmly. “I understand. As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood. Once I start working, our family’s conditions will improve.”

Zhou Jing had heard the name “Hou Weidong” many times before. Based on her previous imagination, a quarry boss in a remote mountain area would likely be a rough, brutish local. But seeing Hou Weidong today, although his skin was somewhat tanned, it had a handsome, heroic quality. She thought, Hou Weidong looks and carries himself well. Since he can serve as a secretary to the County Party Secretary, his abilities must be good too. Tie Ruqing probably has a crush on him, though this little girl hasn’t realized it herself.

Aunt Zhang sighed nearby, “The world is big, yet small. I didn’t expect Ruqing and Xiao Hou to be so familiar.”

Hou Weidong explained to Aunt Zhang, “I used to work in Shangqinglin. It’s only as big as a washbasin, so everyone knows each other.”

Hearing Hou Weidong’s humor, everyone laughed.

Hou Weidong added, “Tie Ruqing’s father is Tie Bingsheng, the principal of Shangqinglin Primary School. For many years, he has persisted in running a school in the most difficult conditions, turning Shangqinglin Primary School into the best township school in Qinglin Town, and even in Yiyang. He has educated many children from Shangqinglin.”

Hearing her father receive such high praise from Hou Weidong, Tie Ruqing’s eyes sparkled.

Tie Ruqing had been well-raised since childhood and was very polite in her interactions. Aunt Zhang liked her very much, but she didn’t know that Tie Ruqing’s father was the school principal. She said, “So your father is the principal of Shangqinglin Primary School. No wonder you are so sensible. You should help Zhou Jing more in the future. She has been spoiled since she was young and has never suffered hardship.”

Zhou Jing asked curiously, “How did Hou Weidong end up at my grandfather’s house?”

Hou Weidong replied steadily, “I am currently Secretary Zhu’s secretary.”

At this moment, the old man came out. He said to Zhou Jing, “Girl, go call your eldest uncle.” Zhou Jing coquettishly said, “Grandpa, every time I come back, you make me eat fish. Next time, let’s change it up.” The old man glared, pretending to be angry, “My fish are wild crucian carp from the river streams. Not just anyone can eat them. Is your grandfather’s cooking not good?” Zhou Jing stuck out her tongue and said as she walked upstairs, “Grandpa’s cooking is good, but soon I’ll turn into a fish myself.”

The old man truly doted on his intelligent granddaughter. He laughed, “Next time you come home, call earlier. I’ll make you sour radish and old duck soup.” Zhou Jing turned back and said, “I want to eat white crane soup.”

In recent years, farmers in Lingxi rural areas had started growing “lazy crops.” They didn’t plow the fields in winter, leaving the rice stubble to rot and serve as fertilizer. With less human activity, white cranes had gradually returned. However, since the area was near the suburbs of Lingxi City and people were relatively wealthy, no one actually hunted white cranes for food. Zhou Jing was an environmentalist; mentioning eating white cranes was purely a joke with her grandfather.

After Zhou Jing went upstairs for a while, she dragged her eldest uncle down.

Zhu Yan’s eyes were still red, and his hair was messy. He looked like a casual uncle at home, lacking any of the威严 (majesty) of a County Party Secretary. Aunt Zhang ladled him a bowl of sour fish soup and said, “You’re not a kid anymore, and you’re a County Party Secretary. Why drink so much alcohol for no reason? It’s bad for your health and damages your memory.”

Zhu Yan didn’t explain. He slowly savored the sour radish and crucian carp soup. This was a family staple, delicious and lingering in the aftertaste. The key wasn’t the fish, but the side dish of sour radish. The old man had once been the Director of the Provincial Planning Commission. During the Cultural Revolution, he had been labeled a “Rightist” and learned the secret of making pickles in the countryside of Zhenzhou. After the Cultural Revolution ended, dishes like sour radish stewed with duck, crucian carp, or pork ribs appeared regularly on the family table.

This taste of home left a deep impression on Zhu Yan. Every time he drank, he craved this tooth-aching sour soup.

After drinking a large bowl of sour soup, Zhu Yan broke into a hot sweat. His stomach felt clear, and his body felt comfortable. He asked, “Jingjing, Ruqing, what have you learned from working in the provincial capital?”

Tie Ruqing was Zhou Jing’s good friend. When Zhou Jing visited her eldest uncle’s house in Yiyang, she often brought Tie Ruqing along. Zhu Yan had a good impression of this girl from the mountains and often chatted with them. The most authentic information about the road construction in Shangqinglin came from Tie Ruqing. Therefore, when Zhang Mushan mentioned Hou Weidong at the first entrepreneur symposium, Zhu Yan immediately agreed to let Hou Weidong attend.

Zhou Jing said, “It’s exhausting. Working for foreign capitalists is no fun. Their requirements are too strict, and they try every trick to squeeze out our surplus labor.”

The old man snorted, “Most people wouldn’t have the chance to be exploited if they wanted to. Ruqing, give us your thoughts.”

Tie Ruqing was more steady than Zhou Jing. She said, “In terms of management, foreign enterprises do have unique strengths. It’s hard for me to summarize them all, but what I feel most deeply is the strict delegation and centralization of power. Managers are divided into several levels, and the rights and obligations of each level are clearly stated in the handbook.”

The old man said, “Zhou Jing, you should learn from Tie Ruqing. She sees problems with more depth than you.”

Zhou Jing rolled her eyes at the old man and said, “Ruqing’s spoken English is excellent. She works at headquarters. I was assigned to the logistics department, so naturally, my exposure isn’t as broad as hers.”

After these years of township work, Hou Weidong had forgotten most of his English. The only thing he remembered well was “I love you,” used for phone calls. He had forgotten most other words and sentences. Hearing Zhou Jing’s conversation, he thought, Tie Ruqing has a talent for languages. I was her first discoverer.

Mentioning foreign enterprises, the old man said to Zhu Yan, “A few days ago, I went to the Lingxi Library to check old newspapers. I noticed a trend. The Economic Daily, Guangming Daily, and Workers’ Daily are all criticizing foreign investment. Their basic argument is that opening up to the outside world is not without principles and limits. This point has some merit, but I feel there is an intention to restrict foreign investment behind this trend.”

“Currently, Lingxi is severely lacking in funds, and our management capabilities are lagging. If the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government are influenced by these reports and slow down their efforts to attract investment, our province will suffer greatly. Lingxi has lessons to learn in this regard.”

The old man had once been a leader in the Lingxi Provincial Planning Commission. He had worked in economics for many years and had gone through the Cultural Revolution, making him very sensitive to economic issues.

Zhu Yan said, “As the saying goes, no industry means no wealth, and no agriculture means no stability. This is the best summary of county-level economics. For Yiyang’s economy to develop, we must implement industrial projects. I am just a county-level official. I don’t care about theoretical debates. I only remember that development is the absolute truth.”

“From your position, this way of thinking is correct. What I fear most is that people from the Provincial Party Committee or the Prefecture will stare at the weather vane and stop moving forward.”

After graduating from university, Hou Weidong had always worked at the grassroots level, dealing with concrete tasks and rarely involving himself in theoretical issues. Listening to the Zhu father and son discuss economic theory, he felt his horizons broaden. He thought, The old man has served as a provincial department leader. His vision is indeed broad, and his mind is different. Listening to him is like reading ten years of books. It seems serving as Zhu Yan’s secretary was the right choice.