Chapter 221: A Tangled Mess (Part 2)

Ma Youcai carefully sorted through his assets. He had worked for over twenty years. During the first decade or so, his rank was low and his salary was meager, leaving his family with virtually no savings. It was only after the 1990s, when he rose to the positions of deputy county-level and then county-level leader, that his income gradually increased, allowing the family to finally accumulate some wealth.

He pulled a chest from under the bed and opened it, taking out four bankbooks. One was from Lingxi, two from Shazhou, and one from Yiyang. The Yiyang bankbook contained 110,000 yuan—this was the salary saved by him and his wife. After becoming the county magistrate, he had access to the "county magistrate fund," so he never spent a penny of his official salary, handing it all over to his wife to deposit.

The Lingxi bankbook held around 300,000 yuan, consisting of New Year bonuses distributed by various departments. The two Shazhou bankbooks contained nearly 700,000 yuan, which were red envelopes given by friends for birthdays and during illnesses.

While these bankbooks contained some gray income, they were not enough to land him in prison.

Besides the bankbooks, the chest also held two million yuan in cash. This money had been given to him in three installments by Yi Zhongling when Yi was the general manager of the Yiyang Local Products Company. Ma Youcai had never deposited this cash into the bank. It was precisely this two million yuan that made him feel as if he were sitting on pins and needles whenever he thought of it.

The two million yuan lay there, a sea of green notes, like a forest exhaling oxygen. Ma Youcai picked up a stack of bills and slapped them in his hand. The crisp, rustling sound of the currency was particularly clear and pleasing to the ear.

He had made up his mind to dispose of this two million yuan; otherwise, he would inevitably be dragged down by Yi Zhongling.

The year before last, when Zhu Yan investigated the Yiyang Local Products Company, Yi Zhongling, under intense pressure, had issued threats against him. Since that incident, Ma Youcai had harbored deep suspicions toward Yi Zhongling.

This time, Yi Zhongling had been extremely enthusiastic and proactive in helping him seize power. His intentions were obvious. Ma Youcai tossed the stack of money back into the chest and said, "You want to control me? It’s not that easy."

Ma Youcai’s wife walked in, carrying a teacup. "I don’t believe other county magistrates are so clean," she said. "How many times in your life will you earn two million yuan? Wait until you retire and see who will bother to pay attention to you."

"This money bites," Ma Youcai replied. "If we don’t find a way to handle it now, we might end up ruining ourselves in prison." He took out a piece of paper and said, "Tomorrow, you go to Shazhou and remit this money to Gansu, donating it to build Hope Primary Schools in impoverished areas. I have the address here. Remember to keep the remittance slip safe. This might be the slip that saves our lives."

Ma Youcai’s wife was extremely reluctant. "You are as timid as a mouse," she said. "I don’t believe Zhu Yan is so clean. He takes money and gets promoted at the same time."

Ma Youcai’s face darkened. "Stop nagging. Women have long hair but short sight. If you let these two million yuan send your husband to prison, you’ll become the family member of a convict. You won’t be able to hold your head high when you get out." Seeing tears welling up in his wife’s eyes, he softened his tone. "Don’t be greedy for this money. Even if I serve as a leader for another ten years, the New Year bonuses, salaries, and birthday gifts combined will amount to at least three million yuan. That is enough for our old age. Moreover, that money is earned with a clear conscience. We can sleep soundly at night, and the family will be safe."

Ma Youcai’s wife looked at the money in the chest. "I am just afraid of poverty," she said. "When we first got married, we shared a single broken quilt. We couldn’t even afford a double-door wardrobe." Both she and Ma Youcai had been educated youth sent to the countryside. After returning to the city, they both worked in county enterprises. She had worked in an enterprise until it went bankrupt, while Ma Youcai had risen from a general staff member in the Industry and Transportation Political Department to the position of county magistrate. Their family’s life had undergone earth-shaking changes along with Ma Youcai’s rise in rank.

Yi Zhongling, of course, had no idea of Ma Youcai’s true inner thoughts. That evening, he invited Yi Zhongcheng to his villa. The two brothers prepared several hot dishes and talked while drinking.

Yi Zhongling took a sip of wine and began to lead Yi Zhongcheng on. "What talent does Yang Liu have? She became the office director solely because of her looks. Hou Weidong moved you to the research office just to make room for Yang Liu. As long as Hou Weidong remains in the New Management Committee, you can only go downhill. You will absolutely have no chance to climb back up."

Yi Zhongcheng kept his head down and thought for a while. "Hou Weidong’s character isn’t great, but his work ability is decent. He is stronger than Yang Dajin and Zhang Jin. The development momentum of the New Management Committee is excellent, far exceeding my imagination."

Yi Zhongling said angrily, "You are truly full of scholarly idealism and a Bodhisattva’s heart. When Hou Weidong took you down, did he think of your benefits? You are the director of a research office with no real power. What’s the point of that?"

"But Hou Weidong doesn’t have any major problems."

"What do you mean no major problems? He has an affair with Yang Liu. This time, You Yong deafened a farmer’s ear. As the head of the New Management Committee, shouldn’t he bear leadership responsibility? Furthermore, the New Management Committee has sold so much land. I don’t believe his hands are clean."

Yi Zhongling continued, "The root of the You Yong assault incident lies with Yang Senlin. When he first arrived in Yiyang, he didn’t conduct any investigation or research. He acted like an imperial envoy, with a rough work style. He didn’t practice democratic centralism or go through collective discussion. He simply drove away four major tax-paying factories, leaving behind countless aftereffects. You are an intellectual and have worked in the county government. You should know better than me how to put drops in the eyes of Yang Senlin and Hou Weidong."

Yi Zhongling was employing a strategy to kill two birds with one stone: taking down Yang Senlin and, in the process, cutting down Hou Weidong.

Yi Zhongcheng was a teacher by training. Although he was now in officialdom, he had never done such things before. His conscience seemed to trouble him.

Seeing Yi Zhongcheng’s hesitation, Yi Zhongling said with disdain, "No wonder Chairman Mao said that scholars take three years to rebel and still fail. The officialdom and the business world are like battlefields. A man with a small heart is not a gentleman; a man without ruthlessness is not a hero."

Provoked several times by Yi Zhongling, Yi Zhongcheng finally accepted his cousin’s viewpoint. He said, "Although I have left the office, I am still very clear about what Hou Weidong has done. Writing a letter of accusation is easy. Such a letter should contain seven parts truth and three parts falsehood. These three parts of falsehood are the most lethal. For example, regarding Yang Liu, I can say that I saw the two of them staying in a room with the door closed for over an hour. If this gets out, Hou Weidong will be unable to clear his name, no matter how hard he tries. The more he washes, the blacker he becomes."

"The Banyun Pharmaceutical Factory was brought in by Hou Weidong’s friend, Jiang Dali. I can say that he took a bribe in the middle, selling out the interests of the New Management Committee."

"Also, I heard that Hou Weidong has a gravel quarry on Qinglin Mountain and that he sells private cars, including a good one. I can say that these are proceeds from gambling."

Yi Zhongling was very pleased. "Zhongcheng, you really are educated. Your mind is flexible. A while ago, I sent people to keep a close watch on Yang Senlin. We found that Yang Senlin also has a private car, which he often drives to Shazhou. This car should also be proceeds from gambling. Seven parts truth, three parts falsehood. Ha, he will find it hard to defend himself."

Yi Zhongcheng said he would do it immediately. That night, he wrote two letters. One accused Hou Weidong, listing six charges. The other accused Yang Senlin, listing four charges. He wrote in Song typeface using his left hand, employing the method of the Red Crag hero Chen Ran. This way, others would not be able to identify his handwriting.

After a hard night’s work, he produced the two letters. The next day, he took a bus to Shazhou. In Shazhou, he made dozens of copies and sent the letters to important departments at the provincial, municipal, and county levels. After returning from Shazhou to Yiyang, he got off the highway and immediately saw more than ten high-rise buildings standing tall. Six belonged to Bugao Company, and seven to Jinggong Group. Besides the high-rises, there were wide streets. Trucks came and went, presenting a scene of prosperity and development.

Seeing all this, he slapped himself in the face and said, "Yi Zhongcheng, you are truly despicable."

"Nobility is the epitaph of the noble; baseness is the passport of the base." Two lines from Bei Dao’s poem suddenly surged into his mind. Years ago, that poem, "I Don’t Believe," had excited Yi Zhongcheng greatly. Now, after more than ten years, he had become a "base" person, someone he himself looked down upon.

When he returned to the New Management Committee, he saw Hou Weidong, Zhang Jin, and others accompanying Huang Yishu, the deputy general manager of Qingda Group, coming down from upstairs. Hou Weidong was wearing a casual jacket and was talking to Huang Yishu.

Yi Zhongcheng stood at the door and subconsciously stopped. He waited until Hou Weidong and Huang Yishu had gotten into their car before he walked into his own office.

When Hou Weidong drove out of the New Management Committee gate, he also saw Yi Zhongcheng standing at the door. He smiled at him from inside the car, as a greeting.

At the amino acid factory, the farmers who had occupied the factory had all moved out. All the factory buildings had been cleaned thoroughly. With the green leaves of the trees just beginning to sprout, the place looked full of vitality. Compared to the mess and decay of the courtyard in the previous days, it was like heaven and earth.

Huang Yishu had visited all four factories. He was very satisfied with the condition of the factories. "A few days ago, I heard from Old Chen that the factory was occupied by farmers, and I was a bit worried. Director Hou is truly trustworthy. Nowadays in Lingxi Province, officials are not very trustworthy. Even if they sign a contract, they can change their minds at any moment. This is unimaginable in the United States. I feel most at ease cooperating with Director Hou."

Hearing Huang Yishu’s praise, Hou Weidong said, "Clearing the site is itself the responsibility of the New Management Committee. It is what we should do, and it is not worth mentioning."

He added, "If you really think the New Management Committee is good, I hope you will take on more factories from Qingda Group. President Huang has many friends in the business community. You can introduce some friends here. Although the New Management Committee is a county-level development zone, in terms of water, electricity, gas, transportation, and policy services, it is no worse than prefecture-level development zones."

Huang Yishu said, "In the previous stage, Qingda Group expanded rapidly, acquiring nine industrial enterprises that were insolvent. These enterprises were all of a scale of about a thousand people. Their products and technologies were basically homogeneous, and there were many problems. The group plans to restructure these enterprises, forming a Machinery General Company to expand the scale and form core competitiveness. Only in this way can we stand firm in the market. The headquarters will be set up in the New Management Committee."

This was actually also the intention of Zhang Mushi. Most of the enterprises he had acquired were county-owned or prefecture-owned enterprises, all located in the city center. Vacating these factories, the original land could be used for real estate development. This would be the largest profit growth point for Qingda Group in the future.

Qingda Group setting up the Machinery General Company in the New Management Committee was a great thing for the New Management Committee. Hou Weidong immediately welcomed it warmly. "President Huang, rest assured. On behalf of the New Management Committee, I welcome the Machinery General Company to settle here. The preferential conditions are the same as before. More importantly, the New Management Committee has a team with a good reputation and a strong work style. This is our greatest advantage compared to other development zones."

He said confidently, "The United States once had an Open Door Policy. Here, I will implement the most preferential policy. There are sixteen development zones in the province. Whatever preferential policies they have, our New Management Committee also has."

Seeing Huang Yishu’s satisfied smile, Hou Weidong thought to himself, "Fortunately, I resolved the issue at Sujialin. Otherwise, I would have missed a great opportunity."