Chapter 275: Adapting (Middle)

April was the season when spring blossoms bloomed and the weather warmed. As the sun’s rays shifted closer to the Tropic of Cancer, the days grew hotter, though not yet stifling. In Lingxi City, many fashionable women had already revealed their shoulders and waists, their skin—hidden away during the long winter—becoming a scenic attraction that drew the gaze of countless men.

Viewing the traditional street scenes of Lingxi from inside a car offered a different flavor. Not far from the Party School, there was an intersection. Turning left led to Lingxi’s most bustling commercial street; turning right allowed one to drive straight onto the outer ring road.

Old Liu asked, “Director Hou, which way shall we go?”

Hou Weidong replied, “Let’s head back. There’s a pile of things waiting at home.”

At the fork in the road on the outskirts of Shazhou, another choice presented itself. Before Old Liu could ask, Hou Weidong said, “Let’s stop by the school for the deaf and mute first, then head into the city. We’ll go to the Shui Lu Kong Restaurant. The food there is quite good. Old Liu, don’t stand on ceremony with me. It’s fate that brought us together.”

Old Liu happily agreed, “If Director Hou is treating, I’m in.”

Upon arriving at the school for the deaf and mute, Hou Weidong asked for Old Liu’s opinion. “I’ve brought something for Zhu Mei. Would you like to wait here, or come up with me for a walk?”

Old Liu hadn’t slept well the previous night and had been driving for over an hour. Feeling somewhat exhausted, he said, “I’ll just rest here for a little while.”

Although the animations Zhu Mei created were simple, they had taken root in Hou Weidong’s heart like small grass, lingering persistently. In the afternoon, Hou Weidong took time to buy Zhu Mei a new mobile phone capable of sending text messages. He felt genuine joy in being able to do something within his power for this pure and intelligent girl.

The principal of the school for the deaf and mute was standing by the side of the playground, lost in thought. Seeing Hou Weidong walking toward the teachers’ dormitory, he didn’t immediately recognize him. Without greeting, he continued to stand with his hands behind his back, staring at the muddy ground of the playground, silently pondering his worries.

Hou Weidong also noticed the principal standing on the opposite side of the playground. He thought to himself, This principal looks troubled, likely worrying about funding. Next year, I’ll find some pretext to donate some money to them. It’s a small contribution, but it counts as giving back to society.

Arriving at Zhu Mei’s small room, Hou Weidong politely knocked on the door. After a moment, he remembered that Zhu Mei was deaf and mute, so he pushed the door open.

Zhu Mei was sitting intently in front of her computer. A few strands of hair fell across her cheeks; she looked delicate and quiet.

Not seeing her father, she showed a hint of disappointment, but quickly recovered her composure. With a slight blush, she made a few hand signs. Seeing Hou Weidong’s confused expression, she smiled silently and pointed to a stool. After pouring a glass of water for Hou Weidong, Zhu Mei stood somewhat awkwardly in the middle of the room, seeming unsure of what to do with her hands.

Hou Weidong had a clear purpose. He skipped the pleasantries—which were impossible anyway—and took out two mobile phones. He waved them in front of Zhu Mei, then sent a text message from his own phone to the new one, and handed it to her.

Zhu Mei took the phone with some confusion. She saw a line of text: “This phone can send text messages. This is your father’s email address.” She quickly understood the meaning. Her bright eyes looked at Hou Weidong, and she nodded vigorously.

Hou Weidong sent another message: “Your father gave you this phone. You can use it to send texts. Read the manual. Do you understand?”

Heaven is fair to people. Although Zhu Mei was deaf and mute, she was exceptionally intelligent. In the entire school for the deaf and mute, only a few children could read and write normally, and the learning process was extremely difficult, beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

Zhu Mei was the best learner among them.

After following Hou Weidong’s operations twice, she learned how to send text messages. When she saw the characters “Zhu Mei” appear on Hou Weidong’s phone, she smiled sweetly, like the little girl in the animation. Her smile was like dark clouds suddenly scattering, revealing brilliant sunshine in an instant.

Leaving the school for the deaf and mute, Hou Weidong sighed to Old Liu, “Zhu Mei is deaf and mute. I wonder how the teachers taught her to read? These teachers are truly remarkable.”

Old Liu viewed the matter from a different angle. “The Shazhou School for the Deaf and Mute is the best in the province. However, their salaries are poor. Several teachers have been poached by schools for the deaf and mute in the coastal regions.”

Hou Weidong continued to reflect, “Unable to hear or speak, Zhu Mei must have exerted perseverance far beyond that of ordinary people to learn to read. She must have endured pain that normal people cannot experience. It’s truly a miracle.”

As they spoke, Hou Weidong’s phone buzzed with another message. It was from Zhu Mei: “Uncle, thank you.” Hou Weidong read the message to Old Liu. Old Liu then said, “This child is truly lovable.”

On April 17, three days after Zhu Yan left, Yang Senlin arrived in Yiyang County.

The Yiyang County Party Committee now had three deputy secretaries: First was Ma Youcai, the county mayor and simultaneously a deputy party secretary, whose main work focused on the government side. Second was Ji Haiyang, the deputy secretary in charge of organization and political-legal affairs, holding significant and substantial power. Third was the newly arrived Yang Senlin, who presided over the daily work of the county party committee.

This arrangement made Ma, Ji, and Yang all feel uncomfortable. Ma Youcai, in particular, felt uneasy. He had just seen off Zhu Yan, and now Yang Senlin had been parachuted in. It was rumored that Yang Senlin was a formidable figure. When he was a deputy section chief, the section chief couldn’t control him; when he was a deputy division chief, the division chief couldn’t handle him. Who knew what kind of situation would arise now that he was a deputy party secretary?

On the morning of May 4, at 9:00 AM, the New Management Committee was holding activities in the courtyard to celebrate Youth Day. Ren Xiaowei called Hou Weidong’s mobile phone. She had once been Hou Weidong’s direct subordinate, and their relationship was quite good. Her voice on the phone still carried a sunny tone. “Director Hou, this is Xiaowei. Secretary Yang is coming to the New Management Committee this afternoon. He will inspect the site first, then return to the office to hear the report.”

Hou Weidong had a good impression of Ren Xiaowei. He asked, “Xiaowei, since Secretary Yang arrived in Yiyang, how many units has he inspected?”

Xiaowei understood the implication in Hou Weidong’s words. “The New Management Committee is the first stop for Secretary Yang’s inspection. He will go to the Development Zone in the afternoon. The County Party Committee Office is still preparing for a symposium on the construction system.”

Hearing Yang Senlin’s schedule, Hou Weidong had a clear idea of the situation.

Zhang Jin took the cigarette Hou Weidong tossed to him, held it to his nose, and sniffed appreciatively, as if thoroughly enjoying it. “It seems Secretary Yang holds the New Management Committee in high regard. However, apart from the demolished houses in a mess, there’s really nothing much to see here. Moreover, the Hongchuan planning is still being discussed with the design institute, so it’s hardly presentable.”

Hou Weidong felt a stroke of luck in his heart. More than ten days ago, he had planned to put up a large promotional poster at the entrance of the New Management Committee to showcase its grand blueprint to everyone. He had assigned this task to Yang Liu, and the draft had been reviewed last week.

Upon receiving the call, Yang Liu hurried toward Hou Weidong’s office on the far left. As the new director, she always worried about being looked down upon. She held her breath and worked hard, and the few things she had done recently had turned out quite well.

Hearing the task, Yang Liu looked somewhat troubled. “The original plan was to complete the poster the day after tomorrow. I don’t know how it’s progressing now. Even if the printing is done, installation is still an issue.”

The New Management Committee had been established for a short time and was still a true ugly duckling. If Zhu Yan, who knew the details, had come to inspect, Hou Weidong would not have hidden anything; he would have explained the difficulties thoroughly. However, letting Yang Senlin, who had just arrived in Yiyang, see a large expanse of bare land, it was hard to say how he would feel.

Hou Weidong made a decisive decision. “Yang Liu, go into the city immediately and check it yourself. If possible, the effect diagram must be set up before two o’clock. The cost can be increased appropriately. A heavy reward brings forth brave men.”

Yang Liu accepted the task and rushed downstairs like a gust of wind. She took Zhang Xiangyu’s car and headed toward the city.

Zhang Jin suggested, “Besides the effect diagram, there is a large-scale map, one to ten thousand, in the Infrastructure Section. It can be hung in the conference room to勉强 cover up the shortcomings. We also produced a brochure for attracting investment before; there might be some leftovers. We can bring them all out.”

Hou Weidong stood up. “Notify all administrative cadres to attend a meeting.”

Around ten o’clock, the administrative cadres arrived at the conference room in twos and threes, chatting and laughing. Seeing Hou Weidong and Zhang Jin sitting on the rostrum, they restrained their expressions and found seats.

At ten ten, people were still entering one by one. Hou Weidong was already displeased. By ten fifteen, there were still many empty seats in the conference room.

Hou Weidong looked around several times before speaking. “Comrades, today is May 4th, Youth Day. I didn’t want to criticize anyone. But look at your watches. The meeting was scheduled for ten o’clock sharp. It’s been fifteen minutes, and some people are still not here. Excluding the three who asked for leave, I estimate at least six or seven people are absent.”

He paused to catch his breath. “Let it go this time. The heads of the sections will educate those who are absent. If the same situation occurs next time, the section heads will come to my office to explain the reasons.”

Seeing that Hou Weidong was handling the matter with a light touch despite raising the issue seriously, Zhang Jin thought to himself, Hou Weidong is only twenty-seven or twenty-eight, yet his behavior is very experienced. At his age, I was still a film projectionist in the township. I really can’t compare.

After the meeting dispersed, Yi Zhongcheng had no intention of writing the report outline. He stood at the door. Seeing Hou Weidong walking over with a teacup, he said, “Director Hou, I have a severe headache. Can I take half a day off?”

Hou Weidong asked, “I saw you playing ring toss in the courtyard just now. How do you have a headache now?”

Yi Zhongcheng replied indifferently, “When a person gets sick, how can one explain it clearly?”

Zhang Jin walked behind Hou Weidong. Seeing Yi Zhongcheng challenging Hou Weidong, he thought, Yi Zhongcheng is too immature. Doing such a foolish thing. He kept giving Yi Zhongcheng meaningful glances, but Yi Zhongcheng ignored them.

Hou Weidong saw through it clearly. This was Yi Zhongcheng throwing down the gauntlet. He said coldly, “Go write a leave application.”