Chapter 295: Eating Crabs (Part 1)

July. The scorching sun beat down like fire, leaving the mid-level cadres of Yiyang County restless and irritable in the heat.

Yang Senlin had arrived in Yiyang in the capacity of Deputy Secretary of the County Party Committee to preside over daily operations. Upon his initial arrival, he had paid a special visit to Zhu Yan at the Provincial Party School. At that time, Zhu Yan had made his position clear: "The provincial documents are explicit. I am on leave for study. Matters in Yiyang are handed over to you, my younger brother. I will fully support your work."

Yang Senlin had spent over ten years working at the Shazhou Municipal Government. He was not naive enough to take such polished words at face value. However, after officially taking up his post in Yiyang, Zhu Yan did keep his word, largely refraining from interfering in Yiyang’s affairs.

When he first arrived, Yang Senlin’s mind was clear and sharp. But as he became surrounded by a large group of subordinates who obeyed his every word and flattered him constantly, he gradually began to harbor the illusion that he was the true County Party Secretary.

Previously, when Yang Senlin served as a Deputy Division Chief at the Shazhou Municipal Government, his rank was the same as it was now, but his daily work primarily involved serving his superiors. He had never experienced the feeling of being surrounded by followers or commanding a hundred responses with a single call. Now, presiding over the work of the Yiyang County Party Committee, he finally felt what it truly meant to hold power.

"No wonder people say, 'Better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix.'" This was Yang Senlin’s greatest sigh of realization since coming to Yiyang.

However, just as he prepared to make personnel adjustments to several key positions in the county, he found himself trapped in a spider’s web. Countless threads bound his hands and feet. After several rounds of struggle, he ultimately compromised.

The three key positions were: Hou Weidong appointed as Director of the New District Management Committee, which now encompassed both the original New Management Committee and the Development Zone; Qin Feiyue appointed as Party Secretary of Chengguan Town; and Xiao Bing, Deputy Head of the Organization Department, appointed as Director of the Land and Housing Bureau.

There were also adjustments to several deputy positions and the heads of various township governments.

None of these three key appointments aligned with Yang Senlin’s original intentions. Through this incident, he realized with clarity and sorrow: "The power of the County Party Committee is best reflected in personnel authority. Without a say in personnel matters, one is merely a puppet. In Yiyang, major personnel issues are still decided by Zhu Yan with a single hammer blow."

Yang Senlin was proud and ambitious; he was unwilling to wear the hat of a puppet under any circumstances.

Yet in Yiyang, Deputy Secretary Ji Haiyang, Organization Minister Old Liu, and other members of the Standing Committee did not belong to Yang’s faction, nor to Ma’s faction. They belonged to Zhu’s faction. Ji Haiyang, in particular, kept a low profile in daily affairs, but he was resolute regarding the candidates for the New Management Committee, Chengguan Town, and the Land and Housing Bureau. He engaged in fierce disputes with Yang Senlin, while County Mayor Ma Youcai and Organization Minister Old Liu stood on Ji Haiyang’s side.

This first clash left Yang Senlin deeply displeased. He was unwilling to admit defeat easily, yet he understood the root of the matter. He decided to go first to the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee, and then to the Lingxi Provincial Party Committee, to strive for promotion to the true County Party Secretary as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Hou Weidong’s days were not easy. The Thai baht in Southeast Asia had plummeted, causing countless banks to collapse. This dragged down the entire Southeast Asian economy, affecting neighboring countries as well as Japan and South Korea. The investment promotion activities of the New Management Committee were similarly impacted. Aside from the Lingxi Bearing Factory and Xiuyun Pharmaceutical Factory, which had been agreed upon in earlier stages, several other projects with signed letters of intent fell through one by one.

The butterfly effect in Southeast Asia placed a burden on Hou Weidong’s shoulders as heavy as a mountain.

The Shazhou Construction Association, which had visited the Yiyang New Management Committee in May, had now vanished, except for Bu Gao. The others refused to return to Yiyang.

Bu Gao, full of vigor, pointed to the land covered in weeds before them and asked, "How many acres is this plot?"

Bu Gao had known for some time about the ten-billion-yuan loan from the Provincial Development Bank. He was confident in the real estate development of the New Management Committee. He had secretly brought engineers to the site at least six or seven times, eyeing a flat plot of land about two hundred meters from the highway exit.

Staff from the Land Use Section followed behind Hou Weidong, but the latest planning maps had been ordered by Hou Weidong to be kept confidential, so they did not bring them out.

The new plan had been adjusted according to the requirements of the Provincial Development Bank. Having provided such a huge sum of money, the bank demanded that all plots must have water, electricity, gas, telephone lines, and roads fully connected before they could be sold. To ensure the land of the New Management Committee could appreciate in value, this requirement meant the land was divided by roads into uniform squares or rectangles, forming a grid pattern.

Although Bu Gao had visited the New Management Committee several times, the scope of those who knew the new plan was still very narrow. He could not form a mental image of this grid. The plot he had his eye on appeared to be a single whole, but in reality, four roads—running north-south and east-west—would cut through it, fragmenting it into unusable pieces.

Hou Weidong was a bachelor in Yiyang. With nothing else to occupy his time, he spent his days staring at blueprints or driving his pickup truck around. The topography of the New Management Committee was etched into his mind like iron.

Previously, his impression of Bu Gao had been that of a capable playboy. Now, his evaluation had shifted to that of a visionary private entrepreneur. At a time when the New Management Committee desperately needed investment, Bu Gao was the only one from the Shazhou Construction Association brave enough to "eat the crab"—to be the first to take the risk. Hou Weidong pointed to another flat area and said, "Mr. Bu, if you move twenty meters east, there is a plot of equivalent size with a good location. I recommend you choose this one."

Bu Gao was wearing a short-sleeved shirt from Norway. Norwegians are tall, and their clothing style is minimalist. Standing among the cadres of the New Management Committee, he looked elegant and graceful. In comparison, Hou Weidong looked like a dark-skinned laborer, a result of his long-term exposure to the sun while running around the New Management Committee.

Bu Gao looked curious. "Is there a difference between these two plots?"

Hou Weidong smiled. "According to the new plan, the land you just pointed to will eventually be crossed by four roads. This plot, however, is a complete square, suitable for development."

The land in the Yiyang New Management Committee was not as popular as imagined, causing the County Government great concern. Therefore, to promote development, Hou Weidong did not need to seek approval from the County Government to make decisions on land within the New Management Committee.

Bu Gao keenly sensed this. He thought to himself: "Yiyang County is just beginning its development, and the operations are not very standardized. Hou Weidong’s power is too concentrated; he can decide land ownership with a casual point of his finger. It seems I need to cultivate a relationship with him."

Previously, in his pursuit of Zhang Xiaojia, Bu Gao had once had people tail Hou Weidong. Now, smiling, he calculated: "Hou Weidong is young, and his wife is far away in Shanghai. It seems I should use the beauty trap to bring him down."

After viewing the land, Bu Gao took his leave. "Director Hou, I need to return to Shazhou at noon today. Are you free this afternoon? I’d like to invite you to visit the Lingxi construction site. The new buildings in Yiyang are being constructed entirely according to Lingxi standards. If you have any opinions, they can be modified immediately."

Hou Weidong hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed. He and Bu Gao had once been brief rivals for love. Now that Xiaojia had married Hou Weidong and Bu Gao had his own intimate partner, this inexplicable rivalry had naturally ended.

Now, the two were partners. Hou Weidong was grateful for Bu Gao’s boldness and viewed him with new respect. He now believed that Bu Gao’s enterprise was thriving not solely because of Mayor Bu.

In the afternoon, Vice President Huang Yishu of the Qingda Group came down from Shangqinglin. He wanted to requisition a plot of land of about one hundred acres in the new district to build a warehouse for the bearing factory and a sanatorium for employees. This would have been a minor matter, but he proposed that this land be treated as industrial land, just like the bearing factory’s plant. However, the location was within the commercial zone planned by the New Management Committee.

The price difference between commercial and industrial land was significant, which put Hou Weidong in a difficult position. He argued with Huang Yishu for a long time but failed to reach an agreement. However, since the relationship between the Qingda Group and the New Management Committee was good, no one got angry. They simply agreed to discuss it further.

At four in the afternoon, Bu Gao called again with an invitation. Hou Weidong thought for a while, then asked Zhang Jin to accompany Huang Yishu and his group for dinner, while he and Zhang Xiangyu went to Lingxi together.

After meeting up with Bu Gao in Shazhou, they headed toward Lingxi.

Bu Gao’s girlfriend, Xiao Man, had already returned to Lingxi in advance. When Xiao Man heard that Bu Gao wanted to find a woman to "take down" Hou Weidong, she was initially unwilling. Bu Gao coaxed her for a long time, saying, "Just this once. You must be obedient." Xiao Man still disagreed. Finally, Bu Gao had to yield. "The diamond ring I saw last time—I’ll take some time tomorrow to buy it."

Only then did Xiao Man soften. She said coquettishly, "My friend will only accompany them for singing and dancing. Nothing else." Bu Gao urged, "Singing and dancing? What kind of deal is that? It’s better not to invite her at all."

Xiao Man held up a finger. "This is my good friend. Ten thousand."

Bu Gao stepped forward and pinched Xiao Man’s cheek. "Why are you helping the enemy? Spending my money is spending your money."

Xiao Man said, "She is my good friend. Her whole family are laid-off workers. She has no choice. Her biggest dream is to study abroad in Paris. Once she saves enough money, she will go."

After the price was settled, Xiao Man returned to Lingxi early.

After Hou Weidong met with Bu Gao, Bu Gao noticed that Zhang Xiangyu had also come along. Bu Gao always struck at the vital point; he had little interest in these deputy officials. He called his subordinates in Lingxi from the car. "Find a beautiful woman at the Shangjia Karaoke City. Keep her on standby."

Although the women at Shangjia Karaoke City were not bad, they were several levels below professional actresses. Bu Gao was determined to bring Hou Weidong to his side and was willing to spend the money.

At 5:30 PM, the group arrived in Lingxi. They first visited the construction site on the Second Ring Road to see the nearly completed "Lingdong Jiawan" residential community. With a building area of nearly 50,000 square meters, the community had already taken shape.

Wearing a safety helmet, Hou Weidong toured Lingdong Jiawan under Bu Gao’s personal guidance. The community was a step up in class from the Xinyue Building in terms of courtyard design and exterior appearance. Hou Weidong liked it very much. He was highly interested, reading almost all the documents available in the office. He then ran through several buildings, standing on the roof of each one to look around in all directions, much like Chen Huansheng entering the city for the first time.

It was July. Although it was evening, the buildings were still hot. Before long, Hou Weidong was sweating profusely, yet he still did not want to leave.

Bu Gao had hosted countless government officials at Lingdong Jiawan. Hou Weidong was the lowest in rank, but also the most serious. Bu Gao thought reflectively: "Hou Weidong has made such a splash in Yiyang at such a young age. There is indeed some reason for it."

By the time they reached the restaurant, it was seven o’clock. They entered a magnificent private room. Although Xiaojia, Li Jing, and Duan Ying could all be considered beauties, the two women in evening gowns in the room still caught his eye.