Chapter 348: The Upper-Level Route (Part 2)

After hanging up the phone, Hou Weidong sat in the living room for a while. Soon, Zhu Mei emerged from the bathroom. Her hair was wrapped in a towel, and her slender, pale face looked slightly wan. The first thing she did upon entering the living room was search for her mobile phone. She sent a text message to Hou Weidong: "I'm hungry. What are we eating tonight?"

This young girl, fresh and pure like a lotus rising from the water, possessed a unique clarity. Because her congenital deafness and muteness created a natural barrier between her and the realities of society, she retained an unblemished innocence.

Hou Weidong’s gaze swept briefly over Zhu Mei’s face. He took out his small notebook and wrote: "What do you want to eat? I’ll take you. Can you handle spicy food? I’ll treat you to Chongqing Jianghu cuisine." Zhu Mei nodded, her fingers flying across her phone keypad as she replied: "I’ve never tried Chongqing food. Let’s give it a try today."

Chongqing-style restaurants were everywhere in Shazhou. Hou Weidong found a mid-range restaurant with decent decor, not far from the Xinyue Building. He ordered a plate of Nanshan Spicy Chicken along with several home-style dishes.

The Nanshan Spicy Chicken was a dish where Sichuan peppercorns and chili peppers outnumbered the chicken pieces. The tiny chunks of meat were hidden within a forest of red chilies, requiring vigorous digging with chopsticks to find. Yet, the flavor was excellent—numbing and spicy, perfectly capturing the rugged spirit of Chongqing’s river ports.

For most of her life, Zhu Mei had lived much like a flower in a greenhouse. As she grew older, she developed a desire to see the world. Spending the day out with Hou Weidong was a bold step for her. After eating the spicy chicken for a while, she was so overwhelmed by the heat that she fanned her mouth, beads of sweat forming on her nose.

Just as they were enjoying the meal, a deafening explosion erupted from about a hundred meters outside the door. The shockwave shattered several windows in the restaurant. Hou Weidong and Zhu Mei were seated in the inner part of the dining area, so they were physically unharmed, but the earth-shattering noise still startled Hou Weidong.

Zhu Mei seemed to glance unconsciously toward the door.

Soon, the wail of police sirens filled the air. Police officers cordoned off the area, surrounding the site of the explosion. Hou Weidong’s Bluebird sedan was parked beside the restaurant. Fortunately, a large bus had been parked in front of it, shielding the car from damage. However, the bus itself suffered severely; one side of its windows was completely shattered, and the body of the vehicle was badly deformed.

Hou Weiguo also arrived at the scene. Dressed in plain clothes, he moved around the perimeter with a stern expression. He first spotted the familiar Bluebird, then saw Hou Weidong standing in the crowd, gazing at the explosion site. Beside him stood a slender young girl. Hou Weiguo thought to himself, Who is this girl? I’ve never seen her before.

Realizing it was an explosion case and seeing several cars wrecked beyond recognition, Hou Weidong drew a sharp breath, feeling lucky to have escaped unscathed. Noticing his brother’s questioning look, he quickly explained, "This is Secretary Zhu’s daughter. She attends the school for the deaf and mute." He then wrote in his notebook: "This is my older brother, Hou Weiguo."

"Hello, Brother Hou." Zhu Mei’s texting speed was so fast it even impressed Hou Weiguo.

Hou Weiguo nodded to Zhu Mei, then said to Hou Weidong, "Drive away quickly. There was an explosion. Fortunately, no one died."

Looking at the gathering crowd, Hou Weidong remarked, "So people in Shazhou are starting to use explosives too. It’s quite fashionable, though it seems to be a different category from international trends."

Hou Weiguo lowered his voice. "I suspect it’s related to the phosphate mines. To compete for phosphate resources, several major mine owners have hired idle thugs, much like triad members."

Hou Weidong knew something about the phosphate situation. The mountains bordering Shazhou and Maoyun were rich in phosphate deposits. While coal prices had been low in recent years, phosphate prices had soared. Most of the luxury cars driving around Shazhou belonged to phosphate bosses from the mountains. These small-town bosses, who had been penniless just a few years ago, could wake up one day and find themselves driving BMWs and Mercedes.

As the old saying goes, fortune and misfortune are intertwined. Because phosphate mining was so lucrative, these bosses became targets for all sorts of people, leading to constant trouble. Seeing that the blown-up car was a BMW, Hou Weiguo immediately deduced it belonged to a phosphate boss.

"A few days ago, several leaders from Maoyun came to Shazhou for a symposium on phosphate issues. Secretary Zhu attended the meeting. I was providing security, and he even shook my hand," Hou Weiguo said, glancing at Zhu Mei. "Secretary Zhu is the third-in-command in Maoyun. Given your current situation, it might be better to seek his patronage."

Hou Weidong replied, "Let’s wait and see. The situation in Maoyun is complex. I’ll go over there once Secretary Zhu’s position is more stable."

By the time Hou Weidong returned Zhu Mei to the school for the deaf and mute, it was already evening. At the school gate, Zhu Mei sent a text: "Today was a wonderful day. Thank you, big brother."

Having spent the day with Zhu Mei, Hou Weidong felt relaxed, though physically tired. Back at the Xinyue Building, he took a bath. As he soaked, a detail suddenly came to mind: when the explosion occurred, Zhu Mei had unconsciously looked in the direction of the blast.

Does Zhu Mei retain some residual hearing? Is there still hope for a cure? Hou Weidong then recalled that Zhu Yan had mentioned this possibility. But he quickly reasoned, Zhu Yan is a shrewd man, and Dean Jiang is a skilled doctor. If Zhu Mei could be cured, they would have done it long ago.

From Monday onwards, Hou Weidong had been shuttling between Lingxi and Shazhou. It wasn’t until Friday that he returned to Yiyang County.

When his figure appeared at the Science and Technology Commission office building, Director Xiao Ning, who was staying behind, sent out a pager message. Colleagues who were out shopping or sleeping at home sneaked back to the office one by one.

Hou Weidong had handed over the construction of the agricultural research base to Zhou Yongtai and delegated daily administrative work to Director Xiao Ning. Content with his leisure, he didn’t bother managing the office’s current state upon his return, instead enjoying tea and reading the newspaper at his ease.

"Brother Su, it’s Hou Weidong. Are you free tonight? I’d like to treat you to dinner."

Su Mingjun laughed. "Have you made up your mind? Are you planning to transfer back to Shazhou?"

Hou Weidong spoke frankly. "I’m holding off for now. But I’d like to ask for your help. Yang Liu, the Office Director of the New Management Committee, wants to transfer to Shazhou. Do you know of any suitable positions?" He added, "Yang Liu is a cadre I promoted. She’s unhappy in the New Management Committee and wants a change of environment."

Su Mingjun pondered for a moment. "I heard the Municipal Party Committee General Office is looking for staff. Is Yang Liu female? How is her writing?"

"She’s a university graduate, an excellent office director, and part of the same public recruitment batch as me."

The Su and Hou families had been interacting for years. Since Hou Weidong rarely asked for favors, Su Mingjun didn’t put on an official facade. "Tonight, I’ll invite Huang Zidi, the Standing Committee Member and Secretary-General of the Municipal Party Committee. If he agrees, the matter is settled." As the Executive Deputy Director of the Organization Department, Su Mingjun had a good relationship with Huang Zidi, who had been a Deputy Secretary-General at the time. They had helped each other in the past, so Su Mingjun was confident he could arrange the dinner.

Hou Weidong was pleased. "It’s great that you can get Secretary-General Huang to meet. I’ve visited him before with Zhu Yan, but I don’t know if he remembers me." He proactively disclosed this information to prevent any misunderstandings later.

"If you know Secretary-General Huang, that makes it even easier. I’ll brief Huang Zidi on Yang Liu’s situation first. Tonight, bring Yang Liu along; it will serve as an interview."

When Yang Liu heard she would be meeting Huang Zidi, the Standing Committee Member and Secretary-General of the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee, and Su Mingjun, the Standing Committee Member and Executive Deputy Director of the Organization Department, she became nervous. "Director Hou, I’m worried I won’t pass. I don’t feel confident."

Hou Weidong said a phrase he often used in Shangqinglin: "If you die, your eggs face the sky; if you don’t die, you live forever. We’re all human beings, so don’t be afraid of these officials." Yang Liu had worked with Hou Weidong for over a year and had even heard him use rough language. Hearing him swear suddenly made her feel more grounded.

The dinner was formal, arranged at the Shazhou Hotel. Hou Weidong and Yang Liu arrived first. Hou Weidong said, "Yang Liu, don’t worry about the bill tonight."

Yang Liu replied, "You’re doing this for me. How can I let Director Hou bear the expense?"

Hou Weidong said, "If I paid out of my own salary, how many times could I treat guests? Don’t argue with me. I can at least get reimbursed." Although the Huofu Coal Mine had placed significant financial pressure on him, treating guests was still a minor matter for him. He wouldn’t actually submit the bill to the Science and Technology Commission for reimbursement; he only said this to ease Yang Liu’s psychological burden.

Yang Liu stopped arguing. "Thank you, Director Hou, for your care."

Huang Zidi and Su Mingjun arrived at the Shazhou Hotel together. Seeing Hou Weidong waiting at the entrance, Huang Zidi shook his hand and smiled. "Little Hou, why haven’t you come to Shazhou since Secretary Zhu transferred? I even mentioned visiting your old brother Zhu Yan in Maoyun, but I couldn’t find the time. Once I’m free from this busy period, Little Hou, accompany me to Maoyun."

Seeing Huang Zidi’s cheerful demeanor, Su Mingjun knew the matter was basically successful. He introduced, "This is Yang Liu, the Office Director of the Yiyang New Management Committee. She is a university graduate from the same public recruitment batch as Little Hou. Her writing skills are excellent, and she has strong comprehensive coordination abilities." Having served as the Executive Deputy Director of the Organization Department for many years, Su Mingjun was skilled at assessing people. Based on Yang Liu’s demeanor, appearance, and expressions, he inferred her personality traits, which matched the reality quite closely.

Huang Zidi adopted a somewhat authoritative leader’s stance toward Yang Liu. Slowly and with a faint, ambiguous smile, he said, "Working for the Municipal Party Committee requires high personal quality. If you don’t meet the standards, you’ll find life difficult. To be responsible to the organization and to you personally, I need to test you. Find a quiet room and write a briefing on our meeting today. Half an hour. Is that enough?"

This topic seemed simple, but it could reveal a person’s comprehensive quality. First, it tested writing skills; second, logical thinking; third, the ability to extract key points. This extraction ability was crucial for the Municipal Party Committee, as many meetings were routine. The committee secretaries had to find亮点 (highlights) in these mundane matters, which was a specific skill.

During her time at the New Management Committee, Yi Zhongcheng often threw tantrums and refused to take on any writing tasks. Therefore, for the past year, most of the New Management Committee’s documents had been written by Yang Liu. With a solid foundation and practical training in her work, she was not too panicked by Huang Zidi’s sudden test.