Chapter 427: The Drunkard (Part 2)

*Note:* Characters who receive significant narrative attention in this book generally do not appear only once. They tend to reappear unexpectedly later in the story. Therefore, characters like Zhu Yingying, who have been given substantial focus, will have further roles in subsequent chapters (though certainly not in a romantic capacity, so please refrain from criticism).

Around ten o’clock, Hou Weidong arranged for a capable off-road vehicle to be transferred from the Transportation Bureau. He had privately borrowed this car several times before and was thoroughly familiar with its performance. He took the wheel to lead the way, while Zhu Xiaoyong followed behind, driving Shen Hao’s "Desert Prince" SUV.

Chengjin County was one of the four counties in Shazhou with a relatively low level of economic and social development. Specifically, in terms of economic and social indicators, Yiyang County was the undisputed leader, leaving the other three counties far behind. Wu Hai County ranked second, followed by Linjin County in third place.

The various indicators for Chengjin County and Linjiang County were not significantly different. For years, these two counties, with similar conditions, had been competing against each other, with results varying from year to year. In 1998, Chengjin County’s comprehensive indicators were stronger than those of Linjiang County, so in 1999, Chengjin County ranked…

Geographically, the four counties of Yiyang, Wu Hai, Linjiang, and Chengjin surrounded Shazhou City like stars surrounding the moon. The distance from Shazhou to each of the four counties was almost identical, with the only difference being the transportation conditions.

Chengjin County’s transportation infrastructure was inferior to that of Yiyang and Wu Hai counties. This was due to a combination of two factors. On one hand, Yiyang had flatter terrain, a historically stronger economy, and local leaders with a more open mindset. On the other hand, Chengjin County was mountainous. Building straight, wide roads required cutting through mountains and building bridges over rivers, which was genuinely difficult.

Due to these two reasons, driving on the roads in Chengjin County felt like suddenly stepping back from the 1990s to the early 1980s.

Departing from Shazhou at ten-thirty, they arrived in Chengjin County town by twelve-thirty, right at lunchtime. Hou Weidong stopped the car on the outskirts of the town and walked over to the "Desert Prince" behind them. "Director Wu, it’s already lunchtime. Let’s eat first and rest a bit before heading to Feishi Town."

After entering Chengjin County, Wu Ying looked at the familiar mountains and rivers and felt a touch of melancholy. The modernization process in Chengjin was slow; many old houses in the suburbs were from the 1970s. Wu Ying even saw traces of slogans painted in those days. Seeing these objects brought back memories of people, causing her to feel sorrowful. This was also an important reason why she had been reluctant to return to Chengjin.

"Xiao Hou, you are about the same age as my Meng Ning. Don’t keep calling me Director Wu. Just call me Aunt Wu." Wu Ying had a good impression of this capable young man.

Meng Ning, sitting in the front passenger seat, spoke up proactively. "We are not in a hurry. Let’s eat and rest a bit before continuing. I haven’t been to Chengjin before. Which hotel has better conditions?"

Hou Weidong replied, "The Chengjin Hotel has better conditions." He then tentatively asked, "Shall I call Secretary Zhang of the County Party Committee and ask them to make arrangements?" Even without the connection to Meng Haofang, Wu Ying herself was the Deputy Director of the Water Resources Department. When visiting local areas, county leaders would naturally come out to receive her. Therefore, Hou Weidong made the suggestion according to standard protocol.

Wu Ying shook her head. "Forget it. I want to walk around quietly and take a look."

Hou Weidong had previously accompanied Zhou Changquan to Chengjin for an inspection and had stayed at the Chengjin Hotel at that time. Chengjin County had only two main streets running horizontally and vertically, and the tallest building was the Chengjin Hotel. Therefore, Hou Weidong had a deep impression of this hotel. Without needing to ask for directions, he smoothly drove them to the Chengjin Hotel.

The Chengjin Hotel was the first building in Chengjin County to reach ten stories. It had a fashionable curtain wall at the front. In the gray, dusty city, the hotel could truly be described as dominating the scene.

A row of small cars was parked in front of the hotel. Besides Passats, Santana "Pi Sangs," and Crowns, there were two Mercedes-Benzes, which were rare even in Shazhou.

Hou Weidong was very familiar with the situations in various places in Shazhou. Seeing this scene, he immediately understood. He thought to himself, "This must be a local boss hosting a banquet."

Modern enterprises in Chengjin were almost non-existent, but there were quite a few resource-based enterprises. The mainstream were phosphate mine bosses, followed by coal mine bosses. Judging by the scene before him, it was nine times out of ten that a phosphate mine boss was hosting the banquet.

After getting out of the car and approaching Wu Ying’s vehicle, Hou Weidong found that Wu Ying, unwilling to see these people, had already closed the windows. He then said to Meng Ning, "The Chengjin Hotel is hosting a banquet, and it’s too chaotic. I suggest we change to another restaurant." Meng Ning was somewhat surprised to see so many high-end cars. "Chengjin County isn’t that impressive, yet there are quite a few good cars, and even some government vehicles."

In the various counties of Shazhou, government heads preferred to use military police cars or civilian police cars with "O" plates. Outside this restaurant, among the good cars, one could occasionally see a few special-purpose vehicles. However, at the provincial and municipal levels, government heads almost never sat in special-purpose vehicles, as they were too conspicuous and easily exposed their targets.

This was a difference between provincial/municipal and county levels. There was also a clear difference between county and township levels. Nowadays, county-level leaders, for security reasons, basically did not sit in the front passenger seat. Only township leaders still treated the front passenger seat as a symbol of enjoying privileges.

Hou Weidong said, "There are many phosphate mine bosses in Chengjin, similar to the situation in Maoyun. These people got rich overnight and are rolling in money."

Meng Ning said, "This is essentially using national resources to enrich private individuals. Forget it, let’s not squeeze in with these nouveau riche." She then turned back to ask Wu Ying for her opinion. "Mom, shall we change places? Let’s find a quieter, more secluded spot to taste Chengjin’s local specialty dishes. The food in hotels is all the same and lacks flavor."

Wu Ying then spoke to Hou Weidong outside the car window. "Xiao Hou, turn left. In my memory, there is an old-established Halal restaurant near the East Gate. It’s a family heirloom skill, and it should still be there."

"Alright, I’ll lead the way in front." Hou Weidong prepared to get into the driver’s seat.

At this moment, the horn from the car behind blared loudly. It was the kind of sound made by pressing the horn button with a palm and not letting go—sharp, piercing, and extremely rude. Hou Weidong held a special status in Shazhou and had not experienced such treatment for a long time. He did not get angry, but glanced back at the car behind him before returning to the driver’s side and opening the door.

This glance stirred up trouble. A young man jumped out of the Santana 2000 behind them. He was wearing a suit but no tie, with a gold necklace as thick as a little finger around his neck. He recognized most of the people attending the banquet, but these two cars were unfamiliar. He let out a burp and asked, "Are you here to drink?"

Hou Weidong replied, "No, just passing through."

Hearing this, the man with the gold necklace flicked his cigarette butt in Hou Weidong’s direction and cursed, "Damn it, are you blind? There are so many cars blocked behind. Move quickly."

Hou Weidong had a mission and did not want to lower himself to argue with such people. After sitting back in the driver’s seat, he carefully looked at the large sign in front of the hotel. The sign read, "Eightieth Birthday Celebration for Elder Yang Guifu," and "Fortune enters the East Sea, Longevity compares to the Southern Mountain."

"So someone is celebrating their eightieth birthday. This person must have considerable influence in Chengjin, likely a phosphate mine boss, otherwise these people wouldn’t be so arrogant." Hou Weidong thought to himself as he started the car.

The young man, however, had a hot temper. He stepped forward and slapped Hou Weidong’s car with his palm, shouting, "Damn it, what are you dawdling for? Be careful or I’ll beat you until you can’t find your teeth."

Meng Ning had good breeding and had not spoken earlier, but now she couldn’t help but say, "You are also impatient. What’s the rush? The car in front is already starting."

The man with the gold necklace immediately turned his attention to Meng Ning. He walked to the front of Meng Ning’s car, looked at the license plate, and then calmly lit a cigarette. "You think you’re something special because you’re from the provincial capital? This is Chengjin, not Lingxi. Damn it." The man casually uttered "Damn it," which was his catchphrase, known to everyone in Chengjin.

At this time, some idle onlookers gathered. They all recognized the man with the gold necklace. Seeing him bullying outsiders again, they happily watched the spectacle.

Meng Ning was also angry. "Keep your mouth clean. Did you eat dog feces? It really stinks."

The man with the gold necklace kicked the front bumper of the car with his foot. "Damn it, a little chick dares to curse."

Hou Weidong saw this scene in the rearview mirror. If this person had only targeted him, he would have let it go. Arguing or fighting with such people would demean his status. However, since this person was bullying Meng Ning, it was a different matter.

He got out of the car and approached the man with the gold necklace. Hou Weidong smelled a strong odor of alcohol and said, "I warn you, if you kick again, don’t blame me for being rude."

The man with the gold necklace, who ruled Chengjin like a king, was naturally unwilling to accept a warning at his own doorstep. He spat out the cigarette in his mouth and said, "Damn it."

Before his words were finished, Hou Weidong suddenly delivered a heavy punch to his abdomen. The punch was extremely fierce. The man with the gold necklace had no time to react and bent over like a shrimp, vomiting a large puddle on the ground. The smell of alcohol was overwhelming, and the stench was nauseating. A sharp pain in his abdomen immediately deprived him of the ability to resist.

The man with the gold necklace had come alone from another banquet. After being knocked down by Hou Weidong’s punch, although there were many onlookers and many who knew him, no one was willing to come forward to help. Some even secretly cheered, "Well hit! Kick him a couple more times."

Hou Weidong grabbed him by the collar, dragged him away from in front of Meng Ning’s car, and threw him aside. He stood up and said to Meng Ning, "Let’s go. Let’s ignore this rascal."

The cars started, and the crowd automatically parted to make a path. The two cars slowly drove away.

After a while, the people upstairs received the news. Several young men rushed down and helped the man with the gold necklace up. At this time, tears and snot were still streaming from his face, but the severe pain in his abdomen had subsided somewhat. He cursed, "I’ll kill them. Call people, search the whole city for them."

He rubbed his abdomen and groaned, "Damn it, it hurts so much."

When the cars reached the East Gate, a large sign was visible from afar: "Century Beef Restaurant." Hou Weidong understood that this was the Halal restaurant Wu Ying had mentioned. He parked the car in front of the restaurant, got out, and then went to Meng Ning’s car. "Meng Ning, that group of people will definitely seek revenge. Do we still want to eat?"