Chapter 431: Car Accident (Part 1)

At six o’clock in the evening, Hou Weidong and his group were still stranded in Feishi Town, Chengjin County. Zhou Changquan was deeply worried. He had canceled all his evening social engagements and waited anxiously at the small guesthouse.

Secretary-General Hong Ang had just returned from an inspection tour. Heads of various departments had called to invite him to a welcome dinner, but Hong Ang declined them all. He went directly to the small guesthouse to report on his findings and joined Zhou Changquan for dinner. Hong Ang knew Wu Ying personally. Upon hearing that she was stuck halfway up the mountain in Feishi Town, he reassured Zhou Changquan, “Secretary Zhou, there is no need to worry. Hou Weidong is highly capable. As long as he is there, nothing serious will happen.”

By six o’clock, as the sunset appeared on the horizon, Zhou Changquan finally made up his mind. “Hesitation leads to disaster,” he said firmly. “Secretary-General, call Chengjin County immediately. Tell them to send people to Feishi Town to pick up our group. They must bring everyone down safely before dark.”

After making the decision, he called Wu Ying. “If it gets dark, the roads in Chengjin will be difficult to navigate. I have already contacted the Chengjin County Government to send vehicles to meet you.” He added gently, “Wu Ying, I must be responsible for Secretary Haofang, and even more so, for you.”

Wu Ying had initially not wanted to involve the Chengjin County authorities—a suggestion Hou Weidong had also made, which she had rejected. However, with Zhou Changquan calling personally and the blocking truck unlikely to be repaired soon, she agreed to the proposal.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yongtai was still deep in the mountains, and his phone remained out of service.

Hong Ang then called Jiang Xiangyu’s mobile phone. Jiang Xiangyu, upon receiving the call, did not dare to delay. He dispatched the two best vehicles from the county government, complete with drivers, and led the team personally, heading straight for Feishi Town.

By this time, mechanics from the Chengjin County town had arrived at the scene with various tools and were working urgently to repair the vehicles. A group of drivers gathered around the damaged cars, offering suggestions in a chorus of voices.

Jiang Xiangyu walked past the truck and met with Hou Weidong and the others. “Director Hou, you are too polite. Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” He then turned to Wu Ying. “I will leave two drivers here to help you get your car back. You should take the county government’s vehicles back to Shazhou first. Secretary Zhou is waiting for you.”

Seeing the County Mayor personally coming to pick them up, some of the bolder drivers took advantage of the gathering crowd and the approaching dusk to voice their opinions.

“County Mayor Jiang, the roads in Chengjin County are in terrible condition. The government should do something about it.”

Another added, “Right now, among all the counties in Shazhou, Chengjin has the worst highways.”

Jiang Xiangyu listened without showing anger. “The county already has a plan. No matter how tight the economy is, we will do our utmost to improve the roads. Please rest assured.”

Upon arriving in the county town, Jiang Xiangyu had already prepared a dinner at the government guesthouse. Seeing the meal ready and Jiang Xiangyu’s sincere hospitality, Wu Ying finally agreed to have dinner in Chengjin.

Hou Weidong asked, “Why has Secretary Zhang’s phone been unreachable all this time?”

Jiang Xiangyu smiled. “I was eager to find him too. There is a pile of work in the county. He led a team into the mountains two days ago. There is no mobile signal in the mountains, so he probably won’t return until tomorrow.” He added, “Li Dongfang has been placed under administrative detention. Vice County Mayor Chen Taizhong supported this decision, which serves as a lesson for Li Dongfang.”

After dinner, while Wu Ying was in the restroom, Jiang Xiangyu quietly asked, “What is the background of this lady?”

***

By the time they returned to Shazhou, it was nine o’clock in the evening. At the small guesthouse, Zhou Changquan, Hong Ang, and Liu Tiesong, Deputy Secretary-General of the Provincial CPPCC, were still waiting. Zhou Changquan immediately launched into a stern criticism of Hou Weidong.

This was akin to a parent scolding a child who had caused trouble upon returning home. Although the tone was severe, it revealed a sense of family unity. Hou Weidong understood this dynamic and listened obediently.

It was Wu Ying who spoke up. “Changquan, Xiao Hou handled this matter very well.”

“Handled well? He should have known to transfer vehicles in Chengjin County long ago.”

“Hou Weidong suggested it, but I did not agree,” Wu Ying said. Having visited Xiang Yong’s grave and fulfilled a wish held for thirty years, her mood was calm.

Zhou Changquan was aware of this past incident but did not bring it up. Instead, he said, “Zhang Yongtai has submitted multiple reports requesting the repair of the main highway in Chengjin. It seems necessary to raise this issue.”

The next day, Hou Weidong, representing Zhou Changquan, saw off Wu Ying and her group. Upon returning to his office, he found Zhou Changquan in conversation with Liu Dazhi from the Construction Commission. After Liu Dazhi left, Zhou Changquan said, “Weidong, come here.”

“Tell me exactly what happened yesterday, starting from when you arrived at the Shazhou Hotel.”

After listening to the entire account, Zhou Changquan remained calm. “When I assigned Zhang Yongtai to work in Chengjin County, I gave him a crucial task: to rectify the increasingly chaotic mining order. The disorder in the mining sector is not just a problem for Chengjin County; it is a common ailment affecting all resource-based regions. It is the same in Wu Hai and Maoyun City. Chengjin County should be the breakthrough point.”

Hou Weidong recalled a scene he had witnessed at the Chengjin Hotel. “Chengjin’s economic level ranks last among the four counties in Shazhou, yet there are many luxury cars in the city. I heard that the son of Executive Vice County Mayor Chen Taizhong is the largest mining boss.”

Zhou Changquan had already heard Zhang Yongtai’s report on this matter. “We will take down Li Taizhong soon. He is a veteran leader in Chengjin County. I suspect he has stayed there too long and become a local tyrant. Comrade Yongtai discussed this with me, and we will address it at the next Standing Committee meeting.”

After discussing this, Zhou Changquan gave another instruction. “How many units want to move to the Southern New District? We must rely on formal reports. I remember that the Education Commission, Construction Commission, Transportation Department, and others have submitted requests. Have the office collect them all. We need to arrange this systematically with statistical tables, not in a chaotic rush.”

Hou Weidong went to the Secretariat Section to arrange this matter. Just then, Yang Liu walked in with some documents. “Director Hou, I haven’t seen you for two days. What have you been busy with?”

Xiao Deng from the Secretariat Section joked, “Sister Yang, why are you interrogating Director Hou about his whereabouts?” Another colleague, a chubby Xiao Chen, added, “Director Hou used to be the Director of the Yiyang New Management Committee, and Sister Yang was the Office Director of the New Management Committee. Sister Yang is perfectly suited to supervise Director Hou.”

At that moment, Deputy Secretary-General Zeng Yong walked past the door. Xiao Deng and Xiao Chen immediately stopped talking and put on standard office expressions.

Deputy Secretary-General and Office Director Zeng Yong usually walked with his double chin and belly protruding, speaking in a soft voice. However, whenever he appeared, his subordinates would sit upright immediately. Some would pretend to be deep in thought, while others would focus intently on documents. Even passersby would quicken their pace.

Hou Weidong was the Deputy Director of the Office and concurrently the Chief of the Comprehensive Section. In the eyes of officials in Shazhou, his weight and utility exceeded that of Zeng Yong. For the staff of the Municipal Party Committee Office, Hou Weidong’s primary role was serving as Zhou Changquan’s secretary, and he did not manage the daily operations of the office. Moreover, being of the same age, the younger staff members were much more lively in his presence.

Once Zeng Yong’s figure disappeared, Xiao Deng’s expression became animated again. He smiled and said, “Director Hou, I will copy all the documents and send them over this afternoon. Is that okay?” Hou Weidong nodded. “Yes, and please add a table of contents.”

Yang Liu had much to say to Hou Weidong but had not found a suitable opportunity. She briefly mentioned her own matters and then followed Hou Weidong out of the Secretariat Section.

“I heard some fragments from Secretary Gao and wanted to share them with you,” Yang Liu said. She maintained the same attitude toward Hou Weidong as she had during their time at the New Management Committee. This was a genuine feeling, requiring no pretense or effort. In her heart, Hou Weidong was her best superior and friend, then and now.

Seeing Yang Liu’s serious expression, Hou Weidong knew the topic was weighty. “Did Secretary Gao just return from Lingxi?” Yang Liu nodded. “I heard some rumors.”

They were walking in the corridor, where it was inconvenient to speak freely. Hou Weidong said, “Let’s find a time to chat privately.” As Zhou Changquan’s secretary, he needed to maintain a keen sense of awareness, proactively becoming the extension of Zhou Changquan’s eyes, ears, and nose.

Just then, Secretary-General Hong Ang hurried out of his office, heading toward Zhou Changquan’s office. As he passed Hou Weidong, his expression was unusually cold. “Follow me.”

Upon entering Zhou Changquan’s office, Hong Ang closed the door. He walked to Zhou Changquan’s desk and said, “I just received a call from Gao Xiaonan, Deputy Secretary of the Chengjin County Party Committee. While Secretary Zhang Yongtai was inspecting work in the mountains, his vehicle overturned into the ravine. All four people on board perished.”

The news struck like a thunderbolt, leaving Hou Weidong feeling dizzy. He thought to himself, No wonder I couldn’t reach Zhang Yongtai’s phone in Chengjin. There was a car accident.

Zhou Changquan’s face drained of color, becoming extremely cold. After a moment of silence, he said, “Have Secretary Du from the Political and Legal Affairs Commission come to my office immediately. We must first investigate the cause of the accident.”

“Please ask Secretary Huang to come to my office as well.”

Hou Weidong accepted the task and immediately called Huang Zidi. Under normal circumstances, when Zhou Changquan needed to see Huang Zidi, he would go to the office in person to invite him. However, given the urgency of the situation, he disregarded this detail and called Huang Zidi’s mobile phone directly. “Secretary Huang, this is Xiao Hou. Secretary Zhou requests your presence in his office. Yes, right now.”

“What is it?”

“Secretary Zhang Yongtai was in a car accident.” Hou Weidong did not hide the truth from Huang Zidi.

Huang Zidi was at the West District Party Committee at the time. After hanging up, he told the district leadership team, “I have to leave early. You continue the meeting.” The District Party Secretary, Old Liang, said, “Secretary Huang, we were planning to have lunch at Zui Xian Lou.” Huang Zidi waved his hand. “Forget it. You go eat. I really have an emergency.” Yang Teng, Deputy Section Chief of the Comprehensive Section, took Huang Zidi’s briefcase, and the two hurried back.

When Hou Weidong called Du Zhengdong, Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission and Director of the Public Security Bureau, Du Zhengdong was holding a meeting of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission members. Du Zhengdong said, “Director Hou, is there an emergency? I am in the middle of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission meeting. Can I come in half an hour?”

Hou Weidong replied concisely, “That probably won’t work. Secretary Zhou has an urgent matter for you. Please come to the office as soon as you receive this call.”

Du Zhengdong realized that something major must have happened. He told Chief Prosecutor Lao Kong and several other Political and Legal Affairs Commission members, “We will stop here for today. The next meeting time will be announced separately.” The Political and Legal Affairs Commission meeting was a regular session where major issues within the political and legal system were discussed. Particularly difficult cases were often balanced and resolved here. It was also one of the important means for the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee member and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission to regulate the public security, procuratorate, court, and justice systems.

Du Zhengdong rushed to Zhou Changquan’s office and learned about Zhang Yongtai’s accident. “Rest assured, Secretary Zhou. I will immediately assemble our best personnel to investigate the truth of the matter.”

Zhou Changquan said solemnly, “Is the technical capability of the Public Security Bureau sufficient? Do we need support from the Provincial Department?”

Du Zhengdong, as a member of the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee and Director of the Public Security Bureau, knew some things about Chengjin. Zhou Changquan’s expression and tone made him feel the heavy burden on his shoulders. Nevertheless, he said, “Secretary Zhou, there is no need to involve the Provincial Department. The Shazhou Public Security Bureau has the capability to handle this matter properly. We will absolutely restore the truth.”