Chapter 47: Why Exactly? (Part 9)

Reality is like a net; the more you struggle within it, the tighter it binds you.

After seeing off Secretary Jiang, Township Head Gao firmly grasped Hou Weidong’s hand. “From now on, you are the Deputy Leader of the Working Group. You’ve been on the job for less than a month and already hold this position. University graduate Hou, your future is boundless.”

Hou Weidong forced a bitter smile. “I just graduated from school and don’t understand anything yet. Appointing me as Deputy Leader puts too much pressure on me.” While his words sounded polite, his inner thoughts were far less respectful: I wonder whose brilliant idea it was to hang me out to dry up here on this mountain.

Hou Weidong was a rookie with no power to resist. In the eyes of the township government leadership in Qinglin, he was a nobody, insignificant beyond measure. Being under their roof, he had no choice but to bow his head. He gritted his teeth, swallowed his resentment, and accepted the arrangement with a forced smile. Of course, he had to appear happy; complaining while working was a foolish move—like cutting off one’s own testicles to offer to the gods. You lose your vitality and offend the deity all at once.

Li Yong, the grassroots civil servant stationed in the village, led Hou Weidong to Dushi Village. It seemed fate had tied Hou Weidong to this place; both of his previous village visits had ended up here. The village leadership took the new resident cadre seriously. The entire committee and branch leadership were present: Party Secretary Qin Jiangang, Village Committee Director Jiang Shangshan, Clerk Chen Dachuan, Militia Company Commander and Youth League Secretary Yang Binggang, and Women’s Director Zhu Yaofen. With Township Head Gao, the group leader, they barely filled the seats.

This time, they did not go to a large restaurant in the old Shangqinglin town. Instead, they held a home banquet at Qin Jiangang’s house. The location was considered auspicious, backed by forested hills and fronted by a fish pond. They slaughtered a local chicken, caught fresh fish, and poured homemade snake wine.

Drinking games, loud toasts, and coarse banter made the banquet lively. Before anyone realized it, a ten-jin jar of snake wine was completely drained. Li Yong, Jiang Shangshan, Chen Dachuan, and Yang Binggang were all too drunk to sit upright. The makeshift toilet in the side room reeked of alcohol and filth. Yang Binggang was carried to a bed, with a basin placed beside him so he could vomit freely. Township Head Gao, sensing the tide turning, wisely withdrew from the fray.

Qin Jiangang had taken off his shirt, revealing his sturdy torso. His face was flushed red. “Young Hou, good brother, let’s have another drink.” The cups used in his house were commonly called “seed cups,” significantly larger than ordinary ones, holding about one liang of liquor each.

Women’s Director Zhu Yaofen was a typical rural woman with a strong tolerance for alcohol, but this style of drinking was rare even in the village. Seeing Hou Weidong’s face turn green, she knew he had exceeded his limit. She urged, “Secretary Qin, University Graduate Hou, let’s stop at this last cup. Eat some food.”

Qin Jiangang’s eyes bulged like a bull’s. “Zhu Yaofen, University Graduate Hou is our village’s resident cadre. You must drink three more cups with him. Don’t let him say Dushi Village has no one capable, unable to handle even a student boy.”

Hou Weidong was already feeling depressed. Hearing Qin Jiangang’s words, a surge of anger rose in his chest. “Secretary Qin, I’ll drink three cups with you first. Do you dare?”

Qin Jiangang was also reaching his limit. Looking at the three full cups, he hesitated for a moment. “Zhu Yaofen is the Women’s Director and has worked in Dushi Village for many years. She is a senior. You should drink with her first.”

The alcohol had clouded Hou Weidong’s judgment. Stubbornly, he insisted, “I’ll drink these three cups first, then I’ll drink with Zhu Yaofen.” He raised his cup and declared, “If you don’t drink, you’re a coward.” He tilted his head back and downed the first cup.

Unable to save face, Qin Jiangang also drank a cup.

After finishing the three cups, Hou Weidong felt his stomach churning like a stormy sea. Like a volcanic eruption, a wave of heat rushed toward his mouth. He quickly covered his mouth with his hand, trying to block the vomit.

Whoa! Secretary Qin suffered the same fate. Vomit sprayed like a waterfall directly onto the table. Zhu Yaofen felt her own stomach turn sour and rushed outside.

Hou Weidong could not hold it back any longer. He squatted on the floor beside the table, vomiting messily.

When he woke up, the sky was filled with stars.

Hou Weidong sat on the bed, dazed, taking a long time to realize where he was. Feeling his way in the dark to the main hall where they had been drinking, he lit a dim lamp. Qin Jiangang’s wife was sitting at the table, dozing off.

“Cadre Hou, you’re awake.” Qin’s wife stood up. “You all drank so much today. Qin Jiangang hasn’t even woken up yet. I’ve cooked a pot of sweet potato porridge for the two of you. Come and drink it.” Hou Weidong’s head felt like it was about to explode. Having vomited most of the contents of his stomach, he felt embarrassed. “Sorry for the trouble.”

Qin’s wife waved it off. “It’s nothing. Drink up. Sweet potato porridge is good for the stomach. Qin Jiangang always drinks it when he’s drunk.” She yawned. “After eating, go to sleep.”

The next day, Hou Weidong was woken by the barking of dogs. It was not yet fully dawn. Through the thin mist, he could see a patch of rice paddies, with faint outlines of trees in the distance. He walked to the edge of the pond and saw Qin’s wife coming out of the pigpen. He greeted her proactively. “You’re up so early.”

How to address Qin’s wife was a dilemma. Calling her “Sister” felt wrong since she was in her forties and looked at least fifty. Calling her “Auntie” seemed inappropriate since Secretary Qin had treated him like a brother, which would mess up the generational hierarchy. Hou Weidong thought for a moment and decided “Sister-in-law” was the best option.

He said proactively, “Sister-in-law, why haven’t I seen the children?”

Qin’s wife replied, “I have three children, two sons and a daughter. They’ve all gone to Guangdong to work.”

Hou Weidong suddenly remembered He Hongfu’s words and remarked casually, “There are no roads up Shangqinglin Mountain. It really restricts development.”

“A few years ago, Shangqinglin Township was thinking about building a road. Now, it seems even less likely.” Qin Jiangang walked out, his eyes swollen and red. “Qinglin Town’s development focus is on Xiaqinglin Township. We’ve hoped for a road for many years, but I’ve lost confidence.”

Hou Weidong’s heart stirred. I am the Deputy Leader of the Qinglin Working Group. If I can organize people to build the road, it might attract the attention of the leaders. He said, “Secretary Qin, as the saying goes, no road means no wealth. Shangqinglin’s development is too slow, hardly different from the early 1980s. I think the crux of the problem lies in this road.”

Secretary Qin stood by the fish pond, casually pulling a handful of grass and tossing it into the water. “Shangqinglin Mountain is rich in resources: first, tea; second, stone; third, coal.”

Qinglin tea was famous, and coal was easy to understand, but what about the stone? He didn’t quite get it. “What kind of stone?”

Secretary Qin pointed to a hillside. “There is a lot of stone on Qinglin Mountain, very hard. I once hosted a geological survey team. They said these stones can be burned to make lime, used to manufacture cement, or crushed for road paving. But because there is no road, the stone is useless.”

He stamped his foot on the ground. “Xiaqinglin has many coal mines. The coal dug there is of good quality and sells for a high price. Coal can be mined in many places in Shangqinglin too, but without a road, no one is willing to open a mine.”

“If it’s a mountain of treasure, why not build the road?”

“Shangqinglin Township is small, with only about seven thousand people. Where would the township government get the money to build a road? The year before last, Shangqinglin Township planned to allocate twenty accumulated labor days and ten voluntary labor days, and sought some funds from the county government to build the mountain road. The road had been surveyed and was ready to start construction when the county government merged Shangqinglin Township with Xiaqinglin Township.”

Hou Weidong blurted out, “In that case, let’s just organize ourselves and build the road.”

Secretary Qin shook his head. “University Graduate Hou, you don’t understand the situation. Building a road is very complicated. Not to mention the manpower, you also need explosives. It’s not a small matter. Without government organization, this task simply cannot be completed.”

Hou Weidong did not know the hardships of road construction. As a fearless young bull, and eager to achieve some tangible results, he said urgently, “It depends on human effort. The Red Flag Canal was harder to build than this road, yet the Foolish Old Man could move mountains. Can Shangqinglin, with its seven thousand people, not build a single road?”

“You really want to build the road?”

“Yes. When I was at He Hongfu’s house, I had this idea. Although He Hongfu speaks in twisted logic, twisted logic is still logic. He said if the road were built, he would be willing to pay. It seems the masses in Shangqinglin share this idea.” Hou Weidong’s eyes shone with enthusiasm.

Seeing that Hou Weidong was serious about building the road, Secretary Qin, though not holding much hope, decided to treat the dead horse as a live one. He briefly recounted the events related to the road construction efforts over the past few years.