Chapter 61: The Road-Building Madman (Part 15)

Chapter 61 The Road-Building Madman (15)

Hou Weidong, Qin Dajiang, and the rest of the group took a narrow path up the mountain. Sitting beneath the trees, they had a clear view of several people emerging from the forestry farm. These men stood beside the newly dug trench, engaging in a heated argument with He Hongfu and his companions. From a distance, Hou Weidong could see He Hongfu gesturing wildly as he debated with the forestry farm workers.

Qin Dajiang laughed heartily. "He Hongfu has the most twisted logic in the world. Right now, he’s holding onto a shred of technicality. The forestry farm people won’t know how to handle him."

Hou Weidong expressed concern. "There are many people at the forestry farm. What if they resort to force?"

Qin Dajiang snorted. "Dushi Village has nearly three thousand people. The forestry farm only has a few dozen. If it came to a fight, we would have crushed them long ago."

They sat in the woods for a while longer. Eventually, the forestry farm workers gave up and returned to their base.

The group returned to the village in high spirits. Hou Weidong thought to himself, Being a local power broker is damn satisfying.

At noon, the group gathered at Qin Dajiang’s house. They sliced up some aged cured meat from the kitchen and enjoyed a hearty drink together.

Back in Shangqinglin Old Town, Township Head Gao learned that the forestry farm’s road had been dug up. He was stunned for a moment before pointing a finger at Hou Weidong. "Brother, how should I describe you? You are too reckless. The forestry farm and we have always been on friendly terms. How could you just dig up the road like that?" Seeing Hou Weidong’s smiling face, Township Head Gao chuckled. "Brother, you really are bold enough to swallow the sky."

Hou Weidong chuckled twice. "Township Head Gao, the forestry farm occupied the He family’s land. It was the He family who dug up the road. It has nothing to do with the work team."

At the Qinglin Forestry Farm, Director Guo Guanghui received the news that the road had been severed. He was instantly furious. He summoned Yang Bingzhang. "Director Yang, you said Township Head Gao was straightforward. Straightforward my foot! They actually dared to dig up the road." Without waiting for a response, he dialed the forest police station. "Director Lin, this is Guo Guanghui. Send some men over. Some local farmers dug up the forestry farm’s road. We can’t transport any timber out. You must arrest a few of them."

After Guo Guanghui hung up, Yang Bingzhang said, "Director Guo, even if Director Lin comes, he won’t be able to solve the problem. It seems Township Head Gao and his team have made up their minds to build this road."

Guo Guanghui slammed his hand on the table. "They are rebelling! For the losses caused by cutting off the road, Qinglin Town must pay double compensation."

Yang Bingzhang explained patiently, "A large section of the small road that was dug up occupies villagers’ farmland. The specific spot that was dug is the He family’s land. I just went to check, and He Hongfu has a point. The land was allocated to the He family. If he digs up his own land, he isn’t breaking any laws."

"Wasn’t this land requisitioned before?"

"Director Ouyang had good relations with the town and village. The land for the road was given to the forestry farm by the village for free. We only have usage rights, not ownership."

"Why wasn’t it requisitioned back then? This has caused so many problems later."

Yang Bingzhang smiled bitterly. "The bureau was never willing to spend that much money. Director Ouyang accomplished this without spending a single cent and even received praise from the bureau."

Guo Guanghui listened and remained silent for a long time, unable to vent his anger. This was the first major issue he had to handle since taking charge of the forestry farm. If he didn’t handle it well, his authority would be undermined. His mind raced, but he realized he couldn’t bypass the Qinglin Town government. "Let’s go. We’ll find Town Mayor Su and ask him to mediate."

Hou Weidong and Qin Dajiang had not obtained approval from the town before digging up the forestry farm’s small road. They had only informed Township Head Gao afterward, who had called Town Mayor Su. Mayor Su hadn’t said much, and everyone pretended not to know about the incident.

When Guo Guanghui arrived at the town office, Town Mayor Su acted furious. "The He brothers are truly reckless. How dare they dig up the road? This time, they must be dealt with severely." After his outburst, he called the Shangqinglin Work Team. When he couldn’t reach Township Head Gao, he spread his hands. "I’m sorry, I couldn’t find Township Head Gao. Let’s meet tomorrow morning. I’ll bring Township Head Gao and the villagers together, and we’ll talk it out face-to-face."

Early the next morning, Hou Weidong and Qin Dajiang arrived at the town government office.

Town Mayor Su sat in his office, looking at Hou Weidong across the desk. He thought, This young man has some guts. He dares to act. But he didn’t let Hou Weidong off the hook verbally. He said sternly, "Hou Weidong, you have a lot of nerve. You actually went and dug up the forestry farm’s road. Have you thought about the consequences?"

Hou Weidong had prepared his response. He feigned innocence. "This was not an action of the work team. The land occupied by the small road belongs to the He brothers. The forestry farm has no paperwork for it. The He brothers responded to the town’s call to build small-scale water conservancy facilities. There is nothing wrong with that."

Building small-scale water conservancy facilities was an excuse devised by He Hongfu. It aligned with the actual work priorities of Shangqinglin Township and served as a respectable justification.

Township Head Gao had already explained the entire situation to Town Mayor Su. Hearing Hou Weidong’s eloquent defense, Mayor Su smiled inwardly. This kid can talk a good game. He has some skill. He interrupted, "Hou Weidong, cut the nonsense. Township Head Gao has told me everything. Director Guo Guanghui from the forestry farm will be here shortly. You need to think carefully about what to say. There is one principle: we cannot have a conflict with the forestry farm. If a fight breaks out and someone gets hurt, you will bear the primary responsibility."

Hearing Town Mayor Su’s serious tone, Hou Weidong felt a bit uneasy. Qin Dajiang spoke up from the side. "Town Mayor Su, rest assured. He Hongfu is a cunning fellow. He is an expert at twisting logic. He won’t start a physical fight."

Town Mayor Su nodded. "Once Director Guo arrives, we will all stick to the same story: this was the personal action of the He brothers. We will criticize them. However, regarding the forestry farm’s occupation of land, we hope the farm will negotiate with the individuals involved. Also, besides the He family, the forestry farm occupies land belonging to several other households. You need to clarify this so we can bargain with the forestry farm."

After finalizing their strategy, they chatted briefly about the road construction. Suddenly, the sound of a jeep engine echoed from outside the courtyard. Shortly after, Guo Guanghui and Yang Bingzhang walked in.

After a few polite exchanges, Town Mayor Su got straight to the point. "Director Guo, I just asked Secretary Qin and Hou Weidong from the work team. They claim they knew nothing about the He brothers digging up the road. You explain it to them."

Guo Guanghui didn’t believe for a second that Qin Dajiang was innocent. "Secretary Qin, aren’t we sister units? Why did Dushi Village dig up the road?"

Qin Dajiang reacted as if his tail had been stepped on. He shouted, "Director Guo, how can you wrongfully accuse people? Town Mayor Su called me down today, and only then did I learn the road was dug up." He continued angrily, "Damn it, the He brothers are like the 'Egg-Biting Generals' from the Water Margin—one hundred and eight heroes of nonsense. They love to twist logic. He Hongfu hasn’t paid his agricultural levies and统筹 (comprehensive management fees) for years. When we went to collect them today, he even pulled a knife and threatened to kill us. Many forestry farm employees know the He brothers. If you don’t believe me, go spin some cotton and see for yourself."

Guo Guanghui had come to solve the problem, so he couldn’t afford to argue seriously with Qin Dajiang. He had originally planned to use the forest police to resolve the matter, but it turned out the land indeed belonged to the He brothers, and the forestry farm had no agreement with them. Director Lin of the forest police station had brought several officers, eaten a meal of wild game, and then left with a single sentence: "The forestry farm is in the wrong here. According to regulations, we cannot deploy police force. Director Guo, you know how it is; you must rely on the local government." Satisfied, Director Lin returned to the county seat. Guo Guanghui cursed, "Lin Laosan, you son of a turtle, eating and then running away!"

Director Lin Laosan and Guo Guanghui had been colleagues for many years and were close friends. Hearing the curses, Lin Laosan didn’t even stop his car. He drove away from the forestry farm with a smile.

"With the road cut off, the timber can’t be transported out. The losses will be huge. Secretary Qin, you are the Party Secretary of Dushi Village. You need to manage this situation."

Qin Dajiang said, "The land is contracted to individual members. The village committee has no way to control it. I am also worried about one thing. The small road involves nineteen households. If they all follow the He brothers’ example, the situation will become difficult. Although the land is collectively owned, it is contracted to the members. If they dig up their own contracted land, the village has no reason to stop them."

Hou Weidong interjected, "If the forestry farm tries to force its way through, the villagers will definitely resist. If a fight breaks out and something happens, the forestry farm will bear the primary responsibility. I studied law, and Director Guo, you have a background in public security. I believe you understand this principle."

Guo Guanghui had just taken office as the director of Qinglin Forestry Farm when he encountered this trouble. He knew the root of the problem was Shangqinglin Township’s desire to build a road. If this issue wasn’t resolved, the small road would never be completed. He turned to Town Mayor Su. "Town Mayor Su, how do you suggest we resolve this?"

Town Mayor Su smiled. "The forestry farm and Dushi Village are sister units. Why make such a big deal out of it? Secretary Qin will go back and do the work. The small road will remain as it is, and the forestry farm will yield some land for the road construction. That will solve the problem."

Guo Guanghui couldn’t think of any better solution. "Currently, the Yangtze River Natural Forest Protection Project has been launched. We cannot arbitrarily occupy forest land. I will go back and report Town Mayor Su’s proposal to Director Zeng and see if he agrees." Town Mayor Su suggested, "Director Ouyang has a good relationship with Director Zeng and is familiar with the forestry farm’s situation. Consulting his opinion might lead to a better solution."

Guo Guanghui had no choice but to nod in agreement. He left the Qinglin Town government with a gloomy expression. As soon as Guo Guanghui’s jeep drove out of the government compound, Town Mayor Su dialed a number. "Director Ouyang, this is Su Ming."

Qinglin Days