Chapter 65: The Road-Building Madman (Part 19)

Chapter 65 The Road-Building Madman (19)

I’m pushing this chapter hard today. Thank you all for your support. Please help spread the word about Xiao Qiao’s new book. I’m deeply grateful.

……………………………………

The buses heading to Shazhou were uniformly large coaches. They were expensive, but they offered the best facilities—and, naturally, the highest fares. Through the glass window, Xiaojia waved vigorously at Duan Ying and Hou Weidong. Although she was waving at both of them, her gaze remained fixed on Hou Weidong.

The bus, like flowing water, had to move on. Hou Weidong watched Xiaojia intently through the glass. This silent woman’s eyes were filled with affection, tinged with a faint sorrow.

Time was merciless. The bus honked twice and finally sped away, kicking up dust. Watching the vehicle gradually disappear, Hou Weidong felt as though a precious treasure deep within his heart had been taken away with it.

Duan Ying stood by, observing the scene with keen interest. She saw their expressions clearly and sighed inwardly: “Why are all the good men taken by others?”

Once the bus had completely vanished from sight, Duan Ying asked with concern, “Hou Weidong, did you get the blueprints?”

Hou Weidong was new to society and, deep down, still quite traditional. Facing Duan Ying, he felt somewhat uneasy. He followed her lead in the conversation. “I got the blueprints. However, we can only start construction smoothly once internal opinions are unified. The three villages were the first to call for the road, but when it comes to actually building it, the village cadres can’t agree. It’s a typical case of loose sand—no cohesion.”

Duan Ying was a precocious girl, with a deeper understanding of human nature than her peers. She comforted him, “When you have a hundred people, you’ll see all kinds of characters. Especially when interests are involved, people reveal their true colors. Building a highway involves a wide range of issues. You need patience.”

Duan Ying was wearing the same red dress she had worn that day. Hou Weidong couldn’t help but glance at her a few times before quickly looking away.

The departing Xiaojia was like a wall, standing coldly between Duan Ying and Hou Weidong. Both felt the atmosphere was somewhat awkward.

For a moment, there was silence.

Duan Ying spoke first. Her tone and demeanor had returned to normal. She asked gently, “Are you going back to Qinglin today?”

Hou Weidong didn’t dare stay in Duan Ying’s dormitory any longer. He nodded quickly. “Yes, I have things to do tomorrow. It’s getting late, so I’ll leave now.”

“If you’re going back, leave early.” Duan Ying didn’t try to keep him. She simply accompanied him to buy his ticket. When the bus disappeared from her sight, she sighed again and left the bus station.

Monday marked the beginning of a new week.

Since graduating, Hou Weidong had faced the pressure of survival directly. National affairs and world events were too vague; he couldn’t manage them even if he wanted to. He could only narrow his focus to practical issues. This was perhaps the inevitable psychological journey for every idealistic graduate.

For Hou Weidong, there was no long-term goal for now. His medium-term goal was to transfer to Shazhou within three years. His short-term goal was to build the road and carve out a bloody path for himself in Qinglin Town.

With this short-term goal, life in Shangqinglin Township didn’t feel so unbearable. He woke up early and ate a bowl of noodles with minced meat sauce at the Yao Family Restaurant on the street. It was his first time eating noodles there, and to his surprise, the taste was excellent. He ate two bowls of minced meat noodles in a row, then wiped his oily mouth and returned to the office.

After brewing green tea, Hou Weidong picked up a broom and started cleaning the office and the meeting room. These spaces were rarely used by others; they were essentially his private domain. As he cleaned, he joked to himself, “Who’s as awesome as me? Just starting work, and I already have a private office and a guest room. That’s even better than the Party Secretary’s office.”

Just as he had finished cleaning and sat down to sip two mouthfuls of clear tea, Mayor Su walked into the courtyard with two strangers.

Mayor Su was short in stature, but his speech was elegant, his thinking clear, and he dared to make decisions. He possessed considerable personal charm. Seeing him enter, Hou Weidong immediately stood up, took out clean teacups, and began preparing tea for the three of them.

Mayor Su introduced them: “This is Hou Weidong. He’s a capable person. You two must cooperate well with his work.”

One of the men clasped his hands in a traditional greeting. “Hou Weidong, I’ve heard great things about you.”

Mayor Su pointed to the man. “This is Ouyang Lin. He graduated from Southwest Agricultural University and works at the Land Resources Office. He’s a staff member of the Road Construction Leading Group Office.”

Ouyang Lin smiled. “Director Hou, please take care of me.”

Hou Weidong hurriedly replied, “Don’t joke with me. I’m a newcomer. I need your help.”

The middle-aged man in his forties beside them laughed. “Director Hou is the Director of the Road Construction Leading Group Office. Ouyang Lin and I are, of course, your subordinates.”

Mayor Su continued the introduction. “This is Zhao Dengyun from the Agricultural Office. He served as a company commander in the army. He has also been seconded to the Road Construction Leading Group Office.”

After a brief exchange, Mayor Su gave instructions. “Director Hou, please call Township Head Gao and all the resident cadres here for a short meeting.”

When Township Head Gao, Li Yong, Zheng Faming, Duan Pangwa, and others arrived in the meeting room, Mayor Su took the seat at the head of the table. “Everyone, please stop talking. We’re having a short meeting today.”

“On Saturday, County Head Ma presided over a large conference, conveying the instructions of Shazhou’s new mayor, Yang Daquan. Mayor Yang pointed out that as a prefecture-level city, Shazhou’s transportation conditions are far from commensurate with its status. 1994 will be the Year of Transportation Construction. The city will oversee the construction of Shazhou’s outer ring road. This ring road will connect Yiyang, Chengjin, Wuhai, and Linjiang into a large circle, forming a ring-shaped transportation structure and realizing ‘One-Hour Shazhou.’”

“In the second half of 1993, the Shazhou government will investigate the current transportation situation across the city and create detailed plans. Construction will officially launch in 1994.”

Mayor Su paused, glanced at Hou Weidong, and continued, “Regarding the Shangqinglin road issue, Town Head Qin specifically reported to County Head Ma. County Head Ma was very interested, emphasizing that this is a great benefit for seven thousand people and also a major project for developing Qinglin Mountain. He required Qinglin Town to treat the Shangqinglin road as a top priority. Yesterday afternoon, the town held a joint party and government meeting to study the construction of the Shangqinglin road.”

“Road construction must strictly follow the blueprints. The route will go up the mountain from Dushi Village, then to Jianshan Village, pass through the town center, then to Wangri Village, and finally connect downward to the road in Xiaqinglin, forming a loop.”

The resident cadres became excited upon hearing this plan. If the road were built as a loop, the conflict between Dushi Village and Wangri Village would no longer exist.

Township Head Gao spoke up from the side. “This route involves too much engineering work. Will the town provide funding? If the town doesn’t pay, it will be difficult to manage.”

“The town has already submitted a report to the county government requesting partial financial support. However, the Shangqinglin road can only be classified as a township road. Whether the county will provide funds is still unknown. The town will allocate some funds next year, continuing the method of ‘subsidies in lieu of rewards’ to support road construction.”

Mayor Su emphasized, “Road construction mainly relies on the people of Shangqinglin. We need to raise some capital, mobilize accumulated labor days and voluntary labor, and strive to lay the road foundation as soon as possible. Tomorrow, Town Head Qin will come up to hold a three-level cadre meeting for the town, villages, and communities in the Shangqinglin area. This will be a mobilization meeting for road construction, explaining policies and unifying thoughts.”

After the short meeting, Mayor Su led Hou Weidong, Ouyang Lin, and Zhao Dengyun to Dushi Village. They had lunch at Qin Dajiang’s home, then headed down the mountain along the designed route to inspect the path.

Sweating profusely, the group arrived at the boundary between state-owned forest and collective forest. This was a key section. According to the blueprints, there would be a large curve here. Several people took out the blueprints and began pointing at the terrain, discussing the details.

Qin Dajiang pointed to a mound of earth. “That grave is the ancestral tomb of Old Man Li. Several geomancers have said this place has good feng shui. Old Man Li has two sons and a daughter, all working in the city. His eldest son works at the United Front Work Department in Shazhou City, his younger son at the Linjiang County Government, and his daughter teaches at Shazhou Middle School. Old Man Li has previously made it clear: road construction is not allowed to disturb his family’s ancestral tomb.”

Hou Weidong lacked experience in grassroots work and life. Although he knew the status of ancestral tombs in people’s hearts, he had no personal experience and didn’t pay it much attention. Mayor Su, however, stood before several stone tablets, looking at the neatly cleaned large mound, and said, “This matter is indeed quite tricky.”

“Don’t even think about building a road here!” A roar sounded in Hou Weidong’s ear, causing a slight pain.

“This is our Li family’s ancestral tomb. Whoever dares to dig it, I will fight them to the death.” A thin old man, with his trouser legs rolled up to his knees, stood with hands on hips, looking fierce.

“Old Li, look at this terrain. That side is a slope of stone mountains. If we don’t curve here, we simply can’t go up the mountain.”

What Qin Dajiang pointed to was indeed the large curve in the design. The area of the curve was a messy pile of grass and some grave mounds. Hou Weidong was secretly surprised, thinking, “What does this random graveyard have to do with this old man?”

Old Man Li shook his head like a rattle drum. “This is our Li family’s ancestral tomb. No matter what, you cannot dig up our tomb. Qinglin Mountain is so big; can’t you choose another place?”

Mayor Su explained, “This route was surveyed by the Transportation Bureau. It has the lowest construction difficulty and the shortest distance. Old Li, building a highway is a good thing for the country and the people. You should support it.”

Qin Dajiang introduced him from the side. “This is Mayor Su from the town.”

Old Man Li stubbornly replied, “I don’t care who the mayor is. Even if the county head or city mayor comes, they cannot touch my family’s ancestral tomb.”