Road to Revival

Chapter 95 Zhou Hongyou's Treat

Zhou Hongyou, who was temporarily in charge of environmental protection, immediately learned the general situation of Lu Yaozu's inspection of Hongxing. He was even more confused than Ping Yiquan, who was startled. Lu Yaozu was clearly backing Tao Tang. A matter that should have been handled by the government had alarmed the municipal party secretary, who had only been in office for two days. What exactly was the relationship between Lu Yaozu and Tao Tang?

Because Vice Mayor Wu, who was in charge of safety and environmental protection, was undergoing a minor surgery, Shangguan Hong asked him to temporarily take charge of environmental protection. Ping Yiquan had reported to him according to procedure when issuing the production stoppage order to Hongxing, and he agreed because he wanted to "punish" Taotang, but he still didn't want to go too far. He instructed the Environmental Protection Bureau to only shut down the surface treatment line and not to issue a complete production stoppage and rectification order.

He wasn't sure if Tao Tang was oblivious or simply unaware, but he suspected Tao Tang didn't take him seriously at all. Tao Tang hadn't contacted him, and he assumed Tao Tang would. To his surprise, Tao Tang had managed to get through to Secretary Lu. Judging from Ping Yiquan's expression, Lu Yaozu's attitude was obvious. Environmental protection was certainly important, but economic growth and stability were even more crucial. Lu Yaozu could find a hundred reasons to overturn his decision, if the other party was willing.

He never expected that such a trivial matter would put him on the opposite side of Lu Yaozu. What unsettled him most was that Lu Yaozu was completely unpredictable, bypassing the municipal government to handle the matter directly and utterly ignoring his existence.

After Ai Weihua and Ping Yiquan left, Zhou Hongyou fell into deep thought.

Lu Yaozu's sudden arrival in Pingquan shattered the dreams of a large group of people, including Zhou Hongyou.

Yes, compared to his former classmates and colleagues, Zhou Hongyou's career has been relatively smooth. He got on the bus and had a seat, so he could calmly enjoy the fleeting scenery... As far as his age is concerned, he can wait, wait to change to a more comfortable seat... Of course, the premise is that you can't get off the bus, because if you get off, you'll have nothing left.

But the number of people being unexpectedly forced off the bus is increasing. Just yesterday, he received news that a colleague who had been promoted to a provincial-level official less than a year ago had been "removed." The official website hasn't announced it yet, but it'll probably be announced tonight…

Of course, the mistakes need to be corrected now. But Zhou Hongyou can't go to the municipal party committee to admit his mistakes; that would be too simplistic and wouldn't be effective.

The one who tied the knot must untie it. It seems the solution lies with Tao Tang...

Today is the 15th, Wednesday. It's been a long time since the weekend started, but after much consideration, Zhou Hongyou decided to wait until Saturday afternoon before calling Tao Tang.

"Old classmate, are you at the factory?" Zhou Hongyou heard the roar of the machines and thought to himself, this guy is in the workshop.

“Of course,” Tao Tang said, walking to the workshop door. “Where else can I go?”

"Work and rest must be balanced. I can hear the machines running; you must be giving a lecture down there. Haha, come over to my place tonight; I made hot pot myself, try my cooking. No, no, don't say you won't come. If you don't come, I'll come pick you up from Hongxing."

"Okay. Give me an address."

"I'll send it to your phone so you don't forget it."

"Okay, see you tonight." Tao Tang hung up the phone. Then he saw his nephew, Tao Youdao. "Hmm?"

Seeing that no one was around, Tao Youdao said, "Second Uncle, I went there this morning, but they absolutely refused to accept it..." He was referring to the renovation payment.

"Is that all you've got? Figure it out yourself! Otherwise, I'll take that house back and deal with it myself," Tao Tang said coldly.

"Yes, I'll go talk to them again..."

"First, you need to understand the prices, including the going rate for labor. Don't be afraid of the trouble, and don't try to get a bargain. Then sign a formal contract with them, clearly stating the price, the construction period, and the rights and obligations of both parties. Have someone knowledgeable review it before signing. If it exceeds the budget, negotiate it down. A lump sum of 30, including necessary appliances and furniture... It's not about how much money is involved; I think 30 is more than enough. Even if your parents contribute more, you shouldn't accept it." Seeing his nephew's fearful and uneasy expression, Tao Tang softened his tone. "Youdao, this is for your own good, and also for my own good, but mainly for your own good. Society is complex; there's never a free lunch. You must remember to be a law-abiding person. Even if you lose at the starting line, you will definitely win at the finish line."

"I understand, I'll be right there."

After giving his nephew 30 yuan for renovations, Tao Tang never inquired about the Golden Olive House project again. Two days ago, he ran into his nephew at the workshop and learned that the renovation team sent by Tang Yikun had taken over the project. His nephew hadn't paid a single penny, nor had he discussed the price. The team claimed that someone else had covered the renovation costs, provided several renovation plans for him to choose from, and then started work. The flooring was almost finished, and they were currently tiling the walls. Tao Tang was furious and scolded his nephew, ordering him to make amends for his mistake.

At 6:30 p.m., Tao Tang took a taxi to Zhou Hongyou’s house on Fuxing Road. It was a two-story villa with old walls covered with ivy, but the yard was very spacious and could easily accommodate three cars.

"The yard is quite big," Tao Tang said to Zhou Hongyou, who came out to greet him.

"These villas were all built in the 1990s. They're very close to my workplace. It's only a ten-minute walk from the side gate of the city government building to my office. I just wanted something convenient. Come on in."

Tao Tang was surprised to find that Zhou Hongyou's home was simpler than he had imagined, even somewhat shabby. The large living room was empty, with only a set of old-fashioned fabric sofas. The style of the decoration was very outdated, and the lampshades of the chandeliers were yellowed. Only the large-screen LCD TV looked relatively new.

"It's a luxury house, isn't it?" Tao Tang handed the bag in his hand to Zhou Hongyou.

"Hey, what gift did you bring when you came here? The house belongs to the city government, so I'll just pay a token amount of rent." Zhou Hongyou saw through Tao Tang's thoughts. "Most of the leaders have moved out. I was assigned here when I was transferred, and I haven't moved since. I have a house in Beiyang, and I don't want to buy another one... People like us aren't really suited to buying property. One transfer order and we're out of there, why bother? Actually, I can't afford it either. In terms of salary, I can't compare to you. Come on, let's go upstairs and take a look. I'll satisfy your curiosity and let you admire my collection."

After tossing his gifts on the coffee table and changing his shoes, Tao Tang followed Zhou Hongyou upstairs to the second floor. The corridor was cramped, with four or five bedrooms; the layout was indeed old. Zhou Hongyou led Tao Tang into a large room on the shady side, about 30 square meters in size. "This is my study and collection room. I removed a partition wall and combined the two rooms..."

Tao Tang looked around the room. "Oh, I didn't expect you to like these..." Besides the bookshelves, an entire wall was made into storage shelves, filled with collectibles. It was a chaotic mess, with porcelain, inkstones, and cold weapons crammed together, and even an old-fashioned clock and a tube radio.

"These are all cheap trinkets I found. The most expensive one is this. It cost me four thousand silver dollars ten years ago, and my wife complained about it for at least a week," Zhou Hongyou carefully picked up the antique inkstone. "It's supposedly a Duan inkstone. I had an expert examine it, and it's definitely from the Song Dynasty. It's a pity that a corner is chipped off, otherwise it would be worth some money..."

"Your collection is quite diverse," Tao Tang said, admiring the old objects with great interest.

"I like nostalgia. You can always find some good things at the antique market in the Cultural Palace... Like this radio, it's in pretty good condition, it's just a pity that the vacuum tubes can't be replaced, otherwise it would still work. Sometimes I wonder, who was its original owner? Why did they abandon it? It's quite interesting to think about these things, isn't it?"

"My family used to have one, but it didn't seem as high-end as this one. It broke when I was a child, and my grandma couldn't bear to throw it away. Now I don't know where it is... It's really nice..." Tao Tang stroked the dignified and elegant radio with its purplish-red wooden surface. "In the 1950s and 60s, this thing must have been a valuable item. It's probably older than us."

"That's right. I checked it; it's marked on the back. It was produced in 1963, before we even existed."

He saw Tao Tang's gaze fall on the calligraphy and paintings on the wall. "It's just graffiti. I'm afraid people will laugh at me, so I'm keeping it for my own enjoyment, haha."

It was a work of Liu style regular script calligraphy, transcribed from Liu Yuxi's "Inscription of a Humble Abode".

"Your handwriting is excellent, truly," Tao Tang praised sincerely. "You've put in considerable effort; you must have been practicing for many years, right?"

"That's true. If I'm not traveling for work, I write at least fifty large characters every day."

"Absolutely, it's to prepare for writing inscriptions in the future."

"My wife says the same thing, I hope that day will come. Haha."

"By the way, isn't your wife here?" Although they were classmates, Tao Tang didn't know Zhou Hongyou's wife. Before coming, he considered whether to bring a gift. He was rather clumsy in this regard, and in the end, he only brought two canisters of tea—he figured she probably didn't need any, and the key was that it was presentable and tasteful.

"She's not home, she went back to Beiyang to see her parents... It's not because of you. She goes back every week. Her father has serious kidney disease and needs dialysis. It's just the two of us today. Come on, everything's ready, we've been waiting for you." Zhou Hongyou pulled Tao Tang down to the first-floor dining room. The large dining table was already laden with prepared dishes, the main courses and beef and mutton of excellent quality were arranged on plates. Zhou Hongyou plugged in the hot pot. "Everything's ready. What seasonings do you want?"

"Sesame paste, please." Tao Tang sat down. "Where's the child? I don't even know if it's a boy or a girl. Is he going to school in Beiyang?"

"Daughter. She's in Beiyang. She's in her first year of high school, and her studies are going quite well. Girls are good; daughters are less of a worry than sons, and they'll be filial in the future. What kind of wine do you like? I have a few bottles of good wine here; I see you can hold your liquor pretty well."

"What's the point? I was already a bit tipsy last time. I think we should just have beer instead."

"Beer's too bland, one bottle, all-you-can-drink..." He opened a bottle of Moutai. "Not anymore, there's a document from above, this stuff can only be drunk at home now." He poured Tao Tang a sip, then filled his own glass. "Come on, for friendship."

"For the sake of friendship."

"Tao Tang, maybe it's because I'm getting old. In recent years, I've been thinking a lot about the past and people from the past. Psychology says that's one of the signs of aging. You're doing well; apart from your hair, you're in pretty good shape. You can tell you exercise regularly. I'm not so lucky. Look at my belly..."

"That's because you don't exercise enough. Watch what you eat and move more. You really need to strengthen your exercise routine." Tao Tang picked up a piece of cucumber, dipped it in yellow sauce, and took a bite. "What's with the 'old man' thing? I reckon you're one of the lower-ranking officials in the city."

"Second to last, not counting the newly arrived Secretary Lu. I'm not a sporty person, I can't even drive, even though I have a license. The most exercise I get is walking."

"That won't do. We should at least play some pool." Tao Tang raised his glass. "To you. Why don't you go back to Beiyang with your wife today?"

"I had some official business this morning. Life has been tough for officials since the 18th National Congress. Actually, they rarely rested anyway. We've gotten used to it. The relationship between officials and the masses has been terrible these past few years. In fact, it's not easy for government officials either, but if you say that, it's just being dramatic, and nobody will believe you."

"It's not fair to blame the masses for this. Just like Red Star, they lost two big shots in a row. How can they regain the trust of the people?" Tao Tang knew that Zhou Hongyou must have something important to discuss, probably because Lu Yaozu went to Red Star, but since Zhou Hongyou didn't say anything, he naturally wouldn't bring it up himself.

"Tao Tang, you're not being fair," Zhou Hongyou finally got to the point.

"How am I being unfair?"

"Why didn't you contact me about the Environmental Protection Bureau's issues?"

"How was I supposed to know you were in charge of environmental protection? That Deputy Director Ping was incredibly domineering; he shut down my production line without saying a word. He wouldn't even listen to my explanation. Luckily, Secretary Lu understands the people's needs, otherwise my production this month would have been completely ruined."

"Wasn't it you who went to see Secretary Lu?"

"I had no choice. If we stopped for even one day, two or three million in output value would be lost."

"I heard from them that Secretary Lu and you are quite familiar with each other."

"We do know each other." Tao Tang guessed that Lu Yaozu would never tell his subordinates about his relationship with him. Zhou Hongyou's intentions were clear, but he estimated that with Zhou Hongyou's status, it wouldn't be difficult for him to figure this out. "He and I were college classmates."

"So that's how it is... Lao Tao, you really should have told me. Now Secretary Lu might have a bad impression of me..."

"You really can't blame me. First, I didn't know you were in charge of environmental protection. Second, I really didn't want to bother you with such a trivial matter. Blame the Environmental Protection Bureau, especially that Deputy Director Ping. He's so arrogant. I went to explain, but he completely ignored me. Why else would I bother him? Besides, he just arrived. You feel wronged, but I feel wronged too. Lu Yaozu even blamed me for meddling in private."

"It's time to straighten out our work style... Never mind, by the way, come on, eat some meat," Zhou Hongyou picked up a large chopstick of mutton and threw it into the pot, "This meat is good, it's from a friend who asked a fellow villager to feed it, it's genuine organic food..."

"It's not bad," Tao Tang said, taking a big bite with his chopsticks. "But I'm too picky about food; filling my stomach is enough for me... Come on, let's drink. This wine of yours has been around for a while..."

"Looks like you're a connoisseur of wine," Zhou Hongyou laughed. "You're right, this wine has been sitting here for over fifteen years. Alright, here are two more bottles, take them with you when you leave."

My wife was hospitalized due to illness and just got back from the hospital.

(End of this chapter)