The New Logging Camp was completed on August 24th. Today was September 5th. In just thirteen days, three vicious brawls had erupted at the new camp.
The first two times, loggers beat up the inspectors. This time, an inspector beat up the production farm director.
There’s a saying that a distant magistrate is no match for the official on the spot, yet every time, it was the official on the spot who got beaten.
An outsider hearing about it would never believe it.
When the four inspectors had been beaten before, the inspection team had put up with it. Today, when Dou Baoguo was beaten, he also gritted his teeth and put up with it.
These days, workers didn’t have the status they did ten or twenty years ago, but this time, Dou Baoguo was the one in the wrong.
In the month since he took office, Dou Baoguo had been trying to pin a heavy accusation on someone: "sabotaging construction efforts in support of the Divine Land."
Now, that very accusation had been turned back on him and his cousin Zhao Qingzhu, and he couldn’t withstand it.
Zhao Qingzhu was just a contractor for the Forest Farm, but Dou Baoguo’s personnel file had already been transferred over. A comeback for him would be difficult now.
But at this moment, even with blood streaming from his nose, Dou Baoguo hadn’t lost his wits. On the contrary, he made the only correct decision he had made in the last two days.
That was: of the Thirty-Six Strategies, the best is to retreat.
"Ah! My nose is bleeding!" Dou Baoguo yelled, grabbing Zhao Qingzhu who was holding him up. "Quick, get me to a shack so I can wash up!"
In those days, there wasn’t even any toilet paper in the mountains. When you got a bloody nose, all you could do was wash it with clean water, tilt your head back, and wait for the bleeding to stop.
So, Dou Baoguo tilted his chin up slightly and urged Zhao Qingzhu to help him make a run for it.
But just then, Zhou Chunming—who hadn’t said a single word since arriving at the Logging Camp and getting out of the car—spoke.
"Stop!" Zhou Chunming stepped forward, blocking the way for Dou Baoguo and Zhao Qingzhu.
Blood streamed down from Dou Baoguo’s nose, staining his lips, his chin, and the collar of his shirt.
Seeing Zhou Chunming block his path, a chill went down Dou Baoguo’s spine. He cried out, "Secretary Zhou, that young technician just assaulted someone! Aren’t you going to do anything about it?"
Zhou Chunming stared coldly at Dou Baoguo and shot back, "Dou Baoguo, is that all you have to say to me?"
"I..." As soon as Dou Baoguo heard Zhou Chunming drop his title of Farm Director, he knew the secretary was planning to finish him for good. But he also knew it had always been a case of winner-takes-all.
So, with nothing left to lose, Dou Baoguo responded bluntly, "Secretary Zhou, what is it you want me to say?"
Zhou Chunming raised a hand and pointed to a spot not far off, where twenty-nine loggers stood, completely at a loss.
Their strike today was supposed to be the masterstroke in Dou Baoguo’s elaborate plan to have Zhao Jun fired. He never expected the blow to rebound entirely onto him.
Zhou Chunming’s voice boomed. "In the name of expanding production and supporting the Divine Land’s development, you built roads and the New Logging Camp. Everyone at the Forest Farm, from top to bottom, supported you. And what was the result? You brought in your own relatives, then stood by while they assaulted our employees and sabotaged production! Don’t you think you owe the farm an explanation?"
Zhou Chunming’s words struck him like a physical blow. Dou Baoguo’s face went pale, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
Seeing Dou Baoguo’s trembling lips and his silence, Zhou Chunming continued, "There will be a meeting at two o’clock this afternoon in the first-floor conference room. You will speak at the meeting and deliver a thorough self-criticism!"
Dou Baoguo didn’t nod or verbally agree. Looking utterly dejected, he allowed Zhao Qingzhu and Niu Guoliang to help him away toward a shack.
Now, the loggers under Zhao Qingzhu’s command began to panic. They had gone on strike because they trusted Zhao Qingzhu—or more accurately, they trusted Dou Baoguo, the man backing him.
But now? Everyone could see that Dou Baoguo was done for. So, the loggers couldn’t help but start worrying about their own jobs.
But even their Leader was just a contractor hired by the Forest Farm. The fate of these loggers was of no concern to the farm’s management.
Meanwhile, Zhou Chunming simply told Zhao Jun, Zhang Xuefeng, and Song Tiemin to "keep up the good work," then turned and walked toward the jeep.
Seeing this, the driver hurried to the vehicle’s door and opened it for Zhou Chunming.
The driver had helped Dou Baoguo up earlier. The first time was an attempt to curry favor with a leader; the second was pure reflex. But after Zhao Jun’s punch made blood gush from Dou Baoguo’s nose, the driver knew it was time to keep his distance.
Seeing that Zhou Chunming was leaving, Xu Baoshan’s lips curved into a slight smirk. He shot Zhao Jun a look and raised an eyebrow, then followed after the secretary.
Zhao Jun, Zhang Xuefeng, and Song Tiemin went to the car to see the two leaders off. Through the open window, Zhao Jun leaned in and whispered a few words in Zhou Chunming’s ear.
Zhou Chunming seemed surprised for a second, then nodded at Zhao Jun. He told the driver, "Let’s go," and the jeep started up and sped away, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Watching the jeep head straight for the Logging Camp’s main gate, Zhang Xuefeng suddenly turned to Zhao Jun. "Huh? Secretary Zhou and our team leader left in the jeep. What’s that Dou guy going to do?"
"Who cares about him?" Zhao Jun laughed, then turned and pointed at a large, flared basswood log. "Hey, I need a couple of guys for Gui Ling! Toss this onto the Log Pile! It’s in the way!"
With that, Zhao Jun pulled out his ledger, flipped to Niu Guoliang’s page by its number, and jotted down "4.56".
In the jeep, Zhou Chunming said to the driver, "Zhang, please stop at the main gate."
"Yes, sir! Understood, Secretary Zhou," the driver responded. He thought to himself, ’Secretary Zhou is such a good man. Even after all this, he still remembers to give Farm Director Dou a ride.’
When the jeep stopped at the main gate, Elder Yang happened to be coming out of a shack. The old man was bold enough to walk right up to the window, cupping his hands to peer inside.
Seeing it was Elder Yang, Zhou Chunming, who was sitting inside, rolled down the window and called out a greeting, "Brother!"