Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Tiger Blocking the Road

  The head of the orchard, Gao Daoming, still had a military-style haircut and his gestures were still marked with a military demeanor. After inviting the three to sit down.

  A few people were chatting there, and Lu Zhengdong also took the initiative to ask about the situation in Gao's military camp, hoping to eliminate the distance between them. However, Gao Daoming seemed unenthusiastic when talking to this young deputy mayor, so Lu Zhengdong didn't say anything else and just stated his purpose.

  。

  Gao Daoming heard that the highway would occupy the land of the orchard and thought for a moment before asking:

  "How much of our orchard will it occupy?"

  Ye Kai's eyes met Gao Dao Ming's as he opened his mouth to ask a question, and hastily replied:

  "The two villages are only about two or three miles apart, and the road passes right along the edge of the orchard, with little impact on it."

  Gao Daoming furrowed his brow slightly and said with some difficulty:

  "It's two or three li of road, and it occupies a lot of space. Occupying so much land, I was new here and rashly agreed, the staff in the orchard will probably have opinions too, and the bureau will probably also have views on me."

  On one side, Lin Dawu heard Gao Daoming's words and helped Ye Kaisheng's tone:

  "These two or three miles of highway do not occupy the entire orchard, only a part of it. The orchard is adjacent to our two villages and has always been on good terms with us. Originally, Director Liu had promised us that Director Gao, being a military man, would also be straightforward. Moreover, once this highway is completed, the transportation of fruits from the orchard near our two villages will become more convenient, as well as the transportation of fertilizers, without having to detour to the other side."

  Donglin Orchard is connected by highway, but the highway is on the other side of the orchard, and there is still a mountain ridge separating it from this side. It would be troublesome to build a road over here. If the highway were to pass through this side, it would indeed be much more convenient. This was also one of the main reasons why Director Liu originally agreed to the two villages' request.

  Gao Daoming saw the two of them talking like this and thought for a moment before saying:

  "Jiang branch book, Lin branch book, the orchard is state-owned property, such a thing I really can't be in charge of. However, repairing the road is indeed a good thing, this matter I'll find an opportunity to report to the bureau and see what attitude they have..."

  Ye Kaisheng and Lin Dawu sang and harmonized for half a day, but Gao Daoming's attitude remained the same. Lin Dawu was more straightforward and saw that Gao Daoming was still unmoved, so he also became somewhat displeased.

  "Director Gao, our Shaling Village and Lingdong Village have always been very supportive of the orchard. Every year, the village propagates to all adults and children in the village that they cannot pick fruit from the orchard, and everyone is still very cooperative. If the villagers find out that the orchard does not allow road construction, some things may become difficult to handle."

  Lin Dawu's words were a bit too straightforward, and Gao Daoming couldn't help but understand what Lin Dawu meant. As a battalion-level cadre in the army, he was used to being obeyed by his subordinates, and now he was being threatened by a village branch secretary, which made him feel a little angry and embarrassed.

  "I know that the village has always been very supportive of the work in the orchard, but the orchard is state-owned. If the bureau issues an order, I will carry it out, I personally cannot make decisions."

  Lu Zhengdong originally also let Ye Kaisheng and Lin Dawu go ahead to explore the road, to see what Gao Daoming meant. It seems that Gao Daoming felt that the village had occupied the land of the orchard, always feeling that the orchard was at a disadvantage, and just took office "lost land", also felt not good in front of leaders, with some discontent in his heart.

  He is also a countryside guy, but he has been in the army for many years and just came back. He doesn't have any work experience outside of the army. He thought that as long as the orchard workers keep an eye out and deal severely with anyone caught stealing fruit, there wouldn't be many villagers daring to come steal from the orchard.

  In fact, if there wasn't cooperation from the village, just relying on the orchard's staff wouldn't be enough to keep an eye on things. If they insisted on doing it their way, they would offend the two local bullies, and those two would turn a blind eye, making it impossible for the orchard to have peace, not to mention blocking the road repair. If the villagers found out, that would be even more infuriating, and there would be no peace at all.

  Lu Zhengdong saw Lin Dawu and Gao Daoming were about to fight, so he stepped forward to mediate.

  "Director Gao, our two villages and the orchard in our township have always been neighbors with a good relationship. We cooperate with each other at work and everyone is relaxed and happy... Let's think this over carefully, we'll definitely come up with a solution. If Director Gao reports to the bureau, our township can also explain the situation, so it will be easier for Director Gao to speak. We can't make things difficult for Director Gao..."

  Lu Zhengdong's words were soft but firm, polite and measured, also subtly pointing out Gao Daoming. Gao Daoming thought for a moment, then took a step back and said:

  "Director Lu, I'll mention this to the bureau first. My kid hasn't been feeling well lately, so I need to head back home for a bit. Old Yang, you stay and keep Director Lu company..."

  Gao Daoming stood up, clasped his fists together and bid farewell, then hastily went out the door.

  Lu Zhengdong and Gao Daoming met for the first time, but before they could discuss anything substantial, Gao stood up, clearly not taking Lu seriously because of his youth and position as deputy village head.

  It was almost noon by the time they finished, and Old Yang saw that Gao Daoming hadn't spoken up, so he didn't dare to take it upon himself to invite the guests to stay for lunch. The three of them politely sent their guests off at the door.

  However, he had been working in the orchard for a long time, and there was no deputy director position in the orchard. He wasn't the deputy director, but he did the work of the deputy director. Knowing that the orchard needed to be peaceful, he had to get along well with the cadres from surrounding villages. So while sending off the three people, he quickly explained to Gao Daoming:

  "Gao Changzhang's young child is ill, and just returned a few days ago. Today, early in the morning, someone was sent to deliver a message from his home, saying that the child is sick, and Gao Changzhang is also very anxious about it. Please, Lu Xiangzhang and others, try to understand."

  On one side, Ye Kaisheng looked familiar with Old Yang and said:

  "Old Yang, you also know that the common people are eagerly waiting for the road to be repaired. Now that everything is ready in the countryside, if the repair of the road falls through, the common people will drown me and Lin Dawu with their saliva. You must talk this over thoroughly with Director Gao, as our relationship has always been good, don't let this small matter cause unpleasantness..."

  Lu Zhengdong also said:

  "Director Gao has something on his plate today, we can understand that too. Nowadays, every family only has one child, and they are all precious... The road repair is ready to go, but it's stuck here. When Director Gao comes back, please also ask Old Yang to do some work with Director Gao."

  Ye Kaisheng and Lin Dawu, familiar with Old Yang, used a mix of flattery and veiled threats to persuade him, while Lu Zhengdong took a more rational approach. All three suspected that Director Gao was making excuses, but they couldn't argue with the reason he gave - his child's illness. They decided to use this opportunity to put some pressure on Old Yang, hoping he would speak up in front of Director Gao and do some work for him, so that next time they came to discuss things, it wouldn't be such a hassle.