PCJ – Chapter 634 Competing for Supremacy

“Secretary Yang, hang in there. Once we get to the hospital, I’ll prescribe you some painkillers,” said Hu Yisuo.

“It doesn’t hurt,” replied Yang Yongqiang. Had Hu Yisuo not said anything, Yang wouldn’t have even realized it—somehow, he no longer felt any pain in his injured leg.

“That’s odd,” Hu Yisuo said, puzzled.

To test it, he pinched Yang Yongqiang’s toe. Worried Yang might not feel anything, he pinched a bit harder.

“Ouch! Why are you pinching so hard?” Yang instinctively pulled his foot back, which tugged at the injured part.

“I told you not to move your leg! If you end up with a permanent disability, don’t blame me,” Zhang Jiaohua said casually.

“What’s going on here?” Hu Yisuo was even more confused. “Secretary Yang, are you really not in pain?”

“Would I not know if I were in pain or not? Don’t touch it! If I end up disabled, I’ll hold you responsible!” Yang Yongqiang was frightened by Zhang Jiaohua’s warning, his heart thudding nervously.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to,” Hu Yisuo apologized quickly. Yang’s condition had really caught him off guard. The town clinic didn’t have any doctors this skilled—he hadn’t even seen this level of expertise back in the city’s People’s Hospital during his medical school days.

Zhu Qingdong quickly said, “Hurry, let’s get Secretary Yang to the hospital. We can’t delay treatment. Secretary Yang, don’t worry about a thing—I’ll lead the entire town’s cadres to carry out the saline-alkali land remediation project in Yingpan Village. We’ll make sure to greet your discharge with a successful outcome.”

Zhu Qingdong was actually hoping Yang Yongqiang’s injury would worsen, so he wouldn’t come back. That way, Zhu could climb the ranks faster and use the Yingpan Village project to gain maximum political advantage.

Yang Yongqiang’s expression darkened. It was hard to tell whether it was from the pain of the injury or from sheer anger at Zhu Qingdong.

“Thank you for your concern, Deputy Zhu,” Yang said through gritted teeth, pronouncing Zhu (“祝”) so that it sounded more like “Pig” (“猪”). He spoke each word with emphasis, as if he wished his words were bullets to riddle Zhu full of holes.

Zhu Qingdong, in a good mood, didn’t mind the mispronunciation. He waved to the others, “What are you all standing around for? Help get Secretary Yang onto the ambulance! If his condition worsens, who’s going to take responsibility?”

Zhang Jiaohua was enjoying the drama. These people were fighting over power like it was honey, and who knew if any of them would actually end up with anything in the end.

“Xiao Zhang, I didn’t expect you to be this capable. What was that trick you used when you gave Secretary Yang water?” Zhu Qingdong asked.

Without hesitation, Zhang Jiaohua replied, “It’s just psychological suggestion. It makes the patient believe the water has pain-relieving effects.”

“I see. I thought he really wasn’t in pain. You’ve got guts, treating a fracture like that on the spot. Are you sure there won’t be any lasting damage?” Zhu was fishing for information about Yang Yongqiang’s condition.

“No, it’s not too bad. Though the bone is broken, the nerves don’t seem to be severely damaged. As long as the nerves and blood vessels are mostly intact, recovery can be quick. In the best case, he could be better in a week or two. But it could also take a few months—or even up to a year—depending on the individual,” Zhang Jiaohua explained.

Zhu Qingdong nodded. “I see.” He actually felt disappointed—he wished the injury had been worse.

“Comrades,” Zhu announced, “even though Secretary Yang is injured, we must continue to focus on solving the saline-alkali issue in Yingpan Village. This is our town’s top priority. No one should think they can slack off just because Secretary Yang is out sick.”

On the way back, Gu Baishui said to Zhang Jiaohua with a trace of bitterness, “Xiao Zhang, next time something like this comes up, talk to me first. I looked so passive today. Such a major event happened in our village, and I only found out after the fact. What are others going to think of me? What will the higher-ups think?”

“Secretary Gu, didn’t I tell you? It was a last-minute idea to report it to Deputy Zhu. I didn’t expect him to act so quickly. These past few days, I’ve been going up into the mountains daily to fully understand the situation. Didn’t I mention to you a few days ago that I was going to check the mountain water source? You said it would be a waste of time,” Zhang countered, using Gu Baishui’s own words against him.

Gu Baishui had no response. Even if Zhang had told him in advance, he probably would have objected anyway.

Though he didn’t say anything further, Zhang could tell that Gu Baishui was harboring resentment—perhaps thinking Zhang looked down on him as a mere peasant village secretary.

Zhang Jiaohua didn’t care about Gu’s attitude. As long as his own conscience was clear, that was enough.

Zhang walked Gu Baishui home, but Gu Baishui didn’t invite him to stay for a meal. Not long after Zhang Jiaohua left, he could hear Gu Baishui angrily shouting inside his house: “These city folks and us country people just can’t get along. We’ve treated Zhang Jiaohua with genuine kindness, and what does he do? Stabs me in the back!”

His wife, Liang Meihua, quickly asked, “What happened? What did that Cadre Zhang do?”

“Ever since he came to our Yingpan Village, we’ve treated him well, haven’t we? But he cooked up this saline-alkali remediation plan and didn’t even consult me—he went straight to Deputy Zhu! If he’d come through me, I would’ve reported it to Secretary Yang. Secretary Yang is the top dog. And today, he got so angry he broke his leg! I’m worried he’ll take it out on our village later,” Gu explained.

“What’s the big deal? Do you even understand that remediation plan?” Liang Meihua asked.

Gu shook his head. “Even if I don’t understand it, he should have told me. He shouldn’t have gone straight to the town office without telling me.”

“I’m telling you—you wouldn’t have supported it even if he had. He might as well go directly to the deputy. Why are you so worked up? If the remediation works, our whole village benefits. Our family benefits too. And if it fails, what does it have to do with you? The plan came from Zhang Jiaohua, approved by the county, supervised by the town. If something goes wrong, they’re the ones who’ll be held accountable. You’re just a farmer—why fight over this?” Liang Meihua had a much clearer view than her husband.

“I know that… it’s just… I feel bad about it,” Gu muttered.

News about the saline-alkali remediation spread quickly throughout Yingpan Village. Grandpa Gu Quangui immediately rushed to the old schoolhouse to confirm the news with Zhang Jiaohua.

“Cadre Zhang, is it true that our village’s small reservoir will be remediated? Can it really be done?” asked Gu Yongyi.

“The chances of success are very high,” Zhang Jiaohua answered confidently.