Village houses, Gansu, China (Photo: M. Griffiths )
Read Under Development - (Part 1) Frustration here.
Read Under Development - (Part 2) Distraction here.
Read Under Development - (Part 3) Elation here.
Under Development
(Part 4)
Deflation
After
Justin’s initial village meeting and lunch in town with the mayor he spent the
next two days visiting the other project villages. In each one he met the local
representatives and tried to get a handle on the local resources and
capabilities. Several had machinery and other local enterprises and expertise
that could be useful. Processing more of the crops without the villages being
forced to borrow large sums of money for equipment seemed sensible, if it was
possible. He’d heard of a horticultural project down south where a big upfront
investment with borrowed money had turned sour and left the local community
deep in debt. In the early afternoon after he last of the visits they returned to
Zhao Rusheng’s house and got out of the landrover.
Zhao
and his sister came out and welcomed them back. “Did you have a good trip?”
Zhao Rusheng asked.
“Yes.”
Very good thank you. Very interesting.”
Zhao
nodded. “Very good.”
Justin
nodded in the direction of Zhao Shuhui as she stepped inside. “I didn’t see
many single young women in the villages. I’m surprised your sister is not
married. I’m sure many men would be after her.”
Zhao
Rusheng shook his head and grinned. “She says she doesn’t like any of the men
in the local villages. She is very picky! She was smart in school but our
family did not have enough money to send her to university. I feel guilty about
that. She is smarter than me I think.”
“What
about you? You are not married either?”
“No.
No suitable woman left in the village. I had girlfriend at university but we
broke up in my final year. She did not want to come back to the village.” He
shrugged.
“Why
did you come back?”
“My
parents are old now and I wanted to be close to help them. I thought probably
my sister would marry someone from another village and go away.” He shruggedagain.
“And I like farming as well as teaching.”
“You
have nice place here.”
“You
are very kind but I think it can be better. You are very welcome to stay with
us Mr Justin and see more of the countryside.”
“I’d
like that, and it might be useful for the project.”
Justin
looked up and saw Zhao Shuhui standing on the doorstep watching them. She came out
and whispered rapidly in Chinese to her brother.
Zhao
Rusheng translated. “She says she would like to show you around the village,
ok?”
“Sure.
Thank you”
Zhao
Shuhui smiled and spoke to Justin in Chinese,. “Za men zou ba.” Let’s go. They walked down the main street, and
Zhao Shuhui and showed him around the village pointing out the water spring and
the pipes that conveyed it to taps around the village. She spoke slowly to him
in Chinese and he responded as best he could. She laughed loudly when he tried
to make a joke. Justin laughed too, her enthusiasm was infectious. She asked
about his work and the project. He replied that he liked China and that he was
just trying to help a little.
“Ni shi hao ren.” You are a good man. “I
hope you will like our village and help us make it better.”
“I’ll
do my best.”
She
showed him the vegetable gardens and crop fields outside the village, some marching
in terraces up into the eroding hills. They passed by some Chinese style
greenhouses with their solid brick walls on the north side to absorb heat. Some
were open and being used for summer crops while others looked abandoned.
“Why
are they not used?” he asked her.
She
shrugged. “There are not enough people now. Many go to the city to work.”
“What
about you? Do you want to go to the city? Perhaps you can meet a nice man
there?”
She
blushed and looked away. “Maybe.”
As
they returned to the house she asked him if he liked Chinese food.
“Yes,
very much.” He said.
“Good.
If you stay with us and I will cook some special dishes for you.”
Justin
decided that he would ring the Ministry of Forestry in Lanzhou. After several
false starts and some assistance from Lily he got hold of an official who spoke
English and talked about the tree species issue. The man said he would get some
information on growing local species and their planting survival rates and
email them through. Lily listened to him talking.
When
he hung up Justin turned to her. “I’d like to talk with Mr Liu about the county
economic development policies.”
Lily
nodded. “I think it is better talk to the mayor and his deputy. They can give all
the information you need about the project.”
“No.
I want to talk to Mr Liu, without the others, and without the…politics. I think
he might be more receptive”
Lily
frowned but said nothing.
Zhao
returned from some work in the family’s fields. Justin moved over to stand
beside him. “I’m thinking I would like to take you up on your offer and stay
for the weekend and look around some more. My head office needs the report very
soon so there is no time to lose.”
“We
would be very happy to have you as our guest here Mr Justin” said Zhao Rusheng.
Justin
smiled. “Thank you Zhao. You are very kind.”
Lily
shook her head. She motioned him outside. Zhao Shuhui glanced up at them briefly
from nearby as she washed a bowl at a tap. Her hair was tied up in an tidy bun.
“Mr Justin, the town is much more comfortable. I can show you around and you
can enjoy some entertainment. You should spend some time to relaxing, you have
been working very hard.” She placed her hand very lightly on his arm. “Also, the
mayor said he will invite you to dinner. He would be very disappointed if you
turn down his hospitality. It is very important to keep the mayor happy for the
project to be successful.” she finished emphatically.
Justin
pursed his lips. “I appreciate your advice. But I think it would be helpful to
spend more time here getting to know the area. I don’t want to miss something
important because I didn’t do my homework, and the deadline is very soon. Zhao can
translate for me if I need it. You can have a break. You deserve it. You have
worked very hard the last few days.”
She
glanced briefly at Zhao Shuhui. “Mr Justin. You really don’t want to stay here.
Country people are…not so cultured and their houses are not clean.”
Her
distaste was etched in the creases that formed on her forehead.
She
touched his arm again. “You can have nice weekend in the town, ok? I make sure of
it.”
“I’ll
think about it.” He gaze wandered to Zhao Shuhui as she completed her washing
and returned to the house.
He
walked back over to Zhao Rusheng. “Miss Wang is not so keen. I’ll try and
convince her later.”
Zhao
Shuhui followed them inside and made tea and produced a variety snacks from the
cupboards. Her mother looked on approvingly. Justin thanked them both in Chinese
and Zhao Shuhui smiled at him.
Lily
pursed her lips. “Mr Justin I think we should go back soon. We can finish the
reports before dinner in the county office.”
Justin
shook his head. “I don’t think I’m quite ready for that yet.” He sipped his tea
and thought about the project. Something
didn’t feel right. If nothing else, the people in the villages deserved his
best effort. And he didn’t like being railroaded.
When
they finished the tea Justin asked Zhao if he could visit another of the
forestry sites. He wanted to see some natural forest, or as natural as they
could find, to see what it was like, and what tree species were growing.
Just
then Lily clutched her stomach.
“Are
you ok” Justin asked.
“My
stomach is very painful.”
“What’s
wrong?”
“I
don’t know.”
Justin
looked around. No one else was showing any signs of discomfort. He wondered
what to do. He frowned. “Are you ok to travel?”
She
nodded. “I think so.”
Justin
looked at Zhao Rusheng. “Please get the driver. I think she should go to a
doctor in the town straight away.”
“Yes.
Of course.” Zhao got up and tracked down the driver smoking a cigarette and
sipping tea from his thermos a little way down the road.
Justin
helped her into the front passenger seat and shut the door carefully. The
driver revved the engine. Justin waved as the car drove out of the village. “I
hope she’s ok. I’m not sure what I’d do without her to help.”
Zhao
Shuhui interrupted. “She will be ok in two or one days.”
Justin’s
eyebrows jumped. “Oh. You speak English!”
“Yes. But not so good
as my big brother.” She looked Justin in the eye without blinking. “She not nice.
She say we are not clean. And she use her telephone tell the mayor everything
you do.” Then she smiled with satisfaction. “I put medicine in her tea.”
********
Read Under Development - (Part 1) Frustration here.
Read Under Development - (Part 2) Distraction here.
Read Under Development - (Part 3) Elation here.
Read Under Development - (Part 5) Complication, here.
********
ANNOUNCEMENT: Founders House Publishing have just released the anthology:
After Oil 2: The Years of Crisis
The anthology includes my story Promised Land. Part of my North Queensland Trilogy.
"Founders House is happy to announce that the latest collection of science fiction stories in the ongoing After Oil series is available.
After Oil 2: The Years of Crisis - Edited by John Michael Greer
John Michael Greer, author and host of the popular weekly peak-oil blog, The Archdruid Report, returns with another collection of twelve tales of the post-oil future. As Industrial civilization staggers beneath its myriad disfunctions, ordinary people endure the long, slow decline that shapes the years of crisis. The old world passes away an a new age takes shape."
The anthology is available now in various formats from Founders House Publishing.
The first anthology: After Oil: SF Visions of a Post-Petroleum World, is available from the publishers, Amazon (Amazon) or, in Australia, from Fishpond (Fishpond).
MORE STORIES....
The Nature of Love - A couple in love enjoy a day out in nature but something is amiss...
The Nature of Love - A couple in love enjoy a day out in nature but something is amiss...
My Crazy China Trip - (Humour) A novice traveller gets more than he bargains for during 15 days in China. (10 Parts)
Love at First Flight - A foreign teacher arrives in China and falls in love with a local, but the path of true love is anything but smooth. (5 parts)
Trial by Fire - When a woman in Tibet self-immolates two witnesses face a dangerous dilemma. (4 parts)
Arrested Development - A development consultant in China finds life getting out of control. [Rated R] SHORTLISTED for the Lord Grimdark Award. See the list here.
Beijing Private Eyes - Drama, Romance, Karaoke, Kidnap! A foreign teacher in Beijing meets an attractive stranger and offers to help, then things get complicated. (A long story in 8 parts)
Tell him he's dreaming - An engineer has an environmental epiphany but things don't work out as planned. GAINED 5th PLACE in the New Zealand Writers College Short Story competition. See the list of finalists here.
Entries in the post-industrial / peak oil short story competition:
My story 'Promised Land' has been selected for the anthology "After Oil 2: The Years of Crisis". You can read the other entries here.
A previous set of stories was published in 2012 in a book entitled After Oil: SF Visions of a Post-Petroleum World, available from Amazon (Amazon) or in Australia from Fishpond (Fishpond).
Stories set in China:
Winds of Change – In 2022 a migrant worker struggles to realise his dreams and fulfil his family obligations.
Outside In – It's 2050, the country and economy have changed. A recycler studies for an exam to improve his prospects, and an indentured servant plans her escape.
Seeds of Time – (Sequel to Outside In). In 2055 rural China prospers again after a period of dramatic changes, then things are complicated by a strange visitor and a hidden object.
Stories set in Australia: A North Queensland Trilogy
Robots on Mars – 2025. A space-mad city boy adjusts to life in the country and tries to solve a mystery. (Note: no actual robots or Martians involved)
Promised Land – (Sequel to Robots on Mars). It’s 2050 and development threatens the rural district. Is it what they really need and if not, how can they stop it?
Heart of Glass - (Sequel to Promised Land). The year is 2099, high school graduates prepare to step into adulthood and the community prepares to celebrate the turn of a new century.
Tell me what you think. Constructive comments welcome.
If you like the story share with it with your friends.
If you like the story share with it with your friends.
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