The groundbreaking ceremony for the first road expansion project in Chu

    County’s city was held on January 1st, 1989, at the Hero Road construction site.

    This was a highly valued project as it was the first road expansion in the county, so the county party committee, the county government attached great importance to it. The four sets of team leaders, the organs of the main responsible person were required to attend the commencement ceremony. The county magistrate, Liang Shangjun, presided over the ceremony, and the county party secretary, Liu Chengyin, gave a brief speech, demanding that all relevant departments and construction enterprises work hard for nine months to build a new Hero Road as a gift for the 40th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Secretary Liu also invited the deputy magistrate in charge of urban construction from the city to attend the groundbreaking ceremony and to take the first shovel of soil for the Hero Road expansion project.

    At the groundbreaking ceremony, colourful flags fluttered in the wind while the sound of drums and firecrackers filled the air. Several heavy-duty excavators dressed in red and green drove into the work zone to begin digging. The sound of the drilling rig pounding the concrete road was stridulous, crashed in showers of sparks. The colossal shovel truck rotated its long arm and extended its sharp iron teeth towards the empty houses on the side of the road. A deafening sound of crumbling bricks echoed as the walls collapsed one after another. In no time, what was once a well-preserved residence turned into a pile of construction debris, waiting to be transported by construction workers.

    All of this was carefully arranged by Tan Saihu. He wanted to show Liu Chengyin and the county leaders that the Chushui Downtown Construction and Development Corporation that he led was no worse than the Chu County Construction and Development Corporation before its restructuring. After the restructuring, the company’s strength clearly increased. The few heavy equipment operating at the construction site in front of many leaders was impressive. Standing at the construction site, these leaders clearly felt the vibration brought by the construction machinery under their feet.

    “Mr. Tan, I have arranged the groundbreaking ceremony for you. It’s up to your quality show from now on!” Liu Chengyin, who wore a suit with a red flower and a “VIP” ribbon above the pocket, was beaming as he shook Tan Saihu’s hand. It was clear that Liu was quite satisfied with the scene of his old classmate starting the construction today.

    “Secretary Liu, you have a bold vision. The Heigao Marsh Development hasn’t even been completed yet, and now you’re starting the construction of Heroes Road. It’s another grand project.” The leaders coming to the groundbreaking ceremony took a bow for it.

    “It’s not easy. Though young, Secretary Liu is the leader of an event.”

    “I’m struck with Secretary Liu’s boldness. The expansion of Heroes Road’s like cutting off the esophageal cancer of Chu City.”

    “Yes, yes, once Heroes Road is opened up, commuting won’t be a hassle anymore. Even a palm-sized spot should take the mickey of traffic congestion, learn from big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, it’s a laughingstock.”

    Hero Road recorded a period of unforgettable years in Chu City.

    It was in the autumn of 1945, when the New Fourth Army mobilized eight regiments to attack the Japanese puppet army and the Kuomintang reactionary army. At that time, the Chu city was once favored by Han Deqin the Kuomintang chairman of the Jiangsu provincial government, who moved the provincial government here, and built many permanent fortifications in the city.

    After taking over Chu County, Liu Xiangtu carried out the extensive construction work, building more than 170 forts alone. Those familiar with that period of history in Chu County knew that the forts surrounding the city were circular or disguised as piles. Some were in plain sight, while others were hidden in the dark. Chu County had four gates to the southeast, northwest and southwest, with the walls that were 10 metres high and over 3 metres thick. Each gate had a tower, and there were also hidden forts on the left and right, with three levels of gun holes facing left, centre, and right, able to shoot from any direction. The forts were also connected by the underground tunnels.

    These blockhouses had set at least ten death lines for the New Fourth Army siege troops. In addition, there was a nearly 20-meter-wide moat around the city of Chu, which, in this way, could really be said to be an “impregnable” fortress on the water.

    However, no matter how stubborn the Japanese puppet troops such as Liu Xiangtu and the Kuomintang reactionary forces who were entrenched in the city, or how solid their fortifications were, they could not hinder the resolute determination of our heroic New Fourth Army to liberate the people of Chu City. The soldiers of the New Fourth Army carried the bamboo ladders on their shoulders, holding the long rifles in their hands, dodging the enemy fire from within the bunkers to reach the base of the city walls. They raised the bamboo ladders and climbed up, risking their lives. Some soldiers had just peeked over the city wall when the enemy’s bayonets pierced their throats. Others had just grabbed the edge of the city wall when the enemy’s big swords mercilessly struck down. In less than a day, this Chu County was drenched with blood and countless New Fourth Army soldiers sacrificed their precious lives.

    In the face of such heavy casualties, the New Fourth Army promptly adjusted its strategic deployment and concentrated its superior firepower to launch a new round of attacks on the west of the city. Over a dozen shells flew toward the enemy’s bunkers on the west side of the city. Finally, the bunkers were blown up and a breach was opened in the western city wall. New Fourth Army soldiers poured into the city like a tide, engaging in a desperate fight with the enemy.

    At this moment, two bright red lanterns, emblematic of the victorious siege of the city, were raised high on the city walls, emitting a dazzling red light that inspired us, the brave soldiers of the New Fourth Army, to fight ferociously against the

    enemy.

    After three days and four nights of serious battle, Chu City was finally reclaimed by the people. Although this battle resulted in the death or capture of thousands of enemy soldiers, and the seizure of several weapons and equipment such as mountain guns, anti-aircraft guns, light and heavy machine guns, and so on, it was a great victory; however, this battle also claimed countless precious lives of our soldiers, who became revolutionary martyrs. To commemorate their heroic deeds and ensure that the people of Chu City would never forget these revolutionary heroes, the county committee and government at the time decided to name the main thoroughfare of the city as Hero Road, and erected a monument at the southern end of the road to honour their memory.

    The Hero Road, running north-south, connects the south avenue of the county town to the Hai Chi River in the north, serving as the main urban channel for the people coming and going in Chu Cheng. At the intersection of Hero Road and South Avenue, there was a square-shaped monument over ten meters high, which was quite conspicuous. The monument was inscribed with the powerful characters “Chu Cheng Revolutionary Martyrs Immortal in Blood Battle” that gathered from Chairman Mao’s calligraphy.

    When it came to the Hai Chi River at the northern end of the Hero Road, it was a single-minded love by the people of Chu City. Along the Hai Chi River, the trees were willowy, especially in the early spring when the waters were calm and the reflection of the willow buds was clear. At night, the riverbank was adorned with neon lights, creating a colorful and vibrant urban atmosphere.

    The Circumpolar Stage on the bank of the Haichi River was the favored  gathering place of literati and ink artists throughout the ages. Such a stage, also  known as the Xuanwu Terrace, was first built during the Southern Song Dynasty.  In the early years of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty, to fend off the pirate  invasions, Fu Pei the magistrate opened up the Jade Belt River and diverted the  water into the Haichi River, and then reconstructed and renamed the terrace the  Circumpolar Stage to strengthen the city’s defenses. The name “Circumpolar Stage” was taken from the Analects of Confucius: “Governance by virtue is like the Pole  Star, which remains steadfast in its place while all the other stars revolve around  it.” The “Pole Star” was the “North Star,” from which the name “Arched Pole” was  derived. It was said that Kong Shangren not only wrote the great work The Peach  Blossom Fan here,but many poems about the Circumpolar Stage. There is a poem as  evidence:

    Circumpolar Stage overlooks clear water,

    Picturesque in my eyes across the stream.

    Even the official enjoys fishing on a boat,

    Waterfowls rest on county tower openly.

    Home letters may come every other month,

    Lotus scent turns autumnal after the rain.

    Off Zhongyang, endless waves of the sea,

    Doors-windows shut early for olden days.

    Today’s Circumpolar Stage was covered in lush greenery, with several buildings towering over it. The high altitude and fresh air seemed to exude spiritual energy, juxtaposed with the towering monument at the southern end of Hero Road, reflecting the past and present, which was thought-provoking.

    From Circumpolar Stage, heading south into the main passageway of Hero Road, it was actually a small commodity street. At the head of the street, there were several large red characters painted and hung with “Hero Road Smallware Terrace”, without a signature, it was unknown which scholar ever wrote it. Walking south along the street, you could see numerous storefronts on both sides of the road, which were very attractive. There were shops selling undershirts and underpants, sunglasses, electronic watches, calendars of beauty portraits, oil paintings, cassette recorders, and televisions……Besides the sales, there were also “repairs”: repairing watches, lighters, bicycles, and shaves (or, in other words, grooming services). Of course, locals never called it a “shave”,but a “haircut.”

    Down the hero’s path, after passing “repairs”, we arrived at “eating”: dumplings, set noodles, meat buns, fried dough twists……all authentic local flavours. Looking ahead, these cramped storefronts took their titles such as “Zhang Er Dumplings” and “Lao Wu Boiled Dumplings”, full of provincial airs.

    The most famous among them was undoubted “Suavity Digest Noodle Bistro.” Just hearing the name gave a sense of elegance, clear that the owner of this shop had  years of experience as refined subtilize.

    Interestingly, the fame of “Suavity Digest Noodle Bistro” did not come solely from the “Suavity Digest”, for the neighbors around it all knew that the apprentice, Xiao Li, had exceptional skills. On the stove, there were 10 to 20 bowls lined up, watched over the noodles, and grabbed into the pot once they were ready. Before the noodles into the bowls, he first added the proper amount of meat oil, monosodium glutamate, fine salt, black pepper, garlic, and other seasonings. Then, he poured in half a bowl of cream-coloured bone broth into the bowl in which the noodles are staffed and soaked in the soup.

    When serving the noodles into the bowls, Xiao Li used two special tools: a noodle strainer and a noodle chopstick. He effortlessly moved the long noodle chopsticks back and forth in his hands a few times before the noodles were stowed in the strainer to be spun and then poured into the bowl. He repeated this process for each noodle bowl until they were all filled with precisely two liang of noodles. Customers compared the portion sizes, finding that they were nearly identical. The noodle bowls were topped with the vibrant green garlic sprouts, floating irresistibly atop the creamy bone brot. Such noodles had their right texture——not too firm, not too soft——a ripe cook. This was how “Suavity Digest Noodle Bistro” became famous.

    At both ends of Hero Road, there were two important buildings: the Victory Theater at the south end and the People’s Cinema at the north end. Half of the city’s cultural and entertainment facilities were located here. In addition, there were a variety of local snacks and a plethora of small commodities on both sides—— lively bustles in heavy traffic. With so many people and vehicles, traffic congestion was unavoidable. The people of Chu County had given Hero Road a nickname: “Esophageal Cancer,” a certain sense of “Brief is the spirit of a hero.”

    It was worth mentioning that the young people riding bicycles on the hero road had extremely high skills. In a constant ruction by the waves of crowds, it was hard even to move a yard. However, the young man could sit on the bike calmly, with one foot on the ground and the other foot pedaling the bike. Once there was a gap to be screwed, he’d sidle like an eel. The girl in the back seat was quite worried for him for a while,but the young man was quite relaxed.

    Now the county wanted to expand Hero Road and operate on “esophageal cancer.” The people of Chu County were jumping for joy. However, the shipowners who stayed in business were not too well pleased about it. They said that the expansion of Hero Road would affect their business, and even destroy their previously established reputation. How could this be acceptable?

    Xiao Li and other shop owners were increasingly opposing the expansion of Hero Road.

    In the beginning,they were only on a small scale at the construction site. Since the construction had just started, the small shop owners on both sides of Hero Road were more or less affected, but not to the point of being unable to do business. Therefore, most of them just vented their frustrations. Some pushers pulled caps with the construction personnel in the construction operation area. It was nothing more than why they had to excavate in front of their own stores first instead of others—— take it not that this store was easy to bully. They protested for a while and shouted for a while,but they still had to do business.

    There was a trendy slogan from the south of China that went, “Time is money.” Whenever someone wanted to be trendy, they might exclaim, “Hey, let’s not chat  anymore, I want to learn from those southerners who say time is money.” At this  point, someone who enjoyed nitpicking might retort with a smug look, “Those  southerners didn’t invent that saying. Time is money was actually coined by a  famous American scientist named Franklin. Shrewd, huh?” “Wow, really great. No  wonder it sounds so good, some serious weight to it.”

    “Time is money,” whether invented by southerners or the American scientist, for these small business owners, it was absolutely right. Time was precious for businessmen, who couldn’t afford to waste it. So, after rumbling to and voicing complaints with the construction workers, they returned to their own shops and continued to storekeep.

    For these small business owners, earning a coin was their own. If they didn’t do business for a day, they wouldn’t have any income. They needed money to feed their families, paid the rent for their shops, and there were many other expenses such as water and electricity bills and “Three Task” fees before their shops.

    With the expansion of Hero Road, more and more shops had been affected. The shop owners were not happy about it. They felt that the Hero Road expansion project had impacted their businesses and the losses had borned. Therefore, they should be compensated. Some were helping them with advice on how to fight for compensation. However, they must proceed with caution, step by step, and not let it go out of hand. This was because the Hero Road expansion project was undoubtedly a great thing for the whole city. Moreover, the county is planning to build this project as a gift to our great country’s 40th  anniversary. If a few individual businesses demanded compensation and caused trouble, they might be rattled by the entire city. Even worse, they might be accused of disrupting the construction of a project that celebrated the founding of our country, which was a serious offense. The county government might even punish them. So, they should be careful about how they proceed.

    Master Xiao Li led a group of small shop owners, men and women, to first enter the Chushui Township Construction and Development Home Corporation. They argued and shouted that they wanted to see the company’s general manager. There was only one demand, compensation. Their reason was simple. Whoever dug in front of my store and affected my business must compensate me. Now, it was your Chushui City Construction Company’s construction machinery that was digging in frontof our stores, so you must compensate us.

    Tan Saihu had been involved in urban construction in Chu County for several years, and in fact, a crucial aspect of this “urban construction” was real estate. For any urban expansion or renovation project, the construction company must pay for the road construction, and profit was generated from the newly built residential properties adjacent to these roads. Of course, if the road projects were large, the government may also invest in funding. Therefore, working in this industry can be considered low-risk, but the key was to secure the construction projects.

    In recent years, Tan Saihu has been quite influential in Chu County. Originally, there were the people supporting him in the four major organizations in the county. Nowadays, the head of the county committee was his classmate, and not just any ordinary classmate, but a childhood friend-style classmate. Who could compare with Tan Saihu in terms of this relationship?

    In regards to the expansion project of Hero Road, Tan Saihu was determined to deliver a more perfect outcome in front of his old classmates, the leaders of Chu County, and most importantly, the people of Chu County. However, he did not expect the individual business owners on both sides of Hero Road to crop up unexpectedly to cause trouble, demanding compensation. Of course, in the current era of urban construction projects, there was no project that did not have protestors. Tan Saihu had seen too many rascals in his time, and did not take these dozen or so self-employed businesspersons seriously. Wanted compensation? Knew who was I? Not knowing what kind of project I was working on? Asking for compensation on par with the National Day celebration project? Some nerve! Tan Saihu’s orders were to prioritize construction, and these small business owners would be dealt with accordingly by a simple phone call to the County Public Security Bureau.

    “We want to eat!”

    “We want to live!”

    “Give us back our shops and bowls!”

    “We demand to speak with the responsible person for the expansion of the Hero Road!”

    At the entrance of Chu County’s government building, hundreds of people held up signs with black writing on white paper and rallied in front of theiron fence,shouting their slogans. It caused quite a commotion.

    It seemed that an expert had given some guidance on this matter. “To require  compensation, it is not possible to simply ask for it from the development company.” The development company was engaged in the project of the county party committee  and the county government, and would definitely not compensate you self-employed  households. To obtain compensation, one must also seek the county party committee  and government, and, make the noise bigger. When there was a lot of noise, there  would naturally be the leaders of the county to receive you, talk to you, and negotiate  the terms. By that time, the compensation would be stable. Regardless of the amount  of compensation, there would always be some.

    These individual shop owners listened and agreed with the argument. It made sense not to let the situation escalate before, but now it made sense to demand more compensation and make a big fuss about it. As the saying went, two lips of a man, right or wrong, lipped out as he liked. For these petitioning shop owners, as long as they could get compensation, they will make a bigger and bigger fuss. They were justrucks, why afraid?

    So, the shop owners from various households repeatedly organized and mobilized, closed their doors, wrote slogans, and went to the gates of the county committee and government to petition.

    It had been some time since those came up from ranks to petition. A few years ago, it was common to come to the gate every now and then to tell their grievances and seek fair solutions by the county. Of course, whether or not the matter could be resolved was another matter, but it was good to let out their frustrations. If they did not come here, they would not have anyone to listen to their grievances.

    Since a young county party secretary named Liu came to the county and attached great importance to petition work at all levels, many people had directly sent their letters to him. Liu always gave instructions on the letters, and surprisingly, they worked. Some difficult problems had been solved. Consequently, Liu was praised by the people and given a nickname of “Liu Qingtian”①   (who was honest and upright, and honored by the people as “ Qingtian”).

    This group of self-employed individuals was petitioning at the entrance of the county party committee and government, holding up signs and shouting slogans,

    who punished evil and promoted good which aroused the curiosity of some citizens. The onlookers had also increased, suggesting that these self-employed petitioning individuals should be compensated, while others who understood the situation questioned them, saying, “Won’t you receive compensation if your shops are demolished in the future? Why need compensation now?” They replied, “Oh my goodness, the compensation from the government won’t reach our pockets as self-employed individuals; that’s only for the property owners. We are all renting other’s properties.”

    They had been yelling, screaming at the entrance all the morning, but no county leader came out to receive them, let alone invite them for a “dialogue” inside the gate. The gap between their expectations and reality was too great. As a result, someone made a new demand:

    “We want to see Liu Qingtian!”

    “We want to see Liu Qingtian!”

    As soon as someone yelled this, hundreds of people shouted in unison: “We want to see Liu Qingtian!”

    By the time it was already time to leave work at noon, the individual business owners protesting outside had barricaded the entrance, preventing anyone from going in or out. The government men leaving work saw the intense emotions of the protesters and quickly turned back, letting them be, back to the office canteen for a meal. They would decide later whether to head home or stay in the office to attend to their own matters. Most government officials chose to eat at the canteen.

    Someone refused to eat in the canteen of the office but the gate of the county committee and county government was blocked by petitioners, impossible to pass through. So, one person called the office staff and asked them to bring a ladder and place it on the wall of the courtyard so that he could climb over the wall and go home for lunch.

    As the office keeper, Old Chen, struggled to carry the long bamboo ladder and placed it on the north wall of the office courtyard, looked up and saw that the person who wanted to climb over the wall was none other than County Magistrate Liang Shangjun. Old Chen hesitated for a moment and then reminded Liang, “Please be careful, take it slowly, not slip and fal.”

    “Mmm.” County Magistrate Liang made a “hmpf” sound through his nose, and no one knew what he meant. He then put on a serious face, climbed up the bamboo ladder, and quickly reached the top of the courtyard wall.

    Seeing this, Old Chen hurried to climb up and help County Magistrate Liang set up the bamboo ladder on the outside of the courtyard wall, so that he could climb down from the outside. But Liang waved his hand at Old Chen, saying, “No, no need, I can do it myself. Can you just keep an eye on this ladder for me? I need it for work this afternoon.” While speaking, he lifted up the bamboo ladder and placed it at the entrance of the courtyard wall.

    Old Chen watched County Magistrate Liang from below the wall, feeling a bit amused. At this moment, County Magistrate Liang seemed more like an acrobat than the leader of the county.

    Old Chen left a moment for inattention, Liang had already crossed over to the other side of the wall. So he planned to take advantage of the fact that most people were at home having lunch, went back and got his own bowl of rice, and then came back to guard the bamboo cloud ladder for Liang. Unexpectedly, just as he turned around to leave, he heard a “crack” sound, as if Liang had fallen off the bamboo cloud ladder. Old Chen quickly asked with concern, “It’s all right, Magistrate?”

    “I’m fine, go back to dining first.” From Liang’s tone, it sounded to have fallen heavily, and his voice had changed. However, Liang told him to go back to dining, so Old Chen could only go back to dine. Otherwise, others would think he was staying here to look on and laugh at County Magistrate Liang.

    When Liu Chengyin returned from the provincial capital meeting, he called Tan Saihu to his office and scolded him severely. As the head of the development company, how could he not even handle a few individual households, causing them to go on a petition and block the doors of the county committee and government? Why not work on the issue earlier and eliminate the conflict at its early stages?

    Tan Saihu was at a loss. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to handle these individual households, nor was it that he didn’t want to eliminate the conflict at its early stages. It was because County Magistrate Liang had given instructions for Tan to focus on the construction projects, and any petitioning issues would be handled by the county. After all, the county would naturally be more convenient to handle the individual households’ issues than the development company.

    To be honest, Tan Saihu was really grateful to County Magistrate Liang. He was truly considerate of the enterprises and provided excellent service. Besides, the project he was working on was a gift to celebrate the 40th  anniversary of the founding of the country, and it was crucial to concentrate on the progress. As for those petitioners, the county government had already intervened, and since Liang had spoken, the problem would certainly be resolved.

    “County Magistrate Liang said, County Magistrate Liang said. Why did I come back to the office and hearthathe’s taken sick leave due to poor health?” Liu Chengyin banged his desk so hard that it made a “ding dong” sound. Tan Saihu had never seen his old friend so angry before, and he was really worried this time.

    After listening to Tan Saihu’s report, Liu Chengyin understood everything clearly. This situation was intentionally created by Liang Shangjun for a sight gag of Liu Chengyin.

    It reminded Liu Chengyin of that when he first arrived in Chu County and heard about Liang, the general manager of the county’s construction and development company, who was also the nephew of Liang Shangjun. This person was notorious for his indulgence in eating, drinking, prostitution, gambling, and all sorts of vices. How could the construction and development company be successful when such a person held such an important position?

    Upon taking office, Liu Chengyin struck the first blow at the sore spot of County Magistrate Liang. He initiated the transformation of the county’s urban development company into a joint-stock company, under the precondition of the state-owned asset control, boldly absorbing the private capital from the individuals and allowing the capable men in society to participate in the company’s management through the appointment of a general manager system.

    In the competition of the stock system reform of the urban construction company, Liu Chengyin did not expect Tan Saihu, who was originally engaged in real estate development in a subsidiary of the urban construction company, to stand out and be appointed as the general manager of Chushui Urban Construction Development Corporation. After taking office in Chu County, Liu Chengyin knew that Tan Saihu had some reputation in the real estate development of Chu City, but he had not contacted him all along. Although they were old classmates from childhood, they had not socialized for many years and did not know whether there were any new changes or how Tan Saihu’s character was after he became a boss. After all, he was the leader of Chu County. He did not want to make a bad impression on Chu County’s top leaders by befriending his acquaintances shortly after he arrived.

    Tan Saihu naturally knew that his old classmate had become the highest leader in Chu County, but as a real estate developer, he didn’t want to appear to be seeking favors. Besides, after so many years, he wasn’t sure if Liu Chengyin would still recognize him as an old classmate. Unexpectedly, Liu Chengyin’s first move after taking office brought goodluck to Tan Saihu, allowing him to become the general manager, even if it was an engaged position.

    Objectively, Liu Chengyin did not actively want to help Tan Saihu, and if he had not made this move, it would have been impossible for Tan Saihu to become the general manager of the urban construction and development company. Therefore, Tan Saihu had been wanting to find an opportunity to visit his old classmate. Afterward, Liu Chengyin realized that the situation had become complicated, so he did not let Tan Saihu get too close to him. Since it was Liu Chengyin’s idea, and he was the county party secretary, Tan Saihu naturally obeyed.

    So, more than a year had passed since the incident, Liu Chengyin wanted to make some progress in the urban construction of Chu County. That was when he took the initiative to contact Tan Saihu and ask for his support in this regard. Only then did Tan Saihu step through the door of Liu Chengyin’s residence in the county government office compound.

    Who would have thought that the expansion of the Hero Road was now being disrupted by a few individual households caused by Liang Shangjun. This meant that the sanctions that Liu Chengyin imposed on his nephew a year before were still being remembered by Liang Shangjun. Although he usually styled Liu as “Secretary Liu”, without which he could hardly open his mouth, and always seemed to square himself up, and emphasize that all work needed to be done according to Secretary Liu’s requirements. One had never suspected that given the opportunity, he would still knowhow to deal with it. It turned out that one couldn’t judge by appearance. This gave Liu Chengyin a wake-up call.

    The Hero Road expansion project had not been affected by a few petitioners. Of course, under the leadership of the county party secretary Liu, the representatives of the individual petitioners had a face-to-face “dialogue” with their “hero,” Liu Qingtian, in their hearts. The issue of “compensation” was also properly resolved. When the people of Chu County bypassed Hero Road, they mostly marveled at it, yearning for the freedom and comfort of riding bicycles on the slow lane after Hero Road was widened, leaving behind a string of happy laughter.