Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 104: Fame is on the horizon
A moment later, Zhang Wenliang brought over a large bowl, filled to the brim with rice, topped with a dozen slices of cured meat, a piece of cured fish, and a few pieces of cabbage, which looked very tempting.

Chen Fan didn't stand on ceremony and started eating as soon as he picked up his bowl.

Only then did Zhang Wenliang have time to ask the two deputy captains what had happened.

After all, working at the brigade headquarters doesn't include meals, let alone meat and fish. He's been at the brigade headquarters for so many years and has never received such treatment.

After hearing Ye Shubao and Xiao Liewen's explanation, he immediately realized that he hadn't added enough meat to Chen Fan's plate.

If it's really as they say, with the press release stating that the militia company is patrolling and protecting the river embankment day and night, and that the article even gets broadcast on the county radio station, then it wouldn't be fair if they didn't add half a pound of meat to the bill!

Zhang Wenliang watched Chen Fan wolf down his food and wondered if he should provide him with meals tomorrow as well.

Chen Fan was indeed hungry, and he finished eating in just a few bites, letting out a satisfied burp, feeling quite content.

Zhang Wenliang immediately asked, "Shall I get you another bowl?"

Chen Fan waved his hands repeatedly, "No need, no need, I'm full."

Then he pointed to the backyard, "I have something to do, I need to get back to it quickly."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Liewen immediately turned to look at him, "The press release is already finished, what else could be wrong?"

Chen Fan laughed and said, "Didn't you just say that war correspondents draw sketches on the battlefield when they don't have cameras? I was thinking of learning to draw. Even if I don't need it this time, I might be able to use it sometime after I learn it."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Liewen nodded in deep agreement, and then said to Ye Shubao, "Regardless of whether it will work out or not, Xiao Chen's attitude is very good."

Ye Shubao also offered verbal praise, saying, "That's right, young people should have this kind of enthusiasm for learning and strive to be role models."

Zhang Wenliang glanced at the two men, strongly suspecting they were making veiled accusations, but he had no evidence.

Just as Chen Fan was holding the book "General Knowledge of Art" and drawing lines on old newspapers to accumulate experience points, Secretary Yang and Captain Zhang arrived at the commune government compound.

It's an ordinary courtyard with two open iron gates; anyone can enter as long as they register with the gatekeeper.

The courtyard is a 200-square-meter open space. It is so large because sometimes people from the production team would come to hold meetings in mule carts, and a smaller space would not be enough to accommodate them.

Inside the square is a small red brick building, and the section of the wall between the outer wall and the building is where the bicycle shed is located.

On the other side of the building, there were two jeeps parked. Those were the commune's official vehicles; one was for the use of the secretary and director, and the other was shared by other departments.

Needless to say, the model is the BJ212, which has been a bestseller for more than ten years. Since its birth at the Beijing Automotive Plant in 1965, this car has remained popular. From its initial limited production, which could only supply important units, to its subsequent expansion of production capacity and nationwide sales, it has now become a national icon. Unless people can't afford it or don't need it, almost all grassroots units use this car.

After parking their bicycles, the two headed straight for Secretary Qian's office.

Back then, leaders were still quite proper and disciplined, unlike later on, when even street directors wanted to have two secretaries.

Secretary Qian's office was at the end of the corridor on the second floor. There was no desk at the door, and no one was blocking the way. After knocking on the door, a voice inside said "Come in," and Secretary Yang pushed the door open and entered.

Upon seeing the two of them, Secretary Qian immediately stood up and smiled, "Why did you two come together? Nothing else has happened these past few days, has it? Is it related to the dike breach?"

He then picked up the kettle, poured them two glasses of water, and invited them to sit down on the sofa next to him.

Secretary Yang and Captain Zhang took their seats.

When they arrived in front of the leaders, Captain Zhang still put Secretary Yang first, and it was Secretary Yang who spoke.

He started with a polite remark, "Secretary Qian is truly insightful; we really did come here to work on the dike."

Secretary Qian's expression changed slightly. Just as he was about to ask if something had happened, he saw Secretary Yang take out a stack of papers from his pocket, spread them out, and place them in front of him. "This is a news report written by our team's communications officer. Please take a look and see if it's usable." "A news report?"

Secretary Qian was taken aback again. As he picked up the manuscript, he asked, "When did your team get a communications officer?"

He paused for a moment, a thought suddenly struck him, and he looked at Secretary Yang and the other man, asking, "It wouldn't be that Chen Fan, would it?"

Secretary Yang grinned and chuckled, "Who else could it be but him?"

Captain Zhang also laughed and said, "The rest of us are just literate. The highest level of education in the whole brigade is only junior high school dropout. We can read newspapers and documents, but we really don't have the ability to write."

After hearing his words, Secretary Qian sighed softly, "Speaking of education, it is one of the things that gives me the biggest headache. You know, we invest so much money in schools every year, but families don't want their children to go to school. Most of them only go to primary school and then stop, and some only go to the first or second grade, or even don't go to school at all, let alone junior high and high school."

"Now, all five of your teams can't find a single proper broadcaster who speaks fluent Mandarin, and in the end, you've had to rely on an outsider to fill in."

Secretary Yang and Captain Zhang exchanged a glance, then pursed their lips and remained silent.

read?

What's the use of reading books?

You can't become a cadre if you only finish junior high school. If it were earlier, in the 5s or 60s, you could still find a decent job in town. Even factories gave priority to hiring junior high school graduates.

But the positions we need to fill are already full. If we recruit more, they will either be children of workers or vocational school graduates assigned to schools. Where will ordinary junior high school graduates get a chance?
As for high school students, they are not cadres like vocational school students after graduation, and they cannot go to university without a recommendation. Their families have to pay for their tuition and living expenses. How many families are willing to support an adult laborer to do such useless work?

Getting into a vocational school or university requires a recommendation. Who would recommend a child from an ordinary family?
So, over time, out of a hundred families, ninety-nine were reluctant to let their children go to school.

At most, I'll finish primary school; as long as I'm not completely illiterate, that's enough.

Only families with children who strongly desire to study, have good grades, and are financially well-off would take the risk of trying it out.

The future is there for all to see, but ultimately only a very small minority are willing to take such a big risk.

Secretary Qian was just grumbling and never expected them to answer his questions. He naturally picked up the manuscript to read it.

At first, he was a little absent-minded, but after watching only a short while, his expression became serious. After a while, he simply got up, walked behind his desk, sat down, and picked up a pen to take notes.

He spent much longer reading this news article than Secretary Yang and the others, more than twenty minutes, before finally looking up and letting out a long sigh.

Secretary Yang and Captain Zhang both stood up nervously and walked up to him.

Secretary Qian looked up and smiled, "Your writing is truly remarkable!"

Secretary Yang and Captain Zhang exchanged a glance, then looked at him together.

What do you mean?
Secretary Qian smiled and shook his head, "I mean, this article is well-written; I can't find any fault with it."

Upon hearing this, the two exchanged a smile. If even Secretary Qian said so, then the commune's broadcasting station would definitely adopt it!

Secretary Qian glanced at the manuscript in his hand, pondered for two seconds, and then said, "It's a pity to leave this manuscript in the commune. How about this..."

As he spoke, he stood up and said, "It's not even 4 o'clock yet. I'll send it to the county town now. It can be on the county news tomorrow morning. Then I'll see how it goes and whether it can be pushed to the prefectural daily newspaper."

After he finished speaking, he waved the manuscript in his hand and laughed, "If the Prefectural Committee Daily can pick it up, your Lujiawan will become famous."

(End of this chapter)