Back to 1978

Chapter 85: Today is the day to become famous!

All the militiamen digging in the riverbed heard someone singing above them. They looked up and saw Xie Hushan gliding through the air above their heads. They immediately gave the simplest response:
"Fuck!"

"Fuck! Someone is flying?"

"What team is this? Are they playing the game of "Flying over Luding Bridge"? They are risking their lives!"

"Shit! It hit the straw stack directly!"

"What the hell! What the hell! The car flew down too!"

After seeing Xie Hushan land safely and push the car away, the militiamen shouted at him:
"Awesome! Which team? They really dare to risk their lives!"

Without even turning his head, Xie Hushan did not need to speak. The other Zhongping militiamen, who could no longer hold back, had already loudly told the curious people the answer:
"We are from the Zhongping Production Brigade's River Engineering Militia Assault Brigade!"

Just as Xie Hushan took down his cart and pushed it away, Han Hongbing was ready and slid down the dam second, followed by Chen Daxi third, Ma Saner fourth...

Ever since Xie Hushan slid down from above, the militiamen who could see Zhongping still halfway up the slope immediately began to speed up, wanting to feel the feeling of being the center of attention in the air as quickly as possible.

Everyone's reaction was the same. After sliding to the ground, they pushed the cart and rushed over without looking back to continue loading soil, and then started the second trip.

Before Xie Hushan was halfway through his second trip, the song on the radio station stopped and the female voice from before began to announce:
"The radio station received news that the militia assault brigade of the Zhongping Production Brigade of Zhongping Commune was brave enough to try during their rest time and designed and produced a means of transportation that can quickly glide from the air and improve work efficiency. They vowed to work hard and strive to be the best! Winning the earthwork project represents the floating red flag of "three highs and two supers"! Let us learn from their spirit of not fearing sacrifice, daring to face difficulties, and boldly trying for the sake of revolutionary work!"

Xie Hushan assured that absolutely no one would tell the radio station. This thing was just a phrase made up by the radio station after they found the pulley block. Its main purpose was to attract hatred for the Zhongping Militia Brigade and tell everyone that this team was trying their best to grab the mobile red flag today, so you should catch up quickly and don't let them get it too easily.

But it was of little significance. Most of the militiamen were still looking up at the militiamen of the Zhongping Brigade performing the magic soldiers descending from the sky, with jealousy and envy in their eyes.

When he pulled the cart to the dam for the second time, Zhang Wenzhen, who was guarding the pulley group, had been surrounded by at least fifty people and taken to the side, asking questions in a flurry. While asking, they did not forget to turn their heads and carefully look at the two pulley groups. They were all the leaders of the brigades of various communes.

Facing the crowd, Zhang Wenzheng raised his head and said loudly with a proud tone:
"No doubt about it. We in Zhongping Commune love to promote our own style and are willing to help everyone make progress together! But we can't be the only ones promoting our own style! That would mean you teams are taking advantage! We are all people who care about our reputation. I know you won't just ask for help with nothing!"

"Well, don't be too polite. Just give us half a pig's leg and ten pounds of oil as a token of your appreciation. Just give our militia comrades a treat. As long as you show your appreciation, I promise! How about sending someone to teach your team how to make and install it tomorrow?"

As soon as he asked for benefits, more than forty of the fifty people were scared away. As they ran away, they kept cursing and accusing Zhang Wenzhen of asking for too much.

Half a pork loin, ten kilograms of oil? With these, I can give them to other brigades at a discount, and I will definitely use them to improve the food for my comrades in my own brigade!
Seeing someone leaving, Zhang Wenzheng became even more excited, jumping up and down and shouting:
"What a useless person! You all saw it! This is a treasure that can allow nearly 300 people to fly around in the sky! I tell you, don't disbelieve it! This is what our commune specially contacted the scientists who help the country launch satellites to ask!"

"We actually gave the scientist comrade two cows and fifty kilograms of fried noodles, and he persuaded us to teach us this trick! Now you can learn it with half a pig and ten kilograms of oil, so go ahead and be happy!"

"These are all military secrets! I am only telling you because we are all revolutionary comrades! What if I beg you? I am not willing to teach you!"

Xie Hushan smiled as he put on the safety rope.

Lao Zhang patted his chest after debugging last night and said that he would stay at the pulley set today and not go anywhere. He must help his brothers to get some money from other teams who are eager to learn and make progress, so as to improve their food.

It was just past nine o'clock and there were already countless people on the dam and riverbed, taking advantage of the time between peeing and going to the toilet, running over to see the flying cars and flying men of the Zhongping Brigade. This thing was really cool.

The propagandists from the art and literature propaganda team who came to express their condolences, and the young female comrades from various government agencies who came to help wipe the sweat and pass water, also rushed from other construction sites to the riverbed section where the earthwork project was located. While wiping their sweat, they did not forget to look up at the agile figures of the Zhongping militiamen flying down from the sky.

The correspondent of the county newspaper stationed at the construction site has also arrived at the scene, holding up a Seagull camera and taking pictures in various poses and angles.

Even the two timekeepers in charge of helping the Zhongping Brigade, originally one on the dam and the other in the riverbed, have now switched to a shift system, taking turns going up to the dam and taking the opportunity to slide down and experience the scenery.

"Our team has collected so many cubic meters! Is there a chance to break the record?" Xie Hushan asked with a smile to the timekeeper who had taken another chance and slid down from the dam.

"With this thing, you can break the cart pulling record, so why don't you grasp it? It's no problem to get the first work point card before lunch. It depends on how hard you work. If you are willing to give it your all and keep working with this momentum, you can definitely get the second work point card two hours before the end of work." The timekeeper's job is to make the eyes hurt. When he heard Xie Hushan asking about the amount of earthwork, he said in an affirmative tone.

By the time Ma Saner's teeth were almost broken and his legs were shaking uncontrollably, he pushed a trolley loaded with at least 600 kilograms of loess onto the dam. The timekeeper next to him, who was even more anxious than him, picked up the scoreboard that had already been stamped and handed it to him immediately.

This means that the Zhongping Militia Assault Brigade has completed the day's quota, and the remaining time will be used to break various records!
"Deal! Deal! The first one!" Ma Saner, who got the chance to show his face, raised his work card high up, but it seemed that he was not satisfied, so he slid the car down, and descended from the sky holding the work card, shouting:
"Brothers, today's quota has been completed! Work hard! Start taking the second one!"

A few minutes later, the radio station also began broadcasting the news:
"It is now Beijing time, 11 o'clock in the morning. The militia assault team from the Zhongping Production Brigade of Zhongping Commune has just completed today's earthwork quota! With a difference of one hour and twenty-seven minutes, it broke the fastest daily quota completion record previously held by the Mountain Moving Commando! Let us..."

"Let's send one more car before dinner! We will try not to give others any chance to break our record!!" Xie Hushan tightened his belt, pulled the car, greeted everyone, and continued to move forward.

When it was time to eat, Lao Zhang asked the logistics team to deliver the food to the dam. After unloading the car, the Zhongping militia sat on the dam and started eating, so that they could slide down and continue pulling the car after eating. Commander Xie had already said that if we don't destroy the mountain-moving commando today, there will be no chance in the future!

Just after finishing the meal, the song on the radio station was interrupted again, and the announcer said in an excited voice:
"Comrades, we have received news that the main leaders of the Bingyang County Party Committee took time out of their busy work to come to the Douzhuang Reservoir construction site this afternoon to express their condolences to the People's Liberation Army and militia comrades who have endured hardships and charged forward!"

When Xie Hushan heard this, he suddenly turned his head and looked towards the direction of the radio station!
Yang Limin must have known that a leader was coming, so this pretty boy came over temporarily to take over the shift, told himself that he was on duty, and asked him to find a way to win the honor! The bigger the better!

When they heard that a leader was coming to express their condolences and inspection, and that he might be watching their performance somewhere at the moment, the people from the Zhongping Militia Brigade became even more excited.

Xie Hushan threw off the only vest he had left on his upper body, stood on his cart with his chest bare and shouted to everyone:
"You all heard it, didn't you? The county leaders are watching us! Try harder! Before the loudspeaker announces 4 p.m., we must get the second work point card at all costs! Let them know who we are! I'll be the first to test the strength! We'll load 600 kilograms per truck and drive one trip! If we can pull it, we'll add more weight to the next truck!"

When someone takes the lead, others will naturally follow!

The flat-loaded 500-jin cart suddenly began to be loaded towards the dam. In early winter, a group of shirtless young men, with shiny upper bodies and steam coming out of their heads, pulled the cart towards the dam step by step.

"Five more carts!" The excited timekeeper shouted at the Zhongping militiamen who were pulling carts on the slope on the dam.

The female comrades who came to visit also shouted: "Five more cars are needed! Comrades from the militia in Zhongping, come on!"

"Stop the car at the back and help push the five cars in the front! Push them onto the dam!" Xie Hushan reacted and shouted to the people at the back. Then he parked his own car and rushed towards the five cars in the front.

Several other Zhongping militiamen who were pushing their own carts also reacted, put down their carts, rushed towards the five cars in front, and together with the enthusiastic female comrades, pushed the five cars onto the dam in one go!
"The second one!" The timekeeper handed the second time card to Xie Hushan: "Break the record! More than two hours faster than the Mountain Moving Commando!"

"We're just getting started!" Xie Hushan looked at everyone and asked, "Should we try to raise the record higher? Or should we go back to the shack and sleep until someone surpasses us tomorrow?"

"Want to break our record? Dream on! We must continue!" Although a group of people sat on the ground panting, they still responded with full momentum:

"We are just getting started. We can't just let anyone break the Zhongping record! Let's keep going!"

"Tiger Saner!"

Just as a group of people were resting breathlessly on the dam and enjoying the joy of breaking the record, a group of people who looked like leaders came over from the other side of the dam. In addition to seven or eight people who looked like leaders at all levels, there were also the commune secretary Yin Qianfeng, Yang Liming, Feng Chunlai, Zhang Cheng and others. Even Han Laogou and Ge Baosheng were accompanying them on the edge.

The shout just now was from Ge Baosheng!

"Is this the Zhongping militia brigade that has spread throughout the construction site, the one that can fly into the sky and into the ground?" A leader in his fifties looked at the young men in front of him who were sweating and gasping for breath, and said with a smile.

Yin Qianfeng nodded repeatedly beside him, explaining the situation to the other party, while Ge Baosheng quickly walked over and reminded Xie Hushan in a low voice: "The superior leader is here to express his condolences."

Secretary Yin, Han Laogou, Ge Baosheng and others were here, most likely arranged by Yang Limin. Xie Hushan was not too surprised. He slowly stood up and prepared to call everyone to gather: "Everyone..."

"No need! No need!" The leader saw Xie Hushan was about to ask the militiamen to stand up and gather at attention, so he trotted forward and gestured with both hands to everyone to continue sitting down and resting:

"No need to stand up. I'm here to comfort and visit you. I don't want you to stand at attention in front of me after a tiring day! Especially since you guys have done so much work! You've achieved such outstanding results and come up with such a good method! It's only natural for me to stand in front of you and speak!"

Then he took two steps forward, went to the pulley block and took a look, then asked Zhang Wenzheng next to him, "Which comrade in Zhongping designed this?"

"Reporting to the leader, this was designed by Xie Hushan, the militia platoon leader and youth team leader of the Zhongping Production Team 3." Zhang Wenzhen said.

The leader nodded, and under the guidance of Yin Qianfeng, he walked to the "inventor of the militia" Xie Hushan, took the initiative to extend his hand to shake hands with him, and then muttered Xie Hushan's name:
"Xie Hushan, what a good name! Knowing there are tigers in the mountains, you still go there. With this spirit, it's not surprising that you developed such a tool. We just need good comrades like you who are not afraid of hardship or fatigue and have quick minds! You should teach us more so that everyone can complete their work quickly and well like your team."

"Yes! Leader, we Zhongping militia will definitely carry forward our style and teach everyone as soon as possible without reservation." Xie Hushan held the other party's outstretched hand with both hands, leaned forward and said polite words.

After the leader finished praising, he continued to walk forward and shook hands with other militiamen. After Xie Hushan walked away and stood up, he noticed that among the people accompanying them not far away, in addition to Han Laogou and Ge Baosheng, there were actually Ma Laowu and Han Hongzhen, who had no chance of appearing here but were quietly following at the end of the accompanying team!

At this time, the two noticed Xie Hushan's gaze and responded to him with a smile. Ma Laowu gave Xie Hushan a thumbs up and nodded repeatedly, obviously praising him for a good job.

Han Hongzhen's smile was much more complicated than Ma Laowu's. The smile when she looked at Xie Hushan was more like a kind of relief after being relieved of a heavy burden.

Xie Hushan narrowed his eyes and looked at Yang Limin with a bad look. Yang Limin took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, smiled brightly at Xie Hushan, and slowly approached him. While no one was paying attention, he said in a very low voice:

"When you finish the project and go home, you will understand. I definitely didn't let you win the honor on purpose because the leader is coming. It's true that I am under a lot of pressure, but you performed well, so now I don't feel any pressure at all. By the way, congratulations to your militia brigade. You have become famous today."

(End of this chapter)