The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 113 Tools that can liberate productive forces (Please subscribe)
Qian Jin rode his old bicycle into Taishan Road.

Occasionally, when I turned around, I saw Wei Qinghuan in the back seat of the car forcefully pulling her wool scarf towards her reddened nose.

Qian Jin asked, "What's wrong? Are you very cold? You shouldn't ride a bicycle anymore."

Wei Qinghuan explained, "No, it's just that my nose feels red from the cold, and it won't look good when I see people later."

Qian Jin also explained, "Oh, you're overthinking it. The person we're having dinner with later isn't my sister or brother, but a friend I met while I was working in the countryside. You don't need to be so nervous."

Wei Qinghuan remained silent, still trying her best to protect her cheeks from the cold wind making them look ugly.

There's a certain charm to it, like the line from the poem: "After finishing her makeup, she whispers to her husband, 'Is my eyebrow makeup fashionable?'"

A bicycle passed by the department store, and her huddled figure was reflected in the glass windows under the setting sun.

This made the female teacher quite unhappy: "You should have said so earlier. I borrowed some face cream and lipstick from my colleagues after school to put on some makeup. Now I look like a camellia that has been wilted by the north wind."

Qian Jin laughed and said, "They also have female relatives. If you look as beautiful as a fairy, how will they live?"

"So I don't look like a fairy anymore?" the female teacher suddenly asked.

Qian Jin was stunned.

Why are women so good at finding fault?

Without saying a word, he lowered his head and pedaled hard.

Upon arriving at the tenement building, the two groups were able to meet.

The poised and confident demeanor the female teacher had cultivated on the podium was perfectly displayed at this moment. No matter how nervous she was on the way there, it was all suppressed, leaving only a gentle smile:
"Hello, elder brother and sister-in-law. Comrade Qian Jin has introduced me, right? I'm so sorry, we have classes on Sunday, so I couldn't accompany you this afternoon."

Old Huang, with a pipe in his mouth, looked completely lost.

He had lived to be fifty and had never seen a woman wearing a wool coat, let alone one that hugged a slender waist.

Cai Laoliu scratched his head and said, "The leader has already said it, he has already said it. You are Teacher Wei, a people's teacher."

"Teacher Wei, Teacher Wei, you look so handsome," Old Dog managed to squeeze out a sentence, "I rarely see someone like you even in the People's Pictorial!"

“In the old society, a girl like this would have to be carried in a sedan chair by eight bearers when she got married,” Huang Laotie’s wife praised.

The female teacher kept saying that her brother and sister-in-law were really good at praising people. She took off her gloves as a matter of etiquette and prepared to shake hands. The exposed half of her fair wrist and the beautiful and delicate watch on it made the rough man look down and count the cracks in the cement floor.

Huang Laotie thought to himself, "This girl's wrists are as white as tempered steel. How can my dark-skinned old hands touch them?"
I'm afraid calluses will scratch my porcelain-like skin!
The mute man hurriedly tucked the greasy, twisted cuffs behind his back, wishing he could hide the rough appearance he had acquired from a lifetime of blacksmithing.

Qian Jin greeted them, "I've already introduced you to the place. We're all family here, so let's not waste words. Come on, let's take a car to a restaurant."

The youngest son of the Huang family was so excited that snot was bubbling from his nose.

He had been waiting to hear those words.

When the bus arrived at the station, the group squeezed in and continued until they reached the entrance of the State-run Second Restaurant.

In front of the glass door, the blacksmiths' performance was not much better than Liu Wangcai and his group's last time.

Cai Laoliu chewed on his pipe with his back teeth, poked the large glass door with his finger, and turned around to say, "Goodness! Such a big piece of glass? What if some kid accidentally smashes it with a rock?"

"This kind of glass isn't that easy to break. You can see it; it's very thick." Qian Jin didn't know whether glass doors these days used tempered glass or not, so he could only give a vague explanation.

Upon entering the restaurant, the group's cloth shoes slid across the terrazzo floor. Their work pants were newly changed, but Old Dog still habitually patted them, saying, "Don't bring coal dust into the restaurant."

His wife followed closely behind, carrying their youngest daughter. The aroma was so enticing that it made the little girl sneeze and blow snot bubbles.

The old dog was embarrassed, so he glared at his wife and said, "Keep an eye on the baby. Next time she sneezes, make her report it first."

Qian Jin laughed and put his arm around his shoulder: "No, no, Master Gou, you're too funny."

His wife seized the opportunity to scold him: "You're like a dog with horns—you're just making a fool of yourself. What kind of report would a three-year-old make?"

The mute looked up at the ceiling fan above him, tugged at his brother's arm, pointed, and gestured to indicate that it was really big.

Huang Laotie asked Qian Jin timidly, "Boss, do we need meat ration coupons for this place? I brought a few kilograms of coupons, later..."

"Someone's treating us to dinner later," Qian Jin joked.

The waiter already recognized him.

In the past two months, Qian Jin has been visiting the state-run No. 2 Restaurant quite often. Of course, this is not because the waiters know him, but because Guan Dabao specifically instructed the waiters to remember his little brother.

The waiter was very polite to them, and after they were seated, he brought them a thermos and poured hot water for each of them.

Feeling embarrassed, Cai Laoliu bowed and said, "Thank you, thank you, lady. I'll just pour the water. You go ahead with your work."

The waitress was used to this, but when Qian Jin took out small packages of tea leaves and put them into the teacups one by one, this scene was something she had never seen before.

The little red tea bag was so novel to her; she had never seen anything with such exquisite packaging before.

Qian Jin asked the waiter to look for Guan Dabao.

When Guan Dabao learned that he had arrived, he came out carrying a wok, his belly protruding and his face beaming: "Haha, little brother, you're here?"

When Qian Jin introduced Guan Dabao to the blacksmiths, the blacksmiths bowed and shook hands with him as if they were meeting a leader.

He then introduced Wei Qinghuan, directly stating that she was his fiancée.

Guan Dabao noticed Wei Qinghuan at first glance and exclaimed, "Great job, brother! You have excellent taste!"

"Although I haven't met this woman yet, I can tell from her appearance that she's an excellent woman. She's capable of holding up half the sky at work and is a virtuous wife and loving mother at home!"

Wei Qinghuan reached out and brushed her hair back, then smiled and said, "Brother Guan put pressure on me, but I'll take that as motivation and work harder in both my work and life."

Guan Dabao nodded repeatedly, then slapped Qian Jin's back with his bear-paw-like hand, making the man tremble with fear: "Since Comrade Xiao Wei calls me 'brother,' I'm her older brother from now on."

"You better treat your wife well, or I'll find out you're not doing well. I'll put you in a frying pan and braise you with this spoon!"

Everyone at the table laughed.

Guan Dabao gestured with his palm: "Sister-in-law, is this your first time trying your brother's cooking? Well then, I'll prepare two dishes for you today, I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

Qian Jin smiled and left with him, pulling out a small spray bottle about the size of a thumb and handing it to him:
"Brother, last time you said your problem wasn't whether you could get an erection, but how long you could stay erect, right? I found an old Chinese medicine doctor to treat you to this. Just spray it on every time you're with your wife. You can treat me to dinner later!"

Back then, when Qiao Jinbu and the other drivers helped him get rid of Hu Shunzi, Qian Jin invited them to have a meal here.

At that time, Guan Dabao brought up the topic of marriage with him. He thought Guan Dabao was a pushover, so he went back and prepared some Blue Carefree Pills for him.

But then Guan Dabao said it wasn't that matter, so he realized it was a matter of time.

Then we'll have to use Third Brother's magic oil.

Guan Dabao immediately understood what he meant and couldn't stop smiling:

"Hey bro, I have at least 500 friends and brothers in Haibin City, if not a thousand. Compared to you, they're all just fair-weather friends and drinking buddies."

“You understand me, you really can make things happen for me, brother.”

"No problem, I'll arrange this meal for you today. I'll make sure my sister-in-law has a good meal!"

Before leaving, he told the waiter, "Xiao Lan, keep an eye on my brother's table. The service must be impeccable, and you must be very enthusiastic."

"Hey, do you still have the candied peanuts the leaders from the Commerce Bureau brought last time? Send them up to my brother first, bring a couple more plates, let them have a taste first."

When Qian Jin returned and sat down, two large plates of peanuts coated in sugar were served.

For 27 years, Qian Jin never even glanced at this thing.

Many of the people at this table in 77 were seeing this for the first time.

Several children eagerly grabbed the food, and Wei Qinghuan ate with great relish, her face beaming with joy.

She whispered to Qian Jin, "Buy some for Tangyuan to take back later."

Qian Jin whispered, "I've even prepared food for our children!"

Wei Qinghuan stepped on the back of his foot.

Qian Jin used his elbow to push the chopsticks to the ground, then crawled under the table and grabbed the female teacher's slender calves.

The female teacher quickly sat up straight.

The blacksmiths and their wives weren't as relaxed as the children; they themselves felt awkward sitting around the large dining table.

Huang Laotie chuckled and said, "We're here like a flock of quails crammed into a phoenix's nest."

"Boss, you could have just taken us to have a bowl of hot water and a few steamed buns, why did you take us to a state-run restaurant?"

Qian Jin said, "You can't eat steamed buns anywhere, but when you come to the city, you have to eat at restaurants. Otherwise, when people ask you what you've seen, can you still say that you've seen how white the steamed buns in the city are?"

The mute man poked at the snow-white napkin with his chopsticks. His brother translated, "Putting aside whether the steamed buns are white or not, this napkin is really white. Boss, is this used to put on the table to prevent it from getting dirty?"

Qian Jin explained, "These are for wiping hands and mouth; you can take them with you when you're done."

In this respect, high-end restaurants have always followed this tradition, and now several state-owned hotels also provide napkins for diners, which they can take home.

Having napkins from state-run restaurants at home to use as handkerchiefs is a way for many people to show off.

Upon hearing that this item could be taken away and was for wiping hands and mouth, unsurprisingly, several women quickly collected their family members' items, folded them neatly, and put them in their pockets.

Guan Dabao already had a very good impression of Qian Jin, and now he wanted to make a good impression on his sister-in-law and thank Qian Jin for bringing him some good food, so he served the dishes on the table in a continuous stream.

Roast chicken, fried meat, pork knuckle, braised pork belly.

When a plate of braised pork was served, the mute man pointed directly at the portrait of the leader on the wall with "ah ah".

His brother quickly explained, "What my brother meant was that the old leader also likes this!"

Qian Jin called out to them, "Let's eat, let's eat."

He now eats Guan Dabao's food without any psychological pressure.

Not only did he give Guan Dabao good things, but he also recently learned that Guan Dabao doesn't spend money or need vouchers when treating people to meals.

Nowadays, the management of state-run restaurants is not strict. The amount of braised pork knuckle and other meat dishes used each day is entirely up to the head of the kitchen.

Nominally, the restaurant's Party branch secretary has the final say, but the core authority is the group leader. Therefore, the leaders will give the group leader face, and the group leader is in charge of managing the daily food needs and consumption.

As long as it's not excessive, the leaders usually turn a blind eye to such things.

After a few rounds of drinks, the blacksmiths' tongues finally thawed.

Fueled by alcohol, Huang Laotie pulled out a tin frog: "Teacher Wei, this is for your kids to play with from now on."

He knew that Qian Jin and Wei Qinghuan were not married, but apart from blacksmithing tools, he couldn't come up with a decent gift for their first meeting.

The old dog went even further, pulling his eight-year-old son in front of him as a teaching example: "Son! Study hard! You'll have to look like this when you get married..."

Before he could finish speaking, his wife grabbed his ear and pulled him back, saying, "Drink less. You start talking nonsense after just a little bit of that yellow soup."

Wei Qinghuan laughed so hard her body trembled.

She took off her wool coat, which she usually didn't want to wear, revealing a cotton-padded jacket with patches sewn inside.

Thus, the blacksmiths finally stood tall in front of her—they had finally found familiar stitches on this fairy-like woman.

The sisters-in-law also had something to say:
"Teacher Wei mended the clothes herself? What excellent needlework!"

"These needle holes are so fine, you'd probably need a sewing machine to mend them, right?"

Qian Jin said, "She doesn't have a sewing machine; everything is done by hand."

"Then you're in luck." One sister-in-law flattered him, while another said, "Boss, you'd better get your sewing machine ready. You can't bring your wife home without the 'three turns and one sound' (sewing machine, sewing machine, sewing machine, sewing machine, and sewing machine)."

Qian Jin laughed: "It's been prepared for a long time."

When Huang Laotie was in high spirits after eating, he smoked and knocked the ashes from his pipe directly onto the ground.

Others nearby did the same, and a waiter in a blue shirt tapped the back of their chair with a mop handle: "Comrade! Be mindful of hygiene!"

The old blacksmith chuckled and whispered to Cai Laoliu beside him, "Qian Jin's identity is really extraordinary. We'll have to be even more diligent in doing things for him in the future."

"How about we take those crossbows back and melt them down? When they were made, we only cared about practicality and didn't consider aesthetics."

Qian Jin overheard their whispered conversation.

There was no other way; the blacksmiths were hammering away in their shops every day, making a lot of noise and talking loudly.

This conversation made him realize that he had achieved his goal of using his connections to entertain the blacksmiths.

Later, he would have blacksmiths make him large gold chests, and they would get bigger and bigger as time went on.

Therefore, he had to make the blacksmiths respect him, obey him, and not question him in any way.

This is very important.

The hospitality journey is not over yet.

After the meal, it got cold, so Qian Jin took the blacksmiths directly to the guesthouse.

The letter of introduction was issued by the neighborhood committee, and he found the place after showing his identity as the brigade leader.

Port Guesthouse of the Municipal Supply and Marketing Cooperative!

Clutching the letter of introduction stamped with a red seal, Huang Laotie stood like a rusty iron nail at the entrance of the guesthouse, which was illuminated by searchlights.

The old blacksmith, who could swing a 20-pound iron hammer with one hand, felt as if he couldn't push open two doors with both hands.

They had only heard that they could stay in guesthouses when they entered the city, but they had never been to a guesthouse and did not even know what a guesthouse was like.

Qian Jin went to check the locking status of several warehouses. When he returned, the group was still standing at the door.

He looked at Wei Qinghuan helplessly.

The female teacher is teaching several children to recognize characters.

He asked, "Why didn't you bring your older brother and sister-in-law inside? It's so cold outside!"

The female teacher winked at him and whispered, "I've never stayed in a guesthouse before. I'm afraid I'll make a fool of myself if I go in, and that would ruin my image in their eyes."

Qian Jin said, "Oh, you still have an image to maintain? Uh, I mean you're quite conscious of your appearance."

Wei Qinghuan snorted and said, "They have to feel that I'm a good match for you."

Qian Jin had never stayed in a guesthouse.

But he knew it certainly wouldn't compare to the hotels he would stay at later. Once the formalities were completed, he led people inside to hand over letters of introduction and verify their identities.

For couples sharing a room, their marriage certificate must be presented. All rooms are located on the second floor.

Nowadays, a family often has several children, and guesthouses provide blankets for children to sleep on.

They went up to the second floor and opened the door to room 201. Several wives clamored to look inside, their faces full of curiosity.

The room was very clean, with smooth, glossy white lime paint on the walls and dark red painted wooden flooring.

The two 1.2-meter-wide hardboard beds had snow-white sheets that were dazzling under the light of a 25-watt incandescent bulb. Brass-colored metal hooks were installed at the head of the beds, and uniform army green cotton quilts were provided.

A dark brown wooden writing desk with drawers fitted with brass pull rings. An enamel tea tray and an aluminum thermos are placed on the tabletop.

A rattan chair with a backrest and a long wooden bench are placed against the wall under the window, and a green iron table lamp is installed by the window.

This setup would be considered a five-star hotel by today's standards.

Looking at the spotless wooden floor, they were all embarrassed to go inside.

The waiter was indifferent: "The daily room rate is 1.2 yuan. Those who eat breakfast also need to provide food coupons. Adults get half a jin and children get three liang."

"We offer free soap flakes and matches, as well as sewing kits and thermos flask fillings—all free services. Calling will cost money, so come to our counter and talk to our staff. Is there anything else?"

The group shook their heads.

Qian Jin asked, "Where do we go to use the toilet and wash up?"

The waiter pointed to the center: "There's a central wash area. Go over there and see. There's a long, rectangular cement sink with a cast iron faucet. The toilet is next door. Is everything alright?"

He was starting to get impatient.

Qian Jin told him to leave.

The waiter opened all the doors, and the blacksmith and his family immediately began to frolic.

There was a bust of the leader on the wall. When Huang Laotie went in, he bowed and saluted the leader.

Cai Laoliu's eldest daughter reached for the aluminum thermos on the bedside table, but her wife slapped her hand away: "Are you trying to kill yourself! If you break this precious thing, we can't even afford to pay for it by selling our donkey!"

The mute man wandered around the room, then pulled out some pliers from somewhere and started removing the rust from the door lock cylinder, which Qian Jin watched with great admiration.

This realization!
This is initiative!
But that's not all.

The next morning, when he came to pick up the group, he was stopped by a staff member of the guesthouse.

Beside him stood a mute man, looking bewildered and terrified. Upon seeing him, the mute man hurriedly began to shout.

Qian Jin asked, "What's wrong? It's my friend's first time staying at a guesthouse, is there something wrong with him?"

The staff member laughed and said, "No, no, I just wanted to ask which company your friend works for? His repair skills are excellent."

Then he went on to say, “Don’t get me wrong, comrade, your friend didn’t do anything wrong or break anything. On the contrary, he fixed several things for us last night.”

Then he started counting on his fingers:
"He removed the rust from all the open door locks, repaired all the broken window hinges, fixed two loose table legs, and even fixed the wobbly bench by inserting wooden wedges."

"In addition, he cleaned the house. There was a clogged drain in our sink that he somehow cleared, and he also cleaned the toilet spotless..."

A mute person can understand what people say, but they can't speak because of a problem with their vocal cords.

He nodded and gestured as he listened to the staff member's words, his hands moving as if forming a hand seal, which Qian Jin couldn't understand.

So he offered a flimsy explanation: "My friend said it was all something he should do, following the Five Stresses, Four Beauties, and Three Loves principles. It was a small thing for him, he just did it on the spur of the moment, serving the people."

It turned out to be a correct translation.

The mute man nodded repeatedly.

The staff member asked with interest, "So, which company does your friend work for? Is he a repairman?"

Qian Jin said, "He is a blacksmith."

The staff were surprised: "Wow, the blacksmith knows so many repair jobs?"

Qian Jin still had to go to work; he had important business to attend to today, so he didn't want to waste time and was preparing to leave.

Upon seeing this, the staff member explained: "Comrade, it's like this, are you an employee of our city's supply and marketing cooperative?"

Qian Jin nodded.

He continued, "Then you should know that our unit has a new head leader. The leader inspected all our guesthouses and found that many of the facilities were damaged due to years of neglect."

"We need repairs, but the repairman is hospitalized and probably won't be able to work for several months."

"I'd like to ask if this comrade could be temporarily transferred to our unit? He'll receive a regular salary for the next few months, and we'll provide room and board. We'll issue a letter of commendation when he returns to his original unit."

Qian Jin immediately became interested.

How could a mute person have such good fortune?
It's true what they say: the wicked are feared by men but not by Heaven, and the kind are bullied by men but not by Heaven!
Of course, the mute man wasn't hired as a permanent employee by the guesthouse; clearly, they only had him as a backup, wanting to freeload off a laborer.

The guesthouse is currently under pressure from high-ranking officials to undergo renovations, but there is a shortage of people to do the work.

After a decade of ups and downs, it's not easy to find someone with genuine technical skills now. Internally, the company usually relies on seconding people from other units to carry out the work.

The problem is that all the brother units are in the same boat right now, undergoing rectification, so they are short-staffed. They're desperate, so they'll try anything they can find and give it a shot.

If they are found to be unqualified during the trial period, that's okay. They can be dismissed directly. They're not a permanent employee, just an outsourced worker.

This can be seen from the staff's polite attitude; he was very polite, which clearly showed that he knew he lacked initiative.

Qian Jin had seen through it all. Every single person in the supply and marketing system had no service mindset whatsoever; they were all arrogant and self-important.

But Qian Jin didn't care about that.

As long as he can get involved with the guesthouse, and as long as he has the ability to keep it going, Qian Jin will definitely help him a lot and will be able to keep him in the city.

These days, changing your rural household registration to a non-agricultural household registration can change your destiny.

Qian went in and called Huang Laotie and the mute brother down, explaining what he had done and what the staff meant.

Huang Laotie, a responsible leader, was very pleased to hear this and said:

"Great! It's good that the mute can stay in the city. Anyway, the blacksmith shop won't miss him. Let him stay in the city!"

The mute brother, being a shrewd man, asked:
"How could he be so lucky? The guesthouse isn't trying to keep him; they're just letting him work here as a temporary worker for a few months. Once the permanent staff recover and come back, he'll have to leave, right?"

Huang Laotie said, "That works too. They said they'd pay him the salary of a level six worker, which is more than what he earns as a blacksmith."

"Besides, being a repairman is easier than blacksmithing. The company provides meals, and we've already eaten breakfast. They provide steamed buns and millet porridge, and the pickled vegetables are made by the chef. They're delicious and juicy."

"Let him enjoy a few months of good life in the city, relax and recuperate."

The mute brother watches money come in.

Qian Jin nodded, and he had no objections.

The mute man shook his head repeatedly after hearing this.

He gestured for a while, and Huang Laotie took out his pipe and translated, "He said no, boss, he still has to help you, you haven't given us any tasks yet."

Qian Jin patted him on the shoulder and said, "I won't lie to you, actually I want your blacksmith shop to make a batch of carts for our unit."

"I will apply for the materials and show you the blueprints. This is an important task, but it shouldn't be a problem if we are missing one mute person."

The mute man waved his hands vigorously.

Huang Laotie shook his head and said, "The mute will definitely help you. He's as stubborn as a donkey!"

The guesthouse staff were quite helpless upon hearing this.

The staff said they could wait a few more days for the mute man to come to work, but it wouldn't be long.

First, some of their items are damaged and need to be repaired immediately. Second, they need to have maintenance workers on hand to maintain various tools and furniture on a daily basis.

Qian Jin then discussed with Huang Laotie: "You guys come with me to my workplace right away, let's discuss how to build the equipment."

“Go back and make a batch of templates first. Once the templates are ready, let the mute come work at the guesthouse.”

Old Huang nodded, smoking a cigarette.

Qian Jin then asked the staff member, "Can you make this decision? Should we test my friend's skills?"

“He’s not a professional repairman, so he might not be able to meet your requirements.”

The staff member laughed and said, "I am the head of the logistics department of this guesthouse, so of course I have the final say."

"His skills are fine. Early this morning, our boiler room cooling pipes burst due to the same old problem. This guy had pliers in his left hand, holding the burst pipe in place, and with his right hand, he ground a piece of iron into a crescent-shaped washer on a brick..."

He gestured as he spoke, his face showing great satisfaction.

The blacksmith nodded to Qian Jin: "The mute is skillful and knows how to repair things, so I asked him to help me make that box last time."

The section chief added, "He's very meticulous in his work. Just now when I was checking the rooms, I saw that last night, while he was installing new hinges on the chest of drawers, he also used an iron skewer to clean out all the old ash and debris from the mortise and tenon joints."

"It's a pity he doesn't understand circuits, otherwise I would keep him working at the company regardless of whether he is mute or not."

This gave Qian Jin inspiration.

Can a mute person stay if he can become an electrician?
It's simple, if you don't know how, then learn!
He found an electrician; the electrical circuits in homes aren't complicated these days, and a mute like him could definitely learn in a few months and become a master.

After both parties agreed, Qian Jin led his group to check out of the hotel and head to Jiagang.

The wind was strong at the port, and the biting wind made Huang Laotie's unbuttoned coat billow like a sail.

It was already time for work to begin. The massive Jiagang Port awoke in the morning mist, with the iron arms of multiple gantry cranes piercing the sunrise and casting spiderweb-like shadows on the frost-covered ground.

The December chill clung to the rusty crates and warehouse walls, forming something that was hard to tell whether it was salt frost or ice flowers.

It's sunny today, a beautiful day.

Large ships kept entering the port, and the morning glow illuminated the ship's portholes, the glass reflecting a blinding light.

Old Dog's ten-year-old son suddenly pointed at the sea and shouted excitedly, "Dad! That's an iron whale!"

Qian Jin was also quite excited when he saw it.

A submarine docked for resupply today.

The old dog's son saw a military submarine!

Unfortunately, he wasn't a military enthusiast and didn't know which type of submarine it was.

The ocean-going cargo ship sounded its horn, and the long, loud sound wave made the "Safety Production" slogan sign on the port fence tremble.

As they walked further, they were once again stunned by the gantry crane—the rails of that steel behemoth gleamed with a cold light, and its massive, heavy mechanical arm still exuded a powerful aura that stirred the blood even in the cold winter.

All men, even gay men, ultimately pursue this kind of charisma.

Qian Jin led them into the office.

The office was nearly empty, but the heater was on, providing a warm place for women and children to huddle inside.

Qian Jin took the notebook and led the blacksmiths to Hu Shunzi's moving team.

Old Guai and the others changed their attitude towards him and started calling him "Captain Qian".

Qian Jin responded and first showed the blacksmiths their working environment.

"For this kind of place, I want you to build a vehicle called a flatbed trailer. You can see that it has different sized flatbeds. If it can be designed to be stretchable so that it can be changed in size, that would be best."

Qian Jin first introduced a small cart needed for leveling work: "You need to pay attention to this handle; the joint must be able to bear weight..."

"And this vehicle, it's called a protective trailer. It's very simple, just cast a protective railing around the flatbed trailer, and it's best if it has doors that can open, allowing movement in the front, left, and right directions..."

Huang Laotie gestured and nodded: "Oh, boss, you're really brilliant. You can even build a car like this?"

Qian Jin smiled.

He has no creativity whatsoever; he just happened to have worked as a sorting worker at a courier station, where he saw various new types of pushcarts with different uses.

Then he introduced another type of vehicle, "This is called a folding push-pull cart. It can be pushed and pulled, so at the end of this vertical handle, two short handles are cast horizontally..."

"How are we going to solve the tire problem?" Old Huang clicked his tongue and couldn't help but start spinning around in place. "The supply and marketing cooperative has to exchange all the tire pads for industrial coupons. Does your company have that many industrial coupons?"

Cai Laoliu patted him on the back: "They're family!"

Old Huang suddenly slapped his forehead: "That's right."

Qian Jin, however, knew that this was not the case.

Huang Laotie's concerns are valid.

The most difficult problem to solve is the tire issue.

In particular, the models he wanted used small wheels, which were not the tires currently in use; at least to his knowledge, such wheels did not exist at present.

Modern strollers use large tires of 12 inches or more, which are pneumatic tires, while he needs solid plastic tires.

However, there are still ways to solve this problem.

Lower the standards.

He could buy wheels from 27 years ago to use as models, have blacksmiths cast molds, and collect suitable plastics from rubber factories to produce them himself.

He'll buy finished products from the mall and sneak them in, then claim the blacksmiths' craftsmanship is poor and the quality of their products is inconsistent.

In addition to these three models, Qian Jin also needs to produce one more vehicle: "This is called an eight-wheeled tractor."

"It has eight wheels underneath, with the two rear load-bearing wheels arranged in groups of three. You can see they're assembled in a triangular pattern, so we can pull them up stairs..."

The blacksmiths were completely baffled: "Can this go up stairs? Can wheels even climb stairs?"

Qian Jin nodded: "Yes, it can. The wheels it uses are different from the previous three models, so don't worry about that..."

On the contrary, the most complex eight-wheeled cart is easier to manufacture nowadays because it has to climb hills on its own and often cannot carry heavy loads, so it can use pneumatic tires.

These days, strollers usually have tires larger than 10 inches, but there are also strollers with small 4-inch wheels.

The eight-wheeled cart can be assembled and used with eight 4-inch wheels, making it easy to climb the steps by the sea.

Once these four models of cars go into production, Qian Jin knows his position as captain is secure, and he might even be able to make another contribution.

Because he knew very well that these four types of vehicles were indeed extremely advantageous in freight transport and could greatly liberate productivity!

(End of this chapter)