The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 114 Everything is ready except for the final push (Seeking monthly votes)

Once the blacksmiths figured out the way, the job was done, and the task of inviting them into the city was complete.

Qian Jin wouldn't just send someone away after assigning them a task.

He persuaded the group to stay in the city, arranging for security personnel to take them to the park and the movies, insisting they stay until the afternoon before leaving.

After finishing work at noon, he rushed back to the tenement building. There was still a coal stove in the room, and he had to prepare a table full of hearty dishes before lunchtime so that he could treat people to a meal at home before leaving.

After all, he was commissioning blacksmiths to forge a batch of heavy-duty tools.

According to the regulations, the old blacksmiths now readily agree to make model cars on a voluntary basis, and then seek coordination with leaders to produce them once the prototypes are completed. This approach is much more flexible.

The normal procedure involves multiple levels of approval, starting from the unit, then the unit goes to the Red Star Commune Management Committee, the commune asks for instructions from the higher-level unit, the higher-level unit approves the work, and finally the blacksmiths are assigned tasks...

In short, official documents have to circulate in the archives for a while before the work can begin.

Now, the old blacksmiths are directly helping him build a batch of template cars free of charge, which is a great favor.

Because, in theory, without steel resources allocated by higher authorities, blacksmith shops cannot do anything.

The blacksmiths used their savings accumulated over many years to help him; it wasn't just about putting in physical effort, but also about providing genuine products.

Qian Jin understood this principle, which is why he did his best to entertain people after entering the city.

Once the template vehicle is designed and produced, Qian Jin can take the vehicle to meet with the leaders, and then coordinate with various units to carry out large-scale production.

In comparison, it's clear that it's easier for him to get things done if he brings physical items to the leader.

If he just makes an empty promise, the leader may not take it seriously.

Back home, Qian Jin lifted the lid of the double-handled iron pot on the coal stove, where a thick soup containing dried shiitake mushrooms and slices of old ginger was bubbling away.

The oil exploded into golden fireworks on the soup, filling the room with a fragrant aroma that made the children sniffle.

This is Wei Qinghuan's masterpiece.

The female teacher made a special trip back while the student was doing his exam to prepare some hearty dishes for him.

"Hold it steady!" Seeing that the chicken soup was almost done, Qian Jin swung the aluminum ladle and tapped the edge of the pot, spreading the chicken soup and the tender chicken meat into the coarse porcelain bowl.

The children came to help, putting the large bowls back on the table.

Then Cai Laoliu's son suddenly burst into tears. Qian Jin looked over and saw Cai Laoliu's wife slapping her husband's back.
"Smoking, smoking, smoking! You can't live without that old cigarette! Where do you knock your ashes? On the table? Why don't you knock them on your dad's grave!"

Cai Laoliu's son cried and said aggrievedly, "This bowl is full of soot..."

Qian Jin laughed and tossed him a spoon: "Eat it the same way, just scoop it out."

Besides stewed chicken, there's also fried fish.

The sizzling sound as the silver pomfret coated in flour slid into the iron pot attracted the children to come and watch.

The small pomfret, which had just been brought ashore today, curled up like golden ingots in the soybean oil, their skin sizzling and releasing oil.

Qian Jin flipped the fish, and soon the aroma of fried fish began to fill the air.

Other main dishes include scrambled eggs with scallions, fried peanuts, luncheon meat, and stewed meat.

The stewed meat was made by heating canned meat that Qian Jin bought at the mall. It contained a rich meat broth, which was then cooked with noodles. The noodles, having absorbed the broth, tasted even better than the meat itself.

This thing is a masterpiece of technology and ruthless skill!

"Come on, comrades, eat! Everyone eat!" Qian Jin put the dishes on the table and urged everyone to eat quickly.

A dozen or so chopsticks clinked against the rim of the bowl, creating a clattering sound, as the group ate with beaming smiles.

"Today is finally like Chinese New Year."

"What do you mean by New Year? I've been married into your family for almost twenty years, and I haven't eaten this much meat all these years combined."

"This trip to the city is like ascending to heaven to become an immortal, but even immortals are nothing more than this."

"That's the truth. Who else in the whole commune eats at state-run restaurants and stays in the supply and marketing cooperative's guesthouse like us? Having experienced this, our lives have been worthwhile!"

Qian Jin laughed and said, "Oh, Master Gou, don't exaggerate like that. You'll still have to come and deliver cars in the future, so we'll have another meal then."

"Really?" Cai Laoliu's wife asked, her eyes wide.

Cai Laoliu tapped the bowl in front of her with his chopsticks: "What does the men's business have to do with you women?"

Cai Laoliu's wife said directly, "What are you being so arrogant about? Did I spend your money or use your tickets? If you keep acting like this, I won't let you sleep with me anymore!"

This remark caused a roar of laughter.

Cai Laoliu had no temper.

Huang Laotie, gnawing on a chicken neck, watched the spectacle: "There's a saying that's true, we really felt like we were living like gods this time."

"Look at these kids, their chins are so shiny they could be used as the rearview mirror of a commune tractor."

The most refined eater was the mute man. He held the crispy fried pomfret and chewed each bite with his eyes closed, savoring every drop of its delicious flavor.

Qian Jin took out the remaining Huang Gaibo Fen and distributed it among everyone: "Listen to me, everyone has to come again next time, and we'll have a proper meal then."

"Good!" everyone shouted.

Full of wine and food.

Qian Jin checked the time; the truck he had asked Qiao Jinbu to find should be arriving soon.

He then swung the iron ladle and tapped the iron pot, letting the last drop of broth flow into the bowl. Cai Laoliu's son sipped it down in one gulp and then began to burp.

Oil stains formed a map on the child's front.

The old dog teased him: "Dapeng, when we get back, we can't wash these clothes. We have to put them in a pot and render oil from them."

The child stared wide-eyed and said, "I know, in 'The Shining Red Star,' Pan Dongzi wore a cotton-padded coat, soaked it in salt water, dried it, and then wore it again to deliver salt to the Red Army. That way, he could also deliver oil."

The adults burst into laughter.

A loudspeaker blared downstairs.

Qian Jin quickly led them downstairs.

He first gave the driver a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of wine, saying, "Brother Ma, are you driving today? I'm sorry to have troubled you."

The driver took the cigarettes and returned the alcohol to him, saying, "Captain Qian, don't be so polite. We're brothers, helping each other is the right thing to do."

Qian Jin forced the wine down his throat, then pulled out a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes and offered them to the blacksmiths one by one.

“Our unit will definitely be pursuing the Four Modernizations in the future, and our four pushcarts will be of great use then. We’ll have to rely on you for this.”

Cai Laoliu said, "Don't say anything unnecessary. Even if we break our bones, we'll still get these cars out for you."

Qian Jin thanked them and saw them onto the car.

Huang Laotie was the last to get on the bus.

Qian Jin handed him a small booklet.

Huang Laotie was surprised when he opened it: "Wow, it's a structural diagram!"

This is the corresponding structural diagram that Qian Jin found in a book called "Practical Labor Tool Vehicle". He tore off the relevant drawings, pasted them together, and gave them to Huang Laotie for reference.

Unfortunately, the gold chest was still too small. If it were big enough, he could make several prototypes to copy.

As for how to explain its origin?

No need to explain where it came from.

The blacksmiths trusted him completely.

Just like this time when he provided the blueprints, Huang Laotie had no questions. He carefully looked through them, put away the blueprints, got in the car, and drove off.

The truck sputtered away.

The truck bed kicked up a cloud of yellow dust, and a woman, whose daughter-in-law was it, threw down a half-sack of roasted peanuts, shouting:
"The farmers don't have anything good to offer. They've been carrying peanuts all day. You can keep them and eat them if you like."

The blacksmiths and their families had a very fruitful trip to the city.

They bought a defective piece of fabric and some crushed cookies at a cheap price, watched a movie, ate at a restaurant, and stayed at a guesthouse. They had absolutely no regrets!
After seeing them off, Qian Jin was very busy.

The position of brigade leader allows for slacking off, but the job must be done well first.

Fortunately, this job isn't difficult.

Otherwise, even Song Hongbing, that slacker, wouldn't be able to do it.

After getting off work, Qian Jin went home to bring back the gifts he had taken from Lin Hai's cousin Su Xianghong's house when he went to the countryside, and then rode his bicycle to Lin Hai's house.

This time, he was quite familiar with the process.

Seeing him arrive with gifts, Madam Lin Hai let him in with relief: "You went to Gaoping again?"

Qian Jin laughed and said, "Yes, I went to the countryside on Sunday."

Today, Lin Hai was reviewing the "Quarterly Report on Unified Purchase and Sales" on the sofa by the light of a desk lamp on the small table next to him.

The aroma of jasmine tea wafted from the teacup next to the lamp, mingling with the occasional sound of water flowing from the heating pipes, making the night vibrant and colorful.

Qian Jin was quite envious.

Haibin City does not yet have centralized heating; only some well-off units have installed heating pipes in their staff quarters for individual heating.

Needless to say, the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives is such a good organization.

Lin Hai gestured for him to sit down and said with a smile, "How should I address you? Captain Qian or Chief Qian?"

"You should call me Xiao Qian." Qian Jin adopted a very humble attitude. "Section Chief Lin, my promotion to battalion commander this time is all thanks to you..."

Lin Hai guessed what he was going to say and immediately waved his hand: "Don't say anything more, or I'll have to ask you to leave."

"Yes, when your Jiagang Brigade nominated candidates for brigade leader, I mentioned your name, but let me tell you, Comrade Qian Jin, your election is entirely due to your hard work and dedication."

"The fact that the organizer has set up a college entrance exam intensive study class for ambitious young people from all walks of life is a great thing that makes our unit proud."

The impact of the training course on society exceeded Qian Jin's expectations.

Wei Qinghuan did him a great favor.

Mrs. Lin made him a cup of hot tea and then helped him pack his briefcase.

The bag contained a variety of items, including dried chili peppers, sun-dried peanuts, dried shrimp, dried sea cucumbers, dried fish that he had sun-dried himself, and shrimp paste that he had made himself.

“Your cousin specifically told me that she made this shrimp paste herself, using freshly caught mantis shrimp. She said you can’t handle salt but love this flavor, so she didn’t add much salt. Be careful not to let it spoil.” Qian Jin pushed aside the chili skewers, revealing a canned food jar wrapped in newspaper underneath.

Lin Hai adjusted his glasses, and his gaze behind the lenses softened.

The other bag contained food items such as meat jelly, Jiangnan-style mutton cake, and luncheon meat.

Madam Lin Hai said, "This isn't something my younger sister asked you to deliver, is it? You can take it away..."

Qian Jin smiled and said, "These are some local specialties that my older siblings who went to the countryside asked the driver to bring back on their way. I brought them here today for you to try."

"But there's nothing good here, especially this mutton cake, which has a rather unique flavor. I don't know if you'll be used to it."

Lin Hai took a look at it and handed it to Madam Lin, who accepted it.

She said, "Have you inquired about my husband Lin's eating habits? He really likes to eat some mutton in winter."

Qian Jin laughed and said it was just a coincidence, but secretly he was thinking, who doesn't love to eat mutton in winter?

Lin Hai noticed he was holding a laptop, so he moved the desk lamp over and asked, "Is there something on your mind about work?"

Qian Jin nodded: "Section Chief Lin, you are my benefactor. I won't lie to you, this visit is another one I wouldn't have done without a reason."

"My trip to the countryside this time wasn't just to support agriculture; I also contacted the blacksmith shop in Hongxing Commune."

"Well, when I was working as a mover, because the work was so heavy, I would sometimes just sit around and figure out four tools..."

He opened his notebook, inside which was a hastily drawn cart design sketch in the margins of the Reference News:

"This is a sketch. Look at the structural diagram I redrawn in my notebook. I want to design a car like this..."

He introduced each of the four cars one by one.

Lin Hai's gaze sharpened, and his expression grew increasingly serious: "Good stuff, you young people are really quick-witted!"

"No wonder the Party Secretary of our All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives said that leaders at all levels must be promoted from the grassroots level, because practice makes perfect and only comrades at the grassroots level know the correct way to carry out the work."

“These four vehicles of yours are very innovative. I am an administrative staff member and do not understand engineering work. But I can see that they can indeed greatly reduce the workload of front-line movers.”

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Lin came up to look curiously: "A cart with eight wheels? How long must that be?"

Qian Jin showed her the sketch.

The arrangement of the three rear wheels on the car stunned her: "You can do that?"

Qian Jin did his homework in advance; he made simple models of the four cars using foam and bamboo skewers.

The online store, which has been operating for 27 years, sells children's toys.

These children's toy pushcarts are all scaled-down tool carts. Because they don't involve much technology, the manufacturers have reproduced the tool details very well.

Qian Jin made it based on the toy, making it simpler but still usable.

He demonstrated it to Lin Hai and his wife.

The eight-wheeled cart rolled smoothly up the steps.

Lin Hai was even more excited after seeing it: "Great, great, this design is so ingenious."

"Captain Qian, I think your warehousing and transportation department has already produced this year's model worker!"

Qian Jin feigned modesty: "I was just thinking about it randomly. The main thing is that my partner is a physics teacher. She has a lot of knowledge and provided me with technical support."

Lin Hai stroked the foam mold and said, "Your partner is a great help, just like mine."

Mrs. Lin smiled and gave him a light tap on the head.

Lin Hai asked, "You showed me these tools not just to broaden my horizons, right? Tell me, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Is it the steel that's difficult to solve, or the tires and rims?"

Qian Jin frankly said, "Right now we need a batch of rubber and plastic blocks. If we want to start production of these four types of carts in the future, then the blacksmith shop will have a hard time getting all the raw materials."

Lin Hai’s General Management Section has jurisdiction over logistics. He slapped his thigh and said, “Then you’ve come to the right place.”

"However, you should come to me during working hours. This is official business, and I fully support you in handling official business well."

Qian Jin was surprised that Lin Hai was so supportive of his desire for technological innovation.

After all, the country had just gone through a decade of special circumstances, and logically, the leaders and cadres should have been very conservative at that time.

He wasn't wrong about that. He told Lin Hai about his plan to have a blacksmith make a sample first, and Lin Hai nodded in agreement.

"The higher-ups consider issues more comprehensively. Every decision they make involves the livelihoods of hundreds of people, so they are indeed not so easy to accept change."

"You should first produce a batch of samples, and then take them to show the leaders. This will have a more direct effect, and the leaders will be more likely to make a judgment."

Qian Jin nodded: "Yes, Section Chief Lin, you've hit the nail on the head."

"I plan to select a few teams from our brigade to conduct experiments, and then collect productivity data for each team without using tools and with different tools."

"As you just said, practice makes perfect. Presenting the practical data to the leaders will definitely be more convincing."

This is the most basic test scheme for evaluating the performance of a tool in the future, but Lin Hai found it novel.

He said to his wife, "Look, look, why did the central government reinstate the college entrance examination? Because our country's youth contain countless geniuses."

"We must let them receive a higher level of cultural education and let them give full play to their subjective initiative so that we can better build socialism."

Then Lin Hai said enthusiastically, "Give me the list of urgently needed materials, and I'll be responsible for approving the requests."

"This matter must be handled quickly; we must race against time!"

Lin Hai was not a bureaucrat; he was a college graduate who had fought his way up from the crowd in 1960 and highly valued knowledgeable and capable people.

This time, he took the initiative to invite Qian Jin to have dinner at his home.

Qian Jin couldn't leave even if he wanted to.

He also took out a bottle of Wuliangye liquor: "I don't usually drink, but the four types of frontline worker transport carts you brought today are worth a couple of drinks for."

The matter was handled beautifully, and Qian Jin drank some wine. On the way back, despite the howling wind, he didn't feel cold.

My brother Qian has a bright future ahead of him!

Good things keep happening one after another.

On Tuesday, during the workday, not only did Lin Hai send him a note with the approval document, but the Political Work Department also sent someone to notify him to attend a training course.

Anti-smuggling training courses hosted by the Port Authority.

Because of his meritorious service in actual combat and the insightful speech he delivered at the training course, Qian Jin was highly regarded by a leader from the port authority, who invited him to supplement the speech in detail and give a lecture to the trainees at the training course.

This is a great honor.

Port workers have the lowest status among port workers, while customs and security personnel, who are responsible for anti-smuggling work, are the highest-ranking.

So Qian Jin was able to teach them, and just the news made his porters proud.

Qian Jin was so anxious after seeing the notice that he scratched his head.

What kind of writing ability does he have?
But when he looked at it from a different perspective, he realized it was a good thing.

He can now openly and legitimately transfer Wei Xiongtu from the front line to the brigade office.

Upon seeing the supply order issued by the General Management Department, Qian Jin began to devise a strategy to win over his immediate superior.

Logically, he should have reported this work to his immediate supervisor first.

Based on Qian Jin's understanding of Yang Shengzhang, this matter will likely get stuck at Yang Shengzhang's level.

If he gets stuck, he won't be able to carry out his plan. Otherwise, he'll be going against his boss. Is that feasible?

So he decided to go it alone and create a disruptive work process.

It would be best if Yang Shengzhang agreed to let him implement the plan to test the new car, so that Qian Jin could get policy support and have the unit fund the production, without the blacksmith shop having to use its own treasury anymore.

If Yang Shengzhang disagrees, then he will not promote the widespread use of the new car, but will first build a batch of models for internal testing.

Qian Jin personally funded the purchase of several new tools for his workers, so Yang Shengzhang should have no objections.

Now, his operational plan involves his subordinates doing the preparatory work, and then his superiors making the final decision.

The decision was made to provide a solution that could be implemented immediately.

Even if you disagree with the decision, there are solutions that can be implemented immediately.

After making preparations, Qian Jin asked Wei Xiongtu to write the manuscript for him, while he went to find Yang Shengzhang.

Just as he stepped out, Hu Shunzi intercepted him.

Hu Shunzi asked weakly, "Where is Captain Qian going?"

Seeing his disheveled appearance, Qian Jin asked, "I need to see a leader to take care of something. What's wrong? Why do you look like this? Are you sick or have you run into some trouble?"

Hu Shunzi said, "Captain Qian, you're right. I'm in trouble, really in trouble!"

"Sigh, all the foremen from other teams know you used to be my soldier, but in the blink of an eye, I've become your soldier."

"Sigh, they all laugh at me. How am I supposed to get our team's work done like this?"

Qian Jin laughed upon hearing this: "Is that so? It's simple, I can help you with that."

"What should we do?" Hu Shunzi asked.

Qian Jin said, "You shouldn't be the foreman anymore. Let Uncle Guai be the foreman. That way, we won't have anything to do with each other..."

“Relevant, relevant, very relevant.” Hu Shunzi immediately perked up. “Actually, I was just joking with you here, hehe.”

"It's like this, Captain Qian, the reason I said I can't do my job as foreman anymore is that my team has suddenly lost a lot of people."

“My team was already small, which is why the higher-ups assigned you, Xiao Wei, and Chenggong to my team in the first place.”

"Now that you and Xiao Wei are both gone, and that old dog Kang Xinnian is claiming illness and not coming to work, I'm even less of a person left!"

This is a fact.

Qian Jin said, "Don't worry, your team is like my own family. How could I let my own family suffer a loss?"

"Why do you think I went to the leader? It's to ask you for people!"

Hu Shunzi was overjoyed: "You're so loyal! You're really loyal!"

Qian Jin had Wei Xiongtu write an application for increased construction work, and then had Hu Shunzi sign it.

Hu Shunzi left happily: "Little Qian is really something, he doesn't forget the well-digger when he drinks the water."

Suddenly, I scratched my head: Wait a minute, shouldn't Xiao Qian have prepared the application for additional staff in advance if he's going to ask the leader for more people? Why do I have to write it on the spot when I get there?

He pondered for a while, but couldn't figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it and continued working.

The money went into the Municipal Supply and Marketing Cooperative and went straight to the minister's office.

Yang Shengzhang's office is like a revolutionary history museum.

On the wall hangs an old carrying pole inscribed with a banner that reads "Model of Supporting the Front," and under a glass plate lies a merit book for the Huaihai Campaign. Even the tin thermos is covered with a velvet cover that reads "Carry the Revolution Through to the End."

When Qian Jin was working on the cart design drawings, Yang Shengzhang behaved differently than Lin Hai.

He was quite interested, but after listening to the explanation, he shook his head: "Your idea is good, but you should think less and do more in the future."

"What does the song say? We workers have power! We don't need all this fancy stuff."

"I don't want to look back on the past, but there are some things I have to tell you young people. During the ammunition transport in 1948, the comrades in our unit's support transport team carried boxes weighing 300 pounds on their shoulders and still moved with incredible speed!"

Qian Jin gave a wry smile.

The veteran cadres have indeed shed countless drops of sweat for the motherland.

But we can't just force ourselves to suffer without experiencing hardship, can we?
But he knew there was an unspoken rule in the workplace: don't try to persuade your boss.

In this way, he doesn't argue, ensuring the older comrade doesn't feel he's challenging his authority; he simply lowers his head and hands, adopting a posture of attentive listening.

Please teach me a lesson!

Sure enough, the old worker was very satisfied with his attitude:
"I know you young people are ambitious and have ideas, which is a good thing, but you need to remember that stability is the most important thing! Stability overrides everything!"

"But have you ever thought about it? What do our porters rely on to achieve their work results?"

"It relies on the spirit of not being afraid of hardship or difficulty!"

“But in the last two years, I have noticed that our workers have become afraid of difficulties and have lost their spirit of hard work. In this situation, if you still design tools to reduce their workload, won’t that just encourage them to shirk their duties and cheat?”

Qian Jin nodded in agreement and said, "Yes, Minister Yang, I also noticed this when I was on the front lines. Comrades are afraid of difficulties as if they were afraid of tigers."

"Everyone has completely lost the belief in working together with one heart and one mind, and no longer has the idea that if I suffer a little more, others will suffer a little less, and the motherland will move forward faster."

Yang Shengzhang slammed his hand on the table and said, "Right? You noticed it too? Your insight is really good."

"It seems this problem..."

Qian Jin said, "This problem must be taken seriously and must be solved."

"My idea is that we can't rely solely on the enthusiasm of our comrades to complete tasks like before. We need to develop a work plan for them, add assessments, reward those who complete the assessments, and punish those who fail to complete them!"

"Take Hu Shunzi's team as an example. If they are transporting coal, they can only transport about 20 tons a day now."

"Raise the task to thirty tons! Use the thirty-ton standard to evaluate them!"

Yang Shengzhang frowned deeply.

Even as a radical myself, I find your proposal radical.

Qian Jin said, "Minister, don't think they can't finish the work. It's no problem. Human potential is limitless. They will definitely be able to complete this task."

"Even if they can't finish it with their current skills, they'll be able to once they have some new tools..."

Upon hearing this, Yang Shengzhang laughed.

He became a leader not through flattery or a list of achievements, but because he had real talent and ability:
"You little rascal, you're trying every trick in the book to get my support for your tool reforms, aren't you?"

He added, “Your thinking just now is wrong, Xiao Qian. We are a socialist country. We should make reasonable use of workers’ labor capacity, not exploit them.”

"Another fundamental reason why I don't support your production of these tools is that the country's conditions are poor right now, and both industry and agriculture are facing difficulties. We should try every means to save labor resources for the country, instead of wasting them!"

"These vehicles of yours are all made of pure iron and refined steel. Good heavens, how many shovels and hoes can be made from one of these vehicles? Have you ever thought about that?"

Qian Jin hurriedly explained, "The frame is indeed made of steel, but the most material used, the car body, can be made of wood."

"Another thing is that we can produce a few cars and put them on the production line to test. With the help of this new tool, workers can double their work without being exploited. Wouldn't that be a good thing?"

The old worker sat down to drink water.

He pondered for a moment and nodded: "Okay, I hope we can make more and more contributions to the country's development."

"Okay then, I'll contact a factory for you to see if they can produce this kind of car."

Qian Jin hurriedly said, "I have already contacted a blacksmith shop in a commune. They will start work as soon as you give the order."

Yang Shengzhang picked up his pipe and started smoking, laughing, "Good lad, I don't think I need to give the order; they've already started working."

Qian Jinlian said, "No way, no way."

Leaders are really not easy to fool.

Qian Jin had some personal matters to attend to, so he tried to get closer to Yang Shengzhang: "Leader, you just mentioned the support transport team. Were you in the support team during the Liberation War?"

"I was working in the Liu Family Production Team in Hongxing Village, and there was a family in their team who were descendants of peasant soldiers who had served as peasant soldiers."

Yang Shengzhang was quite interested: "Really? Did he mention which support unit his elders belonged to?"

Qian Jin shook his head: "Which team are you on? I'll talk to him later, maybe we can find some old acquaintances."

Yang Shengzhang laughed: "I'm afraid it's unlikely. I was actually a political commissar in a field army. I was in the Jin-Ji-Lu-Yu Field Army earlier. Later, during the Liberation War, the army was reorganized, and I was transferred to the Third Field Army."

"When the coastal area was liberated, I was also responsible for some logistics work, which was the transportation work of the militia support team."

Qian Jin was greatly alarmed.

He thought the old worker was just a militia member who had been lucky enough to get into the supply and marketing cooperative and worked his way up to this position.

Now that I hear this, it sounds like the resume of a high-ranking military officer.
He asked in surprise, "Then...then you..."

It was too difficult to ask any further questions. Realizing this, he chuckled awkwardly and shut his mouth.

Yang Shengzhang touched his rough hair and said, "It's strange how I transferred from the army to the supply and marketing system?"

"After the founding of the People's Republic of China, there was a major reorganization of the military, government, industry, and agriculture. In 52, our former political commissars from the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region left the army to become vice presidents of the State Council. What's so strange about me being transferred to the supply and marketing system?"

"I came to the supply and marketing system because my old political commissar pointed me in the right direction. But I don't have any special skills, except that I'm physically fit and can do some work. Now I'm in charge of the city's warehousing and transportation work, serving the people."

Qian Jin was even more surprised.

Wasn't the Jin-Ji-Lu-Yu Field Army the same as Liu and Deng's army?
So, old political commissar...

Yang Shengzhang didn't give him a chance to continue the conversation.

After a few words of almost unbridled conversation, he waved his hand and said, "Alright, I see you're fine now."

"Why don't you build these cars first, see their cost, and see their capabilities?"

Qian Jin dawdled.

He then asked, "Anything else? If not, hurry up and get to work."

Qian Jin presented the application for additional staff and explained the situation, finally giving a fair assessment: "Hu Shunzi's team is indeed short of people."

Yang Shengzhang clicked his tongue and said, "We should transfer a few people to his team."

"Okay, I'll talk to the labor and personnel department and ask them to add a few more temporary worker positions."

Qian Jin said, "Regarding personnel, could we consider the educated youth who are already working at the port?"

"First, we assigned them jobs; second, they are skilled workers who can start working right away."

Yang Shengzhang waved his hand: "This is a matter for the labor and personnel department. Recruiting is a very complicated task that involves the coordination of multiple units. Let's not get involved too much."

"However, your suggestion is quite good. They are indeed qualified to join our unit's frontline staff, so we can give them priority consideration."

Qian Jin was in high spirits.

As long as Yang Shengzhang is willing to accept members of the port youth transport team, he can handle it!
The former minister approved the application, which requested that the warehousing and transportation department increase its workforce.

Qian Jin took the note, saying he would deliver it on his way, and left happily.

Watching his retreating figure, the old comrade looked at the wall again.

The old jujube wood carrying pole used by my old comrades-in-arms still hangs high on the wall, like a ruler measuring the times.

However, this ruler needs new markings in the new era.

He sighed and shook his head, his gaze deep.

(End of this chapter)