The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 123 A trusted confidant rises to power, forging good relations with the Dagang Anti-Smuggling Office (Seeking monthly votes)

The morning mist, shrouded in coal smoke, filled the road to Taishan. Wang Dong stood solemnly by the roadside, picking up his military overcoat.

This is new stock that just arrived from the security department.

The brand-new green cotton lining was stuffed with thick cotton, so warm that even on a cold day, wearing it would make you sweat all over.

Even in a good unit like the No. 6 State-owned Cotton Mill, only a few core departments, such as the Security Department, could enjoy such good benefits.

The residents on their way to work in the morning gave him a lot of face, and seeing the brand-new cotton coat, they all asked him:

"Dongzi, are you wearing new clothes?"

Wang Dong was somewhat displeased with these words:
"Old Ou, I didn't care if you called me Dongzi before, but now that I work in the security department of the Sixth State-owned Cotton Mill, you better think carefully about what you should call me?"

Old Ou couldn't refuse him in person, so he quickly said:
"Wang Baowei, Wang Baowei, look at me! I went out before I was fully awake, and I misspoke!"

Wang Dong smiled and said, "What did you ask me just now? This coat, right? Haha, this military overcoat has quite a history..."

He gave a comprehensive introduction to the origin and special features of the military cotton-padded coat, and finally turned up the furry collar to his ears, then leisurely rode his bicycle away.

The aluminum lunchboxes in the basket rattled and clattered, causing the red paint on the front bumper of the vehicle to crumble.

"Section Chief Wang, wait!" A young man in a dark blue Zhongshan suit suddenly appeared from the side, blocking the way with his bicycle handlebars.

Wang Dong squeezed the brake pads, and the rear wheel scraped a white mark on the icy road: "Hey, Chief Qian, are you trying to embarrass me again?"

He pondered for a moment and then fantasized: "Damn it, who knows, under your brilliant leadership, I might actually become a section chief in the future."

"Section Chief? I think you're going to get your seals made." Qian Jin breathed out white puffs of steam as he took off his cotton gloves and pulled a pair of leather gloves from his satchel, tossing them to him.

"The security department pays attention to police appearance, so stop wearing that rubbish and wear this instead."

These leather gloves are entirely black, made of genuine sheepskin on the outside and thick cashmere on the inside. They are windproof, waterproof, and cold-proof, with exceptional warmth retention.

Wang Dong was immediately delighted when he received it, his mouth stretching from ear to ear with joy:
"Good stuff, good stuff, thanks, Chief Qian. I won't stand on ceremony with you, I'll really take what you give me."

Qian Jin waved his hand: "Take it."

Wang Dong pulled out a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes from his pocket to hand it to him, then said awkwardly, "Hey, you don't smoke, so I don't know how to express my gratitude."

Qian Jin said, "It's very simple to express my gratitude. Just take five minutes of your time and do me a favor."

"What's wrong, kid? Do you need me to help you fight the fascist devils?" Wang Dong joked with him as he put on gloves, then tried interlacing his fingers and praised him highly.

"Chief Qian, did you get this from the Germans? I remember watching the Yugoslav war film '67 Days' in 74, and the fascist officers in it wore this. They looked so cool."

Qian Jin said, "You're so impressive, aren't you? I've come to you today to ask you to investigate someone in your unit. His name is Bai Dongfeng."

"You'll know this person as soon as you investigate..."

“I know all this without even checking,” Wang Dong said eagerly. “He’s your father’s apprentice. When I first started working here, my colleagues specifically mentioned him after they found out about my relationship with you.”

“Chief Qian, we’re on the same side, so I won’t beat around the bush. To be honest, your reputation as a senior brother isn’t that great.”

Qian Jinlai became interested and nodded, saying, "Tell me in detail."

Wang Dong said, "He works in logistics, the same job as your old man, a warehouse keeper."

"Then things kept going missing from the warehouse. Our security department suspected that your senior was behind it, but we investigated several times and couldn't find any evidence against him."

Qian Jin said thoughtfully, "I see. Okay, that works."

"Continue investigating him, but this time change your approach. Investigate his family and the house he lives in now."

"But remember, never alert the enemy!"

Wang Dong gave him face and took out his red workbook to record it:

"No problem, I'll do whatever you say. But if I may ask, why are you investigating him?"

Qian Jin said, "His family is currently living in my house."

Wang Dong was shocked: "Huh?"

Qian Jin explained:
“Before my father retired due to illness, he was allocated an apartment in your workers’ new village. This is not a collective housing unit; it is a house registered under his name.”

"But now that I'm back, I can't move in. Bai Dongfeng and his whole family have taken over..."

"He's gone too far!" Wang Dong poked the three characters 'Bai Dongfeng' hard with the tip of his pen.

His temper flared up instantly: "I'll fucking bring some men and kick you out..."

Qian Jin waved his hand: "Brother, don't be impulsive in the future. Think things through before you act."

“I couldn’t find the property certificate when I got back, so he must have taken it. That’s why I asked you to investigate him and the house first, and then we can deal with him properly!”

Wang Dong nodded hurriedly: "This is a big deal, the house is a big deal."

"But since it's your father's house, it's not a problem even if you don't have a land and property certificate. You can just get a replacement, right?"

Qian Jin sighed: "If it were that simple, why would I ask you to investigate? I had Director Wei check for me. That house is currently registered in their neighborhood and belongs to Bai Dongfeng."

"So I need to investigate the situation thoroughly before making a decision."

Wang Dong was stunned.

The house is registered under Bai Dongfeng's name, and Bai Dongfeng lives in it. Isn't this Bai Dongfeng's house?
Qian Jin is unsure about the situation right now.

Anyway, according to the diary, the house should be under Qian Zhongguo's name, and he still doesn't understand how it became under Bai Dongfeng's name.

Houses cannot be sold on the market now, so either Qian Zhongguo lied in the letter he wrote to his predecessor, or Bai Dongfeng did something.

Qian Jin leans towards the latter.

"It's not that Bai Dongfeng's name is on the property certificate, it's that Bai Dongfeng's name is on the household registration. Do you understand the difference?"

“I suspect Bai Dongfeng might have stolen the property certificate, forged a document, and then used his connections to register his household there.” He told Wang Dong his guess.

Wang Dong was a little confused: "You asked Director Wei to investigate this matter? And then Director Wei investigated the household registration but not the land and property certificates?"

"She works at the housing management office, so why doesn't she just check the property ownership certificate information?"

Qian Jin explained, "Because the housing management office has a lot of information about land and property certificates, and it's not in their unit but in the district bureau, so it's very difficult to check."

"But checking household registration information is much simpler."

“She is already the director of the neighborhood committee of our street. She can contact the neighborhood committee of the street where your factory workers’ new village is located and find out how the household registration of a house is handled.”

Wang Dong understood and asked, "So, you think the land and property certificate is actually still in your father's name?"

Qian Jin nodded: "Yes, but Director Wei has already found out that the household registration is not my old man's identity."

"So, without any evidence, I couldn't trouble her to go through the trouble of checking the land and property certificate information."

"If I have evidence, I can bother her then. If she helps me, it will be considered upholding justice, you understand?"

Wang Dong said, "I understand. Then we need to get this done as soon as possible."

"I've been to the workers' new village in my workplace. Every family lives in a new house, which is spacious and bright."

“Unlike our tenement building, look at it,” he pointed up to the balcony covered with diapers, “three generations of families squeezed into one bed, just like the slums that foreigners talk about.”

"By the way, this is a big deal. I should have taken care of this as soon as I joined the company. Why didn't you tell me?"

Qian Jin sneered: "You already know that Bai Dongfeng is a difficult person to deal with, don't you understand what I mean?"

"Be careful against being careful, like a wheat awn against a needle point!"

“He was definitely on guard when you first joined the company, but now that nothing's happened, he's probably let his guard down. It's a good time to investigate him.”

Wang Dong said, "Understood. I'll secretly investigate him as soon as I get to work."

Qian Jin patted him on the shoulder: "Be careful. Like I said, don't alert them."

"Alright, let's go!"

His words were carried away by the cold wind, and he had already ridden away.

It's so cold!

Wang Dong stomped his numb feet as he got into the car. Snowflakes were falling from the wall, and someone was throwing trash down from the second floor.

He shouted, "Aunt Liu, your old cabbage stalk fell into my collar! Stop throwing things around like that, you have to take care of the streets!"

A woman's head popped out from the second floor: "Hey, what a strange thing, Dongzi, you actually know about protecting the streets now? Wasn't this the time when you were taking your poop in the street in the middle of the night?"

Wang Dong shrank back as he left, muttering, "Damn it, buddy, I'm Wang the bodyguard now!"

"Chief Qian, wait for me. Let's walk together and chat for a while."

The two bicycles parted ways at the back.

Last night, I sweated it out after a hearty meal of pork stew, and today my cold is completely gone. I'm full of energy again.

The wind at the seaside was exceptionally strong, making the signs on the iron gate of the Jiagang pier rattle loudly.

The red, Song-style font above, reading "Go all out, aim high, and build socialism faster, better, and more economically," bounced in the wind, looking quite energetic.

As Qian Jin rode his old bicycle into the warehouse and factory area belonging to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, the old gatekeeper poked his head out from the guardhouse, his cotton hat and ear flaps fluttering in the wind.
"Captain Qian, something big happened in your unit yesterday. Your Minister Yang was busy until dark, and the security department arrested quite a few people..."

Before he could finish speaking, foreman Yu Shuigen suddenly appeared from the side: "What are you meddling in for!"

Then he smiled apologetically at Qian Jin and said, "Captain Qian, you're here? Come, come, give me your bicycle. Go to the office and warm up by the fire."

Qian Jin saw that his work clothes were covered with ice crystals, making him look like a pickled radish that had been fished out of a pickle jar.

They have been waiting for me here for a long time.

Without any hesitation, he handed the bicycle to Yu Shuigen, then hurriedly grabbed his bag and rushed to his office.

As soon as the metal door to the office was pushed open, a wave of heat rushed in. Jasmine tea was brewing in his enamel mug, and Liu Jinshan immediately refilled it with boiling water upon seeing him.

Hu Shunzi was also in the office, squatting next to the cast iron stove roasting slices of steamed buns. The smell of burnt bread mixed with coal smoke filled people's nostrils.

As soon as Qian entered, he handed him the steamed bun wrapper: "If you want the best flavor, have the baked bun with tea."

"Captain Qian, please eat, I specially grilled this for you."

Qian Jin was speechless.

After he sat down, he waved his hand: "Give me your work log."

Wang Hao smiled wryly: "Captain Qian, please don't make things difficult for me. Where can we find the labor log anymore? Our brigade can't even keep a complete roster now."

Yu Shuigen pushed open the door and came in; several people were staring at him expectantly.

Qian Jin said, "Why are you looking at me? I'm at work. You know better than I how much inventory I had piled up a few days ago. What's wrong? Are you trying to scam me?"

Everyone shook their heads frantically.

Liu Jinshan laughed awkwardly, "Today, I, Old Liu, am going to work my ass off. I'm not sitting in the office anymore; I'm going to the front lines to share the hardships with the porters!"

Qian Jin said, "Deputy Captain Liu, what do you mean by going to the front line and sharing weal and woe with the porters? We're still porters ourselves."

"Yes, yes, Captain Qian is right." Liu Jinshan hurriedly started filming.

Hu Shunzi blurted out, "The goods do need to be moved, but let's talk about something more important first..."

"Getting the inventory into stock is the most important thing right now!" Qian Jin suddenly slammed his fist on the table and stood up angrily.

"I know the ministry issued a notice to rest on the day of the heavy snow, but why did you all continue to rest afterward? Did the unit stop operating?"

Hu Shunzi muttered, "There was another notice later..."

"You saw it?" Liu Jinshan jumped up as if an eel had crawled into his anus. "You saw the notice?"

It was a forged notice he created under the guise of the brigade leader's name that's why they're so anxious.

However, this notice was not distributed to all teams; he only showed it to a few foremen, such as Du Feng and Gu Jiashuai.

These foremen announced to the outside world that the brigade headquarters had arranged for rest, so as their teams took a break, other teams followed suit and also stopped working.

Watching them fight like dogs, Qian Jin sneered and slammed the notice about the arrangement for moving the backlog of goods that he had organized at home yesterday onto the table. Then he went out himself to participate in the most urgent moving work.

The others had nothing to say, and they all packed their things and ran outside.

In Song Yuefu's team, Song Yuefu, as the foreman, was giving a speech.

His military overcoat was patched upon patched, giving him a rugged and simple look, completely different from his usual well-dressed appearance.

Everyone was terrified by the sudden arrests yesterday afternoon.

Four of the eight foremen were arrested.

The people most afraid now are not Du Feng and the other three who have been arrested, but Hu Shunzi and the other three who are still in the unit!
Upon seeing Qian Jin appear, Song Yuefu hurriedly led his workers to salute.

Qian came in and returned the greeting, saying, "Are the apples unloaded on the 15th still outside? Haven't you put them into storage yet?"

"Do you know how damaging low temperatures are to fruits and vegetables? Do you know you are committing a crime? You are damaging state and people's property!"

Song Yuefu was so scolded that he didn't dare to raise his head.

Qian Jin took off his gloves and threw them on the ground, his handsome face filled with murderous intent.

"Listen up, no fruits or vegetables are allowed to be stored today, and don't bother with Minister Yang tomorrow either. Go to the security department yourselves."

"I will surrender myself on the charge of causing extensive damage to state property due to work errors, in order to get a lighter sentence."

Song Yuefu and others remained silent in fear.

As the saying goes, misfortune may be a blessing in disguise, and a blessing may be a misfortune in disguise.

Their laziness this time gave Qian Jin a good opportunity to establish his authority.

He didn't say anything after that, just kept working with his head down. The workers were full of energy, after all, the team leader had taken the lead.

The work areas were bustling with activity.

They have to work faster.

God is not good at it.

At nine o'clock, fine snowflakes, like grains of salt, began to fall from the sky.

"The flower seeds have been planted!" Song Yuefu pinched a handful of seeds and looked at them, his face grave.

"Flower seed" is a colloquial term for small hailstones, used to describe their size.

Upon seeing this, Qian Jin put down his work and said:

"We don't have enough workers right now. Six good workers are joining today. I'll go to the labor and personnel department to see if we can speed things up."

"Any new laborers arriving today?" Song Yuefu's face lit up with joy. "Are they Qiu Dayong's group of educated youth? But according to policy, the political vetting process takes about half a month, right?"

Qian Jin wasn't surprised that he knew the news.

These foremen were not ordinary people; many of them had relatives or superiors.

Qian Jin casually remarked, "It's probably a special case."

"You guys do a good job. Since you've enjoyed the good life before, now it's time to suffer."

The sound of the steam whistle tore through the cold wind, adding a touch of desolation to the construction site.

Qian Jin rode his bicycle up the embankment and took a shortcut to his workplace.

According to the normal procedure, new movers go to the labor and personnel department to sign the papers and then report to their respective brigade.

Qian Jin came to snatch people today. The labor and personnel department knew their situation, so they quickly went through the procedures and handed Qiu Dayong and six other strong young men over to him.

All six were burly, good-looking young men.

Qian Jin took out a peony cigarette and lit it around, saying, "Enough with the chit-chat, it's snowing again. You all know the situation from last night. We need to work overtime and get things done today."

Qiu Dayong lit a cigarette, a confident look on his face: "Captain Qian, don't worry, we've prepared a little surprise for you."

"Comrades, let's go, prepare for a bloody battle!"

Qian Jin laughed and said, "We're in a hurry, but not in these few minutes. I've prepared a surprise for you too. Come on, let's take a group photo to remember this moment."

He pulled a camera out of his bag, not the Pearl River 7 twin-lens reflex camera he had gotten from Song Hongbing, but a Seagull 120, which was quite common at the time.

"Come on, let's all take a picture in front of the office building!"

The six men were immediately thrown into disarray.

Pliers frantically smoothed out the upturned collar, while Shaobing tucked the exposed cotton cuffs behind his back.

Qiu Dayong spat into his palm and forcefully pushed his messy hair back.

Shaobing went to the toilet, and when he came out, his messy hair was all neatly combed.

Qiu Dayong asked in surprise, "Did you fucking piss like that?"

Shaobing laughed and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? There's a water tap inside. I saw it when I came to use the toilet this morning."

Others flocked to go.

Qian Jin said, "Don't waste time, just take a few pictures like this. There will be plenty of opportunities to take photos in the future."

They stood beneath the vermilion words "The working class leads everything," as snow fell from the sky and covered the ground. Against the backdrop of the all-white environment, the words stood out starkly red.

Today's report said that the six young men were dressed very formally, and even though they had to borrow a Zhongshan suit, they managed to get one.

They wore badges with images of the leader on their chests, and pens hung from their pockets.

In front of the dusty office building of the Municipal Supply and Marketing Cooperative, six people, their expressions serious yet excited, posed for several photos, filled with longing for a bright future. Since none of them had bicycles, Qian Jin simply waved his hand and found a truck at the company gate to pick them up and take them home.

They all belong to the warehousing and transportation department. Although the drivers look down on the porters, they have to give face to the porter team leader.

Upon arriving at the front lines, the six fresh recruits immediately changed the situation.

They were burly and strong, and could carry a sack of apples on their shoulders while walking briskly.

Seeing this, Song Yuefu couldn't help but exclaim, "Old hands really do work!"

The snowfall intensified, and the snow that had just melted from the corrugated iron roof of the warehouse was now being pelted by small hailstones that made a crackling sound.

Qiu Dayong bent over as he stacked apple baskets onto the cart. His work clothes were covered with a layer of snow, and his breath froze into ice flowers on his eyebrows. He looked like a white-clad warrior.

Suddenly, someone pointed to the side and shouted excitedly, "Hey, Xiangjun and the others are here!"

More than sixty figures broke through the snow curtain, their patched-up cotton-padded coats forming a gray, hazy cloud.

The young man leading the group carried a crowbar, and his work clothes had a badge that read "Second Frontier Construction Corps" hanging on his chest. The gradually fading red lettering looked like a dying ember in the wind and snow.

Qiu Dayong looked up and shouted to Qian Jin behind him, "Captain Qian, the surprise we prepared for you has arrived!"

Qian Jin looked up and saw ice shards drifting into his collar with the wind.

He could naturally recognize that it was the educated youth moving team.

These people had once helped him with such great force.

So Qian Jin quickly walked over and patted the snow off Qiu Dayong's clothes, saying, "You've transferred all your brothers and sisters here again?"

Qiu Dayong grinned: "After hearing about the situation of the Jiagang Brigade from you last night, I knew I had to get them to come and provide support."

Shaobing chimed in from the side, "We're all educated youth, and educated youth never let us down. Besides, the six of us just joined the brigade; this is like a pledge of allegiance..."

“You want to pledge allegiance to me?” Qiu Dayong slapped him on the forehead. “A pledge of allegiance is for bandits!”

He brushed the snow off his head and greeted the crowd, saying, "You've arrived earlier than I expected."

Yi Xiangjun laughed and said, "You guys start work earlier than we expected. If Haozi hadn't happened to come and take a look, we would have thought you wouldn't be able to report for work until 10 or 11 o'clock."

Qian Jin came over and greeted everyone: "Comrades, come and help me, I won't be polite, but I'll be treating you to dinner tonight, so don't be shy either."

The educated youth all agreed, and many began to squat down to put on leg wraps and prepare to work.

Shaobing said with a grin, "Captain Qian, could you apply for work gloves for the women? Xiangjun and the others' hands are all cracked from the cold..."

“Everything is here,” Qian Jin said, waving his office key. “I’ve also prepared something else for you; I’ll give it to you tonight.”

With the addition of more than sixty people, the number of port workers in Jiagang is now higher than usual.

With more people, Qian Jin no longer worked on the front line of transport, but instead patrolled the entire line and directed the order of moving goods.

The snow was still falling when the lunch whistle blew.

Qian Jin gathered everyone into an empty warehouse.

The iron drum used for storing asphalt contained firewood, which burned very brightly when lit, but had a strange, foul smell.

The porters split into groups, each taking out their lunch and chatting as they ate around the metal barrels.

The difference can be seen in their dietary standards.

The lunchboxes of the porters from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative contained meat and other savory dishes, while the lunchboxes of the educated youth only contained a few drops of oil.

Some porters carried canned goods. When they opened the tin cans and put them over a flame, the aroma of the oily pork inside immediately filled the air, making the surrounding educated youth swallow their saliva.

Qian Jin hadn't expected Qiu Dayong to ask his friends for help, so he hadn't made any preparations beforehand.

So he first had everyone put down their lunchboxes and hold a group meeting to ease the gap caused by the difference in food quality.

He introduced Qiu Dayong and his six companions, then addressed the four teams that no longer had foremen:
"Qiu Dayong, Su Shaobing, Li Daqian, and Lao Guai, the four of you will be temporarily assigned to these four teams and serve as team leaders."

The battalion commander has the authority to appoint squad leaders, but it usually requires the approval of the minister.

Qian Jin knew that Yang Shengzhang would fully support him, and that his temporary appointment would become his formal appointment in the future.

The remaining porters in the four teams were naturally unwilling to be led by outsiders. According to the unspoken rules, the foreman of each team was elected by the team members.

But Qian Jin didn't care whether they were convinced or not.

If you're not satisfied, go to the security office!
Normally, if the newly appointed team leader were to arbitrarily appoint foremen, it would definitely cause dissatisfaction among the porters or even a strike.

Given the current special circumstances, the workers are filled with anxiety, and no one dares to argue with him.

Shaobing, however, seemed a little flustered and whispered, "Captain Qian, I don't know how to lead a team. I can only do the work myself."

Qian Jin said, "If you don't know how to lead the team, ask your brother Dayong. He will teach you."

He then called all the foremen together for a short meeting: "You all know the situation of our brigade better than I do. I wasn't here yesterday, but you were, and you all know how many people are left in the brigade."

"The workload is heavy right now, so we won't make any changes to our team structure. We'll have a formal meeting later to break up all the workers and reorganize them into teams."

Qiu Dayong breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

He is skilled at leading teams and knows the vast difference in winning people's hearts between a newly appointed leader leading a mature, unfamiliar team and a group of scattered soldiers rebuilding their team.

After announcing this news, Qian Jin waved his hand to signal the meeting adjourned.

He has an important appointment at noon.

But Yu Shuigen and his four old foremen exchanged glances and surrounded him, saying, "Captain Qian, we must have another good talk."

Qian Jin asked, "What are you talking about?"

“Give me a straight answer,” Yu Shuigen asked anxiously, “how many people will actually fall this time?”

Qian Jin said, "I would never lie to you. I don't know anything about this, but since you were fine yesterday, you should be fine as long as you don't make any mistakes."

"What about the old scores?" Hu Shunzi said bluntly, "Every single one of us here, back in 1970 when there was a typhoon and the city of Haibin couldn't supply the goods, the whole brigade received flour from the port!"

"Old Hu!" Song Yuefu kicked over a metal bucket burning wood to keep people warm. "Don't talk nonsense."

Hu Shunzi mocked him: "Damn it, Lao Song, you're still such a coward, you dare to do it but not to admit it?"

Qian Jin stomped out the flames and said, "I'm just the captain, not the president of our unit. I couldn't possibly know something so important."

“You were able to ask that question, which shows that Minister Yang values ​​you highly. We can all see that, otherwise it wouldn’t have been him arresting people yesterday, but you who would have been in charge of the arrests,” Yu Shuigen said.

Qian Jin said, "I won't ask, but if Minister Yang asks me about you, I will do everything in my power to protect you!"

Hu Shunzi breathed a sigh of relief: "As expected of the heroes who came from my Hu Shunzi team, just like me, full of heroic spirit!"

In such a somber atmosphere, the fact that everyone could still laugh out loud suggests only one possibility.

One of the five was an idiot.

Hu Shunzi, in his self-righteousness, reminded the others: "Keep your hands and feet clean. Those who aren't, hurry back and look for any account books or bills, and burn them immediately, burn them clean."

Qian Jin sneered: "The ledger can be burned, but the ledger of people's hearts can never be burned clean."

"As the captain, I advise you all: don't reach out for anything in the future, or you will be caught!"

After saying that, he picked up his bag and walked out.

The snow that had just begun to melt outside started to thicken again.

The gray brick roof of the Customs Office Building in Jiagang was covered with half a foot of snow. The weather was gloomy, but the lights were on inside. Icicles on the eaves gleamed coldly in the light shining through the windows.

Qian Jin stopped the car, his cotton work boots crunching on the snow. The gatekeeper was about to stop him when he shook the bag in his hand and said, "I'm delivering medicine to Director Zhou for his toothache."

The security guard nodded: "Do you know where Director Zhou's office is? It's on the third floor, around the corner."

This office is easy to find; it has a sign that says "Anti-Smuggling Bureau."

The customs office was just as lavish as the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives; the office building had radiators installed, and when Qian Jin knocked on the door, he could feel that the wooden door was warm.

Zhou Qingyun was surprised by his arrival: "Oh, Captain Qian, what brings you here?"

Qian Jin looked at his cheek; his toothache must have gotten worse.

When it's cold, the body's immunity is weak, and many ailments can worsen.

At this moment, the director of the anti-smuggling office disregarded his image and told Qian Jin to cover his face with an enamel mug to relieve the pain.

In front of him was a copy of "Reference News," with the headline "National Science Conference Held in Beijing."

"Director Zhou, this is medicine I commissioned an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor to prepare, specifically for treating toothache and swollen gums." Qian Jin untied the cotton rope, revealing small gauze bags inside the oil paper package.

The opening of the gauze bag is very small, so even if crushed medicine powder gets mixed in, it won't leak out.

After learning that Zhou Qingyun was suffering from a toothache, Qian Jin decided to form a good relationship with him.

He knew there was a standard prescription for treating toothache: a combination of metronidazole tablets and ibuprofen tablets, one for sterilization and anti-inflammation and the other for pain relief.

Metronidazole is an anti-anaerobic drug that is very effective against inflammation in periodontitis and pulpitis. It can reduce the inflammatory response and relieve toothache caused by inflammation.

Ibuprofen is very well-known; it also has analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, but its analgesic effect is even more powerful.

Therefore, when used together, metronidazole can fight infection by targeting the cause of the disease, while ibuprofen can relieve pain symptoms. The synergistic effect can quickly improve toothache caused by periodontitis and pulpitis.

Of course, both medications have contraindications.

For example, metronidazole comes in different forms such as sustained-release tablets and capsules. Qian Jin cannot use sustained-release tablets because he cannot keep the tablets. Otherwise, once the sustained-release tablets are crushed, the drug's effect will be quite chaotic.

Zhou Qingyun narrowed his eyes and asked doubtfully, "Will it work?"

"I don't use Chinese medicine much, it's not effective. When I was healthy, I used painkillers, but now I have stomach problems, and I don't dare to take the painkillers I used to take, because they make my stomach hurt!"

He laughed helplessly at this point: "Isn't it funny? Taking painkillers not only doesn't stop the pain, it actually makes it worse."

Qian Jin smiled and said, "No matter what kind of medicine it is, it is important to treat the symptoms. You can try this medicine that I had an old Chinese medicine doctor prescribe for you."

“This was prescribed by a famous traditional Chinese medicine doctor in the capital. I remember I still had some left at home, so I went back to find it and brought it to you.”

Then he took out a small medicine packet to show him: "It's full of things that clear heat, detoxify, and reduce internal heat. Even if it can't cure toothache, it will have other benefits."

The main ingredient in the small medicine packet is rock sugar Qibao tea.

He brewed a cup for Zhou Qingyun. The bitter taste of the pills was masked by the rock sugar, creating a strange flavor that no one would doubt if it tasted like traditional Chinese medicine.

Zhou Qingyun took a sip, letting the tea swirl around on his tongue three times, and then smiled and said, "It tastes pretty good."

"Jingle Bell……"

The phone on his desk rang, and Qian Jin waved to indicate that he was leaving.

Zhou Qingyun stopped him: "You are a model of anti-smuggling, and there is no need for me to hide my work from you."

"Please sit down. It's snowing outside. Wait a while and see if the snow stops. If it doesn't stop, then you can leave."

He answered the phone and nodded repeatedly: "Yes, there's something wrong with the fishing boats that were seized early this morning. They found some Japanese tape recorders in the cabin compartments..."

Qian Jin glanced around discreetly.

There's a tape recorder in this office, and judging by the logo, it's a Sony product.

As for where it came from, that goes without saying.

Zhou Qingyun hung up the phone and started chatting with him, surprisingly being quite enthusiastic.

He told Qian Jin, "If you hadn't come, I was thinking of coming to see you again later."

"The lecture notes you provided are excellent. Our leaders were amazed after reading them. Now that the national college entrance examination has been reinstated and a conference of scientific workers has been held, we believe that the central government should attach importance to cultural and scientific work."

"So we want to compile a complete collection of anti-smuggling materials, and we'd like to use your content when we do."

Qian Jin naturally welcomed him.

As the two were chatting, Zhou Qingyun suddenly gasped, then crossed his arms and frowned as he looked at Qian Jin.

Qian Jin remained silent under his gaze: What's wrong? Is there a problem?
Zhou Qingyun's eyes darted around, and he reached up to touch his cheek:

"We were having such a good chat that I completely forgot about my toothache. Hey, I suddenly remembered it and realized it doesn't hurt anymore!"

Qian Jin glanced at the time; almost half an hour had passed, and the ibuprofen should have taken effect by now.

Zhou Qingyun stood up and walked around to test it, a surprised smile appearing on his face: "Hey hey, it really doesn't hurt anymore! It's not that I forgot about it, it's that it's really gone!"

Qian Jin smiled and said, "It seems this medicine really works."

His smile was genuine.

As Zhou Qingyun mentioned at the beginning, he had used painkillers, which resulted in stomach pain.

Therefore, Qian Jin didn't know if ibuprofen would cause this problem.

Thankfully, ibuprofen truly lives up to its reputation as a popular pain reliever; it's incredibly effective!
Qian Jin felt relieved. Seeing that the snow was still falling, he said, "I can't wait any longer. I have to go back to work. We're very busy over there today."

Seeing this, Zhou Qingyun did not try to stop him, but gave him her home address and phone number, and also asked for his home address and work phone number: "Since you are busy, I will not stop you. You must come and visit me when you have the chance."

"You seem to have a lot of experience in smuggling and anti-smuggling work."

These words made Qian Jin's heart pound: "No, no, I don't have much experience. I just listened to what the older colleagues in my unit said. They have a lot of contact with people on the front line and have heard a lot about things."

Zhou Qingyun laughed heartily: "Why are you reacting so strongly? Do you think I would suspect you of engaging in smuggling?"

"Let me tell you, since we're opening a training course and asked you to be a lecturer, we've already investigated your background in your neighborhood."

"You're a good comrade; our unit knows that even better than yours!"

Qian Jin chuckled.

Alright, I'd better avoid dealing with you guys in the future.

Zhou Qingyun personally escorted him downstairs.

On the way, he asked, "How long do I need to take this medicine?"

"Take it for ten days straight, and remember, strictly abstain from alcohol!" Qian Jin exhaled white breath. "The root of your illness is deep in your teeth; you need to get rid of the toxins completely."

He braved the wind and snow to rush back to his unit.

This is absolutely the right choice.

As it was just past the start of the workday in the afternoon, Yang Shengzhang, wrapped in a cotton-padded coat, climbed out of his jeep to inspect the work in Jiagang.

Normally, in this kind of weather, all moving work should be stopped.

Slippery snow makes it easy to fall, which can damage goods and injure workers.

But how can the Jiagang brigade have the right to stop?

They have to work overtime!

As soon as we got out of the car, our thick cotton boots made two deep dents in the thick snow.

The old worker looked up and saw the mountains of sacks, bamboo baskets, and boxes piled up outside the warehouse, and his brows furrowed.

Unfortunately, the weather was uncooperative, and even with his personally signed supervisory order, the stockpiled goods and supplies were still difficult to clear.

"Watch your step, old leader!" Upon receiving the news, Qian Jin jogged up to greet him, his work clothes covered in snow on his shoulders and head.

Yang Shengzhang waved his hand at him: "I'm not too old to move. I'm still a porter who can carry a 300-pound ammunition box on a carrying pole!"

He led Qian Jin along the transport corridor, and slowly, he began to feel surprised:
"When I came here yesterday, there were at least a hundred tons of goods here. Have they all been put into storage?"

"Hey, you moved the fruits and vegetables here too? This is the batch of supplies I was most worried about. I can't believe it! How did you manage to do that?"

Soon, his gaze fixed on one spot:
More than twenty young workers were carrying sacks and moving about like ants. Their patched cotton-padded coats were soaked with sweat, which was caused by the residual heat from their bodies melting the snow.
"Where did this new force come from?" Yang Shengzhang asked, looking at the workers.

Before Qian Jin could answer, he could already give the answer himself: "Qiu Dayong and his group called their entire team here?"

Qian Jin nodded silently.

"Nonsense!" Yang Shengzhang shook his hand forcefully. "This isn't their job. We can't rely on our connections to ask them for help."

Qian Jin said sincerely, "They took the initiative to ask for help. Qiu Dayong is a very capable leader. When his men learned about our brigade's predicament, they insisted on lending a hand no matter what."

"I owe them a favor, so I'll have to treat them to a good meal tonight, even if it means borrowing money from them."

Yang Shengzhang didn't say anything, but led him around to each venue.

After they finished walking around, they found a high place to stand.

The old worker gazed at the porters who moved swiftly through the wind and snow, their expressions complex.

The cold wave refined their breath into white mist, which condensed into wisps of heat between the piles of goods.

Yang Shengzhang suddenly said, "It's good that Song Hongbing broke the law. If he hadn't, your sword would still be sheathed."

"Now that you're unsheathed, you're going to create a sword array for our unit!"

"Furthermore, when I spoke with Qiu Dayong and the others yesterday, I heard that some of them had registered temporary residences and were living in temporary accommodations provided by the housing management office."

"That's not a long-term solution. We have a few empty dorm rooms in our department. Why don't you let them stay there for now? In this freezing weather, at least they'll have a proper place to stay!"

Qian Jin was overjoyed.

A good leader makes all the difference.

He really does solve problems when there's trouble.

(End of this chapter)