The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 143 Head Office Approval Granted, New Type of Pushcart Advances

Qian Jin was lucky; he successfully found repairmen for each of the five experienced craftsmen he visited.

The second craftsman got the job the most smoothly.

The mechanic, who was packing up parts and getting ready to leave work, suddenly turned around upon hearing his introduction, wiped his hands on his clothes, and quickly extended his hand: "Qian Jin? Taishan Road—hey, you're Chief Qian from Taishan Road?"

Qian Jin asked, "Have we met before?"

The master laughed and said, "My son was studying at your place. It's like the flood washed away the Dragon King's temple; we're all family now, but we didn't recognize each other."

"I didn't know that Comrade Xiao Qu was your brother. If I had known about this relationship, you wouldn't have needed to make this trip. Alright, I'll accept him as my apprentice. Have him come over tomorrow to learn from me."

After going around in circles, it was evening when we returned to the workers' new village of the No. 6 State-owned Cotton Mill.

Wei Qinghuan had prepared the meal and was waiting for him to come home.

Upon opening the door, you'll find steaming hot vegetarian dumplings filled with cabbage.

Then there was a beautiful young woman with a bare face, steaming hot.

Qian Jin stayed in the Workers' New Village until the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month before returning to his apartment in the tenement building on Taishan Road.

Because the next day was Laba Festival, Wei Qinghuan wanted to cook Laba porridge, which symbolizes good fortune and reunion, for his brother and niece; otherwise, he would have insisted on staying in the workers' new village.

Qian Jin was awakened in the morning by a faint rumbling sound; something had exploded.

It took him ten seconds to come to his senses.

As I got up, I could clearly feel that my waist and legs were weak.

This wasn't always the case. Before we got married, he would wake up every morning feeling like he was fully inflated, tense and stiff all over, and he would do everything with great efficiency.

Now he does everything listlessly.

As dawn broke, the pungent smell of honeycomb briquettes filled the streets of Taishan Road.

The festive atmosphere is very strong now.

Because life was hard and resources were scarce, the family's living standards could only be improved during festivals, so adults and children alike looked forward to the holidays.

It was cold, and Qian Jin didn't want to go to the washroom, so he stood on the balcony brushing his teeth while looking out.

The bus had already started running, but there weren't many passengers. Most ordinary workers and students either cycled to and from get off work or walked.

The milkman's bicycle bell rang, piercing the morning mist, and the glass bottles in the tin milk box on the back of the seat clinked together. He began to consider ordering a bottle of milk for himself as well.

But he doesn't drink milk properly himself, so he has to order a bottle for his wife.

Here's the problem: his wife has a niece, so he needs to order three bottles.

There's another problem: the four little ones are with Xiao Tangyuan every day, yet Xiao Tangyuan gets to drink by herself while the others can only watch helplessly.

You should know that the four little ones have always put in a lot of effort for him.

Putting aside the fact that helping to look after the children relieved Wei Qinghuan's work pressure, the four little ones are now collecting all sorts of wine labels, cigarette boxes, and matchbox labels for him every day. Last Sunday, they picked up two comic books and actually sold them for more than four thousand yuan.

These are his four little gods of wealth.

Qian Jin gritted his teeth one last time and said, "Let's order some milk, a few more bottles, to improve our quality of life."

The loudspeaker on the roof of the neighborhood committee suddenly crackled twice, then fell silent after playing the prelude to "The East Is Red".

Bicycles appeared intermittently at the intersection, with aluminum lunch boxes hanging on the handlebars; these were workers heading to work.

The road surface was wet and icy. A middle-aged man squeezed the brakes hard, and his work gloves slipped on the frosty handlebars and wheels. Luckily, he didn't slip and fall.

The little girl in the back seat, wrapped in a red scarf, jumped off the car, slipped, and ended up sitting on the ground pointing at Qian Jin's building, shouting, "Dad, look who has so many sausages!"

Qian Jin opened the window and looked out. Sure enough, he saw that Aunt Liu, who lived in room 202, had set up a bamboo pole on the wooden window facing the street, with more than a dozen strings of sausages hanging shinyly with ice beads.

This is preparation for buying New Year's goods.

A morning full of life, just lacking the warmth of everyday life.

Qian Jin was about to go next door to check on the Laba porridge his wife was making when, just as he had this thought, someone started banging on the door.

Huang Chui's ears twitched, and he turned over to continue sleeping.

Liu Siding's anxious voice rang out: "Uncle Qianjin, Uncle Qianjin, something bad has happened, we need your help in an emergency."

Zhang Aijun, who was outside, opened the door and asked, "What's wrong?"

Liu Siding barged inside, then lowered his voice: "I'm looking for Uncle Qianjin. That idiot Lao San's tongue is stuck to the iron bars!"

Qian Jin asked in confusion, "What the hell?"

Liu Siding explained, "Some people said that the grocery store poured out pork rib soup last night, onto the railing, which is why the railing smells like chicken soup."

"My eldest brother didn't believe it and made a bet with someone, so he asked the third brother to lick it, and his tongue got frozen..."

Qian Jin was convinced: "Your eldest brother made a bet with someone, and your third brother is suffering—my dear wife, your eldest brother is truly a good brother."

"Besides, are you guys out of your minds? Someone spilled pork rib soup, so where did the chicken soup smell come from on the railing?"

"Keep your voice down, don't let my parents hear. Last winter, the third son's tongue got stuck together. My mom said if it happens again, she won't take care of him anymore and will let him tear off the skin from his tongue himself," Liu Siding said in a low voice.

Qian Jin had no experience in handling this.

Zhang Aijun understood perfectly: "Hot water and a towel? No problem."

The grocery store is already open. They are busiest in December. Right now, the sales clerk is writing on the blackboard, "Smoked fish is available with grocery coupons."

Elderly people were already queuing up to buy things. Despite the freezing weather, they were stomping their thick cotton boots, the icy soles crunching against the frozen, rotten vegetable leaves in the cracks of the stone slabs.

A small truck was parked at the entrance. The driver chuckled, arms crossed, laughing at the two sweaty children with their tongues stuck to the iron railing.

Qian Jin looked and saw that Liu Sanbing wasn't the only one who was trapped. The two kids were like stock market investors, running around frantically with nowhere to escape, muttering incoherently but unable to say anything.

This scene suddenly reminded him of a similar scene in a Japanese adult film.

He suddenly felt energized.

Next time, let's do a scenario simulation.

Seeing the money come in, Liu Dajia greeted him with a beaming smile: "Uncle Qianjin, my savior!"

Qian Jin quickly separated the tongue from the railing with a towel soaked in hot water and shouted, "Don't be naughty anymore!"

Liu Sanbing was about to cry when Liu Dajia covered his mouth and said, "Listen to Uncle Qianjin, listen to everything Uncle Qianjin says!"

Qian Jin helped another child thaw out of the freezer and asked, "How did you get caught on it too?"

The child sobbed, "I stuck it on first. My brother made a bet with Brother Sanbingzi..."

"Go home for dinner, hurry home for dinner!" Another boy, about the same age as Liu Dajia, dragged his younger brother along as they ran.

Qian Jin was speechless.

In this day and age, kids are just their older brothers' shadows and toys.

"boom!"

A sudden loud bang came from the street corner; it was the popcorn machine roaring.

An old man in a felt hat pedaled the popcorn machine like a sewing machine. Amidst the creaking of the spinning can, children clutching enamel basins and bags shrank back and shouted, "It's popping!"

When the aroma of rice flowers mingled with coal smoke, the whole street was filled with a sweet scent.

Qian Jin was surprised: "Making popcorn so early?"

"It starts at dawn," Liu Dajia said. "From the very beginning of the twelfth lunar month, they've been popping them this early every day. Uncle Qianjin, didn't you hear it at home?"

Qian Jin suddenly realized that he had been woken up by the sound of popcorn this morning.

He had been staying in the workers' new village for the past few days, so how could he have heard that sound in the morning?

Liu Dajia told him, "The popcorn old man can only make popcorn from the twelfth lunar month to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, so he starts work as soon as it's light and works until night."

Qian Jin's heart skipped a beat: "From what you're saying, this isn't a collective transaction, but an individual one?"

Liu Dajia nodded vigorously: "That's right, it's a personal business, and it can only be done in the twelfth lunar month. At this time, it's considered to add a festive atmosphere to the socialist holidays, so it's not considered to be engaging in capitalist activities."

Qian Jin asked, "Do you want to eat?"

Liu Dajia cleverly replied, "My mom always makes us some popcorn on the eve of the Lunar New Year. She says that no matter how much she saves up on weekdays, it's not enough for the four of us brothers to eat."

Qian Jin said, "After get off work, I'll get you a batch of corn kernels from my workplace. I'll treat you to popcorn."

The four children surrounded him, shouting repeatedly, "Long live Uncle Qianjin! Uncle Qianjin is the red sun!"

Back in 204, the blue flames of the coal stove licked the bottom of the aluminum pot, and Wei Qinghuan, with her hair loosely tied up, was busy at work.

Wearing a floral cotton-padded jacket over a handmade apron made of scraps of cloth, she stretched out her arms and stood on tiptoe to reach the dried goods across the stove.

The morning light seeped in through the frosted glass window, casting a honey-colored hue on her neck, making her look alluring and radiant.

Qian Jin quickly stepped in: "Don't move, it's dangerous for you to take things through the stove. Here, let me get it for you."

Wei Qinghuan clapped his hand with a grin: "Where should I put it? I have some dried goods on my waist."

Wei Xiongtu was about to ask something when he heard this and silently disappeared.

The store had a full range of ingredients, including dates, lotus seeds, chestnuts, peanuts, and even persimmon cakes covered in icing.

Wei Qinghuan plucked a dry leaf from the bottom of a persimmon cake, broke off a piece and fed it to Xiao Tangyuan, who was leaning on the table with his legs crossed, and then broke off another piece and fed it to Qian Jin: "Is it delicious? It's a persimmon from northern Shaanxi, given to me by my colleague."

"These are the only four left. I'll use them to make porridge this morning. I've given the rest to my neighbors in the same building."

Qian Jin said, "It's delicious, but why is there persimmon cake in this eight-treasure porridge?"

Wei Qinghuan said, "It's an old prescription; it's a tradition."

Wei Xiongtu's muffled voice came from the cubicle: "The Southern Song Dynasty scholar Zhou Mi wrote in 'Old Tales of Wulin' that porridge made with walnuts, pine nuts, milk fungus, persimmons, chestnuts and the like is called Laba porridge."

Wei Qinghuan laughed and said, "Now you're showing off? In previous years, we just had a pot of white rice and black bean porridge, and we were quite happy drinking it."

She asked again, "Why are you up so early? I was thinking of waking you up at 7:30."

Qian Jin sighed and said, as if popping popcorn: "We have to go back to our place, otherwise I'll have to get up early every morning."

Little Tangyuan got anxious upon hearing this: "Auntie, you said you'd hold me while I sleep tonight and tell me the story of the iron shark in the ocean."

Wei Qinghuan laughed: "Your uncle will go live by himself, and your aunt will hold you and tell you stories."

She started cooking a big pot of porridge and then rolled up her sleeves to prepare some side dishes to go with the rice.

Qian Jin couldn't bear to let her hands touch the cold water on such a cold day.

Wei Qinghuan was naturally beautiful, with stunningly fair skin. She didn't have a single mole on her chest or back, only a few small spots.

But her hands were rough.

It's naturally caused by doing housework.

He stopped Wei Qinghuan from going back inside to get a few salted duck eggs: "The yolks are oozing oil, hey, why are you still busy?"

Wei Qinghuan shredded the radish and said without looking up, "Mix it with dried shrimp, it'll be very refreshing."

She pulled down halfway through her sleeve, and the silver bracelet on her wrist slid down, jingling against the cutting board as she shredded the food.

Salted duck eggs were cut into large pieces, green radishes were shredded and mixed with dried shrimp, and then drizzled with crab sauce sent by the Liu family production team.

The pickled mustard tubers were sliced ​​until translucent, and coated with chili powder, they looked like amber wrapped in red gauze.

Wei Qinghuan wanted to fry fish-shaped dough sticks himself, so Qian Jin gave Liu Sanbing two yuan and told him to use a rope to bring back a bunch of fried dough sticks.

All that was left was Laba porridge. The aluminum pot was taken off the stove, and a strong flame leaped up. Wei Qinghuan's face was flushed by the firelight, and with the petal-shaped silver earrings swaying on her earlobes, she looked like a beautiful peach blossom reflecting her rosy cheeks.

Liu Dajia ran upstairs and came down again, carrying a large bowl of green garlic: "My mom pickled this Laba garlic herself."

Wei Xiongtu said embarrassedly, "So I didn't contribute anything?"

“You have a daughter now,” Little Tangyuan comforted him.

Wei Xiongtu was even more embarrassed: "What did my daughter do?"

The chubby girl widened her eyes and said, "I cheered for my aunt! I kept cheering and cheering!"

Every time Qian Jin eats at home, there's a huge table of people.

He really enjoyed the lively atmosphere.

Especially during festivals like Laba Festival, which are meant for family reunions, the more people there are, the more human and festive it feels.

The piping hot porridge was poured into the old porcelain bowl, and Zhang Aijun began to slurp it down with his head down.

Qian Jin said, "My comrade, eat slowly. When have I ever let you go hungry?"

Zhang Aijun looked up and said, "Delicious, so sweet and sticky."

Qian Jin blew on it, lowered his head, and tasted it.

The porridge smells delicious.

He looked up to express his admiration, but Wei Qinghuan wiped the porridge that had gotten on his forehead and onto the rim of the bowl, saying, "You're such a grown man, why are you acting like a child?"

"Kids shouldn't eat like that." Tangyuan blew on the porridge in the spoon little by little and slurped it up bit by bit.

Qian Jin said, "Do you think the kid is freeloading? Aren't you going to praise him?"

“Kids aren’t stupid,” Tangyuan said earnestly. “Kids can all count, and my aunt says I’m the smartest.”

Qian Jin said, "Am I saying you're eating for free?"

Before he could finish speaking, Tangyuan understood what he meant, turned her head and said, "Auntie is the best, the most beautiful, even more beautiful than the fairies in the comic books!"

Everyone laughed.

Wei Qinghuan untied her apron, revealing her slender waist accentuated by her sweater: "Eat up, eat up, your uncle is just teasing you."

Wei Xiongtu brought over a bowl, chuckled dryly, and said, "Add some pickled cucumber too. I made it very well."

The sounds of slurping and crunching filled the air.

The four children couldn't bear to finish their porridge and wanted to go home with their bowls.

Qian Jin was shocked: "So filial? You even left porridge for your parents?"

Liu Sanbing said, "No, Teacher Wei's Laba porridge is very sweet. I'm going to freeze it tonight by sticking a chopstick in it, and then I can eat it as a Laba porridge popsicle in the morning."

Tangyuan immediately started clamoring for Laba porridge popsicles.

Wei Xiongtu sternly told the child that he couldn't eat popsicles in the morning, and the little chubby girl shouted, "I won't listen to you, I'll listen to my aunt."

Wei Qinghuan said more seriously that eating popsicles in the morning will cause diarrhea.

The chubby girl shouted, "I have medicine for diarrhea. I'll take the medicine while I eat Laba porridge and popsicles."

Money is a big problem.

Taking care of kids is exhausting.

It's better to go to work.

Today, 500 tons of soybeans from Northeast China are piled up at Pier No. 6, all transported by four-wheeled vehicles.

Qian went in to inspect the situation.

Old Guai handed him a cigarette and said with a grin, "Captain Qian, the cart you developed is really useful. Before we had this cart, we had to put in so much effort using wheelbarrows!"

"I don't smoke." Qian Jin chuckled.

Old Guai laughed too: "It's a habit. When the leader comes, we offer him a cigarette first."

He checked the soybeans and found nothing wrong, then prepared to leave when Liu Jinshan rode up to him on his bicycle: "The boss called and wants you to go to the office building to find him."

Arriving at the warehousing and transportation department office in the office building, I knocked on the door and said "Come in" with a strong voice.

Yang Shengzhang pointed to the chair opposite the desk, then to the enamel mug: "I've prepared tea for you, just waiting for you to come."

"Try it. This is Da Hong Pao tea sent by my comrades in Fujian. It's warming and comforting in winter."

"You drink first, I'll go get some water, I'll be right back."

Qian Jin quickly called out to him, "I'll go, I'll go."

"Sit down!" Yang Shengzhang frowned, looking imposing.

Qian Jin had half his buttocks resting on the rattan chair.

He looked up and paused for a moment.

The half-length portrait hanging behind Yang Shengzhang has been changed. The portrait of the leader after the founding of the People's Republic of China has been replaced with the portrait of the main leadership group during the revolutionary war period, with several more leaders next to the leader.

A photo frame has also appeared on the table.

Upon closer inspection, he saw that Yang Shengzhang was still quite young, dressed in a homespun military uniform, taking a group photo with more than a dozen other young soldiers dressed similarly.

They stood at the back, while five leaders sat in front, the one in the middle being someone Qian Jin had seen many times in his previous life:
The chief architect of reform and opening up!

He quickly looked again at the group portrait on the wall and, sure enough, found the chief designer among them…

The door creaked open, and Yang Shengzhang returned to pour himself some water: "You don't need to sit like that."

"You're quite the actor, acting all timid and cautious in front of me. But I know you're a daring bastard!"

He reached out and tapped the money in his account, looking quite pleased.

"It's good news that I called you here today. All four transport vehicles you invented have been approved by the Logistics and Equipment Department of headquarters."

As he spoke, Yang Shengzhang opened a drawer and took out a certificate wrapped in red silk.

Money went down my throat and my head tightened.

No wonder there's been no news.

He assumed that the senior leaders of the Municipal Supply and Marketing Cooperative were not interested in cars and had put the matter aside.

It turns out the car had already been sent to the capital.

“Our president went to a meeting and personally delivered it. You tell me, don’t you think you have a lot of influence?” Yang Shengzhang pulled out another document to show him.

The official seal of the Equipment Department of the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives was glaringly red.

"All four improved models have passed the review. Then our company will apply to headquarters for you to be awarded the title of Scientific Labor Expert. If you are awarded it, that would be amazing. There are only five slots per province per year."

Yang Shengzhang's teacup knocked against the "Loading and Unloading Safety Rules," causing the new desk calendar on the table to shake violently.

Clearly, he, as the leader, also shared in the honor of his subordinates.

Qian Jin scratched his head and asked tentatively, "So, does headquarters intend to promote it?"

Yang Shengzhang said, "We definitely need to promote it. The national supply and marketing system has ordered 5,000 vehicles in the first batch!"

"I estimate it won't be long, maybe after the New Year, before your brigade starts using this vehicle. Do you know what it's called?"

Qian Jin shook his head.

Yang Shengzhang laughed and said, "The new-style pushcart is not the same as your name Qian Jin, but it means the same thing."

"Your parents gave you a good name. See, it came in handy at this crucial moment."

This was beyond Qian Jin's expectations.

His own name was somehow associated with a widely promoted mode of transportation.

That goes without saying.

He has a lot of reference materials on mechanics, but unfortunately he is not a mechanical engineering student, otherwise he could have been promoted very quickly based on his professional skills.

You can still get promoted now, but it's about salary, not job title.

Yang Shengzhang said with great interest, "President Wei was very happy when he came back. He praised you to me repeatedly, saying that you have brought honor to our unit."

"He said that merit should be rewarded. You invented four practical cart tools that will help transportation work across the country. The specific reward will need to be discussed in a meeting, but at least you can be promoted one level, from level 26 to level 25."

"What are your own thoughts? Do you have any ideas about the rewards? I'd like to hear your opinion."

Qian Jin said, "I have no idea. After all, the original intention of designing these four small cars was to reduce the pressure on us grassroots porters."

"Being promoted is already a pleasant surprise; I dare not have any other ideas."

Yang Shengzhang slammed his fist on the table: "Stop pretending to be honest in front of me. You don't dare to ask for a reward? How can you not dare? You just got married, how could you not have needs?"

Qian Jin thought for a moment and said, "Speaking of this, I actually have an idea, sir."

"Could you apply to your superiors again and let me stay at the Yintan Park Guesthouse once more?"

The joy on Yang Shengzhang's face vanished, and he frowned, asking, "You've become addicted to living here? What's wrong? Is that villa really that comfortable?"

Qian Jin explained, "It's fine if I don't stay. Actually, I wanted to take some photos to remember the occasion."

“We didn’t think of this when we went in to stay last time. By the time we realized it, we couldn’t get in anymore.”

"I didn't mean anything by it. I just wanted to keep some video footage of my husband and me when we first got married. I think it would be very meaningful to look at it when we get older."

Yang Shengzhang's brows relaxed, and he said, "Alright, I'll bring this up for you."

"You better remember this, kid: don't be greedy for pleasure, and always keep your mission in mind..."

"Serve the people!" Qian Jin shouted.

Yang Shengzhang handed him the certificate wrapped in red silk: "Go to work."

The certificates inside are for inventions and creations that were requisitioned by the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives; there are four certificates in a stack.

A technology or a piece of equipment is a group.

Qian Jin returned to the office with the certificate, and Liu Jinshan, as usual, came up to him and asked, "Captain Qian, what did the leader want to see you about?"

"We will bring you fugitives to justice." Qian Jin glanced at him sideways.

Liu Jinshan's face turned deathly pale: "No, no, I'm not someone who slipped through the net, I didn't do anything illegal or disciplinary wrong..."

"Just kidding." Qian Jin patted him on the shoulder.

Liu Jinshan chuckled, "Please don't do that, Captain Qian. My loyalty to you is as clear as day and night. You know I'm timid, so don't try to scare me with this."

Qian Jin said, "If you're upright, you have nothing to fear; if you're straight, you have nothing to fear. If you have a strong back, what do you have to be afraid of?"

Liu Jinshan looked around awkwardly: "Huh? Oh! Right, Captain Qian, weren't you going to buy a musical instrument for your wife? Why didn't you buy it for her?"

Qian Jin had completely forgotten about this matter.

Since Wei Qinghuan had plenty of time after finishing her college entrance exams, it was indeed a good opportunity for her to learn a musical instrument.

If there were a dance teacher, he would also hope that she could learn a dance.

Then let Qian experience the pleasure of being a tyrant.

(End of this chapter)