The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 145 People's Mobile Repair Shop

Qian Jin wrote a written agreement and left happily with his xiao and ocarina.

Liu Jinshan was quite embarrassed when he saw that he only had a flute: "Captain Qian, I'm sorry, I brought you all this way and all we got was this. I should have gone to the department store instead."

Qian Jin was in a good mood: "It's okay, it's okay. You can only buy one musical instrument at the department store. The important thing here is to find a teacher who can teach you musical instruments."

"Alright, Deputy Captain Liu, go home early. See you at work tomorrow."

He rode his bicycle home.

Footsteps sounded on the second floor. Wei Qinghuan opened the door to 204 and asked him, "Why are you back so late tonight?"

"He went off to fool around." He winked at the female teacher.

Wei Qinghuan patted him with a smile: "Stop being so frivolous, hurry up and wash your hands and come eat dinner."

"Shall we go to the Workers' New Village after dinner?" Qian Jin asked expectantly.

Wei Qinghuan raised her eyebrows as if to lash out in anger.

Qian Jin shook the flute wrapped in a satin bag in his hand and said, "I have a gift prepared for you."

Wei Qinghuan had no choice but to agree.

When Qian Jin got home, he didn't rush to eat. He quickly locked the door, took out the gold box, and put the ocarina inside.

The ocarina was in a beautiful wooden box.

As a result, the online store split the product into two items:

Five-hole, flat-bottomed, oval-shaped ocarina from the court of King Huan of Zhou (not for sale).

A square covered box with carved cloud and dragon patterns made of rosewood during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty (RMB 1100000).

Qian Jin rubbed his eyes and looked at it again.

That's right.

These are the two things.

He forgot to take the ocarina out of the wooden box and put it in the gold box before putting it on the shelf.

As a result, the online store automatically categorized the items into two products.

Two treasures!

The string of zeros on the back of the box no longer surprised Qian Jin, after all, Qian Jin had an old ginseng root in his hand and was a man who had seen the world.

But Tao Xun's identity was still hard for him to believe.

Is this something from the Zhou Dynasty?!
Anyway, it's not an ancient artifact from the Han Dynasty that Lao Qin mentioned.

He didn't know who King Huan of Zhou was, but he would occasionally look at history while studying with students preparing for the college entrance examination.

He had seen the name in a historical document before, but he couldn't remember the details. However, he remembered that King Huan of Zhou and King You of Zhou were very close to each other at the time.

King You of Zhou, who famously played with the feudal lords by lighting the beacon fires, knew all too well the truth.

The two kings of the Zhou generation, who were very close to each other, were naturally from the Zhou Dynasty, but he didn't know whether it was the Eastern Zhou or the Western Zhou.

However, if the store doesn't allow it to be listed, it means that it must be from a very distant era. Whether it's from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty or the Western Zhou Dynasty, it cannot be listed!

This is a national treasure!

Moreover, just look at the box used to hold this pottery flute. The box is a sandalwood box from the Guangxu period and has the character "御" (Yu) on it, indicating that it was a royal item, hence its high price.

A voice called out from outside the door: "My delicious uncle, time to eat!"

Qian Jin did not choose to sell it; instead, he put the gold box back into the small box and hung it around his neck.

Let’s go eat first!

He had a great appetite and ate heartily with his chopsticks.

Wei Xiongtu was a little puzzled: "Stir-fried eggs with chives, stir-fried spinach with chives, stir-fried dried shrimp with chives, chive meatball soup, and the main dish is still chive pancakes?"

He looked at his sister blankly: "Are the chives at the market free today?"

Wei Qinghuan said impatiently, "I bought a lot because I don't need tickets. Hurry up and eat. You're always making a fuss."

Wei Xiongtu was even more bewildered.

When I got home from get off work tonight, besides saying hello, I only said this one sentence!

Wei Qinghuan scooped a spoonful of fish balls for Qian Jin: "Try these fish balls."

Qian Jin nodded: "It tastes great, very delicious. Your cooking skills are getting better and better, wife."

Wei Qinghuan smiled and said, "It was Zhu Tao who delivered it. They went to the Liu family in Hongxing to buy tofu, and this time they also brought back some fish balls."

"The fish balls that were delivered to our home today are freshly made. Captain Liu specifically asked us to send them to you, saying they were made from the meat of a whole fish."

Qian Jin suddenly realized: "No wonder I said the taste is always a little different from the meatballs you make yourself."

Wei Qinghuan laughed and poked his head with her finger: "All you ever do is talk a lot of nonsense."

Wei Xiongtu scratched his chin.

These attitudes are completely different!

After finishing his meal, Qian Jin said, "I still need to go to that house over there to check on the furniture that was delivered today," and then rode his bicycle away with Wei Qinghuan.

After entering the house, Mr. Wei Qinghuan started boiling water on the stove, complaining, "We haven't lit a fire here for two days, what did you have to do here..."

"Don't light the stove. We need to be careful of carbon monoxide poisoning tonight. You can use the gas stove to boil water; that's faster." Qian Jin took an electric blanket out of his bag and put it on the bed.

"As for the cold? You won't be cold, I've prepared something warm for you."

This electric blanket can't be used in tenement buildings; it trips the power as soon as you turn it on.

So Qian Jin only used it once after buying it, and it was only tonight, when he brought it to the Workers' New Village, that it finally came in handy.

A large electric blanket was spread out, and Wei Qinghuan looked at it curiously from the side: "What kind of mattress is this? It's quite nice."

Qian Jin bought a double electric blanket with thickened cotton fleece, which is warm even without electricity, and enough to cope with the winter in Haibin City when it is powered on.

Its power output is insufficient compared to appliances from 27 years ago; its maximum power was 180 watts, but even that wattage is still a bit too high now.

Qian Jin turned on the switch, and the lights in the room immediately dimmed.

However, the circuit breaker did not trip and the power was cut off.

Seeing this, Qian Jin breathed a sigh of relief: "Fortunately, the power grid can withstand it."

"An electric blanket?" Wei Qinghuan's eyes lit up after touching the heat rising from the electric blanket.

Electric blankets appeared in China very early. In 1953, the Capital Electric Machinery Factory introduced the production technology from the Soviet Union and called it "electric heating insulation material cloth".

This device did not enter the civilian market until the 1960s; it was exclusively allocated to hospitals, special positions in the Air Force, and other similar facilities.

It wasn't until a few years ago that civilian versions began to appear on the market, which the public aptly called electric blankets.

Qian Jin had inquired and found that there were only two manufacturers in the country: the earliest Capital Electric Machinery Factory and the Luzhou Component Factory No. 7.

There are few manufacturers and very few products. Only a few large department stores in Haibin City sell them, and they often sell out as soon as they arrive.

Previously, Yang Shengzhang asked Qian Jin if he needed the organization's help in procuring the necessary goods for his wedding, including this electric blanket.

Qian Jin naturally looked down on the current electric blankets, which were not only rough and thin but also dangerous, and would leak electricity from time to time.

He bought it directly from the mall. This mattress is not only thicker, but it also has a high-temperature power-off function and a one-button mite removal function.

It uses a double-helix heating wire, which is wrapped in several layers, including a PE safety protective sleeve, a safe temperature protection layer, and an anti-aging insulation layer, making it safe enough.

In addition, it can monitor the temperature of the blanket surface in real time, and is equipped with waterproof and flame-retardant features, so it can be used even when submerged in water.

Anyway, with this electric blanket, you don't have to worry about two lives being lost after sleeping in it.

After all, Qian Jin knew how much trouble he could cause, and the heating wires of ordinary electric blankets might not be able to withstand his antics.

The electric blanket warmed up quickly.

Wei Qinghuan was delighted and stroked it, asking, "Where did you buy it? I saw an electric blanket that Teacher Qin used in the dormitory. It was only a little big and a thin blanket, unlike this one which is thick."

Qian Jin showed her the nameplate on the electric blanket: "Don't tell anyone, this is smuggled goods, a foreign brand."

The nameplate was covered in English letters, which startled Wei Qinghuan, a female science and engineering teacher: "Won't someone get caught?"

Qian Jin sneered: "If you don't tell and I don't tell, who's going to come to our house and rummage through our bedding to see what's under us?"

"Come on, let me see what's under me, hehe..."

Wei Qinghuan slapped his hand away: "This is the gift you prepared for me? Wasn't it just a tube?"

"This is it." Qian Jin handed her the flute that was tucked into his waistband.

The silk was slippery, and it slipped and fell off easily, so the two of them quickly went to pick it up.

Wei Qinghuan tossed her head, and the ends of her hair brushed against Qian Jin's face, soft and ticklish, smelling of shampoo, which made his Adam's apple bob repeatedly.

"Is that a xiao (vertical bamboo flute)?" Wei Qinghuan took off her shoes and got into bed to look at it.

"This is the genuine work of the 'Northern Flute King,' which was originally reserved for royalty and nobility," Qian Jin said with an air of importance.

Wei Qinghuan asked suspiciously, "Are you kidding me? This flute has 1975 engraved on it. Does that so-called 'King of the Northern Flute' actually live to 1975?"

Qian Jin put his arm around her and started searching: "Where? Where?"

Wei Qinghuan turned her head to dodge, the cinnabar mole behind her ear glowing wine-red under the 25-watt light bulb.

She stretched out her arm and tugged at her sleeve, which slipped down to reveal the silver bracelet on her wrist, dangling.
"Do you think I'm some kind of teenage girl who's easy to fool? Let me tell you, I'm a female warrior who's been tempered in the vast countryside!" Qian Jin lay down, resting his head on his arms: "Come, my beloved concubine, play the flute for me."

Wei Qinghuan tried blowing it.

The sound was shrill and mournful.

Qian Jin instructed her: "I've found you a music teacher. Go and learn from him when you have time. Your teacher said that the first time you play a note is called 'opening up the tone,' and you have to play it facing the moon to be considered 'opening up the tone.'"

The aluminum kettle on the gas stove hissed.

The water has already boiled, so why play the bamboo flute?
He put his arm around his wife from behind.

"Move aside, your calluses are hurting me," Wei Qinghuan said feignedly, but her back was pressed tightly against her husband's chest. "I need to study. Go get some water."

Qian Jin chuckled in a low voice, "What do you want to learn? Can you learn it yourself? I'll teach you 'Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl' and 'Three Variations on Plum Blossom'."

Wei Qinghuan suddenly turned around, placing her bamboo flute between the two of them: "How do you know so much?"

Qian Jin innocently said, "I've already explained it. This is how the children of our Harmony family are."

"You smooth talker!" Wei Qinghuan raised her foot to stomp on him, but Qian Jin used his knee to push her between his knees.

Qian Jin grabbed her bare feet, and glancing at them, he saw a silver chain around her ankle reflecting the bright moonlight.

The bamboo flute rolled away.

No mercy was shown to them.

Qian Jin was woken up in the morning by the sound of a flute being played.

The creaking sound entered his ears.

He rubbed his eyes. Wei Qinghuan, wearing the bright red cotton pajamas he had given her, was playing the flute on the cement windowsill.

As the December sun rose from behind the water tower in the workers' new village, the morning light shone like gold foil onto her unbound hair, melting the few strands of black hair facing south into golden threads.

With the bamboo flute of Xiangfei at her lips, Wei Qinghuan played it haphazardly, seemingly enjoying herself immensely.

She deliberately woke Qian Jin up.

Qian Jin stared blankly for a moment, then revealed a vicious smile: "We haven't done our morning exercise yet, have we?"

The female teacher hadn't yet grasped the meaning of morning exercise, but she understood the meaning behind his smile. She hurriedly dropped her bamboo flute, changed her clothes, and said she was going to buy breakfast.

Qian Jin was just bluffing.

He now has the heart of a sage, but his waist is as if it were cut in half, and he has a back strain.

Two days after the Laba Festival, schools began to start their winter vacation one after another. People's Night School started its vacation particularly early, which gave Wei Qinghuan time to study music.

She even taught Tangyuan to play the harmonica together. Tangyuan was quite talented and learned to play the harmonica in just three days.

Despite his stumbling and faltering playing, he was still able to play a rendition of "Farewell".

This made her a minor celebrity on Taishan Road, especially popular in the tenement buildings, where people would often call out to her:

"Little Tangyuan performer, play a harmonica piece."

Tangyuan would then bow in a serious manner and take out her little harmonica to play a tune.

She blows it in the morning, at noon, in the afternoon, and at night.

Within two days, someone subtly inquired, "Hey Teacher Wei, why isn't Xiao Tangyuan learning any new songs?"

When the residents of the tenement building see Xiao Tangyuan again, they quickly turn their heads and pretend they didn't see her.

One time, when Qian Jin came home from get off work, he saw that Xiao Tangyuan's shoelaces were untied, so he pointed to her shoes to indicate that she was untied.

Little Tangyuan looked down and saw that she had to bend down to tie her shoelaces.

Old Mrs. Li, who lives on the first floor, happened to turn her head and saw her bending down towards her. She didn't even bother with the spittoon and ran home first.

Qian Jin was astonished: "Wow, Old Lady Li is in good health. Her sons and daughters are so lucky."

February arrived so easily.

Qiu Dayong came to find him excitedly, and said with a triumphant toss of his head, "Captain Qian, our comrades at the mobile repair shop can get some work done."

Qian Jin asked, "Have they mastered the craft?"

Qiu Dayong said, "The basic repair issues are all resolved. Actually, bicycles are all about the same things: tires, chains, and maybe the spoke brakes. But if the axle is faulty, then you should probably replace the bike."

He reported to Qian Jin that the five people in the repair shop had discussed it and decided that they would continue to learn from their master in the mornings and start riding their bikes to work at noon.

Qian Jin thought the idea was perfectly feasible.

He can't just sit around doing nothing while supporting five people; those five people actually need to earn their own wages.

He felt no pressure about this.

After all, Zhou Yaozu helped him get a batch of rubber sheets from the No. 7 Glue Factory, and he bought the glue and tools from the mall.

With a multi-functional screwdriver set for each person, plus a basic household toolbox, car repair is more than enough.

The repair shop also had its own belongings, a tin box painted red.

Qian Jin opened it and looked inside. It contained a wrench, a screwdriver, wire, and several rolls of insulating tape.

The box had just been painted with the words "Serving the People in Mobility" in green paint.

Qian Jin laughed heartily upon seeing this: "Not bad, you've got the spirit and energy. Now it's time to see your skills."

"But I have confidence in you. You all wielded shovels and hoes skillfully when you went to the countryside, so there's no reason why you wouldn't be able to do a decent job doing repairs back in the city, right?"

Five young men in five new cars—they certainly looked very energetic.

This set of tools isn't enough to repair a car; you also need an air pump, a large basin of water, and a large water bottle hanging on the handlebars.

Qiu Dayong asked the five men, "Chief Qian is here, does anyone have anything to say?"

Everyone looked at each other, and finally Song Shouren stepped forward and said, "What's there to say? There's nothing to say, just do it!"

A sturdy young man said, "How about I say a few words? I'll say a few words from the bottom of my heart, words you all already know."

“Chief Qian, I’m not lying to you. When I was sent to the countryside, my repair skills were famous throughout the commune. Before I returned to the city, our production team leader said that I might have to work as a repairman after I came back.”

"Before I boarded the train, he specially gave me a bamboo toolbox, but unfortunately it was stolen by a pickpocket at the train station. I thought to myself, it seems that God doesn't want me to do repair work."

"But now, Chief Qian, you've given me another chance, and I'll definitely make the most of it!"

He patted his satchel hard; inside were new tools that smelled of engine oil, which reminded him of the blisters on his palms from repairing waterwheels in the mountains.

Back then, we didn't have such tools, but we still managed to achieve results.

There's no reason why we can't achieve results now!

Qian Jin pulled out five "Temporary Work Permits" stamped with the official seal of the Taishan Road Neighborhood Committee and the red stamp of the People's Mobile Repair Shop: "Take these."

"From today onwards, you have officially joined the labor commando team. From now on, we will rely on you to fix water pipes, unclog toilets, and install lights."

"You're tired, and you're dirty, but your hands are the hope for many comrades in our neighborhood and even the whole city to live a comfortable life. You'll find meaning in your work sooner or later. Go on!"

Qiu Dayong rubbed his chapped hands and smiled.

There were only six unemployed youths who returned to the city with him at the beginning, but because he was righteous and good at settling disputes, other unemployed youths and even educated youths without household registration came to join him.

There was nothing he could do but lead his men to do whatever they could.

They don't pick and choose jobs, and they're not qualified to do so.

At that time, Qiu Dayong was under a lot of pressure. Every time he opened his eyes, there were more than sixty mouths opening towards him. These mouths would eat at least two meals a day, which would be more than one hundred and twenty meals.

How did he solve it?

Luckily, someone came and solved the problem for him.

Moreover, the problem was solved very well, not only solving the problem of food but also the problem of accommodation and even the problem of work dignity.

Looking at his five brothers, each with a new bicycle, and then at the brand-new tools in their satchels, he felt happy for all five of them.

There is hope for the future!

Just as Qian Jin was about to send the five men off, Wei Xiangmi opened the window and called out to him, "Hey, hey, Chief Qian, you're back at noon? That's great!"

Upon seeing this, Qian Jin formally rushed into the office: "Director Wei, what is it?"

Wei Xiangmi always helped him with things, and now he manages a lot of people on Taishan Road, so much so that some people privately say things like, "If you have a problem, it's more effective to ask Chief Qian than Director Wei," or "Qian Jin is more like a neighborhood committee director than Wei Xiangmi."

Qian Jin strictly ordered that no one in the task force was allowed to say such things, and that he neither wanted to be the director of the Taishan Road neighborhood committee nor could he be.

Therefore, he cannot afford to have a conflict with Wei Xiangmi, otherwise, if Wei Xiangmi were to fight him, it would definitely result in both of them suffering heavy losses.

In this way, whenever he is in public, he will show obedience and respect to Wei Xiangmi, the director of the neighborhood committee, which is completely different from his attitude towards Zhang Hongbo.

Wei Xiangmi smiled with satisfaction as she watched Qian Jin stride into her office instead of having her shout at him through the window.

Then she explained, "The cast iron water pipe in the old residential compound of the Fisheries Bureau has frozen and cracked. Coincidentally, the crack is pointing directly at the window of apartment 201. You need to fix it as soon as possible."

"I thought you were working in Jiagang and I was planning to look for Shi Zhentao, but I didn't expect to run into you."

Upon hearing this, Qian Jin said, "Haven't we set up a repair shop now?"

"I will always leave one person in the study room. If anyone needs to repair something or their car, I will go and call for help. However, they are all new workers and may not be able to fix it."

Wei Xiangmi said with relief, "If you want to get it fixed yourself, you have to pay for it at the state-run repair shop. It's good that your task force has the intention to do so."

Qian Jin saw that there was still half an hour before the afternoon shift started, and he figured he could make it in time, so he called Qiu Dayong and the five repairmen away.

(End of this chapter)