The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 164 Another Report Against Jia Youcheng, the Study Room Undergoes a Major Transformation

With a plan to ruthlessly rip off Jia Youcheng, Qian Jin went back to sleep.

Today is Sunday, so he doesn't have to go to work and can have a good rest.

However, he currently holds multiple positions and still has a lot of work to do.

Since he didn't have to work on Sunday, he started working on renovating the study room.

The cold wind was still biting. In the office of the neighborhood committee's labor commando team leader, Qian Jin was looking at the blueprint on the table with a headache.

Wei Xiangmi is a very qualified neighborhood committee director. When she learned that he wanted to set up partitioned rooms in the study room, she even asked a building engineer to help him design a construction drawing.

Professionals make a difference.

His plan was simply to divide the huge warehouse into sections with brick walls.

However, after the architectural engineers conducted an on-site inspection, they redesigned the warehouse layout.

It is more reasonable, but the construction is also more complicated.

"Brother Qian, this job is tough." Qiu Dayong, who was assisting with the construction, handed over a cup of hot tea. The four red characters "Labor is Glorious" on the teacup had faded.

"According to these blueprints, we need so many things. Where are we going to get them?"

Qian Jin took the teacup, and the steam condensed into white mist in the cold air.

Zhu Tao, who was doing the accounting, looked up and said, "Actually, we don't need to repair it. Isn't our study room fine?"

“You haven’t seen the schools in the countryside, like the junior high school in Hongxing Commune. Goodness, once when I went to pick up tofu and fish balls, I met a friend who was a teacher at Hongxing People’s Middle School. I went to deliver some things to him and took a look.”

Do you know what the conditions are like there?

Qiu Dayong said, "The conditions in rural schools are indeed very poor, I know that without you having to tell me."

"Did you see it when you went to the countryside?" Zhu Tao asked.

Qiu Dayong shook his head: "The forest farm has good conditions, and the school is quite spacious, but there are a few too few teachers."

“Hongxing Middle School has more than just a shortage of teachers,” Zhu Tao explained.

"More than four hundred children were crammed into six classrooms. They even practice a two-part teaching system there, where students take turns attending classes."

“I went to see the six classrooms. They were dark inside, with peeling paint on the walls and broken desks and chairs; in the dead of winter, the plastic sheeting on the windows was flapping loudly in the wind…”

Several people in the office sighed upon hearing this.

Qian Jin paused for a moment, then asked, "What is a two-part teaching system?"

Zhu Tao asked instinctively, "Chief Qian, you didn't know that?"

Qian Jin frowned: "If you know, then hurry up and say it."

He was quite imposing now, so Zhu Tao quickly replied, "It's because there aren't enough classrooms, so students take turns attending classes in the morning and afternoon."

Qian Jin suddenly realized: "Oh, I thought it was because the school was short of teachers and students from two grades were having classes in one classroom."

Zhu Tao said, "Yes, yes, that's also a two-part system, but Hongxing Junior High School doesn't have this kind of two-part system. It's a two-part system where students take turns attending school in the morning and afternoon."

They were chatting when, coincidentally, a broadcast came from a three-way loudspeaker at a nearby intersection:
"The central government has decided that after restoring the college entrance examination system, it will also expand the enrollment scale, starting this year with a planned and regulated expansion of enrollment, in order to facilitate the entry of a large number of educated young people into universities for further studies..."

Qian Jin whistled and called out, "Alright, worrying here won't get you anywhere."

"Let's go to the study room and plan it out on-site."

"The idea that watching the radio news means the study room will always be useful and will be of great use."

The study room was already packed with students preparing for their exams.

Qian Jin invited three full-time veteran teachers, all of whom were once renowned teachers from prestigious schools, to answer questions and resolve doubts for the test takers with ease.

The only problem is that all the students are studying in the same classroom. Some are studying Chinese, some are studying math, and others are studying physics, chemistry, and politics. This makes it impossible for the teachers to answer all the difficult questions and doubts at once. They can only answer them one by one.

This is very inefficient and makes things very hard for the older comrades.

Qian went in and counted the heads.

Three hundred and eighty people.

There are still quite a few.

However, at its peak, this large house housed over six hundred students preparing for their exams!
The teachers already knew about Qian Jin's idea to renovate the study room. When they saw Qian Jin arrive with a group of people, they took their teacups and left, leaving the site to Qian Jin and the labor commando team.

Qian Jin briefly explained the purpose of renovating the study room, and the students preparing for the exam understood.

They understand better than outsiders how inconvenient it is to study in a large classroom.

Qian Jin gestured for the students to move forward, and then began issuing orders:
"Zhentao, take some men and clear out the tables, chairs and other clutter in the back. There hasn't been any rain or snow these past few days, so move everything outside."

"Dayong, you and your team will be responsible for measuring the dimensions and dividing the area according to the design drawings."

"Let's get the preparations done first."

Shortly after the cleanup began, a reporter from the Haibin Daily, whom Qian Jin had contacted, arrived.

The reporter's name is Zhang Ming, which is quite ordinary. He came to interview after receiving a call from the neighborhood committee.

Qian Jin came down the ladder, and Zhang Ming took the opportunity to snap two photos.

Fortunately, there were tables and chairs outside the study room, so the two of them braved the cold wind and sat on two broken chairs to begin their interview.

"Captain Qian, why are you doing this?" Zhang Ming asked formally, pulling out his notebook.

Qian Jin had already prepared the answer.

Wei Xiongtu prepared a script for him, and he just needed to start speaking according to the script.

Although the interview questions had been given to Qian Jin in advance.

However, Wei Xiongtu was a gifted writer. His writing was so vivid and moving that Zhang Ming was deeply touched and immediately wrote a briefing entitled "The Educational Assault Team on Taishan Road".

After quickly glancing at the briefing, Zhang Ming was quite satisfied and nodded, saying, "It'll definitely be on the front page of our daily newspaper tomorrow."

Qian Jin and the labor commando team's dedication to the students preparing for the exams was genuine and of high quality.

Zhang Ming had only heard about this before, but now that he had seen it for himself, he enthusiastically used his connections to find a reporter from "Reading Reference".

Today, Haibin City has two local newspapers: Haibin Daily and Reading Reference.

Among them, the Haibin Daily is the eldest brother, founded in 1949 during the liberation period, while the Reading Reference is the youngest brother, founded in 76, aiming to serve young people and readers who love literature.

After the reporter from "Reading Reference" arrived, they took photos, asked questions, and indicated that they would publish the story.

After all, it's a great thing for society.

That evening, Qian Jin prepared to deal with Jia Youcheng.

He prepared a lot of things this time.

Stationery is readily available, including fountain pens, pencils, ink, calligraphy brushes, erasers, and the like.

He prepared a batch of clothing and shoes, all printed with English letters, and all styles that had never appeared in China before.

He also prepared plenty of food, purchasing a large quantity of bulk snacks, mainly candies and pastries, supplemented with small amounts of dried meat, braised eggs, braised pork, peanuts, and other appetizers.

All of them are nearing their expiration date, and their main selling point is their low price.

Other items such as watches, sunglasses, leather belts, tape recorders, radios, televisions, and electric fans were also prepared.

He really went to great lengths to send Jia Youcheng to jail this time.

In addition, he also wanted to make these products appear openly in the eyes of the authorities, so that the authorities would associate these products with smuggling, and he could sell them under the same guise of smuggling in the future.

There were too many goods for him to deliver on his own. Fortunately, this was a delivery, so he didn't have to appear as a foreigner to meet Jia Youcheng.

So instead of wearing a hood, he put on makeup, a wig, a fake beard, large sunglasses, and a mask. He also arranged for Zhang Aijun to wear the same outfit. The two of them then pushed a cart full of boxes to the Jiagang warehouse area.

It was very windy and cold at midnight. As Qian Jin and his companion approached warehouse number 117, someone emerged from the shadows and whispered:
"who?"

Qian Jin said, "The person who delivers goods to our boss."

A burly man strode over and asked anxiously, "Which boss are you delivering goods to? Don't cover your faces so tightly, show me your faces."

Qian Jin was unhappy: "I'm here to deliver goods to our boss Trump, not to go on a blind date with you guys."

"If you want to make a deal, then let's have a straightforward one. If you don't want to make a deal, that's fine too, we'll leave now!"

The burly man was taken aback: "Your boss is Trump? That old Irish devil?"

Qian Jin said, "Yes, he arranged for us to deliver the goods. Do you want this shipment or not?"

The burly man was stunned and subconsciously looked into the shadows of another warehouse.

Another middle-aged man emerged from the shadows.

The other party asked warily, "Where is your boss? Why didn't he come? Why were you sent instead?"

Qian Jin laughed: "I'm just an errand boy, how would I know where our boss went?"

"Anyway, he didn't come, and he sent us to deliver the goods. If you're willing to trade, we'll trade; if not, we'll leave!"

The incident happened suddenly, and the plans changed drastically.

The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment before saying, "Then we need to search you."

"Go to hell with your mother's thick thighs." Qian Jin waved his hand and was about to push the cart away with Zhang Aijun.

Both the middle-aged man and the burly man were somewhat anxious.

The two men were at a loss for what to do, but finally the middle-aged man stamped his foot and said, "Don't go, you two come with me to see our boss."

"However, I need to check your goods before we meet—that can't be unacceptable, can it?"

Qian Jin said, "Of course, you can inspect the goods at will."

The middle-aged man came up and opened the box to take a look.

Under the flashlight beam, there were stacks of watch boxes, pen boxes, and other nice things.

Open another box, and inside are four tape recorders!

The middle-aged man subconsciously took a deep breath and immediately waved for the two to follow.

But instead of going to warehouse 117, they went to warehouse 155, which was on the very edge.

Jia Youcheng and his men hid in this warehouse.

After Qian Jin and his companion were taken inside, someone immediately closed the warehouse door from the outside.

This scene reminded Qian Jin of the time he dealt with Xia Shanhu and his gang. His heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Jia Youcheng was planning to double-cross him?
Jia Youcheng didn't have that kind of courage.

He dared not cheat the foreign devils.

Because he knew that the country was paying special attention to foreign-related incidents these days, especially since Qian Jin was impersonating a close relative of an embassy staff member, Jia Youcheng was even more wary of him.

However, the foreigners didn't come tonight.

Jia Youcheng was about to explode: "What's going on? Where did you two come from? Where's your foreign boss?"

Qian Jin shook his head. Without wasting words, he opened the cardboard box and said, "We're just doing our job. The boss gives the order, so we're here to work."

"We can't control where the boss went. Anyway, the boss gave us these goods tonight. Take a look at the goods and decide whether to buy them or not. If you don't want to buy them, then forget it."

Jia Youcheng was furious: "Your foreign boss said that I can cooperate with him. He will ship the goods and I will sell them. The profits will be split 50/50 between us."

Qian Jin said, "Hey, don't worry, our boss really did mention this."

"But he wants to see your capabilities, so he's sending this batch of goods tonight. If you can handle it and manage it well, he'll come to cooperate with you personally next time."

Jia Youcheng sneered: "Do you think I'd believe you?"

Qian Jin closed the box and was about to leave: "Don't believe me if you don't want to. It's not like I have to beg you to believe me."

He acted very recklessly.

Jia Youcheng became even more enraged and shouted, "Do you think you can just leave as you please?"

Upon hearing this, people stood up from behind several tall shipping containers in the corner of the warehouse.

Qian Jin glanced at them disdainfully, then unbuttoned his clothes to reveal a small object hanging inside:

"What? You want to go toe-to-toe with firepower? Do you even have the strength?"

Jia Youcheng took a closer look, and his legs went weak on the spot:
"A Tarkov M67 grenade?!"

The M67 grenade, one of the best grenades in the world, was a tough weapon deployed by the US military in the Vietnam War in 1967.

Qian Jin looked at Jia Youcheng in surprise: "Hey, you recognize this thing?"

"Anyway, my foreign boss gave it to me, saying that one of these little gadgets could blow up a warehouse."

Jia Youcheng is one of the most knowledgeable people about foreign goods in Haibin City right now, and Qian Jin guessed that he might recognize this hand grenade.

He guessed right.

Jia Youcheng's men were initially aggressive, some drawing knives and others pressing their hands on their waists, looking as if they could kill at any moment.

As a result, Qian Jin pulled out a grenade, and these people quickly hid behind the cargo box, not even daring to show their heads.

This infuriated Jia Youcheng, who yelled, "What are you hiding for? A bunch of bastards!"

"If this grenade goes off, the whole warehouse will be destroyed. What's the point of you hiding behind those wooden crates!"

Qian Jin threw a grenade to Zhang Aijun, who tossed it around in his hand.

The men who threw the grenade followed its movement with their eyes, while Jia Youcheng was terrified.

"Comrades, comrades, please forgive me for not recognizing your greatness. Please don't hold it against me."

"I absolutely did not intend to double-cross anyone; I am a law-abiding businessman."

"Gentlemen, put your weapons away. Let's talk business. Weren't we here to do business tonight?"

Qian Jin asked, "Do you have any money with you to do business?"

Jia Youcheng clapped his hands, and the middle-aged man who had previously led Qian Jin the way pulled a black handbag out of a wooden box.

The handbag was opened, and inside were lots of 10,000 yuan.

Qian Jin carried the box down and said, "Then you can inspect the goods, and I need to inspect the money too."

“My boss said that if I take counterfeit money home, he’ll open a grenade and shove it in my mouth.”

"So if you try to fool me with counterfeit money, I'll have to feed you grenades."

He tried his best to act like a simpleton to avoid people finding out his real identity.

As the saying goes, the shrewd fear the ruthless, and the ruthless fear the reckless.

Jia Youcheng earned the nickname "Three Devils" for his shrewdness, but at this moment he was restrained and behaved obediently by Qian Jin's hand grenade.

He personally handed over the briefcase and began examining the contents with a flashlight. A brand-new fountain pen.

A brand new watch.

Brand new goods of all kinds.

One of the boxes was full of candy, weighing forty or fifty pounds of various kinds.

Jia Youcheng casually took one out and popped it into his mouth.

It has a rich fruity aroma that I've never experienced before!

It's definitely a good product.

He then took out a watch and put it on his wrist.

The flashlight beam shone brightly on the glass dial and stainless steel strap.

Looking at the English text above, he tried to pronounce it: "Cartiya, oh, is this a famous French brand Cartier watch?"

"Beautiful! A brand name is a brand name. Capitalist products are so well made. Compared to that, what kind of shoddy, worthless stuff do we have in our country?"

Qian Jin scolded him: "You're a traitor, aren't you? You're a sycophant who worships foreign things!"

Jia Youcheng had already decided that he was an idiot.

So I won't stoop to his level.

I didn't dare to argue with him.

What if this idiot gets excited and pulls the pin on a grenade?

He knew all too well that idiots were capable of anything.

After checking the small commodities and finding no problems, he then looked at the radio, tape recorder, and even the television.

All of them were models he had never seen before.

He waved to his men to bring over batteries so he could test the electrical appliances.

Radios and tape recorders can be powered by batteries.

Insert the No. 1 battery.

The radio began to emit a clear, crisp sound: "...Let us follow in the footsteps of our great leader and march toward the fields of hope..."

The tape recorder was plugged in, and the intro to the song began.

The television and electric fan all have plugs and need to be plugged in to use.

But where are the power outlets in the warehouse?
Even some warehouses that originally had electric grids installed to power the lights had them removed because of the fire on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

But the radio and tape recorder are fine, so theoretically the television and electric fan shouldn't have any problems either.

Jia Youcheng was very satisfied with the goods: "How does your boss say we can cooperate?"

Qian Jin said, "Our boss said that these goods are worth more than 20,000 yuan, and he left you a profit of 10,000 yuan, so you only need to pay 10,000 yuan."

"But since this is your first time working together, he's offering you a discount of 20%, so you'll have to pay him 8,000 yuan."

This is the truth.

Jia Youcheng had already calculated the value when he inspected the goods. If he were to sell them, these high-quality foreign brand items would be worth far more than 20,000 yuan. They could probably sell for 40,000 yuan.

Here comes the problem.

He doesn't have eight thousand yuan on hand!
He was unaware that Qian Jin had timed his call for 8,000 yuan perfectly.
He knew that Jia Youcheng still had 6,500 yuan when he last broke into the ghost market.

Now that the New Year has passed, he estimates that Jia Youcheng has at least seven thousand yuan in his hands.

The figure of eight thousand yuan was something Jia Youcheng didn't have but could barely scrape together.

Faced with this price, Jia Youcheng was a bit annoyed. He wanted to bargain: "Eight thousand yuan is too expensive. How about this, we..."

"No, do you think we're in a farmers' market? These days, even state-run farmers' markets don't haggle with you," Qian Jin interrupted him rudely.

"Our boss said that 8,000 yuan is the bottom line. If you have that kind of ability, then we can cooperate. If you don't, then we'll part ways."

Jia Youcheng was full of cunning ideas, but he was completely restrained by the idiot.

Finally, having no other choice, he called his trusted men together: "I've examined it, and this batch is indeed of high quality. If we get it and resell it, we can make back all the money we lost before."

"But you know I was swindled by that damned Mountain Moving Taoist not long ago, and I don't have that much money on hand. Can you guys help me out?"

Upon hearing this, the subordinates all looked troubled: "Huh? I'll pay?"

Jia Youcheng's face immediately darkened: "You know in your hearts how I've treated you."

"I'm only borrowing your money for two days now, look at yourselves!"

"If you're unwilling to lend money, that's fine, but you won't receive a single penny as a reward after this batch of goods is sold..."

Give both grace and power.

Several henchmen nodded in unison: "Boss, I'll pay you."

"Whatever you say, boss."

Jia Youcheng nodded in satisfaction.

The group of people, having not brought their belongings with them, left the warehouse to go out and tinker.

In the end, the eight stacks of ten-yuan notes were given to Qian Jin: "Brother, you count them."

Qian Jin carefully checked the authenticity of the money.

He's destined to lose money in today's deal, but he can afford this small loss for the sake of his long-term plan.

But if the money he received was counterfeit, then he would have been cheated by Jia Youcheng, and the loss he suffered would be enormous.

He can accept small losses, but he will never accept big losses.

Great unity is no problem.

He left the box behind, tossed his head at Zhang Aijun, and the two of them pushed the cart away.

Jia Youcheng hurriedly caught up and asked, "How shall we trade next time?"

Qian Jin said, "Our boss has already found out your identity, and he can find you."

Upon hearing this, Jia Youcheng's expression shifted between light and dark.

The two pushed the cart away, and he waved and said, "What are you all standing there for? Grab your things and let's go!"

"Everyone be careful, this batch of goods is our current cash cow, don't you dare hurt our cash cow!"

"Wait, let me check again. Damn it, I suffered a huge loss at the hands of that Mountain Moving Taoist last time. I will never suffer a loss like that again!"

Someone said, "Boss, even if you find something wrong now, there's nothing we can do. The person has run away..."

"You think you're all talk? Don't I know what's going on?" Jia Youcheng roared in anger.

After a while, he nodded in satisfaction: "No problem this time. We've run into a fat sheep this time. Hehe, I'm sure I can make back all the money I lost from the Mountain Moving Taoist!"

The group carried the boxes away as quietly as possible.

Hiding in the distance, Qian Jin nodded to Zhang Aijun and whispered, "Follow them. We must find out where they're hiding their goods!"

He then quickly pushed the cart back to the office of the Jiagang Transport Team of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, picked up the phone, and first called the Jiagang Public Security Bureau:
"I want to report them! I want to report a group of criminals..."

After hanging up, Qian Jin called Zhou Qingyun's home, the director of the anti-smuggling office. The call was answered after two attempts. Qian Jin introduced himself and got straight to the point:
"Director Zhou, this is Qian Jin. I need to report something to you. Tonight, I happened to witness a group of smugglers carrying out smuggling activities in Jiagang..."

This time he doesn't need to show his face; he just needs to spread the message.

After all, he's a porter, not a security guard or a customs officer, so he doesn't need to always make contributions in customs enforcement.

Qian Jin hung up the phone and stayed in the office to act as a liaison.

The police station arrived very quickly this time.

The staff on duty called their supervisor, who immediately ordered the criminal investigation team to come and stand by.

Later, the anti-smuggling office also sent people, a team of elite officers as well.

When Zhang Aijun finally appeared, Qian Jin ordered the two teams to follow Zhang Aijun to arrest the people, while he could stroll home and go to sleep.

I still have to go to work on Monday.

In the morning, he rode his bicycle to the brigade office. As soon as he opened the door, Liu Jinshan clapped enthusiastically at him.

Qian Jin thought it was news that he had assisted the Public Security Bureau and the Customs Anti-Smuggling Office in arresting Jia Youcheng and his gang last night.

He couldn't help but sigh, "Shouldn't this be kept secret? How can they have no sense of confidentiality?"

Liu Jinshan exclaimed, "Captain Qian is truly a man of high moral character and profound awareness. You do good deeds without seeking recognition."

"But the reporters at the daily newspaper won't keep your good deeds a secret from the public; it's their responsibility to report on good people and good deeds like yours!"

As he spoke, he delivered the morning's newspaper to the newspaper.

The front page prominently featured a report titled "Labor Commando Teams Bravely Shoulder Heavy Responsibilities, Breaking the Ice and Warming Hearts."

A reporter took a picture of Qian Jin kneeling in the snow surveying the foundation. His military overcoat was covered with frost, and there were broken tables and chairs piled up beside him. He looked like a hardworking and simple old worker.

That same noon, the newspaper "Reading Reference" was also launched, with a front page report on Qian Jin, titled "Many hands make light work - A glimpse into the renovation of the Taishan Road study room".

The accompanying picture is still of Qian Jin, showing him climbing a ladder to work.

On the day the report was published, the study room on Taishan Road became lively starting in the afternoon.

First, nearby residents brought hot water and homemade dry food.

Then, several retired workers brought their tools and volunteered to join the construction team.

Most surprisingly, the district education bureau called to say they would send technicians to provide guidance.

The call reached the moving team's office, and the neighborhood committee told Qian Jin to go back and receive the staff sent by the district education bureau.

Qian Jin said that Director Wei Xiangmi was in charge of this matter in the neighborhood, and it would be more appropriate for Director Wei to receive the staff from the Education Bureau.

The main reason is that it's inconvenient for him to skip work.

Fortunately, he didn't skip work, and Yang Shengzhang called him over to inquire about the matter.

Qian Jin rubbed his hands, looking a little embarrassed: "We were just doing our job, how did it end up in the newspaper?"

Yang Shengzhang chuckled, took a drag of his cigarette, and said, "Who's talking to you or us? I didn't play any role in the establishment of your Taishan Road Study Room."

"Furthermore, you handled this matter very well. Now the Party and the government attach great importance to education. I just received a call from the president of the organization. The city wants to promote your experience on Taishan Road and calls on all units to support school construction!"

"Besides, I didn't call you here to ask you about this matter. If I wanted to ask you anything, I would have asked you over the phone. This time, it was Section Chief Peng from the Publicity Department who called you."

Section Chief Peng, Peng Youliang.

This is someone Qian Jin knows.

Yang Shengzhang made an internal call, and Peng Youliang, whose hair was now even thinner, came running over.

As soon as he entered the office, Section Chief Peng extended his hand.

Qian Jin shook hands with him, feigning surprise and flattery: "Section Chief Peng, what brings you here in person? I was just about to look for you."

Peng Youliang was very approachable and said with a smile, "Captain Qian, what you've done is truly remarkable."

"After reading the report in the Haibin Daily today, our Party Committee held an emergency meeting and decided to support the education cause in your subdistrict!"

Qian Jin was taken aback, genuinely not expecting the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives to support the renovation of the study room: "Section Chief Peng, is this appropriate?"

Peng Youliang laughed and said, "Why is it inappropriate? You are a member of our Supply and Marketing Cooperative. You have contributed to the cause of education, and our Supply and Marketing Cooperative will always be your strong support!"

"As instructed by the president and based on the vote of the Party Committee, our unit has decided to allocate 5000 yuan to support the classroom renovation project!"

Peng Youliang's voice grew louder and louder as he spoke: "In addition, we will be responsible for supplying building materials such as timber, glass, and paint!"

Qian Jin was overjoyed and shook Peng Youliang's hand repeatedly: "Section Chief Peng, thank you so much, thank you President Wei, thank you to our unit."

"Oh, I also have to thank our boss..."

He looked at Yang Shengzhang with a fawning expression, and Yang Shengzhang pointed at him and laughed loudly: "Don't try that on me, kid. But let me tell you, there are conditions to our unit's support for your good deeds."

Qian Jin was taken aback. What were the conditions?
He looked at Peng Youliang.

Peng Youliang then laughed and said, "Old Yang is a really honest man, and he truly cherishes you, his valiant general."

"To be honest, many of our employees' children are preparing for the college entrance examination. Improving the teaching environment is also a practical thing for our employees."

"As for the conditions—it's very simple: I hope that after the project is completed, a sign can be hung on the classroom wall that reads 'Renovation Project Donated by Haibin City Supply and Marketing Cooperative'."

Qian Jin breathed a sigh of relief and readily agreed.

After get off work, he rode his bicycle back to Taishan Road in a hurry and called the emergency team, who had already finished get off work, together for a last-minute meeting.

He announced the good news at the meeting, while also raising higher requirements:

"Now that we have the funding and materials, we must do a better job! We need to not only partition off four classrooms, but also ensure good lighting and soundproofing, and install fluorescent lights in each classroom!"

In the days that followed, supplies arrived quickly, and the renovation of the study room began in earnest.

With financial support and material supplies, the project proceeded smoothly.

He originally only planned to partition a few classrooms with wooden boards, just like the partitioned rooms in the shared apartments in the city in his previous life.

But now they have money, resources, and talent—the district education bureau has brought in a civil engineer to assist with their construction work.

The engineer brought them a useful technique called a makeshift soundproof wall:
Compact the wheat straw and old newspapers layer by layer, then fix them between the wooden frame with wire mesh, and finally build a layer of bricks on both sides of the wall.

Wheat straw and old newspapers are cheap, and wire mesh and wooden frames are also inexpensive, so although the process is more complicated, the cost is actually cheaper.

This saves on red bricks, and the resulting walls are not only soundproof but also cheaper, saving 30% on material costs overall.

Especially after learning that they were going to use old newspapers to make the barrier wall, they didn't even need to buy newspapers themselves.

Residents of the neighborhood spontaneously provided their accumulated newspapers and children's used notebooks. Wei Xiangmi and her team soaked the newspapers in water and mashed them into pulp. They then used the pulp to fill straw molds and build them up, which provided better sound insulation!
The Haibin Daily discovered the support from businesses and the public for the renovation project of the study room, and thus followed up with a report.

This has now triggered a chain reaction:

The No. 6 State-owned Cotton Mill donated its discarded small textile machine storage table to students preparing for exams as study desks.

These are all solid wood tables. Although they are old, they can easily last another ten or even twenty or thirty years.

The Kunlunshan Road Cinema donated the chairs that were not used during its renovation last year.

The city library donated books and posters, and famous quotes were hung on the walls.

Qian Jin will come to the study room again at the end of February:

Swapping a shotgun for a cannon!

(End of this chapter)