The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 172 Here's a gift for you, let's do it again with Ma Defu.

Monday morning was overcast, with a thin layer of fog shrouding the town of Zidian.

The roar of motorcycles came from the mist, and the light rider's agile figure crisscrossed the dirt road, finally coming to a stop in front of the supply and marketing cooperative with a drift.

Qian Jin got off the motorcycle carrying a bulging military canvas bag. He nodded, and Zhang Aijun revved the motorcycle and drove around halfway to Qian Jin's dilapidated dormitory, while he himself entered the lobby of the supply and marketing cooperative.

There were no customers in the lobby at the moment; only Liu Xiulan was behind the counter, dusting the shelves with a feather duster.

She heard footsteps and turned around, seeing Qian Jin. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes:
"Brother Qian, didn't you go back to the city? Why are you at work so early? You could have come in the afternoon."

She had only been at the supply and marketing cooperative for a short time, and although Qian Jin addressed her as "Master," she was still very polite to him.

Because he's a cadre with level 25 benefits, and because he's a ruthless person who can beat up Director Ma.

Qian Jin didn't answer, but looked around and asked, "Did Director Ma come back yesterday or this morning?"

Liu Xiulan said in surprise, "He came back yesterday afternoon."

She pointed to Ma Defu's office and asked curiously, "How did you know the director came back yesterday or early this morning? Did you go to the city to find out anything?"

Qian Jin shook his head: "Didn't you ask me why I came back so early? My question just now was actually the answer."

Liu Xiulan was bewildered.

She was just a girl who had graduated from a vocational school; she was only an adult in age, but still very naive.

Qian Jin further explained, "He wasn't in the commune last week, but he must have arranged for someone to monitor us."

“I went back to the city on Sunday, and he has to come back to keep an eye on me to make sure I’m not late on Monday.”

"If I really did come to work in the afternoon, do you believe he'd report me to the county authorities tomorrow?"

Liu Xiulan chuckled awkwardly, "No, it can't be that bad."

She actually knew that this was something Ma Defu was capable of doing.

Yesterday, after Ma Defu returned, we closed the shop and held a meeting with them. The meeting's topic was very straightforward.

He confidently asserted that he had found powerful enough connections to deal with Qian Jin, then warned the three to stay away from Qian Jin, lest he go on a killing spree and splatter blood on them...

At this moment, several women came over to see if there were any new floral fabrics, and Liu Xiulan led them to look.

The supply and marketing cooperative only sells a few kinds of goods all year round. The fabrics are all the same three kinds from the cotton mill. When the women see that there is no polyester fabric, they shake their heads and leave.

No one is coming anymore for now.

Seeing this, Qian Jin beckoned to Liu Xiulan: "Master Liu, may I speak to you in private?"

Liu Xiulan blinked in confusion, but still followed him through the back door piled with sacks and into the backyard of the supply and marketing cooperative.

The backyard wasn't big; a few empty wooden crates were piled up in one corner, and several work clothes hung on the clothesline, swaying gently in the morning breeze.

Qian Jin took out a small box wrapped in red silk from his canvas bag and handed it to Liu Xiulan.

“My wife has been wanting to meet you ever since she learned that I have recognized you as my master. But she didn’t see you when she came last time, so she was unable to give you this gift.”

“This is a little thing she saw in the city, and she thought it would be perfect for you.” Qian Jin’s voice was soft, but every word was clearly audible.

Liu Xiulan hesitated before taking the box, then lifted the red silk cloth to reveal a cardboard box printed with peony flowers.

She carefully opened the box, inside were hair clips of different sizes.

There are 11 hair clips in total, with various shapes, including fish tails, butterflies, wheat ears, and fans.

Each hair clip is adorned with rhinestones, sparkling beautifully in the sunlight.

"This!" Liu Xiulan's eyes lit up instantly, and her hand unconsciously reached for the hair clip, but then stopped in mid-air, as if she had been burned, and withdrew it. "This is too precious, I can't accept it."

Her voice trembled slightly, but her eyes remained fixed on the pair of hair clips.

After all, she was just a young girl, still in her adolescence.

She had just started working and was at the age where she was looking for a boyfriend. She loved to look good, but due to the conditions in the countryside, she could only afford to put some clam oil on her face and tie her hair with a new hair tie.

She couldn't bear to buy things like Friendship Cream or Pechoin. A box of clam oil cost eight cents, Friendship Cream cost two mao, and Pechoin was the most expensive, costing forty mao and requiring a trip to the county town to buy. Friendship Cream was the most premium women's cosmetic in the commune.

These little trinkets from the mall are so high-end and elegant that Liu Xiulan has never even seen them before, let alone used them.

To put it bluntly, she would never have dared to own such jewelry.

Qian Jin pushed the box into her hands: "Take it. This is all the rage in the city now. My girlfriend heard that you have delicate features and thinks it will look good on you."

Liu Xiulan shook her head, but couldn't help taking the box.

She was an honest girl, and stammered, "Brother Qian, this gift is too expensive."

“I know you want to investigate Director Ma, but I can’t help you. My working hours are too short, and I don’t dare to offend him. I don’t have any evidence.”

Qian Jin laughed and said, "Look at what you're saying, it's as if we only have a relationship of mutual exploitation."

"You are my master, so it is only right that I give you a gift of thanks. In ancient times, this was called 'shuxiu'!"

Hearing this, Liu Xiulan nodded shyly: "What kind of master am I to you?"

She gripped the edge of the box tightly until her knuckles turned white, and finally said, "Director Ma has some minor issues. He takes cookies and snacks from the counter every day and brews tea with tea leaves..."

"I didn't mean anything by it." Qian Jin laughed. "Oh, please don't misunderstand me. It's just that my girlfriend wants to befriend you."

With that said, he turned and left.

Liu Xiulan bit her lip as she watched his retreating figure, then opened the box and began to look inside.

These little things are so beautiful that she can't even begin to describe them, because they are the first exquisite objects she has ever seen in her life.

Later, when she went to work, she secretly slipped a note into Qian Jin's hand:
Brother Qian, last month I did see Director Ma have ten bags of urea moved from the warehouse at night, but the next day he told Brother Jin to record five bags in the accounts. However, the urea was taken away by tractor that night, and I also overheard them saying it was for relatives of the commune leaders…

Qian Jin felt embarrassed after seeing the neat handwriting on the note.

This young girl truly has no idea how treacherous people can be.

If he hands over this note, Liu Xiulan will definitely be taken away by Ma Defu!
It wasn't that he was transferred to another unit, but that he caused him to be dismissed from the supply and marketing cooperative!
Of course, he wouldn't hand over the note.

This kind of thing won't bring Ma Defu down; he needs evidence of more serious crimes.

As the clouds dispersed, the sun rose higher, and the temperature increased, the queue in the lobby of the supply and marketing cooperative grew even longer.

During this time, Ma Defu also came out. He stood behind the counter with his protruding belly and loudly scolded an old lady who came to visit relatives and buy snacks for not bringing enough tickets.

Qian Jin couldn't bear to watch any longer. He walked past the old lady, bent down, picked up a food coupon from her feet, and said, "Auntie, did you drop this?"

The old lady wore a headscarf and a traditional Chinese jacket; she was an honest and simple farmer.

She shook her head timidly and said, "No..."

"It was dropped by my auntie. I just saw it fall out of her pocket. I was just thinking of reminding her when you spoke first, Comrade Qian," a woman in a floral-patterned jacket said with a hearty laugh.

She understood what Qian Jin meant, so she went to buy some snacks for the old lady: "Weigh out two jin of loose biscuits and two jin of loose peach shortbread..."

It looked like it was going to rain in the morning, but by noon the sun had become quite scorching, and the feeling of spring had suddenly arrived.

At mealtime, Jin Hai squatted on the doorstep, holding a cornbread with pickled vegetables in his hand, and was eating it with gusto while drinking plain water from an enamel mug.

Seeing Qian come in, he stood up to make room for him, and corn tortilla crumbs fell from his beard.

"Brother Jin, have some." Qian Jin greeted him with a smile, the enamel mug containing potato chunks he had gotten from the commune canteen.

Jin Hai laughed and said, "You're quite bold, aren't you afraid of getting food poisoning from eating this?"

Qian Jin said, "I went back to process it again. Look how well it's stewed now."

He handed the enamel mug to Jin Hai to look at.

Jin Hai clicked his tongue in amazement when he saw the soft potatoes inside: "You really spared no coal."

"You're going to start cooking again just for these potatoes? That's such a waste."

Qian Jin said, "Who said I would start cooking just for these potatoes? Nobody likes Chef Luo's stewed potatoes. I specially brought a small bowl to get rice, and Chef Luo readily gave me a small bowl."

"I've stewed all these potatoes again. Do you want some, Jin? If you do, come to my dorm and get some. Otherwise, it would be a waste if we couldn't finish them all."

Jin Hai's eyes lit up when he heard this: "Then I won't stand on ceremony with you."

He beckoned to Liu Xiulan: "Little Liu, come with me, I'll take you to eat something delicious—your Brother Qian is a really good cook, let's go and fight the rich man for potatoes!"

Liu Xiulan laughed and said, "What's so good about potatoes?"

Then, after she came back with a spoonful, she wolfed it down: "Brother Qian, can I get another serving?"

"Is this still the potato from the commune canteen? How can it taste so good?"

The secret passage to Qianjin must be delicious. I stewed it again with pork rib broth. This is not the original plain boiled potato soup. This is pork rib soup stewed potato!
He generously took out the small basin.

There's not much left, mainly because Zhang Aijun, that glutton, ate very happily just now.

After finishing their meal, before it was time to go back to work, everyone went to find a place to rest.

Qian Jin found Jin Hai and took out two net bags from his military satchel.

One net bag contained two large bags of White Rabbit milk candy and two large bags of fruit hard candy, while the other net bag contained packets of candied fruit, honey-glazed pastries, and Beijing-style snacks wrapped in oil paper.

The White Rabbit milk candy and fructose come in packs of one kilogram each, totaling four kilograms: "Brother Jin, my nephew is getting married soon, and I happen to have some leftovers from my own wedding. If you don't mind, feel free to use them; if you think..."

"Oh my!" Jin Hai exclaimed in surprise.

He picked up the candy and looked up in astonishment: "White Rabbit milk candy? You, you, you, Brother Qian, what are you doing?"

Qian Jin laughed and said, "What for? To avoid wasting it, what else could I do? I don't have much money, so I brought you the leftovers from the wedding as a small token of my appreciation to the newlyweds."

"But people might not be particular about it, since it's not a new thing..."

"How could you say that!" Jin Hai couldn't help but interrupt him, his lips trembling with excitement. "Aren't you making fun of me? Is this what you call being uncouth? No one in the entire commune is more couth than this!"

"I've been trying to find someone to buy some sorghum candy, but I wouldn't dare to even think about milk candy. I'd be lucky to get two or three pounds of fruit candy from the food factory."

"And then, you comrade, you just give me a shock! Hey! Another pastry? Oh, honey-glazed pastry, honey-glazed pastry, it's hard to make this kind of thing in our unit these days!"

Qian Jin chuckled silently: "It's so easy to get things done in the city. And try this candied fruit; put a plate on each table at the wedding..."

"Wouldn't they fight tooth and nail over it?" Jin Hai replied, laughing heartily.

He was a warehouse manager who considered himself a well-informed and influential figure in the commune, but Qian Jin's actions stunned him.

Even in rural areas, you can't find candied fruit, let alone snacks like the "Eight Delicacies of Beijing".

People in the 21st century are not interested in this, but in the 1970s, it was a snack that only cadres' families could enjoy.

Jin Hai's eyes immediately fell on the diverse and sweet-looking Beijing Eight Delicacies: "What is this? To be honest, I've never seen it before."

Qian Jin explained, "These are the eight delicacies of Beijing. Why don't you try them?"

He picked up a hawthorn-shaped flatbread and handed it over.

Jin Hai's Adam's apple bobbed, and he shook his head: "Keep it, I'm not eating this good stuff."

Qian Jin stuffed it into his hand: "Look at you, as the old saying goes, if you don't enjoy your blessings, it's the same whether you have them or not!"

Jin Hai grinned, took a bite of the pastry, and exclaimed, "It's so delicious! The crust and filling are distinct, the outside is flaky and the inside is firm and sweet. It's really good!"

He carefully finished the hawthorn pancake, and Qian Jin urged him to eat a pumpkin cake, but he absolutely refused.

Instead, he carefully picked up the crumbs that had fallen onto his knees: "We'll save them for the wedding. We'll put a plate of them on every table. Hehe, even the son of the commune leader wouldn't have this much face when he gets married!"

Qian Jin said with great interest, "If you want to save face, I'll help you out."

"To be honest, the head chef of the No. 2 State-run Restaurant in our city is my brother, a brother who is better than a blood brother."

"How about this, I'll have him prepare a few dishes for you and have someone deliver them over: four-happiness meatballs, braised pork, fried pork, and a roast chicken, okay?"

Jin Hai hurriedly waved his hand: "No, no, this won't do, Brother Qian, please don't trouble yourself."

"No trouble at all, we're all family here. Have you chosen a chef for your wedding banquet yet? If not, I'll just transfer one from the state-run No. 2 Restaurant for you," Qian Jin said readily.

Jin Hai was stunned: "This can actually work? No, no need, I...I've already made my choice, I asked an elder in the same production team..."

"Hey, you probably think I'm just being polite," Qian Jin laughed. "Well, I'll take care of it for you. April 26th, right? I'll find you a head chef from the state-run restaurant in the city!"

This is actually quite simple.

He couldn't lend Guan Dabao out, but he could lend Lou Xiaoguang out.

Lou Xiaoguang is still a junior staff member; Guan Dabao can grant him leave with just a note.

Of course, Lou Xiaoguang's cooking skills are not good enough, because he has always been an apprentice. He can only make a few basic dishes reasonably well, but he can't make the main dishes well.

But that's not important.

What Qian Jin wanted was Lou Xiaoguang's identity.

As for the dishes?

How many pre-made dishes are available in the online store?
Lou Xiaoguang doesn't know how to cook new dishes, and he doesn't know how to heat up pre-made food?
As for the taste?

The taste of pre-cooked dishes is far superior to the bland, watery vegetables served in rural areas these days.

Jin Hai felt dizzy for a moment, and stared blankly at Qian Jin, saying, "You...you..."

Only these two words remained in his mouth.

Qian Jin said, "Brother Jin, don't worry, I'll take care of the banquet. It'll be a day earlier, on the 25th. I'll have the head chef from the state-run No. 2 Restaurant come over. Just wait and see, I'll definitely make sure you have a good time."

Jin Hai swallowed hard: "Uncle, if I could really host a banquet with a chef from a city restaurant, I could walk around the whole commune with my head held high!"

"Then you can walk sideways all you want," Qian Jin laughed heartily, his attitude resolute.

Jin Hai gritted his teeth: "Fine, thanks to you, I'll give my son a grand wedding!"

He looked around, took off his work clothes to cover two net bags and said, "Uncle, we're family now, so I won't be formal with you. Come with me to the warehouse."

The warehouse was filled with sacks and wooden crates, and the air was thick with the smell of urea and pesticides.

"The county delivered another batch of pesticides and urea on Sunday. Spring plowing has already begun, and we'll be applying pesticides and fertilizers to the wheat soon, so the smell is quite strong," he explained with a smile.

As he spoke, he closed the door and dragged out two wooden crates from the corner to use as stools.

Sunlight streamed in obliquely through a small window high up, and dust particles danced in the beams of light.

Jin Hai coughed, peeked through the crack in the door, and, seeing no one, returned and said, "Director Ma is doing things..."

Upon hearing this, Qian Jin cut to the chase and said directly, "Brother Jin, I understand. You think I'm helping you so you can give me dirt on Director Ma?"

"Honestly, Brother Jin, you're looking down on me a bit. I'm helping you because you're an old comrade of the supply and marketing cooperative, and you helped me the most when I first came here. I'm just returning the favor!"

Jin Hai was taken aback, then chuckled awkwardly, "I know, I know..."

Qian Jin said, "If you know the answer, then don't say anything more. My matter with Director Ma is our own personal grudge, and there's no need to involve you."

Jin Hai scratched his head.

Dandruff was also flying around in the sunlight.

He said, "Uncle, I can't really help you much, but I can't let Director Ma deal with you so easily."

"Here's what I know. I'll tell you something so that at least you'll know that in the future, that guy surnamed Ma won't dare to mess with you anymore."

“Over the years, he has traded a lot of things, mostly urea, kerosene and diesel, and sometimes cloth, sugar and vegetable oil, which are in short supply.”

Jin Hai wiped his face: "Of the ten bags of urea that were taken away last month, only five were recorded in the accounts."

Qian Jin nodded.

Liu Xiulan just mentioned this.

“Just last night he took away two more barrels of diesel, saying the commune's agricultural machinery station urgently needed them, but the people at the agricultural machinery station came yesterday to ask when the oil could be allocated…”

Qian Jin said, "This is all as expected."

Then he casually changed the subject, not in a hurry to search for dirt on Ma Defu from Jin Hai.

He knew that the damaging information he had obtained was of little use.

Neither Liu Xiulan nor Jin Hai had any conflict of interest with Ma Defu, nor would they consider leaving evidence to use against him later. Therefore, what Qian Jin needed was not what the two possessed, but rather their willingness to provide unwavering support.

This attitude is very important.

There are five people in the supply and marketing cooperative. If these two people stand on his side, then he will be in the majority.

If he can also win over Zhao Dazhu, then he has united the masses.

In addition, Qian Jin guessed that Zhao Dazhu was the one who could truly deal with Ma Defu.

Therefore, he first sent gifts to Zhao Dazhu, in order to gain the support of Jin Hai and Liu Xiulan.

This supportive attitude was meant for Zhao Dazhu, to let him know his methods and to give him a glimmer of hope that he could defeat Ma Defu.

He'll help whoever wins!

Three o'clock in the afternoon is the quietest time at the supply and marketing cooperative.

Qian Jin knocked on the door of the accounting office again.

He noticed this when he came last time. The accounting office was very small because Madfu was a scoundrel. His office was next to the accounting office, so he knocked down the partition wall between the two rooms and rebuilt a new one.

After the reconstruction, his office encroached on much of the accounting office space.

Originally, both buildings had two rooms and two windows, but his office took up one room, meaning the office had three windows, while the accounting room only had one window.

At this time, the walls of the accounting office were covered with various forms and notices, and a peeling desk was piled with ledgers and receipts.

Zhao Dazhu was busy calculating accounts when he saw money coming in again. He asked in confusion, "Little Qian, what's up now?"

Qian Jin closed the door behind him and took out a rectangular box from his canvas bag: "Teacher Zhao, I could tell last time I came that you work the hardest in our supply and marketing cooperative, and you work very hard doing the accounting."

"I happened to go to the black market when I went back to the city this time, and guess what? I saw this foreign gadget. I heard you mention it before, and I figured it could help you, so I got it for you."

The box opens.

Inside was a brand-new electronic calculator, a true treasure in an era when the abacus was still the mainstream instrument.

The faint light from the calculator's LCD screen reflected off Zhao Dazhu's glasses. Qian Jin tapped it, and numbers began to appear on the screen.

"This is?"

"This is a machine developed by the Japanese..."

"HP-35 calculator!"

Qian Jin nodded: "Yes, Teacher Zhao, you have good taste."

Electronic calculators are now available in China.

As early as 1955, Harbin Institute of Technology developed an analog electronic calculator, but at that time it could not be used in the civilian market and was used by military enterprises and scientific research units.

As for miniature handheld calculators, there's been no activity in China yet, and other countries haven't made much of a move either. The biggest development right now is in the hands of the Japanese.

The Japanese in the 1970s certainly lived a good life. Take microcomputers, for example. Hewlett-Packard developed the HP-35 in 1972.

This was the world's first handheld scientific calculator, and it was quite different from other similar products at the time.

Qian Jin saw some calculators at the Friendship Store, but they could only perform the four basic functions of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Experienced accountants look down on calculators like this. It's no exaggeration to say that for everyday needs, a good accountant can calculate faster using an abacus than a calculator.

But with the advent of the HP-35, everything changed.

This machine boasts an astonishing 35 buttons, and it can perform all the functions of the slide rule with 10-digit precision, and can operate on decimal points or exponents of powers of 10 within a range of 200 decimal digits.

It was the combination of these functions that ultimately led to the slide rule, which had been used by generations of engineers and scientists, being phased out of the historical stage.

Zhao Dazhu had seen an introduction to this calculator in a newspaper published just two months ago.

And now it has appeared right in front of me.

He couldn't resist doing some complicated calculations.

Results in one second.

This made him both excited and melancholy: "The old abacus is about to retire from the stage of history."

His hand caressed the smooth surface of the calculator, as if he were touching some sacred object.

Qian Jin didn't give him a chance to refuse or ask questions; he left his things, waved his hand, and left.

Zhao Dazhu chased after him: "Qian Jin, Brother Qian..."

The door to the office next door opened, and Ma Defu popped his head out and asked, "What's going on? What's all the shouting about?"

Zhao Dazhu hid the calculator and muttered, "N-nothing, I think—nothing."

Ma Defu saw Qian Jin's back and shouted, "Qian Jin, what are you doing here if you're not in the lobby?"

Qian Jin said, "Do I have to report to you about taking a dump?"

Ma Defu was so angry that he jumped up and down, slammed the door shut, and went back to start beating the villain.

After the off-hours ended, more customers came in to buy things.

Then came the roar of a tractor. The vehicle stopped at the door, and a burly man came in and asked, "Who's coming in?"

Qian Jin wondered if Ma Defu was still not giving up and was even sending someone to confront him head-on.

What a coincidence, he brought Zhang Aijun with him today.

But only one person entered.

Although the man was tall and strong, he had a dark complexion and calloused hands. He wore patched coarse cloth clothes with worn-out cuffs and mud splattered on his trousers.

Qian Jin sensed that this person didn't seem like someone who could fight, so he nodded and said, "I am, what's wrong, comrade?"

The burly man looked him up and down and said casually, "You're the one who beat up those bastards Zhao Da Kui and Zhao Er Kui? I heard they knocked out all their teeth?"

Qian Jin countered, "You want to avenge them?"

The burly man laughed loudly: "Avenge them? Bullshit, I'm here to offer you a toast."

As he spoke, he went to the counter and slapped down 50 cents: "I'm in a good mood today, so I'll have two big cups of Daqu."

Two ounces for the large bowl, one ounce for the small bowl.

Liu Xiulan quickly got to him and poured him some wine.

The burly man took a glass of wine himself and pushed another glass to Qian Jin: "Come on, boss, let me toast you."

Qian Jin asked, "Why?"

The burly man said nonchalantly, "Those four bastards from the Zhao family are no good. You've done a service to the people by taking care of them, so I'll treat you to a drink in return."

Jin Hai came out to load goods, and he recognized the burly man and said, "Erhu, you're drinking so early in the morning?"

The burly Erhu pointed at Qian Jin: "I've come to collect urea from my team, and I'd like to invite the leader for a drink while I'm at it."

Jin Hai nodded: "One cup isn't enough, you have to treat him to a good meal."

Erhu laughed loudly: "I'm definitely willing, but I'm afraid the leaders look down on our poor production team and won't be willing to go to their door."

Qian Jin asked, puzzled, "What's going on?"

Jin Hai pointed to Er Hu and introduced him: "His name is Zhong Jianhu. He is the second oldest in his family, so everyone calls him Er Hu. He is the deputy captain of the Zhongzhuang production team."

“Their Zhongzhuang village is right next to Zhao Dahu’s Zhao family. They often have some disputes. The team leader of Zhongzhuang was so angered by the Zhao brothers that he died. The men of Zhongzhuang swore that if they didn’t get rid of the Zhao brothers, their production team would be without a team leader.”

After the introductions, Jin Hai asked Zhong Jianhu, "So, now that the Zhao brothers have been dealt with, are you going to choose a team leader?"

Zhong Jianhu downed an ounce of wine in one gulp, wiped his mouth, and said, "No rush, let's take back Qingshui River first."

Jin Hai then explained further to Qian Jin.

There are several rivers within Zidian Commune, and the villages are basically built along these rivers.

The Qingshui River flows through the lands of Zhao Jia and Zhongzhuang and into the sea, with Zhao Jia located upstream and Zhongzhuang downstream.

During the drought in the 1960s, the two production teams had many disputes over water use in the Qingshui River.

After Zhao Daikui became the team leader, he organized people to build a small dam in the Qingshui River.

They would store water during droughts and release it during floods, causing great harm to Zhongzhuang.

Unfortunately, Zhongzhuang had few able-bodied men and couldn't win against the Zhao family through brute force.

They wanted to file a complaint, but due to problems with government functions in previous years, the higher-ups couldn't resolve the issue. In the end, the Zhao brothers provoked them in various ways, which angered the captain of Zhongzhuang to death.

Jin Hai glanced at Zhong Jianhu's trouser legs and asked, "Who are you trying to fool? Haven't you smashed the embankment on the river yet?"

Zhong Jianhu laughed heartily, "Damn it! I've been busy with this for the past three days, otherwise I would have come to pay my respects to this leader long ago."

He pointed at Qian Jin, his casual manner revealing his genuine sincerity.

Jin Hai asked, "Then how do you plan to seize the Qingshui River?"

Zhong Jianhu smiled without saying a word, then raised his glass to Qian Jin: "Leader, let me toast you."

Qian Jin said, “According to the unit’s rules, I can’t drink alcohol at work, but that’s not a problem. You’re in this commune and I’m in this commune. We’ll run into each other all the time, so there will be plenty of opportunities to sit down and have a drink.”

"In ancient times, people used tea instead of wine. I have no tea here, so I'll use sincerity instead. If you truly consider me one of your own, you certainly won't find fault with my gift, will you?"

As he spoke, he made a feint, pretending to drink.

Just like in a play, he pretended to have a wine pot and glasses in front of him, pretended to pour wine, raised his glass to indicate a toast, and then tilted his head back and drank it down.

Zhong Jianhu laughed again and drank the remaining wine in his cup.

Qian Jin handed him another glass of wine, threw 50 cents into the money box, and said to Liu Xiulan, "Give Captain Zhong some peanuts and spiced dried tofu to go with his wine."

Liu Xiulan scooped up half a pound of fried peanuts with a wine glass and then served another half a pound of spiced dried tofu.

Zhong Jianhu stared wide-eyed and asked, "You're inviting me?"

Qian Jin said, "It's not an invitation for you, it's an invitation for both of us. Aren't I drinking here too?"

As he spoke, he pretended to pour himself a glass of wine: "Come on, Captain Zhong, since there are no chopsticks, let's eat and drink with our hands."

He grabbed a few peanuts, popped them into his mouth, and crunched them with relish. He then raised the fake wine glass and took another sip.

Zhong Jianhu was overjoyed and pointed at him, saying to the others, "This leader is a good leader; this is what a people's cadre should be like, unlike..."

"Cough cough." Jin Hai coughed. "Erhu, don't start spouting nonsense after drinking a little horse urine."

He appeared to be scolding Zhong Jianhu, but he was actually thinking of the other person's best interests.

Zhong Jianhu realized what was happening and quickly grinned, "I told you it's not like you, Jin Hai. We used to pee and play in the mud together when we were kids. It's been so many years and I've never had a meal with drinks that you treated me to."

Ma Defu walked out with a gloomy face.

He asked coldly, "Captain Zhong, I just heard you say who is a good cadre?"

Zhong Jianhu lowered his head.

He hated Ma Defu, but dared not offend him.

There was only one supply and marketing cooperative in the entire commune, and Ma Defu was in charge of it. If you offended Ma Defu, the whole production team would suffer!

Qian Jin was amused and said, "Director Ma, didn't you hear me? Captain Zhong said you are a good cadre of the people."

Zhong Jianhu stared at Qian Jin with his eyes wide open.

The rumor is wrong.

What nonsense are the commune members spreading? Qian Jin isn't that fierce after all.

Ma Defu snorted.

Qian Jin continued, "You actually believe that?"

"If you don't have a mirror in your office, I'll take a piss and let you see your donkey-dung-like face. Do you deserve the title of a people's cadre? I think you should go and get some keys made. How many keys can you make?"

Ma Defu flew into a rage: "You son of a bitch..."

Qian Jin strode over and suddenly waved his arm at him.

Ma Defu cried out in fright and scrambled backward in terror: "You..."

Qian Jin scratched the back of his head: "Hey, Director Ma, what are you doing? Why are you jumping around like a monkey?"

He stared at Qian Jin with wide eyes, as if he had hyperthyroidism.

The rumor is wrong.

What nonsense are the villagers spreading? This Qian Jin is even more ruthless than everyone says!
Ma Defu glared at Qian Jin with resentment and said, enunciating each word clearly, "You think you can act with impunity?"

Qian Jin leaned close to him and whispered, "I suggest you turn yourself in and try to get leniency from the organization, otherwise you'll be in big trouble."

Ma Defu reached out and shoved him.

Qian Jin exaggeratedly stumbled backward, knocking over an empty shelf. After getting up, he pinned Ma Defu to the ground and started punching him.

Ma Defu clutched his head and cried out, "Help! Someone's being beaten to death!"

Qian Jin remained silent, increased the force of his punch, and took the opportunity to tug at his crotch.

This caused Ma Defu to wail in despair.

Jin Hai and Liu Xiulan went to pull Qian Jin away, pleading, "Stop hitting him! Stop hitting him!"

Qian Jin shouted, "Why didn't you stop him when he hit me and kicked me onto the shelf?"

When Ma Defu saw that he had been grabbed, he quickly got up, waved his hand, and gently slapped Qian Jin in the chest twice.

Seeing this, Jin Hai quickly went up and pulled Ma Defu away: "Director Ma, you can't fight anymore! You can't beat him, so stop fighting..."

Liu Xiulan also let go of Qian Jin's hand and hurriedly said, "Oh dear, stop hitting him, please stop hitting him..."

Qian Jin broke free, kicked Ma Defu to the ground, and went up to continue his brutal beating.

Zhao Dazhu rushed out in a flurry, and upon seeing the situation, he also tried to pull people away, but he couldn't.

Eventually, someone reported it to the police station, and Liu Jianguo came over, finally managing to pull Qian Jin away.

"Hey, what's going on with your organization? Is it a supply and marketing cooperative or a boxing ring?"

Qian Jin said aggrievedly, "Ma Defu bullies people. He kicked me onto the shelf because he thought I was blocking his way, and knocked the shelf down."

Zhong Jianhu immediately said, "I testify, the government testifies, what Comrade Qian Jin said is true."

Liu Jianguo looked at Jin Hai, Zhao Dazhu and others.

Zhao Dazhu said with a wry smile, "I wasn't in the lobby. When I came out, the two of them were already fighting."

Qian Jin nodded secretly upon hearing this answer.

The abacus wasn't given away for nothing!
Jin Hai went even further, saying, "It was indeed Director Ma who started it. Sigh, Director Ma is very impulsive these days. He kicked Qian Jin into this shelf, and look, the shelf was knocked over."

He then lay down on the shelf, recreating the scene from before, which greatly increased his persuasiveness.

Liu Xiulan said with a worried look, "Our unit has become a laughing stock. Director Ma, if you don't like the money coming in, you shouldn't be here. Just leave the work to us. But instead, you come out and beat him up. Sigh!"

With a long sigh, Ma Defu was so angry he wanted to curse him.

However, he had the will but not the courage.

He got beaten up badly by Qian Jin!

Then he would be criticized by Liu Jianguo.

Liu Jianguo pulled him up and sat him down on a chair, angrily saying, "Director Ma, you're a state cadre, and you're almost old enough to be Qian Jin's father. How could you be so impulsive..."

Upon hearing this, Ma Defu couldn't catch his breath, his eyes rolled back, and he slumped limply to the ground from his chair...

(End of this chapter)