The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 181 My family has arrived, and support has come!
Hearing the roar of the truck engine as it began to slow down, Qian Jin patted Lao Zhou on the shoulder: "Come on, let's go out and see what your tractors are going to haul tomorrow."

Old Zhou asked in surprise, "You can get the dual-agent store up and running tomorrow?"

Qian Jin smiled and said, "No, it's some compensation for your brigade."

He walked out, and a Jiefang brand CA-10 truck slowly stopped in the open space in front of the supply and marketing cooperative.

The wheels rolled over the muddy dirt road, leaving two deep ruts.

The red five-pointed star on the front of the truck was particularly bright in the sunlight, and the truck bed was covered with a bulging canvas tarpaulin, which clearly showed that it was full of goods.

The employees of the supply and marketing cooperative and the members who were shopping in the lobby all poked their heads out of the room.

Jin Hai, the warehouse keeper, was carrying a bag of fertilizer when he saw this. He quickly put it down, dusted himself off, and squinted at the truck.

Zhao Dazhu also came out, and asked in confusion, "Is there a supply quota from the county today? Goodness, how much stuff did we have to haul this time?"

The truck came to a steady stop, and as soon as the door opened, a man wearing sunglasses and bell-bottoms jumped out—it was none other than Qiao Jinbu, the veteran driver of the Fifth Transportation Company of the city.

He grinned, revealing a set of teeth stained yellow from smoking: "Chief Qian, it's been a while! Damn, I've missed you so much!"

Qian Jin also missed his wife terribly.

Wei Qinghuan jumped out of the passenger seat. His jet-black hair was different from when he first met her; it had grown long and was braided into two long braids.

The country breeze blew through her hair, and a sweet smile graced her smooth face.

Qian Jin nodded reservedly at her.

Everyone nodded.

Immediately afterwards, two more people jumped off the back of the carriage.

Following Qian Jin's instructions over the phone, Zhu Tao and Zhao Bo arrived in the car.

Zhu Tao wore a faded Zhongshan suit and his leather shoes were polished to a shine; Zhao Bo wore a polyester shirt with a bunch of keys hanging from his waistband, which jingled as he walked.

Qian Jin raised an eyebrow at them and said, "Team Leader Zhao, what are you doing? It's still quite cold, why are you wearing polyester?"

Zhao Bo pointed to the key on his belt loop: "It's mainly to show off this. In Brother Qiao's words, this outfit is fashionable!"

Qian Jin said, "When I have time, I'll get you some foreign keychains. It'll be so fashionable to wear them on your waist."

Zhu Tao said, "You should hurry back to Taishan Road and meet with your comrades when you have time."

"That's right, all the brothers in our assault team are thinking about you!" Zhao Bo came up and put his arm around his shoulder, grinning from ear to ear.

Qian Jin said, "I'm too busy with work here to go back."

Even if he only has a short time back, he'll have to spend it all on Wei Qinghuan.

"Why don't you come to see me?" he asked the two of them. "You miss me so much, yet you don't come looking for me?"

Zhu Tao sighed, "Our mobile canteen is so popular that we can't leave."

"Our commando team is short-handed right now, but thankfully the neighborhood sent 10 more people, so our total number has now exceeded 80. The next step is to break 100!"

The truck was loaded with supplies, and soon a crowd of curious onlookers gathered around it.

Even Liu Jianshe came over.

He walked around the truck with his hands behind his back, his eyes slightly narrowed beneath his peaked hat, examining the bulging canvas tarpaulin on the truck bed:

"Director Qian, this is..."

Qian Jin laughed and turned to Qiao Jinbu: "Old Qiao, lift it up and let everyone take a look!"

Qiao Jinbu asked first, "How come you're a director again? What's going on? Aren't you planning to go back to the city?"

Qian Jin shrugged and spread his hands: "I'm like a brick in the revolution; I'll go wherever I'm needed."

Zhu Tao became anxious upon hearing this: "No, you have to go back. Our commando team and the mobile canteen need you..."

"We'll talk about it later." Qian Jin winked at him.

He knew he wouldn't stay in the commune for long, after all, he was only there to be assessed.

"Brother Qiao, go and pull the tarpaulin open."

Qiao Jinbu responded, jumped onto the truck bed, and ripped open the tarpaulin.

"Ouch!"

A gasp of surprise erupted from the crowd.

Dozens of bags of flour were neatly stacked in the truck bed, the white cloth bags stamped with red seals that read "Premium Flour".

Next to it were stacks of rice bags and barrels of peanut oil, with labels that read "Haibin Grain and Oil Factory".

There were several cardboard boxes piled up at the far end, and you could vaguely see that they contained white sugar, noodles, and even some non-staple foods. There was even a whole braised pig's head wrapped in oil paper in a large plastic bag.

"This... how much stuff is this?" Zhao Dazhu swallowed hard, his fingers unconsciously fiddling with the abacus beads as he subconsciously calculated the total value of the supplies.

After calculating and calculating, I realized I couldn't figure it out.

He was unaware of the unit price of some of the goods.

Jin Hai's eyes widened as usual: "Director Qian, what's going on? It wasn't distributed by the county, was it?"

Qian Jin nodded and raised his voice, saying:

"Comrades! These are gifts from all the staff of our Taishan Road small collective enterprise and labor shock brigade to support our commune! They are specially delivered to the elderly living alone and families of martyrs and soldiers!"

Upon hearing this, Lao Zhou finally understood what Qian Jin meant.

He immediately raised his hands above his head and clapped vigorously.

Director Qian didn't say anything; this comrade is serious!

A round of applause erupted from the crowd. Liu Jianguo exclaimed in astonishment, "These are the gifts you brought from the city? Impressive, impressive! Director Qian, you're really something!"

Li Weiguo, who was watching the commotion from the crowd, was dumbfounded.

Qian Jin brought in sponsorships from the city for impoverished families in the commune...

Not only did he not accept food from the commune or its members, he also essentially used his own money to help impoverished families in the commune...

This was unheard of during the time of Ma Defu!

He muttered to himself, "Damn it! They're both directors of supply and marketing cooperatives, how come they're so different?"

"Oh, Director Qian, if you had come sooner, I would have been willing to work hard for you. I didn't have a choice before; I could only follow that bastard Ma Defu. Sigh..."

Zhao Dazhu gave Qian Jin a thumbs up with admiration: "Director Qian, your influence is extraordinary."

Qian Jin waved his hand and laughed, "It's all thanks to my colleagues for giving me face."

He patted Zhao Bo and Zhu Tao on the shoulder, and the two grinned.

Actually, neither of them understood what was going on.

Qian Jin called them and said they would go to the new houses in the workers' new village to pick up goods, bring over all the living supplies, and then donate them to Zidian Commune under the name of the small collective enterprise of the labor shock brigade.

They went there, and there was indeed a lot of rice, flour, and cooking oil in the house, so they loaded it onto Qiao Jinbu's car and delivered it over.

But these supplies don't seem to have been delivered by the mobile canteens, do they?

Of course, they were used to following Qian Jin's arrangements, and at this moment they became the most dazzling people in the crowd, receiving the most sincere gratitude from the members. They enjoyed the praise and didn't say much.

The trucks entered through the main gate.

The supplies need to be moved into the warehouse.

Old Zhou called Xiao Lei and Zhou Linwen to help unload the goods.

Zhou Linwen asked in confusion, "Second Uncle, what are we doing? Why are we working for the supply and marketing cooperative again?"

Old Zhou said, "Stop talking nonsense. It's your good fortune to be able to work for Director Qian."

"This Director Qian is amazing! His character and conscience are truly remarkable. Hehe, let me tell you two, Director Qian is going to help our brigade set up a dual-subsidy store. He's going to our brigade in the countryside tomorrow!"

Xiao Lei asked impetuously, "Are we going to eat our pheasant too? Should we prepare some for him?"

Old Zhou shouted, "Get ready! We must prepare money for Director Qian!"

The supplies were unloaded, and the crowd dispersed.

The news spread rapidly throughout the commune.

In the office, Qian Jin poured tea for Qiao Jinbu, Zhu Tao, and Zhao Bo. The old buddies sat together and chatted warmly.

"Chief Qian, you're really awesome." Zhu Tao took a sip of tea, his face beaming. "You went to Jiagang and became the brigade leader, and then you came to the commune and became the director. And it hasn't even been a month yet."

Zhao Bo said, "Director Wei of the neighborhood committee also asked me to pass on a message to you: 'Captain Qian, you must do a good job in the countryside. If you do a good job, our Taishan Road will also be proud!'"

"Hehe, you did an exceptionally good job. I'll tell everyone about you when we get back, so they can all bask in your glory!"

Qian Jin said, "Isn't that the saying? Serve the people!"

"I have to thank Brother Qiao today. I didn't expect him to personally come and deliver the goods to me."

"We really have to thank Brother Qiao!" Zhu Tao interjected. "When he heard you needed to allocate supplies, Brother Qiao drove over without hesitation and even expedited the dispatch order!"

Qiao Jinbu chuckled, took out a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes and offered them around: "What Chief Qian does is what I do. He's asking me for help because he's giving me face."

Jin Hai, Zhao Dazhu, and Liu Jianguo, who were standing nearby and had nothing better to do than join in the fun, exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

Liu Jianguo secretly pondered, no wonder Ma Defu couldn't beat Qian Jin, Qian Jin was a truly formidable figure.

He didn't know how many years Ma Defu had been a director, but he knew that Ma Defu's subordinates were not actually convinced by him. They only followed him because they could eat meat and live a wealthy life.

Qian Jin's men are different.

He could tell that all three of them admired Qian Jin!

Qian Jin poured them tea and water, saying, "Take a good rest. We're so grateful to you all today..."

A series of rapid footsteps came from outside the door, followed by Liu Xiulan's voice: "Director Qian, Secretary Wang from the commune is here!"

Qian Jin quickly got up and went out to greet them.

Commune secretary Wang Zhenshan stood beside the truck with his hands behind his back. The cargo in the truck bed had been unloaded, but some flour residue remained. He smiled as he looked at this scene.

He didn't come alone; he brought along some leaders and cadres from the commune.

Qian Jin had met Wang Zhenshan before, at the commune canteen.

He has only been the director for a short time, and the two have not yet worked together.

Seeing so many people arrive, Qian Jin was quite intimidated; he was worried that these people would try to steal his business.

We'll definitely have to fight hard then.

These were the supplies he prepared in his room in the workers' village after he defeated Madfu. Even with a large gold chest, it still took a lot of effort to purchase these supplies.

The main problem is that some things need to be branded, which he has to do himself, and it's very troublesome.

He prepared these supplies to make a strong impression as a new official, and he absolutely couldn't let anyone else intercept them.

"Director Qian, well done!" Wang Zhenshan applauded him.

"I heard that you brought a batch of donated supplies from the city to our commune's elderly living alone and families of martyrs and soldiers. This has solved our commune's urgent problem."

"By the way, is this information correct?"

Qian Jin smiled and said, "Absolutely right, Secretary Wang, your words are golden."

Wang Zhenshan said, "You don't need to coax me, I should be the one coaxing you."

"To be honest, life is tough for us ordinary people in the spring. We've almost finished storing our grain, and there's no harvest in the fields, so we still have to work hard. It's tough."

“Especially for the five-guarantee households, we had a meeting the day before yesterday to discuss how to help them. The commune's finances are tight, and we are all having a headache. But you quietly gave me a huge surprise.”

Qian Jin said, "This was also arranged by the organization, and it was supported by the comrades of the Taishan Road Labor Commando Team and small collective enterprises."

Wang Zhenshan nodded, then turned to the cadres who had come with him and said, "As you all have seen, Comrade Qian Jin has done practical things for the commune as soon as he took office! This is the kind of cadre we need!"

Everyone echoed his sentiments, with Liu Jianshe leading the applause.

Qian Jin understood that this batch of supplies was not only for helping those in need, but also an important step for him to gain a foothold in Zidian Commune.

He looked at the kind-hearted crowd beside the truck, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Regardless of the final evaluation, he was happy at that moment.

Being able to help others is indeed a happy thing.

Next, Wang Zhenshan went into his office.

After seeing the simple furnishings in his office, the old Party Secretary nodded repeatedly: "Good, good, Director Qian, I might as well be frank with you."

“After you became the acting director, your section chief Liu came to see me. He said that Ma Defu not only had problems with his lifestyle, but his ideological awareness was even more problematic.”

“After an investigation by the county supply and marketing cooperative, it was discovered that he had turned the cooperative into his own grocery store. Now that you have taken office, he is very worried that you will follow in Ma Defu’s footsteps.”

“Now I can tell him that he can basically rest assured that Qian Jin is not that kind of person.”

Qian Jin said, "Secretary Wang, I won't be modest with you on this point. Putting aside everything else, I am absolutely a person who can withstand the test when it comes to my lifestyle and economic issues!"

Wang Zhenshan nodded in satisfaction: "I really believe you on this..."

He shook his head at the outside and asked, "Is that woman kneading dough your girlfriend?"

Wei Qinghuan came along in the car, knowing that Qian Jin would definitely treat Qiao Jinbu and the others to a meal. She also knew that the standard of living in the countryside was poor, so she bought meat and vegetables directly from the city.

She immediately started preparing lunch upon arrival, showcasing her exemplary wifely qualities to the fullest.

Qian Jin nodded: "She is my wife. I love her very much, and she is very supportive of my work."

Wang Zhenshan nodded, his face full of admiration: "A hero paired with a beauty, the ancients were right."

"Well, there are special files for the list of the five-guarantee households and the families of martyrs and soldiers. I'll have someone deliver them to you this afternoon."

Qian Jin said, "Thank you so much, Secretary Wang. I was worried about this too. To be honest, I was afraid that if I asked the team leaders for the list, they would mess it up."

Wang Zhenshan slammed his fist on the table and said, "You, Qian Jin, are doing good deeds for our commune. If anyone drags us down, I'll skin them alive!"

"The lists of the five-guarantee households and families of martyrs and soldiers have all been approved by me. Here's what you do: after you get your copy, ask the team leaders for a copy of the list. Compare the two, and there definitely won't be any mistakes!"

Qian Jin nodded: "Also, Secretary Wang, I plan to send an extra batch of supplies to the Xiping Production Brigade."

“From what I understand, they have had a tough time over the years. Ma Defu treated them very badly. I believe that as his successor and as a member of the supply and marketing cooperative, I have a responsibility to compensate them on behalf of the cooperative.”

Wang Zhenshan laughed and said, "You can decide this yourself. You're in charge of the funding you brought in!"

After we finished discussing business, we started chatting.

Qian Jin warmly invited him to come over for dinner.

Wang Zhenshan was about to refuse, but Qian Jin said, "Secretary Wang, you must try my wife's cooking. Even the head chefs at the city's state-run restaurants admire her."

"You'll see how big the gap is between her cooking skills and Chef Luo's when you compare them."

Wang Zhenshan didn't really want to eat the dishes Wei Qinghuan cooked.

But he really didn't want to eat Chef Luo's cooking. In addition, Qian Jin also subtly suggested that he accompany his colleagues and friends who came from the city, and Wang Zhenshan immediately agreed.

This means he gave Qian Jin face.

Yesterday's heavy rain had exhausted the clouds over Zidian Commune, and today the sky is cloudless with excellent spring sunshine.

It was almost noon, and the sun was shining warmly on the courtyard of the supply and marketing cooperative.

Wei Qinghuan, wearing a blue apron with white flowers, was busy working in front of a makeshift earthen stove.

Qian Jin rolled up his sleeves to help.

Wei Qinghuan even chased him away, saying, "A gentleman stays away from the kitchen. You're the leader here, so don't do it. People will laugh at you."

Qian Jin didn't care at all: "We're husband and wife, and together we can overcome anything. I love working with you the most."

"Let them gossip if they want. I will never change my attitude toward you or my way of doing things because of what others say."

Wei Qinghuan felt a sweet warmth in her heart upon hearing this, and said, "But this is just busywork."

Qian Jin changed it slightly: "I love doing silly things with you the most."

Wei Qinghuan turned to look at him.

Her eyebrows and eyes were like distant mountains, full of affection and smiles.

Qian Jin asked Zhu Tao to bring pig's head meat and braised pig offal, which are excellent cold dishes.

He was cutting up braised pork offal to make a platter at the cutting board, while Wei Qinghuan was stewing pork ribs.

The bright sunshine shone on the earth and on her, and when she lowered her head, it gilded her fair neck.

After adding the ribs to the fire, all that was left was to stew them, and then she went to cut the pig's head meat.

Wei Qinghuan leaned slightly forward, tapping the cleaver on the cutting board with a light, rhythmic sound. Thin slices of meat, translucent with a glistening gel, were neatly arranged on a blue-rimmed coarse porcelain plate.

Qian Jin turned his head to admire the way the apron straps tied into a bow at the back of his waist trembled gently.

"Husband, hand me the mortar and pestle." Wei Qinghuan brushed a strand of hair that had fallen to her cheek, and the silver bracelet on her wrist jingled.

Qian Jin said, "I'll crush the garlic, you can season it."

The garlic has been peeled, and the garlic paste was quickly prepared.

Wei Qinghuan poured another spoonful of sesame oil into the small bowl. Oil droplets splattered on the back of her hand, and she stuck out her pink tongue and licked them.

Qian Jin knew that the battle would be fierce tonight.

The spare ribs in the big iron pot were bubbling away, and the dark brown broth, coated with oil, was rolling among the meat pieces.

Wei Qinghuan lifted the pot lid, and steam rushed onto her rosy face.

She scooped up a spoonful of soup to taste the saltiness, then lightly licked her lips with the tip of her tongue, making them look as if she had applied rouge.

The flames in the stove illuminated her beautiful profile, and fine beads of sweat glistened on the tip of her nose. Qian Jin thought his wife's face was a work of art.

"Boss, the chicken is ready!" Old Zhou came in carrying a plump, plucked chicken.

Qian Jin thought it wouldn't be appropriate to ask the Zhou family of three to leave since it was lunchtime, so he invited them to stay for dinner.

To avoid embarrassment for the three of them, he assigned Lao Zhou the task of killing a chicken.

Wei Qinghuan bought a live chicken from the farmers' market, and today she's going to make stir-fried chicken with chili peppers.

The rooster was cleaned thoroughly.

Wei Qinghuan took it and gently pressed her finger on the smooth chicken skin: "This chicken is really plump, it will definitely smell delicious when it's stir-fried."

She deftly chopped the chicken into pieces, washed it, and then soaked it in water to clean it further.

There aren't many dishes today, but the portions are large, and the main dish is dumplings.

Wei Qinghuan is good at making dumplings, so today the dishes are secondary; the dumplings are the main attraction.

The midday sun made the elm wood scorching hot.

As soon as Wang Zhenshan stepped into the courtyard at mealtime, he sniffed the air and exclaimed, "It smells delicious! It smells so good!"

At this moment, Wei Qinghuan was serving stir-fried chicken to the table.

The golden chicken pieces are coated with bright red chili peppers, and the green garlic stalks are interspersed among them, making it a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.

"Secretary Wang, you've come at the perfect time." Wei Qinghuan put the plate on the table, the oil droplets still sizzling on the chicken pieces.

"The ribs will be served soon, esteemed leaders and comrades, let's get ready to eat."

Roughly speaking, it consists of four dishes.

Stewed pork ribs, stir-fried chicken, pig's head meat, and braised offal.

However, there are many kinds of offal, such as pig liver, pig heart, heart meat, large intestine, small intestine and pig lung. When they are made into a platter, several plates are put together.

Wei Qinghuan invited them to eat, but went to make dumplings herself.

Qian Jin disagreed: "You're the one who does the most work, and all they get out of it is letting you keep working?"

To prevent the dumplings from drying out, Wei Qinghuan busied herself inside the house.

Seeing that no one was around, she reached out and gently touched Qian Jin's face with both hands: "With your words, I'm happy no matter what I do."

"Of course, I have to be busy today. I have to put on a show for them. I have to let everyone know that Director Qian is not only successful in his career but also has a happy marriage. He married a very good wife."

"So that when you're in the countryside, some women won't have designs on you."

Qian Jin sneered: "Not at all!"

Wei Qinghuan said, "Not now, because everyone hasn't figured out your situation yet. Once they do, you can expect them to pounce on you."

"Alright, you go out and entertain the guests. I'll make dumplings. We've already done the ninety-nine prayers, what's one more?"

"I've already prepared a whole table of dishes, so I'll have to take care of the remaining dumplings myself. I need to make a name for myself!"

Qian Jin knew that this was how she comforted herself, but Wei Qinghuan had already invited everyone to eat, and everyone had arrived. It was really inappropriate for him to bring people over to make dumplings.

So he had no choice but to go out and call out, "Everyone, start eating!"

Qian Jin picked up a piece of pork rib for himself first.

The stewed meat, cooked until tender, falls off the bone with a gentle shake, its dark brown shreds glistening with oil droplets.

Xiao Lei is an honest man. He picked up a piece of rib directly, and as his teeth tore through the fibers, brown meat juice dripped down his chin.

He hurriedly licked it with his tongue, only to find it so hot that he had to exhale in pain.

Zhu Tao's chopsticks went straight for the stir-fried chicken.

The chicken skin is stir-fried until it curls slightly, and when you bite into it, the aroma of chili peppers mixed with the freshness of chicken explodes in your mouth.

He squinted his eyes contentedly, and sweat immediately beaded on his forehead.

"This pig's head meat is cut so beautifully!" Old Zhou picked up a slice and held it up to the sunlight to look at it; the translucent meat jelly trembled slightly.

Zhou Linwen followed suit, but the meat slices slipped into the vinegar dish, and the splashes of vinegar landed on Liu Xiulan's sleeve.

The little girl exclaimed "Ouch!" which turned the young man's face into the dark brown color of braised pork intestines.

Seeing Zhou Linwen in a flustered state, Qian Jin pressed down on his shoulder to let him continue eating: "I'll go get some toilet paper to deal with this. You guys keep eating."

Wang Zhenshan drank pork rib soup. The broth, with soy sauce added, was sprinkled with cilantro and scallions, resulting in a vibrant green color.

He said to Qian Jin, "Do you think it would be okay if I let Chef Luo learn cooking from your girlfriend?"

Qian Jin laughed: "Go and give it a try."

Wang Zhenshan shook his head: "Forget it, I'm afraid he'll poison me."

He was enjoying his meal so much that he unbuttoned the top button of his Zhongshan suit to pick up some food, praising Wei Qinghuan's culinary skills.

Wei Qinghuan quickly made dumplings, and Qian Jin handed her his bowl.

It's full of pork ribs and chicken legs.

Qiao Jinbu grabbed a piece of pork rib with his hands and gnawed on it until his mouth was covered in grease.
"Sister-in-law, these ribs are stewed until they fall off the bone! I've been driving trucks for so many years, and I've never had them cooked to perfection!"

"You guys drink first, and then I'll let you try my dumplings. They've received good reviews," Wei Qinghuan said generously.

With the food and drinks almost finished, it was time to start cooking dumplings.

There's no need for Wei Qinghuan now; Qian Jin took Lao Zhou and the others to make dumplings.

The three of them were very reserved at the dinner table, eating heartily but feeling guilty.

Upon receiving Qian Jin's order, the three of them immediately rushed into the kitchen.

The water in the iron pot was bubbling away, and Qian Jin was skillfully cooking dumplings.

The plump white dumplings spun in the boiling water, and the fresh aroma of chives mixed with dried shrimp filled the entire yard.

"Director, your wife rolled out the dumpling wrappers really well. I was making a mess of the fire, but not a single dumpling wrapper broke." Zhou Linwen squatted by the stove adding firewood and occasionally stuffing a few corncobs into the firebox.

Qian Jin said, "I won't be modest with you guys, my wife's steamed buns, dumplings, and pies are unbeatable."

When the dumplings were served, the three of them realized that Qian Jin really didn't need to be modest.

Zhu Tao and Zhao Bo, being the most experienced, saved room to grab the dumplings.

Qian Jin was speechless: "You two eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you."

Zhu Tao smiled and looked up at Wei Qinghuan, asking, "Sister-in-law, how did you make this dumpling filling? It's so delicious, it's making my tongue fall off!"

Wei Qinghuan took off her apron and wiped her hands, a leek leaf still wrapped around the elastic band on her wrist: "It's just ordinary leek and egg, with some dried shrimp added for flavor."

She pointed at Qiao Jinbu: "The dried shrimp was a gift from Brother Qiao last month, right? I haven't been able to bear eating it yet."

Qiao Jinbu, who was picking at the dumplings, was taken aback: "Are they dried shrimp? My wife also made dumplings, and the taste... never mind, comparisons are odious."

Liu Xiulan served everyone a bowl of dumpling soup, with a few specks of oil floating on the clear surface.

Wang Zhenshan exclaimed, "This is good; this is called 'using the original broth to digest the original food'!"

Wei Qinghuan divided the dumplings on the plate between Xiao Lei and Zhou Linwen, saying, "You're young and still growing, eat more."

The two young men's eyes lit up immediately, and they buried their heads in their food without even looking up.

In the afternoon, the banquet ended.

There were still some dumplings left, not because we couldn't eat anymore, but because everyone felt embarrassed to eat as much as they wanted.

Wei Qinghuan packed the remaining dumplings into a plastic bag and insisted on giving it to Lao Zhou: "Take it back for the children to try."

Old Zhou couldn't refuse, so he had no choice but to accept it.

Xiao Lei watched longingly from the side, secretly swallowing his saliva.

Qian Jin said to Qiao Jinbu, who was loosening his belt, "Brother Qiao, I'm giving you a task: take these three comrades home."

Qiao Jinbu said, "It's just a matter of stepping on the gas."

Old Zhou quickly said, "Director Qian, no, we can't do that. The mountain roads there are difficult to travel..."

"Hey, I'm not having it." Qiao Jinbu tightened his belt again. "I'd like to see how bad your mountain roads are, and that I can't even walk them?"

Wei Qinghuan stayed behind, with Zhu Tao and another person in the cab of the truck, and Lao Zhou and his men in the back. Then they rumbled and drove northwest.

Qiao Jinbu's driving skills are excellent, and the Jiefang truck is also very durable.

Before long, the truck entered the Xiping Production Brigade.

The car drove through the fields in the mountains, where the cornfields where pesticides had been withheld last year had been turned over and new soil had been exposed.

Xiao Lei suddenly laughed and said, "With Director Qian in charge, we finally won't have to go to the black market to exchange medicines in the middle of the night this year."

Old Zhou didn't reply, but just rolled up the two bottles of Fenjiu liquor in his bundle again and again.

A tractor drove through a field of rapeseed flowers, the golden blossoms swaying in the wind and emitting a sweet fragrance.

Old Zhou took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Lin Wen, when you get back I will tell your parents that they will definitely support you in going to school and in taking the college entrance exam."

"If you want to make something of yourself through your studies, you must get into university and become a cadre. You must learn from Director Qian and be a good cadre!"

Zhou Linwen nodded vigorously.

Back at the brigade headquarters, the truck dropped them off at the warehouse. Looking at the small mountains of urea and oil drums piled up outside the warehouse, the three of them laughed and cheered.

The warehouse keeper was overjoyed and shouted, "Old Zhou, we've been waiting for you to come back! Tell us quickly, how did you manage to get so much stuff this time? Did you lick those bastards' boots and make them feel good?"

Old Zhou roared, "Get out!"

The warehouse keeper chuckled, handed him a cigarette, and asked, "Where should we put all this newly arrived diesel fuel?"

"Just put it in the room at the east end, away from the fire!" Old Zhou replied.

Captain Zhou Tiezhen strolled over slowly, took a puff of his pipe, exhaled a smoke ring, and said, "Actually, diesel fuel cannot be ignited with a flame."

"Also, why are you back so late? And why did you come back in a truck?"

Old Zhou snatched his pipe and said excitedly, "The commune's supply and marketing cooperative system has changed dramatically. That Director Qian, the one who dealt with Ma Defu, is a good and capable person."

Zhou Tiezhen calmly said, "Yeah, he'll be pretty good at managing us in the future too."

Old Zhou said, "But Director Qian wants to build a dual-product store for us! He's coming to support agriculture again tomorrow!"

"What?" Zhou Tiezhen was no longer calm. "Are you lying?"

Old Zhou took out the hand-drawn planning map from his inner pocket and carefully laid it on the knee of his worn-out trousers.

Several production team cadres who rushed over upon hearing the news gathered in a circle: "Is it really possible to build a dual-service store?"

Old Zhou nodded and shared the results of his discussion with Qian Jin: "We need to prepare some bricks. Director Qian said he'll approve cement for us, and then we'll build a cement and brick counter..."

"We still need to get some wood to make shelves. That's easy; there's plenty of wood in Xiping Mountain..."

The women's director said expectantly, "My second son studied accounting in the county, so it'll be perfect for him to work as a sales clerk!"

"Don't rush," Zhou Tiezhen tapped his pipe. "Old Zhou, is Director Qian really saying he's coming tomorrow?"

"Absolutely true!" Old Zhou pulled a crumpled notebook out of his pocket. "Director Qian specifically instructed that a tractor be sent to the supply and marketing cooperative to pick up agricultural supplies first thing tomorrow morning, and that the location of the Shuangdai store be investigated!"

Having received confirmation, Zhou Tiezhen breathed a long sigh of relief.

They held a brief meeting to discuss how to welcome Director Qian to the brigade for guidance the next day, and then went their separate ways to do their own things.

Zhou Tiezhen walked to the old pear tree outside the office. The tree was covered with white flowers, and several bees were busy among the blossoms.

He took out his pipe, slowly filled it with tobacco, and thought:
May the leader bless us, and may the supply and marketing cooperative produce a good cadre. I hope this Director Qian is truly a good cadre, so that even though our brigade started developing late, it will eventually be able to develop well.

We've endured hardship for too long.

He still couldn't believe that good days had suddenly arrived.

(End of this chapter)