The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 191 Crying? Crying Counts as Time

Wang Zhenshan, who had just gone off to work, returned sometime earlier, carrying an enamel mug: "Take a break, everyone, and have some cool tea."

When Qian Jin went out, he saw a woman carrying two buckets of herbal tea on a shoulder pole.

He ordered a bowl and tried it.

It must have saccharin added; it's strangely sweet.

Wang Zhenshan looked left and right, then looked up at the newly renovated roof and, noticing that the missing tiles had been replaced, exclaimed, "Great workmanship! Much better than the construction teams in the county!"

He came out to greet Qian Jin: "Director Qian, how about dumplings for lunch? I've discussed it with Chef Luo..."

"Holy crap, no way!" Qian Jin exclaimed excitedly. "We can't let Chef Luo take care of lunch! I... I respect the veterans, but the commando team came all this way to do this job..."

Wang Zhenshan laughed heartily: "Look at you!"

He explained, "I discussed it with Master Luo, and we asked him to show off his skills today. He found a few quick and efficient women from the nearby brigade who know how to cook to help us make dumplings."

Qian Jin was terrified: "Master Luo is going to show off his skills? I'm afraid our team will end up with a mess of food."

Wang Zhenshan laughed even harder: "You haven't been here long enough to know anything about Master Luo's skills."

"If Master Luo can manage the canteen in the commune, how could he not be capable? As the old saying goes, 'Without three points of skill, one dares not go to Liangshan; without a diamond drill, one cannot take on a porcelain job!'"

"To tell you the truth, once Chef Luo sets his mind to cooking, the food tastes amazing!"

Qian Jin had no better option at the moment.

He only trusted his own cooking skills throughout the entire commune, but he couldn't become a chef.

Wang Zhenshan discussed with him: "The commune canteen is running low on rice, flour, and cooking oil, so I'd like to get some on credit from the supply and marketing cooperative..."

It's embarrassing to say this.

Even a dignified commune secretary has to run up debts.

Fortunately, Zidian Commune was a poor place, and he was already used to buying things on credit.

Upon hearing this, Qian Jin readily agreed, "The commune will provide the land and manpower, and I will provide the rice, flour, and cooking oil. We have plenty!"

"Then I won't stand on ceremony with you. Right now, during this lean season, the commune is indeed facing financial difficulties." Wang Zhenshan smiled helplessly.

The renovation of the two warehouses proceeded quickly.

After all, the labor commando team had seventy people; more people means more strength.

By lunchtime, the warehouse had been completely transformed.

Bright red slogans were pasted on the snow-white walls, and the brand-new windows were open, letting in the fragrance of locust blossoms.

A young man was drawing a timetable frame on the edge of the blackboard; his Song typeface was so beautiful it looked like it had been printed.

"This is all that's missing." Shi Zhentao took out a cloth bag from the bottom of the canvas bag and carefully unfolded it—it contained a half-length portrait of Comrade Zhang.

Where would be a suitable place to hang it?

Wang Zhenshan pointed to the wall directly opposite the door: "Right here! Let the students feel the warmth of the revolution as soon as they enter."

The bright midday sun shone through the glass windows of Xin'an and fell on the neatly arranged desks.

Wang Zhenshan was somewhat dazed. The efficiency of this labor task force was truly remarkable. By the afternoon, when they checked for any omissions and made up for them, the study room would be ready in no time.

"How is it?" Shi Zhentao wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve; the back of his work clothes was already soaked. "It's not worse than our study room on Taishan Road, is it?"

Qian Jin nodded: "Not bad, very good."

Wang Zhenshan then began shaking hands with each of the commando members, pressing particularly hard when he shook hands with the young man who was tracing Song-style calligraphy: "Comrade Zhao, with handwriting like that, it's a pity you're not a teacher!"

Renovating the study room is a minor matter; entertaining the task force is a major one.

Wang Zhenshan took money into the canteen to check on the progress of lunch preparations.

Wisps of smoke were already rising from the tall chimney.

Qian Jin saw that in the open space in front of the canteen, some women were soaking a lot of tender green vegetables in cold water to wash them, and then sending them to a large pot of boiling water to blanch them.

He found it strange.

What kind of vegetable is this?
Even someone as knowledgeable as him had never seen anything like it!
"Secretary Wang, the dough is ready!" Master Luo shouted. "As you said, we're not doing it today. We've mixed one-third high-gluten flour into the white flour."

Wang Zhenshan chuckled with satisfaction: "Good, that's good."

Qian Jin washed his hands, shook off the water droplets, and then walked into the cafeteria.

More than twenty women were already busy at work.

Aunt Wang, a canteen helper, was chopping meat with a few young women, the cleavers tapping out a cheerful rhythm on the cutting board.

Cao Lihua from the food store also came, leading two burly women kneading dough, their strong arms slapping the dough loudly.

At the very back, there was an old lady peeling garlic.

Despite his age, he's very skillful. Garlic skins fly everywhere, and the white garlic cloves are about to fill a small basin before being pounded into a paste in a mortar.

As Qian Jin passed by, the spicy aroma wafted straight into people's noses.

"The oil is here!" Jin Hai placed two buckets of rapeseed oil next to the stove. The golden oil surface shimmered, reflecting the women's smiling faces.

Master Luo habitually shouted, "Calculate by the headcount, half a pound of meat and three ounces of oil for each person today. Make sure the comrades from the neighborhood eat comfortably!"

"We also want them to have something fresh, something they've never had or can't get in the city, haha!"

Looking at the delivered rapeseed oil and the pork belly, which was as big and thick as the cutting board, Aunt Wang paused in her knife work: "Goodness, we haven't been this generous even during the New Year!"

Master Luo wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Keep chopping meat. The city folks are here to help us repair the warehouse, we can't treat them badly."

Qian Jin rolled up his sleeves and joined the vegetable washing team.

However, the women persuaded him to leave.

He was actually very curious: "What kind of dish is this?"

“It’s wheatgrass,” Wang Zhenshan revealed the answer, and the women laughed heartily. “Even the city leaders have never seen this before.”

Qian Jin suddenly realized: "This is wormwood? Wheat straw?!"

He must have seen it before; he saw it when he was a child, and he saw it when he went to the countryside.

But the wormwood he saw was already quite large, unlike the small and tender ones he saw now.

And more importantly, he couldn't have imagined it.

He really didn't know this thing was edible, let alone that it could be used to make steamed buns or dumplings.

The tender wheatgrass unfurls in the water, like tiny green umbrellas.

The commune specifically selected tender shoots that had just sprouted, which could release a fragrant sap with a gentle pinch.

Qian Jin looked at the pots of wheatgrass and suddenly realized, "How many people would it take to dig up enough wheatgrass for dozens of people?"

He became somewhat anxious: "Isn't this a waste of manpower and resources? No, it's not a waste of resources, it's just a waste of manpower."

It's not acceptable to burden the people!
Bad reputation.

Without Secretary Wang needing to say a word, the women offered their explanations all at once:
"Right now, all the teams are searching for the last batch of wheat stalks. The wheat will soon be heading, and then we won't be able to find them anymore. We'll just have to let the weeds grow..."

"Each team found countless wheat stalks; it was the educated youth in their teams who were responsible for picking out the tender ones and sending them over..."

"Whether the wheatgrass is old or young, it's useless in our team. To eat wheatgrass, you need to eat plenty of oily food, and we country folk don't have any oily food to waste on it."

Widow Li pinched the rested dough into small pieces with such nimble movements it seemed like magic. She laughed and said, "I remember back in the 1960s, we were so hungry we were gnawing on wheat straw, and the bitterness made our tongues go numb..."

Someone quickly interrupted her: "Why are you saying all that!"

She gestured towards the door with her chin, "Another batch of wheatgrass has arrived."

The weeding work involved continuously shoveling wheat stalks out of the ground, while tender wheat stalks were constantly being picked out and delivered.

Those who delivered the wheat straw were indeed educated youth.

Qian Jin nodded and greeted them, and the educated youth's faces were filled with expectant smiles.

Aunt Wang poured the chopped minced meat into a large basin; the streaky pork, with its alternating layers of fat and lean meat, gleamed with a reddish-white sheen.

After blanching and draining, the wheatgrass is chopped and sprinkled in. The bright green wild vegetables and minced meat are mixed together, giving it a very spring-like flavor.

However, today is already the start of summer...

"Watch closely, this is how you properly make wheatgrass dumplings." Chef Luo scooped a large spoonful of rapeseed oil and poured it over the filling, the golden oil immediately making the wheatgrass glisten.

He sprinkled on some coarse salt, and his rough, powerful hands, like old tree roots, plunged into the filling and stirred it, the oil gradually seeping into every leaf of vegetable.

The women asked Qian Jin, "Leader, you haven't eaten here before, have you?"

Qian Jin shook his head with a smile: "It's no use. I've only ever had chive-filled dumplings in the city..."

"We also need to use chives, to enhance the flavor." Someone had already chopped the chives and mixed them with chopped green onions, then sprinkled them in.

Steam rose from the kitchen of the canteen.

The water in the large iron pot had boiled, and white steam condensed into water droplets on the ceiling.

The women the commune brought in were all very skilled at making dumplings. With a pinch of their thumbs, they could make a plump little ingot, which they neatly arranged on the lid like soldiers in formation.

Looking at the time, Wang Zhenshan went to call the assault team back.

"Time to cook!"

As the dust-covered commandos lined up at the canteen entrance, the women busied themselves with preparations.

Lifting the pot lid, a cloud of white steam billowed from the pot and shot up to the roof beam.

The dumplings jumped into the boiling water with a plop and spun around in the pot.

The firewood in the stove burned fiercely, and the flames licked the bottom of the pot.

The team members, who had been starving outside, smelled the aroma of noodles.

Shi Zhentao's Adam's apple bobbed up and down: "This tastes good. Today is finally the New Year."

People lined up to wash their hands, faces, and hair, and then took their seats to eat in order.

When the first batch of dumplings came out of the pot, the whole canteen became lively.

Qian Jin delivered two cases of liquor.

Dumplings and wine go hand in hand; the more you drink, the better.

The plump white dumplings lay in the enamel basin, their skins so thin you could see the faint green inside, and the lace trim around the edges resembled the pleats of a young girl's skirt.

The aroma of rapeseed oil and pork mingled with the unique fragrance of wheatgrass, making one's stomach rumble.

Wang Zhenshan raised his glass to begin the banquet, delivering a passionate toast.

He is very happy.

He knew that with the establishment of the study room, he could make a small contribution in the county.

The reason why building two study rooms in a commune could earn a reputation and recognition in the county was mainly because there was no comparison to hurt feelings.

In March, the government issued a policy supporting the establishment of night schools, study rooms, and other educational facilities in grassroots areas such as streets and communes. This was one of the reasons why the educated youth wanted support from their communes.

However, many communes, especially those in impoverished areas, did not meet this requirement.

Originally, Zidian Commune did not meet the requirements, which is why Wang Zhenshan was in such a predicament yesterday. This led to disturbances by educated youth in other communes, which resulted in the county security bureau having to intervene and arrest people.

After Wang Zhenshan finished speaking, he let Qian Jin speak.

Qian Jin can be summed up in two words:
"While it's hot!"

Master Luo and the women served each of them a large bowl full of dumplings.

They were reluctant to eat them; each of them only received a few dumplings, and they were satisfied with a little dumpling soup with some oil and flatbread.

Qian Jin picked one up and ate it.

As soon as his teeth broke through the dough, scalding hot juice gushed out, making him gasp for breath.

The flavor is unique, incredibly fresh and fragrant.

These were indeed dumplings he had never eaten before.

He asked Wang Zhenshan curiously, "Did Master Luo prepare the filling?"

“Yes.” Wang Zhenshan smiled.

Qian Jin was surprised: "Then his skill level must be high, how come his cooking is usually like that?"

Wang Zhenshan continued to laugh, but his laughter was a little awkward: "Master Luo's cooking skills are good, but he is too frugal in his daily life. He is reluctant to use oil, seasonings, or even more firewood."

“Another one,” he coughed twice and lowered his voice, “he felt that we leading cadres were not doing a good job and that our contributions to the people were far less than those of the Volunteer Army, so we shouldn’t eat as well as the Volunteer Army.”

He felt helpless about this logic.

Qian Jin declined to comment.

Anyway, the dumplings were delicious today.

Even though the team members had made money and received benefits from the small collective enterprise in the past few months, they rarely got to eat such delicious dumplings on a regular basis, and they all ate them with great gusto.

One big dumpling at a time, oil dripping from the corners of my mouth, then I wipe it with the back of my hand...

Qian Jin got drunk even though he hadn't drunk much.

These people are really something. They don't act pretentious like typical city dwellers when they go to the countryside; in fact, they're even more down-to-earth than the farmers.

Their actions pleased Wang Zhenshan and other leading cadres.

Wang Zhenshan also wiped the oil off his lips with the back of his hand, and his shirt cuffs immediately became shiny with oil.

Qian Jin ate very politely.

He first used chopsticks to poke a hole in the dumpling skin, letting the heat dissipate and allowing the fragrance of wheatgrass to waft out with the steam.

Drink a little of the spilled broth, then carefully bite off half and start eating.

The tender wild vegetables, coated in meat juices, swirl on the tongue, while the rich aroma of rapeseed oil and lard transforms the astringency of the wild vegetables into a sweet and savory flavor.

Just as he finished eating a few dumplings, Shi Zhentao had already finished his first bowl and was pouring the dumpling soup into it and swishing it around.

Oil floated on the milky white soup, and he slurped it down until he was sweating profusely: "This soup is delicious, fragrant and fresh, it's wonderful!"

The cafeteria was first filled with smacking sounds, followed by a chorus of slurping noises.

"Another batch!" Chef Luo poured another batch of dumplings into the boiling water.

After finishing the second batch of dumplings, the assault team finally slowed down.

Wang Zhenshan was very satisfied and said, "Another pot, another pot!"

"Thank you for your hospitality, sir, but I can't take it anymore," Shi Zhentao loosened his belt and let out a loud burp, "I really can't, my stomach is going to burst..."

Wang Zhenshan said, "Can a young man really say he's full after eating just a few dumplings?"

"And these are wheatgrass dumplings, the more you eat, the more appetizing they become! Come on, another bowl!"

He called to Qian Jin.

Qian Jin kept waving his hands.

A pool of golden oil had accumulated at the bottom of his bowl, shimmering in the sunlight.

The sound of children playing could be heard through the back window of the cafeteria.

Several little heads were piled up on the windowsill like a human pyramid, watching the adults with their mouths full of grease.

Qian Jin took the bowl to the back window and gave one to each child. The children immediately cheered and ran away.

After finishing their meal, the labor task force still had to get back to work.

They also need to install electrical circuits and light bulbs in the study room so that the commune can arrange for the power station to add utility poles and run the electricity over there.

Shi Zhentao has become accustomed to leading the team.

Qian Jin handed over the work arrangements to him, so he could continue working on the planned tasks.

In the afternoon, he first called the accountants of the production teams near the commune to his office one by one.

The main leaders of the production brigade may have been infiltrated by Ma Defu, but the leaders of the production teams would not be infiltrated.

Ma Defu had a high opinion of himself and looked down on the people in the production team, considering them nothing more than peasant leaders.

However, the production team accountant is actually the position most closely related to the work of the supply and marketing cooperative at present.

That's why Feng Changfan said earlier that he could arrange for the accountants of each production team and production brigade to cooperate with Qian Jin's work with just one phone call.

The labor task force worked all day and returned home by truck in the evening.

The educated youth, having finished their work, took their books to the study room and glanced at them, only to be dumbfounded:

A complete transformation!
Now the study room really has a learning atmosphere!

Qian Jin started going to the countryside again.

Life in the countryside is simple, orderly, and passes quickly.

The rest of May was peaceful and uneventful.

Ma Defu stopped making any trouble and went to work quietly, providing indifferent service.

He stopped looking for the people at the distribution station, and the people at the distribution station seemed to have forgotten that he had once been the director of the supply and marketing cooperative.

The two sides should try to avoid contact.

By the end of May, Qian Jin had visited all the surrounding production teams and brigades and had a clear understanding of the situation.

He started flipping the dining table.

Don't you want to eat?
Then don't eat it!
When the assault team came to repair the study room, Li Weiguo had promised to betray them.

However, this person is two-faced, making impulsive decisions and then regretting them without accepting them.

Qian Jin started by giving him a warning.

It just so happened that it was Children's Day on June 1st, so Qian Jin called all the managers of the distribution stations over.

They lined up outside the office, and Li Weiguo was the first to be called in.

Qian Jin threw a stack of documents in front of Li Weiguo and said, "Station Chief Li, today is an important talk. Let's get straight to the point and speak frankly."

"You take a look first."

Li Weiguo nervously opened the document. At the top was a joint letter from the Zhangxiping Production Brigade, with more than a dozen red handprints at the end, like pools of undried blood.

"This is the inventory record of medicines, pesticides and medical supplies for the Xiping Production Brigade over the past five years. Below it are the quotas given by the city and the receipts for the supplies distributed by the county. Your signature is on it."

"Look for yourself, their brigade is missing a lot of things."

Li Weiguo swayed.

Finally, despair set in.

Qian Jin has been quiet lately.

He thought the attack had finally come to an end and that he had escaped a disaster.

And that's where the disaster began!
A great calamity is imminent!

"Look down, do you still remember Granny Zhang from Wangjiazhuang Production Team, Shuanggou Commune?" Qian Jin tapped the table with his finger. "The fake medicine you prescribed for her almost killed the old lady."

“His family came to see you back then, and you don’t admit it, right? It’s okay, the medicine is still here, the fake medicine you were prescribed is still here. If you don’t admit it, then let the security officers find a way to make you admit it.”

Li Weiguo's hands trembled violently as he looked at the documents at the back.

The distorted image of Qian Jin was reflected in the windowpane behind him, like a vengeful ghost seeking death.

"Director Qian, I...I didn't mean it. I promised you I'd be lenient..." His words began to slur. "But Ma Defu also has dirt on me. I'm scared. I have indeed committed many crimes, but I'm afraid..."

Qian Jin said, "I'll try to get you lenient treatment, but the question is, do you want this opportunity?"

"Yes! I want it!" At this point, Li Weiguo was completely devoted to him. "I'll do whatever you tell me to do, and I'll say whatever you tell me to say!"

Qian Jin put away the documents and waved his hand: "Go ahead, wouldn't it have been better if you had been prepared for this earlier?"

"Let Yu Zhenfeng in!"

Yu Zhenfeng bowed and scraped as he entered.

He was the most astute of them all, and he had already guessed the outcome from Li Weiguo's demeanor after he left the house.

But he never expected that Qian Jin would obtain such solid evidence from the accountants!
So when he saw the precise figures on each document, looked at his own signature on the production team's receiving slip and the county's allocation slip, and then looked at the discrepancy, he realized that the numbers were different.

He quickly said, "Director Qian, I made a mistake..."

"Don't say anything yet, just drink some water first, so you don't keep coughing later," Qian Jin sneered.

Yu Zhenfeng hurriedly said, "I'm not coughing anymore, I...I'm all better now, Director Qian, I want to personally denounce Ma Defu's criminal acts to the county and city leaders!"

"I want to atone for my crimes, I...I have already—Director Qian, please have mercy and let me go!"

His last words were choked with sobs.

Qian Jin remained expressionless.

Yu Zhenfeng clearly knew that his time was running out.

but!

cry?
Even crying counts as time!
He went to so much trouble to investigate all the mistakes made by Ma Defu's entire team, and now these people think that crying and repenting to him is the end of it?
impossible.

It just so happens that there's some time between the wheat harvest and the harvest. He couldn't get everything done for everyone a while ago because that was to ensure the smooth progress of spring plowing.

Spring planting is now over, but it's not yet time for summer and autumn harvests.

This gives him the perfect opportunity to thoroughly oversee the entire team from top to bottom and rebuild a clean and efficient one!

(End of this chapter)