The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 197 Notice Regarding Comrade Qian Jin's Job Transfer
On the morning of August 28th, the county supply and marketing cooperative delivered a document to Qian Jin.

Qian Jin opened it, completely bewildered, and was shocked to find a red-headed document from the Municipal Supply and Marketing Cooperative inside—

[Haigongfa [1978] No. 47]

Notification Regarding the Transfer of Comrade Qian Jin
Zidian People's Commune Supply and Marketing Service Cooperative:
In accordance with the spirit of Document No. 12 of 1978 issued by the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives of the People's Republic of China, and after deliberation by the Haibin City Supply and Marketing Service Cooperative, the following decision was made:

Comrade Qian Jin is hereby transferred from the Zidian People's Commune Supply and Marketing Service Cooperative to the Haibin City Supply and Marketing Service General Cooperative for standby duty, effective immediately. He is requested to complete the handover of his work by September 5, 1978, and report to the Labor and Wages Section of the Haibin City Supply and Marketing Service General Cooperative with his organizational affiliation and personal file.

This notice
Labor and Wages Section of Haibin City Supply and Marketing Service Cooperative

September 1978, 8]

After reading the notice, Qian Jin knew that his work at the Zidian Commune had ended.

He silently placed the enamel mug on the smooth cement counter of the supply and marketing cooperative, and the tea stems remaining at the bottom of the mug slowly sank to the bottom.

Outside the glass counter, an elderly woman in a blue cotton jacket was standing on tiptoe, pointing to the shelves, while Liu Xiulan inside the counter was smiling as she selected items for her.

After the old lady left, Liu Xiulan, with a lingering smile, went to straighten the merchandise she had just moved.

Qian Jin said, "Master Liu, I'm being transferred."

Liu Xiulan subconsciously turned around and asked, "What? I'm sorry, Director Qian, I didn't notice what you said just now."

Qian Jin handed the job transfer notice to Liu Xiulan.

Liu Xiulan glanced at it briefly, her smile replaced by shock.

She placed the notice on the counter and asked incredulously, "Director Qian, why so suddenly?"

This was not surprising to Qian Jin at all.

He knew that his assignment to work in the commune was part of his work unit's performance evaluation, and that he would be transferred back sooner or later regardless of his performance.

However, this was his deduction, and there was no official document to back it up, so he didn't mention it to anyone when he went to the countryside.

Next, he was to hand over his work to his successor, but the notice did not specify the successor's identity, so he had to go back to his office to organize the documents and materials.

I went to the countryside in March, and now it's August.

time flies.

When he arrived, the weather was cold, and he had to sleep on an electric blanket at night. But now the weather is hot, and he needs to turn on a fan at night.

As he organized the documents, Qian Jin sighed.

The August sunlight streamed through the iron bars of the window, casting shadows on the tabletop, as if drawing grids on it.

A series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door, followed by a knocking sound. Before Qian Jin could respond, the door was pushed open.

"Director Qian, I heard you're being transferred?" Zhao Dazhu stood at the door in surprise, holding an account book in his hand, beads of sweat on his forehead, clearly having rushed over.

Jin Hai, the warehouse keeper, was following behind him.

Jin Hai was speechless for a moment, staring at him with a complicated expression.

Qian Jin put down his pen, smiled, and instead of answering, waved and said, "You've arrived? Come in and sit down. I was just about to finish my work and look for you two."

The two squeezed into the office.

Jin Hai closed the door behind him, and the room became even more stuffy with so many people inside.

The electric fan was whirring in the corner, blowing out hot air.

"Is it true? Are we really going back to the city?" Jin Hai finally asked.

He already had the answer in his heart, so at this moment he subconsciously rubbed his hands together, and his dark face finally changed its expression, revealing a clear look of reluctance.

Qian Jin nodded: "It's the organization's decision to transfer me back to Haibin City."

He paused for a moment, then said, “I know you’re all curious about which unit I’m being transferred to, and you’re also curious about who the organization will send to be the new director, but to be honest, there’s no such notification.”

The official notice was still on the table; he simply pushed it to the two of them.

The two huddled together, staring at the document, and after reading it, they both sighed, "We thought Xiao Liu was joking..."

"Oh, Director Qian, are you really leaving..."

Qian Jin said, "It seems he's really leaving. Master Liu has a deep bond with you two, and he passed the news to you immediately?"

Upon hearing this, the perceptive Zhao Dazhu quickly said, "Director Qian, you know that Xiao Liu isn't a gossip. This commune is so small, it's like a playground. What secrets could there be?"

Jin Hai plopped down on the stool opposite the desk, took out a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, and handed it to Qian Jin.

Qian Jin said, "I don't smoke. We've been together for almost half a year, and you still haven't remembered?"

Jin Hai gave a wry smile: "I remember, of course I remember, it's just that I've been handing Ma Defu cigarettes for almost ten years, this gesture is ingrained in my bones."

"I was so stunned by the news that you were transferred that I didn't even notice I was offering you a cigarette."

Qian Jin walked around and patted him on the shoulder: "I know, I know, there's no need to explain."

Jin Hai chuckled and handed the cigarette to Zhao Dazhu.

He struck a match, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag.

Immediately, acrid smoke began to swirl in the sweltering air.

Jin Hai sighed as he smoked, "Director Qian, what will happen to the supply and marketing cooperative now that you're gone? We just got a capable director, and now we're replacing him again. Who knows what kind of person we'll replace him with?"

"Old Jin," Zhao Dazhu glared at Jin Hai, "Don't talk nonsense."

Jin Hai waved his hand dismissively: "I'm just a straightforward person, that's how I am."

"Besides, there are only three of us in the office, what am I afraid of?"

"Besides, am I just telling the truth? Look how much our supply and marketing cooperative has changed in the few months that Director Qian has been here! The backlog of inventory has been cleared, the accounts have been straightened out, and even the attitude of the members when they come to buy things has become much better."

He lowered his voice, "If you ask me, who knows what kind of person will come after Director Qian leaves."

"I'm afraid of a crony who might come along. They might see how well Director Qian has managed our unit and come over to reap the benefits. It's not a big deal if they reap the benefits, but I'm afraid of another corrupt official just like Ma Defu."

"Jin Hai!" Zhao Dazhu said seriously this time, "You've gone too far. You can say whatever you want in front of us, we're all on the same side, but you absolutely can't say this outside!"

Jin Hai snorted: "I'm not stupid, would I say that when I go out?"

As Qian Jin watched the two arguing, a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

He knew that the two of them truly didn't want him to leave.

These days, he has been genuinely kind to his subordinates and has gotten along very well with them, treating them all like family.

Since they were on his own side, Qian Jin couldn't keep using bureaucratic language.

So he said, "If my deduction is correct, I should be able to become a leader in the city, though not a big one, since I am at the level 25 rank and receive the corresponding benefits."

"So if the organization sends a corrupt official later, don't be afraid. Contact me, and I'll deal with him just like I dealt with Ma Defu."

"But if a good leader comes, then you shouldn't try to show off to him. You must cooperate with him properly. As I always say, we are here to serve the people."

The three were chatting when there was a knock on the door. Liu Xiulan had come again.

The little girl's eyes were red.

This is truly heartbreaking.

“Director Qian,” Liu Xiulan said, her voice choked with emotion, “we feel so empty now that you’re gone.”

"You have no idea how much the atmosphere at our supply and marketing cooperative has changed since you came. All those back-door deals and kickbacks stopped as soon as you arrived, and our relationship with the members has improved so much..."

Jin Hai nodded repeatedly: "That's true, Xiao Liu, you haven't been working long enough to understand it as deeply."

"Even though I worked at the supply and marketing cooperative, not many people in the production teams were willing to talk to me. Even if someone occasionally came to see me, it was always because they didn't need anything!"

"After working for Director Qian, everything changed. Not only the Jin family, but now everyone in the team likes to talk to me when they bump into me, and my in-laws are especially frequent visitors to my house..."

"Alright, alright, stop talking. Our supply and marketing cooperative is where it is today because of everyone's hard work." Even someone as shameless as Qian Jin was embarrassed by their heartfelt praise. "I'm not being modest. I just did what I should do as the director of the supply and marketing cooperative."

Jin Hai slammed his hand on the table and said, "That's the problem. Not many supply and marketing cooperative directors can do what you've done."

Zhao Dazhu stubbed out his cigarette, his expression serious: "Indeed, Director Qian, you're just being modest. This job is not something a supply and marketing cooperative director can do."

"Let's not talk about anything else, just take my accounting job as an example. Before, the accounts were a complete mess, even I couldn't sort them out. But you taught me how to set up new ledgers and standardize the bookkeeping methods. At the beginning of the month, provincial leaders came to audit the accounts, and they praised my work highly..."

That's a commendable amount of money they made.

He put in a lot of effort to do a good job as director.

He didn't know anything about accounting, but he still bought several books about grassroots accounting work from the mall to study.

The knowledge he imparted to Zhao Dazhu came from these books.

But he couldn't say that, so he said that reading more books was good, and learning foreign languages ​​was even better, "There are many things we can learn from foreigners now."

"As the saying goes, learn from the barbarians' superior techniques to subdue them; this is exactly the principle."

The four of them chatted away, and before they knew it, it was noon.

The cicadas outside the window were still chirping tirelessly, and the sunlight had moved onto Qian Jin's desk, making the room scorching hot.

"Alright," Qian Jin glanced at his watch, "It's lunchtime. You guys go eat first, you still have to work this afternoon."

"But don't let anyone know that I'm being transferred. There's no rush to spread this news."

The three reluctantly got up.

Jin Hai walked to the door, then turned back: "Director Qian, why don't you come to my house for dinner tonight? I'll have my wife kill a chicken..."

Qian Jin quickly waved his hand: "No need, no need. Your family just had a wedding for your son and spent a lot of money, so keep the chicken for now and let it take care of its own chicken tail and do a good job at the bank."

After seeing the three off, Qian Jin sat back down at the table, his emotions in turmoil.

After all, they were colleagues who had spent a lot of time together, so to say they were like brothers and sisters would be an exaggeration.

But ever since he came to Zidian Commune, these people have chosen to side with him to deal with Ma Defu. Over the course of half a year, they worked together and built the supply and marketing cooperative together, and they did indeed develop a deep bond.

The feeling of parting with these people was different from the feeling of parting with Xu Weidong, Wei Xiongtu and others.

When he left the city, he was only saddened that he could no longer spend time with Wei Qinghuan; he didn't care about anyone else.

He knew that his assignment to the countryside was temporary and that he would be transferred back to the coastal city soon.

Things are different now. He knows that when he leaves Zidian Commune, it's a permanent departure, and even if he comes back, it will be like visiting his mother's home.

Instead of coming back to stay for an extended period of time.

In other words, he had already seen many people in the commune for the last time in his life.

Of course, this group did not include Jin Hai, Liu Xiulan, and others. They would still go to the city to see him, and they would also occasionally return to Zidian Commune.

But he will almost never see many of the sales agents of the dual-store chain, or even more customers who have received his help, again!
Around 2 p.m., Qian Jin was about to go to the supply and marketing cooperative's store when he heard footsteps outside again.

This time, it was Zhou Gu who came.

"Director Qian!" Zhou Gu, who was usually calm and collected, asked loudly as soon as he entered the room, "I heard you're being transferred? Is it true?"

Qian Jin quickly asked him to sit down and poured him a glass of cold water: "Speak slowly, have some water first."

"I'm truly impressed. Where did you get this information from? Who told you? Jin Hai, Zhao Dazhu, or Liu Xiulan?"

Zhou Gu gulped down his water and wiped his mouth with his sleeve: "No, they found out too? Sigh, they're really tight-lipped, they didn't let a word slip."

"Where did you get this information from?" Qian Jin asked, puzzled.

Zhou Gu said, "It was Xiao Xie from the transportation team who told me. He was delivering urea to my place and said he had heard the county leaders mention this matter, so he asked me if it was true."

"Director Qian, this can't be real, can it? No, it can't possibly be real!"

He became increasingly anxious when asked the final questions.

Qian Jin nodded: "It's true, the transfer order has been issued."

Zhou Gu's face immediately darkened, and his rough hands unconsciously rubbed his knees: "What will happen to our commune if you leave? What will happen to us distribution stations..."

Qian Jin poured him another glass of water: "You can trust me. As long as you work hard and don't engage in corruption or make any other serious mistakes, the new director won't dismiss you."

He understood Zhou Gu's concerns.

Zhou Gu was the first person he promoted after taking office.

With the old leader gone and a new one taking office, he naturally worried about being purged.

In this respect, he was different from Zhao Dazhu and others. He was not a formal employee of the supply and marketing cooperative, but a temporary or unregistered employee. The leaders could dismiss him at will.

So Qian Jin patted him on the shoulder as usual and said, "The distribution stations are all running well now, your work will be fine."

"Especially your cooperative store is doing very well. I asked the commune members when I went to the countryside, and they had a very high opinion of your work ability. Just keep up the good work and do your job with confidence. You are fully capable of continuing to do a good job."

“Jin Hai and the others came to see me this morning and mentioned that they were afraid of being targeted by the new leader. I’ll give you the same words I gave them back then.”

"Remember, whoever replaces me, you must adhere to one principle: serve the people. As long as you do this well, I guarantee you won't get into trouble!"

Zhou Gu nodded emphatically: "Director Qian, don't worry, I, Old Zhou, came from the poorest commune. I remember everything you tell me, it's just..."

He hesitated for a moment, then smiled a little embarrassedly: "I just can't bear to see you go, I really can't bear to see you go."

Qian Jin persuaded Zhou Gu to leave and take a stroll around the main hall.

With the arrival of this hot weather, fewer people are coming to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy things, but more people are coming to do business!

This time it was Cao Lihua and Sun Youcai from the food station, followed by Guan Erdou, the station manager of the buyback station.

When Qian Jin saw them coming together, he subconsciously looked at Liu Xiulan.

This frightened the little girl, who waved her hands vigorously and said, "I didn't say anything, I didn't say anything at all."

Qian Jin smiled wryly and said, "I'm not blaming you. I know you didn't say anything. It must have been Lao Zhou who said it!"

He was somewhat annoyed at this moment.

He was so busy giving instructions to Jin Hai, Liu Xiulan, and Zhao Dazhu that he had fallen into reliance on past experience when he saw Zhou Gu off, assuming that he had also given Zhou Gu instructions.

In fact, he never told Zhou Gu not to reveal that he was being transferred!
Clearly, Zhou Gu had neither given instructions nor been aware of the need to keep the information confidential, and had already passed the message on to his colleagues.

Qian Jin asked Sun Youcai, "Did Lao Zhou pass on a message to you?"

Sun Youcai asked hopefully, "Is he talking nonsense?"

Qian Jin said, "No, what he said is true, but this news cannot be spread yet."

"You didn't spread the news that I'm being transferred, did you? Especially you, Cao Lihua, you love to spread rumors."

Cao Lihua hurriedly said, "Director Qian, I didn't tell anyone this time."

Qian Jin then looked at Sun Youcai and Guan Erdou and asked, "Where are you two?"

"Forget it, no need to ask Old Guan. He's trustworthy, he definitely won't talk nonsense."

Guan Erdou gave him a grateful smile, but also a hint of regret.

It's not easy to have a leader who understands you, and unfortunately, that leader is about to disappear.

Sun Youcai explained, "I didn't pass on your message to anyone."

Qian Jin said, "Then quickly call Lao Zhou over, and you go and call Lao Sun."

Sun Youcai chuckled and said, "I'm afraid you'll have to go and call him yourself, Director Qian. You can catch up with him on your motorcycle, but he's already riding his bicycle towards Xiping..."

Qian Jin was speechless.

Needless to say, Zhou Gu was sending a message to Zhou Tiezhen.

Sun Youcai then tried to persuade him: "Director Qian, the news of your transfer can't be kept secret. Now, probably half the commune knows about it."

Qian Jin was taken aback: "What do you mean? Didn't you all keep quiet about it?"

"But when Lao Zhou was telling us just now, there were several old women weighing bean cakes in our food store," Sun Youcai said innocently.

Cao Lihua added, "I know those old women. They're so gossipy, it's like they've scooped tofu pudding with a strainer. You have no idea how gossipy they are."

"To put it simply, I've heard that the female textile workers at the Sixth State-owned Cotton Mill are very skilled at sewing, but even if all the female textile workers at the Sixth State-owned Cotton Mill were to sew their mouths together, they still wouldn't be able to sew them up properly, because they're too flimsy!"

Qian Jin was helpless.

But let the news get out, it doesn't really matter. His next task is to hand over the reins to his successor, so the news won't cause any problems.

He then looked at Guan Erdou and asked in surprise, "Hey, why are you carrying apples with you?"

The taciturn new head of the buyback station was holding a net bag containing a few apples.

He said somewhat embarrassedly, "These are apples that my comrade just brought me yesterday. They are Guoguang apples, and they are very sweet. I thought I would give you a few to try, but I was afraid that you and the others would think that I was giving you a gift."

"Now that you're being transferred, sending you some more things shouldn't be considered a gift."

Qian Jin joked, "Have you ever thought that now that I've been promoted, the gifts you're giving me are practically gifts now?"

Guan Erdou was taken aback: "Ah? Director Qian, you've been promoted? Then, then I'll take the apples back."

Cao Lihua was much quicker with words than him, and said, "Given Director Qian's performance in our commune, how could he not be promoted?"

"We all know he brought down that corrupt official Ma Defu and streamlined the operations of our supply and marketing cooperative. Aren't these major achievements? He's bound to get promoted!"

She kept a low profile for a while.

After all, she had offended Qian Jin, and besides, she was smart. When two gods like Qian Jin and Ma Defu were fighting, a mere mortal like her had to step aside, since she wasn't exactly Ma Defu's confidante anyway.

She was able to get into the food station because Fatty Wang was after her body. So before, she could at most eat and drink to her heart's content at the food station or bring home some steamed buns, fried dough sticks, and pickled vegetables. She didn't dare to embezzle the raw materials such as grains, oils, rice, flour, meat, and vegetables.

This ended up saving her life.

The organization's investigation revealed that she only occasionally brought home leftover food from the food station. Furthermore, because she was sexually assaulted by Fatty Wang using his position of power, the organization, considering that her mistake was minor but the harm she suffered was significant, did not pursue her responsibility.

So Qian Jin didn't replace her.

After all, the food station is an important unit, and having an elderly person there always makes the work go more smoothly.

However, Qian Jin didn't like Cao Lihua, so he didn't interact with her much for a while.

Seeing Cao Lihua belittling the honest Guan Erdou, he immediately became unhappy and took the apple from Guan Erdou's hand, saying, "Giving me a few apples anytime doesn't count as giving a gift."

"Besides, who in our commune doesn't know your character and awareness? Even if you told others that you gave gifts to the leaders, no one would believe you!"

"Besides, I'm not getting a promotion, I was just joking with you. I don't even know where I've actually been transferred to yet."

Guan Erdou sensed the protectiveness in his words and immediately grinned.

Sun Youcai hesitated to speak from behind.

Qian Jin asked, "What's wrong? Just say what you have to say. We're all in the same team, what can't we talk about?"

"By the way, don't try to flatter me or use any cheesy sycophantic tactics, I can't stand them."

Sun Youcai chuckled awkwardly, "No, no, Director Qian, it's like this. I wanted to ask if the reforms at our food store can continue now that you're gone? Those newly established hygiene standards, service specifications..."

Qian Jin took out an apple, broke it in half, and handed it out.

No wonder Sun Youcai hesitated to speak; it was indeed a difficult topic.

He thought for a moment and said, "First of all, the reform is not for any one person, but to better serve the people. If you adhere to the principles and act in accordance with the regulations, it will benefit both our supply and marketing cooperative and you personally."

"Secondly, the reform plan I implemented was a personal initiative and a project of my own. When the successor arrives, I will explain it to him clearly and hope that he will continue it."

"If he has objections to these tasks, then you don't need to insist on continuing; just follow the new leader's arrangements."

The three people nodded in silence.

They knew that the most important part of Qian Jin's words was the last sentence.

They also knew that Qian Jin was a kind and honest leader, and that he was still thinking about how to settle them down before he left.

The office suddenly fell silent.

The humming sound of the electric fan was exceptionally clear.

The sunlight had moved to the wall, shining on the banner that read "Advanced Work Unit of Yuezhou County Supply and Marketing Cooperative".

This is the result of the evaluation in the first half of this year. In the past, Ma Defu served as the director of the Zidian Commune Supply and Marketing Cooperative for more than ten years and never received an award for advanced work unit.

Qian Jin hadn't even served six months in his first term when he led the team to this honor...

(End of this chapter)