The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 205 The Leader Comes to the Door, Another New Residence

As evening fell, a hot autumn breeze blew by, and the aroma of dinner wafted from each household in the tenement building.

Qian Jin was exhausted after a busy day.

However, he was very excited.

After all, he got promoted today. At such a young age, he became the section chief of the Municipal Supply and Marketing Cooperative, which is quite a big deal these days.

He attended a group meeting in the morning, and in the afternoon he received guidance from Wei Bin. Wei Bin had a private chat with him for a while, guiding him on how to lead a team and how to carry out the work of the new department.

Then, as the head of his department, he toured around all the departments in the unit and became a familiar face in the city's general cooperative office building.

Before he even stepped inside, he heard Wei Qinghuan's silvery laughter, interspersed with a slightly hoarse female voice—it was Wei Xiangmi's voice.

"Director Wei, you're too kind. You came all this way, why did you bring things with you..."

"Of course, of course! Director Qian is now the pride of our neighborhood! I knew this young man was capable, but I never imagined he was this capable, rising to such a high position in one fell swoop..."

"Where did you get your information from? It might not be accurate..."

"Teacher Wei, look at you! You don't even trust your older sister? We're both from the same family, and I wouldn't lie to you..."

Upon hearing this, Qian Jin guessed what was going on.

Wei Xiangmi already knew about his promotion, so she came to his house to try and build a relationship.

He pushed open the door and, sure enough, saw Wei Xiangmi.

Director Wei was sitting upright at his three-drawer table with peeling paint, his face beaming with a smile and his attitude warm and welcoming.

"Hey, Chief Qian is back!" Wei Xiangmi stood up abruptly, her smile widening, and she looked at Qian Jin with obvious delight.

When Wei Qinghuan saw him return, she hurriedly waved him over: "Come and sit down. Director Wei said you got promoted at work? You became the director of the Foreign Investment Office? Is it true?"

Qian Jin exclaimed, "Sister Wei is so well-informed, it must be true."

Upon hearing this, Wei Xiangmi clapped her hands happily: "It's not that I'm well-informed, it's that you've made a big splash this time, and everyone connected to your workplace already knows about it."

She then complained to Qian Jin: "Chief Qian, really! We're close comrades who fought side by side in the same trench. How could you not give me a heads-up about something this big? You kept it from me completely."

Wei Qinghuan laughed and said, "Director Wei, don't say you were kept in the dark, I was kept in the dark too. As you can see, I was completely confused when you came to tell me this news just now."

Qian Jin quickly explained, "Let me say something, ladies, allow me to make a fuss."

"I only found out about this today. My workplace didn't tell me beforehand, and no leader spoke to me beforehand!"

Wei Xiangmi was somewhat suspicious: "Impossible, right? Your Supply and Marketing Service Corporation is a large and legitimate organization. Wouldn't you have given advance notice of such an important task as appointing department heads?"

"To be frank, shouldn't the boss at least have a talk with you? Shouldn't they prepare you for a promotion in advance?"

Qian Jin smiled bitterly: "That's what I thought too, so I didn't have any hope when I went to the meeting today. I figured that since the organization hadn't talked to me beforehand, I was probably going to be transferred to the Foreign Investment Office as a low-level employee."

"It wasn't just me; there were also two deputy directors. They were both veterans who had worked in our unit for many years. Their connections were much stronger than mine, and we only found out about their appointments at the meeting."

He didn't want to continue on that topic, so he changed the subject and pointed to the net on the ground:
“Sister Wei, I won’t call you Director Wei anymore, I’ll just call you Sister Wei.”

"I have indeed become a junior manager, and it's only my first day on the job, so you can't let me make any mistakes."

The net bag was filled with a lot of things: two bottles of liquor, a package of pastries wrapped in oil paper, and half a net bag of bright red apples and glossy pears.

Wei Qinghuan cooperated by picking up the net bag to hand it to Wei Xiangmi.

Wei Xiangmi pressed down on her forearm and laughed, "What kind of mistake is this? Chief Qian, do you think I'm here to give you a gift?"

"If that's what you think, then I'll feel bad. What kind of relationship do we have? I'm happy for you that you got promoted, but that doesn't mean I have to give you a gift."

"Well, the people in our neighborhood committee heard that you've been promoted to director of the Foreign Investment Office, so they asked me to come and congratulate you on behalf of the subdistrict!"

"This isn't anything valuable, and it's hardly a gift. I just couldn't come empty-handed, so we chipped in a little money—one dollar here, fifty cents there—to buy a couple of kinds of fruit as a token of our appreciation."

After saying that, she picked up her handbag hanging on the nails behind the door and hurriedly went out.

“I’ve delivered the congratulations from our neighborhood, there’s no need to stay. Chief Qian, you and Teacher Wei must have a lot to say, you two go ahead and say it.”

Wei Qinghuan also wanted to send the net bag to her.

Qian Jin shook his head upon seeing this.

Forget it.

As Wei Xiangmi said, this doesn't count as giving a gift, and Wei Xiangmi has no need to give him a gift.

The two worked together in a street performance group and got along very well.

Wei Xiangmi was able to secure her position as director of the Taishan Road Neighborhood Committee thanks to Qian Jin, and Qian Jin was able to get back the three-bedroom apartment in the workers' new village of the Sixth State-owned Cotton Mill thanks to Wei Xiangmi.

When Wei Xiangmi arrived, Wei Qinghuan was cooking.

Now that Wei Xiangmi has left, she put her apron back on and put the wok back on the stove: "I messed up this dish today, it's only half done."

"What are you cooking? Today is a good day, we should celebrate. Let's go to a restaurant for a nice meal," Qian Jin said to her.

"With you, I get good food every day, so why would I need to improve my meals?" Wei Qinghuan turned around and smiled when she heard this.

Today she wore a light red polyester shirt, which made her skin look as white as snow. The apron belt tied around her waist accentuated her slender figure, and the firelight from the coal stove reflected on her face, adding to her charm.

Qian Jin, envious, said, "Then we absolutely have to celebrate tonight! Let's go to the Workers' New Village to celebrate!"

Wei Qinghuan rolled her eyes at him: "What time is it and you're still thinking about that? Let me ask you, how did you get chosen by the leaders to be the new department head? When Director Wei said this to me, my first reaction was that she had made a mistake."

Qian Jin hugged her from behind: "Want to know the truth? Listen to our bedside chat tonight..."

The two were chatting and laughing when Huang Chui, who was lying at the foot of the bed gnawing on a bone, twitched his ears and jumped up suddenly. Then there was another knock on the door.

Qian went in, opened the door, and there came Big Horn!
Yi Xuebing, deputy director of the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives, stood in the corridor.

Vice President Yi was dressed the same as he was at the meeting today. This middle-aged cadre in his fifties wore a crisp navy blue Zhongshan suit, with two pens in his breast pocket and a sophisticated black briefcase in his hand.

In addition, a young man in overalls was following behind him, carrying a wooden box.

Upon seeing him, Qian Jin exclaimed with delight, "Oh, leader, what brings you here? I'm so excited! What brings you here? Please come in!"

He turned to Wei Qinghuan and called out, "Wife, turn off the stove and go get some water to make tea. President Yi, whom I've often mentioned to you, is here."

Wei Qinghuan took the wok off the stove, covered it, and hastily tidied her messy hair before coming out: "Is the leader here? Please come in quickly. Comrade Xiao Qian has finally waited for this day."

"Why do you say that? He always says that President Yi helped him in some honor selection work, and during the first month of the lunar year, he even said that you helped him solve his brother's job problem in the city."

"Comrade Xiao Qian has wanted to thank you for a long time, but we respect your leadership and don't know how to express our gratitude."

Yi Xuebing couldn't help but nod after seeing Wei Qinghuan's beauty, and nodded even more after hearing what she said:
"I always thought there was a reason why Qian Jin had advanced so quickly at work. I haven't figured out the specific reason yet, but it's definitely inseparable from the fact that he has a virtuous wife at home."

Upon entering, he glanced around the room and immediately noticed the desk and the thick stack of books on it:

"A Comprehensive Dictionary of Sino-British Foreign Trade", "A Guide to the Foreign Trade Policies of New China", "An English-Chinese Dictionary"...

These books made him nod in approval again.

Qian Jin led him to a seat, but he did not sit down. Instead, he grasped Qian Jin's hand and said, "I came here today specifically to congratulate you, so don't bother, I'll take care of things."

As he spoke, he waved his hand behind him, "Xiao Zhang, put the things inside."

The young man laboriously carried the wooden crate into the house, and Wei Qinghuan quickly made room for him.

Qian Jin didn't know what was in the box, but he couldn't open it to see what was inside.

This is the art of gift-giving by leaders.

Qian Jin had no choice but to accept these things.

He wanted to be polite, but didn't know how or what to say, so he rubbed his hands awkwardly and said, "Sir, you're such an honor to have you come to my home. How could I possibly ask you to bring anything..."

Yi Xuebing waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over the small room, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper: "Director Qian, you live here?"

He pointed to the moldy plaster in the corner of the wall: "Is this acceptable? You're the director of the Foreign Investment Office now, and you'll be receiving foreign guests in the future!"

Qian Jin poured Yi Xuebing a cup of tea: "President Yi, I have a house in the workers' village of the Sixth State-Owned Cotton Mill that my father left me..."

He made no attempt to conceal anything and clearly explained the condition of the house.

Upon hearing this, Yi Xuebing slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Even the Sixth State-owned Cotton Mill knows to allocate new houses to its veteran comrades. How can our Supply and Marketing Cooperative be inferior to the Sixth State-owned Cotton Mill?"

"It would be even more inappropriate for you to live in the housing of the No. 6 State-owned Cotton Mill. If word gets out that a leader of our Supply and Marketing Cooperative is living in the staff quarters of another factory, wouldn't we be laughed out of our wits?"

Qian Jin chuckled and said, "Is it really that bad? The provenance of my house can stand up to scrutiny."

"This has nothing to do with whether it can withstand scrutiny or not," Yi Xuebing waved his hand.

"First of all, it doesn't sound good, and secondly, it won't be convenient for you to carry out your work in the future."

"To be honest, now that you're a senior cadre in our supply and marketing cooperative, if you live in the workers' new village for a while and your old neighbors come to you asking for help, will you help them or not?"

Qian Jin firmly stated, "I will not help anyone who violates the rules, no matter who comes to my door..."

“I believe in your youthful awareness, but young man, things aren’t that simple,” Yi Xuebing waved his hand again.

He thought for a moment and said, "It's our company's fault for not considering this and not solving your housing problem."

"Here's what we're saying. I'm your direct supervisor, and I'll help you resolve this. There are vacant apartments in our unit on Wutaishan Road; you can move there."

Qian Jin hurriedly thanked him, but still declined: "Sir, I truly appreciate your kindness, but I feel quite comfortable staying here."

“I’ve been staying on Taishan Road ever since I returned to the city. I’ve gotten used to living here…”

“Then let’s continue living on Taishan Road.” Yi Xuebing interrupted him and then waved to Xiao Zhang, “I remember there’s a villa belonging to our unit on Taishan Road? Go and check the details.”

Assistant Zhang immediately rushed out the door.

The roar of a car starting up could be heard outside.

Shortly after, the car returned, and Assistant Zhang took out a set of keys from his briefcase and handed them to Yi Xuebing: "Boss, I've verified it. It's No. 201 Taishan Road, the fifth and sixth floors of a six-story villa."

Yi Xuebing pushed the keys to Qian Jin: "The organization will allocate this house to you to live in!"

"I remember you have older brothers and sisters?"

Qian Jin nodded: "Two older brothers and one older sister."

Yi Xuebing said, "Perfect timing. This is a duplex with two floors and lots of rooms. Your older brother and sister will have a place to stay when they return to the city."

Duplex apartment?

Two floors?

Qian Jin and Wei Qinghuan were both stunned.

The sounds of cooking in the tenement building, children crying, and the news on the radio all seemed to fade away at that moment.

When Qian Jin first heard that it was the fifth and sixth floors, he thought that Yi Xuebing would allocate one of the floors to his family. It turned out that both floors were allocated to his family!
This is a duplex apartment.

This is a proper cadre building. "Isn't this inappropriate?" Qian Jin declined, "I just took office and..."

"This is necessary for work!" Yi Xuebing said without any room for argument. "We'll move it tomorrow. Xiao Zhang, arrange for a few workers to help."

Then he clicked his tongue as if suddenly realizing something: "Forget it, we don't need to overcomplicate things. Director Qian used to be the head of the moving team in Jiagang. If he can't even get a few movers when he moves, then I'll have to question his ability to lead a team."

Qian Jin smiled wryly, "Moving isn't the problem, the problem is..."

"I don't care what problems you have, you can solve them yourself." He turned to Wei Qinghuan and smiled, "Teacher Wei, you should have a proper study to grade homework too."

Wei Qinghuan looked to Qian Jin for help.

Even though she's usually very generous, she's now at a loss.

A duplex apartment! That's such a high standard of living. Even their school principal doesn't live in a duplex.

Let alone spacious duplex apartments, even among the dozens of faculty and staff members in their school, few have their own rooms at home; most live crammed together with their families.

Yi Xuebing solved Qian Jin's housing problem, offered Qian Jin a few words of encouragement, and then left.

Qian Jin and Wei Qinghuan escorted him downstairs to his car. During the journey, Qian Jin acted like a lackey, proactively opening and closing the car door.

There was no other way; his boss had arranged a duplex apartment for him!

Wei Qinghuan didn't even have time to cook; after seeing her boss off, she immediately went to check out the house.

No. 201 Taishan Road is very famous. Starting from this building, there are more than a dozen small villas that together form the most upscale community on Taishan Road.

This residential area is located south of the Taishan Road Department Store, very close to Taishan Road People's Primary School and the police station. When Taishan Road residents wish each other well, if it involves housing, they will say, "You will definitely be able to live in a small villa in the future."

In the evening, the sun sets.

As dusk settled over Taishan Road, the portrait of Chairman Mao atop the neighborhood committee building was gilded, overlooking the torrent of bicycles flowing along the asphalt road.

Groups of bicycles rolled over the newly patched asphalt on the paved road, their bells jingling like popping beans, and the aluminum lunchboxes strapped to the crossbars clattered together with a crisp sound.

The neon lights of the department store had just come on, and the newly arrived Sanyo tape recorder in the glass window gleamed coldly in the twilight. The sales clerk was tying a red flower to this still very novel tape recorder.

The No. 104 trolleybus slowly pulled into the station, its red paint on the word "Haibin" on the front already faded. The conductor, gripping a metal megaphone, announced, "Taishan Road Department Store Station, we've arrived!"

Young people in polyester shirts leaned against the bus stop sign, debating whether to go to the Red Star Cinema to watch "Little Flower" or to the People's Mobile Canteen for barbecue.

Qian Jin rode his motorcycle past the bus stop with Wei Qinghuan on the back. The young people, who were blushing and looking envious, all shut their mouths and stared at the motorcycle's back.

At the same time, they also looked enviously at the plump, round buttocks on the back of the motorcycle.

Someone recognized it as Qian Jin's motorcycle and kicked his companion, saying, "Stop looking, that's Sister-in-law!"

This is a beautiful time of day.

Workers are getting off work, students are leaving school, and every household is buying groceries and cooking.

The aroma of braised beef from the grocery store mingled with the pungent smell wafting from the buildings, drifting among the polyester shirts hanging on the clotheslines.

Young Pioneers carrying iron hoops rushed past the grain store entrance, their cart axles rolling over the "Saving is Glorious" slogan on the cement ground.

An old woman in a blue cloth jacket squatted on the steps of the supply and marketing cooperative, carrying a bamboo basket. The newly bought ribbonfish in the basket reflected an orange-red light in the setting sun.

A broken accordion melody drifted from the direction of the Children's Palace. Several boys in white sneakers, clutching movie tickets, ran towards the Cultural Palace, their bicycle bells jingling and their long, drawn-out cries of "Selling popsicles!" mingling with the sounds of their hawkers.

Qian Jin parked his motorcycle in front of the small villa at No. 201. He and Wei Qinghuan exchanged a glance, both of them looking somewhat dazed.

This is a six-story brick-red villa with two plane trees in front and ivy climbing all over the cast iron fence around it.

The two entered the building and climbed all the way to the fifth floor.

There are two security doors, one at the corner of the stairs, which means that the stairs leading up are also Qian Jin's private space.

Qian Jin handed the key to Wei Qinghuan.

With a crisp click, the second security door opened, revealing a heavy oak door that also required a key to open.

Qian Jin pushed open the door and walked in. The first thing that caught his eye was the dark red floor.

Sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows, casting colorful patches of light on the floor.

"Oh my god..." Wei Qinghuan covered her mouth.

She was a worldly person, having stayed at the Silver Beach Guesthouse twice.

However, those were public property; now she had come to her own home.

A very spacious home of my own.

The first floor is a spacious living room, as big as the two rooms inside and outside of their original tenement building.

A set of mahogany sofas was arranged around the coffee table, and the sofas were covered with clean white crocheted cushions.

In the corner sat a Panda brand radio, next to which was a gramophone with a gleaming finish.

Qian Jin touched the sofa armrest, the smooth wood grain flowing through his fingertips.

This is fine rosewood, carved with exquisite grape patterns.

On the coffee table sits a set of Jingdezhen blue and white porcelain tea set, which gleams with a warm luster in the sunlight.

"What level of cadre would be able to live here?" Wei Qinghuan's voice trembled slightly.

Qian Jin said, "I am a level 25 cadre, but I don't think a level 25 cadre should be able to live in a house like this."

He pointed to the room on the east side, "Look, that's the dining room."

The restaurant features a round mahogany table that can seat eight people, paired with chairs of the same material.

A glass-doored sideboard stands against the wall, neatly displaying various bowls and plates.

Most surprisingly, there was a "Snowflake" brand refrigerator in the corner.

This is a rare find!
In addition to the living room, dining room, and kitchen, there are two bedrooms on the first floor, with a bathroom between them.

This made Wei Qinghuan extremely excited.

She wasn't someone who cared much about enjoying life, but after staying in a room with a private bathroom at the Silver Beach Guesthouse, this clean-loving woman began to dream of having her own bathroom at home one day.

The houses in the workers' new village have kitchens, and although she enjoys cooking, she would rather convert the kitchen into a bathroom.

No need to change it now.

She was pleasantly surprised to find that her new house had a private bathroom.

Qian Jin guessed that the house was built by foreigners, and he remembered that foreigners especially liked to build bathrooms.

After quickly surveying the first floor, Wei Qinghuan climbed the stairs to the second floor.

The master bedroom contains a four-poster mahogany bed with a snow-white mosquito net hanging above it.

A brass lamp sits on the bedside table, next to a dressing table inlaid with seashells.

Most surprisingly, the house even had a separate bathroom, with a gleaming white porcelain toilet and bathtub.

Wei Qinghuan couldn't help but shake Qian Jin's arm: "It's just like the Silver Beach Guesthouse!"

Qian Jin said, "Foreigners must have lived here long ago; they love bathtubs."

The second floor has three rooms: two bedrooms and one study.

Pushing open the study door, Wei Qinghuan was taken aback by the sight of an entire wall of bookshelves.

A large mahogany writing desk sits in front of the window, with a green glass-shaded desk lamp on it.

Qian Jin said, "Look, Teacher Wei will have a study room from now on."

Wei Qinghuan shook her head: "I'll use it as your study. You'll have plenty of places to study in the future."

Qian Jin knew that every teacher longed for their own study.

He thought for a moment and said, "Well, if both of us are studying inside, it's not like we can't fit two desks. I'll have someone get you a set of desks and chairs tomorrow."

Wei Qinghuan nodded vigorously, her cheeks flushed with excitement.

She then went to check the guest rooms, her voice suddenly rising: "Come and take a look right now, there's a toilet on the second floor besides the master bedroom!"

Qian Jin walked over and saw her standing in front of a small restroom.

This bathroom is smaller than the master bedroom, but it also has a toilet and a sink. The walls are covered with light blue tiles, and the floor is covered with non-slip mosaic tiles.

“There are three toilets in total.” Wei Qinghuan counted them on her fingers like a child, “Two on the second floor and one on the first floor.”

Qian Jin saw that there was another staircase on the second floor leading to the roof.

He went up the stairs, and at the end of the stairs was a small room. Pushing open the door, he found himself on the roof of the villa.

Now the value of this house has become apparent.

Its rooftop location is not a disadvantage but an advantage, because it occupies the rooftop and creates its own independent space.

The two stood on the roof.

The roof is covered with wooden planks, and the building is surrounded by high iron fences.

Wei Qinghuan looked at the setting sun and let out a long sigh of relief: "It really is like a dream!"

Qian Jin never expected the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives to be so helpful, or rather, Yi Xuebing to be so helpful, that they would arrange such a high-end residence for him.

He had mixed feelings: "President Yi probably wants to recruit me."

Wei Qinghuan didn't hear him clearly, so she turned her head and asked him with a smile, "What?"

Qian Jin laughed too: "It's nothing, this is our love nest."

Wei Qinghuan nodded excitedly and drew a circle on the rooftop with her hand:

"We can build a swing on the rooftop, so that at night we can swing and look at the stars."

She then happily pointed downstairs: "With so many rooms, we can have several children!"

Forget about using the secret passage for money.

We're about to enter the 1980s, and the one-child policy is about to begin.

The house is almost fully furnished with furniture and appliances; in 21st-century terms, you can move in right away.

But there were no bedding inside, so they still had to go back to the tenement building to live.

As she left, Wei Qinghuan glanced back at the beautiful villa.

As dusk fell, the stained-glass windows glowed with a hazy light, like an unreal dream.

(End of this chapter)