The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 210 If you're a brother, go unlock the door for me.

Wednesday.

The second day that the Foreign Investment Office officially started work.

Qian Jin rubbed his sore eyes, put the pen back into the ink bottle, and saw that the office regulations for foreign businesses on the table had been revised for the fourth time.

"Director Qian, the finance department is urging you to collect your funds." Xiao Zhang from the administration department peeked out from the doorway. "They said they're about to do the end-of-month settlement, and your department's funds need to be collected quickly."

Qian Jin glanced at the calendar on the wall, then agreed and continued working.

He didn't leave his office until the sun was setting.

After he went outside, he lingered at the entrance of the main office, and Su Chengji, a college student clerk, came out.

Qian Jin whispered a few words to him, and Su Chengyi nodded. Then Qian Jin quickly walked towards the finance department.

Suddenly, leather shoes made a rapid tapping sound on the cement corridor.

In the finance office.

Sun Dehai, the senior accountant who is in charge of handling large sums of money, is fiddling with the beads on his abacus.

When Wei Bin took his department on a relocation trip, he specifically introduced this veteran comrade.

This thin, old man wearing reading glasses had been managing accounts in the supply and marketing system since the 1950s. Although his position was not high, his rank was high, and he was someone that no one in the city's supply and marketing cooperative dared to offend.

Upon seeing Qian Jin arrive, the old comrade was somewhat displeased: "I sent someone to look for you at noon, why are you only coming now?"

This is the source of confidence for veteran comrades.

Whether you are the head of a department or the top leader or the second-in-command of a unit, you should be reprimanded without fear.

Because he deeply understood the principle that if one is upright, one need not fear a crooked shadow.

As long as financial workers are assertive and don't seek promotions, they have nothing to fear in the supply and marketing cooperative; they have a secure job.

Qian Jin smiled apologetically: "Uncle, I'm sorry, there's a lot going on in our new department, I really can't handle it all..."

"Old Sun, don't make things difficult for Director Qian," a colleague in the same office chimed in. "There are some troublemakers in their new department, so Director Qian isn't getting things done smoothly. We have to be understanding."

Sun Dehai asked blankly, "What troublemaker? What happened?"

The employee glanced at Qian Jin but didn't say anything.

Qian Jin understood what he meant and said calmly, "It seems that the good deeds done by our Komad Hua have spread throughout the entire unit."

The employee chuckled and explained, "Director Qian, I didn't mean anything by it. I just wanted Lao Sun to understand your situation."

Qian Jin smiled amicably and said, "I understand, it's nothing, it's all a small matter."

He told Sun Dehai what Ma Dehua had done during the dinner party he had organized the previous night.

Sun Dehai, a straightforward man who hated evil, slammed his hand on the table and said, "These young people nowadays, they get carried away after a couple of drinks. Director Qian, don't indulge this kind of person."

"I've been in this company for so many years, what kind of people haven't I seen? This kind of person just takes advantage of us, you have to teach him a lesson!"

Qian Jin smiled amicably: "Young people, when they drink too much, they're prone to doing something outrageous. It's nothing serious, haha."

"Director Qian, you have too good a temper." Sun Dehai shook his head helplessly.

After learning the whole story, he stopped arguing about Qian Jinqu and Qian Taiyun's lateness. He turned around and took out a large kraft paper envelope from the safe. "This is your foreign business office's activity budget for the third quarter, six thousand yuan."

As he spoke, he pushed up his reading glasses, which had slipped down to the tip of his nose, and said, "Just a little bit."

Qian Jin took the heavy envelope and ran his thumb along the edge of the banknotes.

It was all 10-yuan notes, a total of 600 notes, all brand new.

Six thousand yuan in 1978 was equivalent to twenty years' wages for a new worker.

However, this money is not for the staff of their department, but is to prepare for receiving foreign business guests in the future, which is why it is so much.

"No need to count it, Accountant Sun. I know you never make mistakes with the money you handle." Qian Jin stuffed the envelope into his briefcase.

Sun Dehai pushed up his glasses, quite pleased with himself: "There's absolutely no mistake. I've counted this money three times, not a single bill is missing. I've even written down the serial number of each bill. There won't be any problems."

Qian Jin said, "Okay, thank you for your trouble. I'll go to the bank and deposit it right now."

"Oh dear!" Sun Dehai slapped his thigh in regret upon hearing this, "You can't deposit it in the bank."

"Banks are doing a midweek inventory check and are closing early. It's already 5 o'clock, they've already stopped operating, and they won't be open again by the time you get there."

Qian Jin glanced at his watch; it was 5:05.

Yes, you manage your time well.

Sun Dehai gestured with his chin towards the window: "Why don't you just keep the money in our office? Look, some of the comrades have already left work."

He drew back the curtains.

Qian Jin looked outside and saw several female employees pushing their bicycles, preparing to go home, at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative compound.

“Yes, how about we keep locking it in this safe?” another employee suggested.

Sun Dehai said, "Our safes are secure. You see, after get off work, we have to hand over the safe keys to the security department for registration."

He pointed to the rules and regulations sign on the wall, "It's written in black and white."

Qian Jin thought for a moment and said, "The security department patrols 24 hours a day. Forget it, I think my office is quite safe."

The employee next to him nodded: "We haven't heard of any money being stolen in our company for years."

Another young employee said, "That's right, after all, our unit's security department has won the Outstanding Security Department Award from the city's major units for five consecutive years."

Sun Dehai shook his head: "That award? Well, those who know, know."

"Xiao Qian, I advise you to think twice before you act. It would be best to find a safe place to put your money."

He quickly added, "Don't even think about taking it home. There are some things you shouldn't do when things seem suspicious."

Qian Jin leaned against the door and chatted with them.

As it was almost time to leave work, everyone lost interest in their jobs and started chatting. Some employees even went from department to department.

Liao Chunfeng's laughter echoed from the end of the corridor.

The former head of the audit team from the finance department also came to visit.

He spent less time in the foreign business office than in the finance department these past two days, but he had his reasons for doing so, saying that financial work is of paramount importance, and auditing work is of utmost importance.

The Foreign Investment Office was established quickly. Although his handover work was completed, some details still needed to be discussed, so he often went back to the Finance Department to exchange ideas.

Money goes in and out.

Liao Chunfeng stopped at the top of the stairs, his gaze lingering on Qian Jin's briefcase for a second: "Oh, Director Qian, you haven't left yet? Your colleagues thought you had already left work when they saw you lock your office door."

He rubbed his hands awkwardly and said, "Yu Li, Shen Debao and the other comrades have gone off work, but they should have just left. I'll go and call them back."

As he spoke, he started to go downstairs.

Yu Li, Shen Debao, and others were key members of Cheng Xia's faction.

Qian Jin told him, "No need to call them. There's nothing much going on in our department right now. Let them leave early if they want."

"Actually, I'm about to leave too, but I need to pack some things before I go."

He subconsciously moved his bag behind him, bypassed Liao Chunfeng, and returned to his office.

A few people did leave the main office, and many more were packing up their belongings and preparing to leave as well.

They were a little embarrassed when they saw the money come in, and quickly sat down to get back to work.

Ma Dehua, completely unconcerned, was leaning against a table, boasting to a few people: "...Tonight, I'll take you guys to see the world. I may not know much else, but I have a lot of friends..."

He caught a glimpse of Qian Jin out of the corner of his eye, but remained unmoved and continued chatting.

Qian Jin ignored him, carefully picked up the bag and hurried back to his office, then stared at the bulging briefcase with a worried expression.

Outside the window, the setting sun cast long shadows of the sycamore trees.

Liu Hongxing from the security department passed by the door and said, "Director Qian, your department needs to pay attention to locking the doors. Last night, when we were on patrol, we found that your main office was not locked."

Qian Jin laughed and said, "It will definitely be locked today, especially my office."

"That's fine then." Liu Hongxing turned to leave.

"Wait a minute," Qian Jin called out to him, "Do you have a spare lock?"

Liu Hongxing pulled a bunch of keys out of his pocket: "Yes, we have the three-ring lock that is standard issue in our unit."

"Then could you lend me one?" Qian Jin gestured to him. "I'm going to put another lock on my office door and return it to you first thing tomorrow morning."

Liu Hongxing said "okay," quickly left, then quickly returned, handing him a rusty copper lock.

With Liu Hongxing as a witness, Qian Jin stuffed the large envelope into the bottom drawer of his desk and locked it with a click.

He tried tugging at the table and then pushing it, nodding in satisfaction only after confirming that everything was in order.

Upon hearing this, Liu Hongxing promised, "Director Qian, you can go home with peace of mind. I will make a special trip to inspect the area a couple more times tonight."

It was six o'clock, time to get off work.

A large crowd surged out of the courtyard.

Qian Jin locked the door, tugged at it hard, and nodded in satisfaction once more.

The main office was empty; Su Chengji, whom he had previously contacted, was slowly locking the door.

Seeing him come out, Su Chengji walked over to him and whispered, "Ma Dehua was just called out by Director Liao. I saw the two of them talking, but I don't know what they said."

Qian Jin nodded and said in a low voice, "Let's pretend this never happened. No matter what happens in the future, don't mention it again."

Su Chengyi immediately changed his tune: "Director Qian, if there's nothing else, I'll go home now. See you tomorrow."

Qian Jin was very satisfied with his brain.

This is a clever young man; he deserves to be nurtured.

He stood at the window and looked out, spotting Ma Dehua's flamboyant figure in the crowd.

Ma Dehua is a celebrity among the grassroots employees of the Municipal Supply and Marketing Cooperative, due to his background and his vehicle.

Everyone else commutes to get off work on regular bicycles, but he rides a Forever electric bicycle.

This vehicle is not the electric bicycle that dominates urban and rural areas in the 21st century; its power is not related to electricity but is still powered by pedals.

Its "electricity" is reflected in the headlights.

This bicycle has a light bulb at the front; the rotation of the front wheel generates electricity to power the bulb.

This single, minor difference has made this bicycle a hot commodity among young people.

Ma Dehua got on the bike, and although it was still bright outside, he turned on the headlights and pedaled to cast a faint spot of light on the road.

Someone called to him, but he didn't answer. He just kept pedaling with his head down, heading straight for Yandang Mountain Road.

Night falls.

At the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers Restaurant on Yandang Mountain Road, Ma Dehua had already downed half a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor).

A thin young man sat next to him, feeling extremely uncomfortable. He couldn't help but ask, "Brother Ma, why did you suddenly invite me to dinner?" "Liu Zi, how have I always treated you?" Ma Dehua didn't answer, but instead poured Liu Zi a full glass of wine.

The young man called Liu Zi, with a hunched back and a fawning smile, said, "Brother Ma is incredibly kind to me! If it weren't for your help last time, I would have been dealt with by the Putuoshan Road Police Station..."

"Don't say that!" Ma Dehua picked up his glass and clinked it against his. "We're brothers. If I don't help you when you're in trouble, who will?"

"We're brothers, it's all one. Your business is my business, and my business is your business, right?"

Liu Zi hesitated.

Ma Dehua looked at him with a strange expression.

Without hesitation, he immediately replied, "Definitely. Just like last night, Brother Ma, you asked us to go and support you and cause trouble for your boss, and we brothers went right away."

"But why is it just the two of us eating tonight? Why didn't you invite Brother Jun, Brother Hero, and the others?"

Ma Dehua lowered his voice: "It's not convenient to call them tonight. I need you to do something for me tonight. This is something that shouldn't be known to outsiders. Just the two of us should know."

Liu Zi shuddered and said, "Huh? What...what's going on?"

Feeling that his reaction wasn't loyal enough, he straightened his chest and said:
“Brother Ma, if you need anything, just let me know. Why are you buying me drinks? Look at you, you still don’t treat me like one of your own brothers.”

Ma Dehua was satisfied with his reaction and smiled, "I've always considered you my brother, otherwise why would I come to you for something so important?"

"Here's the thing, you know I work at the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives. Tonight, you'll come with me to the foreign business office on the second floor..."

Liu Zi sobered up halfway immediately: "Brother Ma, this... this is public property..."

“What are you afraid of? It’s not like I’m asking you to steal anything.” Ma Dehua frowned. “And keep your voice down. Don’t you know that walls have ears? You’re supposed to be the master thief of Yandang Mountain.”

Liu Zi quickly lowered his voice: "Yes, yes, we should keep our voices down."

"What I mean is, if you don't let me steal, what am I supposed to do? I don't have any other skills, I'm just quick with my hands, able to pick a few locks fast."

Ma Dehua said, "You're right. I just want you to pick two locks. You don't need to steal anything. Just pick the locks and leave."

Liu Zi smiled wryly: "Brother Ma, we're on the same side, we won't talk like outsiders. You asked me to unlock the door because you wanted to..."

"Here you go." Ma Dehua counted out five ten-yuan bills from his pocket and handed them to him. "I'll give you fifty more when it's all over."

One hundred dollars!

Liu Zi swallowed subconsciously, his eyes glued to the money.

That's a hundred dollars!

Many people can't even save a hundred yuan in a whole year!

Ma Dehua said, "I've noticed. Our foreign business office uses the old lock. I saw you open it. You can open that thing with a few clicks of a wire."

"And then there's the lock on a broken drawer inside. Anyway, there's no safe, so you can open it without worry!"

Liu Zi's gaze lingered between the banknotes and the wine bottle before finally settling on the wine glass.

He hesitated, looked up at Ma Dehua, and hesitated to speak.

That person last night...

How did he know that Ma Dehua would ask him to unlock the door today?

Liu Zi isn't very smart.

But they vaguely sensed the existence of a trap.

He wanted to remind Ma Dehua, but thinking about the man's power and methods from yesterday, he didn't dare to speak up.

When Ma Dehua saw him hesitate, his face darkened, and he punched him, saying, "You've already taken the money, and now you're not going to do anything for me?"

"Liu Zi, Brother Ma has never treated you badly. When have we ever eaten or drunk without inviting you? Take today for example, I should have invited Jianjun and Yingxiong to drink with us, but I only invited you!"

"Why? Because Brother Ma thinks highly of you..."

“Okay! Brother Ma, you don’t need to say anything more, I understand.” Liu Zi made up his mind, “But we have to leave in the second half of the night, your unit’s security department patrols in the first half of the night and sleeps in the second half…”

Ma Dehua was overjoyed: "No problem, this is a good opportunity for us to sober up. We have to be clear-headed when we do this, we can't be careless!"

They continued to clink glasses and exchange toasts.

A bottle of Erguotou was finished.

The braised peanuts, braised pig's head meat, steamed prawns, and jellyfish salad with bok choy on the table were also devoured.

They went home and took a nap.

At two o'clock in the morning, the moonlight was completely obscured by dark clouds.

The two went out, but instead of riding bicycles, they walked close to the shadows of the wall, quickly approaching the wall of the supply and marketing cooperative compound.

The two silently scaled the wall.

Liu Zi landed like a cat and pulled a homemade master key from his pocket.

Ma Dehua followed awkwardly behind, the sea breeze howling late at night, and beads of sweat never stopped on his forehead.

“That one!” He pointed to the easternmost window on the second floor. “I know a small door that won’t lock. Come with me…”

"No need." Liu Zi unlocked the main door in a few quick movements.

The two sneaked into the stairwell and went up to the second floor in the dark, where he pried open the lock on the director's office door.

Ma Dehua accidentally knocked over a teacup, and the crisp sound of it shattering was particularly jarring in the night.

"Brother Ma, be gentle!" Liu Zi cursed in a low voice, the beam of his flashlight sweeping across the desk. "Which drawer?"

"It should be the bottom one; it's locked with two locks!" Ma Dehua swallowed nervously. "Hurry!"

Liu Zi squatted down, put the flashlight in his mouth, and took out a wire from his pocket.

Less than a minute later, two soft "click" sounds rang out, and the drawer opened.

A large kraft paper bag gleamed alluringly in the moonlight.

"This is it!" Ma Dehua grabbed the envelope, his fingers trembling. "Let's go, let's get going!"

Liu Zi suddenly grabbed his hand: "Someone's here!"

The sound of flashlights and footsteps came from downstairs—it was the security guards on night patrol.

The two held their breath, and cold sweat dripped down Ma Dehua's chin.

The footsteps faded into the distance, and Liu Zi let out a long sigh: "Let's go!"

Ma Dehua said in a low voice, "Didn't you say that our unit's security department doesn't patrol in the middle of the night?"

Liu Zi muttered to himself, "Yeah, that's what everyone in the underworld is saying. Why is he acting so strangely tonight? Is it because of your bag?"

He looked at the heavy brown paper bag.

As a pickpocket, he could tell at a glance what was hidden in the paper bag.

Ma Dehua hid the brown paper bag in his satchel and mumbled, "It shouldn't be. The information you got on the streets must be inaccurate. Let's go, let's get going..."

Liu Zi didn't move, squatting in place pointing at the brown paper bag, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

Ma Dehua's face darkened again: "Liu Zi, what do you mean? Are you trying to play mind games with me?"

Liu Zi said, "No, Brother Ma, I mean, aren't you going to open it and see what's inside?"

He also wanted to help Ma Dehua.

Ma Dehua said impatiently, "What are you looking at? No need to look, it's a confidential document inside. Let's go quickly, I need to go back and study this document."

Liu Zi sighed: "Alright, let's hurry up and go."

When Ma Dehua climbed over the wall, his pants were torn by the iron fence.

But he didn't care about any of that. He clutched the envelope tightly, already figuring out how to keep the huge sum of money safe.

Liu Zi followed behind him, constantly looking back, always feeling that there was a pair of eyes watching them from the shadows.

Ma Dehua, who was walking in front, said impatiently, "Hurry up, what are you dawdling for?"

Liu Zi stammered, "Brother Ma, why don't you put this thing back? We'll just pretend it's..."

"What the hell are you talking about!" Ma Dehua suddenly turned around and punched him. "What did I take? I'm telling you, what did I take!"

Liu Zi said earnestly, "Brother Ma, to tell you the truth, I feel like someone has discovered our whereabouts..."

"What did you say?" Ma Dehua's heart jumped, and he stammered, "You...you found who? Where did you find them?"

Liu Zi said, "I didn't notice anyone, but I always feel like someone is following us."

"Brother Ma, let me tell you, my intuition is incredibly accurate. Last time I went with Brother Hu..."

"You fucking feel!" Ma Dehua breathed a sigh of relief.

He was emotional at this point and couldn't help but punch Liu Zi again: "What are you telling me how you feel now?"

"I'm asking you, did you actually see anyone?"

Liu Zi shook his head.

Ma Dehua pulled out another fifty yuan from his pocket and stuffed it into his hand: "Take this and have some drinks. Then just pretend nothing happened tonight. And let me tell you, this can't get out. If it does, you'll regret it!"

Liu Zi hesitated before taking the money, his face pleading, "Brother Ma, I was looking at that brown paper bag..."

"Can't you remember what I said?" Ma Dehua swung his fist again, his face gradually contorting with rage. "Or are my words no longer valid?!"

"I told you, tonight we'll pretend nothing happened!"

"You just wait and see, you're staying home and sleeping all night, understand?"

Liu Zi sighed: "I understand. I'll stay home and sleep all night."

Ma Dehua then smiled.

He put his arm around Liu Zi's shoulder and patted him, saying, "Don't worry, nothing's wrong. I just took some documents out."

"To tell you the truth, this information won't involve you. Hehe, I'm targeting our idiot director with this matter."

"And I also have to tell you, this wasn't done by us; it was orchestrated behind the scenes by one of our powerful deputy directors..."

Liu Zi suddenly looked up: "Brother Ma! Are you crazy? How could you let a third person know about this?"

"Brother Ma, please listen to my advice..."

"Shut up! Stop talking nonsense!" Ma Dehua said impatiently. "We're all in the same boat, understand? No matter who's behind me, he won't betray me, otherwise it won't do him any good, understand?"

"I'll tell you the truth. This batch of data is very important. If it's lost, our current director won't be able to stay in his position. The person behind me will have to take over, hehe."

"When he comes to power, I'm sure I'll get my share of the benefits."

Liu Zi said with difficulty, "Brother Ma, you should be careful. I've heard that these leaders are the most ruthless."

Ma Dehua said smugly, "Don't worry, I know this all too well, hehe."

"No matter how cunning they are, they'll still have to drink my foot bath water!"

(End of this chapter)