The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 213 Comrade Xiao Qian, you've changed!

Qian Jin turned his face away, not looking at Liao Chunfeng, but looking at the sycamore tree in the rain.

The autumn rain falls softly, and the leaves of the sycamore trees look desolate and forlorn.

He knew that Liao Chunfeng's mood was only getting worse.

However, once the arrow is released, there's no turning back.

That's how brutal the struggle for power is.

If it wasn't a coincidence, then the one who lost the struggle was Qian Jin:
From the moment Ma Dehua splashed wine in his face, he decided to deal with Ma Dehua severely.

Giving Ma Dehua a private beating was a last resort. Qian Jin originally planned to lie low for a while and then find problems with Ma Dehua at work to deal with him directly.

The opportunity came very quickly.

Ma Dehua befriended Cheng Liuzi, a thief, and their department's third-quarter activity funds happened to be distributed around these two days.

So he had a brilliant idea: to use the event funds to scam Ma Dehua.

This requires Ma Dehua's cooperation.

If Ma Dehua had no ill intentions, his trap would be useless.

Fortunately, Ma Dehua did not disappoint him.

This guy, like his cousin Ma Defu, is a born bad seed.

Qian Jin knew that Liao Chunfeng would find an opportunity to attack him, so yesterday he took advantage of Liao Chunfeng's trip to the finance department and withdrew the six thousand yuan in advance.

And he delayed the withdrawal time.

This meant that the money couldn't be deposited into the bank after being withdrawn, making it perfectly legitimate for him to lock it in his office.

Liao Chunfeng found out about this as expected.

Qian Jin entrusted his trusted confidant in the main office to keep an eye on Liao Chunfeng and Ma Dehua.

He had made up his mind.

If Liao Chunfeng didn't tell Ma Dehua, then he would find a reason to reveal to Ma Dehua that he had a large sum of money stored in his office.

This was bait set for Ma Dehua.

He must seize every opportunity to teach this bastard a lesson.

Fortunately.

Everything went as expected.

Liao Chunfeng found an opportunity to cause trouble for him, an opportunity to make him make a mistake at work and lose face in front of his superiors. Liao Chunfeng did not give up this opportunity and quickly revealed the news to Ma Dehua.

Ma Dehua then sought help from Cheng Liuzi to unlock the door.

He wasn't very bright and was only focused on framing Qian Jin, so instead of devising a reliable plan to steal money and cheat Qian Jin, he simply led Cheng Liuzi straight to the heart of the matter...

If we let money in to handle this matter.

Instead of hiring a thief to pick the lock, he would break down the door and steal the money, leaving traces of finance department employees at the scene to frame them.

As for himself, he needs to create an alibi.

The security department of the municipal supply and marketing cooperative is full of incompetent officials. They will definitely keep a close eye on the finance department staff for auditing, so their own safety can be greatly guaranteed.

Ma Dehua mistakenly believed that having a thief unlock the door would be safer.

He doesn't even use his brain to think about it.

How could the thief have known so quickly that Qian had hidden money in the office?

Of course, this is all reasonable. If Ma Dehua had any brains, he wouldn't have thrown wine in Qian Jin's face during a department dinner.

This is a path to death!

Qian Jin had arranged for Zhang Aijun to follow Cheng Liuzi and his companion last night, so he could make sure they had indeed come to steal the money.

Because there was a plan targeting Liao Chunfeng in the morning.

Since Liao Chunfeng wanted to defeat him, he had no choice but to strike back hard against Liao Chunfeng.

The weather was perfect.

It rained this morning.

Qian Jin arranged for Zhang Jianjun to lead a few members of the assault team to use the rain as cover to ride bicycles and collide with Liao Chunfeng. The others temporarily entangled Liao Chunfeng, while Zhang Jianjun stuffed an envelope containing the department's activity funds into the inner pocket of Liao Chunfeng's briefcase.

Of the department's budget of 6,000 yuan, 5,000 yuan was stolen by Ma Dehua.

Another thousand yuan was taken by Qian Jin in advance, two hundred yuan was stuffed into Liao Chunfeng's briefcase, and eight hundred yuan had already been hidden in Liao Chunfeng's house.

If the security department searches his house, they'll find the remaining eight hundred yuan.

Even if Liao Chunfeng had a hundred mouths, he still couldn't explain it!
At this time, Liao Chunfeng was still unaware of the severity of the situation.

He went out in handcuffs, and with his hands cuffed, he had difficulty maintaining his balance. The doorway was slippery because of the rain.

Liao Chunfeng almost fell due to a moment of carelessness. He managed to stand up, but his glasses slipped to the ground and one lens shattered.

No one helped him pick up his glasses.

He was forcibly taken away by the security officer.

This scene left many people sighing in sympathy.

The foreign business office was in complete chaos.

Normal order was not restored despite the recovery of the event funds and the solving of the cold case.

In the corridor, someone wrote the words "traitor" in large characters with chalk, which were then hastily erased, leaving only blurry white marks.

When the bell rang to signal the end of the workday, the staff in the foreign business office all quickened their pace in packing up their belongings.

Liao Chunfeng's desk was moved away.

It wasn't that his colleagues were too snobbish, or that they privately condemned him and kicked him out of the foreign business office.

Instead, when Yi Xuebing came to check the scene, he discovered that Liao Chunfeng's desk was actually in the main office.

He thought this was against the rules, so he said, "Move his desk to a separate office."

Only after hearing this did the colleagues in the foreign investment office take action.

Some people carried away the table, some moved the chairs, some took his abacus, and some took his file basket.

Everything was crammed into the small north-facing office.

In the middle of the large office, there was an empty seat, and someone was sweeping and mopping the floor with their head down, as if erasing all traces of their existence in the large office.

Not far away at the school, rehearsals for National Day had already begun, and the sounds of the Young Pioneers' drums and bugles could be faintly heard.

The melody of "Unity is strength" floated over the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives.

Wei Bin called Qian Jin, but didn't say anything else. He just told him to listen carefully to the song the school was rehearsing.

The meaning of leadership is self-evident.

Foreign business offices need to unite!
The situation changed on the second day.

When Qian came to work, he found that the small office facing north had been opened and Liao Chunfeng's desk was gone, leaving only four shallow dents on the floor.

Two brand-new propaganda posters have appeared next to the slogan "Practice is the sole criterion for testing everything" on the corridor wall.

One reads "Stay vigilant and defend the motherland," while the other reads "Unity and tension, seriousness and liveliness."

The clouds cleared and the rain stopped for the next two days, and the sky brightened, but the autumn heat continued to rage.

The sun was baking the supply and marketing cooperative, and the cicadas in the courtyard started chirping again, still singing merrily.

There are even fewer traces of Liao Chunfeng, the deputy director of the Foreign Investment Office. Only the enamel mug he used to use is placed on the windowsill. No one moves it, so much so that it has been covered with a layer of dust in just three days.

After arriving at work, Sun Jian took a copy of the day's internal newspaper, "Supply and Marketing News."

The lead type on the front page, "President Tito delivers speech on the 8th," trembled slightly in the breeze from the fan.

The ink, affected by the sweat on his palms, seeped into the white paper of the notebook below, creating irregular patches of light-colored clouds.

"Director Liao's bicycle is still in the bike shed." Liu Jinzhong, who was standing next to him, gave him a wink.

He pointed outside, and Sun Jian nodded without looking out.

"Is there any news from Director Liao today?" Liu Jinzhong asked again.

He was once a direct descendant of the Liao faction.

Now that his master has suddenly disappeared, he is extremely panicked.

Upon hearing this, Sun Jian glanced at him and smiled, "Brother Liu, don't you understand?"

"What do you mean, 'clear about'?" Liu Jin asked nervously.

Sitting opposite him, Li Ming put down his pen and lowered his voice, saying, "Old Liao hasn't shown up for three days. Something big must have happened. His office desk and chairs have all been taken away. I heard it was the security department that did it."

Sun Jian nodded with a smile.

He took out a cigarette case from the drawer, pulled out a cigarette and handed it to Li Ming, then lit one for himself.

Liu Jinzhong also wanted to ask Sun Jian a question.

But Sun Jian ignored him and turned to look out the window at the lighthouse standing on the sea in the distance.

Liu Jinzhong, feeling embarrassed, could only chuckle awkwardly and whisper to Li Ming.

He knew Sun Jian wouldn't back down.

The reason he sat next to Sun Jian was because Liao Chunfeng instructed him to do so; Liao Chunfeng had arranged for him to monitor Sun Jian.

After all, Sun Jian was considered the leader of one of the factions in the office.

“I went to his house last night, but no one was home,” Liu Jinzhong said worriedly. “His wife said he had a job change, but that’s definitely nonsense. How could we, his old colleagues, not know about a job change?”

"Shh!" Li Ming glanced warily at the doorway. "Don't talk about these things in the office..."

Just then, the door was pushed open, and Sun Meijuan walked in.

She wore a faded blue Lenin suit, the Komsomol badge on her chest gleaming in the sunlight.

“I just came from the finance department, and there’s already news there,” Sun Meijuan said softly. “Director Liao has been suspended without pay.”

Sun Jian threw away his cigarette butt and turned to look at Sun Meijuan.

Leave without pay!

As members of the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives, they all understood the seriousness of the matter.

"When did this happen?" Sun Jian asked.

“It was yesterday afternoon, the Party Committee of our head office held a meeting.” Sun Meijuan sat down, placing her hands on her knees. “I don’t know the specific reason, the leaders are very tight-lipped about it.”

Li Ming subconsciously said, "Could the rumors be true? Did Lao Liao instruct Ma Dehua to steal... steal that money, and he was involved too?"

Liu Jinzhong became anxious: "That's impossible, absolutely impossible! How could Lord Liao, Elder Liao, Comrade Liao Chunfeng be such a person?"

"That doesn't make sense. He wouldn't need to do something like that!"

"Why doesn't it make sense?" Sun Jian smiled at him maliciously. "You know better than us how much your comrade Liao Chunfeng wants to be the director, right?" "If a large sum of money under Director Qian's management goes wrong, won't the leaders hold him accountable? At that time, hehe, wouldn't that be an opportunity for your comrade Liao Chunfeng?"

Liu Jin was stunned, as if he were a wooden chicken.

Speechless for a moment.

Outside the window, a cargo ship slowly entered the harbor, its horn breaking the silence of the office.

"Qian Jin..." Many people began to repeat the name in hushed tones, a hint of worry flashing in their eyes.

These were all former direct descendants of the Liao faction.

Just as it was almost time for work to start, a young man named Du Huai arrived mysteriously: "Ma Dehua is finished!"

It was common knowledge that Du Huai had connections in the security department, so several people surrounded him: "What happened to Ma Dehua?"

Faced with everyone's attention, Du Huai didn't keep them in suspense: "I heard it from someone else. First of all, I have to emphasize that this is all from someone else."

"Ma Dehua will be severely punished for stealing a large sum of money from our company; he will be sentenced to at least ten years in prison!"

"He stole several thousand yuan, and it's only been ten years?" Some people were quite puzzled by this.

But Sun Jian figured out the key point: "Someone shared the blame for him, and others were probably sentenced to several years as well."

He doesn't need to say who it is.

The Liao faction's loyal followers have already given their answer with their bleak expressions.

"Sun Jian, Director Qian wants you to go to his office," Li Xiang said as she returned carrying a stack of files.

Sun Jian quickly straightened his polyester shirt and smoothed his messy hair before obediently knocking on the door and entering the director's office.

"Sit down." Qian Jin gestured for Sun Jian to sit down, then poured him a cup of strong tea.

"Thank you, Director Qian." Sun Jian sat down carefully, placing his hands on his knees, appearing respectful and nervous.

"Comrade Sun Jian, you've been working at the supply and marketing cooperative for several years now, haven't you?" Qian Jin asked.

“Yes, Director Qian, three years and four months,” Sun Jian answered precisely.

"Yes, you're cultured and enthusiastic." Qian Jin nodded. "You know about what happened to Lao Liao?"

"I'm not quite sure, Director Qian," Sun Jian replied honestly.

Qian Jin said, "I won't lie to you, I have some connections in the public security system, and I've found out some things."

"On Wednesday, the security department took him to his home for a search, and they found the remaining portion of our department's missing activity funds."

Sun Jian was astonished.

He had guessed this outcome, but he still found it hard to believe.

Liao Chunfeng would actually do such a thing?

Is this insane?!
“Working at the supply and marketing cooperative is not easy, especially at this critical juncture.” Qian Jin’s tone became serious.

“Some people just can’t keep up with the times. Their thinking is still stuck in the past. They are keen on office politics and power struggles, and have no awareness of serving the people.”

Sun Jian looked down at his hands and said nothing.

"You should know about Ma Dehua's situation, right?" Qian Jin suddenly said.

This is not a question.

So Sun Jian looked up and said, "I just heard some things..."

“He’s dishonest.” Qian Jin’s tone became stern. “He thinks that because he has some connections at home, he can mess around at work, disrespect his superiors, and not unite with his colleagues. He always hangs out with some shady people in society.”

"Moreover, because he was spending money recklessly and became short of funds, he set his sights on his own department."

"His fate was entirely his own fault!"

“That’s true. Ma Dehua shouldn’t have joined our department. He had a bad reputation in logistics before.” Sun Jian nodded, indicating his understanding.

Qian Jin took a sip of tea: "Ma Dehua will definitely be sentenced. As for Comrade Liao Chunfeng, it's said he's denying everything at the Public Security Bureau, and even with irrefutable evidence and facts, he still tries to deny it..."

"They have absolutely no shame." Sun Jian followed Qian Jin's lead.

Qian Jin said, "That's right, he definitely can no longer serve as the deputy director in his current situation."

"As you know, according to President Wei's requirements, our department will officially start work next week."

"We can't afford any problems with our organizational structure; there's still a vacancy for the deputy director position..."

Sun Jian suddenly looked up, his eyes wide with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness as he looked at Qian Jin.

"Xiao Sun, I've decided to temporarily appoint you as Liao Chunfeng's deputy director, in charge of Liao Chunfeng's work," Qian Jin solemnly announced. "This matter hasn't been finalized at the Party Committee meeting yet, but as the head of our department, I have the right to recommend you."

"I recommend you for this position. Now I need your approval. We need to see your work ability and ideological awareness!"

This was completely unexpected by Sun Jian.

He paused for a moment, then reacted, his face lighting up with joy. He immediately shook off his previous slump, quickly stood up, head held high and chest out.
"Thank you for the organization's trust and for your guidance, Director Qian. I will certainly live up to your expectations."

"Well done." Qian Jin nodded in satisfaction. "However, you must remember that working at the supply and marketing cooperative is not so simple. The outside world is constantly changing, but we need to maintain stability internally, understand?"

“I understand, Director Qian.” Sun Jian’s voice was soft, but his tone was firm.

Qian Jinzhan stood up and walked to the window: "The seaside is a good place. It has a port, foreign trade, and many opportunities. But at the same time, there are also many temptations."

"We, as leading cadres, must stand firm on our position."

He needed to look at the beautiful scenery outside to suppress his nausea.

yue……

I never thought I could speak in such official jargon, and even be quite fluent in it.

He gazed at the undulating waves on the sea, his heart also filled with turmoil.

Comrade Xiao Qian, you've changed!
As Sun Jian watched Qian Jin's retreating figure, a complex mix of emotions welled up within him.

He was once—no, just a few days ago—a member of the money-swindling army.

He has always been confident in his academic qualifications and abilities, believing that he should be a deputy director.

As a result, there were only three leadership positions in the department, and he was not one of them.

But at the time, he felt that it was not unfair for him to lose to Liao Chunfeng and Cheng Xia, as the two were the most promising candidates to become leaders in the preparatory group.

Unfortunately, the two of them hadn't become the top leaders yet; the top leadership position was taken by Qian Jin, a nobody who had been with the company for less than a year.

He was very indignant about this.

They believed that he could be replaced.

Now he has completely changed his attitude.

In less than a week since the establishment of the Foreign Investment Office, Ma Dehua, who had offended Qian Jin the most, was imprisoned; Liao Chunfeng, who had plotted to usurp power, lost his future; and Cheng Xia didn't even dare to show his face.

What a means!
Of course, nominally, Ma Dehua and Liao Chunfeng's troubles have no direct connection with Qian Jin; in fact, Qian Jin is a victim.

The question is, is that really the case?
Sun Jian already knew the answer.

He believed that his colleagues in the Foreign Investment Office and the unit leaders already knew the answer.

That afternoon, the Foreign Investment Office held its first plenary meeting since the turmoil began, and the meeting room was packed with people.

This time, there was no clear distinction between right and wrong; no one dared to make any underhanded moves, and everyone obediently squatted behind the table.

He was as obedient as a primary school student in front of his teacher.

Qian Jin sat on the platform, his face solemn.

He announced the decision to suspend Liao Chunfeng from his post without pay and introduced the new deputy director, Sun Jian.

"Although Deputy Director Liao is on leave without pay, there is actually a vacancy in the leadership position of our department. According to the instructions of the head office leadership, I need to temporarily select a colleague from among our colleagues to take over the position of deputy director."

Qian Jin's voice echoed in the conference room.

"We are all acquaintances. As everyone knows, Comrade Sun Jian is a backbone of our department. He has a university education and strong work ability."

"Therefore, I recommend Comrade Sun Jian for the position of deputy director. Does anyone have any other suggestions?"

No one spoke; everyone was clapping.

Qian Jin said, "Then I hope everyone will support his work and work together to complete the tasks assigned to us by our superiors."

Sun Jian stood to the side, his expression serious, his gaze sweeping firmly over his colleagues below the stage.

When he spoke, his voice was loud and confident: "Thank you for the organization's trust. I will certainly live up to expectations."

"Under Director Qian's leadership, I will go all out to resolutely implement the instructions of our superiors and accompany our All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives and the Foreign Investment Office into a new stage of development!"

Applause erupted from the audience.

Sun Jian paid no attention to the attitudes of these people; he was focused on Qian Jin.

Qian Jin nodded slightly after hearing his words, his face showing approval.

After the meeting, Qian Jin left a message: "Everyone should come to the office around the time we get off work on Sunday evening. I should be able to give everyone some welfare items."

Everyone was in high spirits and wanted to ask more questions.

Qian Jin had already left and called Sun Jian to his office.

"Deputy Director Sun did a good job today." He poured a cup of tea and handed it to Sun Jian. "From today onwards, you will be my right-hand man."

"Thank you for your trust, Director Qian. Thank you for your guidance, Director Qian," Sun Jian said respectfully.

“You should take Liao Chunfeng’s case as a warning,” Qian Jin suddenly said seriously. “You need to know that our work in the supply and marketing cooperative is ostensibly economic work, but in reality, it is political work.”

"We are here to serve the people, and we must always keep a clear head."

Sun Jian nodded: "I understand, Director Qian."

“Ma Dehua’s case is a lesson in itself,” Qian Jin continued, his tone becoming stern. “Some people just don’t know their place and think they can do whatever they want just because they have some ability.”

Sun Jian immediately launched a verbal attack on Ma Dehua, wishing he could beat him up in person.

Qian Jin sipped his tea as he watched him pledge his loyalty.

Damn it.

No wonder everyone wants to be a leader.

It feels so good to control other people's destinies instead of having your own destiny controlled by others.

After a few bureaucratic pronouncements, he got to the point: "It's almost Sunday, and according to the instructions President Wei gave us at the last meeting, our department will officially begin work next week."

"You are a college student, you know foreign languages, you have strong learning and working abilities. I want you to be a leader and set an example for your colleagues in our department."

Sun Jian was taken aback for a moment, then realized what he meant: "Thank you for your trust, Director Qian. I will certainly live up to your expectations."

"Okay." Qian Jin smiled with satisfaction. "However, you must remember that this position is not so easy to hold."

“There are many people watching us from the outside, and quite a few eyes watching us from the inside as well. You must stand firm and remain highly aligned with me.”

Sun Jian nodded solemnly: "I understand, Director Qian. From now on, I will follow in your footsteps and make sure to take every step carefully."

"Please rest assured, I will definitely serve as your good soldier!"

(End of this chapter)