The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 225 Simple and Simple, Deeply Feeling Happy

Qian Jin didn't sit idle; he organized a team to go to the neighborhood committee's warehouse and move all the materials that could be used to repair the roof over.

Stacks of tiles, bags of lime and cement, and leftover bricks from previous renovations of the study room can all be put to good use now.

It doesn't stop there.

Qian Jin also needs to go to the mall to purchase a large quantity of waterproof and sun-proof tarpaulins to cover the roof.

The warehouse roof was drafty in almost every direction.

Mid-Autumn Festival is just around the corner, and after that comes late autumn, when the cold northwest winds will arrive.

The carpentry team dismantled the doors and windows.

This job is simple.

The wood was so brittle that it could be broken with bare hands.

Qian Jin frequently moved between the different groups to check on the progress of their work.

When he saw the questions marked by Su Changshun, his brows furrowed:
"This wall has a serious problem and needs to be reinforced. Do the bricklayers and plasterers have any ideas on how to fix it?"

A man stood up and said, "Chief Qian, we plan to reinforce the four corners of the warehouse interior with wooden stakes. As for the walls, we may need to repair and reinforce them with some bricks and stones."

Qian Jin said, "Okay, just let me know if you need anything, and I'll take care of the allocation of supplies."

If the walls and pillars are not sturdy, then you cannot go up to the roof.

Qiu Dayong and Su Changshun led their men to reinforce the pillars and repair the walls.

Reinforcing the pillars is a rudimentary method.

The movers first transported the wooden stakes that the neighborhood committee had previously stored to the warehouse, and then carefully placed the stakes against the shaky pillars, securing them tightly with wire to ensure that the stakes could stably support the pillars.

Su Changshun led his men to identify the severely damaged sections of the warehouse walls and repaired them with bricks and stones.

He instructed, "First, scrape off these broken plaster pieces and check if there are any major problems with the bricks inside."

The team members picked up tools and scraped off the plaster from the wall.

As the plaster peeled off, the bricks hidden underneath were all exposed, and many were damaged.

"These bricks need to be replaced, otherwise it will definitely affect the stability of the wall." Qiu Dayong said professionally as he looked back during his spare time.

These bricks are already loose.

Replacing it is not difficult.

A bricklayer said to Qian Jin, "Chief Qian, we're short of cement, quite a bit."

Qian Jin replied calmly, "You all go about your other tasks first, I'll go and allocate the cement."

There's plenty of cement in the mall.

Bulk mortar cement, CGM high-strength non-shrink cement, quick-drying cement, and high-standard 525 cement.

Inexpensive.

Moreover, even though each bag weighed 20 kilograms, the packaging bag was no more than one meter long. Qian Jin bought a bunch of them in the building and then found a few new recruits from the commando team to carry them onto a cart and push them to the warehouse.

With enough bricks available, the cement delivery made the repair work much easier.

All the loose bricks were removed, and new bricks were stuffed in with cement mortar and laid down. The wall started to take shape.

Just to be on the safe side, Qian Jin gritted his teeth and decided to undertake a major project: "I'll use my connections to get some more bricks. We have more than enough cement here. We'll reinforce the walls inside and out with an extra layer of bricks!"

Wang Dong's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "That's great, but it just so happens that we're building another warehouse."

Qian Jin shook his head: "That's far from enough. Besides, where on Taishan Road can we find such a large open space to build a warehouse these days?"

A major project has been launched.

It was already noon, and Wei Qinghuan and her team made dumplings. The repair team ate dumplings for lunch.

It's finally Mid-Autumn Festival.

The lingering heat of late summer is beginning to subside.

There was no sun today, and the wind brought a chill that was absent in summer and early autumn.

By noon, the leaden clouds were pressing down lower and lower, and it seemed that another autumn rain was inevitable.

As a result, when large bowls of dumplings were delivered by tricycle, their steaming appearance made them even more mouthwatering.

Wang Dongxian, who was climbing a ladder and pressing himself against the eaves to study the roof, saw this scene and quickly shouted:

"Sister Wei has brought the food!"

"I see it! It's steaming hot; it must be a delicious meal!"

Wei Qinghuan smoothed the stray strands of hair that fell to her temples and laughed, "How did I become Sister Wei? That won't do, it makes me sound old."

Qian Jin also said, "Don't call her that. There is only one Sister Wei on Taishan Road, and that is our Sister Wei Xiangmi."

"Okay, then it's Teacher Wei bringing the delicious food," Wang Dong continued to call out.

The team members were already starving, and upon hearing this, they immediately stopped what they were doing. The trowels, saws, and hammers clanged to the side, and dozens of people swarmed around them.

Wei Qinghuan shook the large basin, and the plump, white dumplings swayed inside like they were on a roller coaster.

Qian went in to wash his hands and said, "Teacher Wei's dumplings are a must-try on Taishan Road. I'll let you have a taste today."

Wei Qinghuan prepared the filling for the dumplings, but she didn't make them herself. Instead, she organized some of the wives from the team to make the dumplings together.

This was also Qian Jin's arrangement.

The team members have money, and their ambitions have grown.

To keep an eye on them, we need to start from their homes.

So Qian Jin planned to have Wei Qinghuan organize the wives of the team members. In the future, when the economic situation improves, if anyone dares to have an affair, solicit prostitutes, or keep a mistress, their wives can ask Wei Qinghuan to step in and solve the problem.

These days, women are all skilled at making dumplings, steaming flatbreads, and pulling noodles.

The dumplings may look different, but the skins are all so thin that you can vaguely see the color of the filling through them.

There are two kinds of dumplings. One is filled with celery and minced meat, with bright green celery shreds mixed with tender pink minced meat. The other is filled with green beans and minced meat. The green beans are first blanched and cooked until soft, then mixed with the meat filling, glistening with oil.

"Wow! These dumplings are really delicious! Just the smell is making my mouth water!" Qiu Dayong wiped his hands clean and was the first to come over.

No need for bowls; everyone carries their own enamel mugs, which are used for drinking water and for holding food at mealtimes.

Wei Qinghuan scooped a full jar of dumplings for Qiu Dayong, who didn't use chopsticks but reached out and picked one up and put it in his mouth.

The round dumpling was bitten open, and scalding hot juice immediately overflowed, both fragrant and piping hot.

He exhaled a few breaths, then chewed twice and swallowed, squinting his eyes with a satisfied expression: "Delicious! So delicious! The celery is so crisp, there must be a lot of meat in it, it smells amazing!"

Wei Qinghuan laughed and said, "There's really a lot of meat. You guys are benefiting from the mobile canteen."

The mobile canteens can earn back the meat ration coupons.

Money and grain coupons had to be handed over to the public, but other coupons such as meat coupons and cloth coupons were not required; the labor shock brigades kept them for themselves.

The workers swarmed around, laughing and joking, grabbing one after another.

Wang Dong squatted in the corner, holding an enamel mug containing only a few dumplings.

He carefully bit off a corner, slurped up a mouthful of the delicious broth, then dipped it in the garlic vinegar that Wei Qinghuan had brought, swallowed it in one bite, and chewed slowly, nodding repeatedly and beaming with joy.

Qian Jin asked in surprise, "Hey, Dong-ge, you've changed your ways? Not a glutton today? You're only eating these few?"

Wang Dong chuckled: "A good-for-nothing will always be a good-for-nothing; that can't be changed."

"But I'm smart now. Look at Dayong, he's like an idiot. He made a huge bowl of dumplings. When will it ever cool down?"

"Look at me, I only have five or six of these, hehe, they'll get cold in no time. I'll fill them up when they're cold, I can eat a lot!"

Upon hearing this, Qian Jin looked down at his enamel mug full of dumplings and couldn't help but sigh.

Miscalculated.

"Who told you I eat slowly?" Qiu Dayong stomped his feet, burning himself, but grinned from ear to ear. "So what if it's hot? I can still eat it even if it's hot!"

Qian Jin quickly stopped him: "Don't eat scalding hot food, it will hurt your stomach and esophagus."

Wei Qinghuan also said, "Eat slowly, there's plenty to go around!"

"Sister-in-law, your red bean paste is really good. Could you teach my wife how to make it?" A young man came over to try and get closer to her.

Wei Qinghuan snapped her fingers: "No problem, we'll organize the wives of our labor shock brigade to hold a kitchen class in the future."

"Teacher Wei not only teaches math, physics, and chemistry, but also cooking!"

"Great!" everyone shouted.

Shi Zhentao held the bowl and slurped down the dumpling soup. A few scallions and oil droplets floated in the soup, and the hot soup slid down his throat, warming him up all over.

He picked up a dumpling, held it up to the light, and said, "Teacher Wei's skills are amazing. He rolls the wrappers so thin and puts in so much filling. My wife could never learn that. She's so clumsy, she could never do it!"

Wei Qinghuan took out her notebook and said, "I've written down your evaluation. I'll tell Xiaoxing about it later."

"No, please!" Shi Zhentao quickly begged for mercy.

"Hurry up and eat yours." Su Changshun's mouth was glistening with oil as he ate, and he only said this one sentence the whole time.

He doesn't like to talk, and he feels that talking too much makes it easy to say the wrong thing.

Isn't it silly to talk while eating?
Look at most of the team members, they don't say anything, they just keep wolfing down their food.

These people had their cheeks puffed out high. When someone choked, they quickly gulped down a mouthful of dumpling soup to help them swallow, and then eagerly picked up another dumpling.

Qian Jin squatted on the pile of bricks, eating slowly and deliberately, but he couldn't help but eat one after another.

The cold wind cooled the dumpling skin quickly, but the inside was still piping hot when you bit into it.

The meat juices and vegetable aromas burst in his mouth, making him sweat: "It's already Mid-Autumn Festival, why is it still so hot?"

Wei Qinghuan watched everyone eating heartily, her eyes crinkling with laughter: "Slow down, I told you there's plenty! There's another big pot cooking later!"

The sounds of people slurping dumplings, drinking soup, and sighing contentedly mingled together on the construction site.

The calluses on my hands, the dust on my clothes, and the fatigue from the morning were all soothed and comforted by this meal of dumplings.

Dozens of people sat in a large circle, some squatting, some sitting on bricks, and some standing against the wall, eating and sweating profusely, chatting about everyday things, their laughter rising and falling.

Qiu Dayong, envious, suggested, "Chief Qian, Teacher Wei, how about our labor commando team celebrates the Spring Festival together this year?"

"Let's make dumplings together and have New Year's Eve dinner together. We'll do it in the study room; it's big enough!" Qian Jin finished the dumpling soup and was full.

He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and said, "No problem, we'll see. If anyone wants to celebrate the New Year together, we'll celebrate together."

"Today is Chinese New Year," Wang Dong said, looking up before lowering his head to continue drinking his soup.

Many people nodded.

This dumpling meal was simple.

Yet those who eat it feel a deep sense of happiness.

After the meal, the repair work continued. The warehouse was in terrible condition, and it would take more than a day or two to clean it up.

Qian Jin couldn't keep an eye on things all the time, so in the end, the matter was handed over to Su Changshun to take charge.

Qiu Dayong, Wang Dong, and Xu Weidong still have to go to work.

The roof is the most important and also the most troublesome part of the renovation work.

Su Changshun specially selected several agile young men to be in charge of repairing the roof.

They are not a professional team and do not know how to erect scaffolding.

Therefore, the tool needed for the repair work is still a ladder.

Long ladders were placed against the eaves, and the young people quickly climbed up to begin removing the broken tiles.

Broken tiles fell like rain, but were caught by people below using canvas.

One must live frugally.

Some of the tiles can still be used after some picking and choosing.

"Half of the rafters are rotten," shouted the young man who climbed onto the roof to inspect them. "They need to be replaced."

The carpentry team immediately sprang into action, passing up the pre-processed rafters one by one.

Qiu Dayong found a professional bricklayer for the labor commando team, who personally went to the roof to guide the installation.
"The spacing must be uniform for the load-bearing capacity to be balanced."

The sunlight grew stronger, shining brightly on the new white walls of the warehouse.

The accumulated tiles were laid out on the ground.

The bricklayer came down and kicked at the tiles, shaking his head repeatedly: "These tiles are no good anymore, just throw them away and replace them with new ones."

Su Changshun was reluctant: "Tiles are hard to find now, we can't just make do with what we have?"

The bricklayer shook his head again: "How can we make do with this? Look at these tiles, they're probably older than both of us combined!"

"Relying on them for shelter from the wind and rain? Forget about it."

Su Changshun asked, "What if we rely on them for weight-bearing? They're good for sheltering from the wind and rain."

He beckoned, and two young men brought over a thick, heavy waterproof tarpaulin.

The bricklayer rubbed his eyes upon seeing it: "Is this a tarpaulin? Why is it so shiny?"

Su Changshun said, "I don't know, but it's something that our Boss Qian got through some connections. He said it's a windproof and rainproof material used abroad, made of asphalt and aluminum foil. It can block water and insulate heat. It's really amazing."

The bricklayer went up and rubbed it, muttering, "We're just amateur craftsmen, we've never seen anything so amazing before, how are we supposed to use this?"

Following Qian Jin's instructions, Su Changshun said, "It's very simple. Isn't it just about taking off the tiles, putting them back on, and then weighing them down with more tiles?"

"Anyway, we just added a waterproof layer. As for the rest, it's up to your expertise."

The bricklayer nodded and said, "I understand. It's just like plastic sheeting; to avoid sunlight, you still need roof tiles to block it."

"That's fine. These tiles are alright; they can last a while longer."

Su Changshun scratched his temple with his index finger.

He remembered it wasn't like that.

Qian Jin said that the tarpaulin is made of some kind of advanced material that is resistant to aging, waterproof, and sun protection with strong durability. In fact, it becomes sticky when exposed to sunlight, and the tiles on it are attached to it by these materials to keep them in place and protect them.

But these are not the point.

The important thing is that they have to do the work.

Su Changshun and the bricklayers directed the work, and the young men laid out the tarpaulin section by section, then spread the freshly mixed mortar evenly on the roof, and then laid the tiles one by one.

Having a professional mentor makes all the difference.

Each tile was placed neatly and orderly, and the gaps between the tiles were filled with mortar.

"This job requires careful attention, otherwise the roof will leak when it rains," the bricklayer instructed his teammate as he laid the tiles.

The carpentry team then began to rebuild the doors and windows.

This job is relatively simple; it involves carefully selecting wood based on the original style of the warehouse's doors and windows, and then cutting and sanding it.

"Make this door sturdier, nail in more wooden strips," Su Changshun said to the carpenter in charge of making the door.

"From now on, this warehouse will serve as both a production workshop and a warehouse, so we need to be careful about theft prevention..."

Qian Jin took some time to check on the work progress and found that Su Changshun's palms were already worn raw.

Repairing old houses is really hard work.

Su Changshun is the most capable man, his palms are covered in calluses, but now they are worn raw, which shows how hard he has worked these past two days.

Qian Jin rushed home to the mall to buy hydrogen peroxide to clean the wound and then wrapped it with gauze.

Su Changshun didn't say anything, casually wrapped the gauze with tape, and continued working.

On the third day, all the new rafters were installed.

After the tiles were cleaned, they were grouted and installed on the roof. The gray-black tiles gleamed in the sunlight, like fish scales.

An electrician hired by the neighborhood committee is installing new electrical wires.

The electrical wires were provided by Qian Jin himself.

It is naturally a product of the online store.

The electrician initially paid no attention to the black-insulated wires, but upon closer inspection, he was astonished:
"Pure copper-clad aluminum wire? Where did you get that?"

Wang Dong, who came to help, asked, "Is it something good?"

The electrician said, "Absolutely! It's definitely a good product. The city government used this when they were renovating the circuits this year."

"This type of wire has high conductivity, stable voltage, low resistance, saves electricity, and has a longer lifespan."

Wang Dong was stunned, not understanding anything, only knowing that it was a good thing.

It's normal that he doesn't understand; even electricians don't know the true power of these wires.

Their outer insulation layer uses a flame-retardant material that is not currently available. They look ordinary, but they are actually flame-retardant, fireproof, and heat-resistant.

Moreover, it is very flexible, soft and resistant to bending, cold and heat, waterproof and oil-proof. Basically, the warehouse will not need to replace the wires until it is demolished.

Led by the electrician, the young men carefully embedded conduits inside the wall and then threaded in brand-new copper wires.

"Conditions are so much better now, we can even use copper wire," the electrician remarked. "Years ago, even aluminum wire was in short supply."

Once the light is installed and powered on, it shines brightly.

I can work overtime tonight.

The new doors and windows made by the carpentry team were also completed later.

Qian Jin personally applied anti-corrosion paint to the door frame, which was naturally a product of the mall.

The brand-new wood was coated with anti-corrosion paint three times, gradually turning into a beautiful amber color.

The windows have been fitted with glass and fixed with putty, and they gleam in the sunlight.

The interior and exterior walls have been renovated and painted.

Qian Jin also demanded that the painting be done to a high standard, requiring four coats.

Once the doors and windows were installed, the final coat of paint began.

The lime water was stirred in a large iron bucket, emitting a pungent odor.

The young team members used long-handled brushes dipped in white paste to draw arcs on the wall.

In no time, everyone turned into "white people," with even their eyelashes covered in lime specks.

"Watch the edges!" Su Changshun was very meticulous and kept reminding his subordinates, "The brush must be steady, and there should be no dripping."

With this round of wall painting finished, the warehouse renovation is complete, and it looks brand new.

Qian Jin came to inspect the goods.

The walls were snow-white, the roof tiles were gray-black, and the grass-green doors and windows were covered with a layer of amber-colored paint, which shimmered in the sunlight.

Qian Jin had prepared the signboard in advance.

Taishan Road People's Garment Factory.

He had Su Changshun climb the ladder and nail the signboard directly above the warehouse door.

The team members below clapped wildly, and some even whistled.

Su Changshun was an honest man and felt embarrassed about it: "Chief Qian, this should be your job. I'm just a worker."

Qian Jin patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "Yes, you're the one who does the work. We comrades are all working class who can do the work."

"You led the team that built this warehouse, so if you're not the one who should put up the sign, who is?"

"Isn't that right, comrades?"

The team members roared, "Yes! Yes!"

Standing at the back of the crowd, Wang Dong looked at the newly built warehouse and suddenly remembered the job, family, and this large collective that he had almost lost.

At this moment, amidst the collective joy, he felt a long-lost sense of fulfillment.

Some things are more important and more valuable than physical desires.

Fortunately, I didn't make a big mistake.

The mistakes he made can still be remedied.

Just like this warehouse, although it is dilapidated, as long as the skeleton is still there, it can be demolished and rebuilt. There is always a way to make it brand new!
(End of this chapter)