The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 242 The Pilot Group for the Introduction of Imported Goods is Established, and a New Era Arrives.
Then, Yi Xuebing, Feng Changfan, Cui Hu and other core cadres spoke one by one.

Wei Bin concluded slowly and deliberately:
"I think the comrades have already grasped the spirit of the Central Committee's instructions and the key points of the documents from the provincial and central government's headquarters."

He turned slightly to look at Jiang Mao beside him, "Next, please let Comrade Jiang Mao read out the specific work arrangements and requirements of the Central Supply and Marketing Cooperative for the supply and marketing cooperatives in various provinces and cities."

Jiang Mao straightened his back, picked up a red-headed, printed document from the table, and raised his voice again.

The wording on the document remained rigorous, official, and highly directive:
"...Supply and marketing cooperatives at all levels must take immediate action and unify their thinking with the spirit of the Party's plenary session..."

We must thoroughly liberate our minds and break free from the shackles of outdated ideas...

We must earnestly promote the implementation of economic system reforms within the supply and marketing system…

We must be bold in exploring new methods and pathways in the field of commodity circulation...

We must strengthen our own development, improve our service capabilities and economic efficiency…

These directives, after the groundwork laid by the previous intellectual fervor, no longer sounded hollow to the audience.

The market structure needs to change, and the economic operating model also needs to change.

As the vanguard of the economy, their supply and marketing system must have a high enough awareness to understand the instructions of higher-level units and complete the work arrangements made by them.

Qian Jin thought the meeting was over and was about to close his notebook.

Wei Bin cleared his throat, glanced at him, and then spoke calmly again:
"The key to implementing the spirit is execution. Based on the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee and the latest instructions from the Central Supply and Marketing Cooperative, and in light of the actual situation of supply and marketing work in our city, the higher authorities have decided..."

He paused, then spoke with even greater clarity and force, “Establish a ‘Pilot Group for the Introduction of Imported Goods’.”

"The Foreign Investment Office will take the lead, with Comrade Qian Jin in charge, and relevant departments such as foreign affairs investigation, statistics, finance and accounting, and warehousing will provide full cooperation."

"any questions?"

The heads of the relevant departments and offices immediately stood up: "No problem."

Wei Bin pointed at Qian Jin: "I'm going to go over the work objectives of the pilot group for the introduction of imported goods now, so please remember them clearly."

Qian Jin opened his notebook and continued writing with flowing strokes.

His responsibilities became heavier.

What he is recording now is not words, but a battle outline:
"We need to understand the international market situation for bulk agricultural and sideline products and daily necessities, select high-quality and marketable goods, try to open up import channels, and bring truly high-quality and inexpensive imported goods into our city's market as soon as possible."

"We must not only meet the growing material needs of the people, but also accumulate experience for the country to explore new paths for earning foreign exchange!"

It's no exaggeration to say that all eyes in the conference room eventually focused on Qian Jin.

Qian Jin felt a surge of heat rush from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, instantly clearing the stale air from his chest.

A heavy burden, unlike anything I'd ever felt before, weighed on my shoulders, yet I was filled with immense excitement and drive.

Before the burning gazes subsided, or even before Wei Bin had finished speaking, he straightened up without hesitation:
"Guaranteed to complete the mission!"

Six words, resolute and decisive, echoed in the smoke-filled conference room.

He was well aware that this was both a responsibility and a rare opportunity.

As long as he does a good job in the team, his promotion will never stop!

As the meeting ended and Qian Jin walked out of that suffocating conference room, his steps were as fast as the wind.

He strode through the long corridor covered with old, dark red lacquered cloth. A cold wind blew in through the cracks in the wooden window at the end of the corridor, which was not fully closed, and felt strangely refreshing on his sweaty forehead.

When the meeting adjourned, Wei Bin gave him a mimeographed document titled "Pilot Group Working Authority and Contact List".

The paper, though light as a feather, felt heavy.

what is this?
It's an imperial sword!
It was the tiger tally and official seal he used to travel between departments and deploy troops!

Upon arriving at the side building, staff from the Foreign Business Office were hurrying around.

Much work has already begun.

Various products have long been introduced into supply and marketing units, especially the products in Friendship Store, which have undergone a lot of upgrades and replacements.

At this moment, the two deputy directors, Cheng Xia and Sun Jian, were busily arranging various tasks:
"Old Li, find all the correspondence between our city and the major intermediaries in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, as well as the rubber and tin dealers in Southeast Asia over the years. The more complete, the better..."

"Hey Zhao, Zhao, what are you doing with those materials? Oh, going to the archives to make copies? Perfect, then borrow the International Agricultural and Sideline Product Price Yearbook from the archives, especially the ones about Southeast Asian re-export markets from the last two years..."

"Li Xiang, go to the switchboard right now and ask. They said last week they would set up a dedicated external phone line for our office, but why hasn't anything happened yet?"

Li Xiang tidied her hair and hurried along.

Sun Jian poked his head out of the office and shouted, "Tell them that our business with foreign clients urgently needs this! Go now!"

"Oh, Director Qian, you're back from the meeting? Do you have any important messages to share?"

Qian Jin waved his hand: "You guys are busy, let's get busy with the conference this month. We're going to be very busy soon."

The foreign business office was already very busy at this time.

Like a machine that has been wound up tightly.

The rustling of pages, the clanging of drawers being rummaged through, and the hurried footsteps created a tense yet vibrant atmosphere inside and outside the office.

This stands in stark contrast to other departments.

The market economy system is too rigid; the supply and marketing system should be a vibrant and dynamic place.

As a result, it's the same old things every year, and we're dealing with the same fixed types of products, which has led to a sense of numbness in the work of each department.

just now.

Energy is here!

Not long after Qian Jin returned to his office, the logistics department delivered a large desk to him.

The table was too big to be moved into the stairwell or the office door, so the logistics department disassembled and reassembled it.

A batch of documents were also delivered along with the desk.

Qian Jin asked the supervisor in charge, "Why did they send over something like this?"

The supervisor chuckled: "It was arranged by General Manager Wei."

Open the file; inside is a brand new map.

The smallest unit is the entire province, and then there are maps of China, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Asia, and even the world.

These maps are different from the items in Xinhua Bookstore; each one has two words marked in the upper left corner:

confidential.

These maps show the locations and contact information of various units closely related to foreign trade.

Along the winding coastline, countless port signs were marked. His gaze followed the signs from Guangzhou, Xiamen, and Fuzhou all the way to that glittering little point where goods from all directions converged—Hong Kong Island.

When it was lunchtime, he specifically called his men over to look at the map: "Come on, comrades, let's all get to know this place."

He pointed forcefully at the location on Hong Kong Island with the tip of his pencil: "This is our country's most important transshipment port! It's a bridgehead for exploring the route for imported goods!"

"So, comrades, 1978 is about to pass and we will soon welcome 1979. In the new year, I have new arrangements for your language work."

"Learn Cantonese!"

Everyone was stunned.

I have to study again!

Is the Foreign Investment Office a government department or a school?

Cheng Xia sighed on the spot, "Director Qian, we are just too busy right now."

Qian Jin smiled and said, "I know, I know you're all very busy, so I got this benefit for you."

"Benefits?" Sun Jian, who was looking at the map, looked up.

After spending nearly a quarter of time together, he had gotten a better understanding of Qian Jin's temperament.

Qian Jin wouldn't exaggerate or deceive them; if he said there were benefits, there must be something good about them.
"Director Qian, please don't keep us in suspense. What are the benefits of learning Cantonese?"

Qian Jin lowered his voice and asked, "You know Hong Kong movies, right? Martial arts films, romance films, gunfight films, even horror films."

Sun Jian and the other young men exchanged glances and nodded frantically: "Jackie Chan, I know Jackie Chan with the big nose, he made 'Drunken Master' this year, and 'Popular Cinema' magazine said he's the best fighter..."

"Nonsense, only Bruce Lee could fight. I have a magazine at home, it's probably in Cantonese, and it's dedicated to Bruce Lee..."

"Director, can we see 'Small Town Story'?"

"That's a Taiwanese movie. They don't speak Cantonese; they speak Hokkien!"

Qian Jin nodded after hearing these words, feeling very gratified.

It's quite rare these days that someone even knows the difference between Cantonese and Hokkien. It seems I do have some talented people under my command.

He praised her a few times, and then said, "I will try to get an opportunity from my superiors to learn Cantonese."

"How do you learn? Learn by watching movies!"

Upon hearing this, the young people were immediately overjoyed: "Can this really work?"

Qian Jin said, "Don't worry, it will definitely work."

"To improve learning efficiency, we should not only watch movies from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, but also movies from Europe, America, Japan and South Korea, and listen to Cantonese songs, Hokkien songs and foreign language songs."

Everyone was overjoyed and forgot about eating, raising their fists and shouting "Long live!"

Sun Jian was the most clever. He shouted "Long live Director Qian!" and then added "Long live the Foreign Business Office!" to cover up his true intentions.

Qian Jin scoffed: "Don't talk nonsense, it's 'Long live the people!'"

In the days that followed, the Foreign Investment Office plunged headlong into the ever-changing ocean of global commodity information.

Qian Jin was the busiest person there; the light in his study often stayed on all night.

Foreign-invested enterprises can quickly identify gaps in their business capabilities.

As the director, he must set an example.

He is the benchmark.

In this way, everyone is a student, and he is the most diligent student. Then, when it comes to work, everyone is a hunter hunting for foreign trade goods, and he has to be the most astute hunter.

He had to study day and night, flipping through materials, searching for documents, and checking quotations.

He preferred the foreign business office to the dull work atmosphere of other departments.

The mountains of empty reports that used to pile up on everyone's desks are no longer just empty reports.

Instead, they were trade briefings painstakingly collected from the commercial sections of consulates of various countries, partial membership lists printed by the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Chinese Business Association, and even clippings of local business information brought back by relatives and friends of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia.

Countless sheets of telex-printed paper, filled with the names and prices of various agricultural products, local specialties, and industrial semi-finished products, were spread out, labeled, and compared.

His busy schedule wasn't limited to the foreign business office; he was also thriving in the small collective enterprises under the labor commando team.

At the end of the month, he took a day off to focus on his work at the People's Garment Factory.

The factory building wasn't convenient for office work, but rooms 204 and 205 of the dormitory building were cleared out and are now the offices of the labor commando team.

It's very cold today, and light snow is falling.

The cold wind of late 1978, carrying snowflakes, forced its way in through the cracks in the windows that couldn't be closed properly, howling and swirling around inside.

The tin stove in the corner was burning red-hot, and the coal inside was crackling, but it couldn't dispel the bone-chilling damp cold in the air.

Qian Jin rubbed his hands together, and could only warm them by holding the teacup first.

He was thinking about putting an electric foot warmer under his feet in the future, but this thing requires a lot of power from the circuit, and he didn't know if the old tenement building could handle it.

The chair was icy cold, and as soon as I sat down, I couldn't help but clench my anus and tighten my testicles. Even with the collar of my military overcoat turned up, it couldn't stop the cold air from seeping into my neck.

Then he sat down here for a short while.

There was a light knock on the slightly ajar office door.

He was an old team member named Pang Gongbing. He was meticulous and thoughtful, and Qian Jin selected him to be the secretary of the commando team's general office.

Pang Gongbing poked his head in, his expression somewhat strange: "Chief Qian, um, we got a message from the factory saying there are some people outside, but they don't seem to be here to buy pants or trench coats..."

"Hmm?" Qian Jin didn't look up. "Can't you see you're busy?"

He is studying the new policies, looking for clues that would allow small collective enterprises to operate more freely, so he needs to concentrate on his work at this time.

"Chief Qian, I know you're very busy here, but Chief Engineer Zhang hopes you can come and take a look." Engineer Pang's voice was even lower, a little hesitant. "It's a few... uh, not ordinary customers, but secretaries and directors from other units..."

Qian Jin suddenly looked up, his pencil resting on the newspaper.

"Ok?"

This time, his voice carried a hint of doubt.

The factory doesn't have a telephone line, so we have to ask someone to run errands for everything, which is very inconvenient.

So he sighed and said, "We still need a phone. Secretary Pang, you should make the trip yourself."

"Our unit has two top priorities at the start of the year."

He stretched out two fingers that were red from the cold, rubbed them together, and breathed on them: "Install a telephone in the commando office and the new workshop of the garment factory!"

Upon hearing that there was a work assignment, Pang Gongbing quickly took out his notebook and began writing. After listening, he looked up in surprise:

"Install...install a telephone?"

He subconsciously adjusted his glasses, which had slipped down to the tip of his nose: "Chief Qian, this kind of thing is probably beyond the reach of our small collective enterprise, isn't it?"

Qian Jin didn't reply, but simply leaned back in his chair.

He gestured with his chin toward Engineer Pang, the meaning of which couldn't be clearer: "What's wrong? Isn't our small collective enterprise a collective of the working people? State-owned enterprises can afford telephones, but we can't?"

"If you tell me to do it, then do it. If you encounter any difficulties that you can't resolve, then tell me. Next year, we're not only going to buy telephones, but also cars!"

Pang Gongbing was dumbfounded.

He really wanted to ask, "Boss, are you out of your mind from the cold? It's not that cold today, is it?"
Pang Gongbing took a deep breath and unconsciously rubbed his hands together on the hem of his trousers:
"Chief Qian, if you'll allow me to voice my difficulties, then I won't hold back. I've actually inquired about this matter, but getting it done is incredibly difficult, harder than climbing to heaven!"

His voice lowered, carrying a sense of awe and helplessness towards the barriers of rules, characteristic of an experienced clerk:

"The first hurdle is qualifications! The post office has a very high threshold!"

He held up his index finger, as if listing a series of cold, ironclad rules: "To install a telephone, you need a 'letter of introduction from your work unit,' and it has to be the kind with a red header and a bright red seal!"

“What level of organization is our ‘Taishan Road Labor Commando Team’? It’s a temporary agency under the street office! Does the post office even recognize us? Even if they reluctantly do, what will the letter of introduction say? ‘For convenient contact with internal work’? That reason is as good as not saying anything at all!”

He paused, looking at Qian Jin's still calm face, and continued, "According to the rules, private... oh no, organizational applications require proof of 'special occupational needs'."

"What's special? Doctors rushing to the emergency room in the middle of the night and reporters rushing to publish news articles! Our garment factory operating sewing machines, the emergency response team pulling carts to transport waste materials, and the mobile canteen selling spicy hot pot and barbecue—that's not special."

“I’ve inquired about it, Chief Qian. In many big cities, like the capital, you don’t even qualify to submit an application without being a ‘bureau-level’ cadre!”

“Our Haibin City is a small place. Even if we loosen the rules, will this ‘Labor Commando Team’ sign carry enough weight to knock on the door of the post office? I dare not say, but I think it’s doubtful, very doubtful!”

Whether it was the weather or the content of his conversation that made him feel cold, he sat down by the stove to warm himself and continued speaking:
"The second hurdle is money! Chief Qian, that's real money, a mountain that can crush a person!"

He held up three fingers, trembling slightly: "Installation fee! I asked someone I know at the post office, and the current rate is this much just for the 'installation fee' for a telephone—"

He shook his three fingers vigorously. "Three thousand yuan, no less! Three thousand yuan, Chief Qian. If you want to install two, that's a minimum of six thousand yuan!"

“Our task force has money in its account. I’ve heard that the garment factory is making a fortune every day, but that’s all collective money. Large-scale fund usage requires district approval, and I’m guessing the district won’t approve it…”

Looking at the way he shook his head.

Qian Jin shook his head even more.

He really didn't know that getting a telephone number these days was so difficult.

You know, when their department was first established, the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives made a phone call, and the post office and telecommunications bureau came over and installed a telephone in their office.

Regardless of the size of the office or even the meeting room, all are equipped with telephones.

When he lived in the tenement building, he didn't need or plan to install a telephone, but when he moved into the duplex, there was a telephone right inside.

I never imagined that telephones would become such a luxury item.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Pang Gongbing also stopped talking and just stared at him expectantly.

Qian Jin asked, "Is everything alright? Are these the only difficulties?"

Pang Gongbing was stunned, as if he had been choked by his words.

He took a breath and continued, "That's not all! It's still about money. Material costs and construction costs are separate!"

"Pole installation, wiring, drilling holes in walls—all of these cost money. When the post office workers come, can we skimp on cigarettes and tea for them, but can we skimp on their wages?"

"All things considered, one phone will cost at least four thousand! Two phones, that's almost ten thousand! Almost ten thousand!"

Pang Gongbing counted on his fingers to calculate for him, but then shook his head again, "There are so many households on Taishan Road. Even if a family saved for three years without eating or drinking, they might not be able to save this much!"

The cold wind howled outside the window, whipping up snowflakes that slapped against the windowpane.

A thin layer of ice appeared on the glass.

(End of this chapter)