The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 243 Trench Coats Sold Out Like Hotcakes, A Pillow for the Sleepy

Qian Jin said, "Money is no problem. Our small collective enterprise makes so much money. Can't we even install a telephone if the collective needs one?"

"Just install one for 205 and one for the factory area. It's a necessary part of the work."

"I'll take care of the application report; you just need to oversee the installation and deployment."

"It's not that simple, boss. After passing the qualification review, submitting the application, and paying this damn initial installation fee, what's next?" Pang Gongbing quickly continued to pour out his grievances.

"And then you have to wait! Wait in long lines. As far as I know, the application books at the post office can stretch for miles. Why? Because the wires are incredibly valuable! There are only a few copper wires, and so many eyes are watching them."

"Foreign-related hotels, large government agencies, state-owned factories... those are the real beneficiaries! They get priority in supplies! What about small street factories and temporary organizations like ours?"

He sighed heavily and shook his head. "When will this ever happen? I heard that the approvals from the provincial capital last year are still pending, and it'll take at least another year and a half!"

"Who here... knows?"

He spread his hands, finally revealing an even more disheartening technological reality:
"Also, even if we do get it installed, Chief Qian, that phone isn't as reliable as you think."

His face showed an expression that was a mixture of helplessness and self-deprecation:

"I know this area like the back of my hand. They still use those outdated 'carrier telephones'! What does that mean? It means several households are connected to one line!"

"The moment you pick up the phone at the post office, good heavens, who knows whose voice will come through! People gossiping about this family, that family's daughter-in-law scolding her mother-in-law..."

"I heard you perfectly well! Want to have a quiet conversation? No way! You might be talking to Director Wang about fabric prices when suddenly you hear Old Zhao from your boss's building yelling at his son to come home for dinner!"

"Will this work? Not to mention some more remote areas where we still have to rely on old-fashioned 'manual switchboards,' where you have to dial the main switchboard and, in a high-pitched voice, say to the operator, 'Excuse me, could you please connect me to number XXX...'"

"That young lady was in a good mood and had some free time, so she just plugged it in and sent it to you! Such efficiency..."

Qian Jin waved his hand: "That's not right. There's a telephone in the building where I live, so there's no need for this. I can just dial directly."

Pang Gongbing chuckled: "It's definitely different, Chief Qian, yours is a dedicated line for the supply and marketing system."

"One is a municipal government line, and the other is a supply and marketing cooperative line. These two lines are definitely convenient, but can our unit apply for a telephone through the supply and marketing system?"

He shook his head: "Impossible. This requires your president's personal approval. How could he approve this for our commando team?"

"Besides, I don't think we can let him know the specifics of your relationship with our commando team, otherwise I'm afraid he'll have a problem with you..."

This makes sense.

Qian Jin listened silently, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the armrest of the chair, making soft tapping sounds.

Pang Gongbing subconsciously looked at him.

I found that his face did not have the solemnity or frustration I had expected; instead, it had an almost rock-solid calmness.

This made him admire Qian Jin even more.

The other person is younger than me, but much stronger!

"Qualifications?" Qian Jin finally spoke up. "Our 'Taishan Road Labor Commando Team' isn't a strong enough brand, so let's change it to something stronger."

He leaned forward slightly, his sharp gaze fixed on Engineer Pang:

“When the district’s main leaders came to inspect the garment factory’s production at the beginning of the month, what did they say? ‘The Taishan Road model is a new way to solve employment and develop small collectives, and we should support it!’ Is that still written in your meeting minutes?”

Pang Gongbing sneered, "They're just here to go through the motions, trying to use this as a pretext to make a big show of things..."

“Don’t worry about this or that,” Qian Jin interrupted him, pointing to the small notebook on his lap.

"Take this record to Director Wei, and have her submit a report to the district government on behalf of the street party committee and the neighborhood committee office!"

"This demonstrates the 'special contribution' and 'urgent communication needs' of our task force and garment factory in solving the employment problems of educated youth returning to the city and developing the street economy!"

"Please have the district leaders approve and issue a formal letter of introduction for the post office application, stamped with the official red seal, in the name of the district government!"

"Does the district government have enough influence to qualify for a 'bureau-level' position? Does it meet the requirements for a 'special occupation'?"

Pang Gongbing was stunned.

He instinctively tried to shake his head.

Qian Jin slammed his hand on the table impatiently: "Hey, Secretary Pang, do you know why you can be a secretary but not a team leader? It's because you are indeed meticulous and have a sharp mind, but you are too timid."

"Everything requires trying. We should try this first. We should use the connections in the district if necessary. If they work, great. If not, we'll think of other ways."

Pang Gongbing said, "Then we'll have to rely on the district for everything. Look, the approval of the funds..."

“Approval my ass,” Qian Jin said decisively. “Take out all the working capital that the garment factory can use first. If that’s not enough, apply to the street credit union for a special short-term loan to support the development of small collective enterprises in the name of the labor commando team.”

“We need to mortgage it…” Pang Gongbing said immediately.

He was indeed very familiar with the relationships and tasks that needed to be handled by both the labor shock brigades and small collective enterprises.

Qian Jin said, "The mortgage is simple. Let Director Wei handle it. Use the other assets of the neighborhood committee as collateral!"

“The streets have been getting a lot of benefits from our mobile canteens, mobile repair shops and garment factories. It’s time for them to spit out a bone.”

He paused, his gaze intense: "As for queuing..."

Qian Jin laughed and said, "This is the simplest. The line is dead, but the person is alive."

"Go and see which leader in charge of infrastructure construction at the post office is involved, and whether he has any connection with our Taishan Road."

"If you have connections, then make use of them. Give gifts when appropriate, and do things when necessary."

"Then we'll just say that our task force and the garment factory are stuck in the queue for installing telephones, and it's urgent. If the leaders are just a little bit more 'flexible' in 'line resource allocation,' they can move our application from 'when the monkey will come and when the horse will come' to 'when the horse will come and when the monkey will come,' and the matter will be settled."

Pang Gongbing was stunned, and a fine layer of cold sweat seeped out from his back without him realizing it.

Qian Jin's series of moves, from leveraging the district government and securing mortgage loans to indirectly using personal connections, all skirted the edge of the rules yet precisely wedged into the cracks of reality.

Wild, the road is so wild!

But behind this unconventional approach lies the young leader's extraordinary talent and ambition, which defies all expectations.

At this moment, Pang Gongbing was convinced.

Now that reform and opening up have begun, Qian Jin will surely be able to lead this dilapidated ship of the Labor Shock Team to brave the winds and waves!
"Then, the problem with the crosstalk in the 'carrier telephone'..." Pang Gongbing subconsciously asked the last technical question.

After asking the question, he awkwardly rubbed his hands together.

This is the least of my worries.

Sure enough, Qian Jin chuckled and looked at him with a slightly helpless expression: "Let's go ahead and do it! What's there to be afraid of? We can just listen to what the neighbors are saying!"

"As long as it's not a state secret, what does it matter if people hear about the price of the fabric or the production schedule? It'll just help our Taishan Road Garment Factory gain some fame!"

"It's better than being deaf and blind, blindly groping in the dark. We can upgrade the lines later when we have more money. For now, let's solve the 'have' problem first, and then think about the 'good' problem!"

He waved his hand decisively: "That's how it'll be done. Your secretary Pang is best at handling letters of introduction and loan applications. Go and run them first thing tomorrow morning."

"Also, keep in touch with the leaders at the post office! We need to do both things at once, the faster the better!"

"I want to hear the phone ringing in the office and factory before the Chinese New Year, or at the latest before the Lantern Festival next year!"

The plan is out; all that's left is to execute it.

Engineer Pang immediately stood up and said, "Okay! Chief Qian, I'll go and figure out the materials right away!"

Just as he turned around, preparing to rush to the broken table piled with documents to write a work plan for the telephone installation.

"Deng deng deng deng..."

A series of hurried and chaotic footsteps approached from afar, climbing up the cement steps.

The footsteps approached the office.

Then the office door was pushed open.

There was no overbearing forcefulness, but it carried an invisible pressure.

Qian Jin frowned as he looked over.

Several men dressed in heavy, similarly styled dark blue or navy blue Zhongshan suits crowded at the doorway. Most of them were around fifty years old, with some gray hair on their heads, and each of them had a serious expression.

Who are these?
Pang Gongbing glanced around and quickly stood up, saying, "Oh, what brings you all here, leaders?"

Before he could continue speaking, the man at the front, with a neatly parted hairstyle and wearing black-rimmed glasses, extended his hand and said, "Director Qian, I'm sorry to bother you!"

The people behind him nodded with smiles.

His sharp gaze swept across the small office.

Qian Jin shook hands with Sanqifen, and the other middle-aged men behind him extended their hands.

Pang Gongbing hurriedly introduced, "This is Director Wu from the district's educated youth office. Hello, Director Wu..."

"Is this Secretary Ma from Huashan Road Subdistrict Residents' Committee? Secretary Ma came to our Residents' Committee last time to exchange experiences, and I listened in for a bit. I benefited a lot..."

"Section Chief Liu, you're here too? This is Section Chief Liu, who's in charge of production at the food factory. He's the son-in-law of Taishan Road, and Sister Liu is a model woman of Taishan Road..."

Qian Jin forced a polite expression as if he were receiving leaders: "Oh, Director Wu! Secretary Ma! Section Chief Liu! Leaders, what brings you all to our small factory?"

"Please have a seat, Mr. Pang. Quickly, get a chair and pour some tea!"

The old chairs and long wooden bench in the office were immediately filled.

The small space instantly felt cramped and oppressive.

Director Wu's full name is Wu Youshan. He first politely apologized for disturbing them, saying that he and his group had just gone to the factory area and learned that Qian Jin was working in the dormitory building, so they rushed over.

Qian Jin suddenly realized.

Just now, Engineer Pang said that a few people had appeared at Zhang Hongmei's place. So these are the people. What are these leaders doing there?
They wanted to visit, but the production work in the garment factory was unrelated to their jobs.

Their level of expertise is insufficient to provide guidance.

As a rising star in the city's supply and marketing cooperative, Qian Jin didn't take them seriously at all.

He should discuss the topic with Wu Youshan.

As a veteran cadre, Wu Youshan's opening remarks were certainly very thoughtful.

He rambled on about things like "responding to new trends," "meeting the people's growing material and cultural needs," and "Taishan Factory doing a good job serving the people," making a few vague and rambling statements.

The others nodded in agreement, but their eyes never truly left Qian Jin's tired face.

"Director Qian," Director Wu finally got to the point, his smile unchanged, but his tone now carrying an undeniable force.

"We've all heard that your factory's bell-bottoms are stylish, of excellent quality, and reasonably priced, and they've received a strong response from young people. That's great news!"

He paused, then changed the subject, "Well, young comrades like to follow fashion trends, so besides trousers, matching outfits are also very important!"

"But Director Qian is indeed a leader with exceptional leadership skills and market insight, isn't he?"

He asked the others, and they all nodded in agreement.

Wu Youshan continued, "Director Qian must have thought of this problem a long time ago, and then led the comrades in the garment factory to produce the Duqiu double-breasted trench coat. That's really amazing, isn't it?"

The others kept saying "amazing".

Qian Jin roughly knew what they had come for.

Because Wu Youshan emphasized the word 'trench coat,' everyone else became more alert after hearing the word 'trench coat.'

The air in the office seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

All I could hear was someone moving a table in the next office, making a muffled thud.

Qian Jin roughly guessed that they had come for the trench coat.

But is it really that serious?
Those present were all leading cadres. Would they really make a personal visit for a trench coat? Or would they make a joint visit?

Qian Jin pondered for a moment and decided to test the waters: "Have the leaders seen our trench coats? Are you here to guide our trench coat production?"

Another chubby, gray-haired street secretary smiled and took over the conversation:
"Director Qian thinks too highly of us. We are all veteran comrades who have served the people. We have some experience in serving the people, but we really don't have the ability to guide professional garment production."

"Let's get straight to the point and stop with the formalities!"

"That's right, my youngest son, he's a crazy kid. He went to see 'Manhunt' with his college classmates, and when he came back, he was like he was possessed. He was jumping around in bell-bottoms!"

"Then his classmate bought a trench coat at your factory, and when he saw it, he went to buy one too. As a result, he queued for three days in a row and caught a cold. Now he's still at home with a fever. You tell me—sigh!"

Another neighborhood director said awkwardly, "My son is similar. He wanted to buy a trench coat but couldn't find one, so he started bothering me, saying he was going to hang himself if I couldn't buy him one!"

Other leaders then spoke up.

When talking about their children's childish behavior, they all looked helpless, but their tone revealed a sense of familiarity and self-assurance.

Ultimately, they all shared the same goal: "Director Qian, could you perhaps allocate some production to our old friends? Could you spare one or two pieces for us?"

"Any color is fine! My kid said dark blue is okay, no price is a problem!"

After saying that, the chubby Secretary Ma took out a piece of paper from his pocket and put it on the table.

When Qian Jin opened it, he saw that it was an official letter with the red seal of the street office, requesting the Taishan Road People's Garment Factory to assist in resolving the issue of Comrade Ma Xiangdong's costume for the New Year's performance.

This was as if a floodgate had been opened.

"Yes, yes, yes! Director Qian! My son too!"

"And then there's my new secretary, her boyfriend's relative..."

"Our power bureau's engineer, Xiao Li, is a key technical member! The bureau leaders also care about the cultural life of young people..."

With everyone chiming in, the small office was filled with all sorts of relatives, juniors, subordinates, and even convoluted networks of relationships.

Everyone took out a carefully prepared slip of paper:

Some were letters of introduction stamped with the official seal of the organization, while others were notepads with the words "Please resolve" scrawled in the blank space below the organization's letterhead and signed by a certain leader.

The content is largely the same, the wording may be formal or casual, but the point is clear and unambiguous—the trench coat!
Pang Gongbing stood at the door with several freshly brewed cups of tea, caught in a dilemma.

The teacup was filled with the fine black tea that Qian Jin had prepared for the office, its aroma wafting through the rising steam.

He saw that a thin layer of paper had been laid on the simple wooden table in front of Qian Jin.

In the dim office light, the red stamps on the notes looked like brand marks imprinted on the heart.

He knew that Qian Jin must be in a difficult position.

Qian Jin frowned, stood up as if to say something, then sat down again, gave a bitter laugh, and shook his head repeatedly.

The leaders were embarrassed.

What the hell do you mean?
We came as a group, intending to pick up the goods directly from your factory, but the workers refused to deliver them.

The workers are ignorant, so we came to you, the leader, but you, the leader, are also ignorant?

Qian Jin finally rubbed his hair in frustration:
"Distinguished leaders, supporting new cultural trends and meeting the reasonable needs of young people is our garment factory's unshirkable responsibility!"

His voice was hoarse and he was sighing:
"We are in urgent production of trench coats, but to be honest, only master tailors can sew and produce these garments. What's currently circulating in the market are the first batch of experimental products, and the quantity is extremely limited..."

He paused deliberately, his gaze sweeping over the eager faces:

"We don't actually plan to sell trench coats right now. The main purpose is to provide feedback from the market through trial wear, make modifications based on opinions, and ensure product quality once formal production begins..."

The phrase "extremely limited" immediately drew frowns from everyone.

The tone of that excuse was all too clear.

As Qian Jin spoke, he seemed to feel embarrassed, so he slammed his hand hard on the table:
"Forget it, all the leaders are already here. If I complain any more, it would be putting on airs, which wouldn't look good and I can't get anything done."

"General Manager Pang, how many trench coats do you have in stock right now? Do you have any left?"

Pang Gongbing blinked and said awkwardly, "I'm sorry, leaders, I really don't know anything about this."

"How about this, I'll go to the factory right now and ask about the production situation?"

Qian Jin waved his hand: "Go ask, hurry up and ask, but it's snowing outside, so you must be careful."

He sighed to himself, "Ah, if only we had a telephone in our office."

"No, it's not enough for just the office to have a telephone. The garment factory also needs a telephone. If we were qualified to apply for a telephone, we wouldn't have to go through all this trouble."

"If any of you leaders need a trench coat, just give me a call..."

Everyone here is a seasoned fox spirit; who hasn't read "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio" before?
They exchanged a glance, and one of the section chiefs from the power bureau pondered for a moment and said, "Indeed, your unit doesn't have a telephone right now, which makes it quite difficult to carry out your work."

"Well, how about this, Director Qian, you think of a way to apply to the post office for telephone installation under what pretext? I'll go back to my unit and ask my superiors to transfer one of our unit's installation quotas to your unit..."

Qian Jin immediately stepped forward and shook his hand: "Section Chief Yao, thank you so much. On behalf of the more than two hundred members of our Taishan Road Labor Commando Team, thank you."

"So, in the future, if there's anything we can do to help, or if you or your colleagues need any assistance, just let us know. Our labor commando team will never back down..."

Purely a trade-off of interests!
But this involves exchanging the company's interests for personal gain.

Others were envious, but had no way to obtain this benefit.

Because installing a telephone is very difficult, and obtaining the necessary qualifications for installation is even more challenging.

The power bureau and the post office have some connections, so they can have influence in that area. But other officials, such as the production director and street party officials, have no say in the matter.

For Qian Jin, getting a telephone was already a pleasant surprise; he didn't expect anyone else to be able to help.

Anyway, there's already a way to apply for a telephone.

Now, you only need to get a quota for one telephone first, and then apply to the district for that quota. It's much easier than applying for two.

Pang Gongbing came running back, panting and covered in snow: "Reporting to the leaders, esteemed leaders, our garment factory has only completed the production of five trench coats so far..."

"Five isn't enough!" Qian Jin waved his hand dismissively. "We have six leaders here, how are we going to distribute five trench coats?"

He reached into the drawer and pulled out a thin sheet of stationery, tore off a few pages, and began to write furiously on the blank paper.

The pen nib scratched across the paper, making a hissing sound.

The signature at the end reads "Approved by Qian Jin personally".

He handed the letter to Pang Gongbing: "Go and take the leaders to collect their trench coats. Make sure each person gets one and makes sure they choose the right one."

Then he winked at Section Chief Yao of the power bureau: "Section Chief Yao, how about we show some class and give the opportunity to these leaders first? You, wait a moment?"

Section Chief Yao smiled broadly and said, "Okay, okay, I'm not in a hurry."

Pang Gongbing took five leaders away.

Qian Jin whispered to Section Chief Yao, "I'll approve two pieces for you. What size and color do you need? I'll arrange for a tailor to sew them right away, and they'll be delivered to you by tomorrow at the latest."

Section Chief Yao was overjoyed: "Great, wonderful! Money and cloth coupons..."

“Look at what you’re saying.” Qian Jin pressed down on his hand that was stuffed into his pocket. “You’re doing this for the technical backbone of your unit, you’re doing this to support our work, so I have to support you too.”

Section Chief Yao gave him a wink.

boy.

I have high hopes for you!
(End of this chapter)