The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 274 The Turmoil at the Household Contract Responsibility System Meeting
The third day of the twelfth lunar month, Sunday.

In coastal cities like Haibin, the sea breeze is refreshing and pleasant in the summer, but in the winter, even though there is still a sea breeze, it's not refreshing but damp and cold.

Hongxingchang gave Qian Lie two days off, Saturday and Sunday, so he could rest. With so many people at home, Qian Jin decided to go to the countryside.

This time, we have important business to attend to.

He borrowed a small truck from his work unit and drove leisurely to the Liu Family Production Team in Hongxing.

The production team was huddled in the folds of the seaside. The low stone houses of the fishermen were covered with a thin layer of new snow. The sea wind howled and tore the snow off the roofs, making them look like pieces of spoiled salted fish skin.

Very ugly.

Despite the harsh weather, the small truck, panting heavily, stubbornly rolled over potholes and uneven dirt roads before finally reaching the village.

Inside the driver's cab, Qian Jin, wrapped in a worn-out military green cotton coat, was still pale from the cold.

Being a driver is a tough job in winter.

The roads were slippery and difficult to drive on in the snow. Despite driving dozens of kilometers of snow-covered dirt roads, Qian Jin still felt exhausted, as if he had just completed a long journey.

Not to mention, the cab was drafty on all sides, which made him freezing.

What should have been a half-hour drive took him a full hour and a half, mainly because there were good things in the back of the truck, things that were afraid of being jostled.

Thinking of this, he looked back through the rearview mirror. The truck bed was covered tightly with thick old canvas and straw mats, revealing several mysterious outlines.

This is quite fitting for the snowy landscape, like a giant beast poised to strike.

The weather was bad today. He sighed. Although it wasn't snowing, the leaden clouds were low and heavy, and it could snow heavily at any time.

Unfortunately, he is extremely busy right now and cannot spare the time.

Liu Wangcai had asked a team member who came to the production team to collect fish balls and tofu to pass on a message to him a long time ago, asking him to come to the team, saying that he had something important to discuss with him.

The Liu Family Production Team in Hongxing really has something important to do.

Household responsibility system!

This matter cannot be delayed, so Qian Jin is free this Sunday, and he has to go to the countryside even if the weather is bad.

The air by the sea is cold and damp, filled with the smell of the sea and the smoke from the firewood burning in every household's stove.

The small truck drove into the production team, and Qian Jin surveyed the familiar fishing village.

The cold wind howled, and the entire village, in the silence of the harsh winter, exuded an indescribable weariness and confusion.

The commune members who were on their way to work heard the roar of the small truck's engine from afar, and they went to inform Liu Wangcai.

So when Qian Jin arrived at the production team office, there was already a group of people waiting for him.

Liu Wangcai stood at the front, wearing a worn-out cotton-padded jacket, his hands tucked into his sleeves, waving vigorously at Qian Jin, his old face full of smiles.

Accountant Liu Youyu was wearing a faded blue cotton hat, his hands tucked into his sleeves, and he kept stamping his feet.

Women's director Wang Xiulan was wearing a red headscarf, the corners of which were fluttering in the wind. There were also a few other commune members who were not very familiar with each other, all hunched over like a flock of quails freezing in the cold.

"Commander Qian, we've been waiting for you! This awful weather must have been tough on you on the way here!" As soon as Qian Jin jumped out of the car, Liu Wangcai rushed to greet him. He grabbed Qian Jin's frozen hands with his rough, calloused hands and shook them vigorously, his enthusiasm burning like fire.

Qian Jin exhaled a long puff of white breath: "Uncle, you're too kind. Let's not waste words. There's something on the truck. Get a few strong men to help unload it, so it doesn't freeze."

Everyone immediately gathered around, both happy and curious.

Liu Youyu chuckled, hands clasped behind his back: "Chief Qian, you always bring good stuff every time you come. What's going on? How many favors do we owe you?"

Wang Xiulan nudged him with her elbow: "Stop saying nice things. If Chief Qian were to hold this against us, would he still be sending gifts to our team?"

Liu Youyu muttered, "That's because Chief Qian is generous. He can choose not to say anything, but we can't take it for granted!"

Liu Wangcai turned around and laughed heartily: "The accountant is right, that's exactly what happened."

Liu Youyu immediately perked up.

When the canvas and straw curtains were lifted, what was revealed made the commune members who had gathered around stare in astonishment.

Bundles of thick plastic sheeting, glowing with a bright blue light, were piled up all around, rustling in the wind.

Several marine diesel engines, coated with rust-proof black paint, were encased in the center, their cold, hard metallic sheen catching the eye of the commune members.

This is good stuff!
Qian Jin had previously donated two marine engines, and then the team had two motorboats.

Thanks to these two motorboats, this year's catch is truly remarkable, exceeding the catch of the previous three to five years!

However, what caught the eye most today were several large bamboo baskets that were nailed shut tightly.

A faint but dense chirping sound came from inside. Wang Xiulan went up and lifted a corner to reveal fluffy, tender yellow chicks.

They huddled together, radiating a faint yet vibrant warmth.

"Oh my God! So much plastic sheeting!"

"Chicks! Where did these live chicks come from in the dead of winter?"

"Another engine? Haha, that's great, our team is going to become a motorboat squadron!"

The sound of discussion instantly drowned out the sound of the wind.

In an era of scarcity, especially in a remote fishing village, this was an unimaginable treasure.

Qian Jin rubbed his hands and said, "Don't just talk, let's move the things down first, especially these chicks. We need to be careful and find a warm warehouse to put them in. We can't let them freeze."

Liu Wangcai quickly called out to him, "Accountant, you stay and lead the team to clean up. Come on, Chief Qian, come inside with me to warm up."

The plastic sheeting was removed first, and a member of the commune stared wide-eyed and asked curiously, "This plastic sheeting is so big, what's it for?"

Wang Xiulan said, "Don't you know? Plastic sheeting is very useful. It can be cut to seal windows, or left uncut to cover grain..."

"This is for repairing the water storage tank!" Liu Wangcai guessed Qian Jin's true intention in bringing the plastic sheet.

Qian Jin nodded.

Liu Wangcai was delighted and pulled him into the office: "Come on, come in and warm yourself by the fire, have a couple of cups of tea, it's really cold outside today."

It was indeed warm inside the production team headquarters, but the windows were tightly closed and the air quality was poor. Qian sneezed twice after entering.

However, the fire was burning brightly, making a crackling sound. Qian Jin sat down to warm himself by the fire, and after enduring the smell of smoke and coal in the air, his body quickly warmed up.

Liu Wangcai sat next to him, looking somewhat worried.

Qian Jin asked, "What's wrong, Uncle? Don't you want to see me? Why are you frowning when I come here?"

Liu Wangcai finally laughed after hearing this joke: "If I didn't want to see you, why would I have gone to all the trouble of asking you to come here?"

He coughed, his voice thick with phlegm: "Now that reform and opening up have begun, it's harder to do work in the team. The villagers are getting restless. Everyone's heard about the household responsibility system..."

No need to say anything more, he lowered his head and started smoking.

Qian Jin naturally understood.

Many commune members also wanted the Hongxing Liu Family Production Team to transform the collective into a household contract responsibility system, and there must be quite a few people who wanted to take on the household responsibility system.

In their silence, Liu Youyu, Wang Xiulan, and several other people entered.

Liu Wangcai introduced them to him, explaining that these people were the Party representatives and commune member representatives of the team.

He invited Qian Jin over to discuss the reform of the production team, so when he learned from the members of the shock brigade who came to collect fish balls and tofu yesterday that Qian Jin would be coming today, he gathered all the main people for the meeting early this morning.

Everyone took their seats, and the atmosphere became somber.

A little uneasy.

The earthen stove burned low-quality coal, emitting thick smoke and a pungent odor.

The men, young and old, were either smoking dry tobacco or using traditional tobacco pipes. They kept smoking, and Qian Jin kept inhaling secondhand smoke.

Qian Jin looked at the several party representatives and commune members who had been elected, and seeing the weariness and melancholy on their faces, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

The people have suffered for far too long.

It's time to enjoy some good days.

No one spoke first, then he said, "Captain Liu, I understand why you called me here. Let's start the meeting. You can begin with the agenda."

The old team leader, who had been in charge of the production team for more than 20 years, sighed. For the first time, he felt that holding a meeting was a difficult task.

He looked up and glanced outside.

It was a gloomy winter morning.

My mood was also gloomy.

"Cough, cough!" The old captain coughed twice, then banged his pipe on the uneven tabletop twice.

"We're all on the same side, so let's not waste any more words. The reason I've gathered everyone here today is for one thing—the household contract responsibility system!"

He paused, his gaze shifting somewhat evasively as he looked at Qian Jin, who was sitting diagonally opposite him.

Qian Jin nodded to him: "Captain Liu, please speak."

Liu Wangcai was somewhat bewildered and panicked at this moment, because he knew that the unknown awaited him.

Faced with the calm and composed Qian Jin, he couldn't help but plead for help on the spot: "Chief Qian, you're a leader in the city, you've seen a lot and know a lot, you definitely know more about the household responsibility system than I do..."

A strong and burly member representative couldn't help but say, "Captain, when did you become so slow? Why don't you let me speak?"

“Now my father-in-law’s production team has implemented the household responsibility system, and they’ve taken over everything from boats and nets to the beach! Hey, Chief Qian, you didn’t see it, but the members’ enthusiasm after they split up their businesses is just incredible!”

"They just separated their families in the fall, so we can't tell how their food situation is yet. But after they got their fishing boats, those families who fish are really working hard, and their catches are skyrocketing! What about us here?"

Wang Xiulan said unhappily, "Erjiao, you have no right to speak here. Are you the captain now?"

The two sides should retort with sharp words.

Liu Wangcai looked over with a sinister gaze.

The old captain still has his authority.

Erjiao lowered his head, muttered a couple of times, and then fell silent, but his expression clearly showed he was still unconvinced. Liu Wangcai picked up his pipe, intending to take a puff, but after a moment of smacking, he realized there was no tobacco in the pipe bowl.

As he stuffed tobacco into his mouth, he said, "That's exactly what happened. The whole team is in an uproar, it's a complete mess."

"Chief Qian, let me ask you this first: is this 'household responsibility system' really better than our 'communal pot' system?"

“Those who supported it jumped for joy, while those who opposed it were all called ‘lazybones,’ saying that they only thought about going to work and getting by, lying around waiting for their share of grain.”

"And those who object? They're quite loud too!"

“They pointed their fingers at those who wanted to implement the household responsibility system and cursed them, saying that this was a step backward, an attempt to undermine the collective, a destruction of society, and an attempt to ‘go it alone’ and follow the old landlord system!”

"Now the young people in the village have also been dragged into this, splitting into two groups. They meet every day, and they can't stand each other. Even brothers are at odds!"

"Chief Qian, I had no choice but to call you here. You need to take the helm for our team. Tell me, which way should our Red Star Liu Jia ship go?"

His voice grew softer and softer until it was filled with anxiety and confusion. He stared intently at Qian Jin, hoping to get a clear answer from that calm face.

Qian Jin sat quietly in a worn-out chair with peeling paint by the window.

After hearing Liu Wangcai's words, he didn't speak immediately, but only frowned slightly.

Liu Wangcai is getting old after all!

With his help, the production team usually developed well, and Liu Wangcai was also able to keep things in order.

Now that a major problem has arisen at its root, he is afraid to take responsibility and is hesitant about this matter.

However, we can't blame him. In fact, there are thousands upon thousands of production team leaders across China who are just as hesitant and confused as he is.

Qian Jin didn't offer his opinion directly, but instead asked, "Captain Liu, what's your own opinion?"

This question was like a needle, piercing through Liu Wangcai's feigned composure.

His old face wrinkled even more, completely devoid of its former dignity and decisiveness: "To tell you the truth, Chief Qian, we're not strangers, and I'm not afraid you'll laugh at me, but right now I'm really in a state of turmoil!"

"With the household responsibility system, I can't say whether this path is good or bad. I'm the team leader, and I hope the team will do well, and I hope that the porridge in every household's bowl will be a little thicker."

"But what if I take a wrong step and become the sinner of the team? If I keep being made an example of by the higher-ups, all the face that the Liu family has built up over generations will be gone..."

He grabbed his pipe, lit it, and took a deep drag. The pungent smoke seemed to choke him, causing him to cough violently. His hunched back resembled a mountain ridge about to collapse.

"Captain, what's so hard to explain!" A hoarse yet loud voice suddenly boomed out, drowning out the coughing.

This time it wasn't a second-in-command, but a middle-aged man named Wang Dashuan, who was short, stocky, and sturdy like a bronze bell.

He suddenly stood up, slamming his rough hand on the table with a loud "smack," causing the tea in the enamel mug to slosh around.
"Chief Qian, you're here to settle this matter properly!"

"Let's not talk about the distant past. Just take my family as an example. There are five able-bodied men in the family, all of whom are hardworking and willing to work hard. They work in the fields with the big group of people every day, but at the end of the year, the work points they earn can't even fill the family's stomachs with grain!"

"Why? Because of those lazybones who just coast along for work points!"

"Captain, look at that cripple at the west end. Damn it, he can't do this or that, but he still earns every single work point he puts in a day!"

"Why? Just because he's a 'poor household'? Just because he gets his share based on the number of people? Is his share of grain made from mud scraped from the fields, or from the blood and sweat we all poured into our belts?"

"What's wrong with the household responsibility system? It's contracted to individual households. Whoever wants to harvest more grain can work themselves to the bone. The sweat from their own land is the harvest from their own land. If someone goes hungry, they can't blame anyone else. That's fair and just!"

His chest heaved violently, and spittle flew everywhere as he spat out his saliva.

"Bullshit!" Before the words were even finished, an even rougher roar came crashing down like a hammer.

It was Party Representative Liu Wangfu.

Liu Wangfu also stood up, pointing at Wang Dashuan's nose, his finger trembling like a withered branch in the wind, his voice high-pitched and shrill:
"Wang Dashuan, you live-in son-in-law, are you trying to turn the world upside down? What do you mean by fairness and justice? Your twisted logic is nothing but blatant restoration and separatism! It's just that rotten old-fashioned 'every man for himself' mentality has resurfaced!"

"Contracting out land? What's that? How is it any different from working for landlords in the past? Distributing land to individual households? Why don't you just say individual farming? The Red Star Production Team is a collective!"

“This collective was built with the lives and sweat of generations! You…you want to dismantle the collective today? That’s cutting yourself off from the people, that’s being a sabotage element! I…I’m the first one who can’t agree to that!”

"You old fool, you're blind!" Wang Dashuan retorted angrily, his neck stiff. "What destruction? The real destruction is when the 'iron rice bowl' system collapses! Holding onto poverty is glorious? I think your brain has rusted, and poverty has turned you into a blockhead! You..."

"Pah! You've been blinded by the sweet words of pleasure, and you're greedy for money!" Another man named Liu Jieshi jumped up. If the person next to him hadn't been holding onto the sleeve of his shiny black cotton-padded jacket, he would have pounced on him.

"You've exposed all your selfish thoughts and ulterior motives, it's like you've forgotten your roots! Have you forgotten the days when we were starving and gnawing on tree bark? Have you forgotten who led us out of the mud pit?"

"Without the country, without the collective, you, Wang Dashuan, would have starved to death eight times over! You heartless bastard, it's the collective that feeds you, and you dare to sabotage us..."

“What do you mean by sabotaging me? I’m just trying to make sure all of us commune members live a good life.” Wang Dashuan wouldn’t back down an inch.

Several young commune members who supported subcontracting couldn't help but chime in.

Some people are shouting, "Whoever is diligent gets the job, while lazy people should just starve!"

Some people are saying, "You're clinging to outdated, impoverished rules like treasures, and you'll only feel sorry when your kids starve to death?"

Liu Wangfu, having his sore spot touched, became even more enraged.

He abruptly shook off his companion, his hand trembling as he almost poked the noses of several young members: "You little brats! Who gave you the right to talk nonsense!"

"You're all just wasting your time, you'll regret it! Then you won't even be able to cry and beg for mercy!"

Wang Xiulan and two other men stood up to lend their support, shouting things like, "The Liu family of Hongxing is the foundation built by the blood and sweat of the old team leader and his generation; we can't squander it all."

Suddenly, chaos erupted in the stuffy office.

Those who supported the "contract system" and those who insisted on the "collective system" pointed at each other's noses and cursed each other, their faces red and necks bulging.

"Lazybones!"

"Saboteurs!"

"Restoration!"

"Being poor is glorious!"

"Undermining the collective!"

"I want to be a second landlord!"

Various intense phrases, rarely used even when members were arguing, were now like handfuls of coarse sand, mixed with flying spittle, and hurled at each other's faces.

The sound grew louder and louder, almost breaking through the low roof.

The buzzing sound was compressed and amplified in the confined space, making people's eardrums ache.

The table groaned as it was slapped.

The enamel mug rattled loudly from the impact.

Liu Wangcai ignored the chaotic scene; clearly, this had happened countless times in the production team before, and he was exhausted.

He looked at Qian Jin.

Qian Jin crossed his legs and watched the spectacle with a smile.

It's like watching a play.

This left Liu Wangcai and Liu Youyu speechless.

Boss, you have to step in.

Seeing that Qian Jin showed no intention of making a move, Liu Wangcai couldn't hold back any longer and slammed his hand on the table with a loud thud, like a thunderclap!
Even though the tiger is thin, its power remains.

The old captain still holds considerable authority within the team; he is currently undecided about which path to take in the future.

So when he gets angry, he can still intimidate the members, and the whole noisy commotion is abruptly cut off by his slap.

Everyone, whether they were jumping up and down cursing or slamming their fists on the table and rolling up their sleeves, seemed to be nailed to the spot by an invisible nail.

Qian Jin watched with a smile.

The expressions on everyone's faces froze instantly:

Wang Dashuan's mouth was still open, with white foam at the corners of his mouth; Liu Wangfu's cloudy old eyes were wide open, his stiff finger still pointing; Wang Xiulan was cursing with her hands on her hips...

Qian Jin raised his hand and said, "Keep arguing, keep shouting. So this is the kind of person the Liu family is who can fight amongst themselves?"

"Sigh, I was blind to believe that the Liu family was united, so I kept trying to find a way out for you. Fine, if you're so capable of fighting, then do it yourselves."

After saying that, he stood up and was about to leave.

This scared everyone in the room so much they peed their pants.

What does "钱进" mean?
Should we just ignore them?
Liu Youyu darted out like a giant black rat flying out of nowhere, grabbing Qian Jin tightly and apologizing profusely.

Liu Wangcai glared at the two arguing parties with eyes blazing with fury: "You beasts!"

Everyone quickly composed themselves, transforming from fierce warriors into docile wives:

"Chief Qian, please, please don't take it to heart..."

"It's not infighting, it's absolutely not infighting, Chief Qian, we...we were just joking around..."

"Isn't this a debate? Comrade Leader said that the truth is clear only through debate."

"Yeah……"

Qian Jin was pulled back, but he didn't sit down.

He smiled at the crowd, his gaze sweeping over their faces one by one, but the smile gradually faded, replaced by coldness.

You could hear a pin drop in the room.

He stretched out his finger and traced a circle around it, saying:

"Sit down, everyone."

Everyone sat down immediately.

Qian Jin coldly surveyed them and said, "From now on, I will preside over this meeting."

(End of this chapter)