The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 280 School Operating Permit Issued, Gifts Brought on Visits

Qian Jin stared blankly at the leader.

Oh no, Old Deng, you're pulling this stunt on me?
Aren't we on the same side?
Wei Bin slapped his broad palm on the thin file and pushed it towards Qian Jin.

His gaze fell on Qian Jin's face, carrying an expectation that brooked no refusal:
"I can see that you're capable, kid. You know how to mentor apprentices, but you've never personally mentored one. Isn't that a huge waste of your abilities? Now I'd like to assign you an apprentice. What do you think?"

Qian Jin chuckled awkwardly, "Thank you for your kind words, sir, but... I'm afraid I might mislead some students. I might be in the wrong at work..."

"Don't overthink it, I have faith in you." Wei Bin rolled his eyes at him: "I have complete peace of mind having the child under your care."

"Don't be afraid, just take good care of him. Let him go to the Foreign Affairs Office and train with you properly, toughen him up! Demand what you should, and give him the responsibilities he needs!"

At the end of the sentence, that undeniable force returned: "Your Foreign Investment Office should follow the procedures and take the exams according to the rules, leaving no room for criticism from others. Then, just file the files with the Personnel Department."

"in addition!"

He suddenly raised his voice: "Wherever you go in the future, you have to take him with you."

Qian Jin felt a pang in his heart.

What does this mean?
What do you mean, you have to take him with you wherever you go from now on?
Where can I go?

Aren't I working in the supply and marketing cooperative myself?
This thought flashed through his mind for a moment, then he remembered what Wang Dong had said a while ago:
The city is setting up a new agency and wants to get you there to lead the team!
Qian Jin pondered to himself.

Wei Bin's words now seem to imply a deal.

Qian Jin now works for the supply and marketing cooperative, which is a special unit directly under the central government.

Therefore, if the city government wants to transfer people from the supply and marketing cooperatives, as long as the cooperatives refuse to release them, the city government is powerless to do anything about it.

Wei Bin hoped that no matter where he went in the future, he would take Wei Xiaobo with him. Was the subtext that he was saying: "I can let you go to find a better place, but you have to take my people with you to go to a better place?"
Qian Jin quickly thought about it and readily agreed.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t agree.

They are the leaders.

As for whether doing so complies with the rules he just set?
That doesn't matter.

The rules haven't been enforced yet, have they?
The leader made a time difference, but the people involved still followed the rules...

Having received Qian Jin's assurance, Wei Bin smiled with satisfaction, a gentle smile on his face, as if everything was perfectly natural.

He picked up his pen again and lowered his head: "Hmm, go ahead and get busy. Oh, by the way, this draft is very good. Leave it here, I'll have my secretary polish it up, and then I'll let the other team members know."

Qian Jin turned around and pushed open the heavy solid wood door to Wei Bin's office.

President Wei is also very efficient in his work.

That afternoon, Li Xiang came to find Qian Jin: "Director, you weren't here just now. A young man named Wei Xiaobo said he was here to deliver some materials."

Qian Jin was stunned.

Came so fast?
He asked, "Where are they?"

“He sat on the chair in the outer room for more than half an hour without doing anything. When he saw that the thermos was empty, he went to get some water. The young man was very polite and approachable…” Li Xiang chuckled.

Qian Jin noticed the girl's sparkling eyes and casually asked, "What's wrong? Is the young man quite handsome?"

Li Xiang smiled and said, "Director, what are you saying?"

Then they ran away in a flash.

Qian Jin blinked.

I rely on.

Could it be that Wei Xiaobo is really good-looking, and Li Xiang has taken a liking to him?
If that's the case, then Li Xiang really has good taste.

Qian went in and opened the file on Wei Xiaobo that he had taken from Wei Bin that morning; it contained a photo.

The young man wasn't particularly handsome; he had a square face, thick eyebrows, and big eyes, and could only be described as having regular features.

Soon, Li Xiang's voice rang out from outside: "Give me the thermos, Director Qian is back."

Footsteps were followed by a knock on the door, and Wei Xiaobo, whom Qian Jin had just seen in a photograph, appeared before him.

Qian Jin gestured for him to sit down and said, "Wei She has told me about your situation. Are you starting your internship in our department now?"

Wei Xiaobo said generously, "Director Qian, I can start work at any time, but I have to follow the needs of our department. Whenever you think I should start my internship, I will come."

Qian Jin laughed: "What about accommodation?"

Wei Bin's hometown is not Haibin City.

“It’s all taken care of,” Wei Xiaobo said. “I have a good classmate who lives nearby. His room has a bunk bed, and he saved me a bed there.”

Qian Jin said, "Okay, then go back and pack your things today, and come to work tomorrow."

"As for the position," he tapped the table with his pen, "whether you can handle being my secretary?"

Wei Xiaobo said, "Please rest assured, Director, I will do my best to live up to your expectations!"

After Qian Jin saw Wei Xiaobo off, Wei Bin called again.

He thought it was related to Wei Xiaobo, but he was wrong:

"Xiao Qian, take that draft of the foreign business office personnel regulations you wrote this morning and polish it in more detail, turning it into a standard, formal draft of the 'Interim Regulations on the Recruitment and Management of External Department Personnel in the Supply and Marketing System'."

"The materials must be solid, and the requirements must be specific!"

Qian Jin readily agreed.

Wei Bin explained to him, "I had a phone call with the provincial leaders earlier, haha, recently, the supply and marketing cooperatives in all parts of the province and cities have been in an uproar over the same thing these past few days!"

"Foreign businessmen and overseas remittances have become highly sought-after departments, with favors and requests flying everywhere, making it impossible to make any progress in our work."

"The provincial leaders just had a meeting this morning and unanimously decided to establish a unified, rigid, and reasonable set of rules. Then I mentioned your draft on the phone, and the provincial leaders said it hit the nail on the head and was a good thing."

"Get this done quickly, make a template, and I'll report it to the provincial publishing house so everyone has a standard to follow!"

Wei Bin sounded very motivated on the phone, full of a sense of accomplishment in promoting institutional development.

Qian Jin has another opportunity to gain exposure in the province.

He quickly leaned out the window to look for Wei Xiaobo, whom he had just seen off.

The secretary needs to get to work.

When he didn't see Wei Xiaobo, he asked Li Xiang to go look for him.

“You seemed to have a good opinion of that young man earlier. Go and call him back. Tell him he has to go to work soon. Go after him quickly; he shouldn’t have gone far.”

Since Wei Bin had arranged for his nephew to be his apprentice, he had to make use of that connection.

Let Wei Xiaobo supplement this draft.

Whether it's good or bad, Wei Bin, you can find someone to polish it yourself!
Suddenly, Qian Jin felt that having a leader as a relative was quite advantageous.

It's like holding the leader's hostage in your hand...

However, Wei Bin is still a good person.

He didn't cheat people out of their money.

Wei Xiaobo, this young man, did not act recklessly because his uncle was a big shot. He was very down-to-earth and quite capable.

Qian Jin gave him a draft of the "Interim Regulations on the Recruitment and Management of External Department Personnel in the Supply and Marketing System," which he then polished up beautifully.

Almost the next day, the Haibin City Supply and Marketing Cooperative officially released the document, numbered "Haigongxiaowaizi 1980 No. 022".

At the same time, the notice bearing the official seal of the Provincial Supply and Marketing Cooperative, along with the draft of the interim regulations, was sent to the offices of the supply and marketing service cooperatives in the provincial capital and more than a dozen other prefecture-level cities.

The provincial federation of cooperatives responded that it would serve as an "important reference model," but these units are currently in a state of chaos and are not referring to it at all, simply using it directly.

Qian Jin made a brief appearance in the system.

Over the next two days, he received numerous phone calls from leaders in the foreign trade and remittance departments of the provincial capital and other prefecture-level city supply and marketing cooperatives:

"Well done, Director Qian, the 'Interim Regulations' you came up with at the seaside are really something, you're serious about this!"

"We've also developed one based on this standard, and that should shut up those who want to plead for leniency!"

Wei Bin arranged for the typing room to print the regulations first, and soon the neatly typed and printed official text of the "Provisional Regulations" was delivered to Qian Jin.

When someone else came to the door wanting to install the "Sweat-Clearing Life Insurance" card, Qian Jin would present them with a set of regulations.

Many of the regulations are easy to follow, but the difficult part is that a "Detailed Rules for the Written and Oral Tests of Foreign Language Proficiency (Trial Version)" is attached at the end.

This thing is very powerful; it blocked all the leaders and cadres.

In addition, Wei Xiaobo also used money to block some people.

I don't know if Wei Bin gave him some pointers, but the young man is both tactful and courageous in his actions.

When it's time to pay Qian Jin, he doesn't hesitate. With him as his secretary guarding the door, Qian Jin's work is much easier.

Before you know it, it's the weekend again.

Two days off per week!

Saturday was freed up this time.

The staff of the Foreign Investment Office can do whatever they want; the foreign language movie study sessions are held on Sundays while they work overtime.

Saturdays are precious to Qian Jin.

Because he is taking a break while other government agencies and units are not, he can oversee a lot of work.

However, the weather was not good that day.

The sunny weather that had lasted for a week changed again.

From the morning onwards, the sky was filled with low-hanging leaden clouds, and the north wind swirled the fallen leaves along the road.

Qian Jin looked out from his office in the tenement building. The wind was blowing through the cracks in the window, making a whistling sound. A layer of blurry water vapor condensed on the glass, making the gray light outside even darker.

In the center of the office, a slightly worn tin stove was burning brightly.

The furnace pipe glowed slightly red, and the coal inside the furnace was burning brightly, which kept the temperature in the office from getting too low.

There were some documents and papers spread out on the table, the one on top of which had a very long name:
Notification of the Approval of the Feasibility Report on Establishing the "Haibin Industrial and Agricultural Practical Technology Training School" to Serve Rural Reform and Township Enterprise Development.

The top of the sign reads "Government Official" in red lettering, and below it is a large red stamp.

The "birth certificate" for the vocational school has finally been issued.

Next up are still tough challenges.

What awaited him were specific and cumbersome certificates, permits, and approvals from various departments, all of which he had to knock on doors one by one and overcome checkpoint after checkpoint.

Behind each thin piece of paper lies countless trips, communications, and even unspeakable "lubrication."

And right now is the end of the year in the twelfth lunar month, a delicate time.

As the saying goes, it's never wrong to be overly polite...

Qian Jin waited in the office for a while, and then Pang Gongbing, the chief secretary of the labor commando team, arrived carrying a large box:

"Director Qian, these were all moved from your home."

Qian Jin opened it.

The box was stuffed with all sorts of colorful, exotic packaging boxes and paper bags.

Pang Gongbing leaned closer to take a look, his face full of envy: "Is this a Swiss Titoni brand watch? It's so beautiful."

"There's an electronic calculator? I saw our commando team's accounting group use one. It's really convenient to do math with this thing."

"These candies are beautifully packaged, practically gorgeous! Chief Qian, what are these bottles?"

Qian Jin said, "French perfume, ladies really like this. Take a sniff, doesn't it smell good?"

Pang Gongbing brought the perfume bottle close to his nose and sniffed it, then exclaimed, "It smells wonderful, so wonderful!"

Qian Jin patted the box: "Alright, the stuff has arrived. I need to go and deal with all the visa issues for the training school."

Pang Gongbing was a little confused: "Chief Qian, why are you so concerned about this training school? I heard you're not planning to charge tuition? Wouldn't that just mean losing money?"

Qian Jin said, "We're losing money now, but we'll make a fortune in the future."

"You wouldn't understand if I explained it to you, but just know this: we absolutely must get this school up and running; it will be incredibly useful in the future!"

Its biggest purpose is to occupy the land on Kunlun Mountain Road.

If we look back to the second decade of the 21st century, that piece of land would be worth tens of billions, making it the most valuable thing he could access at the moment!

Outside the window, the cold wind was still howling, and some pedestrians tucked their chins into their scarves.

Snowing.

He packed a gift box, took the approval documents, and went to the Labor Bureau.

Procedurally, this is the first step: to establish a collectively-run private learning institution in Haibin City, approval from the labor department is required, and a copy must be sent to the education department at the same level for record-keeping.

The labor department will issue a "License for Schools Run by Social Forces". Without this license, the subsequent procedures cannot proceed.

Qian Jin is now adept at social maneuvering and has a knack for dealing with all sorts of people.

He contacted the supervisor in charge of the labor unit's review process through an employee in his department, and went to the office that morning despite the snow. At that time, although the national college entrance examination had been restarted, there was still very little activity from either the government or private organizations running educational institutions.

The boom in private schools is far from over.

This has led to the labor unit's review department being a neglected department. The paint on the office door is peeling, and there isn't even a sign. Qian Jin had to ask around to find the office.

Pushing open the door, a cacophony of smells—a mixture of ink and the scent of new newspapers and magazines—was wafting out.

Chang Dafang, the deputy director in charge of schools run by non-governmental organizations, is currently engrossed in studying a pile of poetry journals.

He was somewhat surprised to see Qian Jin arrive: "Hey, comrade, who are you looking for?"

"Director Chang, are you busy?" Qian Jin greeted him with a perfectly measured smile, his tone warm yet respectful. "I'm Qian Jin, Qian Jin from Taishan Road..."

That one sentence is enough.

"Oh, Director Qian of the supply and marketing cooperative? Sit down, sit down. How's Fugui doing working for you?" Chang Dafang put down his pen and personally brought him a stool.

Compared to his obscure department, the Foreign Business Office of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative is incredibly popular right now.

Qian Jin's humble attitude during his visit greatly pleased Chang Dafang, who reciprocated with equally warm hospitality.

"Comrade Wang Fugui is a diligent worker and his skill level is quite high now. I estimate that with a little more training, he will be able to handle things independently in the future." He placed the gift under his desk without making a sound.

Chang Dafang smiled but didn't say anything after seeing this, and then started talking about the work of the Foreign Business Office, gradually steer the conversation toward the main topic:

"Director Qian, is this about your training school? The approval is in place, but the specific procedures still need to be followed step by step."

"The school operating license is the first and most crucial step. Have all the materials been prepared?"

"Everything has been prepared according to the instructions in the appendix to the approval document, in triplicate!" Qian Jin quickly took out a thick stack of materials from his briefcase and respectfully handed them over with both hands.

Beneath the documents, a delicate cardboard box printed with foreign language text quietly slid onto Chang Dafang's desk.

The box was not sealed, revealing a corner—inside was a brand new Swiss Titoni watch with a dial that gleamed with a warm luster.

Chang Dafang's gaze swept quickly over the documents and the small box, his face remaining expressionless. He simply reached out and took the materials, his tone seemingly softening slightly.
"Hmm, there's no problem with the materials. This is a project that the city is promoting, so we don't need to hold a meeting to vote on it. Just wait here, I'll go and put on the official seals that need to be withheld."

"By the way, have you secured a school site yet? If not, you need to hurry up and secure a site. Site certificate and fire safety inspection are prerequisites. Without these two, it will be difficult for me to handle things here."

Qian Jin clapped his hands.

Here comes the problem.
Following the procedures, the first step is for the labor unit to come forward, but the labor unit wants a fire safety inspection.

However, the fire department has to wait for the labor department to issue the "License for Schools Run by Social Forces" before they can carry out the inspection work!
An endless loop!
This is where the power of connections comes in.

Qian Jin explained the situation, and Chang Dafang nodded thoughtfully: "This requirement is indeed unacceptable. How about this, I'll take care of our unit's matter for you first."

"Give me a call when the fire department comes to inspect the site; I need to go there to take a look."

Qian Jin said, "No problem, Director Chang, don't worry, I will definitely inform you in advance."

Chang Dafang tapped the table lightly with his fingers: "What about the venue? The venue is a big deal; it has to meet the requirements, and safety comes first."

"Understood, Director Chang, please rest assured." Qian Jin then took out a photocopy of the land deed.

"Director Li Weimin has already made arrangements. We have prepared the materials for the old literacy night school on Kunlunshan Road."

Many industries in society are just beginning to return to normal, which has led to some irregularities in certain aspects.

For example, this night school for fishermen to learn to read and write did not have a real estate certificate; it used the kind of land deed that was first issued after the founding of the People's Republic of China.

However, once Qian Jin has everything in order, he can use the training school as a pretext to apply for a new real estate certificate.

At that time...

The billions that will be generated in the future!
Qian Jin had no intention of taking possession of the land; he mainly wanted to secure the right to use it.

Because he doesn't plan to develop this land in the future, but rather to use it for other purposes, such as as the headquarters of a unit.

“Kunlun Mountain Road…” Chang Dafang nodded thoughtfully, said nothing more, and turned his gaze back to the document.

He didn't misappropriate any money; he signed where required and stamped where necessary.

The documents were successfully processed.

There's no need to wait.

And they didn't take his things either.

As Qian Jin was about to leave after receiving his documents, Chang Dafang stuffed the watch and gift box back into his hands.
“This is the job our unit is responsible for, Director Qian, you don’t need to be so polite.”

Qian Jin explained that these were for his sister-in-law and for the children, but Chang Dafang shook his head and firmly refused.

"Your sister-in-law has a watch. Besides, why would a female worker in a food factory wear a Plum Blossom watch?"

“My child has bad teeth and used to love eating sweets. The grandparents in the family spoiled the child, and as a result, they developed cavities. I took them to the hospital, and the doctor told them not to eat sweets anymore.”

He patted Qian Jin on the back: "Director Qian, don't worry. You're training talent for our city's industry and agriculture. I can't speak for other units, but our unit would never hold you back."

"We also want to contribute in this area, especially since you're running the school for free—that's amazing!"

Qian Jin shook hands with him and took his leave.

There was heavy wind and snow.

My heart is warm.

The next stop is the education sector.

That's easy, we're all acquaintances, and all Qian Jin needs to do is come over to register.

In addition, you also need to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to complete the registration.

Qian Jin originally thought it would take until next Monday to process this, but today the labor unit and the education department approved it very quickly, so much so that he even had time to go to the civil affairs bureau this morning.

The registration that the Civil Affairs Bureau needs to handle is for small collective non-enterprise units. The person in charge of the registration work is Section Chief Wang, a shrewd old man in his fifties with his hair neatly combed.

He took the "Application Form for Registration of Small Collective Non-Enterprise Unit" and the "Application Receipt for School Operation Permit" handed to him by Qian Jin and slowly flipped through them.

“Director Qian,” Section Chief Wang pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, scrutinizing Qian Jin through the lenses, “non-profit, good, the direction is right.”

"Give me the application receipt and I'll get a leader to sign it for you as soon as possible. But you'll have to wait patiently. It's almost Chinese New Year, and there's a lot going on. People can get impatient, so our unit emphasizes meticulousness in handling official matters to avoid errors."

Qian Jin nodded repeatedly in agreement, then deftly took out the gift he hadn't given at his workplace from his briefcase and gently placed it next to the pile of documents on Section Chief Wang's desk:

"Section Chief Wang is right. I have patience. I'll just wait a few more days."

"Also, as you said, the New Year is coming soon. I thought you usually work very hard for the people. Here's a little something, a new item that came in from our foreign trade department. It's something new and interesting. I'd like to wish you a Happy New Year in advance."

Section Chief Wang's gaze lingered on the watch box for a moment before firmly pushing it back to him.

But he cleared his throat, his tone noticeably warmer: "Yes, you're being reckless. It's a good thing that you young people have ideas and are willing to work hard; our unit will definitely cooperate."

"Besides, this matter was specifically instructed to be handled by city leaders via phone, so we will cooperate fully with you in carrying out your work."

"So you misunderstood just now. I didn't mean to hold you back, Director Qian. It's precisely because your matter is on the list that we have to handle it more carefully. At the very least, the materials must be complete and compliant."

He further pointed out: "Look, the site certificate and fire safety inspection procedures haven't been completed yet. This won't do. If I blindly approve it for you, it won't be good for either of us if problems arise later."

"So I still suggest you gather these key materials first, so that it will be easier for me to proceed later."

Qian Jin understood immediately.

We still need to get the site permit first!

Stepping out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, the biting cold wind of December chilled him to the bone. Qian Jin tucked his coat in and decided to first go to the fire station to inquire about the situation.

The fire department definitely can't get this paperwork done today. It's not as simple as just getting approval; it requires an on-site inspection.

However, there are specific considerations regarding what to investigate and how to investigate. He wanted to find out the details first so that he could be more targeted in his subsequent investigations.

He wrapped his coat tightly around himself and rushed to the city fire brigade without stopping.

Fire safety inspection is a strict requirement, and also the hurdle that Qian Jin is most unsure about.

The old school buildings on Kunlunshan Road had been abandoned for many years and had almost no fire-fighting facilities. He was really worried about whether they could pass the inspection.

The person in charge of the inspection was a team leader surnamed Zhang. He was tall and strong, with a serious face, and looked like a tough soldier.

He took the site plan and application form from Qian Jin, and his brows immediately furrowed.

"That old literacy class on Kunlun Mountain Road?" Captain Zhang's voice was skeptical.

"I know that place. How many years has it been since anyone used it? It's mostly wooden, right? The wiring is definitely old!"

"Are there any fire exits? Fire extinguishers? Fire hydrants? There's nothing there, right? This is a huge safety hazard. We can't just rely on blueprints; we have to see it on-site."

"Besides, heating is a problem in the dead of winter. Using a coal stove? That would be even more dangerous!"

Captain Zhang's barrage of questions rained down on Qian Jin like hail, and Qian Jin's heart sank.

He quickly explained, "Captain Zhang, you're right, there are indeed quite a few problems, but as soon as we received the approval, we immediately organized manpower to prepare for a thorough overhaul."

"All wiring will be replaced with new ones, fire exits will be kept unobstructed, and fire extinguishers will be fully equipped as required. Heating..."

He paused for a moment, his mind racing. "We'll try our best to find a safe method. Could you perhaps spare some time to visit the site and provide guidance? Give us a chance to make corrections?"

Then he wondered if he should give a gift here, but after looking at Captain Zhang's serious expression, he decided against it.

However, it is very necessary to maintain a good relationship with the fire department, because he will have many businesses under his management in the future, and he will need to deal with the fire department whenever office space is involved.

In this situation, he felt it would be better to contact Yang Dagang and see if Yang Dagang had any comrades who could be connected with this Captain Zhang.

After hearing his request, Captain Zhang remained silent for a moment.

He hesitated for a moment, but his tone remained stern: "On-site inspection is mandatory. Put the materials down for now. Once you've finished the repairs, submit a report and we'll come to inspect the site."

"Remember, safety is paramount, especially at schools. I can be lenient in other areas, but when it comes to safety, there is no room for negotiation!"

A firm stance and a professional approach.

Qian Jin went out and thought about it for a moment. The problem now was the site. Once he got the site, cleaned it up, and got the fire department to inspect and approve it, he could go back to the civil affairs department to get the approval certificate. That would be pretty much all the paperwork done.

He returned to the dormitory building and called Director Li Weimin, explaining in detail the procedures he had been working on.

Director Li didn't let things slide. When he learned that Qian Jin needed to inspect the site and repair the main building, he didn't hesitate and told Qian Jin to pick up the keys in the afternoon.

The process of getting the keys went smoothly; they were a series of keys made of a composite metal material of copper, zinc, aluminum, and iron.

Looking at the bunch of keys, Qian Jin breathed a sigh of relief.

The building at No. 110 Kunlunshan Road is finally in our hands!

Braving the howling north wind, Qian Jin rode his motorcycle towards the Kunlun Mountain Road, braving the cold wind and drizzling snow.

He couldn't wait to see the cornerstone that held his future dreams.

Kunlun Mountain Road.

This old city street, which was designated as a historical preservation area and where every inch of land was precious in Qian Jin's previous life memories, now appeared particularly desolate in the cold winter of the early 1980s.

The roadside is lined with low, old-fashioned buildings with small facades, including villas and mansions, all of which are expensive buildings in the 21st century that are worth tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of yuan.

However, they lacked maintenance and repair in those days, so they looked dilapidated and worn.

This is the stone that holds a hidden gem.

Following his memory and the address provided by Director Li, Qian Jin turned into a narrower side alley.

Deep in the alley, a large iron gate, long rusted and with its paint peeling off, came into view.

A weathered wooden sign hangs beside the door. Originally, the sign was secured by a nail on each side at the top, but now one nail has broken or fallen off, causing the sign to lean and creak and sway in the strong wind.

The writing on it has become blurred and difficult to decipher due to wind and rain, and only a few remaining strokes of "fishermen" and "night school" can be barely recognized.

This is it!
Qian Jin's heart skipped a beat.

He took out his key and tested it, finally inserting it into the heavy padlock.

However, good things often come with difficulties; the lock must have been unopened for a long time, and it was rusty inside.

The key creaked as it was inserted, but it wouldn't open at all.

Qian Jin had no choice but to ride his motorcycle to find Zhou Shanhu to unlock the door.

It was cold outside, so the barbecue business couldn't operate. Zhou Shanhu was helping to chop cabbage when he heard Qian Jin's urgent call. He jumped on his motorcycle and followed him to the fishermen's night school.
"Oh, here it is, the fishermen's literacy night school in Chengnan District."

Upon hearing his tone, Qian Jin asked, "What, do you seem to know me?"

Zhou Shanhu chuckled awkwardly: "Back then, hehe, I was naive back then. I went astray and sneaked in. I did... you know, I got some copper pipes to sell for money to buy alcohol..."

He tried putting the key into the lock, then picked up a stone and smashed the lock open with a snap.

Qian Jin was dumbfounded: "Damn, I asked you to come here to pick locks—not destructive lock picking, but technical lock picking."

Zhou Shanhu said helplessly, "Chief Qian, the keyhole is rusted shut. Unless you give me three to five days to slowly maintain it with engine oil, it's impossible to open. We might as well just smash it open."

Qian Jin sighed.

He braved the wind and snow to make this round trip for nothing.

However, the door lock was finally opened.

(End of this chapter)