The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 282 Returning to Zidian Commune, Old Comrades-in-Arms Undergo New Changes
In late January, near the Lunar New Year, a truck was driving on the dirt road leading from the city to Zidian Commune.

The sun was shining brightly, but the wind was strong.

The north wind whipped up slush kicked up by the wheels, lashing against the canopy of the Jiefang brand truck and making dull thuds as it pulled at the thick canvas covering it.

The huge wheels rolled over the dirt road covered with a thin layer of ice and frozen ruts, bumping like a small boat in a stormy sea.

Inside the carriage, Qian Jin, wrapped in a worn-out military green cotton overcoat, huddled in a corner next to a pile of bulging burlap sacks.

Chen Shoujiang was driving.

He hasn't gotten his driver's license yet.

However, these days driving without a license is not a big deal, and even drunk driving is not a big deal.

It was Chen Shoujiang's first time driving on a long trip, and he was quite nervous. He didn't dare to speak or even be distracted the whole way, keeping his eyes glued to the road, with his left hand on the steering wheel and his right hand on the gearshift, never daring to relax for a moment.

With no one to talk to, Qian Jin leaned against the sack and drifted off to sleep.

The Lunar New Year is approaching, but the sack is not filled with New Year's goods, but with vegetable planting books and several greenhouse technology diagrams that he has carefully collected.

A whopping hundred books!

They are all professional books on vegetable cultivation and greenhouse construction.

Besides a sack of books, there was also a stylish and fashionable suitcase. Chen Shoujiang asked curiously, "What's inside?"

Qian Jin wouldn't let him open it, casually saying, "It's money, don't open the box, or it might get blown away by the wind and you won't be able to find it."

Chen Shoujiang thought he was joking, so he chuckled and didn't say anything.

A chill seeped in through the gaps in the carport. Qian Jin rubbed his cheeks, which were numb from the cold, and asked, "How much longer until we reach Zidian Commune?"

Chen Shoujiang casually said, "It will probably take another half hour."

"Did we take the wrong road?" Qian Jin looked outside. He had just dozed off and wondered if Chen Shoujiang, who was taking this route for the first time, had run into any problems.

Outside the window, white clouds floated in the azure sky, and golden sunlight shone down for miles—it was a beautiful day.

Chen Shoujiang was not very confident: "I don't think we've gone the wrong way, right? We've passed a few intersections, but I've looked at the map carefully, and you've told me about this road, so there shouldn't be any problem."

There is indeed nothing wrong with it.

After running for a while, the familiar gray-tiled roofs and bare poplar treetops of Zidian Commune finally appeared on the horizon at the end of the field of vision.

Qian Jin looked around and saw a desolate outline due to the arrival of winter.

Seeing this, Chen Shoujiang breathed a sigh of relief.

They have lived up to their mission!
The truck breathed a sigh of relief and finally came to a stop on the flat muddy ground in front of the commune's supply and marketing cooperative.

Qian Jin pushed open the car door and put both feet down.

The soles of the cotton shoes made a dull thud as they stepped onto the frozen, hard mud.

He stamped his feet to stretch his frozen muscles and picked up the rather heavy travel bag beside him.

These are the New Year's gifts, a token of his affection for his former colleagues:
Several packs of Marlboro cigarettes with filters, genuine export cigarettes, which he bought with his own money from his workplace.

A whole bunch of canned condensed milk and luncheon meat with foreign labels, the condensed milk being a real treat these days.

Condensed milk is sweet and nutritious. It's delicious when spread on steamed buns, and it's a favorite among children when mixed with rice.

Qian Jin has been supplying the four children of the Liu family with condensed milk, and they are growing very fast now.

In addition, there are miscellaneous items such as soap, laundry detergent, and shampoo—all "hard currency" acquired under the guise of foreign trade, which are more popular than banknotes as the year draws to a close.

Qian Jin had just reached the door with his bag when he heard Zhao Dazhu's slightly reprimanding voice coming from inside:

"...I've said it so many times, cloth coupons and industrial coupons must be kept separate. This year's design is unreasonable; these two types of coupons are too similar. If you don't separate them, it's easy to make mistakes when returning the coupons!"

"Accounts must be cleared daily and settled weekly. There are rules and regulations for this. Xiao Tian, ​​you need to study the rules and regulations more. Everything must be done according to the rules at the end of the year. We can't let things get chaotic!"

"Xiaotian, I've heard some people say that you always like to complain to customers, saying that you're a talented person and shouldn't be doing this kind of service work, but should be doing management work—do you think that's reasonable?!"

Then came Liu Xiulan's gentle yet slightly tired voice:
"Yes, Xiaotian, don't blame President Zhao for always scolding you. He's doing it for your own good. You've only been working for two months, and there's still so much for you to learn."

"Remember, you can't be too ambitious. We always tell you about the famous quotes and deeds of our former director, Comrade Qian Jin. He started from the bottom and worked diligently to eventually become a celebrity in our supply and marketing system!"

One of the young men said, "Okay, President Zhao, Accountant Liu, I understand, I know I was wrong."

Hearing what was being said, a smile involuntarily crept onto Qian Jin's lips.

A joint trial by three courts?
He pushed open the newly painted green wooden door, and there it was—the familiar smell.

The commune always smelled of soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and kerosene, but in winter, when the stove was lit, there was also a smell of coal smoke.

The supply and marketing cooperative was still the same familiar scene.

Almost a year and a half has passed, and the supply and marketing cooperative has not changed much.

At the beginning of the reform and opening up, its power had not yet been fully unleashed, and social changes were not yet significant.

Behind the counter, Zhao Dazhu, whom he knew well, was standing with his hands on his hips, frowning as he looked at a young man, while Liu Xiulan was busy counting money and tickets with her head down.

The weather was cold, and the heat from the stove couldn't reach the large lobby of the supply and marketing cooperative, so Liu Xiulan's nose turned slightly red from the cold.

She counted the money and tickets with one hand, while her fingers flew across the abacus beads with the other, next to a thick stack of voucher books and ledgers.

Jin Hai was also there, but he didn't say anything. He was struggling to pull a heavy cardboard box out from under the counter.

Inside was what appeared to be a newly arrived enamel basin, making a clanging sound.

Hearing the door open, Jin Hai instinctively looked up, and his eyes widened immediately:
"Good guy!"

Qian Jin also exclaimed, "Good heavens!"

Jin Hai kicked the box away, pointed at Qian Jin and laughed loudly: "Director Qian, haha, Director Qian, what brings you here? What brings you here all of a sudden?"

"President Zhao! Sister Xiulan! Brother Jinhai!" Qian Jin greeted them one by one with a smile in his voice.

Zhao Dazhu and Liu Xiulan both looked up when they heard Qian Jin speak.

When they saw Qian Jin, who was travel-worn but had a big smile at the door, their expressions instantly changed from surprise to delight!
"Oh, my Director Qian!" Zhao Dazhu's tightly furrowed brows instantly relaxed.

A smile spread across his face as he strode past the counter to greet her, his steps so fast they seemed to create a gust of wind.

From a distance, he stretched out his rough, strong, calloused hands, grabbed Qian Jin's hand, and shook it vigorously.

"My dear boss! When did you arrive? Why didn't you give us a heads-up? You could have at least called so I could have made some preparations."

"Come in, come in quickly, it's freezing outside!"

As he spoke, he pulled the money into the room next to the stove without saying a word.

"Director Qian, it really is you!" Liu Xiulan also put down her abacus with delight and quickly walked out from behind the counter, her face beaming with an undisguised warm smile as she looked Qian Jin up and down.

"Director Qian, you've lost weight! How are you? Busy with work in the city, huh? Every time we go to the county for a meeting, we see your name on the commendation list. You're really amazing."

"Quick, sit down! Brother Jin, quickly pour Director Qian a cup of hot tea!"

She casually took the travel bag from Qian Jin's hand, weighed it in her hand, and said, "Wow, it's quite heavy. Did you bring us something special?"

Qian Jin laughed: "You guessed half right. It's something I brought for you, but it's not a treasure."

Jin Hai quickly fetched tea leaves and poured boiling water into the teapot.

He quickly moved closer, his smile warm: "Director Qian, we've missed you so much! I'm not exaggerating, ask them, we've been thinking about you day and night, and finally we've got you back."

Qian Jin patted his arm: "I miss you guys too, but I've been really busy..."

"Everyone knows you're now in charge of the city's Foreign Business Office, dealing with foreigners all day long, scheming against them all the time. You must be very busy," Liu Xiulan said happily.

Jin Hai asked eagerly, "By the way, Director Qian, we went to the county for a meeting before, and we heard that you led various units in the city to a victory against the Japanese devils' unscrupulous factory? Tell us quickly, what happened?"

Qian Jin laughed: "What is all this nonsense? It's like three men making a tiger—utter rubbish..."

"Director Qian, don't be modest. We all know you went to the capital to attend our head office's commendation meeting. I heard you won two awards." Zhao Dazhu said with pride.

Qian Jin was their former leader, and they still kept in touch by letter, writing to him every few days.

Qian Jin would reply to them from time to time, and they maintained a good relationship.

Therefore, as Qian Jin's status in the city rose, they also received much attention in the county.

Many people don't care about their lowly status, but they care a lot about the power that Qian Jin possesses.

The three men were Qian Jin's former subordinates, which is why the county's leaders dared not offend them.

In response to the warm greetings, Qian Jin gave a brief account of the two events: the investigation into the toxic bird's nest and the counterattack against Sichuan Heavy Industry.

The three listened with great interest, their eyes filled with admiration as they looked at Qian Jin.

Finally, Jin Hai slapped his forehead: "Hey, I was so focused on Director Qian that I forgot to pour you some tea."

He deftly picked up the large teapot and poured a full cup of boiling tea into the enamel mug bearing the Double Happiness symbol.

Steam rose from the water, and tea stalks swirled in the yellowish-green liquid.

Zhao Dazhu pressed Qian Jin down to sit in the only old rattan chair by the stove. The fire was burning brightly, and a red glow shone through the gaps in the stove lid, warming half of his body.

He held the enamel mug, his icy fingertips slightly twitching from the heat, but a warm current flowed straight into his heart.

Liu Xiulan and the other two kept pestering him, wanting to hear more of his stories about the trade war.

The Chinese people will always respect the heroes who won wars against foreign powers.

Qian Jin nodded to the young man behind the counter: "And who is that young man?"

"Xiao Tian, ​​aren't you coming over here right away? This is our former director, Comrade Qian Jin, whom you've been wanting to see every day." Zhao Dazhu waved.

He then introduced, "This is Tian Qianli, a salesperson who was assigned to our unit last October."

Tian Qianli?
Qian Jin was stunned.

Is that Tian Qianli I saw in the "Haibin City Industrial Chronicle"?

He had seen some introductions to local talents in the coastal city.

Among the profiles of management talents, he noticed a person named Tian Qianli.

The reason this person came to our attention was that the Haibin Fertilizer Plant had not improved under Yang Dagang's management. Fortunately, in the original timeline, there was no encouragement from the No. 6 State-owned Cotton Mill to introduce a new production line, and Yang Dagang was not deceived into rashly introducing the synthesis tower from Chuanji Heavy Industry for the fertilizer plant.

Yang Dagang led by example, working together with everyone at the fertilizer plant. However, the plant gradually began to decline and eventually went bankrupt in the mid-1990s.

Then, a man named Tian Qianli took over as factory director from the retired Yang Dagang.

This person has exceptional management skills and a keen strategic vision. He managed to turn the fertilizer plant from loss to profit, and the Haibin Fertilizer Plant still exists in the 21st century, remaining a state-owned enterprise.

According to the biographical sketches of industrial figures, Tian Qianli first graduated from a vocational school and entered the supply and marketing cooperative. After working in the cooperative for several years, he was sent to university as a management talent. After graduating, he joined the Light Industry Bureau.

He was transferred to the fertilizer plant as a last resort, and he succeeded in doing so, becoming a well-known entrepreneur!
Recalling Zhao Dazhu's earlier remarks about Tian Qianli being overly ambitious, he felt that he might have just happened to run into the original owner of this body.

Hey, this is really killing two birds with one stone, catching a big one while we're at it!
Qian Jin took the initiative to extend his hand.

Tian Qianli quickly stepped forward and extended his hands.

The young man was shy; his face turned bright red after shaking hands with him.

Qian Jinxian offered him a few words of encouragement, and when he saw him smoking, he gave him his windproof lighter.

This made Tian Qianli even more excited, and his eyes welled up with tears.

Qian Jin smiled and asked him, "Comrade Xiao Tian, ​​you graduated from vocational school and were assigned to our unit?"

Tian Qianli nodded hurriedly: "Yes, Director Qian, I am a graduate of the workshop management class of our Haibin Technical School."

Workshop Management Team!
It's a major with a very vintage feel.

Qian Jin figured he had met the right person, and that made him very interested in Tian Qianli.

He kept asking about Tian Qianli's well-being, and when he noticed that Tian Qianli's wrist was bare, he took off his own watch and gave it to him: "Comrade Tian, ​​you have made some mistakes at work, probably because you don't manage your time well."

"Here, put on this watch. From now on, you should pay attention to the time and work hard."

The young man cried with excitement. His idol is just too amazing!
With tears in his eyes and a sobbing voice, he swore, "I will definitely dedicate myself to serving the commune from now on, and I will definitely make something of myself to show Director Qian. I will definitely live up to your teachings and expectations."

Qian Jin smiled and said, "Okay, okay, then let's meet at the Municipal Supply and Marketing Cooperative's commendation meeting!"

Tian Qianli shouted loudly, "Okay! Don't worry, Director Qian, I will definitely do my best to do a good job!"

Qian Jin nodded.

well.

Once the foundation for a good relationship is laid, let the young man hone his skills in the supply and marketing system for a few years, and then he can bring him over to manage things for me.

Based on his observations, he now believes that there are not many management talents among the people in the labor shock brigade.

Tian Qianli's sudden appearance reminded him that he needed to use some information to recruit people in advance.

A new job is on the agenda.

However, there's no rush or pressure regarding the money.

Poaching talent is easy, isn't it?
The key is to combine kindness and severity.

As long as he keeps expanding his network, poaching talent will be a natural next step.

Tian Qianli was now truly convinced of his mistake. He immediately apologized to Zhao Dazhu and made a self-criticism, stating that he would correct his mistakes and strive for improvement from today.

Zhao Dazhu also encouraged him, then quietly gave Qian Jin a thumbs up: "Director Qian, you're really good at leading the team!"

Qian Jin chuckled.

You've probably misunderstood.

Jin Hai asked him, "Did you just get off the bus?"

"Yes, I just got off the bus and came straight here." Qian Jin smiled and took a sip of hot tea. The bitter and astringent coarse tea leaves were unpleasant to drink, but they were surprisingly comforting.

"Director Zhao is still in such good spirits, and Sister Xiulan is still so diligent. I saw you doing the accounts as soon as I came in."

"By the way, Brother Jinhai, you're the vice president now? Well done!"

Jin Hai laughed heartily: "I'm benefiting from your success."

Qian Jin sneered: "What are you being modest about? This is all your own skill."

"I'm not being modest, we're all benefiting from your success." Zhao Dazhu smiled. "The rules and regulations you established for our company, all the rules and regulations in various aspects, were discovered by the leaders and submitted to higher-ups."

"The higher-ups thought it was good and adopted it. They didn't investigate the situation thoroughly and assumed it was our achievement, so they gave us credit and promoted us..."

“We wrote a letter explaining this,” Liu Xiulan hurriedly explained.

Qian Jin waved his hand: "I know about this. This matter has even alarmed President Wei of our city. President Wei came to see me, and I said that it was something we figured out together, and the main credit goes to you."

"No wonder!" Zhao Dazhu smiled happily. "We reported this to the county leaders, and they said that the city leaders had already made their decision, and we deserve credit..."

Jin Hai exclaimed, "Director Qian, we've really benefited from you. If you hadn't come and driven Old Ma away, we wouldn't be where we are today."

Qian Jin continued to wave his hand: "Let's not talk about this anymore. He brought this on himself. I was just doing my duty."

"Old Ma, if he knew about your achievements, Director Qian, he would definitely regret his past actions," Zhao Dazhu sighed.

After learning about Qian Jin's achievements and status, they found it amusing to discuss the past conflicts between Ma Defu and Qian Jin.

What kind of person is Ma Defu? You dare to compete with Qian Jin?
It's only natural that you lost to someone who's getting money; who are they fighting against now?
He led a group of directors, factory managers, and city leaders in a battle against the Japanese big companies on the international stage and achieved a brilliant victory!

At this moment, Tian Qianli couldn't help but interject: "Director Qian, you just said that the promotion of our supply and marketing cooperative's rules and regulations is still done through Director Wei of the Municipal Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives? Does he even know about our supply and marketing cooperative?"

That's a very naive question.

Zhao Dazhu instinctively wanted to criticize him.

Qian Jin laughed and said, "I know, I really know. He even praised your work."

Tian Qianli was overjoyed.

Zhao Dazhu and the others also asked instinctively, "Really?"

Qian Jin said, "I didn't lie at all!"

To him, Wei Bin was just his immediate supervisor; many problems in the company were beyond Wei Bin's ability to handle and had to be addressed by him.

Therefore, Wei Bin is just an ordinary person.

But to the staff of the supply and marketing cooperative at the bottom level, Wei Bin was a towering bodhisattva.

They were overjoyed to learn that the great Bodhisattva knew about them, his little followers.

The four were immediately overjoyed and repeatedly expressed that there was still room for improvement in their work, and they should strive to make even greater progress.

Then Zhao Dazhu got back to the main point: "Director Qian, what brings you here today? Is there anything we can do for you?"

“That’s right, just say what you want to say,” Jin Hai said readily.

Qian Jin put down his teacup, his face turning serious: "It's nothing serious, we're mainly here for two reasons."

"Firstly, I was thinking of everyone and came back to visit. Secondly, I wanted to make another trip for the Xiping Production Brigade. It's almost Chinese New Year, so I brought some small gifts for everyone along the way."

He opened his travel bag, giving each of the men a Marlboro cigarette and the women a bottle of perfume.

He distributed various supplies, such as condensed milk cans, to the three of them, and also sent some to Tian Qianli.

These are all export goods.

Genuine export goods.

Aside from cigarettes, the other items were purchased by Qian Jin from the overseas shopping terminal of the online store.

All the products were covered in foreign language text, which they couldn't understand but were deeply impressed by.

Zhao Dazhu's eyes lit up after he took the cigarette.

As a seasoned accountant, he was a heavy smoker, so he immediately and skillfully opened a pack, took out a cigarette, and took a deep sniff.

Immediately, a satisfied look appeared on his face: "Good cigarette, good cigarette, Director Qian, look, we're benefiting from you again."

Looking at the perfume bottle with foreign words she couldn't understand, Liu Xiulan said somewhat embarrassedly, "This is what people call French perfume? It's so expensive!"

Qian Jin waved his hand: "They're all samples, not worth much. As long as we're not breaking any rules, please don't be shy."

"By the way, everyone, I'm not giving this to you for free. After you've finished using it, you have to write me feedback. Write one feedback for each product, a hundred or two hundred words will do, including both the advantages and disadvantages."

Jin Hai said, "Okay, that's how it should be."

Just then, a customer came in to buy something, so Qian Jin got up to say goodbye: "Okay, I have to go to Xiping Production Brigade while the weather is still nice. You guys go ahead with your business, I'll come back when I get back."

Zhao Dazhu stopped him from leaving, saying, "At least have lunch before you go. It's not easy for you to come all this way, so let's have a meal together no matter what!"

Qian Jin thanked Zhao Dazhu for the invitation, but he had important business to attend to at the Xiping Production Brigade, so he really had to go.

However, the group was so enthusiastic that he had no choice but to stay and chat with them for a few more minutes, learning about the recent situation in the commune.

People came and went in the supply and marketing cooperative. Members would come with their coupons to buy cloth, soy sauce, and salt. These people still remembered Qian Jin and greeted him warmly when they saw him.

Qian Jin responded to each question, feeling deeply moved by the genuine warmth and kindness from the grassroots.

As a former grassroots service worker, nothing is more comforting than seeing old friends after leaving office and receiving praise from them.

His work back then wasn't in vain.

After drinking two pots of tea, Qian Jin left the supply and marketing cooperative and went to the cooperative store to find Zhou Gu.

He was going to Xiping so he could take Zhou Gu home on the way.

The storefront of the cooperative store was much smaller than that of the supply and marketing cooperative, but it was very clean.

Zhou Gu, the store manager, was standing behind the counter. He was already quite old, but later he was valued by Qian Jin and became the store manager of the cooperative store. He was very meticulous in his work, and the workload was also heavy. In the past two years, he has shown signs of aging.

Qian Jin looked inside from the doorway.

Zhou Gu actually put on reading glasses, but they were just a broken pair of mirrors with one leg missing.

He wore thin strings hanging from his ears, looking rather shabby. At that moment, he was carefully weighing bulk fertilizer with a small scale in the sunlight.

"Uncle Zhou!" Qian Jin called out from the doorway.

Zhou Gu looked up at the sound, squinted through his crooked glasses to get a better look, and his face immediately lit up with a delighted smile:

"Oh my! What a rare guest! Director Qian! Oh my! Come in, come in! I must be seeing things because of my old eyes. It really is you, Director Qian!"

The sentence was full of surprised exclamations.

He put down the small scale and enthusiastically ran out to help people.

Qian Jin walked into the shop, where a complex smell of pesticides and fertilizers filled the air.

He didn't want to waste time here, so after saying hello, he briefly explained his purpose—he wanted to go to the Xiping Production Brigade.

When Zhou Gu heard that Qian Jin had come back specifically for the vegetable base and greenhouses in Xiping, his smile widened, filled with heartfelt gratitude:

"Director Qian, you really take our farmers' affairs seriously! If our brigade leader knew you personally made this trip, he'd be ecstatic! Come on, I'll go ask Director Zhao for leave, and I'll take you there right away!"

Qian Jin said, "I've already asked for leave for you, let's just go."

"By the way, why do you call Director Zhao 'President Zhao' instead of 'Director'?"

Zhou Gu solemnly said, "Our supply and marketing cooperative only has one director, and that director is you, Director Qian!"

Qian Jin was speechless.

When Zhou Gu learned that he had already asked for leave for him, he quickly took off his apron, locked the counter drawer, gave a few instructions to a young sales clerk next to him, and left with the money.

He introduced his brother-in-law, and Zhou Gu quickly extended both hands: "So you are Director Qian's brother-in-law. It's an honor, an honor. I am deeply honored to ride in your car."

Qian Jin reminded Chen Shoujiang, "Brother-in-law, you have to be careful driving later. The Xiping Mountain Road is difficult to navigate."

Chen Shoujiang put on leather gloves and nodded: "Don't worry, I'll be careful."

The truck bumped and swayed as it drove toward the Xiping Brigade.

The cold wind seeped in through the cracks in the doors and windows, and felt like knives on people's faces.

Once on the mountain road, the truck began to bounce and jolt forward, each bump sending shivers down your spine.

Qian Jin wrapped his cotton-padded coat tightly around himself and stood close to Zhou Gu.

The two men talked loudly amidst the violent shaking, mainly as Qian Jin learned about the situation in the Xiping Production Brigade.

The Xiping Production Brigade has undergone tremendous changes.

The vegetable planting base that Qian Jin helped them build has become famous throughout the city.

Now many unit canteens purchase their vegetables from them, and as a result, Xiping Production Brigade has successfully shed its label as an impoverished brigade and has become a well-known wealthy brigade in Yuezhou County.

The truck was running at full speed on the mountain road.

In this vast and silent winter wilderness, the roar and jolt carry a rugged and genuine vitality.

After an unknown amount of time, the truck chugged up a steep slope and rounded a mountain ridge.

then.

My eyes suddenly opened up.

A vast, seemingly hewn hillside appeared before us:
"This is the newly started terraced field construction site in our Xiping Brigade. Hehe, it started last winter and it should be almost finished by next summer. Then it will be a large vegetable planting field!"

Zhou Gu pointed forward, his face full of pride.

The biting north wind raged unchecked across the open hillside, whipping up frozen soil fragments and unmelted snow that lashed against people's faces and bodies. Qian Jin didn't feel it firsthand, but he knew it must be very uncomfortable.

From a distance, there were hundreds of figures scattered like ants on the steep loess slope.

Most of them were wearing bulky, tattered cotton-padded coats, with colorful headscarves or old hats wrapped around their heads to protect them from the cold wind. They were wielding picks and shovels, working hard to break through the frozen soil layer that was as hard as iron.

(End of this chapter)