The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 295 Hello, Lunar Year of the Monkey (Gengshen)

Qian Jin was completely confused by their back-and-forth: "Wait, what do you mean by 'powered up'? Did you go find my generator?"

The young man, covered in dust, was so excited he was spitting everywhere. He pointed inside and said, "No, Captain Qian, it was Sun Liang who got his buddy at the power bureau to help us quickly lay the circuit!"

"What?" Qian Jin exclaimed in surprise.

Sun Liang's face showed a smug expression: "It's true, Chief Qian."

"I only found out this morning that the school has been without power. So I was thinking, with so many people tonight, how can we rely on your generator to turn on a few light bulbs at most? What about the TVs and stereos?"

"So instead of going home for lunch, I took some time to go see my buddy Song Gang from the power bureau."

"After I explained the difficulties here, Song Gang didn't hesitate and went to find a group of young workers from his workplace. He then rode his bike over here!"

"They used the utility pole at the corner of the school to run the main power line, and then installed electricity meters and tested the circuits in every house. It was a coincidence that they tested it as soon as you walked in, and the circuit was working perfectly!"

He became happier and more excited as he spoke, until his words were almost sloshing out like a bicycle rushing down a steep slope with uncontrollable momentum.

Qian Jin felt a sudden surge of warmth in his heart, put down his bag, and ran inside.

Inside the school, Qiu Dayong, Wang Dong, Xu Weidong, and others were all outside, assisting some young people.

Bright black electrical wires have been strung diagonally between the classrooms. The night school already had some wooden utility poles, and now that the poles have been erected, the wires extend from outside the courtyard wall all the way inside, eventually getting tangled in the newly nailed gray porcelain gourd heads on the wall.

Several utility poles were topped with round light bulbs, which were now steadily emitting a warm golden light, clearly illuminating the spots of fresh soil on the poles.

Outside the classroom and on the utility poles, there were at least six or seven places where young faces wearing navy blue overalls and cotton-padded jackets and worker hats could be seen.

They stood at the top of the A-frame ladder, their backs bent, still using electrician's pliers to check the screws at the final connection.

Sun Liang shouted at a young man, who looked down and climbed down the ladder after seeing Qian Jin.

He took off his hat, revealing a square face, red from the cold; it was Song Gang, Sun Liang's buddy.

Song Gang grinned, his smile somewhat reserved: "Hello, Chief Qian? I'm Song Gang from the Chengnan District Power Supply Bureau. Sun Liang contacted me at noon, saying that you've been working on a great project for the city's youth to celebrate the New Year, but there's a slight problem with the power supply."

"It just so happens that a few of us are good at this, so I called on my brothers to lend a hand. We can't let such a big place be in the dark at night!"

Xu Weidong looked at Song Gang with a look of awe: "Boss Qian, this guy is something else. We should at least toast him tonight."

Qian Jin immediately nodded and went up to shake Song Gang's hand: "Brother Song, thank you so much, you and your men have really helped us a lot."

"They really helped a lot. They not only brought us electricity, but also water." Xu Weidong finished the sentence he hadn't said earlier.

Qian Jin was surprised.

I just went home and ate some steamed buns, and suddenly so many big things happened at school?

Song Gang explained, "Water and electricity are inseparable. When I came over, I saw that the electrical circuits were not working and the water supply was not working either. It definitely won't work."

“It just so happens that one of my best friends is a junior manager at our waterworks. He got together with his colleague who manages Kunlunshan Road, and we all got together to work on it.”

Qian Jin gripped his hand and shook it vigorously: "Alright, Comrade Song Gang, I won't thank you enough..."

"It's nothing, really." Song Gang shook his head politely. "You've helped so many young people, and you've given our country foreign exchange—well, I mean, you dealt with the Japanese and protected the country's foreign exchange reserves. Anyway, I'm just learning from you!"

Qian Jin thanked him and then they went together to check on the situation of the young employees at the waterworks.

A dozen or so young workers, dressed in the waterworks' distinctive gray-blue thick work clothes and wearing rain boots, were busy working around a newly built cement block in the corner.

A brand-new silver faucet was installed on the pier. They called out to each other, and two young men replaced a section of pipe and then gestured.

Seeing this, another young man turned on the tap, and immediately, a stream of orange-yellow tap water gushed out with a "whoosh," splashing into the prepared bucket below.

The leader was a young man with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a capable appearance. Engineer Song introduced him as his buddy, whose name was quite interesting: Bai Cai Xin (meaning "New Cabbage").

Bai Cai nodded to the group and cheerfully introduced, "Chief Qian, we are from the Chengnan Water Supply Office. We heard about your New Year's Eve party and came to help out. We just needed to run a pipe and install a tap nearby. We've done our mission well."

Qian Jin went up and grabbed his hand, shaking it vigorously: "Oh, my comrade, you really solved our urgent problem."

Originally, both water and electricity were troublesome matters, but now they've all been resolved.

Of course, this is a temporary solution.

But now that the foundation has been laid, we can do the detailed wiring after the New Year, which will save a lot of trouble.

He stretched out his hands, one hand holding Song Gang's hand and the other holding Bai Caixin's hand.

Both of them had large, typical working-class hands.

My hands are thick and chapped from the cold. The palms are warm, rough, and covered in calluses, while the backs of my hands are icy cold.

Such a hand may not be comfortable to hold, but it possesses an indescribable power.

Long live the working class!

"Thank you! Thank you so much to the young comrades from the power bureau and the waterworks! I'm so grateful!" He turned around and waved to the others.

"Thank you, comrades. On behalf of all members of our Taishan Road Labor Commando Team and all the future teachers and students of our training school, thank you for your timely help today!"

The young people took the initiative to come over and shake his hand:
"We've wanted to get to know you, Chief Qian, for a long time, and we should be grateful for this opportunity today."

"Commander Qian, my brother-in-law works under you. I admire you very much."

"Chief Qian, this is a small matter. What you did was a big deal..."

Qian Jin shook hands with them one by one, full of vigor and in high spirits:
"Let's not talk about these trivial things. I'll just say a few words: without your kindness tonight, the New Year would be incomplete and lack flavor."

"If you guys want to join in the fun, you're welcome to come and have some fun tonight. I especially welcome you to come and celebrate the New Year with our brothers on Taishan Road and with our commando team!"

Song Gang, representing the power industry workers, spoke up in a crisp voice: "Even if you didn't invite us, Chief Qian, we'd still come, haha. Last year, you guys had a lively Spring Festival, and that kid Sun Liang bragged about it to me for a whole year. I'm definitely coming."

Several young men from the waterworks nodded in agreement: "Since Chief Qian invited us, how could we refuse?"

"I need to go back and change into something neat. I'll be there in a bit!"

Water and electricity have been secured.

This is truly exciting and joyful.

In the time that followed, the entire commando team spun like wound-up tops, frantically working to complete the final piece of the puzzle.

The classroom with the card table was decorated with colorful paper garlands.

In a corner of the dance hall, two skillful girls brought by Shi Zhentao somehow found scraps of cloth and managed to piece together a crooked "dance" character on a wall.

The stitches aren't particularly fine, but they exude a simple and lively charm.

The tape recorder was playing only currently banned songs, with "Hometown Love" playing on repeat.

This song is extremely famous now. Last year, the documentary "Legend of the Three Gorges" produced by CCTV was released, and the interlude was "Hometown Love" sung by Li Guyi.

"Hometown Love" became an instant hit across the country, a song that everyone sang.

In this era that is sorely lacking in beautiful music, this song, full of breathy tango rhythms and slightly melancholic emotions, has cleansed people's long-parched hearts.

According to Qian Jin, this song was already obscure in the 21st century and did not cause any adverse effects. However, in this period when the genre of "model operas" was still in its infancy, Li Guyi and her rendition of "Hometown Love" stirred up a hornet's nest, attracting astonishing criticism.

"Nostalgia for My Hometown" touched a nerve in the literary and academic circles at the time, and a series of labels such as petty-bourgeois sentiment, decadent music, and yellow songs came flooding in.

Many people in various organizations believe that "Hometown Love" lacks revolutionary spirit, is depressing, and that the breathless singing style makes people daydream. The drum set bangs randomly during the interlude, like smashing bowls in a china shop, making a mess of the song.

Ultimately, the relevant departments determined that "Hometown Love" was a "yellow song" full of decadent bourgeois ideology, and this decadent music even rose to the level of "the destruction of the party and the country".

Radio and television stations stopped broadcasting "Hometown Love" and listed it as a "banned song," and even produced a booklet titled "How to Identify Yellow Songs."

Qian Jincai didn't care.

In fact, since the reform and opening up, people's thoughts and behaviors have become increasingly open.

"Hometown Love" was not allowed to be broadcast publicly, but many tapes were sold privately.

Every family that owned a tape recorder would keep a cassette tape of "Hometown Love" hidden in their home.

Qian Jin not only played "Hometown Love", but also "Olive Tree", "Just Like Your Tenderness" and "Grandma's Penghu Bay".

Daytime hours are short.

Amidst the cold wind and the crackling of firecrackers.

Lunar New Year's Eve of 1980 arrived.

The sun quickly set, and night poured down like ink, enveloping the Kunlun Mountain Road Training School.

However, the courtyard itself is a completely different world.

On the brand-new electrical wires, temporary light bulbs lined the corridors and hung above the door frames of the new classrooms, emitting a bright white and steady light that illuminated the revitalized campus in every detail, leaving no blind spots.

The orange glow tore through the chilling darkness, even illuminating the icicles hanging from the eaves, which were still damp with cold.

A steady stream of young people are coming to the school.

There are piles and rows of bicycles outside the gate, numbering about one or two hundred.

Seeing this, Qiu Dayong specially arranged for several of his educated youth to be in charge of arranging the vehicles:
"Comrades, comrades, you can't just leave your bicycles lying around! After drinking, in the middle of the night in the dark, it's too easy to ride the wrong bike..."

"Listen to me, arrange them according to the city and streets. No matter which unit or government agency you're from, you're a friend, one of us. Then we'll arrange the bicycles by street, and everyone remembers their place and marks it..."

Outside the gate, Shi Zhentao had already prepared a long string of red firecrackers, with a total of three thousand shots!

The firecrackers were held high on a long wooden stick. Zhou Shanhu demonstrated his climbing skills by climbing up the wall and securing the stick, otherwise the firecrackers would have been too long and hung on the ground.

Zhou Shanhu beckoned Qian Jin to come out and light the firecrackers, but Qian Jin waved his hand and said, "We're all family here, light them as you please."

Then someone took a nearly burnt-out cigarette butt and lit the fuse.

In an instant, a deafening explosion ripped through the silent night sky of New Year's Eve.

"Crackling and popping—crackling and popping—!"

The pungent, acrid blue smoke mixed with the tiny red paper scraps propelled in all directions by the gunpowder, instantly expanding and almost engulfing the group of people standing at the courtyard gate.

The deafening roar rolled across the ice, echoing far and wide, announcing the official start of the joyous gathering.

The sound of firecrackers seemed to be a signal.

More young men and women converged on Kunlun Mountain Road from all directions, eventually flowing into the school. Footsteps and bicycle bells mingled together, along with humming whispers and laughter that grew louder as they approached.

At first, there were a dozen or so, then dozens, and soon, the crowd surged into the brightly lit training school like a tide.

The young people were dressed similarly; the young men almost all wore trench coats and bell-bottoms over cotton jackets or thick sweaters, their noses red from the cold, yet they still looked dashing.

These trench coats and bell-bottoms were all masterpieces from the People's Garment Factory. After a year of sales, any young man in the city who didn't own such an outfit would be too ashamed to meet his beloved girl.

This is especially true for young workers; they save money by scrimping and saving, even if they don't spend any pocket money for a month, just to buy such an outfit.

The girls often wore red, yellow, or brown woolen coats, also masterpieces from the People's Garment Factory.

Zhu Tao and Zhao Bo, having worked at the mobile canteen for a long time and knowing many people, stood guard at the main entrance to warmly welcome the large number of young people, constantly patting them on the shoulders and calling out loudly:

Happy Chinese New Year!

"Hey, Second Brother, you've arrived! Please come in!"

"It's warm inside. Those who haven't eaten, why don't you go grab a bite of hot pot? You all brought enamel mugs? Okay, you're very well prepared..."

A long desk was set up at the entrance, and several girls were sitting behind it, working diligently.

The girls held a stack of pre-cut pieces of paper, each clearly stamped with the red seal of the Taishan Road Labor Commando Team.
"Comrade, please take your beer ticket. Use it to enter and go to the room in the northwest corner to collect a bottle of beer!"

Qian Jin's suggestion to redeem drinks with tickets was excellent, inadvertently adding a sense of ceremony to the gathering.

Every new young person entering the venue carefully, even with a sense of reverence, accepted the narrow little piece of paper, their eyes looking as if they had received some kind of special pass.

Many of them didn't go to collect their beer.

What are some good beer options for the dead of winter?

It's better to keep this ticket as a souvenir; you can brag about it to your buddies and friends a year from now.

As a result, Xu Weidong, who was guarding the beer bottles, found after serving beer for a while that not much beer had been consumed!

However, the iconic green bottles of the Seaside Brewery still appear in various places throughout the compound.

They are held in rough or relatively delicate young hands, becoming a flowing landscape.

Xu Weidong was puzzled: "What's going on? Not that many beers were sent out!"

Zhu Tao came over, opened a bottle of beer, took a sip and grinned: "Damn, did you put it on ice or in the fridge?"

"This is at room temperature!" Xu Weidong said irritably. "What's going on? I didn't send out many beers, but it looks like almost everyone has already drunk some?"

Zhu Tao said, "Oh, quite a few people came and then went home, bringing their own wine."

Xu Weidong retorted with displeasure, "Hey, do they think our commando team is too stingy to supply them with alcohol?"

"They're just trying to keep our admission ticket," Zhu Tao teased him, pinching his cheek with a smile.

Qian Jinting said helplessly, "Dayong, your people and the security task force will have to work hard tonight to keep order and make sure Jiu Biaozi doesn't cause any trouble."

Qiu Dayong, holding a bowl, proudly showed off his mutton rolls: "Don't worry, Chief Qian, we brothers will take care of the security situation for you."

The classroom and surrounding area began to buzz with activity.

The restaurant was steamy, and many people were holding bottles as props, laughing and joking with their friends while making noise by banging the bottoms of the bottles against their desks.

In the dance hall, the pop songs playing on the tape recorder finally exerted their greatest magic.

The lights dimmed, leaving only the dim yellow light above the character "舞" (dance) spelled out by Shi Zhentao, casting an ambiguous shadow over the empty space in the middle.

At first, the figures were somewhat cramped, with only a few young men tentatively wriggling around on it.

But soon, the commando members, who had experienced the baptism of the dance hall on New Year's Eve last year, arrived. As the lively melody of the song "Genghis Khan" flowed out, they began to wildly wiggle their butts.

The enthusiasm of young people is like a gasoline drum that has been ignited, bursting forth all at once.

The girls' colorful scarves and wool coat hems were flung aside by their spinning movements.

As the music tempo quickened, their delicate dance steps gradually amplified, and the clinking of beer bottles produced a crisp, rhythmic sound, like the accompanying drumbeats.

Wang Dong even got carried away with his success, grabbing a wine bottle as a microphone and loudly singing along with the tape recorder.

Despite being tone-deaf, his powerful voice evoked bursts of laughter and bold echoes.

The restaurant was packed with people, and the atmosphere was incredibly lively.

A dozen or so people sat around a table, close together.

A steaming copper hot pot bubbled and boiled in the center of the table, with lamb rolls, glass noodles, and potato slices bobbing up and down inside, and countless chopsticks moving rapidly...

Steam blurred the expressions on everyone's faces, only their eyes gleamed with joy.

On the huge square tables around them, milk candy, peanuts, and melon seeds attracted groups of people.

Young men and women stood or leaned casually against the edge of the table, chewing on sunflower seeds and peeling shells with their hands, chatting and laughing.

The conversation revolved around which factory would be better to work in next year, what night school training programs are like, and what new changes have occurred in the workplace.

Someone also mentioned a recent hot topic: "It seems like a place called Pengcheng is about to change..."

The topics were fragmented yet dense, with conversations intertwined amidst the aromas of steam, meat, dried fruit, and the sweet warmth of milk tea.

The atmosphere was most lively in the card room, where young men and women stood by the tables or squatted on benches, vigorously slamming new playing cards in their hands, making a clattering sound like firecrackers.

There weren't many people in front of the two television sets, because they were showing news reports at that moment.
For young people, news about further liberating industry and agriculture from constraints is far less appealing than getting together and having fun.

Qian Jin squeezed through the throng of people, a bottle of beer in his hand.

Zhou Yaozu found him and asked loudly, "Chief Qian, is it okay for so many of us to dance together? Won't someone report us and cause trouble?"

Qian Jin waved his hand: "It only happens once a year. It's not like we hold regular dances or parties for men and women. We're just celebrating the Spring Festival."

"But we have to keep a close eye on things to make sure nothing goes wrong. As long as nothing goes wrong, then everything will be fine."

He had already considered the social impact; last year's gathering was a last-minute affair, but this year he came prepared.

He even reported it to the police department.

The leaders of the Public Security Bureau were initially very resistant to such gatherings where young men and women mingled together, but then they learned that it was organized by Qian Jin, who was also in charge of the youth commando team.

In addition, Yang Shengzhang personally called his old comrade-in-arms to speak well of Qian Jin, and the matter was dropped.

Qian Jin held the camera, mainly responsible for taking pictures.

Young people rarely have the opportunity to get together all year round, so everyone is giving it their all to vent the emotions that have been suppressed on weekdays.

The camera flashed by.

Qian Jin saw the sweat dripping onto the cement floor in the dance hall, only to be crushed into the dust by the spinning shoes.

He smelled the overpowering aroma of the hot pot mixed with the unique scent of the cheap face cream from the young man and woman, and captured the blushing face of the young woman who was eating spicy hot pot for the first time.

He heard the clinking of beer bottles, the loud thud of playing cards being thrown onto a card table in the distance, and the bubbling of hot pot broth.

And of course, there's the amplified singing sound.

These sounds combined to form a surging tsunami of joy.

He had finished replacing all the rolls of film in the box, so he squeezed out of the noisy restaurant and came to the relatively empty doorway.

He leaned against the gate; the iron bars were cold.

Someone noticed that his beer was still unopened and immediately came over and opened the bottle for him.

Instantly, white foam gushed from the bottle opening, flowing between his fingers onto the cold back of his hand, stirring up a few drops of warmth.

He'd had the beer all night, and it was getting a little warm.

He tilted his head back and took a swig. The slightly bitter but refreshing liquid flowed down his throat and into his stomach, making him burp.

And young people are arriving in droves.

These days, it's rare to find a place where people can gather for free, especially one that's not only free but also full of all sorts of novelties.

Several young workers from the No. 2 Printing Factory in the city rushed over. One of them, who had returned from working in the countryside in Northeast China, exclaimed in admiration:
"Qian Jin from Taishan Road is really something else. He's amazing. Look at this party, it's so exciting! He's really capable, turning this lousy night school into what it is now. It's so satisfying!"

Qiu Dayong laughed behind Qian Jin: "Chief Qian, your training school's reputation is truly resounding tonight!"

"Tomorrow morning, I guarantee that all the young people in the city will know that Qian Jin, the leader of the Taishan Road Labor Commando Team, is the best. He has started a school specifically to serve farmers and workers!"

Qian Jin laughed and said, "We've only taken the first step in a long journey; we still need teachers."

“Professor Song Zhiyuan can definitely help you,” Qiu Dayong said.

Qian Jin shook his head: "Training schools are different from learning rooms. They need teachers who understand the skills, and I need experienced workers to be the teachers."

"Then you should tell the young workers who come to visit that they can introduce experienced workers from various factories to teach them skills," Qiu Dayong said subconsciously.

Qian Jin raised the bottle at him: "That's right, I also had this in mind when I held the event here."

"All those who came were young workers from various factories, their mentors or their parents. Among them were classrooms that my school desperately needed."

"So, when you leave, give each of you a flyer. The flyer contains the school's founding principles and the teacher recruitment needs!"

Qiu Dayong suddenly realized: "I understand now, Chief Qian, you're really something! You're so good at planning ahead, so that's why you had this trick up your sleeve."

The bottles clattered together.

Qian Jin nodded with a smile.

It's like killing two birds with one stone—a side effect.

The boundless night sky was like a splash of thick ink, dotted with a few blurry starlight.

Qian Jin looked back at the school. The bright white lights surged from the open classroom doors, pouring onto the cold cement floor of the corridor, forming patches of bright yellow light.

The clamor of voices surged towards us like a warm current, almost lifting the entire roof.

The Lunar Year of the Monkey (Gengshen year) is here!
(End of this chapter)