The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 296 Building a Golden House, the Blacksmith's Success
One night fish and dragon dance.

The effects of controlling alcohol consumption and strengthening public security have been unprecedented.

Last year on New Year's Eve, Qian Jin, lacking experience, prepared too much alcohol and ended up getting himself drunk.

Fortunately, last year's gathering was mainly an internal meeting of the commando team, and most of the young people from outside Taishan Road were acquaintances. Although they drank too much, nothing serious happened.

This year's gathering of young people comes from various streets in the city, and many of them have some private conflicts.

If I drink too much, I'm bound to have a fight.

Fortunately, no one got drunk. Even those who got drunk at home and came to the training school to cause trouble were dragged out by Qiu Dayong and his men, arranged by Qian Jin.

It's cold. No matter how drunk someone is, as long as they can ride their bike to the training school by themselves, they'll sober up immediately after being taken out and thrown into the snow.

Trying to bully others with your fists?
Zhang Aijun is staying to spend the Spring Festival with Qian Jin this year; with him there, the fighting force can be kept under control!

The party went on until the early hours of the morning, almost all night.

Considering that everyone needs to pay New Year's visits to elders and leaders on the first day of the Lunar New Year, they reluctantly left after Qian Jin reminded them.

After checking that no one was on campus, Qian Jin locked the door, went home, and went straight to sleep.

I hadn't slept long when the New Year's greetings arrived...

Surprisingly, Wei Xiaobo was the first to arrive this time.

Qian Jin greeted him sleepily, then remembered that he also had to wish people a Happy New Year.

Now he has many more people to visit for the New Year, including not only leaders like Wei Bin and Yang Shengzhang, but also municipal government leaders he just met this year, as well as Yang Dagang and others. There are quite a few!

He washed his face with cold water, and Wei Qinghuan handed him a towel, feeling sorry for him: "You're too tired now, shuttling between two units, always having to work overtime and stay up late, how can this be?"

Qian Jin sighed, "There's nothing we can do. The early stages of reform and opening up were a very important historical period. You'll understand later."

Ma Hongxia was passing by the restroom when she heard this and said, "Don't delay having children. You two are not young anymore, and you've been married for several years."

She added, "Don't say you don't have time to take care of the kids. I'll take care of them for you. I raised three kids myself."

"With the help of your second sister and third sister-in-law, the three of us have raised almost ten children together, so we don't need you."

This matter definitely needs to be put on the agenda.

After her sister-in-law left, Wei Qinghuan leaned against the door frame, arms crossed, and looked at him with a smile.

Qian Jin sighed: "What are you still looking at? Let's go."

Wei Qinghuan was stunned: "Go...go where? Where are we going?"

Qian Jin winked at her suggestively: "Look at you, you've even learned to play dumb."

"Where are we going? We're definitely heading towards our bedroom. Let's take advantage of this auspicious day of the Lunar New Year and get to planting seeds!"

Wei Qinghuan patted his back and smiled charmingly: "You're quite the joker. You know today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, don't you?"

"Wait, what do you mean? You...you're joking, right?"

Qian Jincai wasn't joking.

He's going out again today, and this trip might last two or three days, so we need to hurry.
"While the blankets are still warm..."

Wei Qinghuan was truly speechless.

Afterwards, she could only angrily say while tying her hair: "You even said your physical condition has declined and you're not as good as before."

"Look what you've been doing lately, working overtime and indulging in alcohol and women."

Qian Jin thought what she said made a lot of sense.

But we'll continue doing it from now on.

What can he do about drinking? He attends many events now, and when the leaders drink, he drinks water? When the leaders raise their glasses, he bows his head?
Seeing Wei Qinghuan launch into her rambling, incessant chatter, he had no choice but to raise his fist in a righteous and resolute manner:

"I must quit drinking!"

The weather was lovely on the first day of the Lunar New Year; it was a sunny day.

Even at noon, the smoke from firecrackers still lingered throughout the seaside city, and the pungent smell mixed with the biting cold permeated every street.

Qian Jin chuckled and rode off on his motorcycle.

The wheels rolled over the roadside still covered with a thin layer of ice, crunching over the bright red firecracker debris scattered on the ground, heading straight for the Red Star Commune.

It's time to build a golden house!

He now has enough money to buy fifty kilograms of gold and still have some left over.

Given the malleability of gold, fifty kilograms is enough to build a small house.

The Red Star Commune was filled with joy, and songs were playing over the loudspeakers.

After playing "The Red Flowers of Shandan Mountain", another song, "The People of Ava Sing a New Song", was played.

As Qian Jin drove along, he noticed several new utility poles standing by the roadside.

He estimated that this was the start of a surprise operation to bring the power grid to rural areas.

He wasn't worried about the Hongxing Liujia production team; they would definitely get electricity this year. But it wasn't certain about the Xiping production brigade.

But that's not a problem. He has an extra generator, which he can just give to the brigade headquarters in Xiping.

First, the power was switched on to the brigade headquarters.

There was less snow this winter than usual, but it was colder than usual.

The blacksmith shop covered its roof with thick corn stalks to keep out the cold; this is the wisdom of the working people.

The shop has changed compared to before, mainly because there is a new shed at the entrance.

A few thick wooden pillars, blackened by smoke, supported a thatched roof to keep out the rain. A stove was built from mud bricks, clods of mud, and broken stones. Blacksmiths usually worked here to do some odd jobs.

It was the first day of the Lunar New Year, and the shop was closed. A layer of frost covered the stone and iron anvils at the entrance. Qian Jin got out of the car and looked at them. The pile of wood shavings used for starting fires in the corner was already slightly damp.

Under the shed, the handle of the large bellows used for blowing air was worn shiny, and the furnace of the large stove, half-buried in the ground, was ice-cold, with the ashes hardened into a lump.

It's obvious that work hasn't started for a few days.

"Uncle Huang, Uncle Cai! Happy New Year! Open the door!" Qian Jin pounded on the thick iron-clad wooden door and shouted loudly.

He knew that Huang Laotie would stay in the blacksmith shop today because he had left a message for the mute Chen Jingdi beforehand.

Chen Jingdi went home for the Chinese New Year this year.

Sure enough, soon the sound of footsteps came from inside the door, and the door bolt clattered open. It was none other than the shop owner, Huang Laotie.

The two have known each other since 77, which is less than three years, but Huang Laotie already looks a bit old.

There are three great hardships in life: rowing a boat, blacksmithing, and grinding tofu.

This is not a joke.

Today, Huang Laotie is still short, stocky, and sturdy like an anvil. His face, which has been roasted red and black by the furnace fire for many years, is now covered with wrinkles and ravines.

Furthermore, the tips of his hair at the temples had turned completely white, and his already somewhat hunched back had become even more bent.

The man, who was just fifty years old, felt that he was in worse shape than some men in their sixties from his previous life.

Upon seeing Qian Jin at the door, he grinned, revealing his molars, blackened and yellowed by cigarette smoke: "Hey, boss, Happy New Year! I wish you a smooth promotion and great wealth."

Qian Jin thought to himself, "Your blessing is really fitting. My own expectation for the 1980s was to get promoted and make a fortune."

However, he doesn't need to use his official position to make money. He doesn't accept bribes. All he needs is foresight and the Gold Mall to make a fortune.

In fact, given his current status and position, even without the mall, his foresight regarding policies and social development trends would have been enough to dominate the scene in the 1980s and 90s.

With the existence of the Gold Mall, he can kill even more ruthlessly.

He was destined to fight his way overseas, to wreak havoc on international capital!
Qian Jin also wished him a Happy New Year, followed by Lao Gou, and then Lao Cai hurriedly came out and clasped his hands in greeting.

Quite unexpectedly, Qian Jin also saw Chen Jingdi.

Chen Jingdi was provided with a formal job by him, and he also received many favors from him in his daily life, so he was very grateful to him.

No one in the entire commune knew Qian Jin's influence better than him. Just because Qian Jin would occasionally come to visit him, he now held a very high position at the guesthouse.

Even the head of the guesthouse had to speak to him with utmost politeness.

Old Dog pulled Qian Jin inside: "The mute came to deliver a message before the New Year saying you were coming on the first day of the Lunar New Year. I didn't believe it, but you really did come on the first day! Come on, come inside and warm up!"

Old Cai laughed and said, "Why are you not at home on the first day of the Lunar New Year... and instead come to this remote corner?"

Qian Jin untied all the bags that were tied to the back of the motorcycle.

Several blacksmiths came to help, laughing and joking.

Old Huang bowed repeatedly: "Look at you, leader, you really care about us blacksmiths. Even during the New Year, you still think of us. It's so touching."

"Actually, I was hoping you guys could help me out. I came here today to ask you for a big favor." Qian Jin slipped inside, pulled Huang Laotie aside, and gave him a wink.

Huang Laotie immediately understood.

He took the money and went into a closed shop.

The shop was dimly lit, with only a few rays of sunlight filtering through the small, high-hanging windows in the wall, illuminating the floating dust.

He asked in a low voice, "Or should we make goldware?"

Qian Jin said, "This time we don't need to hide it from anyone else. Chen Jingdi is here too, so we'll probably need you all to work together, and it might not even be finished in a day."

Old Huang was taken aback: "How much gold?"

Qian Jin held out a hand.

Based on the hint in his words, Huang Laotie immediately guessed the answer: "My God, fifty kilograms?!"

Qian Jin nodded.

This gold house is the last time he can create finished gold artifacts.

Moving 50 kilograms is about the limit; if it increases to 100 kilograms, he will find it difficult to disassemble and reassemble it freely.

So if he wanted to continue making goldware in the future, he would need to find a warehouse or house and cover the walls, floors and roof with gold leaf.

However, for now, we just need to build a golden house.

With the golden house, he could purchase 99% of the goods in the mall, except for some large machinery, automobiles, or production lines.

Those things were useless throughout the 1980s.

Huang Laotie sat on a stool, smoking a cigarette, and began to plan how to get things done.

Qian Jin went out first to distribute the New Year's goods he had brought to them.

The New Year's goods have been delivered to the blacksmith's shop.

This place is the blacksmiths' main workshop, with the large furnace in the center.

Next to it, against the wall, were piles of coke and coal, and on the other side were various new and old, broken hoes, sickles, mattocks, and rake teeth waiting to be repaired.

Next to the furnace was a huge water tank, with oil droplets left by the quenching of the coolant floating on the surface.

There was a broken table in the corner, on which were piled new sickles and several brand-new shovel heads that had not yet been fitted with wooden handles.

The money went in and they opened each bag.

It contains all the hottest items right now.

There was a bag full of cured meat, which was leftover from when it was distributed to the carpenters of Xiping.

He bought only thick strips of cured pork with a good balance of fat and lean meat, each strip as wide as a palm. They had been smoked until they were glistening and reddish-brown, and the fragrant oil would make your palms shine when you touched them.

There was also a bag of candy.

Each person received a large bag of glistening white sugar wrapped in sturdy kraft paper. The kraft paper was tied into squares with paper twine and tied with bows, making it a very pretty gift.

In addition, each person received a large bag of White Rabbit milk candy and fruit hard candy, which is something that only well-off families receive during the Lunar New Year.

The blacksmiths' work required a lot of soap and towels, so Qian Jin brought a large bag of those as well.

As for medicinal wine, trauma pills, and various plasters, they are standard gifts that are always included.

Qian Jin distributed the money to them, and no one stood on ceremony.

This isn't the first time; always being falsely polite seems too pretentious.

Old Dog sighed, "Hey, boss, you really have to give us some work to do in the future, otherwise we'll feel really bad. You always send us such nice things during holidays, and we brothers really feel bad about it."

Cai Laoliu nodded: "Yes, in previous years our family was so poor that we could only afford to eat mixed grain dumplings during the New Year."

"It was only after I got to know the leader and became friends that my family was able to live a more comfortable life."

Chen Jingdi quickly gestured with his hands.

Qian Jin laughed when he saw it.

He meant that Qian Jin had helped him change his fate, transforming him from a mute laborer in the countryside into a worker in the city with a guaranteed job, for which he was extremely grateful.

Since you're so grateful, then help me with some work.

Qian Jin winked at Huang Laotie and whispered, "Later, you, me, and the mute will go blacksmithing together. The rest of you can guard the gate for the next couple of days. What do you think of this arrangement?"

Huang Laotie pondered for a moment and said, "To be honest, boss, you're an amateur. When it comes to mining gold, even a mute can do it, but you can't."

"So here's the arrangement: you help out, have Old Dog and the other two guard the door, and let Old Six in."

“I know those guys well; they keep their mouths shut and are definitely not the kind of people who can’t control their mouths after drinking a couple of ounces of cat pee.”

Hearing this, Qian Jin nodded.

Building a small golden house from fifty kilograms of gold is not something that can be done in a day or two; it would probably take two days of work.

This kind of thing can't be hidden from those who know what they're doing, so Qian Jin simply called everyone together:
"I'm here today to entrust you with a difficult task, but it needs to be kept secret. I hope you won't tell anyone outside the company, not even your own family members."

"What kind of work?" Cai Laoliu was taken aback for a moment, then perked up. "Whatever it is, just give me the orders, boss!"

"As long as we have coke and iron, we'll take any job! Are you looking to make something new again? Don't worry, the furnace you asked us to build last time, none of us told you how it was made!"

“Someone did come to ask,” Old Dog added.

Qian Jin nodded: "Okay, we'll have to entrust this matter of keeping it a secret to everyone, and this time it's not a guaranteed job."

His smile faded, and after glancing around at the group, he nodded to Huang Laotie.

Huang Laotie said in a deep voice, "The job the leader asked us to do this time is a golden opportunity."

“Gold... gold work?” Cai Laoliu and the other two blacksmiths were stunned and looked at each other.

Old Dog scratched his chin and asked doubtfully, "I know about gold. That stuff is soft and can be used to make jewelry, but only a mute can do jewelry making. I'm afraid the rest of us can't do it."

Old Dog also backed down: "I'm 44 this year, and I've lived most of my life. I've only ever seen someone making gold rings once before, back in the old days when I was at a landlord's house."

"Gold jewelry? We're really not good at that. Boss, please don't misunderstand, it's not that I'm unwilling to work, it's just that I know gold is different from iron. If we mess it up and you ruin it, we'll be the ones who suffer!"

Qian Jin laughed and said, "Everyone has misunderstood. I'm not asking you to make gold jewelry, but to make a gold box. And it doesn't have to be a complete gold box. It just needs to be a few gold plates that can be combined to make a gold box."

Huang Laotie said, "The leader's idea is that we all work together to melt the gold ingots and forge them into gold plates." "That's no problem," Cai Laoliu and Laogou immediately agreed.

Huang Laotie immediately arranged for manpower.

Qian Jin opened his backpack and took out long strips of objects tightly wrapped in red silk cloth.

The mall doesn't sell large gold bars; the largest weighs only 200 grams.

Qian Jin opened the red silk cloth, revealing a small box containing gold bars.

The box was opened, and under the sunlight, a dazzling and brilliant light shone forth.

One piece! Two pieces! Three pieces...

The small gold nugget looked unremarkable.

Old Dog and the others each took a piece and looked at it in their hands.

It feels heavy in the hand, and its surface has a pure golden hue.

This belongs to BRICS.

Their surfaces are smooth and flat, with sharp edges, and the national bank's gold refinery stamp is clearly visible on both the top and bottom, every stroke of which exudes unquestionable authority and purity.

Qian Jin said in a gentle tone, "There are a total of fifty kilograms of high-purity gold here. Don't worry, its origin is definitely legitimate..."

“We will definitely believe you on this,” Huang Laotie said decisively, making a definitive statement on behalf of his companions.

Chen Jingdi was the first to nod and applaud, responding with unwavering conviction.

Old Dog and the others laughed and said, "We all know your character, Boss. This stuff must be from the right place."

Qian Jin said, "Then our next task is very simple. Please use your blacksmithing skills to melt it down for me."

"Then forge, temper, and refine it carefully to make it into something—no rush, the work needs to be meticulous, we're not in a hurry."

"Take a look at what it will look like when it's actually built."

He took a folded sheet of paper out of a pocket and unfolded it; the paper depicted the shape of one wall of the Golden House.

There are six golden walls in total, which can be freely disassembled and assembled, making it convenient for him to fold and store them later.

Huang Laotie called Cai Laoliu and Chen Jingdi away:

“I’ll take charge of the furnace, Lao Liu, you’ll hold the hammer, and Dumb Man, you’ll be in charge of blowing air and fine-tuning.”

"We're experts in the heat control for melting and refining gold, the techniques for quenching, and the process of hammering and polishing... We have all the tools readily available, and I've also stocked up on the best Datong coke."

"Last year, the leaders gave us a blower. We used this blower to heat the coke and melt it in an open clay pot. I've tried it before, and it can melt the coke."

"The boss has given us two days to settle things at home. We're closing the door to visitors for the next two days! You two, Lao Gou, keep a close watch on the door and don't let anyone in!"

"Good!" Cai Laoliu shouted.

"We have to do this job well. We've wrought tons of scrap metal in our lives, but this is our first time working with gold, isn't it?"

Old Dog said, "This is the first time, and we're only going to get this much gold in one go, so we have to be careful."

"Hey, Boss Huang, how about when everyone comes back, I bolt the front and back doors shut? And seal the windows tightly with window boards too. That way, even if the King of Heaven himself were to knock on the door, not a single fly could get in!"

Huang Laotie said, "Alright, we must be careful about this. We can never be too careful."

They brought New Year's goods home to explain the situation, and then each brought back some dry food.

Qian Jin had already prepared the meal: "Everyone, please focus on your work. I'll take care of the meals."

Finally, with Huang Laotie's order, the blacksmith shop instantly transformed into a golden furnace.

The thick wooden door was completely locked shut with a heavy bolt, the window panels were removed and covered with old cotton quilts, and the exhaust went out through the chimney.

Huang Laotie pulled the bellows around with a whooshing sound, and the air duct emitted a muffled whistling sound.

Coke was fed into the furnace, and the ignited wood shavings quickly produced flames and thick smoke.

One by one, the heavy gold bricks were carefully placed into the graphite crucible that Qian Jin had brought last time, which was also the open-mouthed casserole that Huang Laotie had mentioned.

The crucible was placed on the furnace fire, and the golden solid slowly turned red and white, eventually transforming into a dazzling, molten, slowly swirling, viscous gold paste.

The moment of molten gold has arrived!

With the replacement of hand-operated bellows with electric blowers, the fire in the blacksmith's shop is no longer the orange-yellow glow of red-hot iron, but has turned into a chilling bluish-white!
The extremely high temperature distorted the air, baking the walls until they seemed to warp slightly.

The scorching heatwave caused the three people nearby to sweat profusely, stripping them down to just their undershirts, the sweat on their skin drying instantly as soon as it seeped out.

Qian Jin promptly brought them some green tea, and they downed a whole bottle in one gulp.

Finally, Huang Laotie used a specially made long-handled graphite spoon to pour spoonfuls of molten gold into a thick iron mold. At this moment, Cai Laoliu immediately swung his hammer:

clang!clang!clang!
The heavy clanging of metal was unusually dull and loud in the cramped mud-brick house.

Unlike striking iron, when a hammer strikes a semi-solidified gold nugget, it produces a more resonant and restrained sound.

Forging, reheating, remelting, reforging...

Over and over again!
The small gold bar has been transformed into a large gold plate, its surface no longer smooth, but covered with dense, extremely fine hammer marks.

Although it has not been finely polished, its warm, rich, and naturally presented golden luster still exudes a breathtaking beauty.

This is a physically demanding job, but also one that requires skill.

The blacksmith shop was busy from noon on the first day of the Lunar New Year until the morning of the third day, when the fire in the furnace finally went out.

Over the past two days, the group has been eating very well. Breakfast consisted of noodles with tea eggs and pickled mustard greens, which were unlimited. Lunch was steamed buns with braised pork and braised pork hock. Dinner was roast chicken and liquor.

The unprecedented abundance of food filled the blacksmiths with boundless energy, and Old Dog kept exclaiming, "This is truly like celebrating the New Year!"

The final six golden walls are all very thin. They are rectangular in shape, with a length of over four meters and a width and height of two meters.

Calling it a small golden house is not an exaggeration.

Each gold wall is covered with hammer marks, which are more beautiful than any smooth polish.

"Excellent craftsmanship! This is true skill!" Qian Jin exclaimed sincerely, showing great affection for the treasure.

He assembled and disassembled the gold sheet multiple times to verify that there were no problems, and then folded the thin gold sheet.

He will still want to use nesting dolls in the future, and this little golden house can be put into the largest golden chest he used to be on.

Finally, he dismantled the golden house, folded and tidied up the gold plates, and said:
"I'll take the things with me. I mean what I say. I'll also get extra payment."

He pulled out another roll from his pocket, full of all kinds of tickets and certificates, all the things that people in the countryside lacked at the time.

"Here are grain coupons, meat coupons, cloth coupons, and industrial coupons, etc. It's a small token of our appreciation. Everyone should share it. You'll definitely need them in the future. Having these things will make your families feel a little more comfortable."

As he spoke, he handed the ticket to Old Huang.

Old Huang firmly shoved it back at him: "What are you doing? What remuneration? What wages? Boss, what you're saying has confused us old guys. What have we done for you that you're going to settle our wages?"

Old Dog said, "Yes, boss, you always bring us good things when you come, and this time you brought a lot of things too. You even provided meals for us brothers, letting us eat meat until we were full. We can't ask you for wages anymore..."

"No way, old dog, are you out of your mind? What have we done for the boss? Why are we still getting paid?" Old Huang said sternly.

The old dog was stunned.

The mute man next to him understood what Huang Laotie meant, and his hands moved rapidly, as if he were about to form a hand seal.

Old Dog and the others exchanged glances, suddenly realizing what was going on, and then burst into laughter:

"Yes, yes, boss, you just came to catch up with us guys, why are you giving us a reward?"

"Hey boss, I'm here to wish you a Happy New Year! May the New Year bring you smooth sailing and abundant wealth."

"Hey boss, you go back and get busy, I won't see you off..."

Qian Jin smiled when he heard these words.

Huang Laotie is reliable; he's a good comrade you can count on.

He didn't press the matter further, put away the tickets, and said, "Why are you in such a hurry for me to leave? I haven't finished my mission yet."

"All of you, hurry home and wash your faces and bodies with hot water, change into clean clothes, and then take your elderly parents, children, and wives with you and head into the city!"

"As usual, it's Chinese New Year, so I'll treat your whole family to a trip to the city. This year, I'll definitely make a new outfit for everyone in your family."

"Haha, getting new clothes?!" Old Dog subconsciously tugged at his shiny, tattered cotton-padded jacket.

The cotton-padded jackets of all of them were the same, with several patches and the cotton wadding showing through.

"Yes, everyone gets one, a new set of clothes for each person!" Qian Jin waved his hand. "You all go back and get ready first. I'll ride my motorcycle back to find a car to take you into town!"

Huang Laotie beamed: "Great, then we'll have to trouble you again, boss."

Qian Jin, now possessing an even larger golden house, was in high spirits: "We're all on the same side, why bother with all this trouble?"

"You all go home and pack up, I'll go first."

Now that his status has risen, he no longer needs to go back to the city to find a car.

He rode his motorcycle to the main road leading into the city, and soon encountered a truck approaching.

Qian Jin saw that the license plate was from Haibin City, so he waved for the truck to stop and started befriending the driver.

After the names were announced, the two sides quickly made contact. Qian Jin gave the driver two packs of cigarettes and two yuan, and the driver readily agreed to take the group into the city.

Huang Laotie's wife and children, Chen Jingdi's brother and sister-in-law's family, and all the other families squeezed onto the bus.

They come to the city almost every year, and now they are no longer as panicked as the first time they came to the city.

The truck headed straight for the People's Garment Factory on Taishan Road.

As you enter Taishan Road, the loudspeakers at the intersection are playing the cheerful song "Our Life is Full of Sunshine".

Several children, dressed in brand-new hooded cotton-padded jackets with their faces red from the cold, were running and playing by the roadside.

Qian Jin got off the bus with a few people and asked someone to call over Wang Lijuan, the team leader of the female garment workers.

Wang Lijuan opened the door and said, "Chief Qian, please take your friends inside and rest. I'll call our team over right away."

The garment factory is now back on track.

It was crammed with sewing machines, cutting tables, and all sorts of other machines.

Fabrics of various colors and textures filled the huge counter: dark blue and navy blue synthetic fiber blend khaki fabric, gray-blue Zhongshan suit fabric, cotton fabric printed with small floral or checkered patterns, bright red tweed, thick corduroy...

Everything!

Countless bolts of cloth were neatly stacked in rows, their colors so vibrant they were almost blinding!
The vast factory was filled with the distinctive scent of brand-new fabrics.

Old Dog's wife touched a cutting table, on which were placed large scissors for cutting fabric, chalk, and a ruler.

Old Dog quickly patted his wife's arm: "Don't touch it, where are we? Let's just look at the scenery."

Old Dog's wife rolled her eyes at her husband, but didn't reach out again.

When the group of female workers arrived, Qian Jin gave them the order: "Come on, make each of them a new set of clothes."

"The men make overcoats, the women make wool coats, and the trousers are made of corduroy, mainly for warmth..."

Wang Lijuan took out a ruler to measure the three dimensions, and said at the same time, "The overcoat and woolen coat are being made slowly, Chief Qian, can your friends wait?"

"I think they're farmers, right? Those overcoats and woolen coats are just for show, not for practicality. If you ask me, adults should all make a set of clothes and trousers from thick, durable, dark blue work cloth or khaki. Men should have four pockets, and women should have a fitted, oversized coat."

"Choose nice-looking, sturdy cotton or synthetic fabrics for children's clothes. The style doesn't matter, just make sure they're durable and fit well!"

"This woman is right." Old Huang nodded hurriedly. "Boss, why don't you get us a coat? What are we blacksmiths going to do wearing that? The Ministry of Labor's four-pocket coat is much better, it's decent and durable."

Chen Jingdi's sister-in-law weakly added, "Could you make it a little bigger for the child? Children grow so fast..."

Qian Jin said, "Okay, then let's do it according to your plan, Xiao Wang."

He added, "Oh, and give everyone an extra cotton hat and a pair of cotton gloves!"

Wang Lijuan deftly tore off the ruler and began to carefully measure each person's shoulder width, sleeve length, waist circumference, and leg length:
"Today is going to be tough."

Qian Jin said, "They'll stay in the city tonight, and they can get things done by tomorrow. There's no rush."

Wang Lijuan said, "Then we have plenty of time. Okay, leave it to us."

Huang Laotie and Lao Gou stood under the bright lights outside the counter, feeling uneasy as they were being handled by several girls.

Their faces turned purple with embarrassment, and their rough hands didn't know where to go.

Huang Laotie's wife asked in a low voice, "How do we pay for this and get the cloth ration coupons?"

Qian Jin laughed: "You don't need to worry about that. This is our own garment factory. I'll just cover the material costs for you."

The female workers have already gotten busy.

They tore open the huge roll of cloth, and the heavy cloth-cutting scissors made a crisp and rhythmic "snip-snip" sound as the brand-new fabric was quickly cut into pieces.

When Wang Lijuan tore off the piece of cloth, she shook it vigorously, unfurling a bright fabric more than ten feet long. The rustling sound of the new cloth being shaken open was simply delightful to the blacksmiths' wives.

Wow, there's so much fabric here...

Life in this city is so good...

Qian Jin took a moment to ask them, "If you have the opportunity to work in the city in the future, would you come?"

The crowd immediately started chattering:

"Only a fool wouldn't come!"

"Oh dear, that must be a life of wealth and honor. No one in my family has that kind of destiny."

"Big brother, study hard, and try to come to the city in the future to get a stable job and a guaranteed food supply..."

Qian Jin laughed and said, "No need. Just wait two years. In two years, you can all move into the city, and I'll arrange jobs for you."

Everyone looked at him in disbelief.

Is this a dream?!
Qian Jin repeated, "Don't worry about anything, just live your lives well. In two years, I'll definitely get you all in here."

The adults who understood his meaning were overjoyed.

When they looked at Qian Jin again, their eyes were filled with heartfelt gratitude and awe.

Especially the blacksmiths who knew Qian Jin.

They were already tipsy before they even drank any alcohol.

Can I move to the city to live on my own?
This whole thing is like a bizarre yet incredibly real dream.

They wanted to ask for details, but Qian Jin smiled and said, "Let's not think about what happens next. Masters, actually, I have a personal matter to discuss with you all here in town..."

He told everyone about the training school the commando team had set up on Kunlun Mountain Road, and also about the need to modify an iron boiler.

A boiler is a must.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to replace the school's heating system with the advanced boilers from the mall.

(End of this chapter)