The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 348 The Sole Proprietorship Begins
Qian Jin spent National Day in 1980 in the countryside.

The National Day atmosphere in the countryside was not strong; only the loudspeakers in the commune, which were electrified, broadcast related news and some celebratory songs.

The inspection of Anguo County was originally planned to last three to four days, but it was completed ahead of schedule.

Because the local leaders were very cooperative, providing data where available and taking them to the fields to make estimates where none were available, they were able to work outside for two and a half days and return to the city on October 2nd.

This was also something Qian Jin strongly insisted on.

Because preparations were completed in one day on October 3rd, the Approval Committee for Imported Technology and Equipment Projects in Haibin City was officially established on October 4th.

Qian Jin is in high spirits today.

When he got home in the evening, his family, knowing it was a big day for him to take up his new post as the head of his new unit, specially arranged a big meal for him.

The bare chicken killed three.

Ma Hongxia said excitedly, "I cooked one of the chickens your third brother brought back from the factory, and I made a big plate of chicken for the other—you've never had this before, have you? Hehe, the food from the frontier is so delicious."

"And one more?" Qian Jin asked casually.

"It's hung up," Chen Aiguo said loudly as he went into the kitchen to get a drink of water.

Qian Jin was taken aback.

Ma Hongxia laughed and said, "Air-dried chicken, I made an air-dried chicken, this will keep well."

In addition, dinner included seafood and various stir-fried dishes.

The vegetables were all seasonal, and Ma Hongxia's cooking was delicious and visually appealing.

Qian Cheng specially asked someone at his workplace to buy him a bottle of good wine.

Qian Jin took a look.

Hey!

Moutai from 1980.

Unfortunately, this wine can only be sold as a bottle in the online store. The wine itself is probably too young and is being treated as a counterfeit.

Qian Jin tried sending a bottle of vintage wine to the online store, but it couldn't be listed and could only be stored there.

However, empty wine bottles can be purchased by the mall as old wine bottles.

Considering that the mall allows trading of even live animals but not vintage wines, the only explanation is that the mall determines the wine itself is not aged enough, thus classifying it as a counterfeit or substandard product.

Since the wine wasn't worth selling at a high price in the mall, Qian Jin opened it.

If this wine could be sold in the online store, it would be incredibly valuable.

This is a nearly half-century-old bottle of Moutai!

He opened a bottle of Moutai and poured some for the men, then Qian Xi tapped the teacup in front of her:
"What are you doing? Looking down on women? Give me a drink too."

"On such a joyous day, how can I, as the older sister, drink tea?"

Chen Shoujiang pointed at his wife and exclaimed, "Your second sister has a very high alcohol tolerance, much better than mine."

Qian Jin laughed and said, "Alcohol tolerance is hereditary."

"What is heredity?" The table was filled with questions.

Qian Jin quickly waved his hand: "I was just kidding. Come on, let's raise a glass together."

Wine glasses, water glasses, and beverage glasses clinked together, making a crisp sound in the small building.

As it turned out, Qian Cheng didn't seem to be in the mood for drinking.

Qian Jin looked at him with suspicion: "Brother, is something on your mind?"

Qian Cheng hesitated for a moment, then put down his chopsticks and said:

"Fourth brother, there's been news about the matter you asked me to keep an eye on! Big news!"

Qian Jin looked up: "Brother, what did I ask you to keep an eye on? What news is it? You seem so happy..."

Then he suddenly realized what he was saying: "Hey, you guys can do that?"

"Yes, a business license for individual businesses!" Qian Cheng said excitedly. "The city, no, the province, just issued a directive allowing unemployed urban youth, returning educated youth, and other unemployed individuals to apply for individual business licenses!"

"The document arrived at the bureau on National Day, but I guess the leaders were in a meeting and discussed it, so they temporarily withheld the document. It arrived at our office today, and I think it will be officially announced soon."

"That's really good news." Qian Jin put down his teacup, his eyes instantly lighting up. "So now we can get individual business licenses in our city? We can open restaurants too, right?"

well.

The People's Canteen, this giant ship, is ready to set sail!
Qian Cheng nodded affirmatively: "The document states that the permitted business scope includes handicrafts, repair services, service industries, and catering!"

"Although the specific details are still under study, the general direction has been set! The ice has been broken! The veteran colleagues in our unit all say that this is a huge policy change!"

He paused, then added, "I heard today that Dong'ou quietly started doing this at the end of last year. A woman named Zhang Huamei, who sells small general merchandise like buttons and hair ties, got a formal individual business license..."

“I know this person; we even have business dealings.” Qian Jin laughed heartily.

Qian Lie's wife, Zhao Xiaohong, said, "Zhang Huamei doesn't just sell a few buttons; she sells a lot. I've seen the clothing factory's ledgers, and her monthly purchase volume reaches two hundred yuan!"

Two hundred yuan is quite a lot.

A new worker can only earn this much after working for half a year.

Although he knew this would happen sooner or later, even this year, Qian Jin's heart was still pounding.

The main reason is that he has been waiting for this moment for too long!

The emergence of individual businesses will be a milestone in the tide of economic reform, representing the arrival of a new era.

He also felt somewhat sentimental.

Some of the wonderful things left behind by our leader will soon become relics of the past.

An era in which everything is about money has begun.

But he can't criticize this change. He has countless supplies in the mall, he has a secure job, and his family has a high standard of living. But what about ordinary people?

Especially the farmers?

Previously, the children at Xiamapo were only given some dried wild vegetables to chew on to stave off hunger when they were so hungry they cried.

He had seen similar scenes far too many times.

The food shortage is not limited to Xiamapo; it also affects dozens of other production brigades in Anguo County, hundreds of production brigades throughout the city, and millions of production brigades across the country.

Can he deliver grain to Xiamapo to provide support, and can he provide support to the whole country?

He can't do it!

Thus, the more Qian Jin knew, the more confused he became.

He didn't know where the future path of human civilization, socialism, lay; he only knew that the Chinese people, especially those at the bottom, had suffered for far too long!
He believes that the chief architect of this new era knows this, and is even more aware of the hardships and toil of ordinary people at the bottom of society; otherwise, he would not have shouted the powerful statement, "Poverty is not socialism."

In Qian Jin's view, the volume of this statement is second only to "The Chinese people have stood up."

There's a lyric in "Entering the New Era" that he really likes.

We sang "The East Is Red" as we stood up and became masters of our own destiny; we sang "The Story of Spring" as we prospered through reform and opening up!

Such conflicting thoughts only flashed through his mind and then passed. He wasn't a great person with ability, vision, or knowledge of philosophy and economics; he was just a lucky guy.

Therefore, he would only adapt to the progress of historical trends, and would not fantasize about creating history.

At most, when a massive tide is about to relentlessly engulf a certain place, he uses his foresight to go and lend a helping hand.

It was the only thing he could do.

Chen Shoujiang's words pulled him back to reality: "What's wrong, four brothers? Why are you and the eldest brother so agitated? What's wrong with that business license? Is it that important?"

Qian Jin nodded solemnly: "Very important, extremely important!"

Chen Shoujiang and most of the others looked completely bewildered.

Qian Jin said, "Brother-in-law, I can tell you with certainty that if you want to start a freight company, buy a few trucks, and hire a few drivers to run freight services, then the policy already allows it!"

Chen Shoujiang's face changed: "Holy crap? Holy crap!"

Qian Cheng smiled and said, "Fourth brother, aren't you exaggerating a bit..."

“No, not an exaggeration at all!” Qian Jin said firmly, “The policy has just been relaxed, so everyone is feeling their way across the river and doesn’t dare to take big steps, because taking too big a step can easily lead to trouble.”

"But soon everyone from the national level to the grassroots level will realize that in order to revitalize the economy, we must enter a stage where everyone is engaged in business!"

Speaking of this, he recalled Chen Zhaopan, whom he had met a few days ago in Xiaochenzhuang. This man was a farmer, but he had an excellent ability to analyze textual information.

He took out his notebook, wrote down a message, and prepared to hand it over to Lao Pang, the chief secretary of the commando team, for processing.

They summoned Chen Zhaopan and assigned him to be in charge of reading newspapers and analyzing specific national policies.

This is very useful.

His words made all the adults fall into deep thought.

This also led a few mischievous kids to have a blast, and they remembered one thing: taking too big a step can easily lead to trouble.

Qian Jin ignored him and started talking to Wei Qinghuan, telling her to go get the marriage certificate.

Although the People's Canteen has now been opened, it is still nominally under the collective name of the Taishan Road Labor Commando Team.

Qian Jin didn't want to make much money for himself through the People's Canteen; he just wanted to expand and strengthen it, laying the foundation for other businesses. In the future, he wanted to run many companies and create a large, comprehensive conglomerate.

He also doesn't want to make much money for himself in this group, mainly because he has the mall, so he doesn't care about money anymore.

Precisely for this reason, he could not position the group as a small collective.

Instead, we must hold on tightly!
As the saying goes, the more one wants to serve the country and its people, the more one should become a powerful minister.

The two are based on the same principle.

Therefore, Qian Jin needs to obtain business licenses and gradually take control of various enterprises, factories, and shops. Only in this way can he set an example for other capitalists in the future and avoid being threatened by powerful figures or having his control taken away.

While eating, he asked, "Brother, what do we do about this license now? What procedures are required?"

Qian Cheng asked his son to fetch his briefcase, from which he found a piece of paper: "Look, according to the preliminary guidelines, the applicant must meet the following conditions: urban household registration and unemployed status."

"Then you need proof of a fixed business location. If it's a rented property, you need a lease agreement and a copy of the landlord's property ownership certificate. You also need to fill out a business registration application form."

"Most importantly, the food and beverage industry is a special industry. In addition to a business license, you also need to apply for a food and beverage industry license from the Bureau of Commerce and a health permit from the Bureau of Health. Employees also need to have health certificates. This is called 'having all three certificates'!"

Upon hearing this, Qian Jin exclaimed, "Wow, getting a business license is so formal now!"

He asked in bewilderment, "When I went to the capital, they had already issued this certificate. How come I heard it wasn't this complicated?"

Qian Cheng winked at him.

Qian Jin immediately realized what was going on.

He oversimplified things.

Whether or not to issue business licenses to individuals and whether or not to allow sole proprietors to participate in economic activities is a matter that leaders have neither decided nor reached a consensus on. As a result, the industrial and commercial authorities have adopted the simplest approach to this issue.

It is reasonable to raise the entry threshold.

It's not that we don't want to serve the people, nor will we fail to respond to the positive calls from higher authorities; it's just that we've set higher requirements to ensure the smooth implementation of the new work.

what?
Ordinary people cannot meet these requirements?

That's none of our business.

There are now conditions that prevent money from flowing in.

He originally wanted Wei Qinghuan to handle the business license for the People's Canteen, but nowadays, to apply for a business license, one must be an unemployed youth.

Then he looked at Ma Hongxia.

Ma Hongxia was peeling crabs for the children while asking Qian Xi about Qian Jin's current job position.

Then she noticed that her sister-in-law had stopped talking and was just staring at her.

She turned her head and saw that all the adults at the table were silent and staring at her.

Ma Hongxia was startled: "What's wrong with me? Shouldn't I be asking around?"

Qian Cheng understood what his younger brother meant and laughed, "No, no, no, you're fine. It's us who need you to make greater contributions to the family and society now."

Ma Hongxia asked anxiously, "What can I contribute? What... what can I do?"

Qian Jin said, "To be specific, sister-in-law, you are making a contribution to me, but you are also making a contribution to society."

“Right now you’re the only one who’s unemployed, and your household registration has been transferred to Taishan Road, so I want to take you to apply for a business license so you can become the owner of the People’s Canteen!”

Ma Hongxia was stunned upon hearing this, taking a full half minute to process the short sentence: "Me? Become a boss?"

She is gentle and timid, but of course she is very hardworking. She can accept being asked to work in the fields, and she can also take care of a large family of more than ten people.

But—become the boss?

She didn't even know what it meant to be a boss, or rather, she felt both unfamiliar with and apprehensive about the word "boss."

“Yes, sister-in-law, you’re the most suitable!” Qian Xi immediately realized and looked at her sister-in-law with a grin.

"Don't worry about any trouble or responsibility. I can assure you, you're just a figurehead; there won't be any real issues..."

"Fourth brother, don't say such things. Saying too much will hurt feelings," Qian Cheng interrupted him.

Ma Hongxia chuckled and said, "Yes, how could I not trust you, my four brothers? The main thing is, I don't know anything, and I'm afraid I'll hold you back."

Qian Jin explained the difference between nominal and actual work to her, and also gave her an outline of the future development direction for the People's Canteen.

Qian Jin also provided an explanation.

Because they need to use her identity, the canteen will also pay her a salary, so she will have a salary even if she doesn't have to work in the future, and she will also receive a pension when she retires.

But this isn't about receiving a salary without working; Qian Jin wouldn't dare do that. There are rules and regulations to follow.

Although the People's Canteen was formally an individually owned business, it was essentially a small collective enterprise.

Everyone from the boss to the employees receives a salary, and each has a share of the shares and a share of the profits.

Qian Jin did this simply to gain complete control of his companies, not to take all the profits.

Encouraged by him and Qian Cheng, Ma Hongxia finally nodded, her face showing a hint of trepidation, but also a sense of novelty at being pushed forward by the tide of the times.

In the days that followed, Qian Jin was like a wound-up toy.

He took the lease contract stamped with the official seal of the Wutaishan Road Industrial and Commercial Administration Office and the property certificate provided by the street office—which was actually a certificate issued by the Wutaishan Road Street Office. Then, with a photocopy of Ma Hongxia's household registration book, he went to the Taishan Road Street Residents' Committee to get an unemployment certificate, and then rushed to the district health and epidemic prevention station.

Ma Hongxia, Lou Xiaoguang, Zhou Yixing, and all the others gathered together to apply for health certificates. It wasn't complicated; each person paid 1.5 yuan for a medical examination, then had their blood drawn and stool tested to check for infectious diseases.

During this period, he asked Lou Xiaoguang to draw a simple layout diagram of the kitchen, marking the stove, vegetable washing sink, and disinfection area.

Lou Xiaoguang was very familiar with this matter. State-run restaurants also needed to carry out disinfection work, but they disinfected the cooking utensils and tableware by boiling them in a large pot.

Normally, state-run restaurants arrange for their staff to carry out disinfection work after closing time in the evening.

However, this issue is not being taken seriously at present, and many ordinary people do not know what infectious diseases are.

So, in order to leave work early, the waiters would just rush through the job, throwing the food into the pot and taking it out as a done deal.

Qian Jin bought a sterilization machine directly.

Having a golden house makes things much more convenient.

So he asked the local health center to issue a simple sanitation facility certificate, which described that there was running water, a sewage discharge ditch, and regular pest control and rodent extermination work.

After all the materials were prepared, Qian Jin accompanied Ma Hongxia into the somewhat old gray office building of the Chengnan District Administration for Industry and Commerce in Haibin City.

There is no service hall, only individual offices.

Therefore, the procedures for ordinary people to get things done are very complicated, which makes them unwilling to deal with officials.

Currently, business registration authorities don't have departments specifically for individuals to apply for business licenses. Since money can't be transferred and time is wasted, they simply grabbed an employee as a laborer and are preparing to contact their boss.

In terms of rank, he's not even as high-ranking as the director of the Chengnan District Administration for Industry and Commerce and Taxation. As for authority, it's hard to say.

The county magistrate is not as good as taking charge now.

But all the leaders in the bureau definitely have to give Qian Jin face.

The staff member who had been conscripted didn't know his identity. After being stopped, he glanced at him and noticed that he was a young man with a timid woman whose demeanor and complexion clearly indicated she came from the countryside. He then said irritably:
"What are you doing? What are you doing? Let go! What are you trying to do by holding me like this?"

Qian Jin handed him his work ID and said politely, "I'd like to see one of your bureau leaders."

When the employee saw the identification information on the work ID, he was immediately startled and jumped up on the spot.

This made Ma Hongxia laugh.

The employee looked at Qian Jin's face more closely and immediately looked distressed: "Boss, I... I also went to the countryside in August to participate in the agricultural support and drought relief work. Boss, I used to be one of your soldiers. Please don't report me to the boss!"

Qian Jin said helplessly, "I need him to do me a favor, so I'm asking you to take me to him!"

"Oh right, it scared me half to death." The employee chuckled awkwardly, then bowed and scraped as he led him upstairs to find Director Zhu Ziwen.

Zhu Ziwen shook hands warmly with Qian Jin, but when he understood Qian Jin's purpose, he was momentarily confused: "You're here to apply for a personal business license? Isn't that for your small collective enterprise?"

Qian Jin explained his needs and finally put Ma Hongxia forward: "She is my sister-in-law. After she returned to the city, she had nothing to do. Fortunately, she is very good at making Northwest cuisine, so I encouraged her to open a restaurant to serve the people."

"Director Zhu, is our policy in effect now?"

Zhu Ziwen hesitated for a moment, then told him to wait while he went to ask his superiors about the specific procedures.

In reality, he didn't go to see his superiors at all; instead, he summoned a group of deputy directors and department heads together.
"Someone actually came to apply for that individual business license. She wants to open a restaurant. What should we do? How do we get the license for her?"

"Isn't this ridiculous? The leaders did say in the meeting that they could process this, but they didn't say they could issue licenses to individual restaurants, did they?"

"Director Zhu, I've checked, and there are indeed no relevant laws or regulations that allow issuing licenses to individual restaurants..."

"Trying to fool him? Leave it to me, I'll check his paperwork, I'm sure I'll find something wrong..."

Zhu Ziwen sighed and said, "It was Qian Jin who helped his sister-in-law get the certificate!"

"Qian Jin?!" Several people gasped in surprise.

A deputy director was still troubled: "After the higher authorities mentioned this matter, I specifically checked some newspapers over the weekend and called old friends in other regions to inquire about this matter of issuing licenses to individual business owners."

"This does happen in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, but at most it's only opened up in the service and repair industries, allowing individuals to make clothes, weld iron kettles, repair shoes, and so on. There are no examples of it in other industries."

Zhu Ziwen looked at the section chief who had just asked for the paperwork: "Xiao Cheng, you're in charge of the business registration section, so regarding this matter..."

"Ouch!" Section Chief Cheng wanted to slap himself. Why did he make such a promise without even understanding the situation?

He coughed and said, "Well, Director Zhu, I know about that leader Qian Jin, and the people in their Taishan Road task force. They've been processing business licenses for that company since 77."

“I went to their neighborhood to find out what was going on. The people there really want to do something. The members of their commando team are honest, hardworking and law-abiding.”

"So, regarding this matter, I think we shouldn't overthink it, whether there will be any problems or risks. I don't think there's any issue. Let's give it a try, okay?"

The leaders all look at him.

That's not what you said just now!

Section Chief Cheng forced a smile and said, "We all know this leader, Qian Jin, he... he..."

He pointed upwards without saying anything, but everyone understood what he meant.

He has connections to all levels of society.

"So let's give him a special approval. If his sister-in-law's restaurant can succeed, great; if not, then we'll shut it down."

“I’ve dealt with this person before. He’s honest, down-to-earth, easy to talk to, and responsible—anyway, if things really don’t work out in the end, he can definitely take responsibility himself, and we won’t have to take the blame!”

Everyone still looks at him.

Finally, Section Chief Cheng told the truth: "Qian Jin is still the chief captain of the city's labor commando team!"

"Everyone, I... I dare not offend him! I heard that the city is arranging for him to lead the integration of all the labor shock brigades in the streets. How many people will he have under his command then? Several thousand!"

Everyone nodded solemnly.

This news has already been published in the newspaper.

However, integrating the labor task forces of various districts is a major task, and the city government is preparing to set up a working group to be specifically responsible for this matter, so everything is still in preparation and has not yet been promoted.

But Qian Jin's current status is undeniable.

He's like a warlord!

Zhu Ziwen sighed and decided to call his superiors to ask for their opinions.

When the superior heard that Qian Jin wanted to apply for a personal business license to become a sole proprietor, he first asked, "Is it his labor commando team that's handling this?"

"Strange, why does he want to open a sole proprietorship again? Oh well, whatever, let him open it. President Han held a meeting with us and said that if Qian Jin wants to engage in business activities here, as long as it is legal and compliant, we should go ahead with it."

"As far as I know, he plans to integrate the labor force of his labor shock brigades and find a way to arrange jobs for them so they can make a living."

"This is a good thing, we should support it. There are too many educated youth returning to the city now, and there will be even more in the future. Our city simply cannot accommodate so many laborers. If they can find a way to accommodate them legally and compliantly, it will relieve the pressure on society..."

Both the leadership and subordinates supported it.

Zhu Ziwen stopped worrying about it.

However, since there was no precedent for this in the entire city, their unit did not have a sample of a formal individual catering business license.

Section Chief Cheng demonstrated the spirit of self-reliance: "Let's make one ourselves. The important thing is our unit's official seal."

"I can handle this. I'll use our business registration paper and handwrite an official document approving his sister-in-law's restaurant business. I'll stamp it with the official seal, and you, Director Zhu, will sign it..."

“Let’s all sign.” Zhu Ziwen is an old comrade who will retire in two years, so he doesn’t want to take any risks.

Once the decision is made, all that's left is to carry it out.

(End of this chapter)