The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 356 Going Deep into Rural Areas and Hiring Talent

Several leaders held another meeting on the spot and ultimately concluded that Qian Jin's idea was indeed feasible.

One hundred and twenty technical backbone positions require one hundred and twenty rural-to-urban staff positions, which is indeed not many, but it can solve a big problem.

The establishment of construction brigades, mainly composed of labor shock brigades, not only solved the immediate problem but also represented an innovative attempt in urban construction and management.

In particular, this can solve a group of idle laborers at the same time, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone.

Han Zhaoxin gave his final analysis.

He believes that this plan can bring in key technical talent—specifically, 120 outstanding craftsmen from rural areas to the city—at the lowest cost of household registration—with only 120 government positions.

Then, relying on the existing collective organization—the Labor Assault Brigade—to solve the most pressing livelihood issue—the problem of old and dilapidated houses caused by the blizzard, while also exploring new paths—the renovation projects of old houses in various cities, is indeed a highly politically wise and feasible solution!

Zheng Guodong decided to grant special approval.

However, Qian Jin was required to clarify several issues.

He gestured for his secretary to start taking notes, then said to Qian Jin:
"First, these 120 people must be genuine technical talents. I need carpenters, bricklayers, and stonemasons. Their skills must be excellent, and their character must be reliable. I'd rather have fewer but better people. Don't let any of them be people with connections!"

"Secondly, regarding household registration, we will first include you in the collective household registration of Taishan Road, which will be managed by your neighborhood committee."

"Of course, I will arrange for relevant personnel to take the lead in coordinating with the Grain Bureau, the Education Bureau, and other departments to expedite the implementation of related issues such as grain and oil supply and children's school enrollment, ensuring that they can come in, stay, and perform well!"

Qian Jin nodded repeatedly.

Zheng Guodong continued, "Third, the operation of the construction team needs to be standardized, with regulations and clear responsibilities. This requires the business guidance and supervision of the street and district construction committee."

"As for the renovation projects, they must be open and transparent, and the cost accounting must be clear and reasonable. We must ensure quality while also practicing strict economy!"

These are all fine.

Qian Jin greatly admired Zheng Guodong.

The top leader is indeed farsighted, having considered all aspects in such a short time.

Then he admired her too soon.

Zheng Guodong continued, "Fourth, since this is a pilot project, it can only succeed, failure is not an option! Afterwards, you must summarize the experience and form a model that can be promoted. If any problems arise, I will hold you accountable!"

Qian Jin winked.

Ah, a pledge?
Han Zhaoxin laughed and said, "What's wrong? Losing confidence?"

"No, esteemed leaders! I guarantee I will complete the mission!" Qian Jin straightened his chest and spoke in a loud voice.

"I will definitely take strict responsibility, lead this team well, and do a good job in the renovation of dilapidated houses throughout the city! I will never let down the trust placed in me by the organization!"

Han Zhaoxin then said with a smile, "The last one, Guodong was just joking with you."

Zheng Guodong also laughed.

Qian Jin said earnestly, "I still stand by what I said: once a pawn crosses the river, it can only advance, never retreat! I am confident that I can lead this job well. If I fail to lead the team or perform the work properly, I am willing to accept political punishment!"

"Good!" Zheng Guodong smiled approvingly. "Old Han, Xiao Qian said it himself."

"We won't get involved in this. You figure out the specifics of how to do it. Just make sure all aspects of the work are implemented as soon as possible and that meeting minutes are issued."

"Inform all relevant departments to actively cooperate and respond enthusiastically."

Thus, the procedural obstacles were easily resolved.

The next day, the municipal office quickly drafted the document "Approval on the Establishment of a Construction Brigade under the Haibin City Labor Assault Team and the Resolution of Household Registration Issues for Some Technical Backbone Personnel".

The document clarified key details such as the 120 available slots, management methods, competent authorities, and coerced cooperating departments.

The document was stamped with the city government's bright red seal and officially took effect!
The moment Qian Jin received the copy of the document, a huge weight was lifted from his heart.

The policy has been approved, and the procedures are legal and compliant!
Fortunately, his work at the Approval Committee was no longer so urgent, as there weren't companies or factories that needed to import equipment and technology from abroad every day.

The national exchange rate is fixed, and a comprehensive plan needs to be developed in January, so related work has been suspended.

Therefore, Qian Jin can take charge of the work of the Labor Assault Team first.

Without stopping, carrying this weighty document and full of enthusiasm, he once again embarked on the road to Anguo County.

This time, he was no longer alone.

The district construction committee sent an old cadre, Lao Wu, who was familiar with rural conditions, to accompany them, and the civil affairs department also prepared assessment experts.

Qian Jin first went to the Anguo County government, sat down with the county's top two officials, reminisced about the hardships of the drought relief work, and looked forward to a bountiful harvest in the new year.

Finally, Qian Jin explained his mission.

This is actually a form of poaching.

The kind of craftsmen that Qian Jin needs are very important in rural areas. After the reform and opening up, as communes and production teams changed from the "iron rice bowl" to the "household contract responsibility system," the living conditions of farmers gradually improved.

In this situation, farmers will have a need to build new houses and renovate old ones in the future.

At this point, the city government withdrew the relevant personnel, which displeased the two county leaders.

Unfortunately, this was arranged by the city government, and there was an even more important reason: Anguo County owed Qian Jin a huge favor.

The two leaders sighed and signed the relevant documents.

They also admitted, "Director Qian, it's only because you came to ask for the people that things went so smoothly. If it were anyone else, even General Manager Han, it wouldn't have been this easy. I have to say something; things have to be fair."

“If the city wants to take 120 craftsmen and 120 people living on government assistance, we will have no complaints. We only take talented people, not useless ones. Forget it, Deputy Commander Qian, go ahead and do it with confidence.”

Qian Jin shook hands with them and thanked them. In return, he made the same promise:
"If Anguo County's industry needs to be upgraded, I will definitely put in extra effort. Even if I have to stay up all night, I will work overtime to select suitable advanced technologies and equipment for your factories!"

Upon hearing this, the top two leaders smiled with satisfaction.

can.

One hundred and twenty artisans can earn such a promise, and that's enough.

Having previously spent time in rural areas and visiting the front lines had its advantages; Qian Jin was very familiar with the situation in the various communes of Anguo County.

He knew exactly which commune was in the mountains and which had the most forests.

Good stonemasons come from mountain communes, and good carpenters inevitably come from communes with many forests. This is inevitable.

On his way here, Qian Jin had already selected the situation of three communes.

Coincidentally, this includes Qianzhai Commune in Xiamapo.

Qianzhai Commune had no mountains in front and no forests behind, and their commune was notoriously poor.

As the saying goes, poverty breeds resourcefulness, so starting from the old society, the people of their commune had to go out and learn a trade to make a living.

Traditionally, rural craftsmanship has been passed down from father to son. As a result, many craftsman families have emerged in Qianzhai Commune, including carpenters and bricklayers.

When Qian Jin was working as a team leader in Xiamapo, he heard that many of the veteran craftsmen in their brigade had contributed to national water conservancy projects.

The other two are Dawang Commune and Daliushu Commune.

Dawang Commune relies on the mountains for its livelihood. It is located in a valley of Dawang Mountain and is constantly exposed to rocks.

The marble used for the Labor Memorial Square in Haibin City was provided by Dawang Commune.

The Daliushu Commune truly lived up to its name, as it had many forests, especially willow groves, and many carpenters in each production team.

With time running out, Qian Jin couldn't go to the countryside to select talent himself, so he could only rely on the power of the system.

The county's top official personally called the main leaders of the three communes and the leaders of the production brigades, summoning them all to the county government's conference room for an emergency meeting.

The rural cadres were very happy to see Qian Jin, especially Ma Congfeng, the head of the Xiamapo production brigade, who held Qian Jin's hand tightly and was reluctant to let go.

When everyone arrived at noon, Qian Jin paid for the county government canteen with his own money and food coupons to prepare egg and sauce sandwiches for the grassroots cadres.

Everyone was eagerly enjoying the fragrant baked buns when they saw the official document from the city government.

The second-in-command of Anguo County laughed it off: "The city took into account that our farmers lacked opportunities and that our county suffered the most severe disaster last year, so it decided to give our county 100 positions for converting agricultural land use to non-agricultural land use."

"This is a great thing for the county to find a way out for talent and reduce its burden. Everyone should give their full support to Deputy Commander Qian's work."

Qian Jin only allocated one hundred spots, leaving twenty spots for flexibility.

He knew there must be special circumstances, so he had to keep a number of spots as reserves.

All the grassroots cadres are shrewd and intelligent. After seeing this document, they all started to strain their necks.

He choked.

Qian Jin poured them tea and asked with a smile, "What's wrong, esteemed leaders? Are you having some difficulties?"

Ma Congfeng was the most enthusiastic: "No problem at all, this is a good thing. I'll go back and tell my team, and those masters will definitely fight tooth and nail over it!"

What he said is true.

For an individual, this is a great opportunity that everyone would fight tooth and nail for.

It's a change from rural to urban residency!

Grain for sale!

A secure job!

This is an opportunity that only vocational school and college students can have; ordinary people and farmers would never dare to dream of it.

But this isn't a good thing for grassroots leaders like them.

The best workforce has been taken away.

This is tantamount to the city exploiting the rural areas.

But Qian Jin had already prepared his explanation, and it was quite simple:
"Comrades, 100 slots are actually quite a lot for your production teams and communes." "What does this mean? It means that your production team or commune has taken root in the city!"

"Isn't your production brigade worried about not having enough ration coupons? Aren't you afraid of encountering a year of famine? If your production team were to establish itself in the city, would you still be worried about these things?"

"Even if something happens, like a child going to university or an elderly person needing medical treatment in the city, at least there's a place to stay!"

This is a matter of vital interest.

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do," that's how Qian Jin has always done things. To put it bluntly:
Speak human language to humans and ghost language to ghosts.

If you say this to county leaders, they'll scoff at it, but it's incredibly tempting for rural cadres.

Everyone thought about it.

That's absolutely true!

Qian Jin continued:
"You all know that I prefer doing to talking and I don't make empty promises, but now I can make a promise to you."

"In a few years, the country will loosen restrictions on population movement. If you read the newspapers, you will notice that relevant departments are now discussing the feasibility of issuing ID cards to everyone."

"This is to prepare for future population mobility. You can go to the city to work then, absolutely. And if you have a place to stay in the city and someone you know to look after you, wouldn't everything be much easier and simpler?"

The grassroots cadres were immediately persuaded by him.

After swallowing the egg sauce in his mouth, the director of Daliushu Commune said excitedly, "Commander Qian has been kind to our commune. We will do whatever he says. Our commune is responding to his call!"

The leaders of Qianzhai Commune quickly added, "Our commune has already decided to respond. Isn't it just about needing craftsmen? No problem, we'll definitely pick the best craftsmen for him!"

The others immediately slammed their fists on the table and shouted their opinions, asking Qian Jin about the feasibility of going to work in the city in the future.

This matter will need several years to develop, but it is definitely feasible, so Qian Jin's resolute answer made them excited.

Finally, Qian Jin considerately added, "Besides, you don't need to worry that we will take away your strong and capable laborers and delay your work in the fields."

"Look, we have a job posting. It has age requirements: applicants must be between 50 and 60 years old, in good health, and have no criminal record."

Everyone started going through the job postings.

They marveled at the black and white text on the printed paper.

This is the first time I've ever seen something like this.

Furthermore, seeing that the people leaving the city were all elderly men in their fifties or sixties, they felt even more relieved.

Qian Jin discovered that fifty years old these days is different from fifty years old in the 21st century.

People age very quickly nowadays due to lack of nutrition, lack of care, and overwork.

Nowadays, in rural areas, a 50-year-old laborer is no longer considered a strong laborer.

But for a craftsman, this age is exceptional because they have so much experience!

Qian Jin doesn't need them to exert much effort; what he needs is their ability and experience.

The manual labor was done by educated youth from the labor shock brigades; they were all strong men in their thirties and forties, with plenty of strength.

The officials weren't thinking about that much; they were all carefully reading the recruitment notice.

Technical skills: Requires superb craftsmanship, more than 20 years of experience in the industry, and the ability to independently complete complex wooden components (such as roof beams, doors and windows), build load-bearing walls, and construct stone foundations.

A written recommendation and supporting documentation from the production team and commune (such as participation in important projects) are required.

Character: Hardworking, responsible, obedient to management, and willing and able to mentor apprentices.

Benefits: Urban household registration (collective household registration) in Haibin City will be provided; basic monthly salary of 45 yuan, plus piece-rate or project bonuses.

We provide dormitory accommodation and meals in the canteen (accommodation and meals are provided).

In addition, those who perform exceptionally well may be retained long-term, and their family members (spouse and minor children) may apply for relocation in accordance with regulations (subject to meeting the conditions).

Qian Jin, fearing they wouldn't understand, specifically pointed to the final 'assessment' section and emphasized:
"The job of recommending craftsmen is yours; whether they stay or leave is up to me."

“All craftsmen have a one-month internship period, during which they are rigorously assessed by professional engineers and experienced masters.”

"The assessment will cover on-site performance, work attitude, learning ability, and safety awareness. Anyone who fails the assessment at the end of the internship will be sent back to their place of origin! Their household registration and employment will be cancelled! There will be absolutely no leniency!"

Qian Jin's words were resolute, his conditions were clear, and his advantages and disadvantages were distinct.

He had to make things clear, otherwise, given the nature of these officials, they would definitely resort to back channels.

Therefore, he later emphasized the clauses of "internship period" and "return if the assessment is not satisfactory" in order to prevent mediocre people from being recruited and to ensure that the recruits are truly skilled craftsmen.

He also made it clear that anyone who dares to use connections will be investigated by the city's discipline inspection department.

Regardless of their background, rank, or past merits, all cadres involved will be punished to the fullest extent of the law and dismissed from their posts!
The officials nodded in agreement, repeatedly saying they would act in accordance with the policy.

They were somewhat envious of the craftsmen at that moment.

The job offers urban residency, a monthly salary of 45 yuan, and the option to bring family members to the city in the future.

For these craftsmen who toiled in the fields and whose skills, no matter how good, could only build mud houses in the village, this was an incredible stroke of luck!

After considering Qian Jin's words, they gradually realized what was going on.

Why worry about having your labor force taken away?
Now that the household contract responsibility system has been implemented, the labor force belongs to each family, not the collective. Qian Jin didn't explain this too clearly, but he highlighted it by saying "migrant workers in the city".

In this way, it is clearly a good opportunity to bring glory to the commune and find a way out for the craftsmen!

"Commander Qian, don't worry!" the director of Daliushu Commune assured him, patting his chest.

“I’ve remembered everything you said. We may not have many other things, but we have plenty of good carpenters! All the cadres from our brigade’s Party branch are here right now. I’ll hold a small internal meeting with them right away, and once we get back, we’ll screen them at every level to make sure we recommend the best and most reliable master carpenters to you!”

"Anyone who dares to use connections is going against me, Chen Lichun. If their submissions are returned, I'll have no face left!"

On the Xiamapo side, Ma Congfeng spoke up again with great enthusiasm: "Commander Qian, don't worry, the bricklayers in Xiamapo are famous for their wall-building skills for miles around, and I guarantee they're genuine!"

"Then the best bricklayer in our brigade is Ma Congli, but he's too old. How about we lower the age? Fifty is too old!"

Qian Jin said, "Regarding age, the minimum age can be relaxed to 40."

Ma Congfeng nodded thoughtfully: "Forty years old. Ma Congli should be 40, he's just the right age. As for me, I'm forty-five this year, hehe..."

Being a brigade leader is nowhere near as comfortable as having a stable job in the city.
After the meeting, the three communes immediately took action.

Instead of going back, they held a meeting on the spot to discuss the situation of the farmers and craftsmen under their command.

Those old craftsmen who were usually unknown and made a living by using axes, chisels and trowels suddenly became highly sought-after.

Whether it's the brigade secretary or the production team leader, they are very familiar with the villagers they live and eat with.

There's no need to visit every household to investigate, let alone verify their skills. They know who has good character and who has good skills.

In addition, the commune leaders were responsible for overseeing the process, organizing preliminary screening and evaluation.

The city urgently needs personnel, so the work at the grassroots level is also being carried out urgently.

In less than an hour, the list of 100 recommended individuals and their supporting documents were quickly compiled and delivered to Qian Jin.

However, Qian Jin still had to go to the countryside to conduct the assessment in person, and he had to relay the information down to the specific production teams.

It's very simple, he doesn't trust these officials.

These grassroots cadres may love their country, but they love their families even more. Letting them recommend candidates can only serve as a reference.

They're definitely nepotistic and favor their own people over what's right!
Even with discipline, it's useless.

Qian Jin was worried that some unskilled craftsmen might take advantage of the situation and pass off inferior goods as superior ones, and he was also worried that some highly skilled craftsmen might be overlooked because of conflicts with the officials present.

Therefore, in order to improve efficiency, he accepted the recommendation of grassroots cadres.

But in order to ensure fairness, impartiality, and transparency, he also had to personally go to the countryside to inspect these craftsmen, to screen and select them.

Old Wu, who accompanied Qian Jin on his work trip to the countryside, kindly reminded the leader: "Chief Qian, if you fill all the positions now, what will you do if suitable people come later?"

Qian Jin smiled slightly.

What to do? Keep filling it out!

The leader approved 120 positions, and he honestly said he wanted 120.
Egg!
He needs 200!
The work hasn't started yet, and the leaders haven't seen any results, so they're giving him 120 slots.

If the work goes smoothly and the engineering team performs well, it will be a piece of cake for him to get more staff positions!
Qian Jin and Lao Wu didn't sit idle; they also went to the countryside with the commune leaders.

Starting with Daliushu Commune, the closest to the county seat, after obtaining the preliminary list, they would directly conduct on-site inspections with the artisans who came to report.

They need to assess the patient's physical condition and skills.

Carpenters make mortise and tenon joints, bricklayers build wall corners, and stonemasons chisel stones.

Qian Jin briefly discussed with Lao Wu, and they agreed that since they were laymen doing verification work, they had to look carefully and ask in-depth questions, not only looking at the technical aspects, but also at their eyes, attitude, and conversation.

Because what he is looking for is not only a skilled craftsman, but also an honest person who can work hard and is easy to manage, and more importantly, a master who can settle down, is willing to take on apprentices, and has a sense of responsibility!

Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time for him to choose one by one. He could only trust that the cadres of the communes and even the production teams hadn't abused their power or pulled strings, and that they had indeed sent him over a hundred good craftsmen.

Doing it this way makes his verification work much easier.

Otherwise, it would waste a lot of time.

Time is the most precious thing right now.

There was no other way; the city was in a rush.

The construction team he had previously organized has started work, but there are too few people and not enough labor, which is really a drop in the bucket for the city's projects.

(End of this chapter)