The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 359 Chen Jingdi's New Voice and New Life

Soldiers are valuable and quick.

The next day, Qian Jin took half a day off.

The construction team was officially established this morning, and as the leader, he was naturally required to preside over the inaugural meeting.

After settling the 108 heroes from Anguo County in the evening, he and Wang Dong returned to their two simple offices in the tenement building on Taishan Road.

The sign at the entrance has been changed; "Taishan Road Labor Assault Team Office" has been changed to "Haibin City Labor Assault Team General Office (Temporary)".

There was a map of the city on the table inside, with several buildings in Taishan Road roughly marked in red and blue pencils, all belonging to the Xiguanli area.

Xu Weidong pointed to the marked area and said, "Our construction team started going there the day before yesterday."

"The subdistrict applied to the district for materials such as cement, bricks, and sand. The construction teams were split up, and they started working on five different projects simultaneously..."

"With just this few construction team members, they can manage to repair minor waterproofing cracks, but they can't handle a large project like rooftop reconstruction!" Qian Jin shook his head. "And why are they scattered, going to five different companies all at once?"

Pang Gongbing, who was in charge of the office, explained: "Chief Qian, there's nothing we can do. Every family is in a state of emergency; some are crying, some are making a scene."

“I told them that our construction team is not good at building buildings or repairing roofs. We should concentrate our efforts on major projects and repair one house at a time.”

“But that won’t work. They don’t have that awareness—I mean, these families who have been affected by the disaster, even if their homes can’t be repaired in a short time, they’ll be satisfied as long as someone comes to help with the repairs.”

Finally, he shook his head: "We still need a professional construction team; this is a big job."

Qian Jin said, "I went to Anguo County today to assemble a construction team."

Pang Gongbing scratched his head: "Huh? You went to Anguo County to recruit people?"

Qian Jin asked in surprise, "Wang Dong knew? Didn't he tell you?"

Pang Gongbing shook his head, then asked urgently, "Have you gathered all the people yet?"

Seeing his unusual attitude, Qian Jin didn't answer but asked instead, "What's wrong?"

Pang Gongbing chuckled and explained somewhat embarrassedly, "Don't we have a group of craftsmen from the Xiping Production Brigade in our construction team?"

“When they learned that the brigade was going to form a construction team, they came to you but couldn’t find you, so they came to me to discuss it. They said that there were some good craftsmen in their hometown and asked if they could bring them over.”

Qian Jin nodded after hearing this: "Okay, bring it over."

For the construction craftsmen, this was like Han Xin deploying his troops—the more the merrier.

There are too many educated youth returning to the city, and to solve their employment problems, it is necessary to establish labor-intensive enterprises.

Female workers were better suited to work in restaurants or garment factories, while male workers were better suited to work in construction teams.

Qian Jin did some research and found that commercial housing would be available in the 1980s, and a large number of residential buildings would also be constructed during this period:
Workers' New Village!

Therefore, the construction team will never be short of work. As long as they can build buildings and houses, they will have plenty of business in the future.

The construction business can be incredibly profitable.

He had already planned this out: find experienced craftsmen to mentor educated youth and bring them to the construction site, starting with the workers' new village, and gradually building a formidable construction team.

The reason for starting with the workers' new village is that it is very similar to the self-built houses in rural areas that will be built later. There are no high-rise buildings, and at most four or even three stories.

Ordinary construction workers could build such a building.

The repair work on the buildings collapsed by the blizzard is just the appetizer.

Pang Gongbing was quite happy to receive a definite answer from the chief, but he was also a little worried: "Chief Qian, they want to get urban residency in our Taishan Road Subdistrict, just like the current construction workers."

Qian Jin readily agreed: "It's just a household registration, right? We can solve that. The question is, can their people handle it?"

Pang Gongbing didn't dare to say it, so he called the neighborhood committee and summoned Lao Huai, who was still working overtime there.

Old Huai was working on the next construction plan at the neighborhood committee office when he was called over and felt a bit lost.

He was not a good talker. Even though he was tasked with helping his fellow villagers find ways to enter the city, he still didn't know how to say it and would just smile awkwardly when he saw Qian Jin.

Qian Jin took the initiative to ask, "Haven't all the skilled craftsmen from Xiping already been recruited into our task force? Are there any others?"

"There are plenty," Old Huai said honestly. "Besides our Xiping Production Brigade, there are also the Dongwa and Nanling brigades. They all have good carpenters, bricklayers, and the like."

Qian Jin asked, "And the craftsmanship?"

"They're all experienced workers, very skilled, but they don't have much work to do most of the time, so they stay home and farm," said Lao Huai.

Knowing that Qian Jin valued talent, he made an effort to get the conversation flowing:

"That old Zhang from Dongwa, his carpentry skills are so good, his mortise and tenon joints are so tight, even better than mine."

"There's also Li the bricklayer from Dongwa. He's a master bricklayer, quick and straight. Our brigade used to hire him to direct the construction of the pigsty."

“There was a stonemason named Wang in Nanling. He was a master stonemason. In 1965 and 1966, he even built a primary school in the county. I heard that he also learned scaffolding at that time and knew how to build scaffolds.”

Upon hearing this, Qian Jin realized that there was indeed someone talented.

He slammed his hand on the table and said, "Uncle Lao Huai, tomorrow you can use the neighborhood committee's phone to call your commune and ask your brigade leader to invite those skilled craftsmen to come here for me."

"Let's not even talk about whether they can definitely solve the issues of employment and household registration. Just tell me there's work in the city that includes food and lodging, pays according to work, and offers excellent benefits!"

He simply didn't have time to go to the site for inspection, so to avoid confusion and misleading others, he had no choice but to call people over for inspection.

Those who passed the assessment would have their household registration resolved; those who failed would simply have to return to where they came from.

“Okay—no, yes!” Old Huai hurriedly replied.

Qian Jin asked, "No?"

Old Huai said awkwardly, "Yes, yes, yes!"

The next morning, after getting up and having breakfast, he did not go directly to the training school on Kunlunshan Road, but instead went to the supply and marketing cooperative guesthouse in the south of the city.

The guesthouse where Chen Jingdi, the blacksmith of the Red Star Commune, worked.

Now that Qian Jin has a construction team under his command, he needs a trustworthy person to be the team leader.

After thinking it over all night, he decided that Chen Jingdi was the most suitable!
Chen Jingdi was young and energetic, and he admired him greatly, even to the point of being extremely loyal to him.

In addition, he is very skillful. Although he used to be a blacksmith, he has inherited his family's silversmithing skills.

Furthermore, after entering the guesthouse, he had been quietly studying and had some knowledge of the four major engineering projects: electrical, plumbing, and heating.

Last year during the Spring Festival, Chen Jingdi came to give him a gift. During their conversation, Qian Jin learned that Qian Jin did all sorts of things at the guesthouse and had also learned carpentry and masonry.

Anyway, he took care of all the minor repairs and maintenance of the tables, chairs, doors, windows, and walls in the guesthouse, and he did it quickly and well.

That would make him a polymath.

Of course, he wasn't a genius; he could do these jobs, but he wasn't an expert.

But what Qian Jin wanted was someone who knew a little about all walks of life and could play a comprehensive regulatory role on a macro level.

And this person must be his confidant, someone he can trust!

Chen Jingdi is not particularly suitable in this regard. He is rather introverted and even timid, and may not be able to support the team as the captain.

Qian Jin didn't think this mattered. Chang Zhuhai, the deputy captain of the militia brigade of Daliushu Commune, had started to resign and would be able to report to his subordinate in a few days. At that time, he would send Chang Zhuhai to be Chen Jingdi's deputy.

A resident of Haikou will definitely be able to maintain order and lead the team.

He rushed to the guesthouse.

This time, the female staff at the guesthouse dared not mistreat him. When Chen Jingdi first started working at the guesthouse, Qian Jin came to see him once, and the female staff treated him with disdain.

Now that he's so famous, even the staff at guesthouses need to learn to get to know officials.

As Qian entered, two female waitresses who were chatting immediately stood up and greeted him respectfully.

Qian Jin didn't even have time to greet them, and went straight to asking, "Where's Chen Jingdi?"

"Who? Which manager?" A waitress even picked up the customer signature book to check.

Qian Jin said helplessly, "Your logistics repairman is the mute one."

Upon hearing the mention of the mute man, the two understood and immediately pointed behind them together: "In the warehouse."

In the small warehouse in the backyard, Chen Jingdi was squatting on the ground, carefully planing a piece of wood with a plane.

He was wearing clean blue work clothes, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his muscular forearms.

Qian Jin patted him on the shoulder, and he quickly got up, patted his hands and body, and when he saw that it was Qian Jin, he smiled with excitement and a little doubt, and hurriedly gestured to greet him.

Qian Jin smiled and nodded, then pulled over a small stool to sit down.

He didn't beat around the bush, he said it directly:
“Master Chen, it snowed heavily on New Year’s Day, and many houses in the city were damaged by the snow, leaving many people homeless. I have been entrusted by the city government leaders to form a construction team, mainly composed of members of the labor commando team, to repair the houses.”

"We've got enough people now, about four or five hundred, but we're short of a leader. I think you're the most suitable. You're skilled, honest, and a trusted confidant. I feel at ease using you, so are you willing to come?"

Being the head of a construction brigade means managing a lot of people, earning a good salary, and having a prestigious title, but it doesn't come with a permanent position!

Chen Jingdi is now a full-time employee of the guesthouse and enjoys its full benefits.

But Qian Jin wasn't worried that he would refuse him, otherwise he wouldn't have come to find Chen Jingdi.

This person is loyal.

He just needs to make things clear; he can't take advantage of someone's loyalty and act arbitrarily to get rid of them.

Chen Jingdi couldn't speak because his vocal cords were damaged when he was a child. He wasn't born deaf and mute; he could understand what people were saying.

After hearing what Qian Jin said, he looked at Qian Jin in surprise and then gestured to himself.

Qian Jin said, "Yes, it's you. You'll be a captain under me, in charge of several hundred men."

"Don't worry about whether you can handle it. Whenever I come to you, it's because I think you can do it."

"Besides, to be honest, we're on the same side. You're a trusted member of my inner circle. I feel at ease entrusting the team to you!"

Upon hearing the following words, Chen Jingdi's eyes lit up instantly, and a smile appeared on his face.

But his expression immediately darkened, and a troubled look appeared on his face. He picked up a pen and quickly wrote on the paper:
"Thank you for thinking so highly of me, but I'm mute, so I can't be a captain and I can't command people."

Qian Jin waved his hand and laughed, "If I couldn't solve your problem of speaking out, would I have come to you?"

“If you’re always mute, what’s the point of hiring you as a brigade leader? You won’t be able to do any work, and you’ll just be subjected to humiliation by your subordinates.”

He carefully took out a black plastic box about the size of a book from the canvas bag he was carrying.

The box was opened, and inside was something that looked like a cigarette lighter.

Electronic throat.

Qian Jin saw this item by chance in a shopping mall when he was still working on drought relief. At the time, he considered Chen Jingdi's situation and guessed that this item might be suitable for Chen Jingdi. However, he was too busy to meet Chen Jingdi and give him the gift.

It's okay to show the electronic throat now.

He consulted an ENT doctor at the hospital and learned that the concept and design of an artificial larynx had actually been first proposed as early as 1858, and it was called a talking machine.

In 1873, Austrian physician Bierroth designed a tubular metal sound-producing device after performing a total laryngectomy on a patient with laryngeal cancer, which was the prototype of a mechanical artificial larynx.

Over the past 100 years, artificial larynxes have undergone significant improvements and have seen great development worldwide.

In addition, my country has been researching and producing artificial larynxes for some years, with someone inventing one in 1957. Then, the United States began to introduce electronic artificial larynxes in 1942, which is the electronic larynx that Qian Jin is presenting now.

The advent of electronic larynxes has been seen as the future of artificial speech – the use of mechanical artificial larynxes seems rather inhumane and is inconvenient to use in many public places.

Smaller electronic throats are now available overseas. In 1959, a denture-type electronic throat that could be placed in the mouth appeared.

This electronic larynx can be hidden in the dentures of the upper jaw and belongs to the category of intraoral vibration generators.

Then, in recent years, handheld portable electronic throats similar to the one in Qian Jin's hand appeared.

Of course, the products from overseas are definitely different from those he bought from the mall.

This electronic throat in the store is really powerful, mainly because it is equipped with an octa-core chip, which has extremely strong frequency processing and sound capabilities.

The biggest difference between this electronic throat and the current internationally advanced electronic throats lies in the gap in semiconductor technology.

This electronic throat has eight levels of audio and volume adjustment.

Volume is easy to manage; modern electronic throat lozenges can adjust multiple levels. But audio is much more difficult.

However, for electronic larynxes, audio recognition is both the most important and the most difficult aspect.

Because everyone has different speaking habits and speeds, they need different audio frequencies. In fact, different dialects have different audio requirements. Wu dialect requires a higher frequency, while Sichuan dialect requires a lower frequency.

Therefore, richer audio recognition capabilities can make people speak more clearly with an electronic throat.

"Master Chen, look at this!"

Qian Jin handed over the box: "This is called an electronic throat. You've heard of it, right? I went abroad before to fight a lawsuit for our fertilizer plant."

Chen Jingdi quickly gave a thumbs up, picked up his notebook, and flipped to the back to show him.

There are newspaper clippings above, all of them reporting on Qian Jin.

After finding the report about his trip to West Germany, Qian Jin smiled and nodded, pointing to it and saying, "This is an imported electronic throat from West Germany. Have you heard of West Germany's technological prowess? Their machinery is very advanced."

Chen Jingdi nodded, but looked at the strange device with a puzzled expression.

Qian Jin gestured for him to sit down, then picked up the metal head and gently placed it below Chen Jingdi's Adam's apple, adjusting the position as instructed in the manual.

He turned on the switch on the box, and a slight "buzzing" electrical sound came from inside.

“Master Chen, try to exhale forcefully from your throat, cough a few times, and then say hello to me.”

Feeling something cold against his neck, Chen Jingdi felt a little nervous, but he still took a deep breath as Qian Jin had instructed.

A faint buzzing sound of electricity immediately rang out.

The chip starts working and begins frequency modulation.

Qian Jin encouraged him: "Say it, 'Hey, hey, hey.'"

Chen Jingdi tried to exhale forcefully from his throat, while imagining making a "hey hey hey" sound.

"Buzz—hey hey hey..." A metallic voice with a strong mechanical feel rang out.

It sounds terrible, like a broken gong, but the sound is quite clear.

Chen Jingdi's eyes widened suddenly.

He took a step back, stared at the electronic throat, and then pointed at Qian Jin.

Qian Jin nodded at him: "You had a problem with your throat when you were a child, so you can't speak. It's not that you don't have the ability to make a sound. Simply put, this thing acts like a normal person's vocal cords, converting your voice..."

Chen Jingdi couldn't understand these words.

He simply couldn't believe it!

He even slapped himself in the face afterward.

The sound was loud and crisp.

Qian Jin was speechless.

This guy is really ruthless; he really slapped himself hard, and his left cheek is clearly red.

It obviously hurts a lot.

But he was happy.

Not a dream!

He looked at the box, making rapid "hoarse" sounds and muffled pronunciations.

Qian Jin listened carefully and could roughly understand what Chen Jingdi wanted to say.

Chen Jingdi wasn't completely unable to speak; he must have been ridiculed too much during his childhood and adolescence, which made him so self-conscious that he simply stopped speaking and became a silent mute.

"Come on, try again. Say what you most want to say." Qian Jin taught him how to control the switch and volume, and then placed the electronic throat on his throat.

Chen Jingdi took another deep breath, using all his strength to force the air out of his throat and slowly speak: "I...am not...a...mute!"

Although the sound was still very mechanical and hoarse, it was much clearer and the volume was louder!

"It's done!" Qian Jin slapped his thigh in delight!
Chen Jingdi, however, froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.

He picked up the small machine, looked at it, and then slowly placed it back against his throat, saying:

"I'm not...mute!"

The sound still has a very mechanical feel, which is something that can't be changed; it's a characteristic of electronic throats.

But Chen Jingdi didn't care about that at all.

He never thought he could speak like a normal person, and he never thought he could escape the shadow of being mute!

Now he has the ability to make a sound.

Immediately, a tremendous surge of joy erupted in his chest like a volcano, and the usually taciturn and unassuming man suddenly jumped up.

Like an old hen, she flapped her arms and jumped around in the warehouse!
Qian Jin smiled as he watched his excited expression, feeling very gratified.

After jumping around excitedly for a minute or two, Chen Jingdi finally stopped, panting heavily. He gripped the electronic throat tightly with both hands, as if he were grasping his own destiny.

He then used the electronic throat to open his mouth towards Qian Jin. As his throat moved violently, he clearly wanted to say something, but he was too excited to speak and could only gasp for breath.

then.

He was in tears.

Large, hot tears, like a burst dam, instantly gushed from my eyes and streamed down my cheeks!

He first stood opposite Qian Jin and silently shed tears, without making a sound, only his shoulders trembling violently.

Then, the emotions that had been suppressed for two or three decades finally broke through the silent cage and turned into a heart-wrenching wail!

He started crying and then laughed, crying and laughing at the same time, like a madman.

Tears mixed with snot covered his face, but he was completely unaware.

Qian Jin stood silently to the side and quietly handed him the handkerchief.

He couldn't empathize, but he could understand the emotion.

It took Chen Jingdi quite a while to regain his composure.

He wiped his face, carefully cleaned his tears and snot with a handkerchief, and when he looked at Qian Jin again, his red eyes were bright.

There was an unprecedented radiance!
He picked up a pen and instinctively reached to write, but then realized he was holding an electronic throat instead of a pencil, and laughed again.
"President Qian, I'll go! I'll be the team leader! I, Chen Jingdi... will serve you like a slave for the rest of my life!"

Qian Jin laughed and said, "No need to be so serious. Speak slowly in the future. That will make you look more like a leader."

"As for this machine, don't let too many people know what it is. I actually brought it back secretly. In fact, West Germany hasn't even sold it yet. I got a prototype from their laboratory through connections!"

Chen Jingdi nodded solemnly.

He cupped his hand around the electronic larynx and pressed it against his throat, slowly saying, "I'll make...they...unable to see."

Qian Jin laughed and said, "That's right. Also, let me tell you, just trust me and you'll be a captain. It's much more promising than staying in this guesthouse."

This is the truth.

With the emergence of private hotels, large hotels, and even star-rated hotels, these state-owned guesthouses will be eliminated in just a few years.

The arrogant and haughty waiters of the past and present will eventually be mercilessly consigned to the dustbin of history.

Chen Jingdi said, "I understand... I believe you... Mr. Qian, I'll go with you!"

"Wait!" Qian Jin grabbed him and said with a smile, "Don't rush, go tell the guesthouse manager your application first. You still need to go through the resignation procedures and hand over your work."

"However, the project you are in charge of is very important. I will take care of speaking to the leaders of your guesthouse. You will write the application and report to my assault team by noon at the latest."

Chen Jingdi nodded vigorously and practically ran out of the warehouse.

morning.

The training school's playground became unusually lively.

The school has been open for almost a year, and this is the first time it has been fully utilized.

Qian Jinlai was deeply moved when he came to the school.

It's fortunate that they established this school; otherwise, they really wouldn't have been able to accommodate so many subordinates.

The initial construction team that was sent out a couple of days ago has been recalled. Today, the construction brigade is being established, and we're going to hold a proper inauguration ceremony.

Qian Jin even asked a friend from the newspaper to write a report—

The Labor Assault Team will voluntarily repair old and dilapidated houses throughout the city that have been hit by blizzards.

This is a big deal; it definitely deserves to be in the newspapers.

The craftsmen all arrived and lined up in the same order as yesterday.

The members of the assault teams selected from each street also arrived; they were all strong laborers in their twenties and thirties.

According to Qian Jin's requirements, these people must all know some carpentry or masonry work, or at least have done related work when they were sent to the countryside.

There were many people and things were chaotic; the playground was a mess.

Qian Jin called the squadron leaders to a meeting, introduced them to each other, and then introduced them to Chen Jingdi, who was about to take office.

He now has prestige, and even the company commander trusts him, so he's the one who speaks during meetings, and everyone else listens.

The meeting's content was simple: to instruct them to lead their teams well and avoid any mishaps.

As Qian Jin was speaking enthusiastically, a black sedan pulled up in front of the door.

Xu Weidong, who was standing at the door bragging to someone, climbed up to take a look, then ran over excitedly, shouting:
"Boss, boss, cough cough, Mr. Qian, it's Mr. Han! Mr. Han is here again!"

No one needs to come and inform us.

Qian Jin knew Han Zhaoxin had arrived as soon as he saw the car!

(End of this chapter)