The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 363 Labor Project Continues to Improve Citizens' Well-being

Several squad leaders nearby immediately put down their wine glasses and rice bowls and looked at Qian Jin after hearing Chen Jingdi's words.

These words were clearly not just Chen Jingdi's own whimsical idea, but rather their collective thought.

Qian Jin understood them very well.

Logically, now that the renovation work is finished, does that mean the construction team has no more work to do?
This was a major question and a great worry for the craftsmen who had just arrived in the city.

In addition, they had an even bigger concern: what would happen to their wages and benefits if the construction team stopped working?

Recently, Qian Jin rented a warehouse in Jia Gang under the name of Wei Qinghuan. He then went on a shopping spree in the warehouse, buying things from the mall and transporting them to the office building through a special task force.

Most of these supplies are welfare items.

The construction team members were overjoyed, knowing they would definitely receive welfare items for the Chinese New Year this year.

But they also have concerns.

Where did the welfare items come from? Qian Jin said they were bought with money, and some of them were foreign goods that he got through connections.

So where does the money come from? It comes from the labor shock brigade.

It is precisely because of these considerations that the construction team dares not be without work!
After understanding what they meant, Qian Jin shrugged.

There's one thing they haven't thought through.

Whether a construction team can get work and make money is not determined by them, but by the city.

Qian Jin originally intended for the government to provide supplies, but he actually led a team to do some voluntary labor.

After all, his original goal was to establish a construction team in a reasonable and legal manner.

As it turns out, the government was still responsible to the people and paid them their wages, which is why the construction team was able to make money.

However, this phase of the project has already ended.

Even if they continue working, the municipality may not pay them wages, and then it will be unpaid labor again.

Qian Jin originally wanted to explain this matter to Chen Jingdi and the others, but then he thought about it again.

Anyway, he didn't intend to earn any money from the start, so the wages he's earned so far are the same as what he found.

Since the construction team still wants to work, let them continue.

Qian Jin hesitated, so several squad leaders quickly chimed in to try and persuade him:

"Yes, Mr. Qian, it's important that we work hard to repair the houses, to prevent them from collapsing or leaking, but what about the quality of life for ordinary people?"

"Mr. Qian, everyone knows you have a good relationship with the city leaders. Why don't you talk to Mr. Han and the others about how ordinary people are not living comfortably these days? The most basic things, like food, drink, and sanitation, are still troubling many people!"

"That's right, Chief Qian. Chief Han said our mission is to ensure that residents in each street have a safe and secure home. What does 'safe and secure home' mean? It's not just about shelter from the wind and rain, but also about living conveniently and with dignity!"

Several team members whose families had relatives working in the neighborhood committee gathered around, and they all chimed in with their opinions:

“We have many such households in Lushan Road Subdistrict. The houses have been repaired, but several generations are crammed together, making cooking and using the toilet major problems, especially for some elderly people living alone and people with disabilities. Life is too inconvenient for them!”

"Yes! Our Songshan Road is one too!"

"The public kitchens and public toilets are in poor condition, and there are many conflicts! If we could improve them, our construction team would definitely be more popular with the citizens, and our reputation would be even better and more renowned!"

The ordinary team members nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

They witnessed these difficulties firsthand when they went to repair the homes.

Furthermore, they encounter these problems in their daily lives; many of them currently live in places with these issues!

Qian Jin pondered for a moment and asked, "But can you really do this? From what I'm hearing, you're planning to help some struggling households solve their problems by addressing the issues in the kitchen and toilet?"

Zhen Dalang stood up and said, "General Manager Qian, this is no problem. When our Ninth Squadron was repairing a house for a family of a martyr in Dongguanli, we built a small kitchen and a simple toilet for her behind the house—the kind of seepage well that we have in the countryside."

"The elderly couple were so happy they cried, saying they never imagined they could use the toilet in their own house!"

Qian Jin said, "This involves some engineering work on water systems and sewage pipes. Are you really capable of handling it?"

Wang Xiaoyi pointed to Chen Jingdi: "This is all that Captain Chen knows."

Chen Jingdi nodded and said, "The guesthouse hired a plumber to teach me for six months."

Qian Jin asked him, "So what are your specific thoughts?"

Chen Jingdi said, "I'm wondering if the construction team could do something more considerate next?"

"Transform on-site!"

“Give it to those struggling households, those living in overcrowded houses, in their existing homes, or... in their backyards.”

"Find a way to partition off a small kitchen, build a small shed, and move the coal stove out."

“If possible, install a simple squat toilet outside. I used to work at a guesthouse, and I was in charge of the new toilets there. However, people’s homes don’t have that kind of infrastructure, but they can connect to a seepage well.”

"If you can't improve things at home, then find ways to improve the public kitchen and toilets."

"To ensure that people can cook without choking and go to the toilet without difficulty..."

Given Chen Jingdi's poor voice, for him to say such a thing must have nearly killed him.

This also shows his determination.

At this point, the team members stopped shouting, those who were playing drinking games put down their glasses, those who were bragging shut their mouths, and those who were stuffing themselves with their food covered their lunchboxes.

The hall was quiet; everyone was looking at Qian Jin and listening to Chen Jingdi speak.

Chen Jingdi's words illuminated a new direction for the construction team's future work.

They want to upgrade from simply repairing dilapidated houses to improving the living environment of residents!
This is about moving from simply settling down to living comfortably.

Qian Jin thought for a moment and said, "We need the city's help with this. We don't have that many building materials to use."

"How about this, it just so happens that I'm going to report our construction team's work results to the leaders on Saturday. I'll also tell the leaders about what Captain Chen and everyone else's ideas and suggestions, and see how they decide."

"Let's write a petition," Song Tiezhu suggested.

He comes from a family of officials and has a deeper understanding of some things.

"Great!" the other squadron leaders responded first.

The lively dinner party became much more formal.

Chen Jingdi carried a notebook and a pen with him and immediately began to draft a petition.

Seeing this, Qian Jin tapped the table with his enamel mug and laughed, "This matter isn't in such a hurry, we can do it tomorrow."

"Come on, come on, the most important thing today is to eat and drink. We'll rest tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow you can all come and collectively clean up our office building so that our assault team can get into our nest as soon as possible!"

Wang Xiaoyi stood up and offered a toast: "No problem, come on, let's toast Chief Qian together. Without Chief Qian, there would be no assault team like ours!"

One by one, the enamel mugs were raised.

The heavy snow fell briefly, but then subsided, and by the time everyone dispersed, the buses had already stopped running.

So the team members from each street walked back in groups.

Qian Jin found people in charge for each street: "Send all the comrades home. Don't leave anyone behind. If someone collapses on the roadside in this weather, they'll freeze to death!"

"Don't worry, Mr. Qian, nothing will go wrong!" the group readily agreed.

The next morning, as Qian Jin was preparing to leave, he received a call from the headquarters office.

This startled him; he thought something had happened to someone on their way home last night.

The result is a good thing...

It snowed last night, and the group dispersed late. As a result, two of them encountered thieves committing crimes in the snowy night.

The assault team members were already responsible for assisting in maintaining public order. In addition, they were emboldened by alcohol, and with their large numbers and strength, they went straight up to capture the thieves and successfully caught two groups of thieves.

The local street security office also sent a letter of commendation that day.

The construction brigade is now extremely famous within the assault team, at one point even surpassing the most profitable canteen section.

In addition, the renovation of dilapidated buildings has earned them great honors. The local newspapers in Haibin City have reported on their work many times, and even the provincial newspaper has praised them. As a result, the construction team, which was originally disliked by many team members, has now become a hot commodity.

The number of people wanting to join the construction team has increased dramatically, and stacks of application letters are piled up on Qian Jin's desk.

Qian Jin temporarily suppressed the matter.

The construction team is a technical team, and the number of their master craftsmen is limited; one person can only mentor three apprentices at most.

More apprentices joining the team will only hold them back.

Another point Qian Jin believes is that these people used to look down on the work of the construction team, but now it's not that they don't look down on it anymore; it's just that they're caught up in a moment of enthusiasm and want to join the construction team.

If we really accept them in, they'll regret it someday, so it's better not to accept them at all.

Of course, it's possible that some applicants genuinely want to join the construction team, and the team just happens to need to fill some positions.

After this phase of construction, more than sixty team members were driven away!
So Qian Jin decided to open a training school and arrange for the craftsmen to attend the classes. Any team members who were willing to receive training could become students. If they were still willing to join the construction team after the first course, then there would be no problem.

Saturday.

In the city's fifth conference room, the heavy curtains were drawn back, letting in the thin afternoon sunlight of December. The long conference table was filled with people.

This is a summary meeting for the renovation of old, dilapidated, and dangerous buildings in Haibin City.

Qian Jin and leaders from relevant departments, as well as representatives from various street committees, reported on their work results. Zheng Guodong, Han Zhaoxin, and other key leaders expressed their satisfaction with the work.

Finally, Zheng Guodong patted Qian Jin on the shoulder and said, "Chief Qian, you've done a good job as chief."

"I really didn't expect that after we finished the project, another snowstorm came. Although this snow was not as heavy as the one on New Year's Day, it was still quite heavy, and it snowed for two and a half days."

"If you hadn't repaired the people's houses, I think many of them would have been ruined after this snow!"

When the top leader spoke, the other leaders chimed in.

Qian Jin stated modestly that this was all something they should do, and that the labor commando team was a people's team, so they had to be responsible to the people.

As the meeting drew to a close, Zheng Guodong asked everyone, "Does anyone have anything to add?"

Qian Jinzhan stood up and gently handed the petitions he had compiled the previous day to Zheng Guodong:

"Leader Guodong, how about you take a look at this?"

Zheng Guodong read the contents first, then asked, "Hmm, what is this?"

Qian Jin was delighted to see this.

The leader reads the content first, and after understanding it, asks him what it is. This doesn't mean the leader actually wants him to answer their questions, but rather that the leader is allowing him to explain the petition to everyone present.

In other words, Zheng Guodong clearly agreed with the petition; otherwise, he wouldn't have discussed it with Qian Jin at the meeting.

Qian Jin quickly said, "This is a petition with the signatures and fingerprints of 500 members of our Labor Assault Team Construction Brigade."

"That's right. During our previous renovation work on old and dilapidated houses, our team members found that in many residents' homes, the stoves for cooking were crammed into the passageways, making the place smoky and unpleasant. To go to the outhouse, you had to wrap yourself in a cotton-padded coat and walk a long way, not only shivering from the cold, but also feeling really uncomfortable."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the leaders present.

Today's meeting is a good opportunity to decide on the construction team's next work arrangements.

Because today's meeting included not only city leaders, but also relevant personnel from the Urban Construction Bureau, Housing Management Bureau, Civil Affairs Bureau, Construction Committee, and various street offices, covering most of the departments the construction team would need to deal with in the follow-up work. He continued, "Especially some families of martyrs, families of honored individuals, and families of advanced workers, where several generations are still crammed into a tiny space, cooking and using the toilet are the most difficult things every day."

"So our brigade leader, Chen Jingdi, convened a meeting with the team leaders to discuss the matter. Everyone was determined to solve this problem for the people in a practical way."

“We don’t want a penny of wages. Our team members wrote a petition, willing to do voluntary work, just to solve these living problems for their neighbors and families of martyrs.”

"But we can't do this job on our own, so we earnestly request the city to provide us with some bricks, cement, sand, and necessary pipe materials. Our construction team will take care of the rest!"

After he finished speaking, Zheng Guodong handed the petition to Han Zhaoxin and looked at him with interest, asking:

"My understanding is that you volunteer your labor, obtain materials from relevant departments in the city, and then renovate the homes of some families with difficult living conditions."

"The team members want their neighbors to be able to cook a meal and use the toilet quietly and warmly in their own homes or in front of their own doors, right?"

Qian Jin nodded: "Yes, our team members believe that our citizens can live a more dignified life, especially for some special families. After our team's reform, their lives can be more dignified."

The leaders below were about to speak, but since the top two leaders had not expressed their opinions, they did not feel comfortable offering their own insights.

They then looked at Zheng Guodong and Han Zhaoxin.

Zheng Guodong and Han Zhaoxin huddled together, whispering a few words, exchanging glances, and then their expressions turned serious.

"Come on, comrades, let's hear your opinions on this proposal."

"Now we're having a meeting to discuss things, so everyone should exercise their democratic spirit and express their opinions freely."

Deng Weimin, who works in the finance department, has gray hair and a deeply furrowed brow.

He spoke first, his tone incredulous: "You don't want a single penny? Free labor?"

"Comrade Qian Jin, I know your construction brigade has a high level of awareness, but this is not a task that can be done in a day or two; it is something that needs to be done year after year!"

"Voluntary labor? How long can this enthusiasm last? The team members also need to support their families!"

"Besides, materials also cost money. Since the reform and opening up, money has been needed in all aspects, and the city's finances are somewhat tight right now."

“Director Deng’s concerns are very practical,” Li Guofu from the Urban Construction Department chimed in.

"Director Qian's idea is good, serving the people is commendable. But it involves the overall urban planning and resource allocation, which is not so easy to handle. I have a few questions for you."

"Where will the materials come from? How will the quantity be estimated? How will the renovation standards be set? Will there be a uniform standard or will it be adapted to local conditions? Also, who will guarantee the safety and quality of the construction?"

"These things can't be solved with just enthusiasm. What if something goes wrong and good intentions lead to bad results? Who will take responsibility?"

Qian Jin didn't answer, he just nodded silently.

They didn't ask him for an answer at all; they just wanted to deny it, so he might as well keep quiet.

In today's officialdom, the top leader is in charge, and the only ones who can truly make the final decision are Zheng Guodong and Han Zhaoxin.

So the ones who really need to answer these questions are these two people.

In the awkward silence, Wang Wei, the leader of the housing management unit, coughed and took over the conversation.

He held a thick stack of documents in his hand and tapped the table with his knuckles: "The planning issue that Lao Li mentioned is crucial, but there is another crucial issue, and that is property rights!"

"This isn't just simple repairs; it's about adding kitchens and toilets to private homes, isn't it? How will it be built? What will be modified? Even if it's just building a small annex in the yard or on the roof, wouldn't that be considered an illegal structure?"

"How will the ownership be determined? What will happen to these additions if there is any demolition or sale of the house in the future? These are tough issues that cannot be avoided. We can't just think about doing good things and leave all the trouble to the people and the government later!"

Now, commercial housing is frequently appearing in the news, and there are also more reports about illegal buildings and the demolition of old cities.

Last year, 1980, marked the beginning of China's real estate development.

In April of that year, relevant departments proposed the idea of ​​"selling public housing, adjusting rents, and encouraging individuals to build or buy houses," defining houses as commodities for the first time and thus initiating a major reform of the housing system.

From this point on, China's real estate industry officially became an industry, beginning its slow germination stage.

However, regardless of whether it's urban construction or housing management departments, they are the responsible parties and have much more inside information than ordinary people, and they knew it much earlier.

They knew that the government would improve the living environment of citizens through demolition and relocation, and they also knew how many difficulties this would encounter.

That's why Wang Wei said, "Don't leave all the trouble to the people and the government later," which is true.

Work involving real estate is very complex and requires comprehensive consideration.

All three relevant department heads expressed negative opinions, and the atmosphere in the meeting room immediately became tense.

Qian Jin remained silent.

in fact……

He didn't really want the petition to pass.

Because his perspective was different from that of his teammates. The teammates just wanted to keep working. In their view, as long as they worked, they could rightfully receive wages and benefits.

As for their desire to perform voluntary labor, how can the assault team generate revenue?

This is none of their business.

It was a high-ranking leader like Qian Jin who was in charge.

According to Qian Jin, this matter can be done, but it should not be done as voluntary labor.

Because he knew that in the 1980s, it was a trend for private individuals to hire construction teams to repair, renovate, decorate, and even build houses. People's homes didn't have toilets or kitchens, so they wanted to add such functional rooms.
can.

I paid for it myself.

The Labor Assault Team has already made a name for itself. At most, it will take another year or two before the relevant projects can begin. At that time, they will be able to make money from the citizens, and even more money.

However, if the team members have this idea and the city also supports it, then it wouldn't matter if they did it.

First, it can build a good reputation and network of contacts; second, it can accumulate work experience.

These are all things his construction team will need in the future.

Therefore, in his view, it didn't matter whether this matter was done or not; it depended on the leader's attitude and level of support.

At this moment, Liu Ping, the director of the Hengshan Road Subdistrict Residents' Committee and also a member of the Municipal Women's Federation, spoke up: "Leaders, shall I say a few more words?"

"Say whatever you want," Han Zhaoxin said with a smile. "Didn't I just say it? Democratic speech, speak freely."

Liu Ping smoothed her short hair.

Her hairstyle was the No. 5 cut, a style popular in the 50s.

This hairstyle, with bangs no longer than the eyebrows, sideburns not covering the ears, and hair roots level with the neck, is named after the hairstyle of the main character in the movie "Woman Basketball Player No. 5" and is considered a conservative hairstyle for women today.

Judging from her hairstyle, Liu Ping was the kind of conservative female cadre.

But these cadres are often resilient and concerned about the grassroots, she said:
"Comrade Qian Jin just mentioned 'decency' and 'dignity.' I would like to speak from the perspective of our Women's Federation work, about something practical, and also about the unspeakable suffering of many grassroots women."

She looked around at everyone, her voice heavy with sorrow: "In our city, especially in the old city, how bad are the living conditions, with such a dense population?"

"Many female comrades, including many of our model workers and advanced workers, don't even have the most basic privacy at home!"

Wang Wei smiled and said, "Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?"

Liu Ping asked him, "Exaggeration? You're in charge of real estate, but have you ever seen many families where three or even four generations are crammed into a room of just over ten square meters?"

“These families have women in their teens, twenties, and even older. They sleep with a curtain drawn at night, and they can only change their clothes when no one in the family is in the room. You probably can’t understand the anxiety they experience during that time.”

"But that's not the hardest part."

Liu Ping paused, her tone becoming even heavier: "What embarrasses and frightens them the most is going to the toilet and taking a shower. The public toilets are far away, and at night they are dark and gloomy, so they dare not go alone."

"Two years ago, there was an incident on Lushan Road where a hooligan hid under a public toilet to peep at people in the middle of the night, and on Huangshan Road, there was a vicious case where a woman was raped by a hooligan in the middle of the night—was it around this time two years ago? I remember it was in the twelfth lunar month."

Just then, the director of the Huangshan Road Neighborhood Committee happened to be there and whispered, "It happened in the eleventh month of the lunar calendar, but the thug was only caught on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. At first, the women who were victimized were afraid of being ashamed and didn't dare to report it to the police..."

Liu Ping said, "Anyway, after the incident, the women in the nearby streets were quite frightened. Later, they only dared to go to the toilet when their husbands accompanied them."

"And taking a bath!"

"It's not a problem for men to go to a public restroom to take a shower in the summer, but women can't do that. Do you think women can wash their bodies naked in the restroom?"

"Then, regardless of gender, everyone encountered trouble in winter. Want to take a hot bath at home? That was a dream. Apart from us leading cadres who were allocated better housing conditions, what kind of conditions did ordinary people have? They could only go to the public bathhouse in the factory or the bathhouse on the street."

"Ordinary people can take a bath in public bathhouses without any problems, but we have to consider some special groups. I know about the situation of men, but I'm not clear about it. Now I'll talk about some problems that women encounter when they go to public bathhouses."

“We have received complaints more than once that some female comrades have become targets of attacks when their coworkers quarrel because their figures or certain parts of their bodies are different from others in the bathhouse. They are called things like ‘flat-chested,’ ‘thatched hut,’ ‘inverted triangle’—and there are even more offensive terms that I can’t bring myself to say to you male comrades!”

"These foul words could shame a person to death!"

"Around the Mid-Autumn Festival last year, something happened in the precision machining workshop of the Second Machinery Company. There was a man named Wang who was different from ordinary people in a certain part of his body. He usually took a shower secretly at home, but one time he was discovered taking a shower in a public bathhouse. After that, a lot of rumors spread. What happened to him?"

Someone whispered, "This Wang guy hanged himself in the workshop!"

Liu Ping nodded heavily: "Leaders, can you imagine this kind of mental torture? Isn't this a trampling on human dignity?"

"Improving the living environment, especially solving the problems of kitchens and toilets, and giving women and men a space where they can close the door and not be disturbed, isn't this the most basic need for people's livelihood? Isn't this more practical and urgent than some slogans that are just lip service?"

Sun Danian, director of the Wuyishan Road Subdistrict Office, sighed heavily: "What Director Liu said is the truth. We work on the front line, and we see these things every day and worry about them."

"I'm not talking about the toilets. Let me talk about the public kitchens that I know. Dozens of households are crammed into a small space, and there's not even room to put pots and pans. It's common for neighbors to argue and fight over a stove."

“When conflicts accumulate, they can ignite at the slightest spark. On the surface, it’s a neighborhood dispute, but at its root, it’s caused by extremely poor living conditions.”

“And then there are the elderly living alone and the disabled, whose ability to take care of themselves is already poor. Going to the toilet is like climbing mountains and crossing valleys. If they fall in winter, it will be terrible.”

"To be honest, our neighborhood committee welcomes Chief Qian and his team's idea to do this with open arms!"

“Specific difficulties can be overcome. Issues such as property rights, materials, and safety responsibilities can be studied one by one and a regulation can be drawn up. We can’t just watch people suffer in this kind of environment every day just because we’re afraid of trouble, can we?”

The person in charge of Songshan Road Subdistrict nodded repeatedly: "Yes! There is a martyr's family member named Zhang in our area. Her husband passed away early, and her son died in the army. She lives alone in an old bungalow."

“When the Ninth Squadron of Qianjin Brigade, Zhen Dalang and his men couldn’t bear to see her house being repaired last time, they built a very simple little shed in the corner of her yard using scrap bricks and old wooden planks. Inside, they built a small stove and dug a seepage well to use as an outhouse.”

"It's such a simple thing, but the old lady hugged Xiao Zhen and the others and cried, saying, 'I've lived my whole life and never thought I could cook in my own yard without coughing from the smell of cooking oil in the public kitchen; I could go to the toilet in my own home with the door closed, without having to run far away shivering in the dead of winter...' Sigh!"

"Director Qian, you didn't see the look in that old lady's eyes. She was... even happier than if she had been given money!"

As he spoke, the street-level official's voice choked with emotion.

Other street-level officials also started to chat.

They all used examples to illustrate their points.

Real-life examples are far more impactful than any report or speech.

The heads of the relevant departments were speechless.

Some picked their noses, some rubbed their eyes, and some sighed.

Wang Wei tried several times to explain their material difficulties, but was repeatedly thwarted by the speeches of the neighborhood committee directors.

Finally, Zheng Guodong raised his wrist to check his watch.

This is a signal.

The officials who wanted to speak fell silent and all looked at him.

Zheng Guodong remained calm. He first glanced at Han Zhaoxin, who nodded at him. Then, his sharp gaze swept across the entire room before finally landing on Qian Jin's face.

(End of this chapter)