The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 372 Preparing for the Food Factory, Graduation of the Construction Class

In late May, the coastal city was warm and inviting, with lush greenery everywhere.

Qian Jin has been receiving a constant stream of good news.

One of the pieces of good news came as a complete surprise.

Song Jixiang, the leader of the Huaqing Gang, who was a big shot in the San Francisco Bay Area of ​​the United States, called him and once again proposed to send him a car.

Song Jixiang had brought this up when he met Song Jixiang in Switzerland, but Qian Jin refused.

In the past two years, Song Jixiang's CD factory has successfully started production and has been making huge profits in the European, American, Japanese and Korean markets.

The CD production process encountered quite a few problems. Qian Jin had detailed technical information about the future, so he would help him out from time to time, and the two sides kept in touch.

In addition, CD also involves technical upgrades, which require money to help with. Therefore, Song Jixiang has always been very polite to him and has always wanted to reciprocate in terms of benefits.

If Qian Jin didn't have the authority to approve the commission, there would be no problem with him accepting Song Jixiang's payment; it would be equivalent to earning foreign exchange for the country.

However, due to his special status, it was inconvenient for him to accept gifts.

As a result, Song Jixiang somehow found out that he now had a large construction team, so he changed his tune and stopped giving Qian Jin luxury cars like Mercedes-Benz and Cadillac, and instead gave him trucks!
This is how they got money.

The construction crew definitely needs trucks.

Unfortunately, the domestic automobile industry is not developed enough, and truck production is limited. The trucks are supplied to state-owned transportation companies in various regions, and units like the Labor Assault Team cannot obtain purchasing authority.

In this way, Song Jixiang's gift was a timely help.

Furthermore, this time he wasn't giving money or gifts to individuals; he was supporting the country's urban development.

Qian Jin explained the whole story to Zheng Guodong and Han Zhaoxin, and chose to follow the advice of the top two leaders.

Zheng Guodong and Han Zhaoxin trusted Qian Jin and believed that since he and Song Jixiang had no entanglement with state-owned assets and the interests of the people during this special period, it was not a problem for the Labor Assault Team to accept overseas gifts.

Of course, Han Zhaoxin suggested that Song Jixiang should visit Haibin City when he has time, and then bring up the idea of ​​assisting Haibin City's urban construction work.

Unfortunately, Song Jixiang was extremely busy with work. After all, he now owned a lucrative business that could make money all over the world, so he couldn't leave.

Song Jixiang was also clever. He selected one of his trusted subordinates from Haibin City and planned to arrange for the subordinate to come to Haibin City to search for his ancestors, thereby bringing him closer to the country.

Qian Jin plans to help his younger brother Song Jixiang successfully return to his ancestral home, and then find a reason to provide overseas funding for the economic development of Haibin City, of course, in the form of automobiles.

The coastal city government will then contact the customs and national foreign trade departments to grant special permission for these vehicles to be imported into the country without customs duties.

Of course, Qian Jin planned to reject the trucks provided by Song Jixiang and instead use vans and pickup trucks.

American trucks are expensive, while vans are much cheaper, and he wants used vans, prioritizing quantity over quality.

Nothing.

The construction brigade has expanded significantly, now comprising twenty squadrons, resulting in a substantial demand for vehicles.

At the training school, the first phase of training for construction workers has ended, and the second phase has begun.

After concluding the negotiations with Song Jixiang regarding the import of vehicles, Qian Jin shifted his focus back to arranging classes for the team members and began preparing for the next training session.

Food processing class specifically for female team members.

He knew very well that food was the most important thing for the people, and the first thing the people needed to solve after the reform and opening up was to eat their fill and then eat well.

To paraphrase a newspaper article, there is a contradiction in the current social food service situation: as the economy recovers and people's living standards gradually improve, the demand for safe, delicious, and convenient food is increasing, while the social catering processing and supply capacity is still relatively poor.

The People's Canteen is currently wreaking havoc.

To date, half of the wages and benefits for the Labor Assault Team have been provided by the People's Canteen.

In this situation, the restaurant group needs to expand its operations.

Qian Jin had already planned ahead: open a pastry shop and prepare a food processing plant!

Food processing plants are also labor-intensive enterprises, and the catering industry targeting pastries not only has a huge market gap, but can also solve the employment problems of more unemployed youth, especially young women.

In his villa office on Kunlun Mountain Road, Qian Jin convened a meeting with a group of key members of the assault team, including Wei Xiongtu, Xu Weidong, Zhu Tao, Zhao Bo, Shi Zhentao, and Chen Jingdi.

"Comrades, we have already established a presence in various sectors, including canteens, repair shops, garment factories, and construction teams. We can provide services for the people in all four aspects of their lives: clothing, food, housing, and transportation."

"What does this prove? Our labor assault brigade can not only carry out construction, but also production, and more importantly, solve employment problems!"

Qian Jin got straight to the point: "I think we are currently in the foundation-laying stage, and the foundation is quite good. So, on this basis, we can take the next step."

"The labor shock brigades first took the initial steps in addressing the issue of food for the people, and this further progress must also be made in the area of ​​food. Our coastal city relies on the sea and has abundant resources, and the lives of the people are gradually improving."

"The variety of snacks and biscuits sold on the market is limited, and the taste is generally mediocre. State-owned food factories have limited production capacity and tight supply. So, do you think we could try our hand in this field?"

Although it is a question.

But the answer is yes.

Zhu Tao immediately responded: "President Qian, you are the helmsman of our Labor Assault Team, this giant ship. We will follow your lead."

Xu Weidong cursed the sycophant in his heart, then hurriedly said, "That's right. A train runs fast because of its locomotive. Mr. Qian, wherever you say the train is going, we'll follow."

Wang Dong was furious upon hearing this.

Why are you all interrupting me?

Qian Jin nodded and said, "Alright, based on the speeches of Comrades Zhu and Xu, do I think everyone has no objections to my proposal?"

"I have a small suggestion," Xu Weidong said seriously, raising his hand.

Qian Jin pointed at him, meaning it was just something to say casually.

Xu Weidong said, "The remarks just now should be represented by those of Comrades Xu and Zhu!"

A series of chuckles rang out, and Xu Weidong also chuckled.

Qian Jin was speechless: "This is a big meeting, be serious!"

He looked around at everyone, his eyes shining: "Go on, I plan to set up a food factory construction team, and our food factory will specialize in producing biscuits, peach crisps, cakes, bread and other snacks that people need every day."

"This job has a relatively high technical threshold, but it doesn't require a lot of labor. It mainly requires qualities such as meticulousness, patience, and perseverance, which I think is very suitable for our female team members."

Xu Weidong nodded: "Yes, this job is prepared for female comrades."

Not to be outdone, Wang Dong retorted, "President Qian, you're absolutely right. This job can solve employment problems, enrich the market, and increase our team's income—it's a win-win-win situation!"

Wang Lijuan, who had already been promoted to director of the Taishan Road People's Garment Factory, immediately responded:
"President Qian, that's a great idea! We have a few older women in our commando team who are experts at steaming buns, making dumplings, and twisted rolls. I think they can definitely make pastries too!"

“Yes, Mr. Qian, several of the female educated youth in our brigade used to love thinking about food when they were at home, and they are very skillful,” a female brigade leader said excitedly.

"Great!" Qian Jin approved. "The preparatory team will be established immediately!"

"For the time being, Captain Cheng Rongrong will take the lead, and you, Chief Secretary Pang, will be responsible for logistical support to assist her. Then, we will select a group of female team members from each brigade who have cooking skills, are quick and efficient, and have a strong sense of responsibility to serve as the backbone of the project."

"Remember, we need elites. We'd rather have none than to have the wrong ones. We need to select women who are truly passionate about this field and willing to delve into it!"

The group agreed repeatedly.

The preparatory work was neither easy nor quick.

However, even though progress is rapid, training cannot be carried out at present.

The construction team is short-staffed.

Qian Jin temporarily added two more bricklayer training classes, bringing the total to 14 classes with 700 students.

At this point, the training school finally began to resemble a school.

With more people, it became lively.

The second training course, in particular, focused on hands-on practice, and during the daytime, this guy would be in complete chaos, both outside the classroom and on the playground.

As June arrived, the outdoor sun became intensely hot, so the training school set up a canvas tent, where the trainees would work up a sweat.

The carpentry workshop was filled with pine planks, cedar planks, and various woodworking tools.

Several old carpenters walked around the trainees with their hands behind their backs, providing guidance.

The trainees were in pairs or groups of three, some practicing using a large saw, the saw blade making a "sizzling" sound on the wood, with sawdust flying everywhere.

Some were practicing with planes, bending over and leaning forward, trying their best to smooth the rough wooden boards.

Some were practicing chiseling mortises. They had to carefully chisel out square holes little by little. This work required skill, and the trainees' foreheads were soon covered with fine beads of sweat—not only because of the heat, but also because of their restlessness.

Seeing this, Zhang the carpenter went up and patted the student on the shoulder: "What's the rush? Mortise and tenon joints can't be rushed. Take your time and be patient."

"You're not clearing mines on the battlefield, and there aren't any soldiers rushing to cross the line, so take your time. Newbies aren't afraid of being slow; the problem is not having developed a meticulous mindset!"

"Hey, you two comrades—use your wrists, don't use brute force, keep the saw steady! Oh right, go in a straight line!" He turned his head and saw that someone had sawed crookedly, so he immediately went forward to correct them.

A carpenter was also instructing a plane-making student nearby.
"Hold the plane level, cut evenly, and don't keep both eyes open. Follow me, hey, look with one eye open and one eye closed. This job allows you to open one eye and close the other. How's it? It's bulging here, isn't it? Let's plane it a couple more times..."

The craftsman picked up the plane and demonstrated, his movements fluid, the shavings curling out like snowflakes.

Adjacent to it was the bricklaying workshop, where the trainees had built several practice wall foundations using red bricks and sand.

Li the bricklayer required his students to start by practicing the most basic skills of "cutting bricks" and "plastering".

A group of young men were enthusiastically chopping away at half a red brick with trowels, practicing their techniques for cutting short sections of brick.

This requires both technical skills and experience.

The experienced craftsman shared his expertise with them: "I heard that we have a few former street heroes around here? They once chased down a few vagrants who were harassing young women and hacked them down for several streets?"

The youths laughed and pointed at the two burly men, saying, "That's Old Shi and Da Jiashi..."

One of the big guys raised his foot as if to kick: "Go away, stop talking nonsense."

"You can only pretend, you have to actually kick it." The old master patted the big man on the back, then straightened his face and said, "Let me tell you, chopping bricks is harder than chopping people."

"Don't underestimate me just because I'm an old man who looks like a flat walnut. Back in 1946, I fought against the White bandits in the county town with the main force. I even used this knife to cut down the White bandits."

"When you're chopping someone up, you're all about momentum and speed; you just spot the person and give them a stab. But you can't do that with bricks. It requires a clean cut and precise dimensions..."

Seeing the many broken red bricks scattered on the ground, the old craftsman picked them up and smashed them a couple of times with his machete.

A half-brick with an uneven cross-section was moved back and became flat.

This half brick will come in handy.

The trainees were both impressed and impressed: "This job is not easy; only a master craftsman can do it. Let's just do the plastering instead."

"Is plastering really that simple?" The classmate opposite was practicing plastering on the brick wall with a slab of clay.

There are also requirements for plastering: the mortar should be full and even, the thickness should be consistent, and the surface should be flat.

These trainees thought they could just rub it on and then smooth it out, but many of them ended up with more and more bumps and holes, and eventually the wall looked like it had been chewed by a dog.

The old bricklayer patiently demonstrated: "You have to shake your wrist, move the slab in a zigzag pattern, and apply even force."

"Hey my buddies, don't mess this up. This kind of thing can be patched up, but you need experience first. Your foundations aren't solid right now, so it'll be difficult..."

Suddenly someone shouted, "President Qian is here!"

Everyone immediately turned to look.

Qian Jin rode his bicycle through the gate and even yawned.

Then a loud shout came from the front: "Hello, Mr. Qian!"

Qian Jin was startled by the shout and quickly shut his mouth and waved in response.

I need to pay more attention to my personal image.

His teammates now idolize him, which has made him somewhat self-conscious about his image.

Seeing the money coming in, the trainees worked even harder, showing off their skills in every way.

The bricklayers whispered a few words and made a decision: "Call Zhang Yao, Han Yuanchao, and their team over, and let them build a wall for Boss Qian to see." Soon, a group of young men stood proudly in front of a pile of red bricks.

Li the bricklayer said to Qian Jin, "Now the more skilled trainees are starting to practice bricklaying. Let them show you how."

Qian Jin said, "Good, look, you can build walls now. Once you join our brigade, the experienced workers will have an easier time."

Li the bricklayer used an ink line to mark the baseline and instructed the trainees to strictly follow the "one header, one stretcher" or "plum blossom" bricklaying method to begin the wall-building demonstration.

He gave you one requirement: "You are all beginners now, so I don't have many requirements. Just remember one thing: control the thickness of the mortar joints, no more than 8 to 10 points, and make sure the wall is vertical and flat."

The trainees responded and got to work.

In no time at all, small walls were built one after another.

Qian Jin chuckled: "Not bad, you've learned this little skill quite well."

However, the bricklayers all shook their heads.

Li the bricklayer stepped forward to inspect the site with a dark expression.

He was holding a two-meter-long aluminum alloy ruler, which was considered an advanced tool on the construction site at the moment, but the construction team used it indiscriminately, so Qian Jin bought a bunch of them at the mall.

An aluminum alloy straightedge and plumb line can be used together to check the level of a wall.

then:

"The grout lines are too big, definitely more than 10. Look, they're 12 millimeters! They're too big, we have to redo it!"

"This layer of bricks is crooked. Song Aiguo, is this your wall? Come and take a look. How is it? It's off by half a centimeter, isn't it? There's no other way but to tear it down and rebuild it!"

Qian Jin grinned at the other craftsmen, "Hey, Master Li is pretty strict."

"He's the strictest, but he's also very skilled, so the trainees both respect and fear him," other instructors said.

Qian Jin said, "Okay, the construction industry is different from others, so it's better to be more strict."

"You guys continue with your lessons, I'm going to check on the work that the fourth bricklaying team is doing over there."

Watching him leave, Li the bricklayer sighed upon returning: "I wanted to show off in front of Boss Qian, but I ended up showing my backside instead."

Qian Jin didn't think the trainees had done a bad job.

These are all students with no prior experience, and it's really impressive that they've reached this level in just one session.

He could tell that as long as these trainees passed the assessment and were sent to the construction site, the construction team's work efficiency would increase dramatically.

The students in the fourth class of bricklayers did a variety of jobs.

Some were practicing mixing cement mortar. This job requires skill; the proportions must be accurate, and the mixture must be thorough.

Some were practicing setting up formwork—using wooden boards and timbers nailed together to form molds for pouring concrete.

Qian Jin inspected two templates and found them to be very well made, with accurate dimensions and sturdy support. They were ready to be used on the construction site.

Others were practicing laying floor tiles, aligning the seams neatly and making the surface quite flat, which made him even more satisfied: "Great, now that the master craftsmen are more efficient, you can lay floor tiles yourselves."

The students who received praise chuckled.

But before they could even feel smug, the experienced craftsman stepped forward, took a look, and shook his head:

"Mr. Qian was just encouraging you, but you took it seriously. To make this stone stable, the larger side should face down."

"The mortar you used is too thick, add some water."

"Hey, the gap in this formwork is too big, it's bound to leak grout, you need to nail it in tight, nails aren't worth much..."

"Make sure the floor tiles are firmly tacked down, otherwise there will be even more gaps due to thermal expansion and contraction. Come here, Xiao Wang, use a spirit level to check if it's level, let me see, why is it uneven..."

The playground was filled with people swinging sledgehammers during the Reform and Opening Up period, while the electrician and plumber training class had their practice area set up in the training room.

Their environment is relatively cleaner, but the technology required is more advanced and the standards are stricter.

Water and electricity are things that can easily cause death, so Qian Jin had long ago demanded that teachers be extremely strict in their teaching and assessments.

The practice room is a large classroom, covering an area of ​​nearly 200 square meters, with several simulated wall panels nailed in with wooden boards.

Electrical engineering students practice stripping wire insulation with wire strippers. They started practicing this in the first session, and the students are doing well, now able to strip the insulation completely without damaging the copper wire.

When Qian came in to inspect, the teacher was showing students how to make wire connections using needle-nose pliers, and the students were completely confused as they were busy twisting and crimping.

They were probably practicing installing pull-cord switches and repairing light fixtures and sockets before, as the table was covered with all sorts of switches.

He walked around and noticed there were fewer people. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that there were fewer trainees at the plumbing and electrical work station.

The instructor explained, "A group of students went to the construction site. Several streets in the western part of the city are being re-laid with water pipes at the same time. In order to avoid affecting the residents' water supply, we need to speed up the process. So we sent a group of students who have performed well in water engineering to help out. It can also be considered as on-site practice."

Qian Jin asked, "Can they do it?"

The instructor was quite confident: "The job is simple, just have them use pipe wrenches to tighten a few galvanized steel pipes or PVC plastic pipes or something."

“In the past, the trainees excelled in learning how to thread with die-cutting tools. When they arrived at the construction site, they could at most process threads on the ends of steel pipes, or make pipe thread seals with hemp and lead oil, or install valves and faucets. These were all simple jobs.”

Qian Jin nodded after listening.

Indeed, assisting the plumber is the easiest job.

Machining threads on the ends of steel pipes might be a bit more difficult, but the other tasks are things that even an ordinary person could do at home.

He asked the instructor, "How is the trainees' morale?"

The instructor laughed and said, "I think it's great. If you say it's tiring, doing physical labor on-site is definitely more tiring than sitting behind a desk listening to lectures. It's only been a few days. Look at these trainees, every single one of them has blisters on their hands. It's certain that their backs and waists will ache after a day."

"But the headquarters pays them a monthly salary, and they use that money to study? Where in the world is there such a good deal?"

"Never before! So our students are still eating dumplings in silence—they know what's going on, they cherish this learning opportunity, they don't complain much, and they're quite motivated to learn!"

Paying to study is indeed an extremely rare thing these days.

Those who could get into the labor shock brigade were usually from poor families. Those with strong family connections could find jobs with permanent positions in government agencies, factories, or enterprises.

These people in the labor shock brigade had nowhere else to go. The labor shock brigade offered them a future, and the sensible young people knew they had to seize this opportunity.

Moreover, the wages of the labor shock brigades were not low, and the benefits were even better. For many educated youth from poor families, they recognized the value of the labor shock brigades as an organization.

Furthermore, the first batch of young people selected for the training program were all capable and skilled individuals.

They care about their reputation; many of the people in the training class are acquaintances, and it would be too embarrassing to be expelled or eliminated.

In particular, Qian Jin has made it clear that the training is not just a formality, and there will be an assessment after the two training sessions.

Those who pass the assessment will receive a graduation certificate issued by the school. After returning to their posts in the construction brigade, they will become candidates for technical backbone, enjoying higher post allowances and more important task assignments.

Those who fail the assessment will miss out on higher-level training and will have to continue participating in this type of vocational training.

The young people are well aware of the gap in their future prospects.

Therefore, the June assessment served as a spur to the trainees, and also became a driving force for them to work even harder.

After the daytime practical classes, many people stayed at the venue in the evening for extra tutoring.

As the weather gradually gets hotter, the first phase of the construction training course, which lasted for two sessions and one month, has come to an end.

Many significant events occurred in June.

China Daily was launched, with 24 pages every Monday to Friday and 16 pages every weekend.

This newspaper is very important, especially for the Approval Committee led by Qian Jin.

It adopts a trendy international design and uses in-depth magazine-style analysis as the foundation for its reporting, interpreting the myriad aspects of China and commenting on world events.

Internationally, Israel's bombing of Iraqi nuclear facilities reignited conflict in the Middle East.

In comparison, the fact that the first cohort of construction engineering students graduated with a 100% pass rate is nothing special.

A month of systematic learning and intensive hands-on training enabled this group of educated youth in the shock brigade, who originally only knew how to swing picks and shovels, to initially master one or more professional skills such as carpentry, bricklaying, masonry, and plumbing.

They received their graduation certificates stamped with the official seal of the district training school, and immediately went home to show them off.

The main problem is that this graduation certificate looks too convincing...

After all, it's a product from an online store.

This certificate is made of bright red cardboard, A4 size, with 12K gold lettering on the outside and a leather-textured cover with gold foil trim around the edges. It has both good looks and high quality.

Moreover, it even has photos pasted inside, and the inner pages are fixed with exquisite red silk. I guess even the graduation certificates from top universities like Tsinghua and Peking University these days are no better than this.

The trainees took their certificates home, and some families even framed them in glass and hung them in their living rooms.

At the same time, the trainees addressed each other as classmates, quickly making the 'first batch' special.

Later, when they entered the construction site, the team members would often go to help their classmates without hesitation if they had any needs.

Even in their daily lives, many classmates started to interact with each other, and unwittingly, new ways of forming cliques emerged within the labor assault team.

The money was sent to the construction site to test the abilities of these graduates.

They are certainly still far from the master craftsmen's level of skill, but they already have the ability to independently undertake basic tasks.

After all, the requirements for their old city renovation construction sites are not high.

With the advice and assistance of several experts, Qian Jin restructured the construction team:
First, the work teams were reorganized.

Instead of being organized into mixed teams like assault teams, graduates are now assigned to specialized groups based on their professional skills, such as carpentry, bricklaying, masonry, and plumbing, with experienced craftsmen serving as group leaders and technical advisors.

Then, a mentor-apprentice pairing was implemented.

This is a continuation of tradition, where each master craftsman mentors 2 to 3 new trainees, providing hands-on instruction and solving difficult problems in actual projects to accelerate the growth of newcomers.

Then Qian Jin began to try to implement a project responsibility system.

This is a system that can prevent workers from slacking off and can also improve the quality of the project.

He selected outstanding technical candidates and, under the guidance of experienced mentors, assigned them to some relatively simple renovation projects to hone their coordination and management skills.

As a result, the optimization of personnel structure and the improvement of professional capabilities have enabled the construction team to achieve a qualitative leap in work efficiency and quality.

Meanwhile, the second cohort of students enrolled...

Time slipped by unnoticed as students took turns enrolling. The hot and humid summer passed, and the crisp autumn arrived.

The old city renovation project is nearing completion.

But the construction team has no shortage of work.

They shifted their operations, beginning to enter vacant and abandoned houses along the streets—

These houses, like the ones they renovated after the snow last winter, are old, dilapidated, and dangerous, but they are different in many ways. They have been uninhabited for a long time, are more broken and dilapidated, and many have been vacant for more than ten years.

Just like the study rooms and Taishan Road garment factory buildings they renovated in earlier years, the old, dilapidated, and dangerous buildings belonging to the street are generally not residential buildings, but warehouses, old shops, or even small factories.

Qian Jin quite enjoys repairing and renovating these places.

Because of their personal connections, the neighborhood committee will give priority to leasing the space to their labor task force.

The Labor Assault Brigade was constantly setting up new units, which always required renting premises.

Take the most pressing issue right now, for example. Qian Jin has already prepared the machinery, equipment, and raw materials needed to set up a food factory, but there is no suitable factory building available.

But when they connected with the neighborhood committees, they discovered there were so many suitable places to use as factory buildings…

Seeing that it was profitable, Qian Jin decisively mobilized the main force of the construction team to rush the repair of these old buildings.

The early autumn wind brought a touch of coolness to the coastal city.

But the construction crew continued working with great enthusiasm!
(End of this chapter)