Chapter 1480: Promotion

The seat of Hechuan Commune was once again staging a lively scene of gongs and drums.

People were not afraid of the poisonous sun in August, dancing enthusiastically, truly gongs and drums were noisy, and fire

Reporters came from the county, the city, and even the province, and even the People's Daily, all here to film and interview.

The People's Daily is a massive news organization with branch offices everywhere. As early as Wang Yan's first submission, the local branch had already sent people to visit.

As Wang Yan's articles began to be serialized in the People's Daily over time, becoming a hot topic that people across the country loved to follow and urge for updates, the branch staff paid closer attention to Wang Yan's activities.

A representative example is that, in addition to Wang Yan publishing his own articles, the branch staff would also write editorials to submit. Truth be told, thanks to Wang Yan, a "Sun Wukong" who popped out of nowhere, the branch staff's performance records were quite good, and naturally, their lives were quite comfortable.

Like them, Wang Yan was also there taking pictures with his camera. The leaders only took a few shots for the sake of it, while he took more pictures of the smiling faces of the masses...

Secretary Zhang acted quickly. After his last inspection of the Baidian Brigade and talking to Wang Yan, he started the procedures as soon as he returned to the commune.

First, he threw out the idea of the Baidian Brigade opening a factory in the commune, and for the dozens of brigades that came to the meeting, he apportioned three spots to each.

This was a benefit from the higher-ups. Secretary Zhang only told the lower levels the numbers and didn't care how they fought like dogs over them after returning. It was the same at the county level; when leaders of various communes met at the county, they would also fight like dogs over subsidies, support, and the like.

Since spots were given to each brigade, everyone naturally had to contribute to building the factory. Except for the brigades that were repairing roads, the remaining brigades were apportioned a number of workers to come to the commune to build the factory for the Baidian Brigade.

After setting this plan, Secretary Zhang took the opportunity to nominate Comrade Liu Hanwen, promoting him to deputy director of the commune, skipping two levels at once.

With the meeting voting unanimously in favor, Secretary Zhang immediately pushed Liu Hanwen's name up and reported it to the Organization Department. The rank of deputy director was already sufficient; he was now a proper county-managed cadre.

Secretary Zhang had long held prestige in the commune, and the cadres under him were obedient; it was almost a one-man show. If there were no other complications, the county would not block the personnel arrangements from below.

Not to mention it was Liu Hanwen, who had appeared in the People's Daily, and whose name appeared in every one of Wang Yan's articles; the whole country knew Liu Hanwen was a very responsible deputy brigade leader.

Thus, the matter was settled. The procedures went very quickly, and within a few days, a bewildered Liu Hanwen took office and moved with his wife and children to the place arranged by the commune.

Two months passed this way, and with the joint efforts of the people of the entire commune, the furniture factory belonging to the Baidian Brigade, in which the commune had invested, was officially completed.

A batch of machinery was purchased from the county machinery factory, and the apprentices of the Baidian Brigade, along with young people from other brigades, a total of over one hundred people, all came to the factory.

This was a proper factory with dormitories and a canteen, where everyone worked collectively to create wealth.

Wang Yan, without the slightest surprise, became the first director of the furniture factory. He implemented a series of measures, perfected the factory's production system, formulated safety production regulations, standardized the personnel structure, trained apprentices, ensured the canteen had some oil and water every day, and even purchased soda, one bottle per person per week, which was very well received.

He mainly emphasized safety production. Operating machines required strict adherence to safety regulations; problems meant direct deductions of work points, accidents meant direct removal of team leaders, and he would also conduct spot checks on the recitation of safety regulations from time to time.

This maximized the guarantee of safety production and preserved the physical health of these young people.

During this period, the various sofas and mattresses made by the women of the Baidian Brigade under Wang Yan's guidance were also sold in the store. Sales were naturally poor; furniture was necessary, but various cushions were not.

Only some cadres in the county took the lead in ordering them, including the government offices, which replaced their worn-out ones and purchased a batch from the furniture factory.

Besides that, other folks in the county didn't buy much.

This day, Wang Yan was in the factory guiding the apprentices' progress when Secretary Zhang pedaled his bicycle in, looking happy.

Wang Yan sensibly offered a cigarette upon meeting: "Uncle, is there good news?"

Secretary Zhang took a puff of the cigarette with satisfaction before speaking: "Didn't you want to go to the Canton Fair?"

"It's a done deal?"

"It's a done deal!" Secretary Zhang said with a smile, "You can go, but just as you said, there's no booth for you. You'll have to go and drum up business yourself. If you can get it, you can sign; if you can't, consider it gaining experience. The provincial leaders are still doing things, and they are quite tolerant of you, a young man."

"They are all good leaders, willing to give young people opportunities to show their skills."

Secretary Zhang shook his head and laughed: "No one is listening to your flattery, why keep saying those sour things? You're good in every way, but this one point is bad—you lack youthful spirit."

"Then should I go and break the legs of the slaughterhouse director now?"

Secretary Zhang understood the meaning behind Wang Yan's words, scolded him with a laugh, and then changed the subject: "It's already late August, the Autumn Canton Fair isn't far off.

Prepare well. Our commune will send one person, and the county will send two to go with you and take a look. I know you have great ability, so it's best not to go empty-handed. Even if you earn a little, it's better than nothing. The travel expenses will come from your factory; you can't be stingy with this bit of money."

Wang Yan shook his head: "Isn't that insulting me? Who doesn't know I'm the most generous?"

"Do you have no idea in your heart how that money of yours came about?"

"Everyone knows this?"

"There are many people watching you. You have cameras, watches, and bicycles, and you eat meat every few days. Who wouldn't know?"

"I'm robbing the rich to help the poor. They are all people who should be taken out and shot; it's no big deal."

"Then you must be careful and cautious. It hasn't been easy for you to have today. It's a good thing you've reined in your temper. When you're out and about, you must be amiable and not cause trouble everywhere."

Wang Yan let out a long sigh: "Uncle, to tell you the truth, I don't need to go to the Canton Fair to know that the people there must have their eyes on the top of their heads, looking down on us openly, and there will be plenty of trouble if we want to get things done."

"Then you can't flip the table. How do others get things done? Why can't you?"

"Because I'm not afraid of anything, Uncle." Wang Yan laughed, "I walk straight and sit upright, I have nothing but my life, I can endure hardship and fatigue, but I cannot be bullied. Flipping the table is the most direct and effective way to solve problems quickly.

Take when I worked at the Fengtai Furniture Factory in the capital. When I first went there, the young apprentices ganged up to bully me. I beat them all up. The director came and wanted to deal with me, so I scolded the director right then and there, beat up the factory's security department, and blocked the director's house at night to scold him.

What happened in the end? Nothing happened, all problems were solved, and everyone was amiable with me. That director also became honest, smiling at me as if I had never scolded him before.

Some people, when they hold power, want to make things difficult for others. If you don't let them make things difficult, they aren't happy. You have to make them afraid, make them submit, only then can there be harmony, and only then can we develop together. It's all a cheap sickness."

Secretary Zhang shook his head. He understood now: Wang Yan knew everything and was clear about everything, but he just wasn't willing to bow his head, wasn't willing to act according to the way everyone tacitly agreed upon. Once there was a problem, he would flip the table directly, leaving no room for maneuver, his head was very hard.

If it were an ordinary person, it would be fine, but the key was that Wang Yan had long been registered in the "Sea" (central leadership), and now he was even nationally famous. He was unforgiving when he was in the right, and no one could do anything to him.

"I can't listen to you, you'd better take care of yourself."

"Uncle, don't worry, I'm not stupid. It's like those legs I broke in the capital; I have a count."

Secretary Zhang waved his hand and didn't say much more. Accompanied by Wang Yan, he wandered around the furniture factory, asking about the current development of the factory.

"How is the production capacity now?"

"It's definitely faster than before." Wang Yan said, "Previously, it took more than a year to complete all orders, but now it can be done in half a year. Before the end of the year, all orders can be finished. Uncle, you have to worry more and quickly open a store in the city.

Once a store is opened in the city, we'll open one in Xi'an, and then we'll radiate to the whole province. As long as we keep improving, it will be enough for our commune to eat for a lifetime, and everyone will be able to live a good life. If foreign trade is done well, our commune will be able to eat meat."

"Can't your brigade eat meat now?"

"They haven't grown up yet, how can we afford to eat them? We have to expand the scale little by little and constantly accumulate experience in large-scale farming to avoid plagues and diseases. If livestock diseases become serious, they can infect humans; this matter cannot be taken lightly. It will take three to five years of slow exploration and summary."

"However, no matter how large the scale is, it won't be that big. Our commune is still too poor. The grain grown on the land isn't enough for people to eat, so how can we raise so much meat? We still have to find a way to solve this problem."

Secretary Zhang let out a long sigh: "The whole country is hungry, how can it be so easy to solve?"

"Can we buy some grain from outside?"

"Easier said than done. What will we use to buy it? Buying things outside requires foreign exchange. Do we have any? Even if you go to the Canton Fair this time and earn foreign exchange, after being intercepted from top to bottom, how much money will be left for our brigade? And how can that little money be used to buy grain to raise pigs?

Wang Yan, we have many things more important than raising pigs that need money. Other places aren't full, and we're buying grain for pigs? This will have to be explained carefully."

"Then there's no way. Our farming scale definitely won't go up. Let's take it slow. Let's find a way to get some grain from outside to make up for the deficit. Uncle, you'll have to worry more about this."

"Why don't you come and be this secretary?"

"Look at you, I'm giving you ideas, and you're not happy." Wang Yan looked speechless.

"If you don't manage the house, you don't know the cost of firewood and rice. I worry endlessly every day, do I need you to tell me? Let's go!"

Secretary Zhang came like the wind and left pedaling his bicycle like the wind...

Wang Yan also began to prepare for the Canton Fair.

They didn't have a proper exhibition quota, so naturally, they couldn't bring furniture over. Transporting large quantities of furniture required trains, and without procedures, they wouldn't be approved.

So he could only use pictures to speak. He made a batch of furniture that suited the tastes of people outside, took pictures from all angles with his camera, and finally formed a thick booklet.

He took this booklet and led the team to Yangcheng...

"This place is really good. Look, there are more buildings than in our city, and they are much taller, I don't know how much."

"Oh my, look at that foreigner, he has so much hair on his body, and yellow hair too."

Wang Yan led the commune and county cadres, like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden. As soon as they left the train station and arrived on the street outside, they were sighing at everything they saw.

"Wang Yan, what should we do?" asked Sun, the cadre from the commune, and the two cadres from the county also looked at Wang Yan.

They were here to inspect the situation, to see if the county could sell other things, and by the way, to supervise Wang Yan, as they were all afraid Wang Yan would cause trouble.

In actual work, they all listened to Wang Yan because Wang Yan was bold and had many ideas, unlike the three of them who were cautious.

"Of course, we should find a place to stay first. Let's go and ask where the people from our province are staying and have them arrange it for us. Let's go."

Wang Yan ignored their full stomachs of complaints, shouldered his luggage, and walked ahead.

After a journey of cold shoulders, the three of them finally arrived at Haizhu Square, which was the venue for the Canton Fair from 1958 to 1973.

"Comrade, may I ask where the representatives from Qin Province are?" Wang Yan grabbed a man who looked very arrogant and asked.

"I don't know!" The answer was very impatient.

Wang Yan didn't say a word, grabbed him by the collar, and lifted him up: "What kind of attitude is that? Huh? Can't you speak properly?"

Thus, Wang Yan and the others successfully found the Qin Province representatives and, with their help, checked into a small guesthouse. There were many people here, very crowded, all here to attend the Canton Fair.

Famous hotels like the Dongfang Hotel and the Overseas Chinese Mansion were for foreign guests, not for exhibitors like them. Wang Yan wasn't even considered an exhibitor; he had no status.

In fact, there were quite a few people like them, all sent privately by various localities to see if they could try their luck and get foreign trade orders to earn some foreign exchange. The cost wasn't much, just some travel expenses; if they earned money, it would be different. Even if it was just one dollar, it would be a different scene.

Being able to earn foreign exchange was better than not being able to. Being able to earn it was an achievement.

Once settled in the guesthouse, Wang Yan took pictures click-click-click. The embarrassment of his own people was also a precious image. Looking back at today decades later, the sense of achievement would be overwhelming.

Successful people are not afraid to talk about their terrible pasts, just as Zhu Yuanzhang was absolutely happy to talk about his experience as a beggar his whole life. Even if the past wasn't terrible, successful people like to shape a difficult past for themselves to highlight their perseverance, courage, and other fine qualities...

Seeing the three cadres looking at him eagerly, Wang Yan took money and a pile of national coupons from his pocket and distributed them: "It's not easy to come here, so let's have some free time. I can handle the selling of things myself. You mainly need to conduct a comprehensive inspection and go back to tell the leaders about the grand occasion here."

"I'll follow you and help out." said one of the county cadres.

Wang Yan naturally didn't mind; supervision was also good.

Just like that, Wang Yan began his sales trip at the Canton Fair...

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