Chapter 41: The Shift in Ideology

Song Yi and Master Liu looked at each other, their eyes lighting up.

Song Yi muttered under his breath, "Those foreign big-noses are truly full of tricks. Why didn't we think of that?"

Two hours later, the several components that Song Yi and his men had struggled with all day long without fitting properly now came together, locking into place seamlessly.

"I've inspected the quality of the samples produced by our factory, and it's quite good. However, the parts for the critical sections still need to be purchased in Shenyang. I will write down the required items and the factory names, and Engineer Song can arrange for someone to buy them."

With that, Liu Weidong took out his notebook and jotted down the model numbers and factory names of numerous parts, including several imported components.

"Actually, we could manufacture them ourselves, but the material quality isn't up to par. Even if we managed to machine them, they wouldn't be durable. The machine would break down every other day, so how could the factory maintain production?"

During this period, whether it was Song Yi from the oil mill or the senior mechanics at the machinery plant, everyone had grown accustomed to Liu Weidong's astonishing feats, because everything he did was extraordinary.

Seeing everyone gathering around him, Liu Weidong smiled and said, "Once we buy the critical bearings and the motor, we can run a test drive. If any issues arise, we'll fine-tune them then. Our pace of innovation is already fast enough; when foreign countries research a new piece of equipment, it takes them several years just from design to finalization."

Although he was encouraging everyone, the workers all looked at Liu Weidong with deep admiration.

This was an era that revered advanced role models.

Emerging from the workshop, Song Yi was completely won over. "Weidong, comparison humbles a man. Compared to you, I, a graduate of East China Institute of Technology, feel utterly ashamed of my inferiority."

Liu Weidong hurriedly waved his hand. "The amount of information we have access to is different. Domestic technology is still stuck on the aid projects from the early days of the founding of the nation, whereas foreign technology has already undergone several generations of updates. Just study more foreign technical literature, and you'll figure it out.

"If the factory doesn't need me anymore, I'll be heading off. Right now, I live in Changsha Street in the East Market, right across from the Guizhen Tailor Shop behind the large black wooden gate. If there's an emergency, you can find me at home."

After wrapping things up, Liu Weidong rode his bicycle back to the East Market.

If it were just selling a piece of salvaged antique porcelain, Liu Weidong could make the decision himself, but when it came to selling ginseng, he had to consult Lou Yanru. There were still a little over five thousand yuan left in the savings passbook. That might look like a lot of money, but when a major crisis truly struck, it would be far from enough.

Upon returning home, he first opened the heated brick-bed cabinet, took out those pieces of porcelain, and placed them on the bed along with the two double-headed ginseng roots.

Based on current market rates, this exquisite Ming dynasty folk-kiln blue-and-white jar could fetch over twenty thousand yuan. But if he held onto it for another five years, the price would at least triple; and if it were kept past the year 2020, it would be worth well over a million.

The remaining few Qing dynasty folk-kiln pieces were even less valuable, fetching at most eight hundred yuan, so it was better just to keep them.

The ginseng had already been sun-dried. To prevent the delicate root hairs from breaking off, Lou Yanru had carefully sewn the ginseng roots onto cardboard, and their appearance was indeed top-notch.

"This won't do. Living off past savings is not my style. This forest-cultivation venture must be carried out. Once the centrifuge test run is successful, I'll need to ponder building a small oil refinery in the Second Production Team..."

In his past life, the oil refinery he set up was affiliated with the Qingshan Primary School, which happened in 1984. Doing it now meant beating the timeline by six years.

After tidying up the items on the bed, Liu Weidong sat down by the table to read the novel Lou Yanru was continuing to write.

Although Lou Yanru's writing was delicate, her literary style lacked polish. Liu Weidong read and edited simultaneously, expanding several subplots based on her train of thought and outlining the structure on manuscript paper.

He busied himself until dark before starting a fire to cook dinner and feeding the chickens.

The laying hens had been brought home half a month ago, providing five or six eggs a day. Liu Weidong also bought meat from time to time, which not only gave Lou Yanru a healthy glow but also gradually filled out her figure, making her look much less frail than a withered cucumber.

"Brother-in-law, Brother-in-law, there's big news today..."

As Liu Weidong was busy in the kitchen, he heard Lou Yanhua shouting in the courtyard.

He hurriedly wiped his hands on his apron and went out to greet them.

Lou Yanru and her younger sister had just stepped into the courtyard. Lou Yanru looked a bit embarrassed, but Lou Yanhua was exceptionally excited as she grabbed Liu Weidong and her sister by the arms and pulled them inside.

"Brother-in-law, you have no idea! Today, my older sister really made a huge name for herself! People from the propaganda department and the newspaper office all came, and they specially interviewed my sister because of that novel, *The Legend of Mount Qingshan*. The *Binjiang Daily* is going to serialize it! This whole affair has caused a sensation throughout First High."

Liu Weidong widened his eyes and looked at Lou Yanru, who shyly nodded.

"Yanhua, keep your voice down. This isn't anything to show off about; I actually find it quite embarrassing."

Liu Weidong glared at her. "You wrote a novel based on your own lived experiences. Both in ideological depth and political stance, it is a benchmark for the present times. You must not waver in your convictions; you must write this book well."

"But..."

Lou Yanru wore a conflicted expression, and just as she was about to explain, Liu Weidong snatched her schoolbag and tossed it onto the bed.

"We finally have some good news today. We won't eat at home—I'm taking you two sisters out to a restaurant."

At the Yixiangyuan Hui Muslim small eatery, the three of them ordered two steamer baskets of steamed dumplings along with several substantial dishes, and Lou Yanhua ate with beaming delight.

"Weidong, I sense your mood isn't too great. Did something happen over at the Second Production Team?"

Liu Weidong shook his head. "You can't really call it an accident. It's just jealousy. Right now, throughout the entire commune, only our village can eat its fill. Can members of other production teams not have opinions? Everyone is so used to eating from the big common pot: if you have it, I must have it too.

"The commune made an issue out of trading lumber for grain. Uncle Jianguo sent gifts up the chain, which managed to smooth things over. However, the commune secretary and the director hold conflicting views, so it will indeed be difficult for the Second Production Team to get anything done moving forward. Besides, aren't there informants from the commune lurking right in the village?"

Lou Yanru hesitated for a moment. "Weidong, if I really manage to get into university, you should just transfer to work at the oil mill. Leave that right-and-wrong cesspool behind and bring Dad to the city as well. I don't care about great wealth and high status; living in peace and safety beats everything. Besides, we've already bought a house, and we still have some savings left. If we economize, it will be enough to get by."

Liu Weidong shook his head. "Yanru, what I'm thinking is quite different from you. Policies have changed now, and the material living standards of the common people are going to rise sharply. You two are city folk, so let me ask you: how many households in the city have a television set right now? Many people probably don't even know what a television is, right?

"I'm telling you, within five years at the latest, the penetration rate of television sets among urban citizens will reach 80%. With economic development moving this fast, just waiting around definitely won't work. This year, not only will I buy you a complete set of 'three rounds and a sound,' but I'm also going to buy a television.

"It's not that I'm reluctant to leave the Second Production Team, but Mount Qingshan is a land of treasure. It will be the starting point for my career to take off. Not only can I make money myself, but I can also lead my fellow villagers toward prosperity together—why not?

"Right now, the only thing separating me from being an urban resident is a grain ration coupon. Once you get accepted into university and transfer your household registration back, won't you have grain ration coupons and non-staple food tickets? And wouldn't I be included too?"

The sisters looked at each other, both skeptical of Liu Weidong's grand rhetoric.

Before Lou Nan was labeled a Rightist, he had been the director of the Agricultural Commission, and Song Qian was the vice president of the central hospital; yet even with such a family background, they couldn't afford a television. How could Liu Weidong claim that almost every household would have a television in five years?

How was that possible?