The more than 20,000 cubic meters of timber temporarily allocated by Songjiang River were finally completed after more than a month of intensive work by workers from various forest farms.

Truckloads of timber, carrying the blessings and hopes of forestry workers in Northeast China, were transported day and night along the railway line to their destinations, playing a vital role in post-disaster reconstruction.

After completing this batch of tasks, everyone went down the mountain to rest for a few days. Then, the winter production of the forest farm will begin again.

Since Sheng Xiping, Chen Weiguo, and others had been recruited as formal workers, they could no longer return to the educated youth team.

In addition, the educated youth team had a large number of members, earned a lot of money, and was recognized as an advanced team every year, which made the other work teams unconvinced.

Therefore, this year the forest farm decided to break up the educated youth team and assign them to various work teams to work with the veteran workers.

"Xiping, do you want to work on the construction team this winter, or stay in the security department?"

If you join the work team, you can't be the team leader this year; you'll have to start as a tractor assistant.

Wang Jiachuan had just finished a meeting with the frontline workers when he came to find Sheng Xiping to ask for his opinion.

Previously, the educated youth team was an independent work team, with Sheng Xiping as the team leader.

Now that he's been hired as a worker, he has to follow the procedures for regular workers. Newly hired workers have to start from the bottom; it's impossible to make him a foreman right away.

Sheng Xiping passed the tractor driver training and got the certificate, but in his first year as a worker, he had to start as an assistant. If he did well, he could be promoted to tractor driver the following year.

Sheng Xiping was temporarily seconded to the security department. Logically, once the winter sports season started, Sheng Xiping would have to return to the work team.

But Wang Jiachuan was more inclined to side with Sheng Xiping, so he came over to ask for his opinion.

Upon hearing this, Sheng Xiping remained silent for a while.

Deep down, he really didn't want to go back to the work team. If he could go back and be the team leader again, and earn more money, he wouldn't mind.

But when he went back, he would have to start as a tractor assistant, a job that was dirty, tiring, and didn't pay much, so Sheng Xiping wasn't really willing to do it.

Yes, being a tractor assistant is a promising job.

If you do a good job, you might be promoted to production scheduling in a few years, and if you rise further, you might even become the production manager.

But how low are the odds? Sheng Xiping didn't have much hope.

The job in the security department is actually quite good; it's easy and not tiring, and there's plenty of free time.

From the beginning of spring until now, Sheng Xiping would go into the mountains whenever he had free time, either digging for gastrodia elata, grazing, or hunting, making quite a bit of money, several times more than he earned as a foreman in the mountains.

Moreover, winter is a good season for hunting. In previous years, Sheng Xiping and his men had to go up the mountain to cut timber every winter, missing many opportunities.

Sheng Xiping pondered to himself that going up the mountain to be a tractor assistant was not worthwhile, and it would be better to stay in the security department.

"Uncle, I think I should stay in the security department. The mountain doesn't need another tractor assistant like me. I feel I can be more valuable in the security department."

Sheng Xiping glanced at Wang Jiachuan and tentatively said something.

In reality, whether it's the security department or the work team, it's all the same. They live on that meager salary and will never be able to save up a lot of money in several lifetimes.

Sheng Xiping had already planned it all out. He would wait a few years until the policy was relaxed, then apply for a leave of absence without pay and try to start a business.

Having been reborn, I can't possibly live a worse life than in my previous one, can I?

This job isn't exactly a secure one. In a few years, when the forest is dwindling, these workers will also have to find their own employment.

Since we'll have to do this sooner or later anyway, why not prepare in advance?

With the reform and opening up taking advantage of this opportunity, what can't you do to make money? Why do you have to work in a forestry team and earn only a hundred or two hundred yuan?

Wang Jiachuan laughed as soon as he heard this, "I knew it, you wanted to work in the security department."

Well, actually, both sides have their own advantages.

If you join a construction team, you'll advance quickly and your salary will increase rapidly, but it's tiring.

The security department has a relatively easy job, but the salary isn't very high, and getting a promotion is difficult.

"That's fine, you can stay in the security department. That way you can take care of your family. Otherwise, with all three of you stationed up in the mountains, there's no one to make decisions about anything at home, big or small."

With so many people in the forestry team, Sheng Xiping wouldn't be an exception. With his abilities, he could also play a significant role in the security department.

Therefore, Wang Jiachuan didn't dwell on these things; as long as Sheng Xiping made the decision, that was fine.

This year there was an extra August, but it got cold quite early. On October 28th, which was the sixth day of the ninth lunar month, the first snow fell in Qianchuan Forest Farm.

The forest farm held a meeting and decided that this year's winter sports season would officially begin on November 2nd.

As in previous years, on the morning of November 2nd, the forest farm held a winter sports mobilization meeting, followed by drumming and gonging to send off the frontline workers to their posts on the mountain.

This time, Sheng Xiping wasn't on the commuter bus, but in the farewell party.

"Eldest brother, since you're not going up the mountain this year, you'll have to take care of things at home more."

"That's perfect, then my second son and I can feel at ease on the mountain." Sheng Liancheng told his son before getting into the car.

"Dad, don't worry, I'll take care of everything. You can focus on working on the mountain. When I have some free time, I'll bring the third and sixth brothers up the mountain to visit you."

Sheng Xiping nodded. He knew what he should do without his father having to tell him.

The frontline workers had all assembled and boarded the commuter bus. Behind the bus were several smaller buses, each filled with various logistical supplies.

When the time came, a whistle blew, the commuter bus started up, and it chugged away from the small train station, heading towards the operational area deep in the mountains.

Those seeing them off stood there, waving their arms vigorously until the commuter bus drove further and further away until it was no longer visible. Only then did they turn around and leave in twos and threes, each going home.

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