Chapter 71 Chapter 71 Of course I am happy.
The applause resounded throughout the playground like thunder.
The jealous look that was originally cast on Lu Chongfeng disappeared.
The eight cadres who were demoted and transferred were no longer resentful as before, nor did they feel as if there were thorns in their backs and so embarrassed that they could not raise their heads.
Liang Xin looked at Lu Chongfeng under the red flag, with the corners of her lips curled up, and looked at him for a long time.
It was not until Political Commissar Ji said to adjourn the meeting and the leaders of the regiment left that cheers and heated discussions immediately broke out on the playground.
“I really did it!”
The phrase Liang Xin heard most often was "You really did it!"
The 22nd Regiment really did something to smash the iron rice bowl of the cadre system throughout China. Cadres can really be promoted or demoted, and they no longer have to worry about offending a leader and then losing hope of promotion!
On this day, all the families of soldiers in the division were discussing this topic.
As soon as Liang Xin returned home, a family member was waiting at the door with a basket and four children.
As I got closer, I saw that the basket was full of eggs.
"Director Liang."
The family member cried out, tears all over his face, but a smile also covered his face. "These are eggs laid by the chickens I raised myself. Thank you, thank you, Captain Lu."
"Sister-in-law, the promotion and demotion of cadres are all matters related to their work. We should not get involved."
Liang Xin pushed the basket of eggs back and smiled at the four children. "The children are all in school, right? The eggs should be saved for them to nourish their bodies. Eat more eggs to keep your body nutritious and have the energy to study well."
"Director Liang, you don't know..."
The family member covered his face with a handkerchief and said, "Six years ago, his father was going to be promoted to deputy regimental officer, but because Deputy Division Commander Zhu said that Kong Xiaoguo had evil intentions, his father has been staying at the deputy battalion commander position and has not been promoted. In the past few years, half of his father's hair has turned white. He can't figure out how he offended Deputy Division Commander Zhu, nor can he figure out why he has evil intentions..."
The family member was crying uncontrollably. Li Mao just happened to hear them when he got home from get off work. "I think Deputy Commander Zhu felt threatened by your old Kong, so he said that!"
Liang Xin advised: "Sister-in-law, don't cry, it's time to smile now. Although it was six years late, this skipped promotion shows that there is nothing wrong with Deputy Head Kong. He did not slack off because of the injustice he suffered. There is still a long way to go in the future."
The family member nodded and put a basket of eggs on the ground. "This is all thanks to Captain Lu's system of promoting and demoting cadres. Director Liang, you must accept these eggs..."
"What are you collecting?"
Li Mao stood in front of Liang Xin and picked up the basket of eggs and hung it on the family member's hand. "It's enough for Liang Xin to know your intention. If I accept your gift, people will definitely gossip about it, saying that it was because of your basket of eggs that Captain Lu promoted your old Kong."
"I thought about this, so I didn't take anything valuable. I just took the eggs laid by my own chickens."
"It won't work if you give it away, not even a basket!"
Li Mao finally persuaded the family members to stay. After they left, Li Mao looked at Liang Xin with a smile and asked, "Guess what our Lao Lei said to me just now?"
Liang Xin took out the key and opened the door, "What?"
Li Mao smiled and said, "He said that at the conference today, he seemed to have seen you speaking on the stage."
With a "click", the padlock was opened.
Liang Xin turned to look at Li Mao with a puzzled look on her face.
"What he meant was that Captain Lu's words this time were...how should I put it? Much more thoughtful? Much softer? Anyway, it was unlike his usual style. He said that when he led the team in training before, he never took care of the soldiers' emotions, but after announcing the appointment and removal order this time, he even took care of the emotions of the demoted cadres."
Li Mao said: "Lao Lei said that the way he spoke felt like you were speaking."
Liang Xin was stunned for a moment, then smiled, "When a couple has been together for a long time, their behavior and habits will naturally become more and more like each other."
"I've seen many couples who have been together longer than you. I feel that they need to have a good relationship to be like each other." Li Mao said, "Fortunately, Captain Lu said the last word, otherwise those cadres would really not be able to hold their heads up. I just don't know if their families will understand when they return home."
Li Mao didn't realize that she had become much smarter than before.
Liang Xin had just added water to the big pot and placed plates of rice and yesterday's leftovers on bamboo strips to steam them when Shi Lanzhi came running over.
"Liang Xin, please come with me."
Shi Lanzhi took a deep breath after entering the room. "I really can't persuade him anymore. I can't do anything with an old comrade. You have a good brain. Go over and think of a solution."
Liang Xin followed President Shi to a row of family quarters for battalion-level officers at the back of the family compound.
From a long distance away, a powerful roar could be heard.
When they walked into the door of a private house, they saw Zhang Zhibing lying on a bench. An old comrade in military uniform was hitting Zhang Zhibing with a feather duster in his hand.
"What mistake did you make? Don't tell me yet!"
President Shi had already told Liang Xin about the situation on the way. Zhang Zhibing's father was a retired cadre at the base.
Since the end of last year, the military has implemented a policy of younger leadership teams at all levels, and Chief of Staff Zhang, who was in his fifties and at the rank of division chief, was forced to retire.
Originally, at this age, he thought he had a good chance of rising to the rank of general, but he did not expect that he would still be defeated by age, and he was very angry.
Zhang Zhibing was a filial son. He brought his father to the 11th Division to celebrate the New Year together. However, he did not expect that just after the 30th of the lunar year, he received the news that his son had also been demoted on the first day of the lunar year. He could no longer suppress his pent-up anger and had been beating Zhang Zhibing for half an hour.
No matter how others explained that this was a new system introduced by the 22nd Regiment of the 11th Division, he just didn't believe it.
Shi Lanzhi pushed Liang Xin, and Liang Xin walked in, "Chief, pay attention to your blood pressure. I think your complexion is very dangerous."
The old comrade, who was unable to be persuaded by anyone to stop, paused as soon as Liang Xin called him.
When he heard Liang Xin express concern for him instead of talking about her son's health, his anger obviously subsided.
Staff Officer Zhang said: "My health is very good, not inferior to that of young people!"
"I see."
Liang Xin said in a casual tone: "You are still in good health, and you have plenty of strength and spirit. The leadership teams at all levels of the army are getting younger, so you can't serve as a military cadre, but you need to change places. With your brains and strength, I think it's a good time to explore."
The old comrade has recently heard many words of pity for him, but those words of pity are full of the sadness of "the hero's twilight years".
It was the first time someone told him that he could explore new areas.
Staff Officer Zhang was immediately attracted by Liang Xin, but then he changed his mind and his eyes became tired again. "At my age, I will retire in two years if I work in the local government. I will just be wasting my time there. The local government will not assign me a position where I can really do practical work."
"The place is not okay."
Liang Xin saw the disappointment in the old comrade's eyes for a moment, and then said: "If I were you, I might apply to go to the farm."
Staff Officer Zhang frowned, "Farm?"
"The nationwide rural contract responsibility system is in full swing, and the military has also begun to focus on production management and economic benefits. However, the farms at the Jiangkou base have not made any progress. The reason for this is that there is a lack of decisive leaders."
Liang Xin said: "There is only one Xiaogang Village in the country. If Jiangkou Base also has a truly thoughtful and courageous administrator, perhaps Jiangkou Base can also create a first in the entire army." Staff Officer Zhang's anger completely stopped, and the fingers holding the feather duster relaxed slightly.
"I heard that Staff Officer Zhang has made outstanding military achievements and is a well-known military cadre. With your command ability, work pace, and good health, the farm is just a new battlefield. If you go there, you may have already started to make meritorious contributions and receive medals in logistics when others haven't thought about it yet."
Liang Xin clearly saw that Staff Officer Zhang's eyes lit up, and then pretended to be casual and said, "Of course, I was just talking casually. A base commander used to command soldiers. How could he lower himself to become a farmer on a farm?"
"What happened to the farmers!"
Staff Officer Zhang angrily said, "I was born a peasant. I worked for the landlords and carried manure since I was a child. What's wrong with my status? That's just bullshit!"
Liang Xin said: "The commander has this mentality. Like father, like son. Given the same opportunity, I believe Officer Zhang will also be able to make a fresh start in the General Management Unit and become a role model for the entire army."
Liang Xin suddenly changed the topic, which made Staff Officer Zhang stunned for a moment.
"A role model?" Staff Officer Zhang snorted coldly, "I have been in the army for so many years, and I have never seen anything like this since the victory!"
"If the country continues to develop along the current reform trend, you will see many things you have never seen before, Chief."
Liang Xin's words were very impolite. Zhang Zhibing, who was sitting on the stool, looked up nervously with difficulty, but found that his father seemed to be thinking about something and was not as angry as he had imagined.
"As the commander just said, you have never seen this group of demoted officers, Deputy Battalion Commander Zhang, so you have to admit that they have already been recorded in military history."
Liang Xin knew what Staff Officer Zhang was about to say, so she didn't give him a chance to speak, and continued, "Even if it's a shame in your eyes, looking back at history, Goujian slept on firewood and tasted gall as a slave, and Han Xin was humiliated in public. Among the many cadres in the 22nd Regiment, only these eight people have tasted the feeling of humiliation. But isn't this a good opportunity to make achievements? As long as Officer Zhang can achieve certain results in the Comprehensive Management Unit, he will be more noticeable than ordinary cadres. Maybe even the commander-in-chief of the military region and the national leaders are paying attention to these cadres. In the future, let alone becoming a general, I think it is very likely that you will become a role model for the entire army. What do you think, Chief?"
Staff Officer Zhang frowned and said nothing.
After a while, the feather duster was thrown away.
Everyone in the yard breathed a sigh of relief, and Zhang Zhibing's family members hurried forward to help him up.
After walking out of Zhang's house, Shi Lanzhi immediately said, "You are smart. No matter how we persuade him to stop, it's useless!"
"After serving in the military for so many years, they suddenly have to take off their uniforms. Ordinary soldiers may not be able to get used to it. These veterans have devoted most of their lives to the military, giving orders to thousands of troops every day. It must be even more difficult for them to suddenly retire."
Liang Xin said: "In fact, old comrades like them cannot be idle."
"You're right. When you mentioned the farm just now, I saw that Staff Officer Zhang's spirit and energy changed in an instant!"
Shi Lanzhi sighed, "Old comrades like these still have a certain level of awareness, so if you persuade them to the point, the problem will naturally be solved. The cadre who was demoted and transferred down, his family can't understand it, and he himself is extreme, still thinking that he must have offended some cadre, which is why he ended up like this."
"Are you talking about Chief Wang of the Military Affairs Section?"
"Yes, that's him."
"His family member had previously given me a watch, but I refused it. They thought I thought the gift was too small, so they managed to get a TV ticket and gave it to me. I asked them to take it back."
Liang Xin said, "I've also heard about Chief Wang's usual style. His idea that no matter what the relationship is, as long as the money is in place, there is nothing that can't be done has been deeply rooted in their minds and is difficult to change. In the past, there were a lot of rumors about the annual recruitment and transfer of soldiers."
"I know, so I'm just sighing with you, not asking you to persuade me."
Shi Lanzhi turned on the road to the divisional staff quarters and said, "Okay, I'm going home to heat up some food, so you should go back quickly."
Liang Xin returned home. Because the temperature in the stove was so high, the food in the pot did not cool down even after she was away for a while.
As soon as the dishes were brought to the table, Lu Chongfeng came in.
"I thought you wouldn't be home so early today, so I came back early to heat up the food, but you already heated it up."
Liang Xin picked up the kettle and poured the water into the enamel basin on the basin rack behind the door. "Wash here."
Lu Chongfeng put the black briefcase on the sofa and rolled up the sleeves of his military uniform. "How about we wash it after setting off the firecrackers?"
"Alright."
Lu Chongfeng picked up the firecrackers and walked outside. He lit them with a match and threw them on the ground. Amid the crackling sound of firecrackers, he walked into the house with a smile on his face.
“New Year, New Atmosphere!”
Liang Xin sat at the table, holding a small bowl and scooping rice from an enamel basin. "So happy?"
"I've wanted to do this before I got married, and today I finally did it. Of course I'm happy."
Lu Chongfeng stood in front of the basin rack, rubbing the soap.
Liang Xin put the rice on his place, "Then shall I pour you a glass of wine?"
"I won't drink anymore."
After Lu Chongfeng washed his hands, he walked back to the dining table. He saw Liang Xin's wrist, then looked at her ear. He suddenly reached out and opened the collar of her down jacket. "Why don't you wear your jewelry anymore?"
“Down jackets are already high-profile.”
Liang Xin picked up the chopsticks and said, "The martyrs' families haven't even been assigned jobs yet. Before they came to the military camp, they couldn't even eat eggs. The pillars of their families sacrificed their lives for the country. There's no need to wear gold to the bakery to show off."
Lu Chongfeng said nothing more. "So in order to prevent more family members from becoming martyrs, I must resolutely persevere in reform."
Liang Xin looked at Lu Chongfeng's determined eyes and handed him a piece of five-spice beef. "Dip it in chili oil."
"You eat too."
In the past, Liang Xin would return to school after the New Year.
But I will be a senior when school starts.
Starting from the junior year, many required courses in the freshman and sophomore years become elective courses in the junior year, and studying is no longer so intense.
In the second half of last year, many students were assigned to internships in third-tier factories and various units.
Therefore, Liang Xin can stay in the division until after the Lantern Festival.
At the end of the one-month training period, Liang Xin selected the martyrs' relatives who were steady, smart, down-to-earth and hardworking, and who had strong aspirations for the provincial capital Beijing, and assigned them to Jiangjing and Beijing Bakery respectively.
The remaining relatives of the martyrs stayed in the bakery at the Jiangkou base and the flour mill on the farm.
After Xia Xia packed her bag, she told Commander Yang about this matter.
"He was stunned."
Xia Xia was on the train, thinking of the expression on Teacher Yang's face, and couldn't help laughing: "After Yang Tao left, he treated me much better than before. I could see that he was reluctant to let me go."
A relative of the martyr asked: "Why did you leave? Aren't you afraid that he might have second thoughts?"
Another martyr's relative said, "I also want to say that he is the commander, and there are so many female comrades in the division. Aren't you afraid that something will happen when you are not around?"
"It is more important to live in Beijing than to stay by his side and guard him."
Xia Xia peeled a White Rabbit candy. The sun reflected from the train window onto her face, revealing her beautiful bone structure. Her skin was no longer dry and shriveled as it had been when Liang Xin first met her. It had become smooth and fair.
"As long as you are strong, you are not afraid of anything. Follow Liang Xin for a few years and you will understand."
Liang Xin chuckled, "I don't think Commander Yang is that kind of person."
"Yes." Wang Daya looked at her daughter who was sleeping on her body, "Xiaoya, be like Yang Tao, I am not afraid either."
"That's true." Xia Xia smiled and said, "Xiao Ya is smart. She always gets first place in the class. She will be better than Yang Tao in the future."
After getting off the train, Liang Xin first took everyone to a street behind the bakery and found the staff housing that Sister Fang Xin had arranged for them near the police station.
There are five people in total from Jiangjing Bakery including Liangxin.
There is a small square courtyard in the front yard, with three rooms in the main hall, a kitchen and toilet on the left, and two side rooms on the right.
A very common Jiangjing residential building.
"Let's live here first." Liang Xin arranged: "There are two main rooms in this courtyard, one for each family, and we use the main hall for dining. The two side rooms are connected, and each is not as big as the main room, so they are counted as one family."
The three of them were stunned.
I originally thought that four people would live here, and each of them wanted to choose their own ear room. But I didn't expect that there would be only three people living here, so the two ear rooms became the best houses.
Just when the three of them didn't know how to choose, Liang Xin said, "Draw lots, it's fair."
Xu Dafeng looked at Wang Daya, "Where does Director Wang live?"
Wang Daya was not worried about having no place to live, but when she heard Xu Dafeng ask this, she looked at Liang Xin.
"There is a one-bedroom, one-living room and a rest area on the second floor of the bakery, with a kitchen and shower attached."
Liang Xin said: "Daya lives over there, so she can be the first to know what happens in the bakery at night."
The family members had no objections, and after drawing lots to divide the house, they could no longer hide their excitement. They carried their packages and children and moved into the new house, touching the bricks and furniture of their new home.
"I heard it's not easy to get a house in the city." Zhu Xiaoling was assigned the main room on the left and was going to buy bunk beds for her two daughters. "Director Liang, I never thought we would live in such a nice house right after we arrived. This is the provincial capital!"
“It’s not easy to get housing in large factories, and we have fewer people.”
Liang Xin said, "You've been on the train for a whole day, so take a break first. I'll take you out for a walk. Turn right at the alley and you'll find the vegetable market. Go forward and you'll see a bridge with many stalls selling everything. Then we'll go to the bakery and take a look."
"We're not tired, let's go now!"
Liang Xin took everyone to visit the nearby streets and shops, crossed the bridge crowded with stalls and vendors, and walked towards the crossroads in the city center.
The nine employees were speechless, with dull eyes, looking up at the bakery that was being renovated.
After Liang Xin returned to the 11th Division, the logistics department transferred people from the military district’s logistics and barracks department to start the construction.
At present, the door of the bakery has been painted brown with golden lettering: Conscience Bakery.
Looking inside through a row of transparent glass, the floor has been paved with retro tiles instead of concrete. Several tall semi-finished wooden racks have just completed preliminary models. There is also a wooden box on the ground, which contains several crystal chandeliers.
Several soldiers from the engineering team in military uniforms were busy finishing their get off work.
Liang Xin led the dazed workers into the bakery and thanked the soldiers of the engineering team repeatedly.
“So high-end!”
Zhu Xiaoling smacked her lips as she looked at the glass doors and windows. "Even if I were to dream, I could never have imagined such a high-end house. This is so many times more upscale than our commune's supply and marketing cooperative!"
"Are we going to be salespeople in such a high-end place in the future?"
Xu Dafeng swallowed and said, "I feel like I'm about to fly!"
Liang Xin walked up the stairs. "It may be hard for four people to run a shop for the time being, but the base is already investigating other martyrs' families who are in financial difficulty. As soon as the bakery training in the division is completed, we will immediately arrange for people to come here. Sister Daya, you will live here."
Wang Daya held Xiaoya's hand and watched Liang Xin push open a wooden door at the end of a row of glass windows.
When she walked in, she saw that the floor was paved with tiles just like the outside. It was so bright that Wang Daya could hardly open her eyes and her head felt dizzy.
“What a beautiful house!”
Wang Xiaoya looked up at Liang Xin and said, "Aunt Xin, is this our new home?"
Liang Xin touched her head and said, "Yes, this is Xiaoya and her mother's new home."
Xiao Ya flew into the new house like a little butterfly, running from the living room to the bedroom, and then to the shower room, her laughter of surprise getting louder and louder.
“That’s great.”
After reading it, Xia Xia was as excited as the person involved. "I really want to go to Beijing right now."
The relatives of the martyrs who went to Beijing nodded quickly.
"The storefront and dormitory in Beijing have been arranged, but I don't know what they will look like."
Liang Xin stood in front of the window, looking at the intersection below. "There is a state-owned restaurant just ahead. Let's go there to eat first, and then stay in the guesthouse for two days. I'll arrange my school affairs and then leave for Beijing."
"Going to a restaurant? No!"
"That's right. We've all been allocated houses, and you've helped us transfer our household registrations. We also brought some rice and flour with us. It will be ready soon after we go home and cook it!"
"I don't think we need to spend money on a guesthouse. We can definitely find a place to stay if we squeeze in at home. A guesthouse in the provincial capital costs several cents a day. If we stay for two days, each person will have to spend one dollar!"
"So expensive? I could use that money to buy a pound of pork. That would feed us all for several days!"
After that, everyone decided on how to stay and eat.
Liang Xin argued for a while but failed to win, so she stopped pushing it and went to the delicatessen to buy two salted ducks as a snack to celebrate the double happiness of moving to a new house and getting a new job.
After returning to the military compound, I spent two days to sort out issues at home and at school.
Liang Xin, Xia Xia and four other relatives of martyrs boarded a train to Beijing.
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