Many officials from the Oilfield Administration were already waiting next to the runway of Daqing Airport. Now that the boss of their immediate superior had arrived, of course all the staff were mobilized.
Minister Zheng introduced to the crowd gathered around him:
"Let me introduce you to Comrade Lin Sanqi, the Vice Minister of Health. He is also a well-known God of Wealth in China. I invited him here in the hope that he can help us. Everyone, please welcome him."
When it comes to Lin Sanqi's famous name, even this group of oil cadres are familiar with it.
So everyone started clapping enthusiastically, but unfortunately their gloves were too thick and the sound was not loud enough, so they could only shout to create an atmosphere.
"Welcome Minister Lin."
"Wrong, it should be welcoming the God of Wealth Lin."
Hahahaha~~~
The atmosphere at the scene was good. Lin Sanqi did not object to being called the God of Wealth. After all, only when his name was known as the God of Wealth would people come to him to exchange supplies.
And what he ate was this bowl of smuggled rice that spanned two eras.
This is not a question of being low-key or not. Now that his family is in Hong Kong, he can travel there at any time without any taboo.
Lin Sanqi also clasped his fists and said:
"I just saw it on the plane. Even on New Year's Eve, comrades are still working on the front lines. I am moved by their enthusiasm, but also feel ashamed. I want to learn from them.
So, I brought 10 tons of chocolate to everyone on the plane. This is a good thing. It can provide enough calories in cold weather to warm the bodies of comrades working outdoors.
In addition, I have also prepared 10 latest models of movie projectors to enrich the spiritual world of our comrades.
At the same time, with the special permission of my superiors, I have also brought you a number of copies of Hong Kong films. I hope you enjoy them.”
In the 1960s, domestic film production was very low, and the same few films were shown over and over again.
Movies like "Blue Sky Hero", "Honghu Red Guards", "Ode to the Qiang Flute", etc. are almost all films that reflect revolutionary themes. Ordinary people have watched them over and over again and are tired of them.
Of course, the Hong Kong movies that Lin Sanqi brought over were not chosen randomly.
He mainly chooses costume films, martial arts films, and opera films.
For example, "Dong Xiaowan" and "Yingchunhua" starring Xia Meng. Xia Meng is a leftist, and her films are recognized in China.
Another thing is that "The Kingdom and the Beauty", starring the famous movie star Lin Dai, whom Lin Sanqi had seen before, is a costume drama and is not sensitive.
Modern dramas and fashion dramas did not dare to be brought in. At that time, the domestic propaganda said that the people of Hong Kong were in dire straits and everyone was a contract laborer or slave laborer.
If people saw in movies that Hong Kong's economy was highly developed, with skyscrapers and cars everywhere, then...
Sure enough, when the oil officials at the scene heard that Lin Sanqi had brought many "foreign films", they were all excited and cheered loudly.
Wu Yingbo, head of the Daqing Oilfield Administration, said with a smile:
"Thank you, Minister Lin, for your concern for us oil comrades. It's cold out. Minister Lin, please move your troops to our headquarters to rest."
Lin Sanqi stamped his feet and said, "Hurry up and leave! We're freezing to death."
More than ten minutes later, the convoy drove into a huge yard, which was full of piled-up machinery and construction vehicles going in and out.
After Lin Sanqi got off the bus, he was surprised to find that the houses were particularly shabby. Except for a two-story brick building, the rest were all mud houses.
The ground is not hardened, it's all mud. Fortunately, it is winter. If it were the rainy season, we would be walking in deep mud.
Lin Sanqi smacked his lips, looked at the rows of houses in the distance and asked:
"Director Wu, have I visited where the comrades live?"
Lin Sanqi didn't know much about the oil workers in the 1950s and 1960s. At most, he knew of one iron man, Wang Jinxi, but he had no idea what their working and living conditions were like.
Of course, Wang Jinxi should be very happy. His descendants all use crystal lamps that cost tens of millions each, which shows that the oil system is already rich.
The information Lin Sanqi had read was all about how difficult life was for the educated youth who went to the countryside in the Great Northern Wilderness.
When Minister Zheng heard that Lin Sanqi wanted to understand the people's sentiments, he was secretly delighted and gave Director Wu a wink.
Director Wu was a little confused, so he said in embarrassment:
"Minister Lin, our working and living conditions are fine. Thank you for your concern."
Minister Zheng was so angry that he kicked Director Wu on the buttocks and cursed in a pretentious manner:
"When Minister Lin asks you questions, answer truthfully. Don't be hypocritical or false. It's difficult as it should be. Why are you trying to show off?"
When Director Wu heard this, he immediately understood that the God of Wealth had come to distribute money. If you said you had no difficulties, you would be pushing the God of Wealth away.
So he immediately corrected it:
"Yes, yes, Minister Lin, it's all my fault for talking nonsense. This leader needs to reflect on this. Minister Lin, you don't know that our living environment can no longer be described as bad.
Look around here, it's all swamps. First of all, the fuel problem is difficult to solve. Without fuel, we can't heat. We can't burn oil directly because the smoke is poisonous.
Eating has also become a big problem for us. The heavy physical work and the cold weather require a lot of food to replenish energy. Unfortunately, the food supply is tight now. Our oil workers only have a monthly ration of 32 kilograms, which is far from enough.
besides……"
Lin Sanqi quickly interrupted:
"Stop, stop, stop, Director Wu. This difficulty of yours should be solved by Minister Zheng. Just say that today is New Year's Eve, and at least let the workers rest for a few days. There's no need to work day and night. It will break their spirits if not their bodies."
Minister Zheng and Director Wu were both stunned when they heard this and didn't know how to respond.
Lin Sanqi really couldn't help it. Of course, fighting spirit is necessary, but it is not necessary to treat people like animals.
Director Wu was panicked for a moment and didn't know what to do.
Minister Zheng was indeed an old fox. He patted him on the shoulder and shook his head slightly.
The reason why he kept tricking Lin Sanqi from the capital and even skipped the Chinese New Year celebrations was to let Lin Sanqi see the actual difficulties of the Daqing Oilfield.
Apart from anything else, 10 tons of chocolate alone is not a small amount of money. It is all unexpected wealth.
A group of people walked slowly to the dormitory area in the wind and snow.
Lin Sanqi walked closer and saw that they were all low shacks. Some of them looked like houses and had roofs, but it was obvious that the roofs were made of mud.
Some houses were described as arches, which made Lin Sanqi feel very strange:
"Director Wu, what's wrong with your house? It looks like a vegetable greenhouse."
Director Wu understood what he meant, so he sighed and said:
"Minister Lin, you may not know that our Daqing Oilfield currently has over 50,000 people working there, including workers, engineers, educated youth, and many soldiers.
But as you can see, there's not enough of these mud houses right now. Just where I point my finger, there are 10 people living in this mud house, making it difficult to even turn over at night.
What should we do when our comrades later on have no houses? We came up with a simple trick: we bend bamboo into a semicircle, cover it with reeds or hay, and then smear mud layer by layer. This way, we can quickly make a simple house.
Lin Sanqi wrapped his clothes around himself and asked again:
"How cold is this house? How do you solve the heating problem?"
In winter in Daqing, the temperature is around -20℃, and on extremely cold days it can reach -30℃.
If there is no heater in this kind of weather, everything will easily freeze into popsicles the next day.
Director Wu smiled bitterly and said:
"What else can we do to keep warm? Minister Lin, you see, we're all in a row of dormitories, and we share a chimney. This saves fuel, but the heating effect isn't that great; it's just barely adequate.
But summer is horrible. When this mud house is exposed to the scorching sun, it becomes stuffy and hot inside, but you dare not open the doors or windows. The mosquitoes in the Great Northern Wilderness are as big as dragonflies and can bite you to death.
After saying that, Director Wu casually opened the door of a mud house.
Lin Sanqi didn't dare to go in. Leaders these days don't pay attention to privacy. Even Lin Sanqi, who traveled through time, felt that he should respect workers and not enter and exit other people's bedrooms at will.
After a few glances at the door, I could smell a strong mixture of sweat and foot odor.
Lin Sanqi quickly took a step back, then blushed again. His behavior was already an extreme case in this day and age. Was he looking down on his fellow workers?
Then they came to the cafeteria area. It was almost noon and the cafeteria was already bustling with activity.
Director Wu followed the crowd and said to the canteen manager:
"This is a leader from the capital. You must serve him the worst dishes and steamed buns. Remember that."
The canteen manager was dumbfounded and didn't understand:
"Director, did I hear you right? A superior leader is here, shouldn't we treat him with fine wine and delicious food? Why are you asking me to use the worst ingredients?"
Director Wu glared at the other party and said unhappily:
"You're stupid! If the leaders misunderstand that we eat lavishly every day, will you still want their support?
Remember, just steam the blackened steamed bread, don't put oil in the cabbage, and put all the meat and vegetables away. Listen to me."
The canteen manager looked at Lin Sanqi, who was chatting with someone in the distance, and couldn't help but sigh:
"Old Wu's career as Director has come to an end..." (End of this chapter)
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