Feng Baosheng insisted on holding the mountain opening ceremony, and no amount of persuasion could change his mind.
After breakfast, all six work teams went up the mountain as required.
Upon arriving at a wide, flat area outside the logging zone, a banner was seen hanging horizontally on two larch trees: "Opening Ceremony of the Qianchuan Forest Farm Logging Team."
One look at the handwriting and you know it must have been written by Chen Weimin.
There was a crooked old elm tree nearby, and someone had tied a bright national flag to its outstretched branches that looked like arms.
In the biting winter wind, the national flag flutters, its bright red standing out against the snow and ice.
There were also colorful slogans about safe production pasted on the surrounding tree trunks.
Right under the old elm tree, a large bluestone slab was propped up with several stones, on which was placed a large black pig's head and a large rooster that was tied up.
Guo Chunsheng raised his right wrist to check his watch, then suddenly shouted, "Quiet down, line up! The ceremony is about to begin!"
Everyone present fell silent and stood in neat rows.
"It's 10:10 now, which means our logging team is really going all out."
I hereby declare the opening ceremony of the Qianchuan Forest Farm logging area officially commence.
Guo Chunsheng stared at his watch, and when the hands pointed to 10:10, he suddenly shouted.
Then, a burst of firecrackers suddenly went off, accompanied by the crackling applause of all the workers from the six logging teams.
The commotion was quite significant; even the eagles circling in the valley were startled and cried out before taking flight.
Then, Guo Chunsheng began to shout, "Now, please welcome Secretary Feng to lead us in opening the mountain and offering sacrifices to the mountain."
In the past, this would have been the job of the old foreman of the lumberjacks, but things are different now. In the mountains, Feng Baosheng is the highest-ranking official.
Furthermore, Guo Chunsheng also wanted to curry favor, so he sent Feng Baosheng instead.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Feng Baosheng stepped forward, knelt down on the snow in front of the stone slab, and then reached out to scoop up the snow in front of him and pile it up.
People usually use soil to make a stove, but with the heavy snow covering the ground, there's no soil to be seen, so we can only use snow.
Over there, Guo Chunsheng broke off three withered artemisia stalks, a practice known as "making incense from herbs."
Feng Baosheng took the three artemisia stalks with both hands, raised them above his head, offered a prayer to the heavens, and then inserted the stalks into the snowdrift, symbolizing the insertion of incense into the burner.
At this moment, Guo Chunsheng seized the opportunity to shout, "Comrades, kneel on the mountain and swear an oath."
The crowd stood there, looking left and right, but no one moved.
Guo Chunsheng saw this and called out again. Feng Baosheng also turned around and glanced at the crowd behind him.
“Anyone who doesn’t kneel down today will have half a month’s salary deducted.”
Damn, that's a really ruthless move. Everyone cursed inwardly upon hearing this, but there was nothing they could do, so they all knelt down.
At this moment, Feng Baosheng prayed aloud with fervor.
"Grandpa Mountain God, Old Foreman, the logging team from Qianchuan Forest Farm is starting to clear the mountains today."
I earnestly request that you bless our forestry workers, ensuring they always have safe routes up the mountain and that felling trees always proceeds smoothly downhill.
In the tranquil valley, apart from the sound of the wind, only Feng Baosheng's voice echoed.
"Workers of Qianchuan Forest Farm, swear with me—" Feng Baosheng straightened up, clenched his right fist, and shouted loudly.
"We guarantee: cut down old, diseased, and crooked trees, and save young, strong, and precious trees."
We guarantee that the mountains will remain green and will be used sustainably.
We guarantee that we will complete the surplus logging task in a high-quality and high-quantity manner, and for every tree felled, we will replant one.
We guarantee: safe operation, safe descent from the mountain.
Feng Baosheng took the lead in shouting, and the others followed suit one by one.
In the mountains, the wind has stopped and the trees are still, only the roar of the forestry workers' vows echoes through the valley.
Then, Feng Baosheng stood up, picked up the plastic liquor bucket, and poured three large bowls of baijiu into it. The strong aroma of the liquor instantly filled the air and lingered in everyone's noses.
Feng Baosheng raised his wine bowl high and shouted, "The first bowl is to honor the mountain god!"
"Thank you, Mountain God, for allowing us to cut down trees and sustain us, the mountain people for generations." After saying this, he respectfully poured the white wine in the bowl onto the ground.
"The second bowl is to honor our ancestors and express our gratitude to the old foremen of the timber industry throughout the ages. The experience and lessons you left behind have ensured the safety of our production for future generations."
Now we pay our respects to you as we open the mountain; we hope you will continue to bless our young forestry workers, keeping them safe and sound.
The second bowl of wine was still poured respectfully into the mountains and forests.
Finally, Feng Baosheng picked up the large rooster enshrined on the stone slab, drew a short knife, and with a swift motion, sliced the rooster's neck.
The rooster's blood was spilled into the wine bowl, turning the white wine inside blood red.
"Everyone, the last bowl of wine is the wine of unity. Drink this bowl of wine and we'll walk together through wind and rain."
Feng Baosheng, holding his wine bowl, faced the crowd and spoke loudly. After speaking, he took a sip himself first.
The people kneeling on the ground then stood up, and the bowl of bright red chicken blood wine was passed from the front row to the back row.
Everyone took a symbolic sip until the last person finished drinking and threw the bowl on the snow.
Wiping their mouths, everyone shouted in unison, "Drink this bowl of wine of unity, and we'll walk together through wind and rain!"
The roar startled the eagle once again, causing it to circle high into the sky.
Everyone's hearts pounded wildly at that moment, and they felt their blood boiling.
Such a ceremony was something they had never imagined, yet at this moment, everyone shared the same thought: to work together to complete the mission and safely descend the mountain.
"Comrades, we keep our word before the Mountain God and the Old Chief."
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