In the fitter's workshop, Jia Dongxu was directing the young apprentice workers.
"Tie Niu, look at you! You can't even finish such a simple task. I've taught you so many times already. How are you going to pass the Level 1 worker exam?"
Jia Dongxu was instructing an apprentice on the side.
Don't let Jia Dongxu's mama's boy behavior at home fool you; he's actually quite skilled at the factory. With Yi Zhonghai's help, he's leveled up quickly and is considered one of the best among the younger generation.
This is why Jia Zhangshi often praised her son Dongxu at home, saying that he would become a high-ranking official. So much so that after Jia Dongxu passed away, Jia Zhangshi placed her hopes on Banggeng, who ended up raising a master thief.
Now, Yi Zhonghai often asks Jia Dongxu to train some apprentices to relieve some of his pressure. Jia Dongxu, in turn, acts like someone important and treats the apprentices poorly. But the apprentices still try to curry favor with him, hoping to learn more skills and pass the assessment as soon as possible.
“Brother Jia, how can we compare to you? Think about it, how many young level-three workers like you are there in the whole factory? You are the cream of the crop. In the future, when you become a leader, you must take good care of us.”
The apprentice, Tiezhu, was sycophantically flattering him. He had already treated him to several meals and offered him plenty of good cigarettes and alcohol, so he didn't care about these empty compliments.
"Haha, that's true. With your eloquence, why don't you focus on learning the skills? Alright, given our relationship, when I finally become a workshop foreman, I'll definitely promote you to team leader."
Jia Dongxu accepted the compliments without hesitation, showing no embarrassment whatsoever. With his mother supporting him at home, his colleagues flattering him at the factory, and his mentor pulling strings for him, he believed he had a bright future ahead of him.
The two were working and chatting. Suddenly, the factory's loudspeaker blared, broadcasting news of Xu Damao's deeds. At the end, the broadcast called on all workers to learn from Xu Damao. It's unclear whether Wang Minzhi added that sentence herself.
"Hey, Brother Jia, isn't this Xu Damao the projectionist in your theater? He's so amazing, he's been praised by the whole audience. He's bound to become a big leader someday."
At this moment, Tie Zhu did not see Jia Dongxu's expression and casually said something.
"Bullshit! This kid knows that trick too. With his lazy lifestyle, he couldn't possibly have gone to the countryside 300 times. He probably counted all the suburbs as going to the countryside. If that's the case, then my visits to my father-in-law's house could be counted as helping the farmers."
No, I'll go find that old man too and ask him to find someone to spread the word for me.
Jia Dongxu immediately noticed the inflated figures in Xu Damao's data and, feeling confident in his own abilities, abandoned Tiezhu to go find Yi Zhonghai. He was unaware that this data was the result of Xu Damao removing the inflated figures multiple times; the inflation was only slight. And since the person who went to the countryside earlier was Comrade Xu, it could more or less be attributed to the Xu family's achievements.
If you wait a few months, when launching satellites (information dissemination through misleading means) is common, Xu Damao would never make the news if he didn't visit the countryside more than 20 times a month. Back then, nobody cared about the accuracy of your data; they only cared about the magnitude of the data.
While Jia Dongxu and Tiezhu were discussing Xu Damao, the people working in the factory in the compound were also busy, and they all expressed their opinions.
"That bastard, I don't know how much money he spent to get on the news. He took my compensation money and all he got in terms of reputation is a scumbag. I'll make him pay if I get the chance." This was Sha Zhu's muttering.
"That kid Da Mao, he has such a great opportunity to become famous, but he didn't even mention me. He could have easily added my name to the end of the article. If I were on the news, I'd definitely become the team leader this year." This was what Liu Hai was thinking.
What many people didn't know was that Xu Damao's news was still spreading within the industry.
During this period, because of Xu Damao and his group's innovative approach, projectionists from other factories and mines also took notice, and some even began to learn from and imitate them. This resulted in many projectionists carrying small flags flying along the country roads.
Some villagers have come to regard the small flag as a synonym for the projectionist, saying that the arrival of the "small flag" means the projectionist has arrived. The People's Cinema, a professional film magazine with the largest circulation in China, has taken notice of this phenomenon.
Founded 50 years ago, "The Cinema of the Masses" is now the most influential and widely circulated popular film culture publication in the country, holding a pivotal position nationwide.
Their reporter, Wang Dashan, is from Beijing, but his hometown is in the suburbs. He spotted these little flags on his way home once, and at the time, he just found them novel.
But when I got back to my hometown and chatted with the villagers, I discovered that the little flag had become a synonym for projectionist, and showing movies in the countryside with the little flag had become a popular culture among many projectionists.
As a film journalist, he found this story worth writing about, as it could offer a glimpse into the development of Chinese cinema. So, after inquiring in the village, he learned about the steel mill projectionist and Xu Damao.
"Da Mao, I knew you'd be either in your office or at the radio station. You're something else, even getting reporters knocking on your door. Go greet them, they're waiting at the door."
That day, Xu Damao was giving out charity work at the radio station when Hu Er, a clerk from the security department, came to find him.
"Oh, which reporter are you looking for? Are you looking for our section chief? I'm not the head of the publicity section yet," Xu Damao said with a smile, though he was still quite surprised.
"How would I know? Hurry up. By the way, is this another interview? If possible, please include my name. I've never been in a newspaper in my entire life."
"Hu Er said solicitously. In those days, people had a lot of trust in newspapers and magazines. Being featured in one of those publications was considered a family honor. Unlike in later generations, people don't trust the media at all."
"Haha, let's go see what they want. I guess they might be looking for someone from the factory, but they remember my name and want me to pick them up."
Xu Damao chuckled.
Upon reaching the gate, a clerk pointed at Xu Damao from afar and said, "Look, that long-faced guy is Xu Damao! Easy to recognize."
Xu Damao's face darkened. "Well said. Don't say it again next time."
"Hello, this is Xu Damao. Are you looking for me?"
Xu Damao asked cautiously. In this era, there are few media outlets, and everyone in them is a big shot; you can't afford to offend anyone.
"Hello Xu Damao, I am Wang Dashan, a reporter from 'The Cinema of the Masses'. I apologize for bothering you."
Yes, we've noticed that your factory has recently made many innovations in showing movies in rural areas, and the locals are very happy with it, so we'd like to interview you about it.
Since this is my first time visiting your factory, and the villagers only know your name, I called you here. If possible, could you please help me connect with the factory? I'd like to conduct an interview. By the way, here is my letter of introduction and identification.
As he spoke, Wang Dashan explained, and casually took out his identification documents.
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