Chapter Twenty: The Cadres' Congress

  The propaganda work of the Red Flag Commune, with Mr. Zhou's "big arm" joining in, has become very popular. He wrote many fast boards, smooth rhymes and local opera short plays, which were performed by the commune's cultural troupe, and were well-received when they toured each brigade.

  But this "screenwriter" was written with Liu Jincai's name.

  Mr. Zhou was surprisingly enthusiastic about doing such childish things, and Liu Jun couldn't help but sigh in amazement. Mr. Zhou had been suffocating for a long time, spending six whole years as a learned scholar planting rice seedlings and weeding fields in Matang Bay, looking like a sixty-year-old old man before the age of fifty. Finally catching this rare opportunity, he couldn't help but burst out.

  But Liu Jun also knew that this phenomenon was likely to be short-lived.

  Because the main direction of propaganda currently being promoted by Hongqi Commune does not conform to the requirements of the county revolutionary committee's documents. Mr. Zhou has been promoting mainly agricultural technical knowledge such as "rice fields raising fish", and also promotes class struggle, but avoids mentioning the current central theoretical guidelines. Wang Benqing and Cui Xiuhao will eventually have trouble.

  No leader would tolerate such a "treasonous" subordinate under their command.

  In early July 1977, the Hongqi Commune began to harvest its early rice crops. The fish fry that had been released more than three months ago were harvested in large quantities. In the commune's 420 mu of paddy fields, there was hardly any serious disease, and the larger carp fry grew to 3-4 liang (about 1.5-2 kg), with some even reaching half a jin (about 0.25 kg). The smaller ones were also around 2 liang (about 1 kg). Although not all of them had been caught in nets, conservative estimates suggested that each mu could produce about 60 kg of fish on average, earning each production team more than 2,000 kg of extra fish.

  Yan Yucheng and Liu Jinchai were extremely excited, Yan Yucheng even bought a pig's head and stewed it in a pot, then fried a few fish, and invited everyone to have a big meal. However, this time, Yan Yucheng specially declared that it was to reward Liu Jun for his meritorious service.

  Mr. Zhou, his wife and elder sister Liu Ye only then realized that the originator of "rice field fish" was actually this little brat Liu Jun.

  Just as everyone was basking in the joy of their first victory, the county held a cadre conference and made it clear that the number one person in charge of each commune and the deputy in charge of propaganda work must attend.

  "It's finally time to see the real thing."

  Yan Yucheng received the notice and felt relieved instead.

  Perhaps it's because I've been waiting for too long. Waiting has always been the most frustrating thing. As for what happens after seeing the real chapter, that's secondary.

  The notification of the meeting start time is 8:30 the next day. The Red Flag Commune is more than ten miles away from the county town, not far. The problem is that the Red Flag Commune has no dedicated vehicle. The entire county revolutionary committee only has two jeeps. As for the direct superior organization of the Red Flag Commune - the Taishan District Revolutionary Committee, there is also no dedicated vehicle. There is a rural bus service between the Red Flag Commune and the county town every day at 10:00 am. Therefore, Yan Yucheng and Liu Jincan must arrive in the county town tonight to attend tomorrow's cadre conference on time, and they have only two options - walking or riding a bicycle.

  There are bicycles for riding, of course, and no walking. The special vehicle of Hongqi Commune is just three bicycles.

  Since Mr. Zhou had moved into the commune, Yan Yucheng and Liu Jinchang naturally wanted to discuss it with him first. Liu Jun also learned about this matter during their discussion.

  "Yu Cheng, have you called your acquaintances in the county to ask what the main agenda of this cadres' conference is?"

  "I asked, and Jiang, the director of the county revolutionary committee office, was my former colleague. He said that this meeting is mainly to arrange the revolutionary propaganda work for the second half of the year, which will be presided over by Wang Benqing himself, but the specific content is not clear."

  "It seems like he has made up his mind."

  Mr. Zhou was somewhat worried.

  If it were his own affair, he would not be so worried. This man's temper is stubborn and muddled. But since it concerns the political future of his friends and close associates, he cannot help but feel anxious.

  Yan Yucheng's expression was relaxed, and he said lightly: "What's the big deal? At worst, I'll just quit being a cadre."

  Liu Jincai also said: "That's right. Where we came from is where we'll return."

  Mr. Zhou smiled brightly: "It seems I was overthinking. You can go now."

  Liu Jun suddenly said: "Uncle Yan, Dad, I want to go too."

  To be honest, Liu Jun was the one who mustered up the courage to make this request. Unexpectedly, Yan Yuchen and Liu Jincai exchanged a glance and nodded in unison. It seems that Liu Jun's several times of taking the lead have already won their recognition.

  Liu Jun sat on the back seat of Liu Jincai's bicycle, bumping along for over ten miles of mountain roads, enduring the scorching pain in his buttocks and inner thighs, finally arriving at Yangguang Town, County City at nightfall.

  Yan Yucheng's loved one works in the county town, and the child also studies in the county town. He naturally wants to hurry back home to enjoy family bliss. He also invites Liu Jinchai and his son to stay overnight at his home, but how could this father-son duo be willing to be such super electric light bulbs? Of course, they politely decline.

  Liu Jincai took his son to a noodle shop on Jiefang Hou Street in Xiangyang Town to have a bowl of beef noodles.

  In his previous life, Liu Jun was already studying in Xiangyang Town at this age. After liberation, the street was exactly the same as he remembered, even the beef noodles made by the noodle shop had a flavor that was not different from the past life. By the 21st century, the beef noodles on Liberation Street had become a classic dish in Xiangyang City.

  After eating beef noodles, Liu Jin opened a room at the reception office and father and son washed up and went to sleep, without saying a word all night.

  ……

  The next day, the Xiangyang County Propaganda Work Cadres Conference was held in the most magnificent building in the county seat - the Xiangyang Grand Auditorium. The directors of the district and commune revolutionary committees, the deputy heads in charge of propaganda work, and the first and second-in-command of the county's directly affiliated units all attended, with over 200 people present.

  At the entrance of the auditorium, there were rows and rows of bicycles parked on the road, a magnificent sight that seemed no less impressive than the rows of small cars in later years. A few positions at the front were left empty, presumably reserved for the two jeeps of the county revolutionary committee. The big shots from the county would always wait until most of the participants had arrived before making their grand entrance.

  This is also a kind of officialdom's finesse, otherwise how can it show the dignity and nobility of a leader?

  Liu Jincai and his son arrived more than ten minutes early, meeting Yan Yucheng at the entrance of the grand auditorium. Yan Yucheng was familiar with many people, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with acquaintances, and also introducing Liu Jincai to various dignitaries. The expressions on their faces were normal, without any unusual reactions. Probably they just treated this cadre conference as an ordinary work meeting. During the revolutionary period, meetings were frequent, often convening gatherings of tens of thousands of people. Although this conference was of a high level, everyone had become accustomed to it.

  For a meeting of this size, the security measures were not very strict. Except for the staff of the county revolutionary committee office maintaining order at the entrance, there were only three or five public security personnel in white uniforms patrolling the main hall entrance, and no tension was visible.

  At that time, the common people were generally timid. This gathering concentrated the most powerful 200 people in Xiangyang County. The idle and miscellaneous people had long since avoided them from afar. Who dared to come and join in the excitement?

  Liu Junren, small and short, held onto Yan Yucheng's hand, hiding among a group of cadres, effortlessly blending in. Some cadres noticed him, but just smiled and ignored him. Who would pay attention to a little brat?

  As soon as I entered the door, a huge banner on the rostrum caught my eye.

  "Xiangyang County resolutely implements the central theoretical line and mobilization meeting".

  Liu Jun's heart skipped a beat. It seemed that his previous speculation was correct, and Wang Benqing had been holding back because he hadn't yet grasped the superior's intentions. Now, with such a big fanfare proclaiming the central theory guidelines, it was likely that they had received clear instructions from above.

  The Yangyang Hall is very large, enough to accommodate 1,500 people. With only 200 people attending the meeting, they naturally concentrated in the front rows. At this time, Liu Jun found it inconvenient to be with his father again. Among a large group of dignified officials, there was suddenly an extra child, which was quite out of place.

  Liu Jincai then had him sit down in a rather inconspicuous corner of the back rows, instructing him not to run around.

  Liu Jun nodded.

  As for attention to this meeting, Liu Jun was in no way inferior to them, where would he go running around?

  After the personnel had basically arrived, about two or three minutes later, the whole audience suddenly stood up and applauded warmly. It turned out that on one side of the rostrum, a middle-aged cadre wearing a neat Zhongshan suit with a red face was walking onto the stage in an orderly manner.

  The one walking in the front, about fifty years old, tall and thin, wearing a pair of black-framed glasses, with a long face and thin lips. It's obvious that he must be Wang Benqing, the number one person in Xiangyang County.

  As soon as Liu Jun saw Wang Benqing's appearance, he was displeased in his heart. It wasn't that he had any prejudice against him, but rather that people with this kind of looks were mostly sinister and cruel, with poisonous means, and yet cunning and intelligent, making them difficult to deal with. In comparison, Cui Xiuhao, who walked with his head held high and chest out in the fourth position, seemed insignificant. This kind of person who wore their heart on their sleeve would basically have no way to survive in the officialdom without Wang Benqing's support.

  Liu Jun counted, the chairman's platform had two rows, the front row had nine people and the back row had eight. At that time, it was not popular to write name tags, anyway, everyone knew who should sit where by heart. The nine in the front row were probably the nine directors of the county revolutionary committee, and the eight in the back row were older and should be retired veteran cadres. During the Great Cultural Revolution, many veteran cadres were overthrown, and there were only these eight elderly people qualified to sit on the chairman's platform in Xiangyang County.

  The information provided by Director Jiang of the County Revolutionary Committee to Yan Yucheng is slightly inconsistent with the facts. The meeting was not presided over by Wang Benqing, but by Vice Director and Minister of Propaganda Cui Xiuhuo.

  Choi Su-hee is indeed a rebel, speaking with confidence and a loud voice. Holding the manuscript, he read for a full hour, repeatedly emphasizing the importance of the central theoretical guidelines, pointing out that this theoretical guideline is the highest standard for current political life. It's likely that many of his words were copied from editorials in several mainstream newspapers by his secretary.

  "...Now, please make a report to Comrade Wang Benqing, Director of the Yang County Revolutionary Committee..."

  The applause started again, unevenly. Liu Jun, who had been made drowsy by Cui Xiuhao, also felt a sudden surge of energy. Hmm, the protagonist is finally going to take the stage.

  "...Comrades, this theoretical guideline is put forward by the Party Central Committee and is the highest political principle that the whole party, the whole army, and the people of the whole country must always follow... The county government issued a special document in March this year, requiring all districts and communes to conscientiously implement the spirit of the central theoretical guidelines. The vast majority of districts and communes have done very well, with thorough work. For example, Lianhua Commune and Gucheng Commune established special propaganda teams, going from door to door to propagate the spirit of the Central Committee's instructions... This is great, comrades! Doing revolutionary work should be with such a serious and responsible attitude..."

  Wang Benqing's voice is calm and elegant, with a moderate pace, proper intonation, and occasional deliberate prolongation of tone, which suits his identity as the first-in-command.

  "...However, there are also a small number of communes and a small number of cadres whose thinking is not correct, attitude is not proper, outwardly obeying but inwardly disobeying, refusing to implement the spirit of the instructions of the Central Theory Group and the county revolutionary committee. This will not do. Comrades, this is a very serious political problem..."

  With that said, Wang Benqing intentionally made his tone heavier and even bent two fingers to knock on the table.

  Under the stage, some people whispered to each other, guessing who had the guts to go against the central government's instructions and the county's documents.

  Chui Xiuhuo ate a humble pie in the Hongqi Commune, after all, it was controlled within a very small range. At that time, several people present, Chui Xiuhuo and his secretary driver would not spread it out, Director Yan and Liu Jinchai would not either. Zhang Mulin and two other deputy directors might leak some information. After all, they will consider Chui Xiuhuo's face and won't spread it too far.

  As a result, this matter was not known by many cadres of other communes.

  "Has Liu Jincai from Hongqi Commune arrived?"

  This is terrible. Wang Benqing is going to make things difficult for us now. He specifically asked the deputy director in charge of propaganda to attend, can he not come? And yet they still have to ask if he's coming or not!

  Liu Jun's heart suddenly tightened and he stood up.

  And in the front row, Liu Jincai also slowly stood up.

  "Reporting to Director Wang, I am Liu Jinchai."

  Liu Jincai was a military man by birth and his tone was still calm.

  Wang Benqing obviously did not expect that Liu Jinchai could still be so calm, which was quite unexpected. He subconsciously adjusted his glasses, as if to take a good look at what this audacious deputy director of the commune looked like.

  "Oh, so you're Liu Jinchai, in charge of propaganda work at Hongqi Commune?"

  "Yes. I am in charge of publicity work."

  Liu Jincai's attitude, neither overbearing nor humble, made Wang Benqing feel a bit uncomfortable. Since he became the head of the Yangyang County Revolutionary Committee, which county cadre dared to have such an attitude in front of him? Who wasn't respectful and didn't even dare to breathe loudly? This Liu Jincai, a small commune deputy director, thought he was some kind of big shot?

  "So I ask you, Red Flag Commune, why don't you implement the spirit of the instructions from the Central Theory Group?"

  Wang Benqing knocked on the table again.

  Choi Soo-young cast a sideways glance at Ryu Jin-ji, her face filled with a mixture of schadenfreude and gloating.

  "Report to Director Wang, we have implemented and carried out, as soon as the county's documents arrived, the commune organized party members and cadres to study and discuss..."

  "Is it enough for party members and cadres to just study and discuss the theory? This theoretical guideline was put forward by the Party Central Committee, it is the highest instruction. Not only must every party member and cadre study it seriously and grasp its spirit, but also make it known to every household and every individual... Last time Director Cui went to your Red Flag Commune to guide the work, you refused to cooperate and had a very bad attitude. Are you still having this kind of attitude today? Do we still need the organizational principles of the Party?"

  Liu Jincai's face turned bright red.

  He was criticized by the county's top leader at a meeting of all cadres in the county, an experience he had never had before. Liu Jun was greatly alarmed and worried that his father would not be able to withstand it, and he immediately confronted Wang Benqing on the spot. Not to mention their vastly different ranks, publicly defying a superior and despising leadership authority has always been a major taboo in official circles. No matter which leader, it is difficult to tolerate.

  Yan Yucheng suddenly stood up while he was at a loss what to do.

  "Director Wang, organizing party members and cadres to study and discuss the central theoretical guidelines is a collective decision of our Hongqi Commune Revolutionary Committee. If the county thinks that our work is not solid enough, we can improve our working methods."

  Cool!

  Damn it's so cool!

  Yan Yucheng stood up to support Liu Jinchai at this critical moment, risking a falling out with the county's top leader. He is indeed a man of great courage. From now on, how can Liu Jinchai not die for him?

  Wang Benqing did not expect Yan Yucheng to dare to take the initiative to bear the responsibility. He chose to openly challenge at the cadres' meeting, which was to use this special occasion to suppress Liu Jincai and make him unable to lift his head, and also to strike a blow at Yan Yucheng. But Yan Yucheng's move left him unprepared.

  He was quite clear about Yan Yucheng's stubborn temperament. He didn't want to turn the cadre conference into a debate arena. Even if he finally gained the upper hand, it would be a loss, and the damage to his prestige as the first-in-command would be too great.

  Wang Benqing smiled slightly and said, "Hmmm... Comrade Yucheng, Comrade Jincan, please sit down... Comrade Yucheng is brave enough to admit his mistakes, and his attitude is still quite good..."

  This old fox finally pinned the word "error" on Yan Yucheng and Hongqi Commune.

  "As long as the attitude is correct, work will go well. After returning, each district and commune must mobilize, loudly publicizing the central theoretical guidelines, and implement the spirit of the Chairman's and Party Central Committee's instructions to every household..."