Scholars in the courtyard.

Chapter 3000 I am a proud electrician
Qinghe, power grid laying site.

Halfway up the mountain, Li Tiejun was leading his electrician team to work quickly.

A cold wind blew by, and with no trees to provide shelter, people kept stamping their feet on the ground to keep warm.

The surrounding area was open, and at the foot of the mountain, there were steel frames waiting to be moved up.

After Li Tiejun returned, he told everyone about Yang Xiaotao's request.

Getting them powered up before May Day is an absolute huge challenge.

Especially now that it's freezing cold, not only is work not going smoothly, but the people sent from the local area are also not very enthusiastic.

If it weren't for the free meal, these people probably wouldn't have come.

Compared to those who quit halfway, it is commendable that these people were able to stay and help.

"Old Li, take a break!"

At that moment, Wang Ruijun's shout came from below.

Following the gaze, one could see a figure busy working on the newly erected high-voltage power line frame.

Li Hongfeng stomped hard on the iron shoes with both feet, the straps around his waist were stretched taut, and he continued working while leaning against the iron frame.

Upon hearing Wang Ruijun's voice, Li Tiejun pulled down his hat and looked down.

"No need, let me finish my work first!"

Li Tiejun looked down at the people below and shouted loudly.

The following people are his old buddies. They entered the steel rolling mill together, then the machinery factory together, and have worked their way up to where they are now.

The group also benefited greatly from the rise and fall of the Nine Departments.
Now that the Nine Departments need them, they are naturally ready to go without hesitation.

"Old Li, Old Li!"

"Come down quickly, it's too cold, have some water to warm yourself up!"

Another voice rang out; it was his old friend, Xu Hongxing.

Li Tiejun glanced at the loose thread in his hand, and finally called down, "Old Xu, let me catch the money first before I go down."

He continued working as if that was a remark.

The people below looked on helplessly upon hearing the voice. They exchanged glances, and Xu Hongxing shook his head and sighed, "This isn't working. I'll go up and help."

"Judging by the sky, it looks like it's going to snow!"

"Okay, you go quickly. How can anyone stand Old Li's way of doing things!"

They urged each other on, put on their gear, hung their electrician backpacks on their bodies, and climbed up the iron frame little by little.

"Old Li, you're just as stubborn as a mule!"

"Old Xu, what are you doing up here? Your back is bad, get down quickly."

Li Tiejun was naturally happy to see his old friend come up, but he still couldn't help but grumble a few words.

"Come on, who's in better shape?"

"Take care of yourself first."

As Xu Hongxing spoke, he took out his tools to help.

Li Tiejun smiled and then cooperated with the work.

The two worked together seamlessly and quickly completed the task.

When the two came down one by one, Wang Ruijun quickly handed them two water bottles.

"Hey Lao Li, you're pushing yourself way too hard."

Li Tiejun drank warm water, while Wang Ruijun advised him from the side, "Didn't you say that Director Yang told us not to rush?"

"Look at you, aren't you in a hurry?"

"What will happen to your family if something happens to you like this?"

"How are we going to explain this to my sister-in-law?"

As Wang Ruijun spoke, Xu Hongxing nodded in agreement, but Li Tiejun simply drank his water and remained silent.

The two talked for a while, and after understanding Li Tiejun's personality, they leaned against each other to rest.

Then the three of them looked at the dozen or so people who were helping out not far away.

These people were sent by the local authorities to help.

There were originally over a hundred people, but when the weather turned cold, many couldn't stand it and went back to their production teams.

These ten or so people all came from poor families, and by following the group they could at least get food, so they braved the bitter cold to stay with the group.

"These people are pretty good. They're all young men who are eighteen or nineteen years old, and they have a lot of resilience."

Xu Hongxing spoke first, but it was because he was thinking of his own son.

That kid studied electrical engineering in Dengzhou, and I reckon he'll be able to take over his job smoothly this time.

Then he thought of his eldest daughter, who was over twenty and still unmarried. Now she was also learning to be an electrician, which made him a little anxious.

If she becomes an electrician and works in the same wind and rain as him, how will she ever get married?

"Yeah, these guys may not know much, but they're really capable."

Li Tiejun nodded as he spoke.

At that moment, in the crowd below, Wang Liang, wearing a hat with large ears, exhaled breath, and wisps of white smoke rose from his mouth.

Wearing a pair of woolen gloves, he picked up a steel rod from the ground and walked forward.

It's cold, and cotton gloves can't keep out the cold of steel at all, but not wearing gloves is even worse because your fingers can't stand it.

Fortunately, the cotton-padded coat I was wearing was sewn by my wife herself, and it was filled with plenty of cotton, so it was warm and comfortable to wear, which is why I've been able to keep going until now.

Wang Liang's face was filled with happiness when he thought of his wife at home.

He is the fifth of six brothers in his family. He is eighteen years old this year and has a younger brother.

However, in recent years, eighteen years old is considered an adult in rural areas and a strong laborer in the production team.

So his family arranged a marriage for him with a girl from the next village, who is now his wife.

My family was poor and there were many people in the family. The food rations distributed by the brigade were simply not enough to feed us.

Thus, the saying "earning work points" came about.

As long as able-bodied men work, they can earn ten points a day. At the end of the year, they can exchange the extra work points for money and food.

Of course, many times the villagers are in debt, meaning that they ate too much grain this year, but did not earn enough work points. Not only can they not exchange work points for money, but they also have to make up for it next year.

Wang Liang's family is in the same situation.

Although we're married, there are many people in our family, and we don't have enough food to eat.

Moreover, his wife is pregnant again, and they will need to add another pair of chopsticks to the family next year, instantly putting the pressure of life on the eighteen-year-old.

This made him feel a little breathless.

Fortunately, I heard that there was a project in the production team that needed people, but the work was quite difficult.

Carrying things up the mountain in the freezing cold.

Many people signed up initially, but after working there for only two days, many gave up.

Then, for various reasons, they returned to the production team.

He also wanted to go back, even though his wife was pregnant; at least there was a warm bed and a loving home.

Newlyweds, so sweet and affectionate, who would want to go out in the freezing cold?

Wang Liang knew better than anyone that working here would not only earn him ten work points a day, but also provide him with meals.

For lunch, he would make steamed buns with two different kinds of dough, each weighing about 2 ounces. He would eat one and take the other home for his wife.

Whenever he thinks of the joy on his wife's face, and then of her frail body and the weakness she suffers from due to pregnancy, a sense of responsibility wells up inside Wang Liang.

With that thought in mind, I stopped caring about the coldness in my hands.

He carried the steel pipe to Li Tiejun and the other two, then put the pipe down and turned to leave.

"Wang Liang."

Suddenly, Wang Ruijun spoke up and then gestured to them.

Wang Liang was somewhat surprised, but he came over.

Then Wang Ruijun took out a pack of Peony cigarettes. "Could it be?"

Wang Liang licked his lips. Smoking costs money.

Before he got married, he also smoked, but he learned to smoke cigarettes from his older brothers.

After getting married, his family situation didn't allow him to smoke, so he quit smoking on his own.

But when he saw the cigarette offered to him, Wang Liang immediately stepped forward with a smile, "Uncle Wang, yes."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's light it up!"

The three of them were looking at him, which made him feel inexplicably nervous.

Wang Liang stepped forward, took the cigarette box, and pulled out a cigarette to hand back, but Wang Ruijun shook his head, saying, "Distribute some to the comrades, and keep the rest for yourself." Wang Liang was taken aback again, then showed a grateful expression.

He knew the three men's identities; they were official employees of the Ninth Department.

One person's salary is more than the entire village's annual income, and his status is such that even the village's brigade secretary has to treat him with respect.

This pack of cigarettes is probably a perk of the Ninth Division.

The more you know, the more you yearn for the Nine Departments, and the more you envy the people of the Nine Departments.

"Here, light it."

Li Tiejun handed the cigarette butt to Wang Liang, who quickly bent down and lit it.

He then took two deep drags and handed the cigarette butt back to Li Tiejun.

"Master Li, I'm going down now."

Wang Liang said with a smile, and Li Tiejun nodded, "Be careful."

"okay."

Wang Liang turned and walked down, then distributed the cigarettes to the others, and laughter immediately erupted from the crowd.

"Isn't it time to eat? Why hasn't anyone brought the food yet?"

Xu Hongxing asked curiously. Li Tiejun glanced at his watch; it was 12:30 noon, well past lunchtime.

"The road may be rough, causing a delay. Let's wait a little longer."

"Ah."

Xu Hongxing responded, but then he saw a truck driving up the mountain road.

"Huh, they're using a truck now?"

"You need a car just to deliver food?"

Xu Hongxing looked at the trucks below the mountain with curiosity.

Wang Ruijun stood up, patted his coat, and stared at the truck. "Something's not right. This truck doesn't look like ours."

"Huh? There are quite a few people here."

Wang Ruijun was somewhat puzzled as he watched five or six people get off the truck one after another.

Li Tiejun was also curious, "Let's go down and take a look."

The three of them went down, and Wang Liang and the others followed behind them.

Before Li Tiejun could even speak, he saw someone run up to him quickly.

"Comrade Li Tiejun?"

The newcomer asked uncertainly, and everyone looked at him with curiosity.

Li Tiejun stepped forward. "I am Li Tiejun. Who are you?"

The person immediately stepped forward and bowed respectfully, saying, "Hello, Director Li."

"I am Wang Peng, a clerk from the Ninth Electric Power Research Institute. I have been ordered to come to you to announce the Ninth Institute's decision."

The visitor was very respectful to Li Tiejun, and then quickly took out a document from his briefcase and handed it to him with both hands. Just as Li Tiejun and the others were wondering what the Electric Power Research Institute was, Wang Peng explained, "This is an appointment letter personally signed by Minister Yang, and it also has the signature of Director Xu Yuanshan on it."

"Director Li, congratulations on becoming the power plant manager."

Wang Peng spoke happily, his face beaming with smiles, at least for this moment.

Because the person in front of you is the second-in-command of the Electric Power Research Institute.

Disrespect is unacceptable.

"Director?"

Li Tiejun's hand trembled, and he almost dropped the document in his hand.

At that moment, Yang Xiaotao's words echoed in his mind, and an excited expression appeared on his face.

Xu Hongxing, Wang Ruijun, and the others standing to the side were all surprised.

"What exactly is going on?"

Wang Ruijun asked instinctively, and Wang Peng immediately began to explain.

After Wang Peng finished explaining the situation, everyone looked at Li Tiejun with envy.

That's right, it's just envy.

When Li Tiejun was the director, he was only considered a middle-level manager in the Ninth Department.

Although Yang Youning and Chen Gong are also directors, they are headquarters directors, whose rank is more than ten levels higher than Li Tiejun's.

But now, Li Tiejun's rank is only one level lower than Xu Yuanshan's, which is definitely a high-ranking position in the Ninth Department.

Even Sun Guo from the first factory couldn't compare.

I'm jealous.

A promotion means an increase in salary and benefits.

While the others were envious, Li Tiejun felt immense pressure.

Especially the work at hand.

Taking a deep breath, Li Tiejun put aside his joy at the appreciation and then became serious.

"Director Xu said I have the right to hire people?"

Wang Peng immediately nodded, "Yes, Director Xu said you can recruit personnel yourself, and just report to headquarters when the time comes."

He also said that as long as the task can be completed, we can be more flexible and not be too restrictive.

Wang Peng repeated Xu Yuanshan's original words, and Li Tiejun immediately understood what he meant.

Completing the task is the top priority.

"Okay, how much supplies did you bring this time?"

Li Tiejun asked again.

Wang Peng didn't say much, but simply had someone lift the tarpaulin covering the truck, revealing large boxes inside with words printed on them.

"Red Star Canned Food".

Wang Ruijun immediately shouted it out when he saw the label.

That's right, these are canned goods produced in the Northwest: beef canned goods, mutton canned goods, and some canned offal and mutton offal.

No matter what it is, right now it's meat and oil.

"Director Xu knows about your situation, so he sent three truckloads of canned goods. If you need more, we can keep sending them here."

"In addition, two hundred sets of coats, cotton trousers, hats and gloves have been prepared and are all at the base."

"There are also fifty security personnel who will be involved in the work."

After Wang Peng finished explaining the situation, Li Tiejun immediately nodded and then looked back at the dozen or so people following behind him.

"Comrades, you all heard it too."

Li Tiejun's voice wasn't loud, but everyone present felt a surge of excitement, because they had already realized something.

Wang Liang gripped his sleeves tightly, his face burning with excitement, though it was unclear whether he was just imagining things from the cold.

But I was also a little worried. I only had a lot of strength, could I really do it?
Just as Wang Liang was feeling conflicted, Li Tiejun's voice came again, "Now I'm asking you one question: do you want to become an electrician?"

As the cold wind blew by, Li Tiejun's voice sounded somewhat unreal to everyone.

Seeing everyone staring blankly, Wang Ruijun kicked Wang Liang in the butt, saying, "What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and agree!"

"This is a rare opportunity. You'll be working for the Ninth Department from now on, so don't mess things up."

Xu Hongxing reminded them from the side, and everyone immediately realized what was happening.

"Yes, yes."

"willing!!!"

Shouts rang out.

A dozen or so people actually shouted out the force of thousands.

Li Tiejun smiled happily. No matter what the reason, these people had not let them down and had been working with them all along.

Therefore, he has an obligation to ensure that they receive a return.

"Wang Peng, write down their names. These are my first batch of electricians."

Wang Peng immediately took out a file folder from the car and started filling out information for several people right there in the car.

Even after Wang Liang finished filling out the information, he still felt it was unbelievable.

He took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, but didn't light it.

At that moment, I had only one thought in my mind: I am now a member of the Ninth Division.

I am now a proud electrician.

I.
Suddenly, her eyes welled up with tears, but the cold wind wiped them away, though it couldn't erase the happy smile on her face.