Reborn in 1977

Chapter 100: Becoming One of the Three Great Officers

With large-scale projects, there are naturally medium and small-scale projects as well.

Medium-sized river projects are generally organized by the provincial level. For example, the Subei Irrigation Canal and the Huai River management are provincial-level projects, generally mobilizing forces within the province for construction, with manpower and materials being resolved within the province.

This kind of project doesn't take too long, and the work site isn't too far away.

The smallest ones are naturally county-level projects, which are what the locals often call "dike reinforcement."

They are generally presided over by the county water conservancy bureau, with each commune (township) managing a section, and then the production brigades independently implementing it.

In most cases, there's no need to bring bedding and luggage. You go to work in the morning and return home in the evening. If there's a rush to meet the deadline or the time is long, you may also build a temporary shelter on the dike for a short stay.

In addition, there isn't much machinery and materials. It mainly relies on baskets, shoulder poles, iron shovels, and small carts to gradually reinforce, raise, and widen the dike.

Dike reinforcement is heavy physical labor, and basically only people aged 18 to 45 are selected to participate. If the family has insufficient labor, the age will be relaxed to 16 to 50 years old, and in principle, no women are wanted.

However, if the family really cannot provide a man, women can be appropriately taken care of to go to the dike to cook.

Why is it that everyone is rushing to do such tiring work?

Of course, it's because of the high compensation.

Some people on the internet in later generations said that going to river work didn't earn work points and you had to bring your own food, but that's actually a big misunderstanding.

It can't be said that it didn't exist, but not in this era.

Before, it was "corvée labor" in the blue zone before liberation.

Afterward, the production team was disbanded, and the recording of work points was abolished, which is the period when misunderstandings arose.

In the 1980s and 1990s, farmers contracted responsibility fields themselves and were responsible for their own profits and losses, but the stipulated "retention" could not be reduced, and river work had to be completed.

At that time, there were no more work points for going to river work, but you could record "work", and these work credits were valuable and could offset the "retention", which is part of the agricultural tax.

Moreover, if it is a long-term project, food will be arranged uniformly, and grain, meat, and vegetables will be distributed to the production team according to the number of people, and the production team will organize its own cooks.

If it is not arranged and farmers are allowed to bring their own food, this part of the subsidy will be converted into "work" and used to offset the "retention".

This is completely different from the self-funded "corvée labor" before liberation.

Some people born in the 80s and 90s remember their adults bringing their own food to work without pay, and they think it was free labor, but that's not the case at all.

And now, reinforcing dikes, under normal circumstances, a strong laborer can be counted as 12 work points, and the highest can even be counted as 15 points, even the women who cook can have 10 points.

Not to mention that the work points are higher, but also includes two meals.

Whether the food is good or not is another matter, but at least it must be guaranteed to be full. Doing this kind of heavy physical work, you can't not eat enough, seriously it will really kill people.

With both work points to earn and free food to eat, in the eyes of the older generation who have been hungry, it is naturally a great job, and it is no wonder that everyone wants to go to work.

If you go out for a long trip, the kind with limited quotas, in order to compete for the quota, there will even be some small conflicts.

Team Leader Zhang told an interesting story.

Once, when going out to work on the river, a production team in the neighboring Qingshan Commune was allocating manpower. At that time, it was determined that one person would be sent from each family, but one of the families only had women, and the man had gone to support the frontier. His woman was reluctant to give up the opportunity to earn work points, and she insisted on going. The captain asked her, "We are all men, where will you sleep if you go?"

The woman was not easy to fool, and immediately shouted, "Is it okay to crawl into your quilt and warm your feet for you?"

It caused a burst of laughter at the time.

The captain had no choice but to agree to her going with them, but he did not arrange heavy work for her, and let her be a "cook", sleeping in the temporary kitchen.

This shows the importance that farmers now attach to this work.

These work points for going to work are not paid by the production team, but settled by the higher-level departments with the production team, either directly allocating funds and materials, or using them to offset the production team's submission tasks, in short, they will not be shared by the members.

Although it cannot be ruled out that some grassroots cadres in some places manipulate and intercept, in general, in the eyes of the members, reinforcing dikes is a good thing that is both hard and happy.

It's no wonder that when eating at the banquet a few days ago, someone took the initiative to ask Team Leader Yang if there was any dike reinforcement work this year?

……

Chen Fan sat in the smoky office, listening dizzyly to the four leaders, one sentence from you, one sentence from me, talking about those things about going to river work, and combined with what his grandfather and others said when chatting when he was a child, he finally had a general idea of this work in his mind.

After figuring out the situation, he couldn't stand the secondhand smoke here. It happened to be almost time to stop broadcasting, so he immediately prepared to say hello and go out.

At this time, Secretary Yang didn't know what he was thinking, and suddenly had an inspiration, and said to Chen Fan, "Xiao Chen, can you write news articles?"

Chen Fan, (◎_◎)? "Ah?"

Before he could react, Team Leader Zhang immediately understood Secretary Yang's meaning, and immediately coughed dryly, and said kindly,

"This dike reinforcement, although it is only a small project, but in terms of the overall situation, it is also a very important event. Xiao Chen, if you have this ability, you might as well try it and write a few news articles for the members of our team.

If it can be selected by the commune radio station, it is also an honor. If it is not selected, it doesn't matter, you can broadcast it in our own radio station."

When Ye Shubao next to him heard this, he immediately continued his words, "In the past, every year when reinforcing dikes, the county radio station would select some typical examples to report, and sometimes they would even be sent to the prefectural committee daily newspaper.

It's a pity, after so many years, even the damned Gan family village has been on the county radio once, but we Lujiawan have never been selected once."

Then looking at Chen Fan, "It doesn't matter if they don't choose us, we now have our own radio station, and you, the star of literature, have come, …"

Chen Fan was so frightened that he quickly waved his hand, "I'm not, I don't have it, don't talk nonsense."

Ye Shubao laughed, "Anyway, that's what it means. The county can send it to the prefectural committee, then our production team can also send it to the commune, can the commune also send it to the county?

As long as you write the news article, the rest is our business. The opportunity to make Lujiawan famous is right in front of you. If you miss it, you will have to wait until next year. You must stand up to it!"

Chen Fan stayed with a face, you were just saying that today's dike reinforcement is just a small project, not worth mentioning. Now you have to wait until next year if you miss it, shouldn't the change be so fast?

Hearing Ye Shubao's words, Xiao Liewen also joined the ranks of persuasion, "Whether it works or not, you always try it first. This is a matter of collective honor. If you don't even try, it's not the attitude of doing work."

Chen Fan, okay, this has risen to the level of work attitude, what else can I say?

He had to smile bitterly and said, "I haven't written this kind of thing either, I can only say try to write it. If it's not written well, …"

Secretary Yang immediately raised his hand, "It has nothing to do with you if it's not written well. These rough guys in our team don't even have the ability to try. Who is qualified to blame you?"

Speaking, he took a puff of smoke, grinned and smiled, "Didn't Lao Zhang just say that, at worst, we can broadcast it in our own team, big or small, it's an honor."

With the words spoken to this point, Chen Fan naturally no longer refused.

At this time, Team Leader Zhang laughed again, "Young man, do a good job. If your article can be selected by the commune, I will make the decision to give you a certificate of merit and let you also be a correspondent."

Chen Fan grinned awkwardly.

I am already a broadcaster and a data clerk, and I am also a correspondent. Well, I might as well be called one of the three great officers in the future.

But you don't increase my salary!