Chapter 194: The beginning of the house party
It was not long after the second general meeting ended. [Full text reading] The counter-encirclement and suppression campaign has not yet begun, and the expedition to the Pearl River is even more distant. The common program was promulgated, institutions were adjusted, and the Tokgo case was concluded. Coupled with the nv servant training plan, the Cross Group completed a series of measures before the Lunar New Year of 163o. Although the result is not a happy one, at least it satisfies most people. As the time comes to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, it seems that the Cross-Travel Group has put down the baggage on its back and is ready to move forward lightly.
However, in Qian Shuiting's view, this series of changes implies a greater crisis. In his alarmist words: The establishment may, in the name of the rule of law, institutionalize centralized rule and make it legal for a long time. If this continues, it may lead to the emergence of a ** group and the infighting and split of the group.
"Is this the new Saturn community?" Qian Shuiting thought to himself as he walked towards the dock where the Feiyun was parked. He stood by the dark water and lit a cigarette restlessly. The first fleet of armed sailing ships had been organized. You can see the sailors on duty on the ship. The construction site far away from the harbor is brightly lit, the pile driver roars, and the tractor makes the chug of a diesel engine from time to time. The construction site of the naval arsenal is under construction.
In the past, seeing all this would only make Qian Shuiting excited and happy. At this moment, an inexplicable sense of fear enveloped him - this increasingly powerful state machine is being built. Who can guarantee that it will fall into the hands of a small group of people and be used as a tool to oppress them?
He was dissatisfied with the Second Plenary Congress. In his opinion, this second Plenary Congress was just one faction in power fighting another faction in power, and then both sides absorbed some careerists in the compromise. It’s just a new profit distribution pattern. On the surface, it seems that the masses feel that their demands and interests have been met, but on a deeper level, instead of being dispersed, power tends to be centralized and centralized.
He calmed down, threw the cigarette butt that was almost burnt to the point of sponge into the rippling sea water, and then walked quickly towards the Feiyun.
On the pier of Bopu, among the ships brought by the "Australians", the Feiyun was the second most eye-catching ship - the Holy Ship impressed people with its huge size, but the Feiyun impressed people with its beauty. The streamlined hull and the shiny and gorgeous paint are eye-catching.
The Feiyun was originally a luxury sailboat for rental. After the Qian brothers acquired it, it was renamed after the famous sailboat in history. The rigging is a two-masted four-spinning jib. The boat is thirty meters long and has a standard displacement of one hundred tons. It can reach 12 knots with sail or backup diesel engine. This speed is almost the economical navigation of holy ships and fishing boats. It is actually not inferior when used as a patrol boat.
The upper deck of Feiyun is a large, semi-open cabin equipped with a bar. The lower deck is the kitchen, and the front and rear are the dining room and living room. The master bedroom is in the front, and there are three guest rooms in the back, two of which are double cabins. Each of the three cabins equipped with double cabins has two single cabins that can be lowered from the cabin roof, and the single cabins can be stowed in the bulkhead or under the floor. Therefore, the entire ship has up to fourteen cabins, and all four cabins can be turned into ordinary reception rooms. In addition, the ship also has an office and library, a storage room, three full bathrooms with bathrooms, and one half bathroom. There are also many storage closets carefully arranged. In addition to the engine room, fuel tanks, water tanks, gas tanks, motors, seawater desalination equipment, and the UPS backup battery pack charged by the outboard solar panels, the bottom floor also houses the engine room. In addition, there is a lot of free storage space. The arms that were smuggled in were originally placed on the bottom floor as ballast.
Although the entire space of Feiyun is not large, its structure is compact and reasonable. If used as a gathering place, it can accommodate up to 100 people at the same time. When the glass doors at the front and rear of the upper cabin are fully opened and connected to the front and rear decks, a large party of fifty or sixty people can be held. Exquisite and luxurious interior decoration, elegant lighting fixtures, large-size LED screens embedded throughout the bulkhead, and beautiful sound systems throughout the ship. Even in the time and space that people have left behind, it is a luxurious place that only a few wealthy people can access.
The reason why the Qian brothers were willing to pay a large price to rent this yacht was not only to facilitate the smuggling of arms, but also to consider that the conditions in another time and space were difficult and living facilities were lacking, and the boat could be used as a floating living base - -They didn't have any hope for the living facilities at the beginning.
After time travel, in recognition of their outstanding contribution in bringing a large amount of arms, the Executive Committee left the ship to the North American Branch for continued use - so the Feiyun became the residence of the Qian brothers and Zhou Weisen.
Qian Shuiting walked to the trestle of the Feiyun. It was already dark, but the springboard was still erected. Since Bopu was attacked at night, Li Di had issued a notice to all ships with people on duty at night, asking them to stay on duty during the day. After dark, retract the gangplank and close the cabin. If possible, personnel should be placed on guard duty throughout the night.
Of course, the Feiyun cannot be manned, but its berth is very close to the port office, almost right under the watch of the sentry. Under the light of the horse lantern at the stern of the ship, it can be seen that the front and rear glass doors of the semi-open large cabin on the upper floor of the ship have been installed with iron plates - some of these glass doors were broken during the night attack, and they were replaced with glass. A removable iron guard is added to the outer layer. Many traces of the night attack can still be seen on the Feiyun: the shell was flattened by cannons, the paint was rubbed off by arrows... Some vulnerable and exposed parts have been disassembled and stored - including Sail and cable.
He boarded the boat in a few steps, and the door opened, revealing half of Zheng Shangjie's face: "Come on, I'll wait for you."
Qian Shuiting nodded and quickly stepped into the door.
There was no light on the upper floor, so it was dark. Zheng Shangjie locked the door and turned on the emergency light in her hand.
"Everyone is in the restaurant. You stepped down and reminded me.
"Why don't you turn on the lights? It's so dark and sneaky." Qian Shuiting felt it was a bit like an underground party gathering.
"Isn't that what you said? Everyone's living standards are not high, and the dormitory has power cuts. Our brightly lit lights have a bad impact."
Shuiting followed Zheng Shangjie carefully down to the second floor. In the restaurant, the core staff of the North American branch were waiting for him.
"Big Brother" and "Old Qian" greeted people in the restaurant. Seated inside was Qian Shuiting's wife, Ai Beibei, director of the pathology department and obstetrics department of Bairen General Hospital; Qian Shuixie - Qian Shui Ting's brother currently belongs to the "basic labor force" - he mainly does driving and repairing cars, which is what he is good at; Zheng Shangjie, his wife, has a eloquent mouth. After the fùnv cooperative was nationalized, he worked in Li Mei's Work in a cooperative.
The last one is Zhou Weisen, who has a PhD in biology and now works in a biological laboratory, focusing on vaccines.
"Where's Beibei?" Qian Shuiting was most concerned about his daughter.
"Go to bed - I had a crazy day today."
Miss Mén Dosa, whom Zhou Weisen abducted, is also there - Miss Mén Dosa's Chinese proficiency is still mediocre, and she has no practical skills, which makes her basically have nowhere to go in Lingao, and she is completely reduced to v. She, who has a double master's degree in English language and literature and Latin, is responsible for all the meals and cleaning for the three families on the Feiyun. Therefore, the three families in the North American branch basically eat strange-flavored Chinese food every day.
In addition to the fact that Miss Dosa is basically a hún in the time travel group, she was also regarded as a veteran after a rumor came out at this conference. Qian Shuiting and Zhou Weisen both felt that she was lucky.
The lights in the restaurant are very dim, this is to save electricity - in addition to the solar panels providing part of the electricity on the ship, most of it is received from the power system on the shore. Talking about gossip, everyone consciously uses electrical appliances as little as possible.
Qian Shuiting said: "Let's have a meeting."
At this time, Miss Mendoza said in English: "I went back to the room to watch TV."
She doesn't understand Chinese, so of course she can't join the discussion. Zhou Weisen said at this time, "How about we hold the meeting in English? That way Dianna can also participate in the discussion. She is my wife and should have the right to know."
"Okay. Then let's discuss it in English." Qian Shuiting nodded, "Let's have a meeting with just us. We all know everything and can be trusted like brothers." Qian Shuiting drank a glass of water.
The so-called North American branch theoretically includes all veterans from North America, but in fact the main core of this branch is only the Qian brothers and Zhou Weisen. Among them, Qian Shuiting was the most active.
In appearance, Qian Shuiting looks very inconspicuous. A short fat man with an approachable and popular appearance. He is a person who makes people feel safe but does not leave a deep impression easily. In addition, he is usually low-key and reclusive, so many people in the Senate do not know him. And most people who know him only know that he is Director Ai's husband. Some gun enthusiasts know that he is very good at playing with guns and knows a lot about firearms. Of course, everyone who has lived in the United States for a long time basically knows him - after all, everyone has a certain common language.
Qian Shuiting graduated from a university in the imperial capital twenty years ago. With a sense of cynicism after his sense of social mission was shattered, he started his first job in an agricultural research department that was somewhat related to his major. In his daily life, he comes into contact with upper- and lower-level bureaucrats and all kinds of people in real society. Although he quickly understood the rules of the game, he was unwilling to join the game and just spent his days hún. Time and experience gradually wore away his impetuosity and made him gradually more realistic. He finally chose to escape to another continent. After working for a few years, he arrived at the place he once dreamed of. At this time, he was no longer as passionate about everything around him as before. Everything is so natural, tepid and calm. He met Ai Beibei, who had just stepped from one campus to another. Then came marriage, work, and having their baby.
The ups and downs of outside society in the following years seemed to have little impact on their lives. It seemed like he could keep going like this. The arrival of Qian Shuixie made his life more colorful. This brother, who is nearly ten years younger than him, is completely different from Qian Shuiting in appearance and personality. Qian Shuixie, who is tall and strong, gives people the impression of "square". He has an angular appearance, physique and character. Qian Shuixie and his equally energetic wife have been living a happy life in the midst of hardships since they landed.
Although the two couples had both gone to college, they neither wanted to continue their studies nor were they satisfied with finding a stable job. Qian Shuixie started by driving a broken-down box truck for renovations, and then drove a pickup truck to repair water, electricity, boilers and air conditioners. Finally, he became a truck driver and drove an eighteen-wheel cruise around the land of North America. Like an American redneck. His wife, Zheng Shangjie, brought her talent in sales and publicity to the United States and worked in countless agency jobs. She often held multiple jobs and was busy from morning to night.
The common hobby of the Qian brothers is playing with guns. They first talked about guns with people on the Internet, and then Zhou Weisen appeared. Take them to really start playing with guns. Zhou Weisen is slightly older than Qian Shuixie and is also studying biology. He started buying and playing with guns when he was in school in a redneck state, and spent most of his savings on playing with guns. Later, I met the Qian brothers at work. Take them to the shooting range, gun show, and drag them into the water one by one.
Another common hobby they have is talking together about what to do in the wasteland era, thinking about building their own fortresses, opening their own farms, digging deep holes, and hoarding food. Gradually transition from the gun party to the survival party. Perhaps he thought life was too dull. After hearing about time travel from Zhou Weisen, Qian Shuiting became very enthusiastic. He persuaded his wife and children to sell the house, used up his savings, and bought a large number of time travel guns, ammunition, and various weapons. Materials and equipment. He learned how to drive a sailboat and rented a luxury two-masted sailboat with a displacement of 100 tons at a large price to transport arms.
Perhaps in the first difficult days, the luxurious living conditions of a few people were too far away from the general public. When a large number of otakus still had no girls, this group of people all had their own wives, which made everyone feel envious, jealous and hateful - especially Zhou Weisen He also possesses the eye-catching South American beauty like a beast.
Although these people were highly commended by the organization for their contribution to transporting arms and enjoyed many preferential treatment, their personal skills and experience did not seem to be recognized. None of them were given too much responsibility, and they were all assigned to do specific tasks. technical work. Qian Shuiting originally wanted to play a role in survey statistics, but instead he and Zhou Weisen were setting up test tubes in the biological laboratory. As for Qian Shuixie and his wife, they simply became the basic labor force with nothing in common.
In order not to further alienate everyone, under Qian Shuiting's persuasion and reminder, several people worked quietly and hard in their own positions, and their relationship with everyone became increasingly harmonious. At the same time, we will step up our contacts with senior veterans who originally had American life backgrounds to expand our basic contacts.
The nv servant girl and Dugu's marriage proposal aroused Qian Shuiting's innermost fear and vigilance against centralization. Before the second plenary meeting, various undercurrents in Bairen City made him worried that this time was promoted by the Executive Committee and the Senate to be a "democratic and victorious meeting."
He immediately told these closest people about his concerns and the possible direction of the group's evolution. Everyone carefully studied the current systems of the Cross-Travel Group together, and went separately to understand the actual implementation of these systems. At the same time, Qian Shuixie also made a preliminary understanding of the Law Club, which he didn't care about at first, including the events surrounding the servant girl's murder. Qian Shuixie also conducted a secret investigation.
During the Second Plenary Congress, they had the opportunity to better understand the attitudes of the public and known groups on various issues. When there were no meetings every day, several people shared what they saw and heard together, and accordingly Countermeasures and possible reactions from various aspects.
They realize that the Executive Committee still has a high level of prestige because of its efficient work in the early stages. The bills they hope to restrict executive power may be interpreted as dissatisfaction with the specific executors currently in office, and are easily out of touch with the thinking of the broad masses.
In the initial stage, the centralized system will inevitably produce higher work efficiency, which Qian Shuiting cannot deny. Therefore, attacks on the existing centralized system will only be opposed by most veterans who put pragmatism first - after all, the current stage is the time to resolve the haves and have-nots, and talking too much about future plans will only be criticized as false and empty.
The Law Society dominated by Ma Jia was active in every corner of the meeting with the aura of their professional background. Their ideas flow freely, and their sophistry skills are enough to deceive many people. Qian Shuiting knew that the law club in Majia, on the surface, sang about "ruling the country according to law" and constantly criticized the executive committee's many administrative shortcomings and mistakes. It seemed to be antagonistic, but in fact it was a manifestation of "little scolding and big help" .
Qian Shuiting quickly judged that the so-called Law Society of Majia was not the same as the political demands of his group. He realized that the Law Society had an advantage in promoting political ideas: most of the elders lacked a deep understanding of the content of the bill, and many people might just be confused by the superficially gorgeous and complex rhetoric without understanding its potential dangers. If they rashly challenge these bills now, they will inevitably fail because they lack sufficient and broad approval. Their demands are likely to be undesirable to the incumbents, and may cause backlash and isolate them. In addition, the group has just experienced a turmoil, and people are worried. Being too insistent on one's own opinions will inevitably deepen internal differences and make them intolerable to the majority of centrists. The result is counterproductive.
Everyone discussed this issue repeatedly and found that the internal consensus was very consistent, and the differences with most of the time-travelers were equally obvious. After repeated thinking and soliciting everyone's opinions, several people decided to try to act as parliamentary opposition within the group and promote their ideas to the entire group in a step-by-step manner.
