On the other side, Changshun County.
There were loud gongs and drums in Sanyang Machinery Factory, dozens of firecrackers were set off, and bright red confetti covered the entire ground in red.
Among the red, two small excavators with strange structures are particularly conspicuous.
It has no tracks, but four off-road tires connected by four brackets, and, in addition to the four tires, there are four additional movable positioning stakes for fixation.
At first glance, the excavator standing tall looks like a huge octopus.
Factory director Liu Maocai stood in the middle of the two excavators with a smile on his face, while the reporters surrounding him kept pressing the shutter, instructing Liu Maocai to pose in various poses.
After taking pictures tirelessly for half an hour, Liu Maocai finally left the two excavators, which he was extremely proud of, and walked among the guests who came to cut the ribbon and watch the ceremony.
Of course, the first person he went to see was Wang Qing, who had been waiting for him for a long time.
At this time, his attitude had turned 180 degrees compared to before, and it was certainly not because he guessed the identities of Wang Qing and Wang Jiancheng.
More importantly, because of Wang Qing's efforts, Sanyang Factory really had a chance to come back to life!
This was originally a small state-owned enterprise that was on its deathbed. It made no money every year except for wages.
But now, with this flagship product, this all-terrain excavator that is unique in the domestic market and breaks the foreign technology monopoly, the day when Sanyang Factory can turn around can be said to be just around the corner!
So, how could he not be grateful to Wang Qing?
They really helped!
Thinking of this, Liu Maocai quickly walked a few steps, took Wang Qing's hand and said:
"Village Chief Wang, I really rely on you this time!"
"At my age, I originally thought that I would work hard until I retire and hand over the factory to others. I didn't expect that at this time, I would be able to achieve such great results!"
"-Of course, we still have to thank our superiors for their concern. Without the technology provided by our superiors, we at Sanyang Factory would not be able to figure this out even after ten or twenty years of thinking."
"Village Chief Wang, you must help me convey the message of all the members of Sanyang Factory. Just tell the leaders that the sales problem is not something that the leaders should worry about. We will solve it ourselves!"
"When the scale increases, if the superiors have any higher requirements, our Sanyang Factory will have to meet them!"
Wang Qing felt a little funny when he heard Liu Maocai's cliché.
This is flattery.
This kind of proficiency cannot be achieved in a day or two.
——
However, if you say that Liu Maocai has no ability, in fact, he still has it.
Otherwise, it would be impossible to actually build this excavator in just four months.
After all, I had inquired with Wang Jiancheng and found out that what his superiors provided was only relatively basic technical documents.
It is the Sanyang Factory that really makes the effort to adapt, produce and manufacture.
During this period of time, in order to equip himself with equipment and purchase materials, Liu Maocai even gave up his old face. He went to banks for loans, went to brother factories for help, and even heard that he was looking for a qualified transmission. Well, he just took out the old Moutai that he had hidden for more than ten years and gave it as a gift to others.
Within a few months, Liu Maocai's hair had visibly thinned out.
He was balder and, of course, stronger.
Thinking of this, Wang Qing also put away his previous contempt for him, and replied sincerely:
"Don't worry, Director Liu."
"As long as I can talk to you from now on, I will definitely help you talk more."
"You have indeed worked hard these past few months. Don't worry, we all see it."
After hearing this, Liu Maocai waved his hand.
"It's not hard work or not. Of course, I'm not doing this entirely for you."
"Actually, I have studied the market privately."
"In the past, we felt that such excavators were useless. The main consideration was the country's situation."
"Think about it. In the past, development was either not done at all, or done on a large scale."
"Railways, highways, bridges, etc. - no one cares about small projects like your settlement village."
"So, when we went to build this kind of small all-terrain excavator, there was really no use for it."
"Think about it, big projects require big equipment, but small projects can't afford the equipment. Why do we build it?"
Having said this, Liu Maocai paused for a moment, then lowered his voice and said mysteriously:
"But, it's different now."
"I received news that the economy in the United States is collapsing, and it may affect us."
"In order to protect our own economy, the country will carry out major infrastructure construction in the next few years."
"Among them, rural and remote areas are important directions."
"In time, there will be more and more projects like Luojiao Village, and the market for all-terrain small excavators will also become bigger and bigger."
"Hehe, we have the upper hand now, but from now on, the sea is vast and the fish can jump."
"congratulations!"
After hearing this, Wang Qing smiled and congratulated.
Then, he changed the subject and asked:
"However, Director Liu, now that everything has been built, do we have to solve the problems of our Luojiao Village project?"
"We agreed at the beginning that after production comes off the production line, we can have priority to purchase or rent them."
"Look, can we make arrangements as soon as possible?"
"What are you talking about! Why are you so outspoken?"
Liu Maocai glared at Wang Qing pretending to be angry, and then said:
"These two excavators were originally prepared for you. There is no need to discuss whether to rent them or not."
"Of course, it costs us money to make it, so it's definitely impossible to give it away."
"However, I have contacted an experienced excavator master nearby for you, and he will be here a little later."
"Once the driver arrives, you can take these two excavators away and bring them to the village."
"I'm here to make a promise to you. When the road in your settlement village is completed, I will return the excavator."
"When we are still building roads, no matter how you use it, I will never give you a second thought!"
"Thank you so much!"
Wang Qing said excitedly.
No matter what Liu Maocai's purpose was, whether he really wanted to repay him, or whether he just wanted to curry favor with "that person" behind him, at least the kindness he proposed now was real and sincere.
The excavator can be used without spending any money. In this way, the village can save another sum of money that it has finally raised for road construction.
And the money saved can be used in various aspects.
For example, the primary school in the village that leaks all year round can be renovated.
The dilapidated basketball court might be able to be resurfaced.
A few hours later, the two excavators successfully reached the connection between the village road and the rural road in Luojiao Village.
From here, the 6-meter-wide rural road narrows to only allow one person to pass, and the height of the terrain rises rapidly.
In the words of the locals, starting from here is when you truly enter "Dayao Mountain".
The two excavators roared and climbed off the truck, then began to climb up the extremely rugged mountain.
After the excavator was in place, the road construction work officially began.
The villagers who had already received the news stood aside and watched from a distance, with joy from the bottom of their hearts showing on everyone's face.
"It's great. Look at this excavator. Look at the stone. It breaks into pieces with just a tap. Let us dig it out ourselves. I don't know how long it will take to dig it out."
"No, it's not difficult at all to go up the mountain! This is the first time I've seen this kind of excavator, it looks like an octopus!"
"It's a robot! Just like the robots in the movie!"
"Ah Qing is really capable. He can even borrow such things."
"It's not borrowed, it was awarded to us by the county. I heard that the kid from Jiancheng went to college outside and made some contribution to the country. The country specially allocated funds to develop the excavator, just for us to use!"
"Really or not? Where is Jiancheng's father? Didn't he come today?"
"He didn't come. He's working in the county today. He said he would be here in two days."
Listening to everyone's discussion and looking at the two steel monsters doing their homework efficiently, Wang Qing suddenly felt an indescribable emotion in his heart.
He had been looking forward to this scene for how many years.
He still remembers that when he was a child and went to the middle school in the town, he would walk through this path every weekend when he went home.
No matter whether the weather is rainy or sunny, whether the mountain is soft or solid, his trek never stops.
I have to say, he was scared.
At that time, every time he came back here, every time he was about to set foot on the winding mountain path, he couldn't help but stop and stay here for a long time.
He would always think of those innocent souls who unfortunately fell into the valley, and the so-called legend of "the ghost who fell into the cave catches the substitute".
Will he be the next substitute?
If not yourself, then who is next?
There will never be an answer to such a question, but during his long journey, he did witness that one acquaintance after another was "caught as a substitute."
Among them were Wang Shu's parents.
——
However, what surprised him was that as more people died, he was no longer afraid.
I don’t know if it’s because I accepted my fate, or because I grew up, or because I thought that those so-called “ghosts in the cave” were actually my relatives, so I subconsciously believed that there was absolutely no way they could harm me.
If you think about it carefully, this is really a tragic and helpless contradiction.
Maybe some people will try to find a hint of warmth from such contradictions.
But at least for Wang Qing, he couldn't find it.
All he could find was the suffering and struggle of the villagers in this village imprisoned by the mountains.
Fortunately, this is finally coming to an end.
The two excavators specially designed for complex terrain are just the beginning. The county party committee office has clearly informed itself that with the support of higher authorities, a professional engineering team will come to support the road construction work in Luojiao Village. .
They will replace the ordinary villagers in Luojiao Village and let them have a good rest.
Thinking of this, Wang Qing sighed.
He subconsciously touched the head of Wang Shu who was standing nearby. The latter raised his head and asked:
"Manman, how long will it take for this backhoe to build the road in the village?"
Wang Qing scratched his head and replied:
"Manman doesn't know. If it's fast, it's one or two months, if it's slow, it's two or three months."
"Anyway, it will definitely be much faster than repairing it ourselves. If we repair it ourselves, we may not be able to repair it in several years."
Wang Shu nodded thoughtfully and whispered:
"Then I hope they can hurry up."
"Want to hurry up? How about you go and help?"
Wang Qing said teasingly.
"Forget it. I can't help, I will only cause trouble."
Wang Shu sighed in a pretentious manner, and then explained:
"Actually, I just thought that if the road is repaired, I can walk out by myself."
"Why are you walking out?"
Wang Qing's brows furrowed. Before Wang Shu could answer, he couldn't help but scolded:
"Ashu, you have to listen to Manman. I told you that you are still young and cannot run around and play everywhere."
"The road used to be difficult to walk on, but now it's been repaired, but that doesn't mean there's no danger outside."
"What kind of human trafficker? Cars are very dangerous!"
"Your parents are gone. If something happens to you, how sad will your grandma be?"
After hearing Wang Qing's words, Wang Shu nodded obediently.
But after a few seconds of silence, he suddenly said:
"I'm not here to play."
Wang Qing was stunned for a moment and asked:
"Then what do you want to do?"
"I want to sell medicine."
"Selling medicine? How old are you, you want to sell medicine? Don't mess around!"
"I want to buy a wheelchair for grandma."
Wang Shu said seriously.
"Grandma is old and can no longer walk."
"In the past, when my parents were still here, they would carry grandma out in the morning and let her go to the entrance of the village to sit and chat with others."
"Now that they are gone, grandma has no one to carry her, and I can't carry it either."
"She sits on the bedside every day and can't go anywhere."
"It would be great if she had a wheelchair. She can still move her hands and can turn the wheelchair out by herself. It's like this on TV."
After hearing Wang Shu's words, Wang Qing's heart made a "dong" sound as if being hit by a heavy hammer.
He suddenly realized that as the village leader, there were indeed many things that he had not done well.
He naturally knew Wang Qing's grandma, and even thought that he had taken good care of her for a long time.
But when he heard Wang Shu's words today, he suddenly recalled many things that he had never cared about.
——
It seems that every time I go to Wang Shu's house, his grandma is sitting on the bedside.
Her head always tilted to one side, looking in the direction of the door.
However, what can be seen through that small door?
Apart from the figure of Wang Shu coming back from school, the occasional villagers passing by, and the birds that might stay at the door for a while because of the coolness of the eaves, what else has changed there?
But that was the only thing she could see.
She was trapped in that dark room, and the light from that door was her only hope for survival.
Perhaps, for many days after Wang Shu's parents left, she looked at the doorway like this.
When an acquaintance walks by, she may be tempted to call out her name. If someone hears her voice and stays for a few minutes, that will be her greatest comfort for many days to come.
Other than that, she could only watch the sun rise and set gradually, waiting for Wang Shu to go home.
Even for an old person of her age, such loneliness should be unbearable.
——
In Luojiao Village, there are actually far more than one old person like her.
Wang Qing still remembers that he once went to the door of an old man living alone on behalf of the government to bring warmth and installed a small TV that was already outdated.
Before leaving, he helped the old man turn on the TV.
Many days later, when I went to the old man's house to take care of his funeral affairs, the TV was still on.
The old man's body fell to the ground, and the advertisement on the TV kept repeating "Only melatonin is accepted as a gift."
At that time, I only thought this scene was a bit absurd, but now that I think about it, I feel even more sad.
These old people did not die in the mountains, but they died because of the mountains.
They are lucky, but also unfortunate.
After they have passed their prime years when they are the only ones capable of contending with the mountains, they will gradually become prisoners of the mountains and eventually be trapped and die in this small land.
This seems to be a fate, a fate that even the Ox King who is full of incense cannot change.
——
However, what the Ox King cannot change, we ourselves can change.
Wang Qing breathed a long sigh of relief and said to Wang Shu solemnly:
"Ashu, don't worry."
"In the future, when this road is built, we won't have to sell medicine by ourselves anymore."
"Many people will go to the mountains to buy medicine from us. Not only herbal medicines, but also the fruits from the fruit trees in the village and the tea leaves from the tea trees can be sold."
"We will make money, and when we do, we will buy a wheelchair for grandma."
"Not only do we need to buy wheelchairs, we also need to buy medicines, buy medical equipment, hire doctors, and engage in tourism."
"We build an elderly activity center and get insurance for all the elderly. If they get sick, we will take them to the hospital."
Having said this, Wang Qing paused.
Then he continued:
"Don't worry, we will take good care of grandma."
"Someone has opened the way for us, and this is just the beginning."
"They're watching over here and they're going to take care of everyone."
(End of chapter)
