The world of film and television begins with the God of Medicine.

Chapter 1482 Setting Up a Factory

"water!"

“It’s out of the water!”

……

The Baidian Brigade has already drilled its fourth well under the guidance of experts. Each well has been dug to a depth of more than 100 meters, with the deepest reaching 180 meters.

The fourth well has been drilled to a depth of 160 meters. If this well also fails to produce water, the Baidian Brigade will not stop and will continue drilling until water is found.

In Old Liu's words, this is a major event for future generations. If we didn't have the conditions, that would be fine, but now that we do, the first thing we must do is solve the water problem. If we can't solve it all at once and it keeps getting delayed, we don't know when we'll be able to get water again.

The experts from Yan'an University were more than enough; they spent a month investigating, collected a lot of data, and selected six sites to drill wells.

The experts are also under a lot of pressure.

The well-drilling equipment, all sorts of pipes, and concrete well rings that were brought in were all carried up from Linping by the old and young men of Baidian Brigade, who were shouting slogans as they carried them up. Even the donkeys couldn't do the work anymore.

The villagers of Baidian Brigade were united in their efforts and filled with boundless hope. However, after three wells in a row, they found not a drop of water. Each fruitless effort left the villagers' eyes on the experts, making them feel extremely uneasy and frustrated.

By the fourth operation, the experts were sweating profusely with anxiety.

On the fourth attempt to drill the well, mud finally gushed out along the well pipe. The villagers of Baidian Village cheered, but the experts who came here breathed a sigh of relief.

You see, Wang Yan is going to write an article. If he draws six points and doesn't get any water from any of them, he'll be in big trouble. A scholar of his stature can't even solve a village well problem; if Wang Yan writes an article and publishes it in the People's Daily, he'll probably be ruined.

Now things are finally settled. At least his support has helped the Baidian Brigade, which hadn't solved its water supply problem for centuries, to dig a well. Wang Yan will definitely include him in his article, which is a good thing.

Thinking of this, he glanced at Wang, who was frantically taking pictures with his camera, and couldn't help but puff out his chest, raise his head, and wave his hand: "Drill another ten meters and see the water volume, whether it can be used as a well."

The result was excellent, of course. Wang Yan grasped the expert's hand, his face beaming with excitement: "Thank you, Expert Liang. Don't worry, I will definitely write about your hard work and dedication to our Baidian Brigade in my article, so that people all over the country will know that at Yan'an University, we have such a good expert and scholar like you, Expert Liang, who overcomes difficulties, has solid knowledge, and can combine theory with practice."

"Hey, I just want to do my research in a down-to-earth way, I shouldn't exaggerate too much."

While it might sound like an exaggeration, the expert Liang couldn't suppress the wide grin that stretched across his face.

It has to be exaggerated!

Wang Yan laughed heartily: "Doing solid research should be known even more. Comrade Lei Feng dedicated himself to doing good deeds without seeking fame or fortune, but our Party made him famous. Why? To promote this spirit. It's good to be a humble servant of the people, but it's not a bad thing to let more people know about it."

I see you as a down-to-earth person. No matter how great your fame, you will never forget your original aspirations, continue to work hard, and not be burdened by fame. You are only thirty-five years old this year, and I believe that given time, you will definitely become a great master.

"Oh dear, I wouldn't dare accept that. Learning is not something that can be done so easily."

"You're just too modest. Scholarship is hard to do, but as long as you make progress today compared to yesterday, you're always moving forward. There's no such thing as instant success. Take our well-digging, for example. Without the first section of pipe, how could we have reached 170 meters? You, sooner or later, will be 1,100 meters, or even 17,000 meters."

Expert Liang couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter: "You young man, you're really capable! No wonder so many people are waiting to read your articles. Just listening to you speak is impressive. You're sure to achieve great things in the future."

"I don't want any great achievements. I just want our Baidian Brigade to get better and better, or at most, the entire Hechuan Commune to get better and better. We only wear the size of our own pants, and we know our own situation best. But having come this far, what ability do we have?"

After exchanging compliments for a while, the two parted ways. At this time, the more than 100-meter-long pipe was pulled out of the ground section by section, bringing with it a large amount of mud onto the ground.

The experts went up and sprinkled lime around the well, and the men who couldn't wait any longer grabbed picks and shovels and started digging. They were going to dig 170 meters to widen the well. During the digging, they kept lowering the well ring to prevent it from collapsing and to protect the water source from being polluted by falling soil.

The anxious villagers couldn't allow the well to be idle for even a moment. They set up four groups of people to work in shifts, 24 hours a day, and finished digging the well in half a month. They even got cement and bricks and built a very nice wellhead.

At this point, the hardworking and simple-minded Chinese people had already demonstrated the qualities befitting an infrastructure powerhouse. There was nothing else to it but their impatience; they couldn't wait even a moment longer…

After applying the last shovelful of cement, the villagers of Baidian Village changed into their Yangko dance costumes and held a grand event in the village with gongs and drums.

The elderly people were so moved that they shed tears. This well was no easy feat; it was a problem that their ancestors had been unable to solve for generations.

For centuries, the people of Linping have been arrogant and domineering, relying on a single well. Every year, countless armed conflicts erupt in Linping over water issues, resulting in countless deaths and injuries.

Previously, everyone was on good terms when fetching water in Linping. But when it came to using water for farming, everyone got angry, and conflicts would break out over a few words.

However, the anger has subsided considerably now because the commune has resolved the issue. For instance, during the spring plowing season, the commune brought in diesel engines to pump water, which was much faster than pumping bucket by bucket using a windlass. With increased speed, the anger naturally subsided. Water was pumped 24 hours a day, hauling it to the village truckload after truckload.

People from water-rich areas can never truly understand the hardship and despair of water scarcity in arid regions. Naturally, they can't empathize with the current situation.

In short, the Baidian Brigade has water!
Wang Yan took photos of the entire process, from the start of construction to the end of the Yangko dance celebration. He also captured the busy figures of Expert Liang and his students, and the moment when Old Liu grinned broadly as the first bucket of water was brought up.

I wrote another report, explaining the achievements and positive changes that the Baidian Brigade had made over this period of time, and as always, I attached photos to the letter.

Some of the photos he sent were indeed printed in newspapers, allowing people all over the country to see what was happening here.

In particular, the earliest photo taken by Wang Yan, showing Lao Liu and three others carrying shoulder poles and laughing as they traveled through the seemingly endless yellow earth, received high praise from the editors of the People's Daily, who wrote that some people from art schools who were involved in film and photography, as well as some news photographers.

The high praise is justified; Wang Yan's photography skills have long reached a master level. Not only in photography, but also in video shooting, he is a master-level cameraman...

With water available, planting fruit trees was put on the agenda.

We've already ordered a batch of saplings, which we expect to plant in September. We'll start with two hundred apple trees, and then see how things go next year. We might change the species, or we might plant more of the same variety.

The road construction has already begun. The construction difficulty is not high. There is no complicated terrain. It is just to widen the originally narrow mountain road and then harden it. It is a manpower and material-intensive task, but there are no technical difficulties.

During the break after spring plowing, the mountain roads are being widened and leveled. People are working along the more than 40-mile-long mountain road, with men, women, young and old all participating. Children who are not being watched are also playing on the construction site along the road.

It was truly a vibrant and thriving scene. At this time, Wang Yan was also searching for various materials, leading some women from the Baidian Brigade in various weaving and sewing tasks, making sofas, mattresses, and so on.

Compared to simply making furniture, moving up to the level of home furnishings represents a broader market and stronger profitability. He wants to integrate resources and include home textiles in the business to broaden his reach.

Currently, due to limitations in materials, we can't create as many different designs. We can only ask the county's textile factories for some cotton-linen synthetic materials and try to produce some finished products.

Of course, the textile factory could work together, but Wang Yan is from Baidian Brigade, so he wants to buy materials from the textile factory, return to Baidian Village, and have the women do hand-sewing, recording work points for everyone, so that Baidian Brigade can become richer.

While outsourcing production entirely to textile factories saved time and effort, the factories also earned significantly more money. This money was still very important to Baidian Village.

As the saying goes, people's labor power is worthless. People are happy and overjoyed if they can earn more through labor than by farming, or if they can produce more cloth or eat more meat.

As for the harm to the body, many people now, and even decades from now, don't consider their health as a factor. They think, "Make money when you can, and if you can't, just die and do whatever you want."

"The well is done. Now you'll have a better chance to farm and get water."

Secretary Zhang personally fetched a bucket of water, took a sip of the cool well water with a ladle, grinned, and exclaimed, "Sweet!"

He turned to look at Wang Yan, who was taking the photo, and said with a smile, "Wang Yan, you're really something. How long has it been? Seven months! And you've already led the Baidian Brigade to a good life. You're quite capable!"

“Even if I had extraordinary abilities, I couldn’t sell furniture in bulk, dig wells, repair roads, or plant trees. Without the care and help of the Party, how could our Baidian Brigade have gone to the county town? Without the hard work of the villagers of Baidian Brigade, how could we have produced anything?”

"You've got a knack for talking," Secretary Zhang chuckled. "Have you ever thought about coming to the commune and using your intelligence to help everyone in Hechuan Commune live a better life?"

“There are too many things to do and too much trouble at the company.” Wang Yan shook his head. “I saw it when I was reporting on it before. They are incredibly powerful. I have a bad temper. I can’t stand anyone who tries to pressure me with rules or seniority. I’ll break their leg, and in the end, I won’t get away with it.”

"You know what, you've got guts."

"knew?"

Secretary Zhang was both amused and exasperated: "Your articles are serialized in the People's Daily, and people all over the country are reading them as stories. I heard you've received a lot of letters urging you to write more. The People's Daily in Beijing has received even more, asking if they've cut off your submissions and haven't published many of them."

"Tell me, who wouldn't be curious about you, young man? You've done something big, stirring up trouble in the capital. A little inquiry is all it takes to find out. But we were a bit slow to get the news here. The county officials found out at a meeting in the city; I went to the county for a meeting, and the leaders told us. Nobody expected you to be such a troublemaker."

"Uncle, you're wrong. I wasn't trying to cause trouble; I was acting in self-defense. Two or three hundred people wanted to kill me, and I fought back, and they're not happy about it? Tell me, what kind of logic is that?"

"Alright, you have a lot of reasons." Secretary Zhang asked again, unwilling to give up, "Really not coming to the commune? I'll make you the deputy commune director."

“I’m really not going. I can do the same work in Baidian Brigade. As the brigade grows, it will definitely need more people sooner or later.”

"That makes sense, so I won't force you. What other problems do you have? If there are any that can be solved, the company will try to find a solution."

"It really does."

Wang Yan said, "Our furniture production facility is too small right now. I drew up some blueprints and asked the county's machinery factory to make them, but they..."

“I know about this. I mentioned it when I went to the county meeting. Your tool design is excellent. The salesmen from the machinery factory have sold quite a few. It's enough to feed the machinery factory for two years.”

“With the tools, production efficiency has increased a lot. We have tens of thousands of orders, and there’s nowhere to put the processed timber. The brigade doesn’t have electricity, so we can’t process it here either. I’m thinking of setting up a factory and bringing all our apprentices there. That would speed up production considerably.”

Secretary Zhang thought for a moment and said, "Still in the county? Can't it be in the commune?"

“Sure, the place is big enough, the power supply is sufficient, and the apprentices have a place to eat and live. The commune is only ten miles from the county, and the road is easy to travel. Once the finished products are produced in the commune, it will be convenient to transport them anywhere.”

Secretary Zhang was delighted: "I thought you were determined to go to the county. It's good to stay in the commune. All the young people in your brigade are learning carpentry. It's perfect that you're here in the commune. We can allocate some positions to the various brigades below so they can work with you. What do you say?"

"I think Comrade Liu Hanwen is a good cadre with strong ideological awareness and who works diligently for the people. He should be placed in a more suitable position to lead the villagers to a better life."

"You rascal." Secretary Zhang shook his head with amusement, patting Wang Yan on the shoulder, "You're quick-witted and see things clearly. This matter is settled."

The good situation was achieved by the Baidian brigade. However, once it reached the commune level, relationships became chaotic and there were many issues. Therefore, it was essential to have someone from Baidian Village who could have a voice in the leadership. Without a doubt, Liu Hanwen was the best candidate.

Is there anything else?

"Yes, I have."

"You're really not being polite. Go ahead and say it."

Wang Yan said, "Uncle, as you know, I used to make furniture that could be exported. Although our materials are not good and our craftsmanship is not high, we still produce in batches and the styles are novel. I think we can go out and explore the world."

"What's the plan? You can't even finish the orders in the county, where else are you going?"

"The reason we can't finish the orders is because we don't have enough people. If we opened a factory in the commune, people from all the brigades would come and learn to work in three to five months, and then production would be much faster."

But by then, the county had already bought and replaced everything it needed to; it was just doing some small orders. It was impossible to see the same prosperity we have now. We need to be aware of potential problems, Uncle. I think we should aim higher and open our furniture shop in the city. If possible, we should also go to the Canton Fair and see if we can sell to the foreigners.

Of course, I know that places at the Canton Fair are very limited, and everyone is vying for them fiercely. We don't need the places; we just want the higher-ups to know that we went there, that we got orders, that we can communicate with them, and that we can make money from it.

"Our county can't even find a single translator, and you're talking about the Canton Fair? You really have a wild idea."

“I can do it.” Wang Yan didn’t prove it, waved his hand and said, “Uncle, just focus on these two points. If you succeed in either one, we can make a lot of money. When the orders are in the tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands, we can use the money to expand the scale of breeding and planting. At that time, we and Chuan Commune will be rich.”

Secretary Zhang remained silent, offering no reply, but his eyes shone brightly…

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