Dramatic changes in the movies and TV shows

Chapter 1307 Dig a Channel of Life with Bare Hands

"It's you, kid!" Secretary Fang was pleased to see him, and after looking Lin Jie up and down, he said with a smile:

"More than a decade has passed in the blink of an eye, and it's still the same!"

"No, no, no!" she said, getting up to pour water for Lin Jie. Lin Jie quickly stepped forward, took the glass, and said:
"Old Chief, I can do it myself!"

Secretary Fang sat down and then praised him with a smile:
"I've heard you've done a great job in Linxian these past few years. You're truly a soldier I trained!"

"Hehe~!" Lin Jie chuckled foolishly while holding the water, then looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Upon seeing this, Secretary Fang had an idea. He knew Lin Jie's personality; he didn't want to trouble others with problems he could solve himself.

But this person, who never wanted to trouble others, suddenly looked troubled, clearly indicating that he had encountered a problem he couldn't solve on his own.

So Secretary Fang smiled and said:

"Why did you come to see me in such a hurry today, and why do you seem so hesitant? Did something happen at work?"

"Oh, well, something came up!" Lin Jie smiled sheepishly.

"You're a county official now, not your bodyguard anymore. If you have something to say, just say it!"

After Secretary Fang's few words, Lin Jie's anxious heart calmed down instantly, and he then said:

"Old comrade, I know you're busy with work, so I'm taking this opportunity to report to you!"

Then Lin Jie began to recount: "This year, there was a severe drought; the entire Linxian County was completely parched!"

“I remember in 1942, you led us in the Fifth District. At that time, Linxian County was experiencing a drought. You know the situation back then!”

"But this year's drought is even more severe than that year, when the people saved every penny to give water to the troops!"

"But this year is even drier than in 1942. Forget about replanting to combat the drought, the people themselves don't even have water to drink, so..."

Lin Jie then recounted in detail his inspection tour of the countryside.

After listening, Secretary Fang was also somewhat moved, and then said with emotion:
"Linxian is also an old revolutionary base area. We drove away the Japanese by drinking the water from the masses!"

"The people are facing difficulties now, and you are a county official in Linxian County, so you need to do more to help the people!"

"I've thought about it, I think about it every single day!" Lin Jie said excitedly.

"In order to completely solve the water shortage problem in Linxian County, we want to build a canal from Pingshun section of Shanxi Province to bring water from the Zhanghe River to Linxian County!"

"Inter-provincial water diversion?" Upon hearing this, Secretary Fang frowned and said:
"This involves many aspects; it's not a simple project!"

Lin Jie immediately played the emotional card, and then said:
“Old commander, in 1942 I was recuperating in Linxian County. The water I drank was collected drop by drop by the local people. That’s why I have a special affection for Linxian County and want to completely solve their water shortage problem!”

Secretary Fang nodded and said, "The people are the greatest, and we must never let them down!"

"So, to tell you the truth, once I became a county official in Lin County, I had one wish."

"Back then, I only drank a sip of water in Linxian County, and now I want to return a river to Linxian County so that everyone in Linxian County can have water to drink!"

"So over the years, I've led the people of Linxian to build many water conservancy projects!"

Upon hearing this, Secretary Fang praised him generously, saying, "I've heard about this. Grain production has increased significantly in the past two years, and these are all thanks to your work!"

"Sigh~!" Lin Jie sighed, then said with a helpless expression:

"However, due to rainfall and geological conditions, these water conservancy projects cannot store much water; they are merely a drop in the ocean!"

"According to Xiao Lin's calculations at the Water Resources Bureau, there is only one way to completely change the water shortage problem in Linxian County: diverting water from the Zhang River into Linxian!"

Upon hearing this, Secretary Fang knew that Lin Jie was about to get to the main point, and said with great interest:

"Tell me your plan. I want to see how you will completely solve the water shortage problem in Linxian County!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Jie immediately began to recount the story:

"We have already inspected four water diversion points along the Zhanghe River in Pingshun County, Shanxi Province, and found that they can bring water to Linxian County!"

"No, wait for Lin Jie!" Lin Jie had barely begun when Secretary Fang interrupted him, puzzled.

"The Zhanghe River originally passed through your Linxian County, so why go all the way to Shanxi instead of the nearby one?"

The Zhanghe River does indeed enter from the north of Linxian County, and we even built a bridge across the canal.

However, the Tianqiao Broken Canal is at a very low elevation, even lower than Fentouling. The water cannot reach Fentouling at all; it can only meet the water demand of the section from Fentouling to Zhanghe.
"But if we want to flood the entire area, the water intake point must be located higher than the grave mound!"

"After our colleagues from the Water Resources Bureau took measurements, they determined that only the water level in the Shanxi section of the Zhanghe River allows for direct water diversion to Fentouling, after which a diversion canal can be built!"

"Diverting the Zhang River into the forest!" Secretary Fang exclaimed in surprise, "Lin Jie, do you know how huge this project is? And how much funding it will require?"

"How big is the project?" Lin Jie thought for a moment and said, "I think three million in funding should be enough to get it started!"

"To be honest, sir, this is a huge project, and three million is definitely not enough. But I can't answer you the exact amount needed. I'll just explain my calculation method!"

"We're investing manpower. We've calculated that we have enough food to eat and enough money to buy explosives and tools, so let's just get to work!"

“Our Linxian County is very poor. If we were to actually calculate the budget for the Zhang River Diversion Project, we would probably back out before it even starts.”

"But the people of Linxian are stubborn, as stubborn as the Foolish Old Man who moved mountains. Their greatest wealth is their own hands. Even if we don't have tools, we will dig this lifeline canal for the people of Linxian!"

Lin Jie looked at the old commander one last time and said earnestly:

"Old leader, please help Linxian County, please help the 600,000 people of Linxian County!"

Secretary Fang took a deep breath, taken aback by the young man from back then, and also understanding his determination, but still said:

"Lin Jie! I understand your good intentions, but the situation in the whole province is not good right now. The province is also struggling to cope with the natural disasters and simply cannot afford to give you such a large sum of money!"

"Besides, Henan isn't just about Linxian County; other regions also have their own difficulties. I have to treat everyone equally!" Lin Jie didn't argue or continue to seek funding. Instead, he directly laid out the water diversion route map and report in front of Secretary Fang.

"Old leader, please take a look at this first. This is the water diversion plan designed by our county's water resources bureau. Look at the plan we've made; the hundreds of thousands of people in Linxian County can't wait any longer!"

Secretary Fang put on his reading glasses and carefully examined the map and report.

The more he looked at the map, the more serious his expression became. His finger moved slowly along the clear water diversion line on the map, and he occasionally raised several key technical and material questions. Lin Jie answered them one by one, based on Lin Hao's prior preparations.

"According to the blueprints, we need to traverse 70.6 kilometers of treacherous terrain, including tunneling through 211 tunnels and constructing 151 aqueducts." Secretary Fang put down the blueprints, looked sharply at Lin Jie, and then said:
"Lin Jie, such a massive project, let alone three million, even thirty million wouldn't be enough!"

"Old Chief!" Lin Jie said with a serious face, "I'm showing you these blueprints and plans so you can understand the determination of the people of Lin County."

"If all else fails, could you please help us communicate with Shanxi Province and at least get their approval to allow us to divert water from Pingshun County?"

At this point, Lin Jie pointed to the planning map and said:
"Moreover, according to the calculations of technician Lin from the Water Resources Bureau, if we train construction technicians in advance, carry out construction in designated sections, and excavate tunnels in advance, we can shorten the construction time of the main canal to two years!"

"Is this the drawing by the technician Xiao Lin you mentioned?" Secretary Fang suddenly asked.

"Yes, it's Lin Hao, our county's technician! He's a rare talent!" Lin Jie quickly gave a brief report on Lin Hao's performance in finding water, rescuing people, and surveying the area, and added at the end:
"Xiao Lin even made a special trip to Beijing to ask his old classmate for a batch of supplies for our irrigation canal repair project. He even went to the steel mill to get a batch of steel chisels, sledgehammers, and other tools!"

"In short, even without the support of the province, the people of Linxian will dig a lifeline canal by hand!"

After thinking for a moment, looking at Lin Jie's determined face, Secretary Fang gritted his teeth and said:

"Alright, I'll keep the report and raise it for discussion at the Standing Committee meeting. I'll also help you coordinate the inter-provincial canal construction. In short, construction is not allowed to start until the Provincial Party Committee officially approves it!"

"But I agree in principle that you can carry out preliminary technical preparations and personnel training."

"Furthermore!" he said, his tone turning serious, "We must be cautious and avoid rash actions, especially regarding safety; we absolutely cannot allow any mishaps!"

After finishing speaking, Secretary Fang looked at Yan Linjie and then said with a flourish:

"If you drink a sip of water today, you'll return a river tomorrow. With your determination, there's nothing you can't accomplish!"

"Thank you so much, Secretary Fang! I'm so grateful for your support!" Lin Jie was overjoyed to hear Secretary Fang agree and immediately expressed his gratitude.

With Secretary Fang's "I agree in principle," Lin Jie felt as if he had received a "sword of Damocles."

Although the official approvals and support have not yet arrived, this means that the project has already received attention and tacit approval from the provincial level, which is enough for him to go back and deal with the pressure from Deputy Secretary Yu.

Having obtained the imperial edict, Lin Jie's confidence soared, and upon returning to Lin County, he provided even greater support for the training program.

Lin Hao's teaching has also entered a more practical stage.

He took the trainees to a nearby hillside for on-site measurements and simulated blasting demonstrations.

He used lime powder to draw the outline and instructed the trainees on how to drill blasting holes and calculate the amount of explosives.

"Blasting isn't about physical strength, it's about technique! Too much explosives will loosen the mountain and cause a landslide; too little explosives won't break the rocks and will be a waste of effort!" Lin Hao's voice echoed through the valley.

He let the trainees experience swinging sledgehammers and holding steel chisels firsthand. Their palms were blistered and their shoulders were sore from the impact, but no one complained.

Because they know that every drop of sweat they shed now is for the sake of avoiding a drop of blood loss in the future, and for the "channel of life" that will soon be born in their hands.

Shui Lian displayed amazing attention to detail in the practical class; even Lin Hao secretly praised the survey sketches she drew.

Shi Shuisheng and Gu Dahai became the pacesetters in practical operation, competing with each other to see who could drill the blast hole faster and more accurately.

The silent Zhao Dachui seemed to have a natural intuition for explosive charges, always managing to use them perfectly.

The lights in the training center often stayed on until late at night. The sound of reading aloud and lively discussions came from the old warehouse, playing a hopeful prelude on this land that had been tormented by drought for too long.

Lin Hao knew that the foundation for talent was being built piece by piece, and he also noticed that Tong Kun's gaze towards the training class was becoming increasingly gloomy.

As for Deputy Secretary Yu of the Prefectural Committee, he'll probably cause quite a few troubles in the future.

However, Lin Hao had already prepared a feast for them. As long as they dared to jump into the pit, Lin Hao would have them buried alive.

······
Just as Lin Hao had expected, in the office of the deputy secretary of the prefectural party committee, Deputy Secretary Yu slammed his hand on the landline, making a muffled sound.

He leaned back in his chair, his face so gloomy it seemed to drip water, his fingers tapping unconsciously and rapidly on the smooth tabletop.

The secretary tiptoed in, intending to report that Tong Kun from Lin County had once again requested instructions regarding the investigation of the training course. He had just begun to say, "Secretary Yu, just now Tong Kun from Lin County…!" when he was interrupted by Deputy Secretary Yu raising his hand.

"Let's put the Linxian matter aside for now." His voice carried a hint of barely perceptible suppression and irritation.

The secretary paused for a moment, keenly sensing that her boss was in a bad mood. She replied in a low voice, "Yes," and dared not say anything more before quietly leaving.

The door was closed, leaving only Deputy Secretary Yu in the office, pacing back and forth in the spacious room.

“I agree in principle…” he muttered to himself, then walked to the window and looked at the people and cars coming and going in the courtyard below, his eyes filled with malice.

He understood the nuances of these high-level languages ​​all too well.

"Agreeing in principle" means neither supporting nor opposing; neither encouraging nor hindering.

This was a tacit approval, a wait-and-see attitude. But for Lin Jie, it was tantamount to receiving a royal decree.

At least for a certain period of time, if I forcefully suppress it on the grounds of "affecting production," I may run into the provincial party committee's wrath, which would make me seem disregard the overall situation and even go against the spirit of the provincial party committee.

"Has Lin Jie managed to climb the social ladder?" Deputy Secretary Yu thought with a mixture of jealousy and resentment.

Actually, he and Lin Jie didn't have any conflict to begin with. It was just that he had dragged Lin Jie down at the meeting last year, so he thought of teaching him a lesson.

He just didn't expect that he would evade it time and time again. Not only that, he gradually discovered that not only did Secretary Gao strongly support him, but even the provincial government seemed to have been persuaded by him.

He simply didn't believe that Lin Jie, or that unknown Lin Hao, could have come up with such a detailed water diversion plan.

There must be a mastermind behind this, or it might even be someone instructed by Secretary Fang to do it, to warn him.