Dramatic changes in the movies and TV shows

Chapter 1308 Repair one section, clear one section

After thinking it over, Deputy Secretary Yu pulled himself out of his thoughts. Since forcing it wouldn't work, at least not now.

But he was absolutely unwilling to give up and watch Lin Jie "make trouble" under his nose and accumulate political capital.

"Although it's not appropriate to openly stop them, it's better to pay attention, help, and guide them."

He returned to his desk, summoned his secretary, and gave her instructions:

"Regarding the preliminary preparations for the Linxian water diversion project, the prefectural committee's attitude is: to pay close attention and strengthen guidance."

"Make sure they follow the procedures strictly, especially that they don't affect the current autumn grain production task and don't violate financial discipline. You should pass on this message."

He specifically emphasized the key words "closely monitor", "strictly follow procedures", "do not affect production", and "do not violate discipline".

The secretary was no pushover either; she instantly understood, shedding her open attack and preparing a covert one.

The so-called "attention" is surveillance, "guidance" is fault-finding, and "procedure" and "discipline" are the best ropes. As long as Lin Jie and Lin Hao make the slightest mistake in any link, he can seize it immediately, and then even Secretary Fang will not be able to say anything.

After the secretary left, Deputy Secretary Yu sat back in his chair, a cold smile playing on his lips.

He wanted to see how far Lin Jie and Lin Hao could run on this "rules" track that he himself had drawn.

Anyway, he has plenty of patience and will wait for them to make mistakes on their own.

The top priority right now is to ensure that the data for the autumn harvest and replanting looks good; that's his real "achievement." As for that vague and uncertain irrigation canal, we'll just have to wait and see.

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In the evening, Lin Jie returned from the provincial capital. Although he was travel-worn, he looked radiant.

He immediately called Lin Hao to his office, his fatigue barely concealing his excitement.

"Xiao Lin, good news!" Lin Jie grabbed the enamel mug on the table, gulped down a mouthful of cool water, wiped his mouth, and said:
"Secretary Fang has made it clear that he supports our plan to divert water from the Zhang River into the forest!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Hao's spirits lifted, and he asked, "That's great! How much funding and equipment can the province allocate to us?"

Mentioning this, Lin Jie's excited expression subsided somewhat. He put down the jar and sighed:
"This is another aspect I want to discuss. Although the province supports it in principle, funds are indeed very tight at the moment, and large-scale allocations cannot be expected for the time being."

"Secretary Fang also made it clear that the province's opinions are not yet fully unified. Some comrades may think that our project is too big and the risks are too high, and they are not willing to support it. Therefore, Secretary Fang's idea is to let us rely on our own efforts."

Seeing Lin Hao's brows furrow slightly, Lin Jie changed the subject, his tone becoming firm again:
"However, Secretary Fang gave us support. He agreed to personally step in and help us communicate and coordinate with the Shanxi side."

"We want to ensure that our preliminary personnel survey and measurement work can proceed smoothly, and that it will not be hindered like it was last time when we were searching for water."

"Moreover, he allowed us to immediately begin comprehensive preliminary preparations, including training, precise measurements, and final route determination, which was equivalent to us receiving a royal decree!"

He walked to the window and pointed to the Linxian county town in the twilight:

"In other words, the higher-ups gave us the green light and allowed us to build this canal."

"However, we still have to rely on ourselves for tangible things like food, tools, and explosives!"

Lin Hao instantly understood his current situation; these obstacles were ones he had overlooked in the real world.

However, this small matter did not stump Lin Hao. On the contrary, he believed that it was both a huge challenge and a rare opportunity.

The support from the province has cleared away the biggest political obstacle and is already the greatest support, even though it requires bearing a heavy economic burden!

But once this canal is repaired, the benefits will far outweigh this burden. Not to mention anything else, it will increase arable land by more than 500,000 mu. Compared to that, this amount of money is really nothing.

"Fortunately, we were prepared!" Lin Jie turned around, a hint of the tenacity and cunning of a veteran guerrilla fighter on his face.

"In recent years, we have tightened our belts and the county has managed to save up some resources."

Lin Hao nodded upon hearing this. He did know this, from information he had gathered from later generations.

This "assets" include a total of 3000 million jin of reserve grain, which Linxian County accumulated during the bumper harvests of the previous years.

This is also the root of the conflict between Lin Jie and Deputy Secretary Yu, because these grains are indeed stored in the warehouse.

Another "assets" were misappropriated. Previously, the state had allocated funds, and Linxian had 300 million yuan in a special account. Later, this money was secretly used by Linxian for the Zhang River Diversion Project.

That's why Lin Jie wanted three million in funding.

Although three million was not enough to build the main canal, the construction of such a large-scale project was not simply a matter of paying wages, but rather calculating work points, which were then used to offset grain costs.

The three million yuan was mainly used for raw materials for explosives, steel, coal, tools, and the salaries of technical personnel.

At this moment, Lin Jie breathed a sigh of relief, and then said confidently:
"With the grain reserves we have prepared, we can continue to improve our tools using rudimentary methods. We can also find ways to smelt the substandard steel from back then. Although it is unusable for national defense, it is more than enough to build irrigation canals."

"As for the explosives, let's think of a way; we can solve part of the problem."

"The most crucial thing now is people. You must plan the route carefully and mark it out inch by inch on the Taihang Mountains!"

"According to your plan, the drop in elevation is only one meter for every 8 kilometers of irrigation canal. If there is any problem anywhere, the water will not be able to be brought in!"

"Therefore, we must attach great importance to the training of construction technicians and quickly transform these promising talents in our training program into capable technical backbones!"

His gaze was fixed intently on Lin Hao:
"Xiao Lin, the heavy responsibility now rests on your shoulders and that of the technical team."

Only by demonstrating our solid preparations and unwavering determination to everyone can we gain more support and silence all dissent!

Lin Hao took a deep breath, feeling the heavy responsibility on his shoulders, but even more so, an unprecedented sense of motivation.

Obstacles are being cleared, roads are being paved, and although it is still difficult, the goal has never been clearer.

"I understand, Secretary Lin!" Lin Hao then added:
"I have an idea that can not only reflect the progress of our project, but also inspire people and make it easier to gain support from superiors!"

"Oh! What method?" Lin Hao smiled and said:

"We will concentrate our efforts on the 20-kilometer canal in Shanxi. We will build a section of the canal and then let the water flow through it. We will use the water flow to promote canal construction and encourage the masses."

"Secretary Lin, just imagine how exhilarating it would be for the people of Linxian when the surging waters of the Zhuozhang River flow to the edge of Linxian and the waves crash against the gates of Linxian."

"Even if the entire project of diverting water from the Zhang River to Lin County takes three to five years to complete, it will not dampen the enthusiasm of the people to continue building the canal!"

Lin Hao's rosy picture immediately caught Lin Jie's eye, and he instantly understood the benefits of doing so! As night deepened, under the lights of the county committee compound, the two figures were still meticulously planning with the map in hand.

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After a month of preparation, and in order to save time, Lin Hao led 130 construction technicians to conduct on-site inspections along the main canal.

He also led the trainees to drive piles into the areas along the line where excavation was needed, to prevent the problems seen in TV dramas, where the lines become blurred due to the long time involved, leading to rework.

In fact, Lin Hao had prepared a second plan, but if the original plan was fine, he did not want to use the second plan.

Lin Hao thus conducted on-site teaching while simultaneously setting up foundation piles along the route.

Four kilometers from Fentouling, at the temporary camp, everyone looked exhausted from days of trekking and surveying.

Although everyone was exhausted, they were in an exceptionally cheerful mood. However, Shui Lian and Gu Xiufang were somewhat worried.

"Shuilian, we're almost out of food, what are we going to do?" Xiufang said in a worried whisper.

"Let's gather more wild vegetables and roots!" Shui Lian said, gritting her teeth after a moment's thought.
"If all else fails, we women should eat less to make up for the main force of the exploration team!"

Just then, the exhausted exploration team returned to camp one after another.

"You're back? Dinner's ready." Shui Lian, who was busy at the makeshift stove, looked up and gave Lin Hao, Shi Shuisheng, and the others who had returned from the survey a warm smile.

Shi Shuisheng leaned the heavy measuring tape against the rock, plopped down on the ground, rubbed his sore shoulders, and asked, "Sis, what are we eating today?"

"I made wild vegetable dumpling soup today!" Shui Lian replied while stirring the thin soup in the pot with a wooden spoon.

There was a hint of guilt in his tone, after all, so many people were climbing up and down the mountain every day, which was very hard work.

But there wasn't even a speck of oil in the pot, and there was very little grain either; only a few wild vegetable leaves were bubbling around.

"It smells delicious!" Shui Sheng leaned closer to the pot, sniffed exaggeratedly, trying to inject some vitality into his dull and arduous life.

"Here you go, brother." Shui Lian ladled out the first bowl, which was so clear and watery that you could almost see your reflection in it, and handed it to her older brother, Shi Shuisheng.

"Sis, can you get me something good?" Shui Sheng looked at the bowl, licked his lips, and complained half-jokingly.

"That won't do. Everyone is treated the same; there can't be any special treatment!"

"Fine!" Shui Sheng said with a helpless expression.

When everyone had finished fighting, their actions were noticeably different when they were serving soup to Lin Hao.

She carefully scooped out the few, slightly thicker pieces of wild vegetables and dough from the pot into a bowl before presenting it to Lin Hao with both hands.

Lin Hao was focused on recording the day's data in his notebook when he saw this. He quickly put it down, took the bowl that Shui Lian handed him, and then smiled and said:
"Thank you, Shui Lian!"

"Oh, Brother Lin Hao, your shoes are all worn out. Are your feet hurting?" Shui Lian's gaze fell on Lin Hao's cloth shoes, which were already worn out, and her tone was full of undisguised heartache.

Lin Hao replied nonchalantly, "It's alright."

"I'll mend them for you later!" Shui Lian said softly yet firmly. "Just wear the shoes I gave you before!"

"No need, it's too much trouble for you!" Lin Hao finally looked up and met Shui Lian's concerned gaze, feeling a little apologetic.

Shui Lian, however, slightly raised her chin, with a sense of pride and responsibility in participating in a great cause, and said:
“I’ve come with you to do things that you men can’t do.”

She paused, a hint of stubbornness in her eyes, and said, "Are you saying you don't support my work?"

Seeing her earnest expression, Lin Hao's heart stirred, and he couldn't bring himself to refuse. He could only smile helplessly.
"Okay, I'll go into the tent and take it off for you."

"Okay!" A satisfied smile immediately appeared on Shui Lian's face, as if she had won a small battle.

While Lin Hao went to change his shoes, Gu Xiufang quietly approached Shui Lian, raised her eyebrows, and said:
"Shui Lian is amazing! He listens to you now!"

Seeing Xiufang's improper expression, Shuilian blushed instantly, then suppressed her inner turmoil and said:

"Maybe it's because the measurements have gone smoothly lately, and I'm in a better mood!"

Upon hearing this, Xiufang, reflecting on the past month or so, said with some emotion:

"That's right, the hardest part is finally over!"

"I used to think that technicians just wrote and drew in the office, but I didn't expect that they would have to climb up and down mountains. It's not easy at all!"

"Let's eat!" Seeing Lin Hao change into the shoes she had given him, her mood instantly brightened.

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Meanwhile, in the Linxian County Party Committee office, everyone was discussing Lin Hao's training of students.

"Old Luo, tell me. Lin Hao's surveying team has been in the mountains for over a month now, and it's time to send them supplies again. What's the situation inside?"

Director Luo of the Water Resources Bureau immediately sat up straight, his face showing a mixture of concern and pride as he reported:

"Secretary Lin, I've been keeping an eye on the situation. Conditions in the mountains are really tough, but according to the team members who came out to receive supplies, everyone is incredibly motivated!"

“Especially those young men who came out of the training courses, they followed Xiao Lin to climb mountains and ridges during the day and study blueprints and calculate data around the campfire at night. No one complained.”

"Why? Because they saw the water of the Zhuozhang River with their own eyes, and they were all determined to bring the water over as soon as possible!"

He paused, then pointed to a circled location on the map:
"According to their last report, the survey is progressing faster than expected, and it is now close to the most critical Fentouling section."

At this point, Director Luo looked at Lin Jie, his eyes filled with the earnestness and determination of a veteran:

"Secretary Lin, let me lead the team in this supply delivery!"

"As the director of the water resources bureau, I can't just sit in my office supporting them all the time!" His voice wasn't loud, but it was unusually firm.

"Now that we've reached the toughest point, I need to go to the front lines to comfort my soldiers!"

"As a veteran who has spent half my life in water conservancy, I must be with them at this time!"

A hint of emotion and approval flashed in Lin Jie's eyes. He then habitually stroked his chin and said in a teasing tone:
"How are you going? Empty-handed?"