ryethenovel Chapter 96 One Time, Another Time
Chapter 96 One Time, Another Time
After being in seclusion for more than half a month, Chen Tuo still hadn't received the good news that "New Life" had been published in Huacheng.
The reason I stopped writing in seclusion was neither because I had finished writing "Blood Wolf Dog" nor because I had run out of inspiration.
Instead, they were blocked at the door by Secretary Wei of the Forestry Bureau and Director Chu of Wangfeng Forest Farm.
Director Chu of Wangfeng Forest Farm is the same person Wu Laowai refers to as Blind Chu, the father of Chu Maolin, who is all talk and no action.
Chen Tuo knew this, but he didn't know why the two old men had come.
"Chen Zhiqing, didn't we agree at the post office that the Forestry Bureau would take a look at your manuscript?"
Chu Mingshan, who got straight to the point with Chen Tuo upon meeting him, did not stay at Wangfeng Forest Farm, but instead stayed at Songling.
Because Wei Juncheng was about to take up a post in the provincial forestry system, Chu Mingshan wanted to stand guard at Songling until the very end.
Unlike Wei Juncheng, who is strategic in his work, Chu Mingshan is domineering in his actions.
The old man, who was not taken seriously by Chen Tuo at the educated youth settlement, was truly renowned in the forest farm north of Songling.
As his name suggests, Chu Mingshan was capable of conquering any mountain range as long as he led the team.
Now, old comrade-in-arms Wei Juncheng is about to be promoted, but Songling has produced a hot potato like Chen Tuo.
According to Chu Mingshan, he should be expelled from Songling directly.
As a result, Wei Juncheng's strategic maneuvering attracted the attention of the Provincial State Farms Administration.
Although he was just a propaganda officer, he was actually an editor for the Beidahuang Literature and Art Bureau, controlling the mouthpiece of the Agricultural Reclamation Bureau.
And Chen Tuo is no longer as down on his luck as he was more than half a month ago.
Black leather boots, riding breeches, a cowhide belt with double copper buckles, a cotton-padded jacket with a fleece sweater—even the cadres and staff of the forestry system weren't dressed as extravagantly as he was.
A pair of Soviet-style leather boots and a Soviet-style cowhide belt would normally cost an average worker about half a year's salary.
Looking into the gatehouse of the educated youth settlement, there were rifles and cannons, and they were even hung on the wall with deer antlers.
The eighteen knives are hanging in a crisscross pattern, and around them are American M1 military knives and Ka-Bar military knives.
There are also Soviet-style umbrella-handled swords, Type 65 capture swords, Type 65 umbrella-handled swords, and early versions of the Type 56.5 with pointed bayonets.
Wei Juncheng and Chu Mingshan had not only seen most of these instruments, but had also actually used them on the battlefield.
"A scholar should be viewed with new eyes after three days' absence"—this is a phrase that both Wei Juncheng and Chu Mingshan often used.
However, the two were very reluctant to attribute this to Chen Tuo, but they had no choice but to view him in this way.
"Didn't Hong Ye show it to you? Or did the post office staff not tell you?"
The two old men were lying through their teeth, so Chen Tuo decided to ignore them.
Besides "The Fish-Catching Chronicles," he also had Hong Ye send him several essays and miscellaneous notes about "Wolverine in the Forest," "Otter Granary," and "Stalking of the Ice Wolf."
Although he didn't explicitly ask the Forestry Bureau to take a look, the manuscript that Hong Ye brought back couldn't be kept from the post office staff.
It's impossible that Lao Wei and Lao Chu in front of him hadn't read his manuscripts.
"Chen, now that we have this opportunity, would you be willing to come to the Forestry Bureau's Publicity Department? We'll take care of your identity and household registration issues."
Seeing that Chu Mingshan was about to press for more information, Wei Juncheng stepped forward and presented the compromise solution that the Forestry Bureau had just developed the previous night.
When the people from the Provincial State Farms Administration arrived, Songling had to give Chen Tuo an explanation.
If you really get to the bottom of it, his status as a sent-down youth is definitely not fake.
Chu Maolin had previously informed them that no such person existed, but this was only done through a phone inquiry.
If the Forestry Bureau and the State Farms Bureau were to send people over, the outcome would certainly be different.
Although the educated youth who went to the countryside went their separate ways, how could they not find out a person's past if they really wanted to investigate?
However, investigating it is not a simple matter.
Whether it's possible to investigate, how easy it is to investigate, and who is being investigated—these are all questions.
If we really want to investigate, we need to send a highly skilled team, and the costs involved are still a problem.
It's good that they found out he's someone important.
If Chen Tuo is just an ordinary educated youth sent to the countryside, then another problem arises.
Therefore, Songling Forestry Bureau could only choose the option with the fewest problems: acknowledge Chen Tuo's status as an educated youth and arrange a job for him within the Forestry Bureau.
As for the opinions of employees' family members, they can only be reserved for the time being.
"Secretary Wei, if you had asked me this more than two weeks ago, I would have definitely nodded in agreement, but now I don't want to be worn out by work..."
Since Bai Long came down the mountain two days ago and brought him Soviet-style leather boots, belts, socks, and cotton-padded coats, Chen Tuo's situation has changed again.
His Evenki hunting boots, which he designed, have already been taken down the mountain twice by Bai Long, and he is now beginning his third revision.
The scraps used to make the wolfskin coat were also rejected by Chen Tuo.
In addition to Evenki hunting boots, he also designed Evenki hunting attire.
Evenki hunting attire, which combines riding breeches with short coats made of wolf, roe deer, or deerskin, emphasizes a lean and capable design style.
Moreover, it can be distinguished from the traditional clothing of the Evenki, making it immediately recognizable as a hunting outfit.
Wearing hunting attire underneath and a traditional fur coat on top, there is no conflict between the two.
With hunting boots and clothing, hunters increased their investment.
The Soviet-style equipment Chen Tuo was wearing wasn't given to him by Su Dao, but rather by the hunters of Dobukuer in exchange for it.
This means that, in addition to the Xiaoyangqi educated youth settlement, Chen Tuo now has another place to go: the Dobukuer settlement.
If someone from Songling comes out and blocks his way, he can just go up the mountain.
Su Dao was a registered figure in the Songling Armed Forces Department. Wei Juncheng and Chu Mingshan not only knew him, but were also very familiar with him.
The two also had Soviet-style equipment that they had obtained from Su Dao.
Seeing the Suzhou-style leather boots on Chen Tuo's feet and the early model of the Water Beads hanging on the wall, the two knew that Chen Tuo and Su Dao had a close relationship.
It's very difficult for an ordinary person to get a pair of Su-style leather boots from Su Dao.
These combat boots, similar to riding boots, are highly sought after in Hulunbuir; a pair of leather boots can be exchanged for a Mongolian horse.
Chen Tuo, a former educated youth who came to the forest area to connect with the local community, was able to actually go up the mountain, but Wei Juncheng and Chu Mingshan were in a difficult position.
The above means to relocate the hunters down from the mountains and settle down as much as possible.
If Chen Tuo, such a troublesome character, goes up the mountain and causes any more trouble, then it won't be the agricultural reclamation bureau that's coming...
At that time, forestry production in Songling may be affected!
"Chen Zhiqing, can't you write more about the good aspects of the forest area?"
In Chu Mingshan's view, Chen Tuo's descriptions of fishing and hunting were pure nonsense.
This is the Songling Forest Area, where forestry production is the main industry. What are you talking about, fishing or hunting?
This is neglecting one's proper duties!
Moreover, just as Chen Tuo wrote, the workers in the forest area have become increasingly irresponsible in recent years.
Once they made money, they would get guns, and once they got guns, they would go hunting in the mountains.
In recent years, in various mountain areas and hunting grounds, there have been more than a dozen people injured by hunting every year.
If you encounter a stupid person, they might even kill themselves in the mountains.
How many people are there in Songling?
If a dozen or more people get injured every year, and one or two die, it's hard to even file a report!
"I'm writing a story about a bloodhound based on Zhang Taibao, mainly about the duties of forest rangers. Didn't Section Chief Xiao tell you?"
Upon hearing Zhang Er's insults directed at Zhang Dabao, whose new nickname was "Zhang Taibao," Wei Juncheng and Chu Mingshan both wore expressions of utter dismay.
To be honest, his skill in driving and repairing tractors was among the best, not only in Songling, but also in the entire Xing'anling forest area.
The problem is that he's a heavy drinker, and a heavy drinker with no tolerance for alcohol. He gets drunk eight times a day, and the number of accidents he's had in the mountains is countless.
Even though they are just minor accidents like hitting trees or overturning cars, what if someone gets hit?
The forest farm had no choice but to send him down the mountain, and the forestry bureau then made him a handyman.
In Wei Juncheng and Chu Mingshan's eyes, Zhang Taibao had no positive qualities whatsoever, except for his flaws.
To say that he's done everything imaginable—extortion, bribery, swindling, and cheating—wouldn't be an understatement...