Chapter 661 Liu Chuanjun was very surprised

Chapter 661 Liu Chuanjun was very surprised

Those bloodshot yet bright eyes stared at Director Song, like a desert traveler seeing an oasis, or like a child eager to open a present.

"I am anxious because I received your call, right?"

His voice was hoarse and breathless, and his chest was still heaving violently as he spoke, as if he had not yet recovered from the aftereffects of running wildly.

Recalling the good news that Director Song brought him on the phone, his rough big hands unconsciously stroked the wall of the cup. The remaining water droplets on the cup dripped through his fingers, leaving small water marks on the table.

"Old Song, do you know what this news means to our commune? These years, the villagers have been asking for bricks but there is no spare stock. Every time I see their sad faces, I feel like a cat scratching my heart!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly leaned forward, his knees almost touching Director Song's knees, and the mud spots on his overalls left gray marks on the edge of the chair.

His knuckles turned white from exerting so much force. He pointed at the filing cabinet behind Director Song, his tone filled with eagerness and anticipation:

"Show me the document quickly, I need to confirm it! Don't lie to me--"

When he said the last half sentence, there was a hint of childish coquettishness in his voice.

Liu Chuanjun didn't care about his miserable appearance at all at this moment: the crooked straw hat was stuck on the back of his head, revealing his gray hair soaked with sweat.

The collar was open, revealing a wrinkled neck covered with dust from the tractor; the torn trouser legs swayed with the movement, and a red abrasion at the knee was vaguely visible.

But none of these could conceal the blazing light in his eyes, which was the excitement of finally seeing the light of day after pouring countless efforts into the brick factory project.

"Tell me,"

He suddenly sat up straight, reached out and grabbed the pencil on the table, turning it in his palm, and the tip of the pencil tapped out a rapid rhythm on the wooden table.

"If it is approved, where should we choose the factory site? Where should we get the raw materials? We need to contact the equipment as soon as possible. I know a few old friends in the machinery factory..."

A series of questions and plans have already come to my mind impatiently, as if all the blueprints would become reality immediately as long as I saw that document.

Director Song looked at the flames dancing in Liu Chuanjun's eyes and shook his head with both anger and amusement.

He reached out and tugged at his friend's tilted straw hat. His fingertips touched the hard grease on the brim of the hat and he couldn't help but frowned:

"You're almost a grandfather, why are you still suspicious like a child? Can I lie to you about this?"

"When we went to the countryside together, did I ever tell a lie?"

There was a familiar tone of reproach in his voice, but the ending tone softened unconsciously, as if he was coaxing a hot-tempered child.

When he turned to look at Zhao Shuzhuo, Director Song's expression suddenly became serious. He raised his chin towards the filing cabinet:

"Shuzhuo, show that red-headed document to Director Liu, so he can feel at ease."

The sunlight filtered through the window, casting a layer of gold on the white hair at his temples. His tone contained both indulgence towards his old friend and seriousness towards his work.

Zhao Shuzhuo stood up immediately, his dark blue Zhongshan suit trousers were straight and his leather shoes were polished to a shine.

He walked over to the filing cabinet and carefully pulled out a brown paper bag from the top shelf, with the wax seal on the bag still intact.

His fingers trembled slightly as he opened the paper bag, as if he was opening a precious treasure.

This document embodies several months of hard work by the entire commune. From research to submission, every page is soaked with sweat.

"Director Liu, please take a look."

Zhao Shuzhuo respectfully handed over the document with both hands, his fingertips gently supporting the edge of the document, for fear of bending the corners.

On the yellowed paper, the large characters "Approval of the Commune's New Brick Factory Project" are clearly visible. A bright red official seal is stamped on the lower right corner, shining glossily in the sun.

The document lists in detail the factory site planning, funding allocation, construction period requirements, and even the environmental protection measures are clearly written out.

Liu Chuanjun rubbed his work pants hard with his rough palms. There were still water droplets on his fingertips that had slipped down when he drank water just now, and they were gleaming in the spring sunshine.

He suddenly seemed to remember something, and pulled up the hem of his shirt - the fabric had been washed so thin that it was covered with patches - he blew on his palms, and wiped them carefully twice, as if he was treating a rare treasure.

When Zhao Shuzhuo handed over the document with the smell of ink, his fingertips trembled slightly, and his calloused knuckles rubbed against the paper, making a slight "rustling" sound.

The room was so quiet that one could hear the ticking of the wall clock. Liu Chuanjun's reading glasses had slipped to the tip of his nose, and he had to look up frequently to see over the top of the lenses while reading the contents of the document word by word.

The sunlight slanted across his brow bone, casting a shadow on his eye sockets, but it could not cover up the light that was growing brighter in his eyes.

When he saw the words "Agree to allocate Jianye Farm's wasteland for construction", his Adam's apple rolled violently and his fingers tapped heavily on the paper:

"Yeah!"

The voice was heavy like earth, yet also had a bit of childish excitement.

When he turned to the page about equipment procurement, he suddenly let out a "huh" sound, his fingertips ran over the words "semi-automatic brick-making machine", and the wrinkles at the corners of his mouth relaxed.

The past suddenly came flooding back like a tide - twenty years ago, he and a dozen workers worked hard in the old brick factory, relying on the most primitive manual brick-making method. For many nights, he squatted in front of the kiln to watch the fire, and the cigarette ash dyed his beard black.

At this moment, his fingers were stroking the words on the paper, and suddenly he reached out to wipe the corners of his eyes, not knowing whether it was because of the stinging sunlight or the memory of those sleepless days and nights.

"Hahahaha!"

A hearty laugh suddenly broke out, startling the sparrows on the locust tree outside the window and causing them to flutter into flight. Liu Chuanjun slapped his thighs and stood up. The dust on his overalls fell off, but it couldn't hide the red glow on his face.

"Brother Guohua, you really didn't lie to me!"

He reached out and hit Director Song on the shoulder. The latter was shocked and took a half step back, but he also started laughing.

Liu Chuanjun turned to Wang Jianguo and Zhao Shuzhuo, and slapped their shoulders with his greasy hands, causing wrinkles in the young men's Zhongshan suits:

"Look at you two young comrades! When I first said, 'The commune must have a new brick factory,' many people shook their heads and said, 'Young people, what do you know?' But you two actually got it done!"

He suddenly paced around the room with his hands behind his back, his Liberation Shoes making a clacking sound on the ground, just like an old general attending a military parade.

When he reached the window, he suddenly stopped. The sunlight outlined his slightly hunched back, but it couldn't stop him from raising his hand to gesture with momentum:

"Back then, your uncle Song and I pushed a wheelbarrow to deliver bricks. We climbed the ten-mile slope one by one, and our shoulders were covered with blisters."

"Now, you young people have brains and are enterprising. Once this fully automatic equipment is installed..."