Zhao Shiwu, with Su Changshun trailing closely behind, strode with purposeful steps down the corridor of the Rolling Mill's administration building.
Su Changshun followed behind, clutching the propaganda posters tightly to his chest. While he appeared calm on the outside, his palms were slightly slick with sweat, praying that nothing would go wrong at this very last step!
Arriving at the end of the second-floor hallway outside a door bearing the sign "Director's Office," Zhao Shiwu took a deep breath, straightened the collar of his four-pocket cadre tunic, and raised his hand to rap firmly three times, his knuckles striking the wood with a clear, resonant sound.
"Come in!"
A slightly authoritative voice, full of vigor, rang out from within.
Zhao Shiwu pushed the door open and stepped inside, with Su Changshun following right behind him.
The director's office was spacious and bright. Behind a somewhat weathered large desk sat Director Yang, the man in charge of production at the Rolling Mill.
In his late forties, his hair was combed meticulously without a single stray strand, possessing a square face and a pair of sharp, penetrating eyes that carried the steady, poised demeanor of someone who had held a high position for a long time.
Files were spread out before him, and an enamel mug at his elbow was still curling with wisps of hot steam.
"Old Zhao? Coming over at this hour—is something urgent?" Director Yang looked up, his gaze pausing briefly on Su Changshun with a questioning look. Clearly, he was a bit surprised to see an unfamiliar young man tagging along.
"Director! It is urgent! And it's wonderful news! An extraordinary piece of great news!" The smile on Zhao Shiwu's face was practically bursting at the seams. He took two quick steps forward and, throwing all formality aside, eagerly spread Su Changshun's paintings right across the director's desk, neatly covering the documents that had been lying there.
"Take a look, Director! Just look at these drawings! I've lived for the better part of a century, and I've never seen propaganda art with this much punch!" Zhao Shiwu pointed at *Army-Civilian Fish-Water Affection*, spraying a fine mist of saliva that nearly landed on the artwork itself. "Look at the emotion in this! Simple! Sincere! An ordinary villager handing over a bowl of water, a soldier wiping away sweat—just looking at it warms your heart! It's a hundred times better than shouting dry slogans about the army and the people being like one family!"
He flipped over to *Safety Production Above All Else*. "And look at this one! How prominent is the theme? That pair of eyes under the hard hat—they're locked onto the operating procedures like a welded seam! Look at that safety awareness! Do we still need to hold meetings and read documents to emphasize it? If our worker brothers glance at this poster even once, who would dare violate the rules? And look at this one, *Industrial Learning from Daqing*—this spirit of twisting everyone together into a single rope! Absolutely majestic!"
Acting like a fanatical devotee, Zhao Shiwu babbled on enthusiastically, rattling off the merits of every single piece as if these paintings were his own flesh and blood.
Director Yang's gaze initially held a touch of annoyance at being interrupted in his work, but as his eyes fell upon the bold yet immensely vibrant lines of the artwork, that irritation gradually gave way to astonishment and appreciation.
He leaned forward slightly, his fingers gently brushing over the bowl of water and the rough skin texture depicted in *Army-Civilian Fish-Water Affection*, before lingering for a long moment over the sweeping grandeur of the collective portraits of workers in *Industrial Learning from Daqing*.
His brows first knitted together, then slowly smoothed out, his eyes growing brighter and brighter!
"Mmm..." Director Yang let out a long hum from deep in his throat after a moment, filled with heartfelt approval. He looked up at Zhao Shiwu, a smile finally appearing on his face as his voice softened considerably. "Old Zhao, I have to hand it to you—these drawings really are something special! They break the mold! They have real power! They strike a chord with people! Where did you dig these up? Are they new works by professors from the Academy of Fine Arts? Or did our factory discover another hidden talent?" He completely ignored the documents that had been pressed underneath the papers.
Hearing this, Zhao Shiwu straightened his back even further and gave Su Changshun, who was standing quietly to the side, a push forward by half a step. "Director! He's right here in front of you! This young man drew them! His name is Su Changshun... er, he's a neighbor from the courtyard where He Yuzhu and the others from our factory's back kitchen live!"
"Oh? He drew them?" Director Yang was truly surprised now, fixing a piercing, burning gaze on Su Changshun.
The young man before him was in his early twenties, dressed in an old, washed-faded outfit, yet his eyes were exceptionally clear and composed, carrying instead an unruffled, poised demeanor.
"Young comrade, did you draw these?" Director Yang's voice carried a hint of testing.
"Reporting to the Director!" Su Changshun's voice was clear and ringing, neither servile nor overbearing. "I drew them. I taught myself a bit in the past, and I just wanted to use a somewhat more rugged yet... more powerful way to express the spirit and drive of our workers and the directives from above, making them more direct and fitting. My drawing is crude, and I hope the Director will forgive my poor skills." He deliberately emphasized the spirit of the workers and the higher directives to demonstrate his worth.
"Self-taught? And you can reach this level?" Director Yang nodded, his appreciation growing even deeper as he tapped his fingers on the drawings spread across the desk. "Not bad! Extremely good! Your train of thought is spot on! Propaganda has to be like this—something people understand at a glance, something that moves them the moment they see it! It's a hundred times better than empty slogans! Old Zhao, your eye for talent is good this time! This kind of talent is a powerful addition to our factory's propaganda work. I'm all for it!"
Hearing the word "support," the heavy rock in Zhao Shiwu's chest finally plummeted back into place, and he started to break into a wide grin.
Yet Director Yang's tone suddenly shifted, bringing back that shred of principled caution and a factory director's sense of responsibility as his brows furrowed slightly. "However... Old Zhao, you know how our factory's recruitment process works. The state has policies, and the Ministry of Labor has quotas; we either have to go through the normal recruitment planning quotas or recruit openly from society and select the best candidates. Special recruitment... does exist, but it has a broad scope. It's easy enough with our superior departments—we just draft a report—but the labor bureau requires a special application explaining the necessity of such exceptional talent, and it has to go through filing and review..."
He picked up his enamel mug and took a sip of tea. "Procedurally, it's quite troublesome; it's not something that can be approved in a day or two." As he spoke, he swept another glance at Su Changshun, his expression a complex mixture of cherishing talent and being forced to respect the rules.
The smile on Zhao Shiwu's face froze.
"Director!" Zhao Shiwu panicked, his protective instincts surging instantly. His voice rose by a few decibels, and he was practically ready to slam his desk. "Troublesome?! My dear Director! Even if it's troublesome, we have to get it done! This matter cannot wait! Just look at these drawings! And then look at all that lifeless junk other factories paste up! What level is our propaganda department at right now? Is it okay to just dawdle along like traditional ink-wash paintings? We need to snatch up talent! We need to grab them first! A talent like Su Changshun—he's a scarce resource!"
He patted those few drawings, his emotions running high. "Would you believe it? If we hesitate for a single day today, and this news leaks out tomorrow, what about other factories? The Sub-district Office? Those guys have noses sharper than dogs! In the blink of an eye, they'll poach him away! By then, their propaganda will be booming while we're left clutching an old calendar and staring blankly! The soup will be completely cold by the time I tell you! Where on earth are we going to find another artist who understands our workers' minds this well and can bring policies to life with his brush?"
Zhao Shiwu was red in the face, bearing down heavily on the word "artist" while a shower of fine spittle nearly flew straight into Director Yang's mug.
Pelted by this rapid-fire barrage, Director Yang leaned back slightly, his face caught between exasperation and amusement, but his eyes were deep in serious thought.
What Zhao Shiwu said was rough around the edges, but it made complete sense—propaganda truly needed this kind of novelty and impact. Looking at those drawings and then at the calm, steady Su Changshun standing beside them, the scale in his heart tilted decisively.
"Alright, alright," Director Yang said, setting down his enamel mug and raising a hand to halt Zhao Shiwu, who looked ready to keep fighting. "You make sense, and talent is hard to come by. We can't drag our feet, and even less can we let someone else beat us to the punch."
After pondering for a moment, he finally made his ruling: "Here is what we'll do! We'll follow the rules for the special recruitment procedure; we can't throw that into disorder. But," he turned his gaze to Su Changshun, his eyes growing sharp and resolute, "Comrade Changshun, talent cannot be wasted! Starting today, you are officially counted as part of our factory! Old Zhao, take him in over at the Propaganda Section first! We'll put his establishment through the special channel and start him off with the status of... a temporary worker!"
The moment those words dropped, the office fell quiet for a split second. Su Changshun felt a jolt in his chest; his expression remained unchanged, but his breathing hitched ever so slightly. Shazhu's boast last night about him being cadre material—was it half-dashed now? Downgraded to a temporary worker? What a drop...
Then he heard Director Yang continue: "Don't misunderstand, Comrade Changshun. It's not that we don't value your ability. It's just that the approval for special recruitment quotas requires a proper procedural timeline, and the labor bureau has regulations that can't be rushed. You come into the factory first and work under Old Zhao, doing whatever needs to be done. As for your salary and benefits... we'll grant you the highest tier for temporary workers right off the bat! Once Old Zhao and I submit the special talent application report to the labor bureau and coordinate things on their end, the official approval document will come down! The very second it does, immediately—right away—we'll convert you into a regular, permanent worker! Not a single day of the benefits you deserve will be withheld!"
Director Yang spoke with absolute decisiveness, looking at Su Changshun with burning eyes. "What do you think, Comrade Changshun? The factory definitely needs this brush of yours! We won't treat you unfairly!"
The promise from a "temporary worker" to a "regular worker"! This was both a comforting reassurance and a comprehensive, all-in-one compromise!
Su Changshun didn't understand the recruitment practices of this era; he had assumed a single word from the director could get him hired on the spot. In reality, special recruitment paperwork was complicated! For the director to keep him on and agree to file the application—this level of effort was already the absolute limit of what could be achieved right now. What more could he ask for? Was he supposed to demand that the director break the rules right then and there?
He immediately stood straight as a ramrod, his face showing sincere gratitude and determination: "Thank you, Director! Thank you, Section Chief Zhao, for your trust! Being able to enter the Rolling Mill and contribute to the nation's construction is my honor! Whether I'm a temporary worker or a regular worker, I will work just the same! I will never let down the kind affection and care of the Director and the Section Chief! I guarantee I will complete the mission!"
His declaration was resounding and powerful, his attitude modest and proactive—he would dive into the work first! Whatever his status, he was already in!
These words warmed Director Yang's heart even more! The way he looked at Su Changshun was full of admiration—the young man understood boundaries, knew when to advance and retreat, grasped the bigger picture, didn't complain about circumstances, and knew how to plant his roots firmly first! This was a man of action!
"Good!" Director Yang gave the desk a heavy slap. "Old Zhao! The man is handed over to you! As for the paperwork, I will personally follow up on it! Make sure you settle Comrade Changshun in properly! He starts work today!"
Zhao Shiwu was so overjoyed he practically jumped. "Understood! Director! Rest assured! I guarantee he'll shine and make a huge contribution!" He excitedly grabbed Su Changshun's arm. "Let's go, Comrade Changshun! Back to the Propaganda Section with me! We're starting our planning right now!"
Even though being a temporary worker had slight imperfections, this had been personally approved and guaranteed by the director himself! It was a done deal! He could already envision the scene of the Propaganda Section, backed by Su Changshun's brilliant brush, holding its head high and winning pride within the ministry and even across the entire city!