Chapter 00001: Chen Qi
# Chen Qi
Chapter 1
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 1: Chen Qi
As people grow older, they come to realize that sometimes even having a good bowel movement can be a source of pride.
It was the spring of 1979.
Chen Qi adjusted his pants and stepped out of the public toilet in Menkuang Hutong, feeling quite satisfied as he drew a small circle in the air.
He had just had a particularly smooth and satisfying bowel movement, leaving him feeling refreshed and content.
His 19-year-old heart was pumping blood vigorously, and his yet-to-be-opened spongy tissue was stirring with excitement under the pressure from his abdomen—a long-lost sensation!
It was 9 a.m., already past the usual work hours, and the hutong was unusually quiet.
This was a small alley, a hundred meters long and three meters wide, tucked away inconspicuously within the bustling Dashilan area.
But thirty years ago, this place was famous for its street food.
The braised beef from Fushunzhai, the fried pancakes from Ruibinlou, the old tofu from the Kang family, along with Niangao Qian, Baodu Feng, and Baozi Yang, all contributed to making Dashilan the most vibrant part of the capital.
Chen Qi walked a few steps and arrived at the entrance of No. 12 courtyard, where a sign read: Xinhua Bookstore Dormitory.
This place used to be the residence of Zhang Henshui, a renowned writer.
The compound had seven inner courtyards and was exceptionally spacious.
Zhang Henshui lived here for three years and wrote his famous novel The Golden Family before moving to Nanjing.
Over time, the courtyard changed hands multiple times and eventually became a dormitory.
As a dormitory, it was naturally chaotic.
Dozens of families shared the same water supply, and makeshift coal sheds and storage rooms were scattered everywhere.
The clatter of pots and pans, along with the constant noise of daily life, filled the air.
The so-called "human touch" is often romanticized by those who can afford to look down from above.
But if you're living in the midst of it, you wouldn't find it beautiful at all...
Chen Qi wasn't used to living in this rundown place.
His parents were both at work, so he entered his home, washed his hands, and splashed some water on his face.
In the mirror adorned with the "East is Red" motif, a young man's reflection stared back at him.
His hair wasn't styled in the fashionable parted look of the time but was cut short, standing up like spikes.
His eyes were bright, and his lips were slightly thin, adding a touch of rebellion to his handsome face.
At 178 cm tall, he was quite tall for the era.
How tall was that?
Well, Aaron Kwok was around 165 cm, Andy Lau was 169 cm, Jacky Cheung was 173 cm, and Leon Lai, at 179 cm, was considered a real giant.
If you thought the other three were tall, it was because they always wore specially made shoe inserts...
"Chen Qi?"
"Chen Qi?"
A sudden shout came from outside, and a girl rushed in.
She had short hair that reached her ears, a round apple-like face, and rough skin.
She was tall, wearing a set of old gray cotton clothes and black cloth shoes with red soles—her feet were at least a size 41.
"Why are you still dawdling? Hurry up, we have a meeting to attend!"
"I don't want to go."
He lazily wanted to lie down for a bit longer.
"If you keep this up, I'll criticize you. How come you've become such a negative and backward person since returning to the city? Comrade Chen Qi, pull yourself together! Don't give up just because of temporary difficulties. The organization will arrange work for us!"
"Comrade Huang Zhanying, don't worry about our revolutionary friendship. Just let me wallow in my misery..."
"Enough nonsense, let's go!"
Huang Zhanying had a loud voice and even greater strength.
She yanked him up.
Chen Qi had no choice but to slowly put on his jacket and slip on a pair of black cloth shoes with red soles.
They each mounted their "28-inch" bicycles and rode out of the hutong.
As they emerged, they were greeted by the sight of Dashilan, which was slowly regaining its vitality.
They zigzagged through the streets, heading east along Zhushikou Avenue.
The capital in 1979 felt like a series of old photographs slowly passing by.
The sky was gray, and the streets seemed unusually wide due to the sparse traffic.
Bicycles rode proudly in the middle of the road, flanked by low, dilapidated buildings.
The streets were lined with countless telephone poles and wires, and the crowd was a sea of dull colors—blue, gray, and military green—with only the white uniforms of the police adding a touch of brightness.
Along the sides of the road, people were planting trees at regular intervals.
A couple of years earlier, the United Nations Environment Programme had declared that Beijing was a city on the edge of desertification.
This was a fact, as the spring sandstorms were particularly severe.
This year, another massive sandstorm had swept through, turning the sky yellow.
Xinhua News Agency had even published an article titled Sandstorms Close in on the Capital.
Coinciding with the Fifth National High-Level Officials' Meeting, March 12th was designated as National Tree Planting Day.
This was the first year of the initiative, and the entire city was planting poplar trees.
As a result, the spring season not only brought sandstorms but also an abundance of poplar and willow catkins...
After riding about five kilometers, they arrived at the east side of the Temple of Heaven, where a building stood:
The Chongwen District Workers' Club!
"So many people?"
"All the unemployed youth from this batch must be here!"
"It's called 'awaiting employment' now!"
"Right, awaiting employment... Seems like they're inventing new terms these days."
Chen Qi muttered to himself as he looked at the sea of people in front of him.
It was so crowded that it was hard to squeeze through.
The crowd was mostly young men and women, all looking rather downcast and dressed in outdated clothing.
They kept glancing around, waiting for the club to open.
Huang Zhanying was an extrovert, completely unfamiliar with the concept of social anxiety.
She grabbed a thin, bespectacled young man and asked, "Comrade, we just arrived. Have you heard any news?"
"I actually did hear something..."
The young man was eager to share and lowered his voice.
"I heard that our batch is part of a pilot program. They're going to start with us and set up production and service cooperatives."
"Cooperatives? Those are collective units!"
Huang Zhanying's eyes widened, and her already large eyeballs seemed about to pop out.
She also lowered her voice.
"That's no good. Collective units have low wages, poor benefits, and no perks. Plus, people will laugh at us."
"Hey, you were all high and mighty back at my place. Why are you being so practical now?" Chen Qi interjected.
"If it were a formal unit, I'd even be willing to clean toilets. But collective units aren't formal. Don't laugh at me—you're in the same boat. Can your parents afford to lose face like that?"
"I don't care..."
As they were talking, the crowd began to stir, pushing forward in waves.
Someone shouted to maintain order as the club doors finally opened.
Huang Zhanying dragged him inside, charging through like a fierce warrior.
They managed to keep up and finally entered the building.
Inside was a large hall that could hold a thousand people, with two levels and a stage at the front for events or movie screenings.
A banner hung across the stage: "Government Meeting on Solving Youth Employment Issues!"
They found a spot to sit down.
Soon, several leaders took the stage, and the meeting officially began.
In early 1979, there were 20 million people nationwide awaiting employment, including over 10 million educated youths, 2.3 million urban idle laborers, and 1.05 million graduates from universities, technical schools, and demobilized soldiers...
The situation in the capital was particularly dire, with 400,000 unemployed youths, averaging one unemployed person per 2.7 households.
This ratio was terrifying!
Even more so than the post-pandemic era.
Many people have a stereotypical impression of this era, thinking that if you did well in school, graduating from a technical school would guarantee you a job...
And yes, jobs were assigned, but only if there were enough positions available.
The "Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside" movement had started in the 1950s, essentially to alleviate the employment pressure caused by the first population boom.
Later, when these educated youths returned to the cities, they overlapped with the second population boom, creating a large number of unemployed youths.
These young people, full of energy but without jobs, wandered the streets, getting into fights and causing trouble, making them a highly unstable factor.
Thus, finding employment for them was the nation's top priority this year.
The leaders on stage droned on, but Chen Qi summed it up in three points:
1. Parents could retire early, allowing their children to take over their jobs.
2. Government agencies and units would take on a certain number of unemployed youths, hiring them as long-term temporary workers.
The idea was to have two people do one person's job and five people share three people's meals.
3. Develop collective ownership economies, open up more opportunities, and relax employment restrictions.
"Children taking over jobs, temporary work, slacking off at work, flexible employment... So this is where it all started!"
"The service industry was basically dead, so of course there were no jobs. They had to revive the service sector!"
"Then came the third population boom in the late '90s, followed by university expansion... Life was simpler in the future, with live streaming, food delivery, and ride-hailing apps all in one place."
Chen Qi chuckled to himself, but then his thoughts turned somber as he sighed.
"Ah, the short dramas flopped..."
"Here I am, a successful man worth tens of millions, stuck in this shabby hutong, emptying chamber pots. Where's the justice in that?"
Indeed, he was an outsider in this era.
Truth be told, he didn't want to be here at all.
The future was so much better—there was Wi-Fi, Bilibili, Douyin, food delivery, high-speed trains...
You didn't even need to leave your house to order a prostitute; they'd fly in from anywhere in the country.
Even Xiaomi was making cars now, with Lei Jun personally opening the door for you...
In his previous life, Chen Qi had lived into his forties.
He was a veteran internet user who had been active since the BBS days.
He had worked odd jobs in his youth, then started his own business.
He was a notable figure on Weibo, with a combined following of over ten million across his short video platforms.
He had invested in TV dramas, done live-streaming sales, and even slept with internet celebrities and cosplayers.
He wasn't at the top, but he was doing better than most, and most importantly, he didn't have to slave away for others.
His journey had been full of ups and downs, and he had barely made it through the pandemic.
The overall situation wasn't great, and even Jia Ling's weight loss had become national news.
He had made some shady money, but others had made even shadier deals, backed by powerful capital.
In short, big corporations dominated, and small companies found it harder and harder to make money.
His A-shares had tanked, his short drama venture had failed, and after a night of heavy drinking to drown his sorrows, he woke up here.
His parents were both employees of the Xinhua Bookstore.
He had a younger sister who had passed away.
The original Chen Qi had graduated from middle school and gone to the countryside as part of the "Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside" movement.
Huang Zhanying was his revolutionary comrade, and her parents also worked at the Xinhua Bookstore.
They lived in the same compound, and she had a younger brother.
After returning to the city, the original Chen Qi had taken many exams but failed them all, proudly becoming one of the unemployed youths.
"Priority will be given to older individuals who have been unemployed for a longer time!"
"After today's meeting, neighborhood cadres will visit each household to establish production and service cooperatives, ensuring that every unemployed youth finds a job..."
"Please trust the organization, and at the same time, change your mindset. Times are changing—we've even established diplomatic relations with the U. S.! Besides, no job is too lowly, and no work is too humble. You can contribute to the motherland and the Four Modernizations no matter where you are!"
The leaders on stage spoke with conviction, but the crowd below was at a loss.
"Ha..."
Chen Qi yawned.
(End of Chapter)