Wild 1979: From Fishing and Hunting to Becoming a Literary Master

Chapter 97 Healing and Saving Lives

"Why did you have to write about that nasty Zhang Er? It's one thing if you portrayed him badly, but what about the Forestry Bureau if you portray him well?"

Thinking of Zhang Taibao's numerous misdeeds, Chu Mingshan couldn't suppress his temper.

Writing about forest rangers in forest areas is not a bad thing.

But the fact that Zhang Er is badmouthing Zhang Taibao is definitely not a good thing!

If that guy really becomes famous, does that mean the Forestry Bureau will have to send him out to give reports?

That's basically like pushing a millstone naked...

"Secretary Wei, Director Chu, didn't you know that Brother Zhang hasn't gotten drunk again in the past two weeks?"

During the more than half a month that Chen Tuo was in seclusion, Zhang Taibao visited quite often.

He got the doors and windows for the sauna, and the roof is already being finished.

This person is so honest that he can't distinguish between public and private matters, inside and outside, and so honest that he's not well-liked; that's his personality.

As a general laborer at the Forestry Bureau, his main task was to meet the vehicle needs of employees and their families in the Songling area and town.

If anyone was short of firewood, Zhang Taibao would load and unload it himself.

If anyone was short of coal, he would still load and unload it himself.

The road was blocked by snow, so he had to shovel and transport the snow himself.

This is only winter. In spring and autumn, who doesn't need him for farming?

Doing all these chores all day long, it's no wonder you're never clean!

For more than half a month, Chen Tuo ran out of ingredients, so he cooked mountain fruit salad and chatted with Zhang Taibao.

This guy gets drunk easily when he drinks strong liquor, but he's never gotten drunk when he drinks mountain fruit soup.

It's not uncommon for some people to be intolerant of strong alcohol but can drink as much low-alcohol beverages as they want.

During breaks from the forestry bureau's assignments, he would come to the educated youth settlement to help build the sauna.

Such an honest person is not the Zhang Er that Chu Mingshan described as unworthy of mention.

"Old Chu, Xiao Chen is right. In the past two weeks, Zhang Dabao hasn't gotten drunk even once, nor has he neglected his work!"

Unlike Chu Mingshan, who focused on forestry production, Wei Juncheng looked at the broader forest areas.

Xiao Kai had already reported Chen Tuo's writing about the Blood Wolfhound to the Forestry Bureau, and Wei Juncheng had also been paying close attention to Zhang Taibao's recent performance.

If Zhang Taibao could quit drinking from now on, his skills and abilities would be enough to manage the timber transportation of several mountain villages.

"Even if he wasn't drunk, we can't write about him. If we do, does that mean the Forestry Bureau has to help him lie?"

The Xinganling forest area is different from other forest areas, with excessively long and extremely cold winters.

Such a harsh living environment simply does not allow anyone to make mistakes.

Although there is a saying about learning from past mistakes to avoid future ones and curing the disease to save the patient, in Chu Mingshan's view, people who are not capable should not be used.

The first person he abandoned was his son, Chu Maolin, if he hadn't stopped him several times.

Chu Maolin can now hold the position of section chief in Songling.

According to Chu Mingshan, someone like Chu Maolin wouldn't even be qualified to guard the gate of the Forestry Bureau.

"The forestry bureau doesn't need to lie for him; they can just let him patrol the mountains with his dogs, right?"

Chu Mingshan resolutely refused to use Zhang Taibao, so Chen Tuo directly confronted him to protect the reputation of his work.

"If I let him patrol the mountains and he gets drunk and dies there, are you going to take responsibility?"

Because of the harsh living environment, many forestry workers in Songling work while intoxicated.

There's nothing we can do about it; the mountain is too cold, and without a sip of wine to keep warm, you'll freeze.

Patrolling the mountains and protecting the forests sounds easy, but it's anything but easy in reality.

As a frontline production manager, Chu Mingshan was well aware that the forestry bureau and the forest rangers of various forest farms were mostly just going through the motions.

Patrolling the mountains and protecting the forests according to the rules and regulations is no easier than pulling snares or dumping logs in the mountains.

Moreover, the dangers of patrolling mountains and protecting forests are greater than those of working in mountainous areas or on mountain shoals.

When mountain areas or mountain boats encounter blizzards, at least there is a shelter to protect them from the wind and snow.

Encountering blizzards during patrols is common in the Xinganling forest area, and it is also a major source of casualties.

In Chu Mingshan's view, it would be absolutely certain death for someone like Zhang Er to go into the mountains with a drunkard like him.

"Old Chu, you can't say that. Little Chen is right. If we change jobs, maybe Zhang Da... Zhang Taibao, can also achieve something!"

Wei Juncheng's promotion and Chu Mingshan's decision to stay in Songling are directly related to his personality.

More than a decade ago, Chu Mingshan was an indispensable leader in the Xinganling forest area.

But even today, more than a decade later, Chu Mingshan's stubbornness, which prioritizes reason over people, is still quite unlikable.

Wei Juncheng followed Chen Tuo's lead, which was truly out of necessity.

The young man was talented, which attracted the attention of the cultural cadres from the Great Northern Wilderness.

If his damn "Blood Wolfhound" actually gets published, the Forestry Bureau really needs to make plans in advance.

Although Zhang Taibao wasn't a very likable person, he really did a lot of work.

From the perspective of employees' families, it's really hard to find a few honest and hardworking people like Zhang Taibao in the entire Songling Forest Area.

During the busy farming seasons of spring and autumn, Zhang Taibao was truly dedicated to working non-stop, treating everyone's work as if it were his own.

Based on this point alone, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to award him an advanced title.

But this guy has too many bad records. If we give him an advanced award, the Forestry Bureau will have a hard time managing him and his affairs.

"Old Wei, I have reservations about this. As long as Er Maitai doesn't quit drinking, I won't agree to him patrolling the mountains and protecting the forest!"

The purpose of Wei Juncheng and Chu Mingshan's visit to the Xiaoyangqi educated youth settlement was to give Chen Tuo a heads-up in advance.

You can't say things you don't know, and you can't write things you don't know, good or bad.

Now, things have gotten complicated. Chen Tuo has created a mess with Zhang Er, and the two have started to disagree.

"Old Chu, this is what I'm thinking: since Zhang Taibao can stay sober at Xiao Chen's place, why don't we have them form a patrol team?"

Seeing that Chu Mingshan was getting a little carried away, Wei Juncheng simply brought out the Forestry Bureau's backup plan.

That means just giving Chen Tuo any job, regardless of whether he actually does the work, and first establishing his relationship with the Songling Forestry Bureau.

Before Chu Mingshan could answer, Chen Tuo refused, saying:

"Secretary Wei, I don't want to be a forest ranger!"

Chen Tuo understood Wei Juncheng's methods; they were similar to those of Bai Long and Su Dao on the mountain.

On the mountain, people are used as bait; down below, workers are used as traps.

If they really keep them tied down, how can they create freely?

Chu Mingshan's idea is correct. Chen Tuo's sustainable development creative direction is to influence forestry production in Songling and even the Xinganling forest area.

The idea that trees cannot be cut down and then replanted is not Chen Tuo's original thought, but a lesson learned later.

Preserve existing virgin forests and, based on existing logging areas, carry out industrialized production and planting of artificial forests.

We will change the production methods in forest areas by starting with the entire industrial chain.

These words were not Chen Tuo's own ideas, but rather the lessons learned from implementing sustainable development.

However, it is certainly impossible to realize these fragmented insights in the forest area in the short term.

Adhering to the principles of learning from past mistakes to avoid future ones and curing the disease to save the patient, Chen Tuo wanted to involve more than just Zhang Taibao.

He also wants to leverage the influence of his work to boost the entire Xinganling forest area.

If this can actually be achieved, the value of his work will be unimaginable.

With a sustainable creative direction in mind, Chen Tuo inevitably influences the production in the forest area during the creative process.

Now that I've joined the forestry system, isn't that like digging my own grave?

This isn't truly the era of outlaws yet; getting involved now risks being manipulated to the point of ecstasy and despair...