Song Jiaoren and Huang Xing arrived in Hefei first, but Chen Ke had already returned to Fengtai County. Urged by the guide, the two had no time to look around Hefei. The only feeling was that the situation in Hefei looked better than Anqing. From Hefei to Fengtai County, they traveled by water. On the dock, they could see a row of barges, and at the very front of the barges was actually a steamship.

"Brother, what is this steamship about?" Huang Xing found it very puzzling. Not to mention a small place like Hefei, even in Guangzhou, steamships were not common, let alone this kind of tugboat connected one by one like train carriages.

"This is the newly opened transport fleet, making a round trip every week." The guide explained. While explaining, the guide looked curiously; it was also his first time seeing a tugboat in reality. The internal training classes of the People's Party paid great attention to common sense. The range of common sense in this era was vastly different from that in the 21st century. Chen Ke had discovered this problem before. His thinking span easily detached from the basic thinking within the Party, and one important reason was that "common sense" differed too much. To solve this problem, the internal training of the People's Party paid special attention to education in this regard, and the latest means of transportation were key contents. Although this kind of tugboat was only in the trial voyage period, the training for cadres and guides in the base area had completed education in the form of pictures.

This was also the reason why the base area opened art classes. As a person from the 21st century, Chen Ke originally positioned the concept of "fine arts" on "art." Now he understood that for a regime, the practical role of "fine arts" was far greater than he imagined. Without a large number of art talents, many propaganda and education works would be extremely difficult. For example, now the students of the Mapping Department on the dock were sketching the steamship with pencils.

Huang Xing and Song Jiaoren both saw this group of people in military uniforms sitting on the dock and felt very curious. Leaning over to look, this group of soldiers was actually drawing, which made Huang Xing and Song Jiaoren feel extremely puzzled. Learning to draw was a pastime for rich people these years; they didn't understand why the soldiers of the People's Party had such a pastime hobby.

Those who could serve as guides were smart and clever soldiers in the base area. He had seen pictures in class and knew that these pictures were drawn by soldiers. Facing "outsiders" like Huang Xing and Song Jiaoren, he felt there was no reason to explain the internal working methods of the People's Party to these people. Facing the questions of Huang Xing and Song Jiaoren, the guide answered according to the requirements in the regulations: "I don't know."

The tugboat fleet was composed of five flat-bottomed boats dedicated to inland rivers designed by Yan Fu. Since there were not many people going to Fengtai County, four were cargo ships and one was a passenger ship. A pergola was built on the passenger ship. The wooden boards made according to the size of the cabin deck had several very practical card slots and support rods. These small designs firmly clamped the rows of seats on the sturdy wooden boards. This easy-to-disassemble seat was designed by the department of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission itself. There was a strong "Chen Ke" style in this model. Furniture in the 21st century is becoming more and more standardized. Easy to disassemble, easy to combine. What Chen Ke loved most was furniture of this model. In the training of the industrial department, Chen Ke paid great attention to the promotion of this model. Craftsmen of this era did not lack hands-on ability; what they lacked was this design idea. What was lacking even more was the concept of "maintenance." In this era, "heirlooms" were generally liked, and a piece of furniture was wished to be used for hundreds of years. Since it was this idea, and there were no cheap steel products, all things naturally took the route of being thick and large.

The industrial department of the base area also had this idea at the beginning. Chen Ke gave lectures many times and conducted detailed cost accounting. The result was that if malicious damage could be effectively avoided, products of this easy-to-disassemble combination type had the highest efficiency. It's just that the processing difficulty increased, and the requirements for materials increased. Due to the use of coal gas internal combustion engine power generation equipment, primitive electric lathes also appeared. Although the thickness of copper wires was not uniform enough, the power was low, and the precision of bearings was far inferior to the level of industrial countries. But with these inferior machine tools, the processing difficulty was immediately reduced a lot. So the work that originally required many skilled craftsmen, as well as work that consumed huge time, became much simpler. The base area was finally able to mass-produce some relatively "standardized" products.

Not just seats, the four cargo ships adopted the concept of "containers." If it were before, just sawing out the wooden boards for "containers" would require a huge manpower investment. Now the only two small electric saws in the base area increased the efficiency of sawing wood by more than ten times. Huang Xing and Song Jiaoren didn't know that to reduce costs, the sawmill actually used a lot of female labor. The base area said equal pay for equal work, but in fact, it was far from reaching such an average level. The actual wages of female labor were only less than half of male labor, so for these jobs with little demand for physical strength, "state-owned enterprises" were more inclined to hire women.

Design ideas and operation modes determine efficiency, and the development of containers greatly improved efficiency. Then the remaining problem was accumulating experience in work. Chen Ke didn't understand the specific design of containers; he just proposed this idea. The specific experience of shipping depended on everyone deepening it themselves. In fact, what this thing needed to deepen was the influence of cargo assembly on hull balance. Huang Xing and Song Jiaoren could catch this boat because the balance was not mastered well in this loading and unloading. After several adjustments, the departure time was affected.

Despite multiple adjustments, these flatbed tugboats also had some slight deviations. At least the simple mercury levels installed on the ships showed deviation angles within the allowable range. The four ships either deviated to the left or to the right, and the balance between front and back was also barely satisfactory. But everyone couldn't wait indefinitely. The fleet commander issued the order to sail. As soon as the whistle sounded, the tugboat set off.

This was the third trial voyage. With the sound of the whistle, the number of people watching on the dock suddenly increased. Men and women, old and young, were quite excited watching the steamship without sails, but with white smoke coming out of the chimney, making a huge roar and starting slowly by its own power. Children couldn't help running forward with the tugboat team. Their speed was much faster than the ship that had just started. This transport ship captured from the Hubei Navy towed the long tugboat team, moving difficultly but ceaselessly towards the front.

Huang Xing and Song Jiaoren both returned from Japan. Looking at this familiar appearance, they suddenly had an illusion. Huang Xing couldn't help whispering to Song Jiaoren, "Do you feel like we are back at a Japanese dock?"

Song Jiaoren nodded. He also didn't expect the People's Party to do this. There were not many passengers on the ship. Huang Xing and Song Jiaoren were very good at making friends with people. From waiting for the ship to start, they chatted with the passengers in front and behind. Ticket sales did not accept gold and silver, only Renminbi. From Hefei to Fengtai County, two yuan of Renminbi was needed, which meant eight *jin* of rice was needed. If not taking a boat but using other means of transportation, eight *jin* of rice was absolutely not enough.

The passenger sitting in front of Song Jiaoren looked a bit pale because he was worried about the ship capsizing. He held the back of the seat in front tightly and refused to let go. But he still firmly chose the tugboat as a means of transportation. The brother sitting next to him looked very relaxed; he even had a cigarette produced in the base area in his hand. Cigarettes in the base area were relatively cheap, one yuan a pack, twenty cigarettes a pack. In the conversation, it was learned that this brother went to the base area to buy cigarettes and then sell them to Wuhu.

"Brother Wang, why doesn't the People's Party sell it themselves, but allow you to sell it instead?" Huang Xing was somewhat puzzled.

"We have people in Wuhu and can buy cheap rice." Merchant Wang laughed proudly. The Manchu Qing blocked the sales of the Wuhu rice market to the base area. But the Manchu system was never reliable. Merchant Wang could get rice. He bought cigarettes and glass products from the base area. Then transported them to Wuhu, and then bought rice from Wuhu and transported it to Anqing. After Anqing accepted the rice, a receipt was issued. If Merchant Wang couldn't transport enough rice, he had to pay the purchase money to the base area for the gap, and also pay 20% tax. If the amount of rice transported by Merchant Wang exceeded the predetermined amount, the base area would provide equivalent cigarettes or glass products according to the receipt issued by Anqing.

After listening to Merchant Wang's triumphant bragging, Huang Xing couldn't help asking, "Brother Wang, this kind of remote delivery exploits people most. Are you not afraid?"

Merchant Wang couldn't help laughing out loud. "To tell you the truth, I offended people in the government office and encountered some difficulties from the government, almost ruining my family business. It happened that the People's Party people fought over and destroyed the Manchu government office. Only then was I spared. But my family was also tossed enough. Brother, I don't want my life anymore; I carry my head to do this. The People's Party does things really differently from the Manchu Qing. I have run several times and never defaulted on a penny. However..." Speaking of this, Merchant Wang kept suspense.

"What?" Huang Xing hurriedly joined in with an enthusiastic voice. Huang Xing was really interested in Merchant Wang's speculation being so successful.

Merchant Wang lowered his voice and said, "I see the People's Party manages extremely strictly. If they were Manchu officials, encountering such business, their eyes would always turn red, and they could always deduct. Although the people in the People's Party do things cumbersomely, they all mean to finish the matter and report back as soon as possible. It is the first time I have seen such a government office."

"So that's it." Huang Xing showed a look of sudden realization. He continued to flatter, "That's also because Brother Wang is a figure; the People's Party has to look up to Brother Wang."

Being worn this high hat, Merchant Wang's mood was even higher. Coupled with the skillful flattery of Huang Xing and Song Jiaoren, he couldn't help bragging that he didn't originally take the Wuhu-Anqing route, but transported rice from Wuhu back to Hefei. But Anqing occupied by the People's Party lacked grain, so they gave Merchant Wang a special preferential price, so he transported rice to Anqing. This route was very profitable. The only problem was that Merchant Wang couldn't find goods to transport back to Wuhu from Anqing. Every time he walked back to Hefei from Anqing by land, he was empty-handed, which distressed him very much. If he could open another trade route from Anqing to Hefei, this would constitute a "triangular trade," and the income would be greater.

He went to the Fengtai County base area this time, firstly because regular shipping was opened, and he wanted to enjoy it. Secondly, he wanted to visit the high officials he knew in Fengtai County to build relationships. Thirdly, he wanted to discuss if there were any new trade routes that could be opened.

Speaking of this, Merchant Wang said regretfully, "Although the People's Party lets you make money and doesn't deduct, the People's Party manages too strictly, and the profit is just that big. If I can't open more trade routes, I still can't make a big fortune. Especially the People's Party absolutely does not allow ironware trading. They have so many cheap farm tools; selling them to Wuhu would be huge profits. And cotton, the People's Party planted a lot of cotton and harvested a lot. Now the price of cotton in places like Shanghai is skyrocketing. Transporting cotton to Shanghai is even bigger business. But the People's Party would rather sell these profitable things to the common people extremely cheaply than sell them to other places. It's really a pity."

Merchants knew very well what could make big money. Merchant Wang naturally didn't know the fiscal policy of the People's Party. For consumer goods like cheap glass and tobacco, the People's Party didn't care about exporting in large quantities at all. Ironware and cotton were important products to improve people's lives. The base area didn't have enough for its own use, so naturally, it absolutely refused to export.

Neither Huang Xing nor Song Jiaoren understood economics. They neither had the concept of economic "unified accounting and industry subsidies" nor understood the economic means of "distorting supply and demand." Regarding why the People's Party depressed the prices of ironware and cotton, which should have been expensive, to such an extent, the two didn't understand either. From Merchant Wang's great praise of the advantages of iron farm tools in the base area over wooden farm tools, and that women could also farm independently after using these iron farm tools, they could roughly imagine the help of these farm tools to the livelihood of the common people.

Despite being very fearful of the People's Party, Song Jiaoren still couldn't help praising, "Cheap farm tools is also a benevolent policy."

Although the guide comrade who had been listening quietly beside didn't make a sound, his heart was full of thoughts. Comrade Guide was a staff member of the People's Party, and his home was in Fengtai County. Along the way this time, he hoped very much that Chairman Chen Ke was not in Hefei, so he could take the opportunity to go back to his home in Fengtai to have a look. He disliked people like Merchant Wang very much. The dislike was not only because of the "opposing exploitation" in the political education of the People's Party. Chinese common people didn't welcome merchants originally either. Everyone thought merchants did not engage in production, relying on buying low and selling high, hoarding and speculating for profit. Merchant Wang did nothing, but could earn more money than People's Party and government department personnel just by selling things. The guide was naturally extremely dissatisfied in his heart.

But Song Jiaoren's praise sounded extremely comfortable to the guide's ears. The guide was already married, and his wife gave birth to a son for him. Being able to give birth to a son to carry on the family line, the woman's status at home would be higher anyway. Regarding the People's Party's women's liberation movement, the guide didn't care much about the meaning in terms of "morality." It wasn't that he didn't talk about morality, but being good to others is a very basic moral tendency. As long as it doesn't involve one's own interests, everyone agrees that one should be good to others. The reason is actually quite selfish: if others are good to "others," it also means others will be good to oneself.

Since the People's Party provided a large number of new employment opportunities, Comrade Guide's wife, as a military dependent, naturally had to "respond to the call." What this call brought was actual benefits. First of all, his wife could earn money. Every time Comrade Guide returned home, his mother would chatter that the daughter-in-law was not filial. Even Comrade Guide knew that his mother had her eyes on the wages earned by his wife.

As military dependents, they can enter military enterprises and state-owned enterprises with priority. Plus the child can enter kindergarten, his wife's livelihood is absolutely no problem. This put Comrade Guide in a dilemma; filial piety to his mother was proper. But the People's Party didn't allow bullying.

There had been such things in the troops. Some soldiers ordered their wives to give all money to their parents, but the wives were unwilling. According to tradition, the soldier beat his wife. As a result, female comrades from the Women's Federation came to the door on the same day to "criticize and educate" the soldier. The soldier naturally refused to accept it. "It's my family affair; since when is it your turn to manage it?" Although he was polite with his mouth, he was even more annoyed in his heart. His own wife dared to use outsiders to "suppress" her husband?! Turning the sky upside down!! As a result, there was another good beating that night.

Unexpectedly, the people of the Women's Federation were extremely "serious" in doing things. The next day, they actually came to this soldier's home to look again. Seeing the soldier's wife with a face full of wounds, the female comrades of the Women's Federation were furious. Seeing faces torn, the soldier simply quarreled loudly with the comrades of the Women's Federation. At the end of the quarrel, he drove the Women's Federation comrades out directly.

On the third day, the local army political commissar came to the door. The soldier dared to quarrel with the female comrades of the Women's Federation, but absolutely dared not drive the political commissar out. The political commissar criticized fiercely and finally ordered the soldier to apologize to his wife. The soldier had to apologize.

This matter was not over yet. After the soldier returned to the army, he was called by the political commissar of his own unit for "profound ideological education" and even criticized in a circular. And the local civil affairs department also cooperated very well, directly allocating a house to this soldier, and his wife moved out with the child to live. The household registration (*hukou*) was also separated.

The social system of the base area is quite perfect. As long as you follow the People's Party, the government can always come up with a way to let you exert your labor. Being able to labor can cover food and drink. This incident directly led to a wave of family separation in the old base areas. Those military dependents who refused to live with their in-laws and suffer anger applied for independent household registration and housing one after another. These applications were basically satisfied.

There were extremely many military dependents in the unit where this Comrade Guide's wife was located. She also simply applied for separate housing. Comrade Guide was a filial son. Since he was not by his parents' side, he also hoped his wife could take care of his parents more. The problem was that some things were not entirely up to him to decide. His elder brother and sister-in-law were very enthusiastic about the younger brother and sister moving out to live alone. The reason was simple: after the younger brother and sister moved out, a lot of space would be free in the house.

Thinking of family affairs, Comrade Guide felt a lot of helplessness in his heart. Although he also missed his parents, wife, and child, sometimes he really didn't want to go home. In the army, officers and soldiers were equal; everyone was young and congenial. There were so many good comrades-in-arms and good comrades. Everyone helped each other and lived very well. Once he went home, various family affairs came one after another. As the saying goes, even an upright official finds it hard to settle family affairs. As a member of the family, Comrade Guide's words didn't count absolutely at home. Various family relationships annoyed him to death.

Just thinking about his own affairs, a whistle sounded suddenly from the front. Everyone was attracted by this sound. Leaning out from the side of the boat to look, they saw a tugboat fleet coming from the opposite side. Comrade Guide was somewhat surprised. According to internal education, there was only one tugboat fleet running the line between Fengtai County and Hefei now. Why did a new fleet suddenly appear on the river?