Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 200 Opening

In fact, tableware in the 70s already had many styles and patterns, such as floral patterns, intertwined branches, butterflies, phoenixes, etc. There were even foreign paintings designed specifically for export, depicting little angels or two little foreigners.

In addition to a wide variety of patterns, there are also many auspicious characters.

After all, the past decade was also a decade in which auspicious words emerged one after another. Words like "囍" and "福" are considered old-fashioned. There were also many slogans and banners such as "普天同庆" and "万寿无疆". It was not as monotonous and boring as later people thought.

(Old Bowl)

However, these exquisitely crafted mid-to-high-end ceramic products are mostly quite expensive, costing much more than a coarse porcelain bowl that costs only about two cents.

Cheap porcelain bowls cost five or six cents each, while slightly more expensive ones cost one or two dollars each are not uncommon. Especially the fine bone china that can be exported, packaged in bright red boxes, a set of 36 pieces can cost two or three hundred dollars, and there is no market for them.

In the 70s, two or three hundred yuan was more expensive than a bicycle, and all you got was a set of ordinary tableware!
Therefore, there is never a shortage of wealthy people.

However, for the vast majority of ordinary people, exquisite and high-end products are too far removed from their lives, so far that many people live their entire lives without even knowing that such things exist.

What they see most often are the coarse green porcelain bowls in the supply and marketing cooperative, as well as the slightly more expensive "high-end" bowls and plates with patterns and words printed on them, ranging in price from a few cents to more than a dollar.

The green color comes from the most basic glaze, similar to the color of Chen Fan's pottery. However, it lacks any patterns or auspicious sayings.

Now Chen Fan wants to combine the two.

He didn't bother with the patterns; time was of the essence, and he was too lazy to draw them.

Besides, he only planned to sell the 36-piece set of tableware for 10 yuan a set, and just write a few words on it. Did he expect him to draw a picture of a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix?

Anyway, that's the gist of it.

For three days in a row, the four girls were busy working on the project, while Chen Fan was in charge of making the charcoal stove.

In addition, he also burned several sets of "molds" to improve efficiency.

It's actually just a pottery piece with a fixed shape. For example, a bowl is a hemispherical shape. You just need to cover the surface of the sphere with clay, spread the clay evenly, and wait for it to dry slightly before removing the "mold" to get a bowl blank.

Then, they hauled away all the colored gravel from the brigade headquarters, painstakingly made two large buckets of glaze, and finally finished firing their "planned production" before departure, so that the girls wouldn't laugh at them.

In the courtyard, Huang Ying, Yang Ju, and Liu Dan marveled at the cleaned pottery.

Huang Ying said, "Teacher Chen, the charcoal stove you made this time is so beautiful! There are so many auspicious words written on it."

Yang Ju counted them off, "There are 'Fortune, Prosperity, Longevity, and Happiness', 'Good Fortune and Prosperity', 'May You Live as Long as the Southern Mountain', 'May Good Fortune Shine Brightly',..."

Liu Dan opened her mouth slightly and looked at Chen Fan, asking, "Teacher Chen, why didn't the stove we bought before have any markings?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Ju and Huang Ying also looked at him expectantly.

Chen Fan coughed lightly, "The main thing is that the one that used to be sold was cheaper, but this one is two yuan more expensive."

I hadn't thought of writing on the stove before. It's a seller's market, so why bother with all that complicated stuff? Just shape it up easily.

However, to expand the market and compete with the potters from the supply and marketing cooperative and the Shengli Brigade, we have to come up with more ideas.

Then they didn't consider the goods they had sold before.

Mr. Chen, now in his role as the boss, still has a strong sense of business ethics. In order to prevent previous customers from feeling cheated, he decisively decided to raise the price by two yuan.

That should solve the problem, right?
Upon hearing this, Huang Ying and the other two nodded in understanding.

Huang Ying was still a little regretful, "If I had known earlier that I could write, my family would have bought a 12-yuan stove."

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly. He hadn't realized his family was so wealthy!
Jiang Lili came out carrying two baskets and said softly, "Everything is ready. We can set off as soon as the cart arrives." The charcoal stove didn't need any special treatment; it could be placed directly on the cart, padded with straw, and then pulled away. The sets of tableware were packed in small baskets lined with straw to prevent them from bumping into each other. They were sold for 10 yuan each, basket and all, making it very convenient.

These baskets were custom-made by several teams of bamboo weavers that Chen Fan had found. Each basket cost only 1 cents, which was cheap and affordable. As for the other loose pottery items, they were packed in two large baskets. Chen Fan already had the large baskets himself, so he didn't need to buy any.

Thirty baskets cost only 3 yuan, but they can significantly enhance the product's appeal. These days, bowls are usually bought in bundles tied with straw rope; you either buy the whole bundle or individual bowls to take home. Who would give away a basket for free?

As usual, they went to borrow a vehicle from Master Liu, using the same donkey and mule as before. They loaded up the charcoal stove and a basket full of tableware and headed to the market.

……

It's the same old faces, the same old spots, the same old routine.

Upon arrival, there's no need to unload the goods; simply place the two flatbed carts sideways on the roadside, and that becomes the best stall.

The Lujiawan commune members and passersby greeted Chen Fan while watching them with great interest.

A grown man leading four women to set up a stall – this combination is bound to generate gossip!
So, without realizing it, the topics of conversation among the people around them quickly changed.

"What's going on with Teacher Chen? He brought four girls out; which one has he taken a liking to?"

"How can we say for sure? All four of them are from Team 6. Xiao Jiang is an educated youth. Although he comes from a bad background, he is hardworking and reliable. The other three were supposedly there to prevent single men and women from getting together, but they ended up getting mixed up together. It's obvious that Lao Yang and the others sent them there for blind dates. We don't know what Xiao Jiang is thinking. As for the other three, it seems like there will be three women vying for one man."

"If you ask me, Xiao Jiang should be the first one eliminated. She has a problematic background, is thin, and is not as strong as some girls a few years younger than her. What respectable family would want to marry her? With such good qualities as Teacher Chen, why can't he just pick one of those three?"

"What are you saying? Why should we have to choose from those three? Our Team 5 isn't lacking in talent either. Zhang Cuie is no worse than Yang Ju and the others. She's beautiful and capable..."

"Our Team 7 has people too!"

The market was bustling with people, but Chen Fan couldn't hear what they were saying because he was too busy with his business.

Compared to the last time I sold turtle meat...

Thinking of turtle meat, Chen Fan couldn't help but gaze into the distance and mutter, "How many cooked food stalls came today?"

Jiang Lili happened to be standing next to him. Hearing his words, she turned around and looked. She saw that the lake was surrounded by steaming white mist, and there were at least fifty or sixty of them.

She couldn't help but part her lips slightly, "These aren't all for selling soft-shelled turtles, are they?"

Chen Fan clicked his tongue and said softly, "I made two big pots of turtle meat for Company Commander Zhang after get off work yesterday. He must be selling turtle meat here. I just don't know what the other shops sell."

Huang Ying, Yang Ju, and Liu Dan also came over and stood beside him, looking at the distant scene, then at the distant view, somewhat puzzled.

Just as Yang Ju was about to ask, someone behind her called out, "Master, how much is this?"

All four girls looked at Chen Fan at the same time.

Chen Fan had already walked over and said with a smile, "Comrade, which one would you like to see? The stove or the tableware?"

The middle-aged man smiled at Chen Fan. "So it's Master Chen. You've switched from selling turtle meat to selling ceramics?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan thought, "Hey, this is a regular customer. He must have bought turtle meat at the market last time, or at least watched him go." So he smiled and exchanged a few pleasantries with him.

Then he whispered to Jiang Lili, Huang Ying and the other two, "I told you at home before how to introduce the product, now who wants to do it?"

Jiang Lili pursed her lips, glanced at the three people beside her, and remained silent.

The boldest of them all, the yellow oriole, raised her hand without hesitation, "I'll do it!"

(End of this chapter)