Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 228 is under discussion.
Old Captain Yang's house is not far from Captain Yang's house, just two or three houses ahead. Compared to his son's house, Old Captain Yang's house is much more dilapidated, but it is spacious and clean.

The ground is a compacted and leveled rammed earth floor. Although the house is quite old, the ground is flat, indicating that it has been repaired frequently. This shows that there are hardworking people in this family.

Three-in-one soil is made by mixing clay, lime, and river sand with water in a certain proportion. It can be used to build roads, as the foundation of houses, or to lay indoor floors. Before the widespread use of cement, it was widely used.

It is said that the Yuanmingyuan Garden extensively used rammed earth as its foundation, and that this type of rammed earth foundation could last for more than a hundred years without external damage.

However, if used for surfaces such as roads or floors, its durability is far inferior to that of cement floors, and it is prone to cracking or potholes over time. But repairs are simple: mix some mortar, lime, and sandpaper, pour it onto the damaged area, tamp it down with a wooden mallet, and then sand it smooth.

This is the house; the uneven colors on the floor are from later repairs.

Chen Fan wondered if he should also use rammed earth (a mixture of lime, sand, and clay) for the foundation when he built his house.

However, it's definitely necessary to add more stone to make it more stable.

An eight-immortal table was placed in the center of the main room. Captain Yang and Anquan sat at the head of the table, one as the host and the other as the guest of honor. Four leaders from the brigade headquarters sat on either side, while Chen Fan and Captain Yang sat at the end of the table. The eight people were just right.

As for the other people living in this house, they will naturally be taken care of, and Chen Fan doesn't need to worry about them.

In terms of status and age, Chen Fan was the youngest, so he was in charge of pouring tea and wine.

The wine cups and tableware were all fired in Chen Fan's earthen kiln. At that time, he shaped many oddly shaped containers for experiments. Some were big, some were small, some were round, some were flat, and some were deformed. They were not easy to sell after firing, so he gave them to Huang Ying and the other two.

Almost every household in this village is related by marriage, so it's inevitable that each household has some of these kinds of pottery.

Of course, the batch that Yang Ju sent to her grandfather was definitely the best one, with almost no flaws. However, they were all square, which did not conform to the aesthetics of people in that era, so they were not sold.

Anquan held up the wine cup, clicking his tongue in amazement, "This wine bowl is quite interesting; it looks a bit like a wine vessel, and a bit like a boat."

Chen Fan poured him a drink from the bottle and laughed, “Back then, I just wanted to make a wine vessel, but I didn’t know how to make the three legs. No matter how I tried, they were all different sizes and not round. So I just left the legs out and flattened the bottom, and that’s how it turned out.”

Safety tapped his fingers on the table three times to express his gratitude, then looked up and smiled, "I remember now, you sold a lot of pottery at the market last time, and I heard you made a good profit."

Chen Fan continued pouring wine, chuckling, "It's alright. But such opportunities are rare. There are only so many people buying pottery, and the potters from the Victory Brigade are here too. They won't just stand by and watch. I guess there won't be another chance like this in the future."

Safety nodded. "That's true."

He then looked at him and smiled, “It’s just that this place lacks the natural resources for firing ceramics, otherwise the commune could set up a ceramics factory and invite you to be the factory manager.”

Chen Fan was both amused and exasperated. He finally understood what Captain Yang meant when he said that Anquan liked to talk nonsense.

Captain Yang chuckled and said, "If we had the resources, I would have invited Xiao Chen to be the factory manager of our Lujiawan Ceramics Factory long ago. There would be no need for the commune to take the place."

Ever since Yang Ju brought those substandard pottery home in a basket, he finally understood that even without the limitations of natural resources, this kind of earthen kiln was simply not suitable for setting up a factory to fire products for sale; otherwise, they would lose money hand over fist.

Unless Chen Fan can improve his pottery-making skills and develop technical standards that can be taught to others, there is no possibility of setting up a factory.

Actually, things are pretty good as they are now. We can fire a few kilns of pottery during the market days and sell them. Every little bit helps, and my daughter Yang Ju gets a share, so it's a small supplement.

As for the other villagers, they received those scattered substandard products, but no one was short of dishes. Even if some were a little envious, they were too embarrassed to say it out loud.

Thinking about going to the market, Captain Yang asked, "Have you heard at work when the next market day is?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone at the table looked at Anquan.

The first market day after the resumption of rural markets was on the 19th day of the twelfth lunar month, and the second was on the 17th day of the first lunar month. Now it is the 9th day of the second lunar month. If there are still market days, the notice should be issued soon, right?

After pouring drinks for everyone, Chen Fan put down the bottles and sat down on a stool to keep watch for safety.

Anquan smiled and said, "I have heard about this. The feedback from everyone at the previous two market days was quite positive."

He turned to look at Chen Fan and smiled, "Especially the cooked food stall that Teacher Chen started, which has made the villagers a lot of money. People who go to the market in town are also quite satisfied. After all, being able to shop and eat is more fun than just wandering around. Plus, you don't need food coupons or meat coupons, so everyone thinks it's a good deal."

Therefore, the commune is discussing whether to completely reinstate the rule of holding a market on the first and fifteenth of the lunar month, and to set up a separate cooked food area in the market, which will be managed by the commune's health department and catering company. They may conduct hygiene inspections on the cooked food stalls.

There are still some details that haven't been finalized. Once everything is finalized, we'll issue a notification, and you'll know then.

The commune's catering company was the managing unit of the town's state-run restaurant and the commune's guesthouse. It was a small "state-owned enterprise" with proper staffing and was responsible for managing all the catering establishments in the commune... In fact, there were only two.

If the decision to hold a large market event is made and a cooked food section is added, then it really will fall under their jurisdiction.

Upon hearing his words, everyone's faces lit up with joy.

If the market could be reopened, the villagers would have another way to earn money, even if they only earned a few cents each time, it would still be a sum of money. However, Secretary Yang seemed to have thought of something, his expression changed slightly, and he asked with a slight frown, "Will there be a charge for the hygiene inspection of this cooked food stall?"

Anquan shook his head and laughed, "How much can farmers earn by roasting sweet potatoes and selling candied hawthorns? These small vendors don't charge fees, but for stalls selling turtle meat or noodles, staff will be sent to conduct random inspections, and a symbolic inspection fee will be charged, but it's not much, only three or five cents. Compared to their 'big' business, it's not worth mentioning."

Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but chuckle. They all knew that Zhang Wenliang had sold it for over a hundred yuan last time, so a mere three or five mao was indeed insignificant.

Even if the profit margin isn't as high as his, he can still earn at least ten or twenty yuan.

Captain Zhang turned to look at Chen Fan and laughed, "You're so smart. You only did it once and then stopped, saving on inspection fees."

Chen Fan chuckled twice and asked curiously, "Are there any food safety regulations now?"

Without such regulations, it would be impossible for health clinics and food companies to jointly manage the industry, right?

Anquan assumed he didn't understand the fee, so he patiently explained, "It's normal that you don't understand since you don't do this kind of work. Actually, back in 53, along with the 'Clean and Hygiene Campaign,' the higher authorities emphasized the importance of food safety. At that time, catering companies across the country all formulated their own internal food management regulations."

In 64, the Ministry of Health introduced the requirement of "food hygiene standards." From that point on, the concept of food hygiene was elevated from an internal unit level to the overall national level of food hygiene and health. Soon after, the regulations within catering companies became the regulations of local streets and communes.

He chuckled as he spoke, then turned to look at everyone around him. "So, it's not that the commune is trying to find a way to charge fees; it's that they genuinely want to manage food hygiene. I heard from our Director Hong that the commune leaders argued endlessly about those three or five cents for inspection fees during their meetings."

Actually, it's not necessary to charge them, since it wouldn't bring in much money. However, some leaders' intention was to set this standard as a reminder to the commune members selling cooked food that they cannot use inferior products and must pay attention to food hygiene and quality to ensure the health and safety of the general public.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Captain Zhang laughed and said, "As long as we can completely establish the rural market and set some management regulations, it's very reasonable. As for the sanitation inspection fee, the commune leaders' considerations are also reasonable. If you don't keep an eye on some people, they might really act recklessly. It's good to give them a heads-up. Anyway, I have no objection."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter.

Secretary Yang said, "Since you're not setting up a stall, of course you have no objection."

Ye Shubao laughed and said, "He was speaking on behalf of Sanhuzi."

Xiao Liewen clicked his tongue. "If you ask me, if there's a next time, Sanhuzi shouldn't show up. He's a militia company commander and security chief, after all. It's really inappropriate for him to go out and set up a stall."

Captain Zhang thought for a moment and nodded in deep agreement, “What you said makes sense. Regardless of whether it’s right or wrong, the impact is already bad. When I get back, I’ll tell him that if there’s a next time, let someone else from his family go. He definitely won’t have any objections.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Captain Yang, who had been listening without saying a word, raised his head and said, "He has no objection, but I do."

Anquan quickly turned to the side and asked with a smile, "Grandpa, do you have any opinions?"

Captain Yang pointed to the dishes on the table, "The chicken in the pot is almost cooked dry, how long are you going to keep talking?"

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.

Safety quickly nodded and admitted his mistake, "Yes, yes, your advice is right."

He paused for a moment, then added, "But if you don't move, none of us dare to move."

Captain Yang grinned, revealing a mouthful of teeth, and without any formalities, raised his glass and said, "It's a rare treat for all of you leaders to come to my house, so let me toast you first."

Everyone present was younger than him, so they dared not let the old man offer them a toast. They all stood up consciously, held the wine cups with both hands, lowered the rims of the cups, and clinked glasses with him.

A series of clear, jingling sounds followed, and after each taking a sip of their wine, they sat down again.

Captain Yang put down his wine glass, pointed his right finger at the security guard, and said, "You're the guest today, so you have to be the first to start eating."

Without shirking responsibility, she neatly picked up a piece of chicken and placed it in the old man's bowl.

Captain Yang was so happy that his eyes narrowed into slits.

Only after Anquan started using his chopsticks did the others begin to eat.

Chen Fan ate some vegetables first to fill his stomach in preparation for the upcoming toasts.

Unexpectedly, today's meal was indeed a work lunch, or you could say a family dinner. There was no toasting everyone individually, nor was there any insistence on drinking until everyone was drunk.

They chatted, ate, and drank, and when they were about half full, they started to talk about business.

(End of this chapter)