Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 347 Three Barriers

Seeing that it was safe to run forward, Captain Yang also acted quickly.

As he passed by Chen Fan, he patted his arm and said, "What are you standing there for? Let's go."

Chen Fan quickly followed.

They ran into each other a short while later, and Anquan had already taken out a cigarette and offered it to him, saying, "Master Guo, you're here so early today."

Mr. Guo casually took the cigarette and chuckled, "Actor An, are you going to the countryside for fieldwork this year?"

As he spoke, he glanced at Captain Yang and Chen Fan who were walking over, and said, "Wow, still in Lujiawan?"

Anquan took out a lighter, lit it, and leaned closer, grinning as he said, "What a coincidence!"

At this moment, Captain Yang also walked up and extended his hands with great enthusiasm, "Hello, Master Guo."

Master Guo lit a cigarette, slowly extended his right hand and shook it, appearing quite composed.

However, Chen Fan also noticed that his slowness was somewhat different from arrogance; it was probably the kind of slowness most commonly seen in fat people.

Thinking of the fat man, Chen Fan couldn't help but marvel at Master Guo.

These days, it's not easy to raise pigs that are plump and healthy. Thinking of Master Zhu, who slaughters pigs at the food station, one can only say that the grain system really does a good job of raising people!

While pondering, Chen Fan kept moving his hands. As soon as Captain Yang let go, he quickly stepped forward and extended both hands, saying, "Hello, Master Guo, thank you for your hard work today."

Master Guo shook Chen Fan's hand, his smile widening. "Teacher Chen, right? This is the first time we've met. Seeing is believing."

Chen Fan adopted a very proper attitude and chuckled, "I wouldn't dare call you 'teacher,' you can just call me Xiao Chen."

He chatted with Anquan and Captain Yang all the way, and now he understands the importance of the grain depot's inspectors.

There were also regulations for the production team to deliver grain to the state and purchase grain. Generally speaking, the grain management office would divide the grain into three grades. Grain that met the first grade would be accepted into the warehouse; otherwise, the weight would be deducted.

The literal meaning is to deduct the weight loss due to moisture from re-drying, as well as related labor costs. But what the actual situation is, only the inspector knows.

There are no mandatory requirements for purchasing grain; they will accept even third-grade grain. However, there will be a certain price difference between first-grade, second-grade, and third-grade grain.

For example, the purchase price of first-grade grain is 9 cents, second-grade grain is only 8 cents, and third-grade grain is less than 7 cents, only 6.5 cents. Although the difference is only a cent or a few cents, it adds up.

Take Team 6 of Lujiawan as an example. The amount of grain purchased was as high as 45500 jin. If the price was one cent less, it would be 455 yuan less. If it was spread over to each member, it would be more than one yuan less. If they were classified as the third class, the difference would be more than 1,000 yuan.

How much can a team earn in a year? That's a difference of over a thousand! They'd go bankrupt!

That's not even the worst case. The worst case is being rated as substandard, which means the grain depot will refuse to accept the grain.

If they refuse to accept the goods, can you just say you won't sell them to them?
Of course not!

Purchasing grain was also a mandatory task, and together with public grain, it was called "grain requisition and purchase." Requisitioning refers to public grain, and purchasing refers to acquiring grain; both were tasks that had to be completed.

So after being rejected, they can only take the rice back, re-select better grains, make sure they are the largest and plumpest, and then sun-dry them for two or three days before selling them back to others.

If you don't want to take it back, you'll have to accept the weight deduction and the low price.

What a miserable word.

Besides these, Chen Fan also knew that most farmers across the country had probably gone through similar experiences.

Especially in the 80s and 90s, the situation was many times more serious than it is now.

In this era, although there are instances of people making things difficult, it is mostly just a matter of arrogance and a sense of superiority. People still maintain a certain bottom line when doing things.

Or rather, there was still some apprehension in their hearts when facing the collective production team.

In the 20 years following the transition from the commune to the household contract responsibility system, there was truly no bottom line!

Well, I can't say too much about that.

When Master Guo saw Chen Fan's humble attitude, he smiled even more happily. "Teacher Chen is too modest. Putting aside everything else, just based on your veterinary training class, which trained 12 qualified veterinarians for Lujiawan, and later your training classes to teach the children of the production team, you deserve the title of teacher."

He took a drag of his cigarette, a look of reminiscence in his eyes. "Back then, I didn't study hard enough, and I didn't have a good teacher. The supervision was lax, and I was too indulgent, which resulted in a very poor foundation. Later, I was recommended to study at the county's grain school, but I failed many subjects and it took a lot of effort to catch up."

Only those who have gone to school but feel inadequate truly understand the value of knowledge. Teacher Chen, you are so dedicated to imparting knowledge; it's truly remarkable!

Chen Fan smiled and thought to himself, "So you're showing off that you went to a vocational school?"
Although it's just a school within the grain system, it's still a vocational school.

However, he could also tell that this Master Guo was probably an important reserve talent of the grain management office, probably at the same level as An Quan. No wonder he, a clerk with a public institution position, was so indifferent to An Quan, a junior leader of the tax office.

We're all pretty much the same, so what's there to be afraid of!
After chatting for a while, with Chen Fan playing the main role and Captain Yang and Anquan coordinating, the conversation finally turned to writing a novel.

Anquan pointed at Chen Fan and said to Master Guo, "These past two days, a small water tower has been built in Lujiawan. Two experienced craftsmen from the county were invited to come and give guidance. Teacher Chen started chatting with them and, after hearing the craftsmen's stories, said he wanted to write a novel about construction workers."

Upon hearing this, Master Guo couldn't help but feel a little envious. "Those two experienced masters have really made a profit!"

Rumor has it that Teacher Chen's predictions never fail; at the very least, they'll be published in the local newspaper, and the county construction company will become famous throughout the province!
What else could this be but a profit!
Just as Master Guo was secretly envious, Captain Yang quickly said, "Xiao Chen, our grain depot collects grain for the country. All the grain from the entire commune has to be delivered here. They are also responsible for management. It's not only hard work, but also a heavy responsibility. Why don't you write a novel about the grain depot?"

Chen Fan, however, looked troubled and played along, saying, "I'm just wondering what subject to write for my next novel. Writing about the stories of grassroots grain workers would definitely be suitable, but I'm not familiar with their work."

Anquan immediately said, "You're not familiar with construction workers, how could you write this? You just listened to Master Qiu and Master Ma tell you the stories from back then."

He then pointed to Master Guo and said, “You can also ask Master Guo for advice. Master Guo has worked at the grain depot for almost 20 years. He’s very knowledgeable and has seen all kinds of situations. As long as you are sincere in asking him for advice, Master Guo has a wealth of stories to tell.”

Master Guo was already grinning like a Maitreya Buddha, raising his hands and waving them gently, "You flatter me, you flatter me. I've just been doing this for a little longer."

He paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "But speaking of stories, I actually know a few."

He realized that these people were putting on a show for him today.

Even though he knew it was a trap, he was still willing to jump in.

Didn't you see how smug those cadres who had done "stationing" were smug about that article, "On the Fields of Hope"? Although he had also done "stationing" before, and was one of them, nothing beats the thrill of being unique!
So as soon as Chen Fan made a move, he readily agreed, "As long as Teacher Chen is interested, I have plenty of stories to tell you."

Captain Yang immediately clapped his hands and said, "I'll make the arrangements for lunch today. We'll have a drink at the commune's state-run restaurant and chat over drinks with Master Guo."

If Master Guo is willing to be lenient, raising the price by a few hundred yuan would be enough; what's a mere meal compared to that?

Since he had already accepted the offer, Master Guo went along with it, saying, "Sure, then I'll trouble you."

He then looked at the large grain transport team and said with a smile, "It's about time. This is the public grain you've brought, right? Go and inspect it first."

Captain Yang was overjoyed and quickly turned to the side, extending his right hand, "Please be careful on this side."

Master Guo did not act immediately. Instead, he pointed to the small house he had just come out of and said, "Have two people help me move out those tables, chairs, and scales."

Captain Yang immediately waved his hand and shouted, "Yuejin, take the militia squad and move the tables, chairs, and scales out of the house."

As soon as he finished speaking, 11 people rushed out of the group and swarmed into the small room, carrying out three square tables, several benches, and two scales.

These are the desks of the staff at the grain depot today.

Master Guo directed them to place the octagonal table in the designated location, and then picked up a large notebook and an iron drill from one of the tables.

The iron drill is a flat iron pipe with a hollow center, revealing a large hole. It's somewhat similar to the triangular military dagger in the movie "ZNH Bodyguard".

Master Guo carried the iron drill, walked to the grain transport team, and plunged it into a large sack.

After pulling it out, he tucked the notebook under his arm, poured some millet from the hole into his palm, and then picked up a few grains and chewed them.

After chewing a few times, he spat the grains in his mouth onto the ground, and the rice in the iron drill also fell to the ground. He continued walking forward and randomly stuck the rice into a bag of rice below.

This action was repeated over and over. Chen Fan followed behind, looking at the millet scattered all over the ground, and felt a pang of heartache.

Seeing his expression, Captain Yang shook his head with a smile and even secretly gave him a thumbs up.

Chen Fan instantly understood; it was only because Master Guo had shown mercy that more grain had been scattered.

After planting more than a dozen bags, Master Guo turned around and smiled at Captain Yang, who had been following him, saying, "This year's millet is quite good."

These few words brought a smile to Captain Yang's face.

The members of Team 6 in Lujiawan were also overjoyed, whispering to each other that the inspector said this year's millet was good.

The joyful mood spread quickly, prompting Team 6 of Bailang Lake behind them to eagerly await their turn.

The inspector's mood is also crucial to the delivery of grain; it seems the inspector is in a good mood today!

With so much grain, it's impossible for Master Guo to only inspect a dozen or so bags.

He wandered back and forth among the grain transport teams in Lujiawan, checking them from time to time. He even meticulously inspected the loose grains carried in baskets, reaching into the bottom to examine the quality of the grains underneath.

This process took nearly half an hour before the inspection was finally completed.

He then made a note in his notebook, saying, "Yes, they are all first-class."

As soon as he finished speaking, the members of Lujiawan Commune around him jumped high and cheered with their hands raised.

We've successfully passed the first hurdle of delivering grain this summer!

There are three checkpoints for delivering grain. Inspection is the first checkpoint. After passing the inspection checkpoint, the next step is to weigh the grain.

It wasn't until then that the weighbridge operator finally arrived.

Master Guo took the initiative to go up to him and whispered a few words. The weighbridge operator immediately put on a smile and greeted Anquan, Captain Yang, and Chen Fan with a beaming smile. After that, he simply smoked a cigarette and did not waste any time, calling on the people from Team 6 of Lujiawan to weigh themselves.

The crowd immediately followed, pulling the vehicles over in batches and lifting the sacks onto the scales.

The weighbridge operator sat upright at the octagonal table, moving the weights with his fingers, and issuing a receipt for each truckload.

He was afraid of getting it mixed up.

(80 grain receipt)
First, he would collect the grain. For each cartload that passed through, he would issue a receipt and make a record in his notebook. He would continue until he had collected the required amount of grain before loudly calling a halt and then starting to weigh and purchase the grain.

The process is the same: truckloads of grain are weighed in front of him, and he records the weighings and issues receipts accordingly.

(77 grain reserves, i.e., grain purchase receipts)

After the receipts are issued, they are all given to Captain Yang for safekeeping. He then gives them to Accountant Liu for registration, then to the finance department of the grain depot to collect the proceeds from the sale of the grain, and finally to custodian Huang for accounting purposes, which is counted as part of the production team's income this year.

This year's grain purchase is 45500 jin, and the purchase price of first-grade grain is 9.5 fen, so the total amount received is 4325.29 yuan.

This single transaction, for the more than 300 members of Team 6 in Lujiawan, means that each person can receive an average of more than ten yuan.

The grain has passed through two stages: inspection and weighing. The grain delivery task is not yet over.

The grain transport team had to reload the grain onto the wagons, transport it to the granary at the back, and personally pour the grain into the granary before the task was considered complete. (This image cannot be displayed.)
This is the third checkpoint, the warehouse checkpoint.

Dozens of handcarts and wheelbarrows carrying over a hundred loads of rice were being stored in the warehouse in an orderly manner under the direction of the warehouse manager.

So, they rushed to the grain depot at 6 a.m., started inspecting at 7 a.m., and worked until almost 10 a.m. before finally completing their grain delivery task for the day.

Even so, everyone had a happy smile on their face.

With the grain stored in the granary, one of the most important tasks of the year is considered complete, and everyone can breathe a sigh of relief.

As for the second most important task, it is naturally the autumn grain harvest in the second half of the year (lunar calendar).

For ordinary people in those days, besides their own livelihood, the most important thing was paying grain taxes.

For ordinary people, farming and paying taxes is simply a matter of course, and there is nothing happier than completing the tax payment task.

Only then did Captain Yang breathe a long sigh of relief.

He remembered that he wanted to treat Master Guo to a meal, so he asked Accountant Liu and Warehouse Keeper Huang to go to the grain depot office building next door to settle the bill, and then asked Master Liu to take everyone back to the production team.

At this point, there's no need to worry about formations. The commune members pile up the empty baskets, put them on a cart, and then the strong laborers pull them back.

Even the empty sacks had to be brought back to the production team.

These burlap sacks were issued by the commune for flood prevention. If there were any dangerous situations such as piping or excessively high water levels, these burlap sacks would be used to fill the riverbank with soil. Now they are only being temporarily requisitioned, and even the holes that were punctured during the inspection have to be repaired.

Using it temporarily saved the production team a lot of money on sacks.

More than 300 people came out, but half of them returned. People rarely come to the commune, and they have just gone through the busy double harvest season, so they naturally want to stroll around the commune, even if they don't buy anything, it's just a way to relax.

After everyone had left, only Anquan, Captain Yang, and Chen Fan remained, waiting for Master Guo to finish his work so they could have a meal and chat together.

After inspecting the Lujiawan 6th team and Bailanghu 6th team, Master Guo finished inspecting the two production teams that followed. He was busy until almost 11:30 before he packed up and came over, saying, "Sorry to keep you waiting, you can go now."

Captain Yang naturally said it was nothing and kindly invited Master Guo to go first. They soon arrived at the state-run restaurant.

Once he arrived here, Chen Fan felt as if he had come home.

Although he had only been here twice, he became very familiar with the waiters and chef Zhu Hao. He greeted them warmly as soon as he entered and even took a stroll around the kitchen.

Seeing that Chen Fan had such a wide circle of friends, Master Guo's smile grew even wider, and he lowered his posture considerably.

During the meal, while drinking, he told Chen Fan at length about the various typical events that had occurred since the establishment of the Nanhu Grain Depot.

Chen Fan had only intended to go through the motions for the mission, but after hearing the stories Guo told, he became interested and ran to the Xinhua Bookstore across the street to buy a pen and a notebook, writing down all of Guo's stories.

Seeing how serious Chen Fan was, Master Guo couldn't help but nod in approval, and his enthusiasm for conversation grew even stronger.

This meal lasted from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. If Master Guo hadn't remembered that a team was coming to deliver grain in the afternoon, he probably could have chatted here all afternoon.

After the event ended, Master Guo hurriedly headed to the grain depot, while Chen Fan and the other two walked slowly behind him.

Looking at the other teams returning to the transport team on the street, Chen Fan said with a smile, "Mission accomplished, Captain, you can rest assured now."

Captain Yang nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, I'm relieved, I'm relieved."

With his hands on his hips, he looked exceptionally spirited. "I've been leading the grain delivery team for many years, and this is the first time it's gone so smoothly."

He patted Chen Fan on the shoulder and laughed, "Thanks to you!"

Chen Fan smiled and shook his head, "It's because our production team's grain quality is good this year. Otherwise, no matter how much I plead, Master Guo wouldn't dare to raise the grade so easily."

Today, it was definitely because Master Guo did a favor. Later, when Chen Fan inspected the other production teams, he found that none of them had all first-grade grain; at least 20% or 30% of their grain was second-grade.

Whether by convention or by reality, just as no one can get 100 points on a Chinese exam, the grain depot will not assign 100% first-class grain to any production team!

You've got the best grain rations for everyone? You think you're so capable?!
Therefore, Captain Yang saw this favor clearly, and in his heart, he naturally had to give Chen Fan credit as well, or even say he was the biggest contributor.

In addition to the six teams, the other teams in Lujiawan should also have a much smoother inspection process this year.

Even if you don't care about the monk, you should at least give him face. Everyone knows that Teacher Chen is the coordinator of the Lujiawan brigade. Since we've already given him face, it's only right that we do him a favor and make things easier for the other teams.

(End of this chapter)