Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 392 Convertible

Seeing that Chen Fan still wanted to build speedboats, Cui Baozhang said no more and had someone bring over a thick stack of blueprints and spread them on a large table.

Chen Fan drew quite a few pictures, but he used A3-sized paper that he cut himself. This was the first time he had used such a half-size drawing paper.

He picked up a pencil and first wrote a few words on the edge of the drawing paper: "soft-top convertible assault boat." After getting used to the texture of the paper and the pencil, he began to draw.

Although he can draw standard design blueprints by hand without using any tools, he is past the age of enjoying showing off and naturally chooses to keep a low profile.

Holding a ruler in one hand and pressing it against the drawing paper, while quickly sketching with a pencil in the other.

Overall view, 3D perspective view, part drawings, part assembly diagram, ...

An hour later, several complete design drawings of the assault boats appeared on the paper.

However, his renderings were quite different from ordinary speedboats; they were more like wooden yachts than speedboats.

(Similar to this, but not as luxurious and handsome as his.)
After finishing the drawing, Chen Fan straightened up and smiled at Cui Baozhang, "Director Cui, could you please take a look and see if this is easy to make?"

Cui Baozhang then came to his senses and looked down at the meticulously drawn design.

Is this something that can be drawn in an hour?

No wonder Teacher Chen is so skilled in mechanics. Just based on his drawing skills alone, there are probably few people in the entire prefectural committee who can compare to him.

After finally coming to his senses, Cui Baozhang focused his attention back on the blueprints.

Generally speaking, the length of an assault boat is between 3.8 and 4 meters. In order to increase speed, the width of the boat is controlled within 1.5 meters, forming a long and narrow shape, which makes it easier to cut through the wind and waves.

Moreover, the entire hull is thin, so not much else can be installed. At most, there will be two rows of chairs, and a ring of handrails made of ropes to prevent people from being thrown out due to excessive speed and rough seas.

As for the speedboat that Chen Fan drew... well, Cui Baozhang felt that it could no longer be called a speedboat, or perhaps a miniature passenger boat would be more appropriate.

The entire ship is teardrop-shaped, wider at the front and narrower at the back. The widest part is nearly 3 meters wide, while the narrowest part, where the engine is located at the back, is 1.3 meters wide.

The cabin was sunken down to a depth of more than a meter, almost as deep as the cabin of a large ship.

Moreover, the cabin is divided into two parts: the front is the cockpit with two seats, and the rear is a row of two facing seats.

There are two small doors under the bridge. Opening them leads to the space below the forward deck, which can be used to store items.

Because the front cabin is spacious, the interior space is also quite large, and the storage capacity is very considerable.

That's not the key point.

The entire cabin is surrounded by a partition, with the front partition being the largest at 80 centimeters, and then extending backward, gradually decreasing in height until it is only 50 centimeters high.

If it were topped off, it would be an enclosed inflatable boat, but because the hull is quite deep, it wouldn't hinder people from getting in and out, or moving around inside.

In addition, these baffles are composed of grids of different sizes, and all grids have only one border. The drawings are marked with the note, "Glass is inlaid here and sealed with plastic strips for waterproofing."

Cui Baozhang turned to look at Chen Fan, "Do you know how expensive marine glass is?"

Chen Fan nodded slightly, "Don't worry, I'm mentally prepared. As long as it's not too outrageous, I can accept it."

Cui Baozhang chuckled, "It's not too outrageous, just 4 yuan more per square meter than ordinary glass."

Chen Fan was slightly taken aback. "Oh, that's alright."

He didn't think it was expensive; he thought it was cheap.

Marine glass may have even higher requirements than automotive glass because it needs to be shockproof and resistant to wind and waves. Anyone who has been on a passenger ship knows that the glass in the cabin is several times thicker than ordinary glass.

If it's only 4 yuan more expensive per square meter, isn't that cheap?!

Moreover, marine glass is hard to buy; it can only be applied for and purchased by units related to shipbuilding and repair. Without a water transport company or repair shop, Chen Fan's glass-windowed yacht could not be built.

Cui Baozhang laughed and said, "I didn't realize you were such a wealthy man."

Chen Fan quickly said, "Once this little boat is finished, we'll be in debt."

Upon hearing this, the people from Lujiawan nearby exchanged bewildered glances.

Zhang Wenliang muttered to himself, "Why does this sound so familiar?"

Yang Xingxiu whispered, "Have you forgotten? That's what he said after the house was built last time!"

The others around suddenly realized what was going on, and they looked at each other before finally turning to Chen Fan.

Would you consider this a repeat offender?

Unfortunately, Cui Baozhang was unaware of Teacher Chen's glorious history. He simply smiled and said, "This is no small boat. Apart from its small size, it is crafted in accordance with the techniques of large ships. The keel, bulkheads, and decks must all be made of the finest wood. Anything slightly inferior will not do."

And you even used marine-grade glass for lighting,..."

At this point, he looked down at the blueprints. "You didn't draw the cabin roof, and the name you wrote is 'soft-top convertible,' so the two wooden bars fixed on the baffle, one horizontal and one vertical, are for supporting the roof?"

Chen Fan nodded and smiled, "It would be best if we could have steel pipes."

He pointed to the blueprints and said, "There will be a seal half a meter in front of the cabin, and a ten-centimeter space above the sealing plate. When the tarpaulin is to be put away, it can be placed here. When it needs to be closed, the tarpaulin can be pulled open and a ring of iron hooks can be made around it to be hung on the iron rings of the baffle to secure it, thus preventing wind and rain."

Two more marine searchlights will be mounted on top, with their power supply located inside the bridge and connected to the engine.

After saying that, he turned to look at Cui Baozhang and smiled, "Is it easy to do?"

Cui Baozhang stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and said, "No problem."

He then looked at Chen Fan and said with a smile, "Your boat doesn't look big, but the workmanship requirements are very high. It doesn't require a lot of long timber, so you can use a lot of short timber, which can save a lot of money."

Shipbuilding has very high requirements for the length of timber, especially keel wood. Only a whole trunk can be used; spliced ​​pieces are absolutely unacceptable. Therefore, although Chen Fan's ship is complex, its small size actually saves a lot of money on timber.

Chen Fan had already calculated the required amount of wood on the blueprints. Cui Baozhang checked it carefully and found that the calculation was very accurate. He then habitually added a 10% allowance for wastage and started calculating with his abacus.

After a moment, he straightened up and said, "Including the cost of glass, wood, and labor, not counting the cost of the machinery, the cost of this boat is at least 400. I can round it down for you, so it's 400 in total. Is that alright?"

400?

This number did indeed surprise Secretary Yang and his team.

Building a small boat, including wood and labor, should cost around 100 yuan, at most 150 yuan. I didn't expect that this boat, which is just a little bigger, would cost so much more.

However, Chen Fan calculated the amount of wood used himself, and they also heard clearly the construction process requirements. You get what you pay for, and Director Cui really didn't quote a high price.

They exchanged glances and nodded secretly. Before Chen Fan could speak, Secretary Yang said, "Okay, 400 it is."

Chen Fan turned to look at Secretary Yang, and was about to say that he would pay for it himself, or pay half of it, but he did not expect that Secretary Yang would agree directly.
Cui Baozhang smiled and continued, "400 is just the cost of building the ship. If you want to operate the ship's machinery, even if you buy an old machine, it will cost 1200 to 1500 yuan per set. If it's a new machine, it will probably cost at least 2000 yuan."

He shook his head as he spoke, "However, a new machine is unlikely. Let's see if we can find a used one. If that doesn't work, we'll have to install a paddle motor."

The outboard motor is cheap; apart from the diesel engine, which is a bit pricey, the other parts only cost a little over 100 yuan.

This time, Secretary Yang didn't dare to say a word.

It's not that he's reluctant to spend the 2000 yuan; now, the 11 stores bring in 20,000 to 30,000 yuan a day for the Lujiawan brigade, so this amount is just a drop in the bucket.

But the accounts can't be calculated like that.

In big cities with so many organizations, how significant are the contributions of those engineers? How much bonus do they receive?
Those who make significant and outstanding contributions only receive 50 or 100 yuan. Even those who send satellites into space only receive such a small bonus. If they dare to give Chen Fan a 2,000 yuan bonus today, someone will dare to expose it tomorrow.

If a good thing turns into a bad thing, it will harm him.

Moreover, he wanted to have a serious talk with Cui Baozhang about this 400 yuan.

Once Chen Fan readily agreed to the price, Secretary Yang stepped forward and smiled at him, "Director Cui, our team still has quite a bit of high-quality timber. What if we provide the timber ourselves?"

Factory Director Cui looked at him meaningfully and smiled, "Sure, 150 yuan is enough, including labor and glass."

Does Lujiawan still have high-quality timber?
Haha, Master Wang didn't say that last time. And according to his understanding, almost all the best timber was used up to build that new 10-meter wooden boat, so where would they find good timber now?
However, he didn't care. Orders like today's, and the large ship customized for Lujiawan, were actually "private orders" taken by the repair shop. This income would go into the company's slush fund and wouldn't appear in the business records. So the handling method could be very flexible. They could do it as a package deal or as a processing service. It was just a matter of giving a little more discount because Teacher Chen helped repair that propeller and saved several thousand yuan in losses.

By the way, that thruster also went into the slush fund. As for the two sets of spare parts we bought before, we can just find some used ones to sell them off.

It's not even ten years from now. These days, if you ask a company leader to pocket money, most people wouldn't do it.

However, even the most impartial person will turn a blind eye to people hoarding slush funds for their workplace.

As long as it doesn't affect the tasks assigned by superiors, and it can bring more benefits to the unit and its employees, why not do it?!
Secretary Yang and his colleagues were also very happy. The repair shop only needed to charge a little over a hundred yuan, which was in line with their previous expectations and would not cause Chen Fan any trouble.

As for timber, Lujiawan is out of it, but Bailanghu, Ganjiacun, Hongxing, and Shengli brigades can't gather many good logs.

When the time comes, we'll slip the money for the wood into the money for the chickens, ducks, and geese and pay it all together. Nobody will know, and there won't be any problems.

Secretary Yang looked at Chen Fan with deep emotion. They had gone to great lengths to keep this treasure; otherwise, they wouldn't have cared so much for ordinary commune members.

However, it seems that none of the other members have achieved the same results as Teacher Chen!
After explaining the yacht construction, Lu Jiawan and his group left the repair shop and went to the water transport company to find Secretary Tian to learn about the "trainees'" learning progress.

The result was neither good nor bad. Sailing is a skill, and even if the master is willing to teach, it depends on the apprentice's aptitude.

The trainees sent from Lujiawan were of average appearance; they lacked talent but made up for it with hard work, and that was all they could manage.

Fortunately, these people are hardworking enough, and they should be able to sail independently in another half month. Although they won't make it in time for National Day, it won't be too late.

……

Back at the brigade headquarters, Chen Fan picked up his backpack and prepared to go home.

Just then, Anquan suddenly called him back, "Wait, take this back with you."

Chen Fan turned around and his eyes lit up immediately, "An accordion?"

A black leather case, once opened, revealed a gleaming black accordion.

(pigini accordion)
Chen Fan held the accordion, clearly quite fond of it.

Life in this era is too monotonous. Apart from riding horses, hunting, walking dogs, and releasing falcons, all you can do is stay at home drinking tea, sleeping, reading books, and listening to the radio. Even if you manage to learn a few musical instruments, you can only play the harmonica, flute, and erhu.

It's so monotonous!
Now that we have this accordion, we can add a little bit of color to our monotonous lives.

He pulled it a short distance before remembering safety, and immediately asked, "Didn't you say your classmate didn't buy it?"

Anquan chuckled, "Of course, I'll only tell you after I've bought it. Otherwise, by the time I ask for your opinion and send him a telegram, two or three days will have passed, and it'll probably already been bought by someone else. These kinds of instruments are very popular in secondhand stores, okay? Do you think I'd be that stupid?"

He pointed to the accordion and continued, "Hey, 230 yuan, don't forget to pay."

Chen Fan was taken aback again. "Isn't it 250?"

Anquan immediately grinned and said, "If you insist on having 250, that's fine too."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan immediately realized he had been tricked. He curled his lip, put the accordion back in its case, and said, "I'll bring you the money tomorrow."

Safety was equally blunt: "Okay, don't forget, I only gave my classmate two hundred, and he even lent me 30. I need to pay him back as soon as possible."

Chen Fan laughed and said, "I'll give you 300 yuan tomorrow, and send the rest to him. If you see any other good musical instruments, buy them for me too."

Safety gestured, "No problem."

At this moment, Zhang Wenliang suddenly leaned over and whispered to Chen Fan, "I have a question for you."

Chen Fan looked at him. "What?"

Zhang Wenliang rubbed his fingers together. "How much money do you actually have? You just want a boat handling machine worth over 1000, and now you're giving Brother An money to buy musical instruments. Could it be that you..."

Chen Fan immediately declared righteously, "No, it's all a rumor. I have no money, only the money from selling the rabbits last time, not a single penny more!"

Secretary Yang walked over, smoking a cigarette, and asked curiously, "If you only had that 1000, and you've already given 300 to the safety department, leaving you with only 700, how will you settle the bill with the repair shop?"

Chen Fan smiled awkwardly, his voice lowering considerably, "The shortfall will be put on credit for now. When their machines can't be repaired someday, I'll go over and fix them to settle the debt."

Upon hearing this, Secretary Yang and the others were once again stunned.

Is this even allowed?
Isn't that unfair?
Seeing that they weren't paying attention to him, Chen Fan quickly grabbed his accordion and left.

……

When they rode their horses home, Jiang Lili and the others had already finished work and were busy cooking in the kitchen.

Huang Ying ran in and out of the kitchen. When she saw Chen Fan returning with a suitcase, she immediately said, "Teacher Chen, we just got back. We can eat in a little while."

But his gaze fell on the box in his hand, and he wondered, what is this thing?
Chen Fan didn't explain, but just smiled and went into his room.

When she came out again, she was holding an accordion in her arms and carrying a chair in her hand.

Then he sat down on the open ground in front of the door and played a melodious tune on his piano.

Hearing the noise, the four girls in the kitchen quickly ran out and stood in a row, staring intently at the accordion.

After becoming familiar with the violin, Chen Fan played the melody of a song, "Aspiring to create a new business in Taiwan."

This island is not the island to the east, but Hainan Island to the south.

If you don't know what songs are allowed and what songs are not allowed in this era, then go and read a book called "New Songs from the Battlefield".

All the songs in this book are singable; the one Chen Fan played was a piece from the first volume.

A moment later, as the last note faded away, the four girls immediately clapped and applauded.

Yang Ju's pretty face flushed red, and she smiled like a flower, "You played so beautifully!"

Liu Dan was visibly excited, clapping her hands repeatedly, "Teacher Chen is amazing!"

Huang Ying clasped her hands to her chest and asked, "Teacher Chen, can you teach us music?"

Although Jiang Lili didn't make any movements, her eyes were full of infatuation, and she even forgot to hide her emotions.

Chen Fan drew out another note and smiled at them, "Teaching music is no problem of course, but if you don't go to the kitchen soon, the food will burn."

Upon hearing this, the four girls were immediately terrified and turned to run to the kitchen.

The dishes today were alright.

Crucian carp and tofu soup, spicy and sour chicken giblets, braised mixed fish with pickled pepper, eggplant and green beans, and finally a big bowl of pumpkin.

Once the food was laid out, Chen Fan first scooped a large spoonful of pumpkin onto the rice, stirred it a few times with his chopsticks, and then began to eat heartily.

There are a lot of pumpkins here, and they are big and sweet, but most older people don't like to eat them.

During those years, there wasn't enough food, and many people ate large pumpkins almost every day.

Not only do they eat it every day, but they only eat pumpkin. After eating so much of it, some people feel nauseous just looking at pumpkin.

But when the pumpkins are placed on the table, they unconsciously pick out a few pieces and put them in their bowls. At the same time, just in case, they frantically planted pumpkins every year, which can be considered one of the aftereffects of those years in Lujiawan.

On the contrary, young people love to eat this, especially pumpkin rice. The rice mixed with pumpkin juice is sweet and delicious. Chen Fan can eat three big bowls in one meal.

After eating a large bowl, he looked at the group and said softly, "Even if you hadn't mentioned it, I would still have taught you music, but not starting with instruments; I would have taught you to sing first."

Huang Ying put down her chopsticks and looked at him strangely, "Why?"

Chen Fan laughed and said, "Because there will be performances during the National Day holiday, both An Ge and I will be on, so of course you can't miss it either."

(End of this chapter)