Development of productivity started in 1981

Chapter 20: Raozhou Journey
Back at the guesthouse, Wang Jiankun carefully studied the flint elements projected into his mind.

At the same time, I also asked Tomoko to help with the analysis, and with the help of the physical and chemical data projected in the library in the morning, I finally got some clues.

It turns out that the two special elements in flint are metallic cerium (Ce) and lanthanum (La).

When thorium is extracted from monazite (lanthanum cerium ore), cerium and lanthanum can be obtained as by-products.

Both of these metals are easily oxidized in the air, so they are usually stored in kerosene (commonly known as smelly oil).

Based on the composition of flint in her mind and her knowledge of physics and chemistry, Tomoko analyzed and sorted out the information and explained it to Wang Jiankun:
The various elements in this flint have different functions and none of them can be missing.

Rare earth metals: Rare earth elements are the matrix and main component of flint alloys. They have a strong affinity with oxygen and release a large amount of heat during reaction.

Iron element: The main filler, which can improve the hardness of the alloy and react with rare earth cerium to generate CeFe.

Magnesium element: Magnesium can react with rare earth cerium to form CeMg intermediate compound, which has a very low ignition point and enhances ignition performance. When the magnesium content is higher than 5%, the ignition performance is good, but the extrusion forming pressure is high. When the magnesium content is too low, the luminescence performance is poor, the grains in the alloy are refined, and the alloy has toughness. It cannot pulverize during friction, and the fire produced is not a spark but a flame.

Zinc: Zinc in the alloy does not contribute to pyrophoricity, but it increases the density and corrosion resistance of the alloy.

Copper element: Adding a small amount of copper to the alloy has no adverse effect on the ignition performance, wear resistance and storage stability of the flint, but is effective in reducing pressure. However, the copper content should not be too high.

I searched in my mind for a book introducing the distribution of minerals in Xiajiang Province and found that these two rare earth elements were mined near Dexing, and there were also mines mining zinc.

Among them, rare earths are not expensive as long as they are used for export. According to data, the price is more than 3 yuan per ton, which is not as expensive as copper ore.

Because China is not able to separate them very well now, there is little development and utilization of rare earths.

It was not until the cooperation with Japan in recent years that Japanese people came to purchase and the local government of Dexing realized that this unwanted soil could actually be sold for money.

Wang Jiankun felt a little unwilling when he thought of this. He wanted to make good use of these rare earth elements, so making lighters had to be put on the agenda.

I have to find a way to go to Dexing to buy rare earth ore and zinc, and then use my superpowers to directly synthesize flint.

Anyway, the size of each flint is not very large, so tens of thousands of flints can be synthesized in a day.

We told others that we bought it through import channels.

In addition, galvanized iron sheets can be directly synthesized and supplied to the team for production in the early stage.

Later, when we made enough money, we asked the team to purchase from the steel plant in the name of the team-run factory. The factory would supply about 10 tons at a time, which would be enough for the team's production for one month.

Thinking of this, Wang Jiankun asked Chieko to help design the machine and mold for lighter processing.

Wang Jiankun proposed to simplify the design of Zhizi.

Because Zhizi is always designed according to fully automatic intelligent production.

The current productivity cannot achieve this, and the best thing is to use a large number of hands and the necessary machines to produce.

It will not only increase the number of industrial workers, but also improve their income.

Gradually, a production line that met the actual conditions of Wangjia Production Team and Zheyuan Commune emerged.

The main equipment is iron shell stamping, wind cap stamping, kerosene storage tank stamping, push switch stamping and small latch stamping.

The corresponding molds have also been designed, and the tools for assembly are also very simple. They can be cast and then polished.

The flint and small spring were synthesized and provided by Wang Jiankun.

Wang Jiankun was so focused on designing the manufacturing of the lighter with Tomoko that he even forgot to go out for dinner.

Master Quan waited in the restaurant for a while and when he didn't see Wang Jiankun, he went to the room to look for him.

Seeing him in a daze, I hurriedly asked, "Jiankun, what's wrong? It's already noon, why don't you go to the store to eat?"

Wang Jiankun came to his senses after hearing Master Quan's voice and said hurriedly, "I went to the library to read some books this morning and was thinking about some scientific problems. I forgot. Have you eaten?"

"I'm waiting for you at the restaurant. I saw you weren't here yet so I came up to check on you. Let's go downstairs and eat first. We can think about the problem later."

"Okay, let's eat first. We're all hungry."

The two ordered three dishes at the restaurant, one meat and two vegetable dishes.

During the meal, Master Quan said that both clocks were sold and he had found two stores that wanted to wholesale them.

Some of the clocks in their store are very delicate and expensive. The most expensive one costs more than 1000 yuan. They are said to be made of precious wood and gems.

The table clock provided by Master Quan is simple and practical, and still has a large market.

There are still many families in Raozhou City who do not have timekeeping tools.

As life gets better, I want to buy a watch to tell time.

Watches are too expensive nowadays and not suitable for home use.

Table clocks imported from other provinces generally cost around fifty or sixty yuan, and not many are imported each month.

Master Quan's wholesale price is 30 yuan, and if you add a dozen or twenty yuan, you can still sell it, so I plan to wholesale 10 units first to see how it goes.

Wang Jiankun said: "Then you need to buy a few more machines, otherwise it will be too late to do it."

"Yes, but I don't have much money this time, only about 3 yuan. I'll check the price of the machines this afternoon and try to buy as many as possible. If that doesn't work, I'll buy more next time I come to deliver the goods."

The two of them ate and chatted, and then went back to the room to rest after eating.

At around 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the two went to the department store and came to the store selling electromechanical products.

After I told the salesperson that I wanted to buy a grinder, the salesperson started to introduce it to me.

"We have three types of grinders: large, medium and small. All of them can be replaced with grinding wheels of different coarseness. Which one do you want to buy?"

Wang Jiankun asked him to show them all three types. The salesperson said that the machines were heavy and difficult to carry, and they could go to where they were placed to have a look.

So the two of them were led by the salesperson to look at the grinder placed on the ground.

The machine casing is painted green and is covered with a lot of dust.

The salesperson didn't wipe it when he saw it, but just told them to plug it in and let them see if it could start.

In fact, Wang Jiankun had already studied these machines when he was visiting this store yesterday, and there were no problems with these machines.

But I still asked the salesperson to plug it in and show me how to change the grinding wheel.

After reading it, Master Quan asked Wang Jiankun: "My dear nephew, how do you choose among these three? I don't know much about this."

Ask the price first and then decide.

So I asked the salesperson to quote a price.

The large one is 1200 yuan, the medium one is 800 yuan, and the small one is 500 yuan. They also said that there is no bargaining here, as all prices are set by the factory.

After hearing the price, Wang Jiankun said to Master Quan: "My suggestion is to buy a large one for rough grinding, and then buy four small ones for fine molds. Buy more grinding wheels, and then see if you need to buy more when the production increases in the future."

Master Quan thought for a moment and said, "Okay, let's do as you say. Buy one big one and four small ones."

So I told the salesperson the quantity I wanted to buy.

The salesperson said that the products in the store are currently only samples for display, and there is only one of each.

Later he called the factory to ask for a truck to deliver it, and asked the two of them if they wanted the truck to help deliver it.

Neither Wang Jiankun nor Master Quan considered the transportation issue.

The grinder you see now is so big and heavy that it is obviously impossible to take it away on a bus.

So I asked, "Can a truck be used to transport the goods to Wuyuan County? How much is the freight?"

"It's about 150 kilometers to Wuyuan County, and it should cost 300 yuan. You can follow the truck when you get there."

Master Quan thought about it and decided to ask the factory’s truck to help transport the goods. He was not familiar with Raozhou and was afraid that it would be difficult to find a truck.

So he said, "Okay, please ask the factory to use your truck to deliver it."

"So when do you two plan to go back? If you can find the time, you can follow the truck and save the ticket money."

"We plan to go there early tomorrow morning. Please ask if the truck can deliver tomorrow."

"Please pay the money, I'll give you a receipt and then call the factory to make the arrangements."

So Master Quan paid 3500 yuan, and the salesperson issued a receipt and called the factory.
After we finished communicating and hung up the phone, he said, "Tomorrow morning, there will be a truck from the factory that can help you transport the goods to Wuyuan County. The truck will arrive at the entrance of the department store at 7: tomorrow morning. You can wait at the entrance tomorrow and leave with the truck when the time comes."

"That's great, it's settled."

Master Quan collected the receipt and left the store with Wang Jiankun.

The two then went shopping in the department store.

In the department store, Wang Jiankun asked about the price of gold in the jewelry store.

The salesperson said it depends on the style, and the price of gold is 28 yuan per gram.

If you make jewelry, add 3 to 10 yuan per gram depending on the complexity.

Wang Jiankun asked if the gold could be recycled, and the salesperson said it could be recycled, but the price would depend on the quality.

So Wang Jiankun felt in his pocket, took out a 50-gram gold nugget and asked, "I have 50 grams here, can you please see if I can recycle it?"

The salesperson took it, weighed it first, then burned it with a blowtorch, and said that it could be recycled at 27 yuan per gram.

Wang Jiankun thought about it and decided to exchange the 50 grams for money first.

So he asked the salesperson to take it back, and the salesperson gave Wang Jiankun 1350 yuan.

Wang Jiankun collected the money, looked around to see if anyone was looking at him, and quickly left the gold shop.

Then I bought a few packs of cigarettes and prepared to go to the recycling station to see if I could extract some elements from there to take home.

I told Master Quan where I was going and said I would be back at the guesthouse before dinner.

After leaving the department store, Wang Jiankun saw a three-wheeled rickshaw and walked up to it and asked, "Hello, would you like to go to the scrap collection station? How much does it cost?"

"Go ahead. It's about five miles from here. It's a bit remote. Give me one dollar."

Wang Jiankun did not bargain and said, "Okay, I'll give you the money when we get there."

So Wang Jiankun took a rickshaw to the scrap recycling station.

After arriving, Wang Jiankun paid 1 yuan for the fare and got off the bus and entered the scrap yard.

The scrap yard covers a large area and is divided into several areas for different types of scrap.

There are areas for wood, some old furniture, some for waste paper, bricks and tiles, broken glass, etc. The largest area is for metal.

He found the person in charge and told him that he wanted to buy some scrap steel to make farm tools. The person in charge told him to choose it himself, and then he could ask him to weigh it and pay.

So Wang Jiankun went to the metal pile.

Wang Jiankun used his superpowers to check one by one and found that there were some sections of steel rails that contained a lot of manganese.

So Wang Jiankun transferred all the manganese elements into two steel rails.

Because the specific gravity of manganese and iron is similar, the difference is not big after changing the composition. When the time comes, we can take the manganese back and make tens of thousands of springs.

Then I walked around a bit and found a generator.

Looking at the nameplate, it turned out to be made in Germany in 1935.

The coil and rotor inside are still intact, but the outside is tattered and the brushes have been worn out. It seems that it was scrapped from an old hydropower station.

So Wang Jiankun planned to buy it, transport it back to the production team and build a hydropower station to electrify the Wang family production team.

Next, look for transformers. The hydropower station should have corresponding scrapped equipment.

After searching around, I found three transformers, two of which were particularly large and one was relatively small.

The larger the transformer, the greater its ability to step up and down voltages. I looked at the nameplate and saw that it was made in the 1960s and the casing is now rusted.

It seems that the production capacity did decline during that period. It has become so dilapidated after only being used for more than ten years.

Wang Jiankun asked Zhizi to help analyze whether the smaller machine could be repaired using super powers, and whether it would be enough for a production team after being repaired.

After some analysis, Chieko said that it is still possible to use her super powers to modify the transformer so that it can be boosted to the standard voltage of 220 volts.

So Wang Jiankun, with the help of Zhizi, modified the transformer on the spot, and took the insufficient elements from the large transformer next to it.

Soon, the inside was completely new, with only the outer shell left.

Then he searched around and found some wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers and other tools in varying degrees of damage.

I'll take it back and use it as is, and use my super powers to repair some parts.

It’s a pity that no rare earth elements were found in these scrap metals, otherwise we could extract some and make some lighters for trial sales.

Not finding anything valuable, Wang Jiankun asked the person in charge to point out what items were needed, and the person in charge had them moved out one by one and weighed.

When seeing the generator and transformer, the person in charge said that these two had not been dismantled yet, so it was difficult to count.

Wang Jiankun asked if the scrap copper price could be calculated based on half of its weight?
The person in charge considered it and agreed. According to his experience in dismantling scraps, he could make more money by selling them this way.

So four rails, a generator, a transformer and some broken tools were put together.

The person in charge calculated the total amount to be 830 yuan.

Wang Jiankun had already gotten a bargain so he didn't bargain, but he hoped that the goods could be stored here tonight and a truck would come to transport them at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning.

The person in charge said that it was no problem, but half had to be paid first and the other half would be paid when the goods arrived tomorrow.

Wang Jiankun then paid 415 yuan and asked the person in charge to keep an eye on it and not to miss any items when he came to deliver the goods every day.

After saying that, Wang Jiankun took the receipt and walked towards the guesthouse.

Not long after he walked out, he ran into the tricycle that had brought him to the scrap yard, so he took the tricycle back to the guesthouse.

At this time, Master Quan was already waiting for him in the guesthouse. When he saw Wang Jiankun coming back, he hurriedly asked, "Where have you been, nephew? I saw that you hadn't come back by dinner time, so I was ready to go look for you."

"I went to the scrapyard to see if there were any old machines I could buy, but I didn't expect to find something good."

"Oh, what's the good stuff? Let's go out for dinner first and talk while we walk."

"It's a set of water conservancy generators and transformers. Although they are very old, they only look worn out. In fact, they can still be used after a little repair."

"Really? You want to buy it back and build a power station for your production team?"

"Yes, we don't have electricity where we are yet, and I don't know how many years it will take for electricity to be connected there, so when I came across a generator that I could buy at scrap prices, I bought it first. All in all it cost 830 yuan."

"Have you thought about how to transport it back?"

"Isn't there a truck from the electromechanical factory delivering goods tomorrow? I'll pay the driver a little more and ask him to help take it to Wuyuan County. Then I'll find a truck from Wuyuan County to transport it to Fengshan. When we get to Fengshan, I'll have the team use a bullock cart to transport it back."

"That should work. Talk to the driver tomorrow. It's on the way anyway. And you're willing to pay the driver more. He will definitely agree if he can make some extra money."

The two of them ate and chatted, and Master Quan also said that he had inquired about the store opening policy here.

I was thinking that if I could open up wholesale sales in the future, I would open a store here.

When the time comes, we can hire a truck to transport hundreds of units at a time, so that we can save some shipping costs.

Wang Jiankun didn't expect that Master Quan was so active in thinking and so courageous.

But this idea is really good. If my lighter project is successful, I should open a store in Raozhou, doing both retail and wholesale.

Raozhou has well-developed railway transportation, which can reach BJ in the north, Guangzhou in the south, and inland areas such as Hunan, Hunan and Sichuan in the west. Water transportation can also enter the Yangtze River through Poyang Lake.

If we can open a factory in the future, it would be nice to do it here.

Not only is the transportation well-developed, but the surrounding mineral resources are also quite abundant.

Rare earths are widely distributed in Dexing and southern Jiangxi. People now do not realize how precious these minerals are. They can stockpile and refine them in the future.

According to information from another dimension provided by Zhizi, in a few years, rare earths will become a strategic resource that can influence the manufacturing of cutting-edge weapons by major countries.

I am still too young now, and the power I can control is still limited, so I cannot gain the trust of most people.

However, by continuously raising the level of productivity in your hometown, you can indirectly promote social change, and you can borrow more human resources from it.

Therefore, the hydropower generation and lighter projects must be successful in the next month, otherwise I will have no freedom after going to school, which will delay a lot of time.

The two of them went to bed early in the evening. Early the next morning, they checked out, had breakfast, and then walked towards the department store with their luggage.

Before 7 o'clock, the two arrived at the entrance of the department store.

The gate was not open yet, and only a few workers who were getting off the night shift passed by on their bicycles.

When Wang Jiankun saw the bicycle, he had wanted to buy one for a long time, but it required a bicycle ticket and he couldn't find anyone to get the ticket at the time, so he missed the opportunity with regret.

I will get a bicycle when I have the chance in the future. If I really can’t get the ticket, I will use my superpowers to build one and then say that I bought it in the county town or Raozhou.

I should go out more often in the future. If there are many things that are difficult to explain, just say that I asked someone to buy them in the city.

It was almost 7: when a Jiefang truck drove up to the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative.

No need to think too much, this is the truck that comes from the mechanical and electrical factory to deliver goods.

After the truck stopped, Wang Jiankun and Master Quan walked to the side of the cab.

Master Quan asked, "Hello, Master. Are you delivering goods from the Mechanical and Electrical Factory?"

The driver saw them asking questions, opened the door and got out of the car: "Yes, you are the owner of the goods, right? It's quite far to Wuyuan, hurry up and get in the car."

Wang Jiankun said, "Master, would you like to smoke?" and handed over a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes.

Seeing that he was giving away such good cigarettes, the driver said in a nice tone: "You are too polite. I really can't bear to smoke such good cigarettes."

Wang Jiankun said, "Thank you for the trouble. I have some goods that I would like you to bring to Wuyuan. I wonder if you are willing to do so."

"Are you also sending it to Wuyuan? It's okay if it's along the way, but if there are a lot of heavy items, the car will consume more fuel."

"I won't ask you to help me for nothing. I bought some old machinery from the scrap yard, weighing about a ton. If you help transport it to Wuyuan, I will give you an extra 1 yuan as a reward for your hard work."

After hearing what he said, the driver took the Zhonghua cigarettes and asked the two of them to get in the cab and go to the scrap yard.

After a while, we arrived at the scrap yard. The person in charge was already waiting at the door. When he saw the truck coming, he opened the gate to let the truck in.

When the car stopped, the three got out.

Wang Jiankun found the person in charge and checked the goods together. There was nothing missing from the goods when he left yesterday.

Wang Jiankun gave the other half of 415 yuan to the person in charge, and took out two packs of Jinsheng cigarettes and gave them to the person in charge, asking him to help ask someone to load the goods onto the truck.

The person in charge took the cigarettes and went to find workers to help load them into the car.

After loading, the three people got into the cab, and the driver started the car, left the scrap station and drove towards Wuyuan.

The driver was not very talkative and was only focused on driving, so we didn't chat much along the way.

We just chatted at lunch in Dexing at noon. He was also a retired car soldier and was assigned to an electromechanical factory.

After passing Dexing, the road began to deteriorate and the driver stared at the road, so Wang Jiankun and the others did not dare to disturb him.

By the time we reached the county town it was already 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

After unloading the goods in the county town, Wang Jiankun gave the driver 100 yuan.

After receiving the money, the driver got in the car and drove away. Perhaps he wanted to finish driving on the difficult road before dark.

Master Quan said to wait here, the driver Hu Xiyang should be here soon.

If he can't pull the cart this time, tell him to help you tomorrow.

After a while, Hu Xiyang really stopped his car on the side of the road. Master Quan went over and asked him if he could help to take the car to Fengshan this time.

Hu Xiyang agreed and the car would be empty this time.

He came over to look at the goods and said, "It looks heavy. The shipping fee will be 50 yuan."

Master Quan wanted to bargain, but Wang Jiankun said he could pay half and the sooner he could go back, the better.

So the three of them began to load the goods into the truck.

Because the generator and transformer were quite heavy, Wang Jiankun paid 1 yuan to hire two young and strong men from the crowd to help lift them onto the car.

It was almost 6: when the car finally arrived in Fengshan.

Master Quan invited Hu Xiyang to his home for a quick meal before returning to Tsinghua.

At the same time, he asked his family to bring ropes, wooden sticks and a chicken bus to unload the goods and transport them to the blacksmith shop.

At night, Wang Jiankun still slept in the blacksmith shop and went home the next day.

(End of this chapter)