Rebirth in 1960, My Industrial Age

Chapter 125: The power of the little people (please subscribe)

"Uncle, you know what, I'm really lucky this time."

When Bai Kang talked about this, he almost couldn't help but smile, but because his uncle was still angry, he suppressed his smile.

"I originally thought that my path would be to focus on production, accumulate experience year by year, and then slowly climb up the ladder, but I didn't expect that I would be able to seize this opportunity."

At the beginning, the factory decided to build a short-term new workshop, and it should be a small appliance workshop, similar to a handicraft workshop.

The other workshop directors were not very happy about it, so he was the only one who chose to give it a try.

As a result, he worked his way up from workshop director to deputy director of a small factory. Then the Electric Appliance Factory expanded again and now it has become a large factory with more than 3,000 employees.

If the Walkman achieves an outstanding foreign exchange-earning result at the Canton Fair, he can also become a factory director.

Father Bai nodded and said, "Okay, foreign trade performance is an important factor in considering political achievements, and the country is in great need of foreign exchange now.

If you can get good foreign exchange orders next year, the Ministry of Foreign Trade can also send you a letter of praise."

Bai Kang's face immediately lit up with joy after hearing this. His uncle worked in the Foreign Trade Department, so it would definitely be a win if he said that.

His leader also asked someone to investigate abroad, and found out that such small tape recorders and radios simply did not exist abroad.

If it debuts at the Canton Fair, it will likely be a big hit.

They also know that if they do not apply for a patent abroad, their products will definitely be bought and copied, and they will then be prohibited from selling them.

When Minister Su of the Ministry of Light Industry learned of this possibility, he was so angry that he cursed the foreigners as bandits for a long time.

But they cannot help but be on guard. If they knew about this possibility and didn't say anything, wouldn't they be fools?

Therefore, Su Zhenghe from the Ministry of Light Industry entrusted the Ministry of Foreign Trade to ask comrades in Hong Kong to help with this matter.

There is no such thing as patents in their country, but since they want to export and earn foreign exchange, they have to follow the rules of foreigners.

Otherwise, if you are tricked, you will have no place to seek justice.

It just can’t be unveiled this year. They will have to wait until the patent is confirmed before they can release it, which will have to wait until next year at least.

"I understand, uncle. The factory is working hard on this now, and the department is also giving us guidance. We are just waiting for the first result."

After Bai Kang finished talking about the things at the factory, he felt relaxed all over. It didn't matter if he was busy or tired from now on, since he had his wife to take care of him at home.

"It's about Yujie. Uncle, you're not really planning to let her move out, are you? Then how are you going to explain it to my aunt?"

Father Bai suddenly said angrily: "What do I need to explain to her? Did I not let her live here?
Don't worry about her. Let her live outside. After a while, she will know how good life is at home. Who will take care of her children? Where can she eat?"

".You are the only cousin of the same generation in the Forty-Nine City. You should keep an eye on her when the time comes."

Bai Kang was stunned. One moment he was told not to worry about Yujie, and the next moment he was asked to go and take care of her, and the interval was less than a second.

This uncle of his is tough when he needs to be tough and soft when he needs to be soft.

"Okay, uncle, don't worry. I will persuade Yujie when the time comes. If a family quarrels, then it's fine. It's not right to move out. Don't you think so?"

"Alas, Xiaokang, you are still sensible."

After hearing what Bai's father said, Bai Kang knew what to do, but he was not sure he could persuade his strong-willed cousin.

People who have worked in the Women's Federation for a few years, apart from other things, have really tough words and personalities.

Besides, the country encourages widows to get married but does not force them to get married. If his cousin doesn’t want to get married, no one can force her.

Bai Kang had a headache when he left his uncle's house, but he still got on his bike to find Bai Yujie.

------

"Director Yuan, these are your next production tasks, and the accuracy cannot be any worse.

Senior workers are too busy to suspend production, and the accuracy of key parts cannot be compromised at all."

Zhou Fengnian is assigning tasks to the tenth workshop. Although the expansion of the machine tool workshop has been stopped, the tenth workshop is temporarily under the management of the technical department.

Nowadays, machinery factories try to produce as many CNC machine tool parts as possible before the New Year.

The ministry also helped the machinery factory contact the Electronics Research Institute in Yanhe, which is responsible for research and has its own production and manufacturing equipment.

So Zhou Fengnian sent Duan Weibing and another person from the technical department to discuss the production matters there.

At the same time, we are also trying our best to coordinate and arrange some computer professionals to go to the machine tool factory so that we can manufacture the machine tool control systems ourselves in the future.

However, we have to wait until after the New Year, when the staff may not arrive until the new factory is merged.

"Mr. Zhou, don't worry. I will personally monitor these tasks and ensure that there will be no mistakes."

Director Yuan quickly said that the person who should not be offended the most in the entire factory was this person. He almost lost his position as workshop director, but fortunately he kept it.

"If you have any questions, feel free to contact me, and please keep the manufactured parts safe."

After Zhou Fengnian gave some instructions, he returned to the technical department.

Now the production in the two workshops is proceeding in an orderly manner, and some complicated parts with high demand are all processed and manufactured by the automated CNC production lines.

Some senior workers were freed up and concentrated in the tenth workshop to specialize in the production of parts needed for machine tools.

It can be regarded as killing two birds with one stone.

By the end of this month, all the machine tool orders from the Russians will be completed, but there is still a lot of demand for CNC machine tools in China.

In addition, since the Russians can export, other countries in the same camp can also export. The Ministry of Foreign Trade seems to be making contacts in this regard.

Zhou Fengnian didn’t know much either. He never asked about such matters. It was others who took the initiative to bring them up to him.

Zhou Fengnian was busy until the end of the work day. He put away the drawings he had drawn today and then went to the machine tool workshop.

There is no need for anyone to stay behind today, as we have almost figured out the maximum working hours of this automated CNC production line, so we will just have to work according to twelve hours from now on.

However, it is almost the end of the year now, and most of the planned task orders have been completed. There are no large number of parts task orders for the CNC production line to process.

When Zhou Yan picked up someone at the factory office building and was about to go home, she suddenly said, "Fengnian, go buy some cloth today and go get some meat. Aren't your parents coming over on Sunday?"

"There's no place selling meat at night. You can't even buy it without the bones. Buy it on Sunday morning. I'll go there then."

Zhou Fengnian pushed his bicycle and said, "But you can buy the cloth back. Have you used up all the cloth coupons?"

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "Well, I plan to make a few clothes for the child, two cotton-padded clothes and two summer clothes."

Zhou Fengnian asked, "Do it yourself? Don't be too tired. Why not just buy ready-made clothes? I remember some tailor shops sell them."

"I want to make my child's clothes myself. If I don't know how, I can ask my second sister-in-law for help. She is very good at using a sewing machine."

Zhou Yan said reluctantly that it was okay for her to wear ready-made clothes, but the clothes her children wore must definitely embody the mother's love.

And if they bought ready-made clothes, their cloth coupons were only enough to buy three pieces, but if they made them themselves, they could make four pieces.

"Okay, then I'll take you home first, and I'll make another trip later." After Zhou Fengnian got on his bike, he sent his wife home first. Her belly was really not suitable for going shopping with him.

After Zhou Fengnian bought a piece of cut cloth and brought it home, Zhou Yan happily thought about what clothes to make for the child.

We bought red cloth, and the child will definitely be happy for the whole year.

Early in the morning on the holiday, before daybreak, Zhou Fengnian got up early, got dressed, and went out to buy meat without waking up Zhou Yan.

It was only half past five when we got here, but there were already more than ten people queuing in front of us.

Fortunately, there were not many people, so Zhou Fengnian quickly lined up at the back.

The farmers' market opened at around six o'clock, and those queuing outside swarmed in. Zhou Fengnian, with his nimble legs, ran to the butcher's stall and was among the first ten in line.

The butcher at the meat stall quickly moved the two pigs to the table, cut them into pieces with a few cuts, and started selling them.

When it was Zhou Fengnian's turn, he handed over the meat ticket and said, "Comrade, cut me three pounds of pork. How much do you sell the bones for?"

"Sanmao doesn't want a ticket!"

Zhou Fengnian felt it was a bit expensive after hearing this. It cost three cents even though the bones were picked so cleanly. No wonder so few people bought it.

"Weigh ten pounds of bones for me, too."

After hearing this, the butcher looked up at Zhou Fengnian, cut the meat for him and put it on the scale. It was exactly three pounds.

The meat is just not very good. Normally, if you sell three pounds of lean meat, you should also sell one pound of fat meat. But among his three pounds of meat, the fat is probably less than four ounces.

The butcher in this butcher shop tampered with him.

Zhou Fengnian quickly figured out the reason. If the leftover bones could not be sold in the end, the butchers would deal with them themselves.

Normally, few people would spend thirty cents to buy bones with little meat on them. You should know that pork is only fifty-nine cents, and the money for one pound of bones can buy half a pound of pork.

But the meat on a pound of bones may not even be half an ounce, so the butcher in the butcher shop can always take away the remaining bones.

Today Zhou Fengnian wanted ten kilograms at once, so he took ten kilograms less home in the evening, but the money for buying bones was from the public.
"How many bones are left? I want them all."

"You want all? No, if you take all, how are the people behind you going to buy?"

When the butcher heard this, his face darkened and he said directly that he would not sell it.

"Any of the comrades in the back want to buy some bones?"

Zhou Fengnian turned around and shouted, but when no one answered, he turned to the butcher and said, "No one is buying in the back, pack it up for me and I'll tell you how much it costs."

"Not for sale! What if someone wants to buy it this afternoon?"

"You only sell one pig a day? Don't you have any bones this afternoon? If not, I'll ask your director."

Zhou Fengnian's words touched the butcher's heart. If the matter was reported to the director of the farmers' market, he would definitely order him to sell the bones.

The reason why there were so many left every day before was because no one bought them. If people are willing to buy them now but still refuse to sell, then they are trying to undermine socialism.

"By the way, I remember that pig's feet don't need tickets, two more pig's feet."

Except for three grades of pure meat, meat with bones does not require a ticket. However, pig's trotters that do not require a ticket are a bit expensive, so no one would buy them unless they are particularly craving for meat.

Zhou Fengnian originally wanted to buy all the pig's trotters, but thinking that someone else might want to buy them later, he only bought two.

The butcher's face turned red and blue, but he finally weighed the bones and pig's feet for Zhou Fengnian, a total of 17 pounds.

Including three pounds of meat and two pig's trotters, Zhou Fengnian spent a total of more than eight yuan, but most of it was bones.

Others saw this and said nothing, but they were probably thinking that Zhou Fengnian was a spendthrift: "He spent just over five dollars to buy these meatless bones. What a waste of money!"

However, there is no need to worry about Zhou Fengnian’s salary. The couple earns less than 200 yuan a month, which is enough for them to stew several kilograms of large bones every day.

This time, Zhou Fengnian was disgusted by the butcher in the meat shop, so he bought so many bones. However, there are many people at home today, so so many bones can be digested.

Afterwards, Zhou Fengnian bought a chicken and then rode his bicycle home.

With so many bones and meat hanging in the car, including a chicken, everyone would have to look at him.

After returning home, Zhou Fengnian lit a fire, stewed the bones, and then went out to buy breakfast.

If he didn't have a stove and a big pot at home, these ten pounds of bones would really give him a headache.

This big pot was left to him by Luo Cheng. The reason why the big pot was not donated was also related to the fact that Luo Cheng lived alone in a single-family courtyard.

There were quite a few dishes at home, plus three pounds of meat and a chicken, and there was no need to finish them all.

Just make half of it today, one and a half pounds of pork and half a chicken, plus pig's feet and bone soup, it can be considered a sumptuous family dinner.

After breakfast, Zhou Fengnian called his eldest and second brothers to prepare for work, but he asked them to buy some firewood first.

It is impossible for all households in the city to have enough coal to burn. Zhou Fengnian's family is a big coal consumer, in order to ensure the warmth of the house.

When the weather turns cold, buying firewood becomes a must. It costs 30 to 40 cents per hundred pounds, and the price has risen to almost the same level as coal.

The eldest and second sister-in-law also came. Zhou Yan immediately took out the cloth and asked the two sisters-in-law how to make baby clothes.

She had done a lot of housework at home before, but the only thing she had never done was making clothes.

The three sisters-in-law were chatting and laughing in the backyard house. The two children were also placed in the yard, accompanied by the fourth sister.

The two nephews are over one year old and it is the time for them to practice walking. Zhou Fengnian is not in a hurry to cook, but plays with the children with his fourth sister.

After his eldest and second brothers came back with a few bundles of firewood, Zhou Fengnian ordered his eldest brother to start working.

It was called practicing cooking skills, but in fact it was just cooling down. Zhou Fengnian put his hands in his pockets and was too lazy to take them out.

When the boss Zhou Weitian had almost finished processing the ingredients, there was a sudden knock on the door in the front yard.

When Zhou Fengnian came out of the kitchen, his fourth sister Zhou Chunhua happened to ask, "Third brother, is it our parents?"

"Maybe, but you're here pretty early. I thought you'd arrive around noon."

Zhou Fengnian said this as he walked towards the front gate of the yard, but when he opened the door, he was immediately surprised.

The person knocking on the door was not Zhou's father or mother, but Bai Kang.

"Brother Bai, why are you here? What's the matter?"

Bai Kang smiled and said, "I came here to do something, and suddenly remembered that Brother Zhou lived here, so I came to say hello."

Zhou Fengnian nodded, and then invited: "Is that so? Brother Bai, when you are done with your work, will you come over for dinner? It just so happens that our family is having a get-together today."

"That's not necessary, brother. How can I feel embarrassed to have a gathering at your house?"

Bai Kang waved his hands quickly, then paused for a moment, and said a little embarrassedly, "I just want to ask you for something."

(End of this chapter)