My 1978 Hotel

Have you contacted the pig farm yet?

"Brother, don't worry, I'll tell the team leader."

"That's good. By the way, I brought two articles about swine flu prevention and control in the fall and winter. Take a look at them later." Li Feng remembered that a couple of days ago, he won two articles about pig farm disease prevention and control in a regular lottery after reaching a certain popularity threshold. "They might be useful."

"Thank you, brother."

Zhang Susu knew perfectly well that Li Feng was taking care of her; how could a lowly pig farmer like her possibly get her hands on such an article?

"Study more in your spare time."

Li Feng said with a smile, "Technicians earn high salaries, have little work, and it's prestigious to talk about. I'm looking forward to the day you become a technician."

"Brother, don't worry, I'm sure I'll become a technician."

"I believe that when there are training opportunities later, I will recommend you to go."

After all, Li Feng had published a book on pig farming techniques, and he was involved in pig farming training sessions and technical conferences, though he was usually too lazy to attend.

"Thank you, brother. I will definitely study hard." Zhang Susu was overjoyed. Even the technicians at their pig farm don't usually get this kind of opportunity, let alone an ordinary pig farmer like her. This was entirely Li Feng's doing.

"Study hard and become a technician as soon as possible."

"Ah."

"Don't lecture Susu every time you see her; she rarely comes back."

Wu Tong said with a smile, "Come on, Susu, let's go back to the room. Tell us about your life lately, especially at the pig farm. We're quite curious about how life is. Is the food alright? Is no one bullying you?"

"No, it's fine."

As they were talking, Zhang Susu was pulled into the room by Wu Tong and Qin Yue. Li Feng smiled and shook his head. "Don't forget to read the article."

"Brother, I understand."

Li Feng had no intention of publishing these two articles. They weren't technically sophisticated and were quite short; publishing them would be cheap and time-consuming.

"Hey buddy, come help me out, I need to move the cabinet in my room."

The furniture was just left lying around when it arrived, so I'll tidy it up a bit now that I have some time. "I was planning to install a solar light, but we don't live here very often, and with so many people around, I'm afraid it might cause trouble."

"That's true."

Li Muchen said with a smile, "However, there is electricity here, so next time we can bring some home appliances over."

“No rush. We don’t use the washing machine much. As for the refrigerator, these days we eat everything in one meal, so there aren’t many leftovers. We don’t usually buy much meat or other groceries either,” Li Feng said with a smile. “Besides, the weather here is getting colder and colder. Let’s get the refrigerator in the summer.”

"Then let's get a TV."

“That’s fine, but there aren’t many TV stations these days, and not many programs,” Li Feng said with a smile. “It would be best to get another VCR.”

"Then I'll take care of it when we get back."

Li Muchen said with a smile, "I remember a friend of mine likes to collect items from this era. I'll go and get a few of them sometime."

"Then I'll have to trouble you."

Li Feng suddenly remembered something. "I remember when I was a kid, TVs could be connected to batteries, so we could get a channel that broadcasts Hanjiaba."

"I'll ask later."

Li Muchen really didn't know, but asking someone wouldn't be difficult.

"If it really works out, that would be great. There are too few entertainment activities in Hanjiaba. Getting a TV would enrich everyone's evening entertainment."

As they packed, the two chatted about bringing electrical appliances, getting more and more engrossed in the conversation. "Actually, it's still possible to do it now. There's a lot of smuggling along the coast; they have everything from home appliances to clothing."

"It's too dangerous, there's no need. It's much more convenient for us to bring our own."

"That's true."

The two of them were getting a bit hot after working for a while, and they had originally said they didn't need to bring a fan. "We should have brought two ceiling fans."

"Does your friend have electric fans from this era?"

"Yes, he has quite a lot over there."

Li Muchen said, "How about we bring a few more later?"

"Let's bring one; autumn is just around the corner."

Li Feng clapped his hands. "Let's bring a few more next year."

"It's a pity that Hanjiaba has no electricity."

"I wonder when Hanjiaba will get electricity?" Li Muchen wiped his hands.

"It won't be long."

Li Feng said with a smile, "The meeting at the end of this year will talk about reform and opening up, and the policies will improve. Our furniture factory can grow bigger, and we can even get our own electricity then."

"If all else fails, there's still Dong Qing and Wu Yu, aren't they? Aren't they planning to tinker with wind power and hydropower?"

Li Feng said with a smile, "Maybe it will work out."

"That's quite possible; they're both pretty good at making things happen."

Li Muchen said with a smile.

"I'll have to go to the power plant again later; maybe I can find a technician to help me out," Li Feng said with a smile. "The furniture we ordered from the power plant will be delivered in a few days; let's go together then."

"Will the furniture delivery to the power plant be delayed? The county furniture factory has probably already heard about it. With such a high-profile delivery, it's hard to imagine it going unnoticed," Li Muchen said with some concern.

"There's nothing we can do about it. If our furniture factory wants to grow bigger and stronger, we can't bypass the county furniture factory. Fortunately, we have the advantage now." Li Feng had considered it. He originally planned to complete the orders from the steel mill first, and then work on the power plant.

However, news came from the commune that the county furniture factory had contacted the commune and asked around about Hanjiaba. It seemed that the county had been exposed. Since they couldn't hide it anymore, they would have to confront them head-on.

This was unavoidable. Although the county furniture factory was larger than them, there were advantages to being large and advantages to being small. The county furniture factory was large and belonged to a state-owned enterprise, so everything needed to be discussed and stability was paramount.

Hanjiaba Furniture Factory is different. As long as it makes money, it's willing to do anything, including custom furniture. This is something county furniture factories can't do. They operate on a large scale and have standards. Plus, old state-owned enterprises all have a certain problem.

They're too arrogant, always thinking their products will sell easily, without any desire for innovation or progress. It's not their fault, there's no competition. Li Feng's advantage is that he has various designs from later generations, although some might be too advanced for his needs.

But if even one-tenth or one-hundredth of it is usable, that's enough for an innovative design. That's a game-changer. Plus, the Hanjiaba Furniture Factory is small, so they don't have to think too much. They just do whatever's trendy and whatever sells well.

Even if they engage in price wars, they still have a certain advantage in buying timber. If all else fails, they can go into the mountains to cut down trees themselves. They also have a furniture factory. If they can't compete, they can downsize. As long as they can make some money, that's fine.

Li Feng and Han Fuguo discussed it and decided that even if they weren't afraid of the county furniture factory now, they should go all out.

"Now that you mention it, it's true. We are not without any means to fight back."

Li Muchen laughed and said, "Then let's do it. Competition makes things more fun!"

"At worst, I'll bring the furniture back with me when it's finished," Li Feng said with a smile. "It's solid wood furniture after all, so it's not a loss to bring it back."

"Then I'll order a few sets too."

Li Muchen said with a smile, "However, the market is quite large now, so the county furniture factory probably doesn't care."

"What you're saying is very likely."

It's not that Li Feng is being self-deprecating; the truth is that the products produced by various factories are simply not enough to meet demand. The county furniture factory probably noticed the furniture being sold in Hanjiaba because of its new designs, which have gained popularity.

This will have some impact on the county furniture factory, or someone might mutter something like that while buying furniture, and the salesperson or the factory employee might hear it. "The worst thing is that the county furniture factory doesn't have any sportsmanship."

"Disregarding martial ethics?"

“Make a desk set based on our current modular furniture.” Li Feng frowned. “That’s what I’m most worried about.”

"I don't think so, it's a state-owned factory after all."

“There are no patents now, so if they actually make it, there’s nothing we can do,” Li Feng said. “Then we’ll have to rely on grabbing market share, and the competition will be much fiercer.”

“Right now, we have the upper hand. Even if the county furniture factory wanted to copy us, it probably wouldn’t be able to for a while; their orders are already booked until next month,” Li Feng said with a smile. “At least for the next two months, it won’t affect us much.”

"We've taken advantage of these two months to establish our brand."

Li Feng said, "Brother, do you have any friends who can design furniture? They could design a brand for our furniture, and then put a brass plaque on each piece. When the county furniture factory tries to copy our furniture and put it on the market, it won't be able to create our brand anytime soon. If we calculate it this way, we won't have to worry too much for the rest of the year."

"That's easy, I'll ask my friend later."

Li Muchen had an idea. "We should also put a number on the plaque, and it would be best to add some photos, things that people in Shanghai like."

"Well, we'll talk about that later."

Li Feng thought for a moment. Since it involved Shanghai, he needed to find a good reason. Right, his injuries were published in a Shanghai newspaper. "Okay, I'll find a reason to go to Shanghai later."

"Shanghai, I wonder what Shanghai is like in this era."

"I'll take lots of photos then."

Li Feng said with a smile, "How about bringing a camera? I don't know if Europe, America, or Japan have miniature cameras these days. It would be nice to film it and put it in a memorial hall."

"That's easy, I'll look it up when I get back."

"Then trouble you."

"No problem, it's no big deal."

"What are you two talking about? Why aren't you asleep so late?"

"You haven't slept either, have you?"

"Who said that? I've already woken up and I'm a little thirsty. I've run out of water in the room, so I came out to find some more." Wu Tong muttered as she continued to pour water.

"It's eleven o'clock, it's really getting late."

Li Feng glanced at his watch. Time really flew by; he'd been busy for a while and then chatted for a while. "Get some rest; we have to go back to Hanjiaba tomorrow."

"Liu Wei and the others are still training, don't let anything happen."

Li Feng was still a little worried, after all, Liu Wei and the others were in poor physical condition and the training intensity was so high, it would be troublesome if one of them couldn't handle it.

The next morning around 7 a.m., Li Feng was woken up by Wu Tong and the others.

"Mr. Li, get up and have breakfast."

Wu Tong said with a smile, "Su Su went to buy a pound of fried dough sticks and a bowl of porridge early this morning."

Where is Susu?

"Back to the pig farm. Susu said the pig farm provides breakfast."

Wu Tong said with a smile, "Try it quickly, the fried dough sticks are fresh out of the pan, they taste really good."

"It's good, crispy and delicious."

"This porridge is cooked quite well. Susu said it's a pity we couldn't buy any meat buns, because you love meat buns the most," Wu Tong said with a smile. "So, what do you think? This little sister is pretty good, isn't she?"

"It's good enough to have fried dough sticks."

"There are some leftover side dishes from yesterday, perfect with some porridge," Li Feng said with a smile. "Hey buddy, hurry up and wash up and have breakfast."

"coming."

"Oh, there are eggs too?"

"Susu bought them early this morning, but there weren't many, just one for each person," Wu Tong said softly. "That girl didn't even eat any herself."

"Oh, you didn't eat by yourself?"

"Yeah, eggs are hard to buy."

Wu Tong peeled an egg and took a small bite. "I'm afraid that girl is also a little reluctant."

"She earns a good salary."

Li Muchen muttered to himself.

"What do you know? We still have to pay back 18 yuan to Boss Li every month, and then there's 5 yuan for her brother and sister-in-law's living expenses." As soon as she said this, Wu Tong regretted it. "Boss Li, Su Su told me not to mention giving money to her brother and sister-in-law, so just pretend you don't know."

"This girl."

Li Feng knew it. "Forget it, forget it, five yuan it is. It's a good deal for her brother and sister-in-law. If they cause trouble again, don't blame me for being impolite."

"People like this should not be treated politely."

Wu Tong said, “I tried to persuade Su Su yesterday, but that girl said she would give it to her for ten years, as a way of repaying her brother for raising her for ten years.”

"Forget it, that's fine."

Li Feng was helpless. He could make the decision himself, but Zhang Susu would probably be upset. "Five yuan is enough to buy some peace of mind."

"I think so."

Qin Yue smiled and said, "But we still need to teach them a lesson."

“Mr. Li, you should find someone to teach her brother and sister-in-law a lesson, otherwise I’m afraid they’ll cause some trouble again in a while.”

"Okay, I'll have someone tell them later."

He only had to teach his brother and sister-in-law a lesson for two small things. Li Feng knew all the high-ranking officials in the county, including many promising young people. It was just a matter of a word. He taught them a lesson to make them remember.

"How can there be such a person?"

"People like this exist all the time."

After having breakfast, the group tidied up, locked the door, and drove the donkey cart back to Hanjiaba. Before leaving, Li Feng talked to Yang Ming about Zhang Susu and told him to find a time to teach her brother and sister-in-law a lesson.

Li Feng also greeted Zhang Susu from the pig farm.

"Let's go."

The donkey cart left the county town and traveled without delay, arriving at Ma'ya Commune around ten o'clock. We stopped at the supply and marketing cooperative and bought some rice and flour. We were lucky enough to find eggs there, so we bought two jin (approximately 1 kg) of them.

"You writers really have great benefits."

The sales clerk at the supply and marketing cooperative looked on with envy. Li Feng, this great writer, must have a lot of food coupons, especially oil coupons. He managed to get a pound or two of them a month, which was quite enviable. An average family would be lucky to get half a pound.

"Where?"

Li Feng said with a smile, "Weigh out some more fruit candies for me."

"okay."

After carefully packing the bags and packages, Li Feng loaded them onto the donkey cart. "Let's go."

"Did you buy the meat?"

"No, but I got some bones, about five pounds, only two yuan." Wu Tong said with delight. "Boss Li, your name is really useful."

"That is."

Hua Ziyan was flattering him, and Li Feng thought to himself, "This kid..." "Stop flattering me. Let's go back early, or we won't get any big bones for lunch."

"Yes, yes, let's go back soon."

Hua Ziyan's mouth watered at the mention of big bones, prompting Hua Ziyao to playfully slap her younger brother. "You've only been here a few days, and you're already this greedy!" (End of Chapter)