My 1978 Hotel

"Let's go for a walk."

Unfortunately, the factory doesn't sell its products to the public without asking for help; everyone can only browse and look, envious.

"There are so many good things here."

“Yes, the floral fabric is really beautiful.” An Dun’s eyes were full of floral fabric. “If I could buy some to make a dress for Xiao Cui, she would definitely be happy.”

Who is Xiao Cui?

Li Feng was puzzled. When did this kid get a Xiao Cui? An Chun chuckled beside him. "Brother Feng, it's Wang Xiao Cui from Wangzhuangzi. Last time, I followed her to deliver timber, and An Dun was busy following her around for half a day."

How did you meet?

"I met with him a few times last year while he was working on the river."

An Dun looked embarrassed. "I almost forgot about it. We only met again because Xiao Cui came to deliver some wood recently."

"Okay, she's taken a liking to you."

Li Feng roughly guessed that Xiao Cui probably hadn't taken a liking to Hanjiaba before. This guy was having a tough time. Even if Xiao Cui had taken a liking to him, his family probably wouldn't have agreed. But now it's different. The furniture factory in Hanjiaba is becoming more and more prosperous.

All the production brigades were counting on the Hanjiaba Furniture Factory to sell their timber, which was probably one of the reasons why Xiao Cui's family didn't object. Otherwise, a girl from an average family like theirs wouldn't have been interested in settling down there.

"hey-hey."

When An Dun heard what Li Feng said, he laughed so hard his eyes disappeared. This kid.

"I do know a few friends who work in textile factories. I'll get you a few yards of printed fabric later."

Li Feng casually remarked that he didn't know any textile factory friends, but there would be plenty of printed fabrics in the future.

"Really, Brother Feng, thank you so much."

An Dun was overjoyed when he heard this; the guy really missed his wife.

"How about I make more for you all?"

Li Feng said with a smile, "It might even be cheaper."

“Yes, Brother Feng, I also have two zhang of floral cloth.”

An Chun said, then continued, "These guys have all made money in February. The furniture factory pays them in cash." "Okay, I'll get as much as I can then."

"Thank you, Brother Feng."

Everyone cheered up. As for other items, Li Feng didn't make any promises, as the amount he could carry was really limited.

"It would be so much more convenient if we could buy things here too."

The steel mill has a really good selection of goods, not just fabric, but also a wide variety of other items. Everyone is quite envious, even Li Feng, who has a limited capacity to carry. It would save him a lot of trouble if he could buy some items here.

"That might be a bit difficult, since it's for their internal employees."

Han Anmin actually really wanted to buy some. The furniture factory was paying wages recently, all in cash. Nobody had ever seen so much cash before. It was several tens of yuan for each family, including adults and children.

"Unfortunately, we only have furniture, nothing else."

"Yes."

After settling the group down, Li Feng paused slightly, listening intently to what he was about to say. "Do you think we could cooperate with the steel mill?"

"cooperate?"

Han Anmin and the others looked puzzled. Their brigade was good at farming and making furniture, but they didn't even know how to forge iron. How could they possibly cooperate with a steel mill? This must be a joke, but the more Li Feng thought about it, the more he felt it was worth a try.

"What do you guys think, buddy?"

After hearing this, Li Muchen and the others reacted in a completely different way from Han Anmin and his group. They pondered for a moment. "You know what, cousin, this is something we can do."

"Yes, a furniture factory and a steel mill working together would be a match made in heaven."

Dong Qing and Wu Yu both raised their hands in approval, especially Dong Qing, who finally had another chance to showcase her talent.

"Let's all discuss this and come up with an idea. When we get back, I'll have a good talk with Uncle Fuguo."

Li Feng got excited too. If this cooperation went through, the county furniture factory would probably fall behind. The Hanjiaba Furniture Factory could also gain recognition through this cooperation. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that this was a worthwhile venture.

"Fengzi, you're not kidding, are you?"

When Han Anmin saw that Li Feng was serious, he couldn't believe it for a moment. "How could a steel mill cooperate with our furniture factory? This is completely unrelated."

“Anmin, your thinking is too narrow.”

Li Feng laughed and said, "Why can't our furniture factory cooperate with the steel mill? Maybe we can even produce some good products."

"Can they really do it?"

Han Anmin couldn't figure it out for a long time. How could they cooperate? But Li Feng had said so, could it really work out? You know, Li Feng was the smartest guy in the whole Hanjiaba. It was Li Feng who proposed the furniture factory.

"They're really good at this."

Li Feng said with a smile, "However, we don't have a specific plan yet. Let's discuss it first, and then I'll talk to Uncle Fu Guo and Uncle Fu Tian to come up with a more concrete plan."

"Anmin, do you know any leaders at the steel plant?"

"lead?"

Han Anmin thought for a moment. "You know what, last time a workshop foreman bought two sets of furniture, I know where he lives."

"Workshop foreman?"

Li Feng muttered to himself, "It's a bit small. If only I could have a deputy factory director position. It's a pity that these leaders probably don't lack furniture at home. They all use sofas, which are so soft to sit on."

"Alright, I'll see if I can pay a visit later."

Li Feng planned to think it over carefully and come up with a feasible solution, otherwise people might not want to pay any attention to him.

"I'll go ask about it later."

"I'll come again in a couple of days when the furniture is delivered."

The steel mill was supposed to take about ten days, since the power plant and the county town were in a hurry for their orders. However, with a little extra work, producing two more sets shouldn't be too difficult. "If we can cooperate with the steel mill, we won't need to buy things in the county town. The steel mill has just as much stuff as a department store, and they even have a lot of Shanghai goods, which are all high-quality products."

"If it really works out, I'd love to bring Xiao Cui here for a visit."

Everyone burst into laughter when Antun said that.

"This kid, lately he's been talking about Xiao Cui all the time."

Han Anmin laughed. "He's gone crazy missing his wife."

“Brother Anmin, you were no worse than me back then.”

Good heavens, Han Anmin was utterly ashamed after An Dun said that, after all, Wang Lihong was also from Wangzhuangzi, and was a close cousin of Wang Xiaocui. "You're just talking nonsense."

"Hahaha."

Everyone burst into laughter when they saw that the towel wrapped around Han Anmin's head was almost covering his face.

"However, Antun, you really should bring Xiaocui here."

Li Feng said with a smile, "When we really start cooperating with the steel mill, I'll lend you my donkey cart. You can take Xiao Cui around and see all her friends."

"what?"

An Dun muttered to himself, "Brother Feng, why did you bring Xiao Cui and her sister along?"

"If you don't think about Ancheng and Anchun, you have a wife now, but they don't."

Li Feng said with a smile, "When the time comes, let them know that our Hanjiaba is rich and has plenty of money. Young girls will be eager to marry into our Hanjiaba."

"Wow, Brother Feng, you're really quick-witted."

"Yes, Brother Feng, you really are our best older brother."

An Cheng and the others were practically kneeling down and kowtowing to Li Feng, calling him their brother. This guy would definitely find them wives. "An Dun, you must remember this, don't forget it."

"Yes, make sure you settle in. Remember to bring plenty of things with you."

"I know, I know."

An Dun thought to himself, "Li Feng is really quick-witted; he even thought of this."

"Okay, Fengzi." Han Anmin gave Li Feng a nudge. "Your idea is good. Our Hanjiaba is not like it used to be. With the furniture factory up and running, we're about to become rich. It's a pity that the other villages don't know. With your idea, we're probably going to have a lot of happy events in Hanjiaba today."

"Haha, this is good."

Wu Tong and the others clapped along. "Then let's join in and eat at some of the banquets too."

"Yes."

"Cousin, you really have a good idea."

Qin Yue and the others started flattering Li Feng, leaving him speechless. These people just loved to join in the fun. "Alright, whether this matter can be accomplished or not, we still need to get the steel mill sorted out first. That way, when we come here to stroll around, we'll have more face."

"What others can't buy, we can buy in our village."

Li Feng said with a smile, "Tell me, when all the young girls in the surrounding villages find out, won't they all want to marry into our village? Even if it's just to appease the people, those of you who are already married will still have face, won't you?"

"Is there anything else we need?"

After remaining silent for a while, Han Fuqiang became somewhat curious.

“Uncle Fuqiang, think about it. If your aunt goes back to her parents’ home and tells them that you can take her to the steel factory to buy Shanghai goods, wouldn’t that be embarrassing?”

Li Feng laughed and said, "That guy, isn't he making everyone else incredibly envious?"

“Anmin, don’t you agree? You always say that going to Wangzhuangzi is a loss of face, but now that the opportunity has arrived, you can take your sister-in-law to the steel factory for a stroll, buy some food and supplies, and then take them to Wangzhuangzi for a walk.”

"What you're saying is absolutely true."

Upon hearing this, Han Fuqiang and Han Anmin were overjoyed. "Okay, Fengzi, we fully support you on this."

"Yes, Brother Feng, just tell us what you want us to do."

"No, no, you guys are trying to overthrow Uncle Fuguo and Uncle Futian!"

Li Feng made a joke.

"That's not out of the question either."

An Cheng muttered something under his breath, which nearly got him beaten up by Han Fuqiang and the others.

"Actually, I'm quite tired too."

Han Anmin's words left Li Feng dumbfounded. "No way, Anmin, you can't just abandon your father to save face in front of your wife and father-in-law's family."

"Well, let me just say, even if Dad gave the position of brigade leader to Fengzi, Fengzi wouldn't want to be it."

"That's true."

Han Fuqiang nodded. Li Feng's current standing is such that even the deputy director of the commune's revolutionary committee might not be able to impress him, let alone a brigade leader.

"It's not as exaggerated as they say."

Li Feng waved his hand and said a few words of modesty.

"Let's get back to the matter of cooperating with the steel mill."

Li Feng thought for a moment. "What do you think we should do to persuade the steel mill? Making furniture with steel and wood has been around for a long time. Our amount is negligible compared to theirs."

"Yes."

When everyone heard what Li Feng said, it was as if they had been doused with a bucket of cold water.

"I'm afraid the steel mill might not agree to this cooperation."

"There's nothing particularly attractive about it."

Wu Tong and the others started discussing, and after a long time, they still started with the product.

"Let me tell you."

Li Feng thought for a moment. "How about we play the nostalgia card?"

"feelings?"

Han Fuqiang and the others from Hanjiaba were a bit confused, wondering what was going on. Wu Tong, Li Muchen, and the others paused for a moment and began to ponder.

"Cousin, how are you planning to play this card?"

These days, there's no such thing as sentimentality. This isn't some later generation, like the sentimentality of the 80s or 90s.

Where do most steel mill workers and technicians come from?

"Shanghai."

"Isn't that something everyone knows?" Li Muchen suddenly realized. "Cousin, you mean playing the Shanghai card?"

"correct."

Li Feng chuckled and asked, "What do you think steel mills produce?"

"How did we end up talking about this again? Steel mills, what else can they produce?"

Everyone was getting more and more confused, especially Han Fuqiang and the others, who were completely bewildered.

"Can the steel products produced be brought back to Shanghai?"

"Why bring this? You can't eat it or use it."

Han Anmin muttered to himself. "No, Fengzi, what do you mean? I'm getting more and more confused. Uncle Fuqiang, did you understand?"

"How would I know? Who knows what's going on in this kid's head? Fengzi, you should just tell me." Han Fuqiang couldn't understand what Li Feng meant by saying these things. Wasn't this something everyone already knew?

"Hehehe."

Li Feng smiled. "This is what I wanted to talk about, sentiment. You've been supporting the development of this small place for so many years, but when you go back, all you can bring back are some local specialties. You can't bring back any of the products from the factory you've worked in for so many years."

What are you all thinking?

"It must be quite a pity."

Wu Tong said, "After all, products from our own factory are quite meaningful."

"right."

"So, what if a steel mill and a furniture factory collaborate to produce a set of furniture under the steel mill's name? Could we take that furniture back with us?" Li Feng asked with a smile. "After all, it could be folding chairs, folding tables, or even folding single beds, or at the very least, small stools."

"Hey, don't tell me."

Dong Qing and Wu Yu looked at Li Feng. "Cousin, what you said is true. Now, we might actually be able to successfully cooperate with the steel mill."

"That's right, cousin, that's a great idea."

Wu Tong, Qin Yue, Hua Ziyao, and the others looked at Li Feng with more surprise, after all, Li Feng had actually come up with a good idea. They had been thinking for a long time without any results, but Li Feng's suggestion was definitely worth a try.

Will this work?

Han Anmin said uncertainly, but Han Fuqiang's idea was quite good. "You know what, this is actually worth a try."

"When I joined the army, I wished I could bring home some everyday items, things we use, or things we produce."

"I'm afraid those people at the steel mill really have this idea."

"Then give it a try."

Li Feng said with a smile, "If it doesn't work out, we'll just have made two wasted trips and won't suffer any losses. If it does work out, the cooperation between our furniture factory and the steel factory will be very useful to us, and the county furniture factory will probably look at us with more respect."

"That's right, Brother Feng, I support you."

Although An Dun, An Cheng, and An Chun didn't quite understand, they firmly supported Li Feng.

"Later, I'll design a few folding chairs and folding tables."

Dong Qing smiled and said, "I'm good at this. I'll paint a few later, and you can take them with you, cousin."

"Row."

The group rushed back to Hanjiaba and headed straight for the brigade. Han Fuqiang and Han Futian were discussing the river construction project when they were startled to see a large group of people come in, thinking something serious had happened.

"What's wrong? What happened?" (End of Chapter)