My 1978 Hotel

Han Fuguo and Han Futian were really frightened. This large group of people was heading straight for the team headquarters. Anyone who saw them would think that something bad had happened, especially since Li Feng hadn't mentioned the county furniture factory in the past few days.

Everyone was on edge, and even the furniture factory panicked when they heard that Li Feng and his group had gone to the team headquarters.

“Work hard.”

Gao Jiu frowned slightly. Was the county furniture factory really going to target them? Hadn't they said they wouldn't in the short term? "I'll go take a look," Gao Jiu said to Gao Cheng, still somewhat worried, and then left the furniture factory.

At the team headquarters, Han Futian and Han Fuguo also looked tense. "What happened? Have people from the county furniture factory come?"

"No."

Li Feng was a little confused. "Uncle Fu Guo, Uncle Fu Tian, ​​why are you so nervous? Is something wrong with the team?"

"The team is fine. You all came in such a large group, are you sure nothing happened?"

Han Fuguo looked at Han Anmin, who shook his head.

"Well, Uncle Fuguo, we came up with a great idea on the way here, and we're all eager to discuss it with you, Uncle Futian." Hearing this, Han Fuguo and Han Futian finally felt relieved.

They were really startled. This whole mess! They thought something serious had happened. Turns out these guys had come up with some idea. "Alright, those of you who need to go home, go home. Those of you who need to go to the furniture factory, go to the furniture factory."

"The oxcart has also been properly organized."

Han Fuguo breathed a sigh of relief. "Why did you have to wait until now to say this?"

"I just wanted to discuss this with you as soon as possible."

Li Feng smiled and took the large porcelain mug from Fu Guo, taking a sip of water. "I was so thirsty on the way here, my lips were completely dry."

"We've been discussing this with Uncle Fuqiang and the others for ages and they all think it's a great idea. Maybe it can even catch the county furniture factory off guard." Li Feng now felt that this group of people was too impatient. Goodness, Uncle Fuguo and Uncle Futian must have been scared just now.

"Dong dong dong."

"Second brother, what brings you here?"

Just as I was about to bring up the matter at hand, Gao knocked on the doorframe and stood at the doorway.

"I heard you were back, so I came to check on you," Gao asked in a low voice. "Is everything alright, cousin?"

"It's nothing, don't worry about it."

Li Feng laughed and said, "Perfect timing, you're here too. Help me think about it and see what we think of our idea?"

"What idea?"

"I had an idea on the way here. We're planning to collaborate with a steel mill to make some furniture, like folding chairs and tables. The legs and stuff will be steel, and the frames will be wood," Li Feng said with a smile. "This way, we can have a closer relationship with the steel mill."

"When the county furniture factory tries to take advantage of us, we won't be afraid of them anymore."

Gao was taken aback. He folded the tables and chairs. "Hmm, these seem to have existed since this time, but I haven't seen them before." "The steel mill might agree to this, but it doesn't really fit their business."

"That's right, I think there's still room for negotiation on this matter."

Li Feng knew that the steelworkers mostly came from Shanghai, and it wouldn't be convenient for them to bring back products from the factory, since steel wouldn't be of much use to them anyway, since they weren't blacksmiths. "We wanted to make some nicer folding chairs, small folding tables, small folding vests, small cabinets, and the like, so that the steelworkers could easily carry them home, and these things would be quite useful, and anyone who wanted to give them them would be happy."

"That's true. Anyone would be happy to receive these things as gifts. Tables, chairs, and benches are all large items."

Upon hearing this, Han Fuguo thought it was a good idea.

"What do you think, Tomita?"

"I think it's great too, Fengzi, how did you come up with such an idea?" Han Futian praised Li Feng, making Li Feng quite embarrassed. "It just suddenly dawned on me, Uncle Fuguo, Uncle Futian, if you think it's feasible, then let's give it a try, what do you say, Second Brother?"

"I think it's worth a try."

Gao thought to himself, "There are many pieces of this kind of furniture in later generations, why didn't I think of them?" "Cousin, the steel factory needs to find someone who can speak up for us."

“A workshop foreman bought a set of furniture the other day. We’ll go see him under the guise of giving him some stools. Dong Qing said he’ll design a few pieces of furniture with iron legs and frames first. We’ll see if we can convince him then,” Li Feng said with a smile. “If that doesn’t work, I’m a well-known writer. I can just say I want to write a novel about this topic and ask the provincial and regional authorities for a word. I imagine the deputy factory director will have to come out and give me a visit.”

"I almost forgot you had this other identity, kid. This writer is really something."

"That's right, the God of Literature, which ordinary people can achieve."

"No, Li Feng is getting embarrassed. Didn't you see Wu Tong winking at him? Have these guys been eating too well lately? They should lose some weight." Li Feng gave them a threatening look, and Wu Tong, suppressing a laugh, pulled Qin Yue and the others outside.

"Uncle Tomita, you're exaggerating. I was just lucky."

Li Feng said with a smile, "Let's not talk about that. Let's get down to business. Look, let's prepare for both possibilities."

"You decide this matter."

"Your Uncle Tomita and I fully support you."

Han Fuguo said with a smile, "Even if something goes wrong, it won't affect anything. We actually completed our tasks long ago this year."

"Uncle Fu Guo, your goal is too small."

Li Feng said with a smile, "Now that we've achieved our small goal, we need to set a bigger one. It's not just about eating our fill, but also about eating well and staying warm, preferably dressed well."

"Furthermore, on the way, I told Antun and the others that we need to have face when we go out and face when we go back to our wives' families. By then, our brigade will probably not lack wives. People will be eager to marry into our brigade."

"You little rascal, no wonder you settled down a few bastards. Listen to what you're saying," Han Fuguo said with a laugh. "What's this about having face when you go out, or having face for your wife's family?"

Li Feng briefly explained that if they could cooperate with the steel mill, the steel mill's supply and marketing cooperative, cinema, restaurants, bathhouses, and other facilities would be able to benefit the steel mill workers. Perhaps the furniture factory workers could also benefit from this.

"You guys are saying that if this deal goes through, you'll settle this kid down and take Wang Xiaocui from Wangjiazhuang to the steel factory to buy a new style of clothes, some milk candy and snacks, and even see a movie. When Wang Xiaocui goes back, won't she be completely devoted to him? Won't the girls from Wangjiazhuang be eager to marry into our brigade?"

"Good lad, you've got some skills."

Han Futian slapped his thigh. "If this really works out, many families in our brigade will be grateful to you for eight lifetimes."

"No, thanking you for eight lifetimes sounds like an insult."

"You can't even tell right from wrong."

Han Futian was both amused and exasperated. This rascal was up to something, wasn't he? But then again, how could he write so many words and come up with so many ideas that others wouldn't? "Third Brother, we really need to think this over carefully. Those kids are probably all hoping this will work out."

"Haha, it's a big deal for their wives, how could they not be eager for it?"

Han Fuguo said with a smile, "Li Feng, you bring this up, you make the decision, and if you need the team to do anything, just tell us, and the team will give you its full support."

"The furniture factory will also fully cooperate."

Gao said, "With this cooperation, the county furniture factory probably won't be able to control us anymore, and they might even have to bow down and ask us for cooperation."

"If it really works, that would be truly amazing."

Han Fuguo and Han Futian hadn't expected this. Upon hearing Gao Jiu say that this guy was going to become famous in Hanjiaba, and that even the regional leaders probably knew about it, Han Fuguo and Han Futian were momentarily trembling.

They were excited and thrilled. They never dreamed that one day the regional leaders might find out about them. It was like a huge windfall had fallen into their laps.

"That's a story for another time."

After a moment of excitement, Han Fuguo calmed down and said, "Let's take it slow, Fengzi. The team will give you its full support."

"With Uncle Fuguo's words, I can go all out and get to work."

"You little rascal, just you wait."

"Hahaha."

The matter was settled, but the team would definitely need to hold a meeting to discuss the specifics. Li Feng didn't get involved and left the courtyard with Gao Jiu to go to the furniture factory. "The furniture factory is still a bit short-handed," Gao Jiu said quietly. "Now that we're going to cooperate with the steel factory, I'm afraid the manpower shortage will be even more severe."

Do you have any ideas?

Li Feng had also thought of this matter, and his idea was to find someone from outside.

"My idea is to recruit people from the neighboring brigades."

Gao said, “I inquired and found that there are three or four carpenters in Wangjiazhuang, and at least two or three in other villages, hamlets and brigades. They are all skilled and can get started in the furniture factory in less than half a day.”

"Well, you can try it."

Li Feng nodded. "I'll talk to Uncle Fuguo and Uncle Futian later. You know, these days, good things don't go out the door. I'm sure many people in the team have ideas about hiring carpenters from other teams."

“But this time, we can take advantage of this difficult opportunity to bring this up,” Li Feng said with a smile. “The timing and location are quite good now. We have the county furniture factory as a big asset, and we can hire some carpenters from the surrounding villages to alleviate the pressure. If we talk to everyone about it this way, they will be more receptive.”

“Then there’s the steel mill collaboration. They’re short-handed, and the young people think this collaboration will benefit them. They figure they won’t object if things are explained clearly.” Upon hearing Li Feng’s words, Gao Jiu’s eyes lit up after a moment’s thought. “Boss, you’re really good at this.”

"Alright, it was just a coincidence."

Li Feng said with a smile, "Hurry up, while everyone's still caught up in the moment. Don't wait until things have calmed down before bringing it up, or this matter might cause quite a stir."

"Don't worry, I'll go with Anmin and Anbing to get some fresh air and let them talk to Han Fuguo and the others."

Gao said with a smile, "Let me give you a heads-up."

"You're alright, this is good too."

Li Feng said with a smile, "If Liu Wei and the others weren't trying to lose weight, I would have wanted to send them to help out at the furniture factory."

"Sigh, if all else fails, I'm planning to bring some furniture factory workers from the future."

Li Feng said with a smile, "Especially the folding furniture factory, they have a lot of experience, which will be useful when cooperating with the steel mill."

"That's true, bringing one or two along can be quite useful."

Gao Jiu slapped his forehead. "Boss, I do know some people in this field."

“When I was learning carpentry, some of my fellow apprentices went to work in furniture factories like this,” Gao said. “I still have their contact information.”

"That's great."

Li Feng said, "If we could get a few more over, things would be much simpler for us. We just need to reach an agreement with the steel mill and we can start production."

As for the design Dong Qing mentioned, Li Feng had no doubts. However, even if the kid could design it, there was no guarantee that production would actually be successful. "Then I'll leave this to you."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it when I get back."

Gao Jiu thought about his fellow disciples and how they would be stunned when they came over. Also, the skills they learned here would finally be put to good use, and they would make a lot of money. Everyone would be grateful to the two brothers.

Li Feng, unaware of Gao Jiu's inner turmoil, felt quite pleased to have resolved another matter. He strolled around the furniture factory, intending to head back, when he saw Er Ya helping to sand the furniture.

"Didn't I say that half a day is enough?"

This child insisted on coming with the other kids in the village to earn money, saying that he would use the money to buy meat for his father. Li Feng was overjoyed. This little glutton thought of buying meat for him, which meant he truly regarded him as his own father.

"Her little hands were all worn out."

"It's alright, Father."

Er Ya grinned. This girl, as she gets older, looks more and more like her older sister. She's so sensible that it's almost heartbreaking.

"Let's not do it anymore."

Li Feng took Er Ya home directly. Her hand was cut, so he just applied some mercurochrome and didn't bother to bandage it. Children these days aren't as delicate as they are in later generations.

"What's wrong, Er Ya?"

"Father, why don't I go and earn money?"

Er Ya puffed out her little mouth as she flipped through the picture books Li Feng had given her. These were all classic stories, and the girl quite liked reading them. Although she couldn't understand the words, she could still understand the pictures.

"Oh, why?"

Wu Tong and the others really liked Daya and Erya, the two children, who were truly sensible and well-behaved.

“Dad said my hands are blistered, but it’s okay, it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

"Your hand is hurt! When did it get hurt? Why didn't you tell me, Auntie?" Wu Tong quickly pulled Er Ya's hand over. Sure enough, several blisters had popped. How could the girl not be in pain? "Does it hurt?"

Er Ya grinned and shook her head. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

“This child, your father doesn’t lack that little bit of money to buy meat.”

Wu Tong patted Er Ya's head. "Don't go to the furniture factory next time."

“But Zhao Di and the others go to polish furniture every day, while I only go for half a day.” Er Ya felt that if she didn’t work hard and earn money, she wouldn’t be a good child.

“My father earns money to buy meals for my sister and send her to school, which costs a lot of money.”

"You know about this?"

"Yes, Zhao Di and the others said so."

Er Ya whispered, "I know, Zhao Di and the others also want to go to school, and they all envy their older sister for going to school."

"They want to go to school, so why don't they go?"

After asking Wu Tong, he smiled bitterly. Since his family was not well-off, they would prioritize sending the boys to school, while the girls would stay home to earn work points.

"What are you talking about?"

When Li Feng came in, he didn't seem too happy to see Wu Tong. What was wrong?
"Cousin, do you think we can't change the current situation, even in a village like Hanjiaba?"

Wu Tong looked at Li Feng, and at this moment she felt that she shouldn't have come here in such a daze. She should have done something.

"How to say?"

After listening to Wu Tong talk about how Zhao Di and the others wanted to go to school, Li Feng understood Wu Tong's feelings to some extent. "I understand. People will gradually become curious about this. By next year, I think all the children in our brigade should be able to go to school."

"Can they all really go to school?"

"Don't worry, I'm confident."

Li Feng said with great confidence.

"Is there anything we can help with?"

"Of course."

Li Feng said with a smile, "You guys are pretty good at foreign languages, so when you go to the steel factory and meet their leaders, you can say a few words to them and put them in their place."

"no problem."

"I'm pretty good at English, French, and German, and I can also speak some Japanese."

Wu Tong spoke with some confidence. "Is that enough? Besides English and French, Yueyue also speaks Russian and Korean?"

"Impressive, you know so much, that's more than enough." Actually, speaking fluent English was enough to impress the steel mill's leaders. (End of Chapter)