My 1978 Hotel

"Cousin, take a look at the table and chairs I designed!"

When Dong Qing saw Li Feng and Wu Tong return, he excitedly pulled Li Feng to see the tables and chairs he had just designed.

"So fast?"

Li Feng was quite surprised. This kid was too fast; he had only been back for a short while.

"I took that as a reference."

Dong Qing blushed slightly. "But don't worry, there's a lot of our inspiration in it too."

"Yes, all the complicated ones have been simplified."

Wu Yu's words directly exposed Dong Qing's true colors. "It's not just about making it simple; some of the modifications were things I had to work hard to come up with."

"Let's take a look first."

Li Feng laughed and said, "As long as the design is good, nothing else matters."

"That's right, this isn't the future."

Dong Qing completely forgot about being embarrassed.

"Hey, how many sets are you designing?"

Once in the room, Dong Qing took out the design drawings—several sheets, not just one set. "This kid's got guts," she thought. "Whether they were borrowed or not, it's remarkable that he could produce several sets in such a short time."

"The design drawings look good, but what about the details?"

"It will take some time, but it should be ready by tomorrow," Dong Qing said.

"Make it more detailed, ideally so that you can make practical folding tables and chairs directly by following the instructions."

Li Feng glanced at it and saw that most of the drawings were complete, but some details were definitely missing. After all, it would probably take a god to finish such detailed work in such a short time.

"By the way, it has to look good, like a high-end product."

"It's okay if it's a little small."

Li Feng thought for a moment. "It must be easy to carry; that's quite important."

"I understand, I'll think about it some more."

Dong Qing heard that Li Feng had many requests, so she needed to think them over carefully, and some details needed to be modified.

"Thank you for your hard work. I'll give you a bonus when the design is completed."

"Really?"

Upon hearing about the bonus, Dong Qing and Wu Yu's eyes lit up.

"Mr. Li, do we have any?"

Bonuses—that's money! Even though Wu Tong and Qin Yue are both from wealthy families, they're poor here. If they could get some bonuses, they could buy things they like. "Of course, if the negotiations go smoothly, I'll also give you bonuses."

"Great."

Wu Tong and Qin Yue high-fived. "The bonus! With that, we can definitely go to the department store or the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some small items that we like."

“I can also help with design.”

Hua Ziyan was also excited when he heard that he could get some prize money for designing tables and chairs. "Although I didn't study this, I joined the handicraft club during college, so I can help with the mold making."

"I can offer my opinions."

Hua Ziyao said somewhat embarrassedly, "I've participated in several group procurement projects, so I have some understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of some tables and chairs."

"Okay, count you in too."

Li Feng smiled and said, "You've participated in company procurement, so you must know something about office desks and chairs, right?"

"Ah."

"That's great! You can give us your suggestions later, Dong Qing, and you guys can also try designing office desks and chairs," Li Feng said with a smile. "This is a blue ocean market right now, and you might just make a name for yourselves."

"Our biggest goal for now is to get steel mills and power plants using office furniture made in Hanjiaba," Li Feng said, looking at Dong Qing, Wu Yu, and Hua Ziyao, the siblings. "Are you confident?"

Dong Qing was immediately spurred on by Li Feng's words about becoming famous, and she was excited and thrilled. "Yes, I don't believe it. We are all top students from later generations. How could we not be able to accomplish something like this?"

I think it's not a big problem.

Hua Ziyao thought that she had participated in several group procurements of office desks and chairs, and had a general understanding of the process. At this stage, it seemed simpler and less demanding, making it easier to negotiate a cooperation.

"As long as you have confidence."

The people inside were quite excited, ready to get started at any moment. Li Feng didn't say much, gave them the space, and then he, Wu Tong, and Qin Yue left the house.

"Mr. Li, do you think it can work out?"

Wu Tong was a little skeptical, but Li Feng pulled up a stool and sat down, pouring himself a cup of tea. "Isn't this great? With a goal, everyone is motivated. Besides, even if we fail this time, we can go back to the future and find some information. I don't think that's too difficult."

"That's true."

Wu Tong slapped his forehead. "I was overlooked. I was thinking about things from this perspective. We have decades of advanced experience to draw upon."

"How about I join too?"

Wu Tong thought for a moment; there was a bonus involved. "Yueyue, what do you think?"

"I think it's fine. At most, we can go back and find a teacher to train us and learn some knowledge in this area. I don't think we'll be any worse than Ziyao and the others." Qin Yue was also excited. It's more interesting to get involved in this kind of thing.

“Yeah, let’s find a few teachers and buy some materials. I don’t believe I’m any worse than others.”

"What makes you worse than others?"

As soon as Li Muchen entered the courtyard, he heard Wu Tong and Qin Yue talking rather excitedly. He was a little confused, but after listening to the two of them explain what had happened, he found that they were quite excited.

"That's great! Can I participate, Mr. Li?"

"Okay."

"This is not a matter for one person alone."

Li Feng put down his teacup, stood up, and clapped his hands. "If you all participate, we can brainstorm faster. I won't participate; I'll handle logistics."

"I also need to keep an eye on Liu Wei and his group."

"We'll bring Gao Jiu and Gao Cheng in later too. They're carpenters, so they have a lot to say on this." Li Feng didn't forget the two most important people.

After Gao Jiu and Gao Cheng finished dinner that evening, they were pulled over by the group, who took over the main room. The room had solar-powered lights, so the lighting was quite good.

"To acquire new skills for learning."

Li Feng was taken aback. What did this mean? He waited until his thoughts entered the simulated scenario. "Good heavens, welding? Is that considered a production team skill? You're not kidding, are you?"

"I'm speechless."

However, upon reflection, if the furniture factory were to produce steel folding tables and chairs, not only would they need to learn welding techniques, but the steel mill probably wouldn't be willing to help. This would really have to be handled by the Hanjiaba area.

"I don't know which welding method they're using now."

Li Feng was now in a bit of a predicament. There was nowhere to learn right now, so he had to go back to the guesthouse to find someone to teach him. "This guy can't let Zhaoxia and the others know, otherwise they'll definitely be wondering why he'd want to learn welding."

"I'll talk to the guy about it and ask him to arrange a place for me to study."

"I almost forgot, Dong Qing should know how." Li Feng slapped his forehead, realizing he hadn't considered the kid. "Sigh, now the equipment will be a problem again. No matter what kind of welding it is, it will probably require a lot of energy."

"The steel folding tables and chairs seem to be much more difficult than I imagined." I'll stop thinking about it for now and solve the design problem first, then take it one step at a time. If this can't be solved in a short time, the impact won't be too great. Right now, Hanjiaba has plenty of money and food.

Of course, it would be best to handle it if possible. After all, the county furniture factory will have to make a move sooner or later, so it's always best to have the initiative first.

"Let's make dinner first, then we'll think about it."

Unexpectedly, just as Li Feng was cooking, Han Fuguo and Han Futian arrived with two bottles of wine, some cured meat, and pickled bamboo shoots.

"The cured pork is stir-fried."

"Row."

Li Feng took it. He had originally planned to discuss it with the two of them that evening, but they arrived early, which was good. That evening, he stir-fried some cured pork with chili peppers, stir-fried some eggs, stir-fried some chicken with chili peppers, and also sliced ​​a plate of red sausage.

Liu Wei and his friends benefited from a big pot of mixed grain rice, as there wasn't much time to prepare separate meals for them. They ate the mixed grain rice with diced chicken stir-fried with pickled bamboo shoots, which was quite a nice dish.

"Come on, let's eat first."

Li Feng invited everyone to eat. "Let's chat while we eat."

"Yes, let's eat first, and then we can chat freely while we eat."

Han Futian chimed in, "We have plenty of time at night, and with solar-powered lights, we don't need to worry about running out of lamp oil."

"We're not sitting here."

Wu Tong, Qin Yue, and Hua Ziyao pulled Er Ya to sit at a small table, as Li Feng and the others wanted to drink, which would be too strong a smell.

"Hurry up with the food."

"Don't worry, we've already taken care of it."

Wu Tong smiled and pointed to the large lotus leaf bowl, which contained chicken, cured meat, eggs, and red ginseng, as well as a small portion of stir-fried diced chicken with pickled bamboo shoots.

The meal lasted two or three hours, most of which was spent in discussion.

"At this stage, office furniture is only a later goal for us."

Li Feng said, "In the early stages, it's crucial to establish partnerships with steel mills. This is the key area, and it might be difficult at first. However, I believe that as long as we put our heart into it and show sincerity, the chances of cooperation are quite high."

"We need to do a lot of preparation beforehand."

Han Futian said, "It would be best if Secretary Gao and Secretary Wu from the commune also came along. After all, Hanjiaba is just a production brigade. If the commune is involved, the credibility will be higher, and the steel plant will likely consider this matter more seriously."

"Uncle Tomita, I think we should give that a try."

Of course, the main control still rests with Hanjiaba Furniture Factory, which cannot be relinquished; at most, some profits can be given up.

"Will Secretary Gao and Secretary Wu provide support?"

Han Anmin, standing to the side, was unsure. "This is quite risky."

"Yes."

Han Fuguo nodded. "Fengzi, you're quick-witted, do you have any ideas to persuade Secretary Gao and Secretary Wu?"

"I do have the idea."

Li Feng took a bite of the sausage, put down his chopsticks, took the cigarette Han Futian handed him, lit it, and took a puff. "I think there are some problems with our furniture factory right now, and we need to make some changes. Maybe that will increase our chances of persuading Secretary Gao and Secretary Wu."

"What's wrong with the furniture factory? Can making some changes increase the chances of persuading Secretary Gao and Secretary Wu?" Han Futian flicked a matchstick, full of doubt. What did he mean by that? What was wrong with the furniture factory?

"Tell me more specifically."

Han Fuguo took a drag of his cigarette, feeling that Li Feng was about to say something earth-shattering.

"Our furniture factory is too closed off."

Li Feng blurted out, "The entire furniture factory is run by people from Hanjiaba."

“We’re originally the Hanjiaba Furniture Factory, so of course we’ll hire people from Hanjiaba.” Han Anmin was a little puzzled; how could that be wrong? “Fengzi, what’s wrong with this?”

"Yes, it's easier to get things done if we use our own people."

Han Futian also somewhat disagreed with Li Feng's words. After all, any brigade would have done the same thing as Hanjiaba, and they didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

"Uncle Tomita, from our perspective, this is correct, but what about Secretary Gao and Secretary Wu?"

Li Feng flicked his cigarette ash. "Think about it, Secretary Gao and Secretary Wu are considering the issues from the perspective of the entire Maya Commune. Our Hanjiaba Furniture Factory is doing so well, but right now it can only buy some illegally logged timber from the surrounding villages."

"In the end, it didn't help the commune much."

"This is not a big deal; the other villages can't help us at all."

Han Anmin said, "Fengzi, what do you mean? Tell me quickly, the more you talk, the more confused I get."

"I understand what you mean a little bit."

Han Fuguo took a deep drag of his cigarette, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it a few times before speaking. "You mean our furniture factory should consider things from the commune's perspective?"

"Yes, of course, that's just what I'm saying. We'll definitely have to think about ourselves first, but we do have some spare capacity to help the surrounding villages."

Seeing that Han Fuguo understood his meaning and didn't object too vehemently, Li Feng then said, "For example, we can actually solve the problem of our furniture factory's output, at least part of it."

"what do you mean?"

Han Futian understood a bit; this kid really dared to speak his mind. "This is no small matter."

“I understand that if our brigade does it, it might give people something to talk about.”

Li Feng exhaled a puff of smoke and his hand trembled twice. "But what if Secretary Gao or Secretary Wu suggested it first? Then we would be sacrificing our own interests to help other backward brigades. Uncle Fuguo, Uncle Futian, tell me, isn't that a noble idea?"

"You've got a way with words, kid."

Han Futian thought about it and realized it made sense. "Third Brother, we could have An Jun leak some information about this to Secretary Wu."

"This boy."

"Okay, Anjun's wedding is the day after tomorrow. After the banquet, I'll have a good talk with him about this."

After considering it for a while, Han Fuguo felt that Li Feng's words made some sense. In order to cooperate with the steel plant, it was necessary to win the support of the commune. So how to win the support of the commune? Hiring some carpenters from other teams, or even apprentices, would be a great way to help the commune solve a major problem in the face of a severe drought. It would be a model of sacrificing the individual for the greater good.

With this premise in mind, it would be natural for the commune to help. Other brigades would also speak up for them. Even if the county felt it was inappropriate, it would likely support it considering that it affected the entire commune's livelihood.

After careful consideration, Han Fuguo did not raise any further objections, although he was somewhat resistant, since Han Fuguo had always prioritized the interests of Hanjiaba in the past.

"This isn't urgent, it won't happen anytime soon."

Li Feng smiled and said, "An Jun is getting married the day after tomorrow. Do you need our help?"

"We really need your help to save face."

When Han Fuguo talked about Han Anjun's wedding, he was overjoyed. His third son had married the daughter of the deputy secretary of the commune, which was a great honor for the entire Ma Ya. Other brigade leaders would be envious of him in the future.

"OK, no problem."

Li Feng's current status can truly be said to be helping Han Anjun save face. He is a well-known writer in the province, and the region and county have tried to transfer him to work in the cultural departments of the region and county several times, but he has refused. He has a very scholarly air about him.

Everyone in the commune wants to meet this writer; it would be even better if they could chat with him for a bit. (End of Chapter)