My 1978 Hotel

"Gift money?"

Seeing their curiosity, Li Feng didn't hide anything. "I'm the same as Uncle Futian and Uncle Fuqiang, one yuan."

Nowadays, one yuan is considered the maximum amount for wedding gifts. In Hanjiaba, people sometimes give five cents, one mao, two mao for better quality, three mao for most, and four mao for very close friends. Five mao is extremely rare.

One yuan? We haven't seen this in Hanjiaba for years. It's only this year, because of the furniture, that everyone has some money in their pockets. So, Han Futian, Han Fuqiang, and Li Feng discussed it and gave each other one yuan as a gift.

"Besides the dollar, I also have a small gift."

Li Feng took out a fountain pen and a literary magazine, a sample copy of Xu Mao and his daughters' book, which came with a note from the magazine publisher, and of course, a note from Li Feng himself.

"Should we send something else too?"

Wu Tong noticed the fountain pen and magazine, one for the bride and one for the groom, and his eyes lit up with interest.

"Stop messing around."

Li Feng was both amused and exasperated. "An Jun and I are friends with Comrade Xiao Feng, so it's understandable that we would exchange gifts. But for you to come out and give me a gift, Comrade Xiao Feng might overthink it."

"Besides, this 50-cent gift money was already paid in advance."

"Mr. Li, what you're saying is really hurtful to us."

"Don't be sad, eat more when the meal is served later."

Li Feng didn't know Wu Tong. He was probably bored and wanted to make things a little fun for Han Anjun. Honestly, it's his wedding. "This is the important thing. Stop messing around. This isn't our time. If you specially send Anjun a gift, this guy might get into trouble on the spot."

"understood."

"Where are Dong Qing and the others?"

"Learning to play rock-paper-scissors."

"Good grief, tell them to play less and not drink too much." Li Feng sighed helplessly; none of them were easy to deal with. "I'm going to pick up Daya; we'll have a banquet together at noon. It'll be good for her to recover; studying must be tiring."

"You're the matchmaker, so let me go."

Wu Tong said, "What if they can't find you later?"

"Okay, then you and Qin Yue can go together."

Li Feng gave a word of advice, as he was still a little worried about leaving the child alone.

"I called my brother and we drove the donkey cart over there."

"That's better."

Feeling more at ease, Li Feng thought about getting some self-defense tools later—a stun gun, pepper spray, or a high-powered flashlight, or at the very least, a baton. "I hadn't thought about this before; I really need to be more careful later."

In those days, there was no surveillance, and compared to the weaker legal awareness of later generations, things were particularly prone to going wrong. After giving some instructions, Li Feng got busy again. Fortunately, with Anmin and Anbing there, Li Feng was only responsible for receiving some cadres from the commune.

As for the production team, Han Fuguo, the brigade leader, was more than capable of handling things. As for the county officials, Li Feng could accompany Wu Feng and Wu Desheng to receive them; the title of a famous writer still carried weight.

"We've finally finished entertaining the guests."

With all the arrangements made, Li Feng breathed a sigh of relief. Being a matchmaker is no easy task; it really takes a lot of effort to win a match.

"Thanks for your hard work."

"You're welcome."

Li Feng took the cigarette Han Anjun handed him, lit it, and took a puff—it was surprisingly invigorating. "I didn't go to keep Comrade Xiao Feng company."

"She was talking to some colleagues."

Huang Xiaoli and the others arrived, and Li Feng muttered that he had been too busy to pay attention. "Oh right, perfect timing. I prepared some gifts myself. This Hero fountain pen was a gift from a friend, and it's quite nice."

"This is too expensive."

"What's a pen?"

"Oh, right, this is a sample copy of my novel. I had the magazine write a message for it as a wedding gift for Comrade Xiaofeng. I don't know if she'll mind it, so could you please pass it on for me?" Li Feng handed the pen and magazine to Han Anjun.

"Thank you so much, Xiaofeng will definitely love it."

Han Anjun thanked him, but since someone was calling him, he didn't linger. "Go on with your work. We'll talk properly later when things are settled."

"That's fine."

Neither Li Feng nor Han Anjun had time to chat. Han Anjun's classmate had just arrived and they needed to entertain him. Just then, several cadres from the commune came over, and Li Feng also had to go out to make arrangements.

"I'm afraid even ten tables wouldn't be enough."

Li Feng discussed with Han Anbing and Han Anmin. "We brought plenty of tables, chairs, and benches from the team this morning. Anmin, is there enough food and drink?"

"No problem, we've prepared plenty of supplies. We'll divide it up a bit later, and twelve tables shouldn't be too difficult."

"That's good."

Li Feng said, "Then prepare eleven tables first, and reserve one for later. Prepare extra, just in case we don't have enough food when they arrive."

"Okay, I'll go and explain."

"what happened?"

"Uncle Fu Guo, it's like this..."

After Li Feng recounted what had just happened, Han Fuguo nodded. "You're really thoughtful, kid. I didn't expect there to be so many guests."

"That's not so bad."

If this were in later generations, the number would probably be several times higher. This girl is equivalent to the daughter of the town's second-in-command and the niece of the county public security bureau chief. She has at least some connections, so everyone would definitely come to give her some gifts.

Now, including the people from Hanjiaba, as well as An Jun, Wu Xiaofeng, and Wu Feng's colleagues, there are seven or eight tables, making a total of about ten tables. There are only one or two tables of people who are trying to curry favor, which is definitely not a lot.

Before we knew it, it was time to start the banquet. After the officiant finished speaking, the entire ceremony was complete, and there was nothing more to it. The banquet began.

"Fortunately, I caught up."

Wu Tong and Qin Yue, holding Da Ya's hand, followed by Li Muchen, returned just before the banquet began. "Please sit down, the banquet is about to start." The food was quite good, and both families were well-off, especially the bride's family.

The meal was complete with chicken, fish, meat, and eggs—in this year's climate, no one could fault it. The drinks were also quite good; two bottles of Xinghuacun liquor for a little over a dollar each, definitely not low-class. Li Feng, of course, was also drinking with several leaders and relatives from his maternal family.

Fortunately, these were all acquaintances, so he didn't embarrass himself.

"It's time to offer a toast."

The toasting was arranged by Li Feng, which is quite common in later generations, but not every family does it these days. This time, Li Feng brought it up and even replaced the wine with a half-empty bottle. Originally, Han Fuguo should have led the toast, but Han Fuguo's status and position were not high enough.

Now things have gotten complicated. Li Feng, the matchmaker, has been dragged into this mess. Well, Li Feng is exasperated with this guy. Oh well, there aren't many rules these days, so let's just leave it at that. After going around the room, Li Feng has drunk quite a bit.

"Thanks for your hard work."

"Nothing."

Li Feng sat down and ate a few bites of food, trying to suppress the effects of the alcohol. Luckily, he drank some water, otherwise he would have really embarrassed himself. When Dong Qing and his friends were toasting him, they started making a ruckus and insisted on playing a drinking game with him. This caused quite a commotion.

Li Feng was relatively lucky; he won more than he lost. Even though he, the matchmaker, was "beaten up" by a group of people, he at least drank most of a bottle of baijiu. "It's alright, you guys eat and drink as you please," Li Feng waved to An Min and the others, thinking to himself that he'd go back and settle accounts with Dong Qing and his gang.

"hey-hey."

"Cousin, are you alright?"

"What do you think?"

Li Feng glared at Dong Qing with annoyance.

How much to drink?

"Not much, three or four ounces."

Dong Qing said embarrassedly, "I didn't expect it to cause such a big fuss."

"It's alright, don't drink too much."

"Are you really alright?" Wu Tong and the others came over, and Li Feng waved his hand. "I'm fine, my liquor has a low alcohol content."

"Low prescription? Really?"

The group was taken aback for a moment, then realized why they seemed fine after drinking over a pound; it turned out the bottle had been diluted with water. "How cunning of you, Boss Li," Li Feng thought, noticing their expressions. "At most, I added half water. I've drunk more than half a bottle myself."

"It's not even a pound yet, so it's fine."

Wu Tong knew Li Feng's alcohol tolerance; he could easily drink a pound and a half of baijiu (Chinese liquor). It was undeniable that after so many time-travels, Li Feng's physical condition had improved, and his alcohol tolerance had doubled. What used to be seven or eight ounces could now be easily handled as long as it didn't exceed two pounds.

"How about we have some more drinks?"

Dong Qing chuckled; this kid's addicted to rock-paper-scissors.

"Get lost, we have important business to attend to later."

Li Feng waved his hand. "You guys eat and drink as you please, don't come over here."

"Where's Daya?"

"Don't worry, I ate a lot."

Wu Tong smiled and said, "Wait a minute, my brother and I will take her back to school."

"Then it's hard work for you."

"If there are any leftovers, we can use them to fill up Daya's plate later."

Li Feng sat up straight.

"What do you think? We did it together with Antun and the others."

"That's it."

After settling a few in, these guys, looking like bandits, were practically joking. 'These lads can eat a lot, but they're also capable. I'll try to bring them back to the guesthouse sometime, to show them around, but it's inconvenient for them to go out without ID.'

Thinking about it, Li Feng was actually a little tempted; the Time Traveler hadn't said they couldn't take people to the future.

"If it's okay for animals, it shouldn't be a big problem for humans."

"Antun is not very old."

Li Feng suspected that these kids were still alive in their later generations, which was a problem. "I've never really asked where Hanjiaba is exactly; I'll have to find out when I get back."

"cousin?"

"It's alright, you guys take Daya there first."

Li Feng rubbed his forehead; he was still a little dizzy from drinking too much. "I'm going to talk to Uncle Fu Guo about something. You guys can wander around if you want." As he spoke, Li Feng took out another ten yuan and handed it to Wu Tong.

"Consider this a loan from you."

"Great."

Ten yuan, in later generations, would probably be so cheap that even several people wouldn't bother to bend down and pick it up if it fell on the ground, but now these ten yuan truly made them overjoyed. "Don't waste it."

"Do not worry."

The group happily led Daya out of the courtyard, while Li Feng shook his head slightly, thinking that the ten yuan was probably lost.

"Perfect timing, Fengzi, I was just looking for you."

"coming."

Li Feng smiled and said, "Uncle Fu Tian, ​​are Secretary Gao and Secretary Wu both here?"

"He's inside."

"Walk."

While we're here, I'll definitely talk to Secretary Gao and Secretary Wu about the furniture factory's recruitment. And should we also let them know about the steel factory's cooperation plans?

"I won't go into details yet."

We have the design drawings, and we've also discussed specific cooperation methods, as well as some other possibilities.

"Secretary Gao, Secretary Wu."

"Please sit down, please sit down, Secretary Wu. You really have to thank Writer Li properly today," Gao Ming said with a smile.

“Writer Li has been a great help today. A simple thank you won’t suffice. I’ll treat Writer Li to dinner when I have some free time in the next couple of days.”

"Secretary Wu, you're too kind."

Li Feng smiled and sat down to accept the tea that Han Anjun handed him. "Secretary Gao, Secretary Wu, it's good that you two are both here. I have something I'm unsure about, so I'd appreciate your advice and suggestions."

Gao Ming and Wu Feng had a lot on their plate, which had already taken up most of the day. They would probably only see him briefly before leaving, so Li Feng didn't exchange many pleasantries and got straight to the point.

"Quickly, tell them, Secretary Gao is here."

Wu Feng said with a smile, "As long as the commune can help, I think Secretary Gao will definitely be willing to lend a hand."

“Secretary Wu, that’s not right of you. You can’t expect me to do you a favor.” Gao Ming said with a smile. “Writer Li, just tell me what it is. The commune will definitely help without hesitation if they can.”

"Well, our furniture factory has been getting a lot of orders lately, so we're a bit short-handed." As soon as Li Feng said this, Han Anjun, who was sitting next to him, looked at Li Feng with some surprise, but didn't follow up on the matter.

Li Feng had no idea that Han Fuguo was too busy. He told Han Anmin to tell him to go and explain to Han Anjun, but Han Anmin was just as busy and had drunk some alcohol at noon, so the matter was delayed.

Fortunately, Han Anjun understood the gravity of the situation. Besides, he figured that since Li Feng had brought it up, his father must know and have agreed. 'Why didn't he tell me? Maybe I should have sounded out his father first.'

"Oh, it seems the furniture factory is doing quite well."

Gao Ming and Wu Feng exchanged a glance. They had heard a lot about the Hanjiaba Furniture Factory lately, as they were frequently delivering furniture. Some production brigades had also come to their area, implying that Hanjiaba was hoarding its own resources.

Everyone else is suffering from the disaster, but you're busily making money. Who wouldn't be envious?

"Yes, that's why we're discussing hiring some people, preferably those who know carpentry."

Li Feng said with a smile, "Secretary Gao, Secretary Wu, I'll have to ask you two for help with this. See if you can contact the cadres of each brigade and recommend some people."

Gao Ming and Wu Feng finally understood. "Wow, when did Han Fuguo become so generous? This isn't something he could do. Could it be that Han Anjun's side spoke up and leaked the information?"

Probably not.

Wu Feng glanced at Han Anjun, who also looked surprised. Could this kid be the reason? That makes sense; he's from the city, and a famous writer at that. His knowledge must be extraordinary.

He probably thought of this beforehand, which is why he brought it up. It's better than the commune bringing it up, and it even saves face for Secretary Gao. Wu Feng thought to himself that this kid is quite clever.

"You've come to the right person."

Wu Feng said with a smile, "Recently, Secretary Gao has been visiting various production teams and knows the craftsmen in each team like the back of his hand. You can't go wrong by asking Secretary Gao for this matter."

"Secretary Wu, please don't lift me up."

Secretary Gao said with a smile, "This is no small matter, there's no precedent for it. Here's what we'll do, Secretary Wu, you go back and collect the information, go and talk to each of the brigades, and hold a meeting. We'll discuss it then."

“Secretary Gao, Secretary Wu, I know this is no small matter, that’s why I asked you two for help,” Li Feng said with a smile. “Besides, I have some other plans.”

"Oh, any other plans?"

Gao Ming and Wu Feng exchanged a glance, wondering if there was anything else.

"Tell me quickly."

"Well, a few days ago we went to the steel mill to deliver furniture and chatted with some of the workers. They mentioned something," Li Feng said, taking a sip of water. "They've been working at the steel mill for many years, but when they go back for holidays, they've never brought back a single thing produced by their own factory. It's quite a pity."

“I was thinking, could we make the furniture legs out of iron? That way, steelworkers could take some folding tables and chairs back with them, which would be like bringing back their own products.” Gao Ming and Wu Feng were both surprised when Li Feng said this.

"You mean you're planning to have the furniture factory and the steel mill cooperate?"

Gao Ming was somewhat uncertain; this idea could only be considered boldly. (End of Chapter)