My 1978 Hotel

"We finally got through it."

Li Feng finally understood. These team leaders were something else; they'd do anything for a few extra spots. Not only did they ask Li Feng to register, but while he was registering, Wang Dapao started rambling about how pitiful Lao Liu's family was, how they had no rice to cook.

"So pathetic."

Wu Tong and the others were almost in tears as they listened. "Cousin, why don't you just let him stay?"

"Yes, three children, not having enough to eat, how pitiful."

"Yeah yeah."

Li Feng was helpless. Han Fuguo sighed. This was a difficult matter. This Wang Dapao looked at Li Feng. "Wang Dapao, you're being unreasonable." If they didn't accept the money, it would seem like Hanjiaba had no human touch at all.

But looking ahead, things seemed to be getting even more complicated. What to do? Li Feng thought for a moment. "Uncle Fuguo, talk to Captain Wang about the road repair. We can let Brother Wang Liu participate. The salary is lower, but it'll be enough to buy grain."

"Building roads?"

Wang Dapao was a little doubtful, but after Han Fuguo explained it to him, he said, "It's true, that's great! Your furniture factory is really making money."

"Alright, Lao Liu, come back with me first."

When Wang Dapao heard that there was such a thing as road construction, and that they could even give out a few more spots, he thought, "Why bother making a fuss? I should have known better than to play the victim and lose face in front of these city folks."

After registering, Wang Xiaosan and Wang Xiaowu didn't go back but wanted to take a look around. Li Feng called someone to show them around and give them a general understanding of the furniture factory's production.

"Do you know how to use all these devices?"

The two men were taken aback. To be honest, it was the first time they had ever seen such a tool, and they had no idea how to use it. However, they were worried that Li Feng would reject them if he found out they didn't know how to use it, so they hesitated. "If you don't know how, that's okay. We'll organize training."

"Ah, that's it."

"But don't you have your own tools?"

Although there is a lot of equipment, small places still require manual operation, especially when there are many people and not enough equipment. That's when the manual tools in the carpenter's toolbox come in handy.

"Yes, we'll bring them over later."

"Row."

Li Feng checked the time. "Okay, come at 8:30 tomorrow. I'll have someone show you around. Once everyone has registered, we'll all participate in the training together."

"By the way, there will be assessments during the training. If you pass the assessment, you will still be paid during the training period. If you fail, you will not only have to attend the first training session, but also have half of your salary deducted for the training period," Li Feng said. At that time, there were no labor laws.

If someone doesn't work hard during training, having their salary deducted is a minor issue; if they really can't keep up, they can be fired and sent back. Maintaining work discipline in the furniture factory is the most important thing, and Li Feng doesn't want a slacker to come in.

"Don't worry, we will definitely provide thorough training."

The two were initially worried that the training would not be paid, but they were pleasantly surprised to find that it was paid.

"Then you should go back and prepare. I won't see you off."

After watching the two leave, Li Feng returned to the furniture factory. "Second brother, you're in charge of the training. It mainly involves equipment and discipline."

"Don't worry, I've already prepared the furniture factory's code of conduct."

Gao opened a small booklet, and it was surprisingly well-organized. In fact, much of the content in the booklet was copied from later generations. "Very good. Let's follow this. Strict record-keeping will ensure good quality furniture and keep our orders coming in."

"Perhaps even the county furniture factory can't compare to our code of conduct."

Li Feng handed the booklet to Gao Jiu. "Have everyone memorize it during the training."

"This recruitment drive has caused quite a stir, and the county furniture factory is probably paying even more attention to us now."

Li Feng sighed. There was no other way but to go all out and give it a shot. Even if they couldn't win, they wouldn't suffer too much loss. At least in terms of new furniture design, their products were definitely superior to those of the county furniture factory.

Back home, Li Feng heated up the chicken he had saved for lunch, stir-fried a few side dishes, and even added a scrambled egg. "Da Ya, try this! This chicken was saved for you; it's been stewing all morning and it's so tender."

"Ah."

Daya picked up a piece of meat for Erya, and then picked up an extra piece for Li Feng. "Dad, you should eat too."

"Okay, okay, I'll eat it."

Li Feng smiled and took the chicken. It smelled really good. He noticed that Wu Tong and the others hadn't touched it and asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Eat up, don't be shy."

"Da Ya, eat eggs."

"Ah."

After dinner, Daya taught Erya to read, with Wu Tong and Qin Yue occasionally helping out. Tian Hao, Hua Ziyan, Dong Qing, Wu Yu, and Li Muchen played Werewolf. Gao Jiu and Gao Cheng discussed the furniture factory, and also, as Li Feng had instructed, they inquired about antiques, furniture, and other bargains in the villages during the training.

"Don't be too explicit."

"Don't worry, boss."

Actually, Li Feng was just saying it casually. He was quite at ease with Gao Jiu. After the two brothers got beaten up last time, they were much more cautious than Wu Tong and the others.

"Register tomorrow, second son, you come."

Before dinner, Li Feng discussed with Han Fuguo that he wouldn't be going tomorrow. Dealing with all those team leaders was too much of a strain; they probably all thought Li Feng was a kind-hearted person. It wouldn't be easy to refuse, and besides, Li Feng wanted to cultivate good relationships with Zhang Meng and the others, so he definitely couldn't go tomorrow.

If we refuse and they become dissatisfied, it will be difficult to cooperate in the future.

"There are a few captains who came this time, so keep an eye on them."

Li Feng gave a brief description of Zhang Meng and the others' appearances. "Be a little nicer, don't offend them. I'm thinking of cooperating with them later."

"cooperate?"

Wu Tong and his group walked over curiously. "Is there anything special about these villages?"

"There is indeed a little."

Li Feng took a sip of water and said with a smile, "Let's call it Zhangjia Village. They used to make a living by hunting. Around the 1960s, they participated in several hunts of large wild animals. The village might still have a lot of pelts. You wanted to buy tiger skins, right? Maybe we have some."

"Besides, they still use bows and arrows for hunting in that village. If there's a chance, I'll take you there with me, and we can try hunting with bows and arrows. I've heard that the people in that village are very skilled with bows and arrows, no worse than rifles."

Upon hearing Li Feng's words, Li Muchen, Tian Hao, and the others stopped playing Werewolf and looked over. "Really, is it one of those old-fashioned bows and arrows?"

"That's right, I made it myself."

Li Feng put down his teacup, looked at everyone, and said with a smile, "I heard that Captain Zhang Meng can draw a large bow, and some even say he can kill a wild boar with a single arrow."

"How is that possible? Shooting a wild boar? Let alone arrows, even a rifle probably wouldn't be able to kill it in one shot."

Tian Hao and the others thought it was unlikely. Li Feng had heard about it from Han Fuguo, and it was probably true. "This Captain Zhang is naturally strong. As for whether it's true or not, we'll probably find out when we get there." "Putting everything else aside, I'm quite interested in making bows and arrows and using them for hunting."

"I'm quite interested too. You must take me with you then."

Li Muchen said, and Tian Hao and the others quickly echoed, "That's right, you must let us know when the time comes."

"Okay, I'll call you all to come together then."

"And what about us? Don't forget."

Wu Tong and the other girls perked up immediately upon hearing this, much to Li Feng's surprise. "Archery requires a lot of strength; I doubt you girls could manage it," he said.

"Why do you look down on us?"

Wu Tong gestured with his arm. "Fine, if you're willing, then come along." Li Feng thought, "Okay, count me in. Seriously."

"Besides this hunting village, what's so special about the other villages?"

"Nothing special, just something about this village, but there's a village with some nice wild tea."

As for the others, the village chief was quite interested, which is why he asked Gao Jiu and Gao Cheng to keep an eye on them.

“There’s a village in one of them that used to be a stop on the ancient Tea Horse Road. It was quite lively back then, and the village still has some stone-paved roads preserved to this day,” Li Feng said with a smile. “I plan to visit it when I have some free time. The ancient villages of today are quite different from those of later generations; they haven’t been embellished at all.”

"Oh I see."

The ancient villages didn't interest the villagers much, since they weren't as fun as hunting. However, Gao Jiu and Gao Cheng understood that these ancient villages, which had once been prosperous, might actually produce some fine items like porcelain.

"The other team leaders, Wu Lingkou should be careful."

Li Feng sighed and briefly explained the situation in Wulingkou. "The drought there is quite severe, with almost no harvest. More than half of the people there are not having enough to eat."

"We mainly rely on selling timber now."

"It's so pitiful."

"However, it's not easy to open up the carpenter quota. I'll talk to Uncle Fuguo and the others later. When we're repairing the road, we can ask them if they can send some people over. Although the salary will definitely not be as high as that of a carpenter, it's still better than the money from selling timber."

"Unfortunately, there's nothing more we can do to help."

Li Feng was helpless. Although their furniture factory was only so big at the moment, unless the cooperation with the steel mill was successful, it wouldn't be able to make a big splash in a short time.

Li Feng never expected that the county furniture factory would be quite flustered when they learned they were hiring. The county furniture factory had noticed the modular furniture a long time ago, and they had even tried making a few sets. Unexpectedly, the quality was inferior to that of the Hanjiaba furniture factory.

Li Feng had overestimated the county furniture factory. In terms of both equipment and manpower, the factory was not as large as he had imagined. It had a dozen or so workers and a few machines, and most of the time it was still done by hand, with a bad habit of slacking off.

They didn't have any small equipment like sanders, so they were still sanding by hand, and even the wood they used wasn't as good as what they could use in Hanjiaba. When they heard that Hanjiaba was expanding, they panicked. What were they going to do?

Now, people in the county don't want to buy furniture from the county furniture factory anymore. If production in Hanjiaba increases further, it's all over. The factory manager was filled with worry. "How did such a large furniture factory suddenly appear?"

"How about we pay a visit sometime?"

But then he hesitated, feeling that he had been a furniture factory manager for at least ten years and it would be beneath him to go to a factory in the countryside. "Let's wait and see, maybe things will turn around."

Li Feng was completely unaware of this. The next morning, the team leaders arrived with their respective carpenters. Just as Li Feng had expected, none of them brought only two people. Good heavens, they were all there!

There were at least four, and at most six or seven people. Li Feng thought to himself that if it were him, he would probably be stuck with them and have no way to get a spot. Fortunately, he had guessed it in advance. Gao Jiu and Gao Cheng worked together very well, and this guy didn't get a single extra spot.

"These captains."

Li Feng was at a loss for words. They'd come knocking on his door. They were all so persistent, never giving up. Li Feng was quite helpless. Why should he be so soft-hearted? Fine, fine.

"coming."

When I opened the door, wow, everyone was here.

"Advisor Li."

"Is there something you need, captains?"

After a few complaints, Li Feng remarked that Gao Jiu and Gao Cheng were indeed quite capable. He comforted them while expressing his helplessness, as he wasn't in charge of the furniture factory's actual management. "Well then, team leaders, I do have some work to do here."

"In that case, we'll give another team two spots later."

What kind of job?

"Building roads."

Li Feng pointed to the main road outside. "You all noticed when you came here, right? The road is full of potholes, making it very bumpy to transport things. Animals are bound to get sick if they travel for a long time. So, we've taken advantage of the off-season to organize some people to repair the road."

"Road repair, even if it doesn't require a lot of people, right?"

“Our Wangjiazhuang is nearby, so I’ll send more people over to help.”

Wang Dapao said with a smile, "Although I mentioned it yesterday, I was still the first to stand up when Li Feng brought it up."

The other companies that lived nearby all expressed their willingness to send more people. Li Feng didn't mind, as more people were always better for road construction. However, now that everyone was working on the river, each team would probably need a dozen or twenty more people.

"How about this, ten spots will be allocated to one team first."

Li Feng considered it for a moment. "The wage should be low, 55 cents a day, meals not included, and you need to bring your own means of transportation." A wheelbarrow, a carrying pole, or even a shovel would all work.

"55 cents a day?"

The amount of money wasn't small, but since it didn't include meals, people in some remote villages started to wonder if it was for river construction or road repair.

"Everyone think about this."

This salary isn't low, but it's definitely less than what a carpenter earns. After Li Feng finished speaking, he invited everyone to have some tea. Most of the team leaders agreed after considering it, and quite a few wanted to add more positions.

"Let's start with ten, and then we'll see if we have enough manpower and add more."

Everyone nodded in agreement. The Wang family and the Li family, in particular, said they could take as many people as needed, as their families lived nearby and the road construction would benefit them as well. "Thank you, Uncle Wang and Uncle Li."

"Why is this kid being so polite with us?"

After seeing everyone off, Li Feng went to the furniture factory. Twenty-four carpenters were demonstrating their skills. Li Feng nodded as he watched. They were alright. Most of them were experienced craftsmen, and there weren't many novices. Moreover, their skills were quite good.

The various teams weren't lying; they had selected only the most skilled. Li Feng nodded. "Thank you all for your hard work. Second brother, once we're done, I'll take you to collect your toiletries." Each person received a towel, half a bar of soap, a toothbrush, and half a bag of toothpaste.

The items weren't many, but they were quite practical, and everyone was quite happy. They hadn't expected to receive anything; it was a pleasant surprise. (End of Chapter)