Back to the 80s Machinery Factory

Chapter 376 There was a bridge full of little lions
Once the opening date was set, everyone felt as if a sunny avenue was slowly unfolding before their eyes, stretching further and further, becoming brighter and brighter as they looked at it!

Although cooking and stir-frying in the kitchen were handled by Sun Hongjun

However, it was simply too much for him to cook for more than ten people by himself.

Every day, Director Lu, Jiao Long, and Li He help out in the kitchen, trying their best to ensure that Zhang Guoqiang and the other car repairmen have a hot meal as soon as they finish their work.

Although we were eating in the backyard,
But it was just a simple place to eat, with a wooden plank placed on top of bricks.

In the backyard, a long platform had been carefully built up against the wall near the window.

Freshly made soybean paste blocks were placed on the platform.

The first whiff of it instantly brings back memories of my hometown!

Chen Luyang came back today and confirmed the official opening date.

Director Lu happily went out and bought a few pounds of liquor. A group of people gathered around the wooden board, guarding the food on it, and started drinking shirtless.

Zhang Guoqiang has a low alcohol tolerance.

After a few glasses of baijiu, his neck and chest turned bright red.

With a gentle scratch, five red welts appeared.

"Master, please stop drinking." Zuo Zhuo saw Zhang Guoqiang about to take another cup, so he stepped forward to press down on his cup.

"Just one sip!" Zhang Guoqiang was slightly tipsy. When he saw his apprentice coming over to urge him to drink, he quickly held the glass far behind him.

No matter how persistently Zuo Zhuo tried to snatch it, he just wouldn't let go of the cup.

The crowd watched the spectacle with great interest and smiles.

"Let your master have a few more drinks, it'll be fine!" Director Lu, his eyes also glazed over from drinking, urged him to drink more.

"How can you have the energy to work if you don't drink alcohol!"

Seeing the old drunkard's dazed look, Chen Luyang advised, "Let's be mindful of our limits! Don't drink too much."

Director Lu chuckled, "No way, this little bit of wine isn't even enough to go with peanuts, I can't drink much!"

Saying,

Director Lu picked up his glass and took several more sips.

This time, without his wife keeping an eye on him, he finally got to indulge in his love of drinking.

Seeing that everyone had almost finished drinking, Sun Hongjun turned around and went back to the kitchen.

With a few sharp, slicing sounds, Sun Hongjun brought out a large bowl of sliced ​​watermelon.

Chen Luyang took a big bite.

Although it's not as cool as food stored in your own cellar, it still has a slightly chilly taste.

Chen Luyang asked, "Hey Red Army, these watermelons couldn't have been stored in that big washbasin town, could they?"

Sun Hongjun quickly explained, "Although it's a basin, the water inside is not the same thing."

"I changed it!"

Chen Luyang chuckled: "So you didn't change the water when you cooked in town before?"

"No, no, they've all been replaced!" Sun Hongjun's tone was noticeably weak.

There are no wells here, and you have to pay to get water.

The repair center is just starting out. Although it has the factory's backing, no one is willing to spend money on repairs.

We try to save as much as possible.

"By the way, I see there are two cars at the repair center right now. How do we calculate the cost?" Chen Luyang asked, getting down to business.

"Director, I'd like to report this matter to you." The old smoker, who had been dazed just moments before, now had a clear look in his eyes.

"Logically, the pricing should be consistent with the factory's."

"But the repair center hasn't officially opened yet, and all the cars brought in for repair are from our factory, so I decided to only charge them half the price to leave a good impression."

As Director Lu spoke, he observed Chen Luyang's expression: "Although they are all customers of our car repair shop and will come here to get their cars repaired in the future, it makes them feel better to let them take advantage of us a little first, and they will be more willing to come back in the future."

"If you feel I've charged too little, the rest will be made up from my salary."

"What's the point of this?!" Chen Luyang exclaimed in strong support. "We're starting from scratch, completely broke. If we want our business to thrive in the future, we need to retain these customers!"

"If it were me, I would also take advantage of the fact that the repair center is not open to repair their cars for free."

"Brother Chen is so generous!" Li He gave a thumbs up and praised him decisively!
After everyone finished eating, they cleaned up the dishes.

Chen Luyang noticed that Director Lu, who was so drunk that his steps were unsteady, staggered out the door.

"Brother Chen, don't worry, Director Lu has just gone out to chat with someone," Jiao Long said, seeing the worry on Chen Luyang's face.

"Who are you chatting with?" Chen Luyang wondered.

"There are so many!" Jiao Long counted on his fingers.

"The police officers at the police station, the vendors selling sweet soup, popsicles, cigarettes, and newspapers, the people playing chess on the roadside with newspapers, the bicycle repairmen, they chat with whoever they can get their hands on."

"Sometimes, he would stand in the square and chat with passengers who got off the train."

He hadn't finished speaking when...
Li He, who was squatting on the ground washing clothes, added, "These past two days, Director Lu has changed his job and is now working at the platform guesthouse."

"Hmm?" Chen Luyang stared at the large iron washbasin in front of Li He.

The more I stare at it, the more familiar it seems.

"Is this the washbasin in the kitchen used to weigh down watermelons?"

"Yes, this is it!" Li He said simply, while washing clothes.

"The water from these watermelons in town shouldn't be wasted by throwing it away; I'll use it to wash clothes."

After saying that, Li He asked with a kind and concerned look, "Brother Chen, do you have any clothes that need washing? I can wash them all at once."

"No need," Chen Luyang said weakly.

……

For the next two days, Chen Luyang and his team focused all their attention on the opening of the repair center.

The big eagle...

Ugh!
Chen Luyang didn't want to anymore.

There's only so much money left in the account. Even if you sold the people at the repair center to some remote mountain forest, it wouldn't be enough to buy the big eagle.

"For a new factory opening, even if there's no big eagle in front, two stone lions to guard the entrance will do!"

Chen Luyang stood at the factory gate, looking at the bare door, and sighed softly.

Ok?
Li He, who was sitting at the reception desk at the entrance, suddenly brightened up!
"Brother Chen, you want the stone lion?"

"What? You can get your hands on it??"

"Brother Chen, I saw a bridge covered with little lions on the street when I was on the bus before. They were so cute!"

Li He was completely oblivious to Chen Luyang's face darkening instantly, and continued excitedly:

"Brother Chen, if you want them, the three of us will go get a couple of little lions tonight and leave them right outside the door. That'll be awesome!"

"Fuck you!" Chen Luyang couldn't help but curse.

"If you really manage to knock the little lion off that bridge, then every single one of us guys at the repair center will be going in and roasting melon seeds with Big Tooth's brother!"

He knew it...!
Few of the men introduced by Song Liaosha were normal.

It's all a bit off-topic!
"Don't even think about the little lion on that bridge again, understand?" Chen Luyang said with utmost seriousness.

Seeing that the large decorative piece at the entrance was out of the question,

All that's left is to focus on the opening guests.

The mere mention of the opening instantly brought back memories for Chen Luyang of the time when the engine factory and the miniature car engine factory branch were established last year.
There were red flags waving everywhere, and crowds of people everywhere.

The guests at the opening ceremony included not only his future father-in-law, but also factory directors, deputy directors, and level-eight workers from various large factories.

Even the visiting groups were divided into four tiers based on their official rank: the first tier, the second tier, the third tier, and the fourth tier.

Who would have thought that I, who was once in the fourth tier, would now be running my own repair center in a separate city.

But all in all, besides Liu Zhenrong from the National Electromechanical Company, Director Liu Ge from the Ministry of Industry, He Dahua and Wu Jun from the Shishan Machinery Factory, the only other people he knew in Pian'er City were Liu Zhenrong from the National Electromechanical Company, Director Liu Ge from the Ministry of Industry, and Wu Jun from the Shishan Machinery Factory.

I don't recognize any of the others... As for Professor Gao from Peking University, inviting him wouldn't be the right thing to do!

But it's not a big problem!
If you don't know them, just create opportunities to get to know them!

Not to mention that the provincial machinery factory sold over 100 cars and small trucks in Pian'er City, and had over 100 customers,
Just because they are the first car maintenance and repair center in Pian'er City, and possibly even the whole country, Chen Luyang could confidently walk into the newspaper office and ask them to send a reporter to interview and report on it.

Even if not all 100+ customers can come, as long as half of them do, the event will be very lively.

"Director Chen, what are you thinking about?"

Director Lu noticed Chen Luyang frowning in thought and leaned over to ask a question.

Chen Luyang was just about to tell Director Lu her plans,
But the words were on the tip of my tongue.

Chen Luyang suddenly changed her tune, feigning pitifulness:

"Uncle Lu, I've been thinking about what to do when we open for business."

“If this were in the provincial capital, guests would come one after another, and we wouldn’t have to worry about it.”

"But in this city, the opening ceremony has to be a lively affair; it can't be empty-handed."

"Hey! This is nothing! It's simple!" Director Lu had initially thought Chen Luyang was considering something difficult.
After hearing his words, Director Lu looked confident and assured:

"I don't know any big shots, nor do I have the means to do so, but I can still invite a few guests for the opening."

Then, Director Lu began to use his fingers to rummage through things:
"Zhang the newspaper vendor, Jia the guesthouse owner, Zhang the butcher, Yin the popsicle vendor, Li the fruit vendor, Du the tea egg boiler, Tang the grocery store owner, Officer Jiang the police station officer, Bing the street sweeper, and Hong the seamstress..."

Chen Luyang stared blankly as Director Lu counted ten fingers forward, then ten fingers backward, and then ten fingers forward again.

By the end, everyone was completely confused.

...He really wanted to hear what good ideas Director Lu had.

But I never expected that Director Lu's solution would be like this!
Director Lu spoke with great enthusiasm: "And Tengteng too!"

Chen Luyang asked in confusion, "Tengteng??"

Director Lu nodded: "Yes!"

"Tengteng, who shared a room with us at the guesthouse last time!! He was chatting with me a couple of days ago, so we can invite him over for some fun."

Chen Luyang: "Uncle Lu~ Are all these people your friends?"

Director Lu: "It's hard to say whether we're friends or not, but we all had a good chat."

"I'll contact them; I reckon they can all come."

Good guy...

This Director Lu is practically a frivolous butterfly cultivated by the provincial machinery factory!

Chen Luyang took a deep look at the disheveled old man.

They've only been in Pian'er City for a few days!

Director Lu was able to talk to all the neighbors in the surrounding area all by himself!
But Chen Luyang was still worried.

"They've come back; they can't be causing trouble here, can they?"

Although the new repair center is quite popular and lively.

But if the ones coming are just troublemakers, then it's better if they don't come at all!
Director Lu's eyes hardened: "Director Chen, I don't think they can!"

Chen Luyang hesitated for a moment, then made up her mind: "Alright! Then please invite them all!"

After the two finished discussing who to invite for the opening, they heard Jiao Long's voice coming from the rooftop:

"Director Lu! Pull the switch and test if the light bulb works!"

"okay!"

Director Lu and a few others ran over, grabbed a rope inside the room, and pulled it down!
There was a crisp "click" sound.

All the light bulbs under the large characters for "Repair Center" were lit!
“Wow…!”

Chen Luyang's eyes widened.

"Who bought this light bulb? Isn't it way too bright?!"

Even in broad daylight, under such a bright sun, the light from the bulbs is still clearly audible.

In terms of brightness, it rivals sunlight!
If it's like this during the day, who would dare to look directly at it at night?

Director Lu said with a smile:

"Great! Now when the lights are on at night, everyone can see our repair center."

"...Alright!"

Out of instinctive trust in Director Lu, Chen Luyang tacitly approved of the existence of this "sun-like" light bulb.

Anyway, we'll see the results tonight when it gets dark.

If it's too bright and dazzles the eyes, I can just change a few more light bulbs tomorrow.

that's it,
Everyone divided the work and worked efficiently.

Director Lu went out and invited his new friends one by one.

When it was time to eat, Sun Hongjun washed his hands, tied an apron around his waist, and stood in front of the large wok for frying melon seeds to start cooking.

Jiao Long and Li He were busy assisting Sun Hongjun.

The soybean paste we made in the backyard looks ready to eat. Everyone's been looking forward to it for days, hoping to have some vegetables dipped in the sauce today!

When a group of people sat in the backyard, scrambling to dip small scallions and radishes in a large basin of soybean paste...
Director Lu, on the other hand, rolled up some dried tofu with a few sprigs of cilantro and stuffed the fragrant rolls into his mouth.

It smells so good...

Director Lu said, "We'd better dig another cellar to store some vegetables in the winter. We also need to buy a few large vats to pickle sauerkraut."

Hearing Director Lu's words, the others couldn't help but speak up as well:

"We should buy a few more water tanks to store more water."

"Let's build a chicken coop and raise a few more chickens!"

"It would be best to plant another fruit tree in the yard..."

As everyone chimed in, a smile appeared in Chen Luyang's eyes.

Good!

He was initially worried that people would have trouble adjusting when they left home.

But looking at it this way, it seems that everyone has already regarded this place as their new home and has begun to carefully plan how to decorate it.

My mind is at peace.

People can settle down and work properly here.

Halfway through the meal, Director Lu suddenly stood up, went inside, and retrieved his lunchbox.

Chen Luyang didn't know what he was going to do. She just watched as he put the leftover scallions, cabbage, and small radishes from the big bowl into his lunchbox, and then scooped out a big spoonful of fresh soybean paste.

"Director Lu, you really don't know how to be considerate! You always use my food to give as gifts."

Sun Hongjun angrily gnawed on a piece of radish, while Kang Chi Kang used his front teeth to chop the radish into pieces.

"Isn't it because your cooking is so delicious?" Director Lu chuckled as he closed the lid of the aluminum lunchbox.

"Xiao Jia from the guesthouse in front of the station had heard that we made soybean paste blocks and said he wanted to try them."

"I'll send some to him to try."

Director Lu was worried that the vegetable leaves would stale in the aluminum lunchbox, so after filling it with soybean paste, he quickly slipped on his cloth shoes and walked out.

“If this continues, maybe all the neighbors will start coming to our repair center for meals.” Jiao Long’s words hit a nerve with Sun Hongjun.

"Come on! I'm a business manager, and I cook on the side!" Sun Hongjun boasted, trying to make himself look good.

"I'm not a professional cook. I can manage to cook for just a few of you, but if any more people come, I won't be able to handle it!"

Saying,

Sun Hongjun glanced at Chen Luyang furtively: "Brother Chen, maybe we can hire a cook sometime!"

(End of this chapter)