Returning to the small mountain village of '86, intelligence updated daily.

Chapter 141 Factory Prospects

It was Monday, the twelfth day of the eighth lunar month, before 7 a.m., and the sky was still dark.

Zhou Rui had already gotten up because he had things to deal with today, and besides, he was at someone else's house, so it wouldn't be good to stay in bed.

Zhou Rui brought his own towel and toiletries, and casually rubbed his face at the tap.

At this time, neither the Zhao father nor his son had gotten up yet, but Zhou Rui had already heard the noise coming from the room, so he figured they would get up soon.

After washing up, Zhou Rui didn't just sit there; instead, she started preparing breakfast.

At that time, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) was not yet widespread, let alone gas pipelines; it was usually only available to some households in provincial capitals or other large cities.

Therefore, even the Zhao family, who lived in the county town, did not use gas, but instead used a stove that burned honeycomb briquettes.

The stoves for burning honeycomb briquettes or lump briquettes are either separate stoves with wires hanging on both sides for easy movement.

Alternatively, it could be a fire table with a tabletop, combining heating, cooking, eating, and baking functions, with an iron chimney extending out of the window in the corner for exhaust.

The Zhao family uses the latter type, while the Zhou family still uses an old-fashioned stove that burns only firewood. However, they would still have a stove for heating in winter, though they don't need it now.

Zhou Rui used waste newspaper to ignite dry firewood, adding it in order from smallest to largest, until sparks ignited.

Having grown up in a rural area and served as a cook for a long time, Zhou Rui was already very familiar with this routine.

A flame was lit, and Zhou Rui went outside to the corner of the stairwell, used fire tongs to pick up a honeycomb briquette, and brought it into the house.

Just then, Zhao Jianjun also got up.

"Little Rui, you're up early! Uncle will stir-fry some braised meat for you later, try it and see how it tastes. I'll use the meat you bought yesterday."

When Zhao Jianjun came out of the room and saw Zhou Rui busy at work, his goodwill towards her increased even more. He chatted with Zhou Rui while washing up.

Most men in the southwest region know how to cook, and Zhao Jianjun is no exception. Although he is the factory director, he has been cooking for his daughter himself for the past year.

Zhou Rui used fire tongs to put the honeycomb briquettes into the stove in the middle of the fire table, and immediately a cloud of black smoke billowed out. He skillfully took the pipe from the corner of the table and sucked in the black smoke while holding the pipe.

"Uncle Zhao's cooking is definitely top-notch, we're in for a treat today!"

Zhao Jianjun, who was washing up, laughed when he heard this. At this time, Zhao Qingya also got up. She had to go to class today, but it was still early.

At that time, the pressure of studying was not so great, and the competition was relatively less intense; it wasn't as "involution" as it is in later generations.

Good morning, Brother Rui!

"Good morning, Xiaoya. Breakfast will be ready in a little while."

Zhao Qingya walked to the stove. Her breakfast usually came in three ways: if Zhao Jianjun was busy, he would make it; otherwise, she would make it herself.

If Zhao Jianjun is too busy or in a hurry to go out, he will leave the money on the living room table and let Zhao Qingya buy some tea eggs or something similar from a breakfast stall outside.

"Brother Rui is so amazing!"

Zhao Qingya always praises Zhou Rui, even for the smallest things.

Zhou Rui shook his head helplessly.

After Zhao Jianjun finished washing up and Zhao Qingya finished washing her face and combing her hair, Zhou Rui lit the fire. The stove was now warm, and looking inside, you could see the bottom of the honeycomb briquettes was already shining.

Zhou Rui poured water to boil noodles, while Zhao Jianjun went to mince meat.

After Zhao Qingya left, only two men remained in the room, and Zhou Rui took the initiative to clean up the dishes.

Zhao Jianjun went back to his room and then came out again, holding two separate keys in his hand.

"Xiao Ruizi, this is the key to the downstairs door, and this is the key to our house. You take these, otherwise you won't be able to get in when Xiao Qingya and I aren't here. I forgot about it yesterday."

Zhao Jianjun handed two keys to Zhou Rui, who accepted them. After cleaning up the dishes, Zhao Jianjun took Zhou Rui out.

Zhou Rui and he agreed to go to Zhao's factory first, and then take a look at Li Dehua's factory from afar.

Zhao Jianjun rode his motorcycle with Zhou Rui to the textile factory. The factory was of medium size. If Zhou Rui, with his modern perspective, were to see it, it would just be a small workshop. But in the present day, it was considered a medium-sized factory.

The words "Jianjun Textile Factory" stand prominently next to the gate. This is the name of the factory, simply named after Zhao Jianjun.

This time, the security guards at the gate didn't cause any trouble. It's unclear whether it was because Zhao Jianjun led his men well or for some other reason.

However, it's highly likely that this is because the factory manager personally brought him here, so who would be foolish enough to target him? Only something like last time would trigger some people's sense of superiority.

"Hello, Factory Director Zhao"

"Good morning, factory manager. The raw materials have all arrived today, and the workers are gradually starting their jobs, but sales are still declining day by day."

Zhao Jianjun led Zhou Rui into the "Jianjun Textile Factory." Along the way, people greeted Zhao Jianjun. After arriving at an office, an assistant dressed in decent clothes explained the work to Zhao Jianjun.

After Zhao Jianjun finished dealing with everything and arranging the day's work, he took Zhou Rui for a walk around the factory.

With Zhou Rui's perspective from two lifetimes, he could already see that this factory had great potential. Whether in terms of management, equipment, or worker skills, it was excellent by today's standards.

"Little Rui, what do you think of my factory?"

Zhao Jianjun asked Zhou Rui with a smug look on his face; he no longer regarded Zhou Rui as a child.

"Uncle Zhao is truly worthy of being called Uncle Zhao. His technology and management are top-notch. If he can solve the sales problem, this might become a brand name product in the future."

The concept of "branded goods" is still relatively weak, but Zhao Jianjun, as a businessman, found this very helpful.

The concept of "brand name," especially in clothing, may not mean much in county towns or rural villages, but in big cities, it is a synonym for luxury, fashion, and high-class status.

Currently, domestic brands are weak, and there are very few, if any, independent "famous brands." Only high-end imported goods are recognized by the world as "famous brand" clothing.

When Zhao Jianjun heard Zhou Rui say that, how could he not be happy? However, he remained low-key and pragmatic, saying, "Little Rui is just making fun of your Uncle Zhao. What's the point of making brand names? It's good enough to make a living. Now we're almost starving."

After Zhao Jianjun finished speaking, his brows furrowed.

Zhou Rui offered a few words of comfort, and then the two of them didn't linger at the factory any longer.

"Uncle Zhao, don't worry, this time we will take back everything we've lost. Let's put aside the brand issue for now and get through this difficult time first. So, without further ado, let's go see how Li Dehua's factory is doing."