Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 264 It takes no effort at all

Chen Fan didn't examine the leather first. Instead, he took the bamboo tube handed to him by Lao Peng, pulled out the wooden stopper wrapped in coarse cloth from the opening, and smelled it. A refreshing aroma of tea immediately wafted into his nostrils.

He took a deep breath. "Wow, it smells so good."

He then put the wooden stopper back on and pointed inside, saying, "Master Peng, please have a seat inside."

Old Peng quickly waved his hand, "No, no, I'll just bring you the things, I have things to do at home."

He then went to untie the rope.

Without saying a word, Chen Fan immediately grabbed his arm and tried to lead him inside. "No matter what, guests should sit down. How can you come all this way and not even have a sip of water? Besides, you taught me archery, so you're practically my teacher. If you just go back like this, I'll be cursed to death."

Seeing Chen Fan's enthusiasm, Old Peng's face lit up with a smile. "Alright, alright, I'll listen to you."

Then he said, "Slow down, slow down, let me take the skin off."

He then tied the mule to a stake next to the woodpile, untied the rope binding the fur, and was about to take it when Chen Fan had already picked it up and hoisted it onto his shoulder. He grinned and followed Chen Fan into the multi-purpose room.

Chen Fan first placed the bamboo tube on the table, then put the fur on the bamboo bed that had been moved to the corner. He turned around and poured Lao Peng a cup of tea, using the tea leaves from the bamboo tube.

He placed the teacup in front of Lao Peng and said with a smile, "I only have one teapot here, which was bought by Comrade Xiao Jiang. Today, I'm just offering it to you as a gift. I'll use the tea leaves you brought to make tea. Please don't laugh at me."

Old Peng grinned and said, "What are you talking about? You don't care about these things. If you really want to buy them, you can pick and choose any good tea you want."

Chen Fan took out some melon seeds and peanuts from the cabinet and placed them on a ceramic plate on the table. These were leftovers from the New Year. There weren't enough for everyone, so he didn't take them out. But since Lao Peng was the only one coming, he could put them out there.

Old Peng took a sip of his tea, looked up and said, "Actually, I also like to drink a whole can of tea; it's very comforting."

Then he pointed to the bamboo tube and said, "This tea is alright. It's a wild tea tree that grows on the hillside in our team. Few people take care of it. At most, they prune the branches in early spring, then pick one batch before Qingming Festival and another before Guyu."

The pre-Qingming tea is too tender and doesn't have much flavor, but I heard from outsiders that it's good, so I sent some to Captain Zhong. The brigade headquarters also sent some, specifically for entertaining guests. The pre-rain tea has a stronger flavor, and most of it is kept for ourselves. Since I came today, Captain Zhong said he'd let me bring you a tin.

Chen Fan laughed and nodded, "Then I'm in for a treat."

From the same tea tree, the pre-Qingming tea is the most tender and the most expensive, the pre-rain tea is the most fragrant and has a stronger flavor, and the worst is the tea after Grain Rain and before the Beginning of Summer. At that time, the tea leaves already have a bitter taste that is difficult to remove, and it is considered an inferior tea.

Even worse is the tea harvested after the start of summer, the kind that sells for a few dollars a pound in later generations. It's no different from tree leaves, purely a waste product, but because it's cheap, it sells quite well.

However, setting aside the scarcity of pre-Qingming tea, pre-rain tea is indeed the best. Xu Cishu of the Ming Dynasty recorded in "Tea Treatise" that "Qingming is too early, Lixia is too late, and around Guyu is just right," which refers to the most suitable season for tea picking in the Jiangnan region.

Chen Fan suddenly realized that there might be tea trees in the woods behind and to the east of his homestead. He could go and take a look later. If there were any, it was right after Grain Rain, so he could pick some and try making tea.

If not, we can transplant two tea trees from somewhere else. Lujiawan is so big, surely there must be more than just Team 9 with tea trees.

Planting tea trees is better than those useless miscellaneous trees.

Old Peng took a few sips of tea, ate a few peanuts, stood up and walked towards the fur, saying, "Take a look at this fur, see if it's tanned properly."

Chen Fan also got up and followed.

Picking up a piece of fox fur, the entire piece had been tanned to be very soft. Shaking it open, the middle part was reddish-brown, and the color of the edges gradually faded to a pale yellow. As a piece of fur, the middle part was naturally the back, and the edges were the abdomen and limbs.

This is also a common color for fox fur. Foxes that are pure red or pure white are extremely rare, and each pelt is worth a fortune. Chen Fan was obviously not so lucky to be able to hunt such a top-quality fox.

However, this kind of fox fur is not bad either. It's just that if you want to make uniform fur coats, you have to cut off the edges and corners and only use the fur from the middle and back.

No wonder a single cloak requires a dozen or even twenty fox pelts; it's all for the sake of aesthetics, which is wasteful. Otherwise, by making the most of a single pelt, six or seven pelts would be more than enough.

Old Peng looked at Chen Fan and asked with a smile, "How was it?"

Chen Fan immediately gave a thumbs up, "Master Peng has excellent skills."

He put the hide down, looked at him and smiled, "To be honest, I also know a little about tanning furs, but after seeing the tanned hides of yours today, I really can't present them to you."

Old Peng burst into laughter, "I'm just relying on my age and experience. If I were your age, I'd still be helping my father."

Speaking of this, he felt a little heartbroken. Other things were one thing, but archery and stone throwing required a lot of time and effort. Yet this Teacher Chen learned them so quickly. He could only sigh at the difference between people, which was simply incomparable.

He shook his head, trying not to think about it, and pointed to the fur, saying, "There are 19 fox pelts in total, and none of them were damaged. Also, the fox tails are all there. However, these small pelts are not very useful. After some trimming, they can only be used to make collars, scarves, or hats."

Chen Fan looked at the pile of fox tails and was a little worried. It seemed that these things were later used to make ornaments, and a small portion was used to make hat brims or collars. Moreover, the fur on the tails was different from the fur, and the tail fur was more fluffy. He had no idea how to deal with these things for the time being.

If this fox pelt were a bit tougher, we could piece it together to make a belt, but unfortunately, we can't.

Chen Fan couldn't think of a good idea for the time being, so he left it for now, spread the leather out on the bamboo bed, and invited Lao Peng to sit down and have a smoke and tea.

After finishing his cigarette, Old Peng said goodbye, "Teacher Chen, I really have to go back. I have things to do at home, and I need the neighbors to look after my grandson."

He was an outsider, not even registered here, so naturally he wouldn't work with the production team. He usually just stayed home helping take care of the children or doing other handicrafts. The rice harvest in Jiangnan was plentiful, and his family had no shortage of food, so he lived a comfortable life. Seeing that he genuinely had something to do, Chen Fan didn't linger and immediately smiled, "Alright, alright, I won't bother you any longer, but you haven't received the payment for the handicrafts yet. You have to tell me how much it is."

Old Peng quickly waved his hand, "No need, no need. Captain Zhong has already put the cost of the tanning in the team's account. If you want to calculate the money, go find him, don't come to me."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan was astonished. Such a thing was actually true?
Now that Captain Zhong is not here, there is nothing he can do. Moreover, even if he were to offer money to them, they would most likely not accept it. He can only try to compensate them later when the opportunity arises.

However, we can't let them go back empty-handed.

Chen Fan hesitated for two seconds, then turned and walked to the other end of the room. He took out two bundles of pottery from the cabinet, walked over and smiled, "Master Peng, this is some pottery that I fired myself. If you don't mind, you can take it back for yourself. Please take the other bundle to Captain Zhong."

Old Peng was about to refuse again, but Chen Fan stuffed it into his arms and deliberately said with a stern face, "If you don't accept it, you're looking down on my skills."

Hearing Chen Fan say that, Lao Peng had no choice but to accept it, and said embarrassedly, "Look, look, I just came to deliver something, and you're still being so polite."

Before Chen Fan could speak, he rolled his eyes and asked, "How are the bow and arrows I gave you last time? If you've run out of arrows, I'll send you some more."

He had taught Chen Fan archery and had given him a set of bows and arrows as a gift. Since they were all homemade, they weren't worth much. The most valuable part was the arrowheads, but you could buy 20 of those for a dollar at the repair shop in town, so they weren't worth much either. Chen Fan didn't refuse and accepted them on the spot.

Chen Fan laughed and said, "They're very useful. After the last hunt, I haven't had any other prey to hunt, and I haven't used a single arrow. They're still hanging on the wall."

Upon hearing this, Lao Peng was at a loss. He was still thinking of giving something in return to repay the favor, after all, Teacher Chen's pottery was now quite famous in Nanhu. The last time he went to the market, a whole set would sell for 10 yuan. Even if this bundle wasn't worth 10 yuan, it should still be worth 5 yuan.

It's a pity they don't use it; you can't just give them something they don't need.

At this moment, Chen Fan had a sudden inspiration and asked, "Master Peng, I'd like to ask, did you save any large hides from your previous hunting trips?"

Old Peng paused, looking at him with confusion. "A larger hide? With fur or without? How big?"

Chen Fan lifted his clothes, pointed to the cloth belt around his waist, and said with a smile, "I've been looking for a piece of leather to make a belt, but I haven't found a suitable one even after going to the market twice. So I was wondering if you have any there."

Old Peng suddenly realized and laughed, "We usually use cowhide or pigskin to make belts. Other animals are either too small or the leather is not tough enough. However, cowhide and pigskin are controlled materials. Not only is the state buying them, but some counties, communes, and teams also have their own leather factories that are buying them. They are in urgent need of these two types of leather."

Therefore, cowhide and pigskin are almost impossible to find at the market. If someone dared to sell them, there was only one outcome: they would be confiscated on the spot, with no other possibility. Naturally, I don't have any here either.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan was somewhat bewildered.

Is that really how it is? I just want to get a good belt, do I really have to go to the county to buy it?
Old Peng seemed to hesitate for a moment, then said, "However, although I don't have cowhide or pigskin here, I do have a piece of leather that can be made into a belt for you."

Chen Fan noticed the change in his expression just now, his eyes darted around, and he immediately asked, "What kind of hide?"

Old Peng looked at him and laughed, "Have you ever heard of the 'Pig Dragon'?"

Chen Fan's eyes widened instantly. "A Yangtze alligator?!"

Old Peng laughed heartily, "As expected of Teacher Chen, you even know about the Yangtze alligator. Years ago, when we were hunting by the river, we encountered a few juvenile crocodiles. We killed a few of them. The juvenile crocodile's skin is actually quite good, but because there are so few juvenile crocodiles, they are not on the import and export company's purchase list. So our team members divided up those skins among ourselves. I still have one left. If you want it, I'll bring it to you later."

Chen Fan nodded quickly, "Yes, yes, definitely."

Just kidding, this is crocodile skin, even better than cowhide! How could you not want it?!
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Fan quickly added, "However, Master Peng, I want the whole hide. Otherwise, you won't be able to handle the rest, so you have to take the money. If you don't take the money, I won't take it."

Old Peng seemed a bit embarrassed. "Teacher Chen, although the skin of this 'pig dragon' is quite good, it's really not worth much. People along the river often catch 'pig dragons,' and a skin only sells for 3 or 5 yuan. You're giving me this bundle of pottery, which is worth more than 3 or 5 yuan, isn't it?!"

Chen Fan was speechless. Exchanging a bundle of not-so-exquisite pottery for a crocodile skin and still thinking it was too much? This kind of thing could only happen in this era.

In fact, at this point in time, crocodile skin has long been a top-tier leather product worldwide, but it hasn't been valued in China because it's used as a luxury item. It wasn't until the 90s that crocodile farming transitioned from protected breeding by professional institutions to commercial farming by the general public, but it was still primarily for consumption; farming for leather purposes came much later.

The main reason is that the world's top crocodile skin production area is in Thailand. The crocodile skin produced by their farms is almost monopolized by the world's top leather goods manufacturers. Ordinary wild crocodile skin is not even worth their attention. As a result, even import and export companies ignore this high-quality leather because "low-quality" crocodile skin has a very low price in the international market and is even ignored.

As a result, it's no surprise that crocodile skin doesn't fetch high prices domestically. Even the few crocodile skin products available are priced similarly to cowhide, serving as a supplement to cowhide products along with other smaller leather goods.

Thinking of this, Chen Fan said, "The pottery was a gift from me. I haven't given you a thank-you gift for teaching me archery last time. This little gift isn't too much, is it? So you can't refuse to pay for this leather, otherwise I really wouldn't dare to accept it."

Old Peng smiled, thought for a moment, and said, "Then let's just give it the same price as the leather sold by the people along the river, 3 yuan."

Chen Fan laughed and said, "Don't even mention 3 yuan. I don't believe you can buy a tanned crocodile skin for 3 yuan."

He paused for a moment and then laughed, “The current purchase price of cowhide is 4.4 yuan per kilogram. Let’s go with the price of cowhide, weigh it later, and pay whatever it costs. No one will lose out and no one will get a free ride.”

Hearing this, Lao Peng finally stopped refusing and laughed heartily, "Alright, we'll do it your way."

Then he gestured, "I'll bring you the hides in a bit."

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "Let's not wait any longer. I'm free right now, so I'll go with you to take a look and thank Captain Zhong while I'm at it."

Wow, I've been looking for cowhide for ages without success, but I never expected to find a crocodile skin here. It's like getting something for nothing, I really hit the jackpot.

(End of this chapter)