Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 369 Figure it out
The song ends and everyone disperses.

Beside the small water tower, under the shade of a tree.

Chen Fan lay against the tree trunk, his eyes half-closed. "It's just turning off a machine and shutting off a water valve. Why didn't you just stay here and wait? Why did you drag me along?"

Just now, Secretary Yang asked Chen Fan how the small water tower would operate. After Chen Fan explained his ideas, the leaders decisively handed the task over to Zhang Wenliang. Whether he carried it out personally or assigned it to the militia under his command, the matter fell to him.

Sure enough, after the roll call, Secretary Yang and the others rushed to the brigade headquarters, eager to see what their tap water looked like and whether it was clearer and more attractive than the river water.

So only Chen Fan and Zhang Wenliang remained.

Chen Fan originally thought that Zhang Wenliang was also someone who knew how to use a diesel engine, so after teaching him how to turn the engine on and off and how to operate the water gate, he prepared to go back by himself.

As a result, Zhang Wenliang grabbed him and wouldn't let go, saying, "Although I know how to use a diesel engine and how to turn the water gate on and off, this is my first time. What if I make a mistake? You'll have to stay with me!"

Then the two of them sat in the shade of a tree, lost in thought.

Zhang Wenliang was simply doing his duty and should be spacing out, while Chen Fan was silently pondering why he shouldn't just sneak away instead of staying to keep this idiot company.
So they waited until 5:30, when the sun was almost setting, before Chen Fan personally demonstrated how to turn off the sluice gate, lock the iron gate of the water tower, toss the key to Zhang Wenliang, and then rode off on horseback.

I don't want to talk to him!
Soon they returned to the educated youth settlement. The saddle was removed, and the mare and foal went back to the backyard by themselves. The two dogs were also tired from playing today, so they ran straight to the kitchen door and lay down, sticking out their tongues and looking at Jiang Lili.

Unfortunately, Jiang Lili paid no attention to them and ran towards Chen Fan with Huang Ying and the other two.

When she ran up to the river, Jiang Lili said excitedly, "The water came back on at home just now! We filled two big vats with water, so we don't have to fetch water from the river anymore!"

Yang Ju nodded repeatedly, her little face flushed. "And the water is so clear, you don't even need to use alum to stir it. No, it's even clearer than water stirred with alum."

The water drawn from the river contains many impurities. Using alum will cause these impurities to sink to the bottom, leaving clear water on top.

However, alum contains aluminum ions, and excessive intake can affect the body's absorption of iron, calcium and other components, leading to osteoporosis, anemia, and even affecting the development of nerve cells, thus inducing Alzheimer's disease.

Therefore, Chen Fan painstakingly tried to install running water in his home and did not refuse to hand over the diesel engine to build a small water tower.

Drinking alum water every day will really make you stupid!
As soon as Yang Ju finished speaking, Huang Ying quickly added, "And the tap water is so cool, much cooler than the river water, it feels so comfortable to touch."

Chen Fan couldn't help but laugh and said, "This tap water is actually deep groundwater, which is kept at a constant temperature all year round with very little temperature variation. The well water mentioned in the book is warm in winter and cool in summer, which is actually the same principle."

Liu Dan's already wide eyes widened even more. "So, the tap water will be warm in winter?"

Chen Fan shook his head with a smile, "That's not true. Although the water is warm when it's first pumped out, by the time it gets to the house through the reservoir and pipes, the temperature has almost completely dissipated. It's good enough if it doesn't freeze into ice water. If you want warm water, you'll have to boil it yourself."

They asked Huang Ying and the others to bring out chairs and sit in the shade of the eaves, chatting about tap water. Even during dinner, they still talked about this topic.

Not only them, but tonight, everyone in the Lujiawan brigade was talking about the tap water. However, the members of teams 5 and 6 were talking about it with great enthusiasm, while the members of other teams were talking about it with a hint of bitterness and anticipation for the future.

To get running water, the first thing to do is to get a big boat and sell all the chickens, ducks and geese. Only then will we have the money to build a water tower!
……

Early the next morning, Chen Fan rode his horse to the brigade headquarters, met up with An Quan, and then headed straight to the water transport company to resolve the issue of the large ship.

Chen Fan rode on horseback, swaggering through the city, waving and greeting the early risers.

He's a little afraid to go out now, mainly because more and more people recognize him and wave and greet him when they see him. He can't just ignore them, so he can only respond as he walks by.

The water transport company is located at the westernmost end of the crossroads in Nanhu Town, a place he hasn't been to yet.

Anquan rode one of the team's horses to lead the way. He glanced at Chen Fan next to him with displeasure, muttering to himself, "The horse is shorter than me, and I'm shorter than him. I should never have ridden a horse today!"
Chen Fan didn't notice his strange expression and kept looking around. "Water and land police station, water conservancy office, river and embankment engineering management section, hey, are all these units related to water conservancy?"

Anquan came to his senses and nodded, saying, "That's right. Apart from a few units near the intersection, almost everything here by the river is related to water. The water and land police station handles water disputes, the water conservancy office handles hydrology and water conservancy construction, the general section handles dike projects, and there's a water transport company and a ship repair shop up ahead, as well as a ferry management office."

He pointed behind him and said, "The ferry that goes towards the county town is under the jurisdiction of the ferry management office. There's one ferry over there and another one over here. The office has about ten people, and they rely on these two boats to make a living."

Chen Fan couldn't help but laugh and said, "Then we might as well just merge it into the water transport company."

Anquan shrugged and said with a sneer, "No matter how good the water transport company is or how many employees it has, it's still just a community-run enterprise. And no matter how small the ferry management office is, it's still a community-run enterprise. After the merger, we'll be inferior to them. Who would be happy about that?"

Chen Fan chuckled dryly twice. This was a characteristic of the times, so he naturally couldn't say anything.

After pausing for two seconds, he suddenly remembered that when he went to the market for the first time before the Lunar New Year, Jiang Lili had mentioned that the commune seemed to be cutting several units, but he didn't know what happened after that. So he asked her about it.

"This?"

Anquan turned to look at him, and seeing that he was about to look up again, he felt a surge of displeasure. He grumbled, "Secretary Qian and the others really do want to cut staff. Right now, every unit is bloated with personnel, but the production capacity is only so much. They have to support both workers and so many cadres..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Fan asked in surprise, "Are there many cadres in the commune unit?"

Anquan glanced at him and said, "Don't you understand? Have you heard of 'working in place of a cadre'? You don't have the status of a cadre, but you get the treatment of a cadre and do the work of a cadre."

Chen Fan understood immediately and nodded in realization, saying, "I understand."

This rule was established because talent was scarce at the time, and only a group of outstanding workers could be selected to act as managers. They would be promoted to managers later when the time was right, or they would return to their worker positions after the assigned managers were appointed.

Now, of course, it's a different story.

But this is still considered good, since they are only temporarily employed as cadres, not real officials. In a few years, the "temporary" designation will be removed, and then the burden will be truly heavy.

Seeing that Chen Fan understood, An Quan chuckled and said, "Think about it, every unit has quite a few people like this. The commune is only so big, and everyone who gets hit by a fart is related to someone else. So what if Secretary Qian wants to streamline things? Can he even get it done?!"

Chen Fan pursed his lips and remained silent.

The horse galloped briskly forward, and soon Chen Fan saw a large area of ​​single-story dormitory houses, with at least a hundred households. A little further ahead was a large courtyard with two two-story office buildings, and behind the buildings was a slightly old-fashioned water tower.

No need to ask, this must be a shipping company!
Upon arriving at the gate of the compound, two large iron gates separated the inside and outside of the company. There was only a small door next to the guardhouse, with a plaque hanging on the cement door frame that read "Nanhu Commune Water Transport Company".

Although it cannot compare to Gufeng County Water Transport Company, it is still considered the best in the Nanhu area, and no other company can compare to it.

The security guard seemed very familiar with the place. He didn't even dismount his horse, just waved to the gatekeeper and tossed him a pack of cigarettes. The gatekeeper caught the cigarettes with a grin and ran out to open the gate for them.

He rode into the courtyard and galloped all the way to the office building at the back. Only then did Anquan signal Chen Fan to dismount and tie the reins to a wooden stake against the wall.

Chen Fan glanced at the wooden stakes buried against the wall, estimating there were at least twenty or thirty, and couldn't help but wonder, "Does the water transport company have a lot of horses?"

After Anquan tied the rope, he waved to him and walked in together, while laughing, "There are more than just a lot of horses. The unit with the most pack animals in the entire Nanhu Commune is the Water Transport Company. Their transport team has nearly 50 mules and horses, which are used to haul goods. Even the Bailanghu production team that raises fish can't compare."

Chen Fan quickly grasped the logic and laughed, "That makes sense. The shipping company has so many ships and goods to transport every day. How can they quickly complete their production tasks if they don't maintain a transport fleet?"

Anquan chuckled and said, "You really are quick-witted. In addition to these mule carts and horse-drawn carriages, the water transport company also has several tractors for hauling heavy goods, as well as front-mounted dump trucks for canal sand."

So don't think that shipping companies only handle goods transported by water; in fact, their land transport capabilities are the strongest.

Chen Fan listened and nodded slowly, his smile widening. The stronger the unit, the more benefits they'd get! This is a friend Chen Fan is determined to have; not even Jesus could stop him!

However, no matter how strong it is, it is still just a community-run enterprise, unlike the county's water transport company which has so many rules.

Along the way up the stairs, apart from a few acquaintances who greeted the security guards, no one asked any questions, which shows how lax the management of this unit is.

This is a business, not a government department open to the public. How can you allow strangers to wander around inside?
Upon reaching the innermost office on the second floor, An Quan knocked on the door. After hearing a "Come in" from inside, An Quan immediately pushed the door open and walked in, laughing heartily, "Congratulations, Secretary Tian, ​​look who I've brought!"

This person is the "helmsman" of the water transport company, serving as both secretary and general manager, wielding all kinds of power.

A man in his forties or fifties inside first adjusted his glasses and looked at them. After a couple of seconds, he quickly stood up, walked around from behind his desk, and stretched out his right hand from a distance, laughing heartily, "This must be Teacher Chen, I've heard so much about you!"

Chen Fan was already quite adept at handling this situation.

He immediately went to greet him, extending both hands, "No, no, Secretary Tian, ​​I have long admired your name."

Secretary Tian deliberately changed his expression slightly, "Oh? Then I'd like to hear what you know about me."

Chen Fan was not intimidated at all and said with a smile, "I heard that you went on board when you were 12 years old. At that time, you couldn't even move the mooring rope and had to be dragged. But in just over half a year, you passed the test and became a qualified sailor."

Then at 14, he started learning to sail from a master, became a helmsman at 16, and before he was 20, he became the youngest captain in the entire Yunhu area. He continued working on boats until his early 30s when he was promoted to officer, responsible for boat deployment and water rescue…”

As he listened to Chen Fan's words, Secretary Tian's expression grew increasingly strange, but he couldn't stop smiling.

After Chen Fan finished speaking, he couldn't help but burst into laughter, "Hahaha, I didn't expect that such a small matter would reach Teacher Chen's ears."

He turned to look at the security guard. "Was that what you said?"

Anquan was also surprised at this moment. Upon hearing Secretary Tian's words, he immediately shook his head, "I only introduced you as Tian, ​​an old water transporter. Some of the things he just said are not even clear to me. I really don't know where he heard them from."

Then, looking at Chen Fan curiously, she asked, "Who told you all this?"

Chen Fan laughed and said, "We went to the county a while ago and met Manager Zhao. I heard about him from him."

The security question is even stranger: "I was there at the time, how could I forget about this part?"

Chen Fan looked at him with feigned disdain, "You still have the nerve to say that? That day you were so drunk you were completely disoriented, you couldn't even hear me when I called you, what could you possibly hear?"

Upon hearing this, Anquan immediately smiled sheepishly and fell silent.

Chen Fan smiled and looked at Secretary Tian, ​​who was grinning from ear to ear, while secretly making a gesture of control in his mind.

Of course, he was telling the truth. These things were indeed told to him by Manager Zhao that day. However, he was the one who asked the question, thinking that he should learn more about the leaders of the water transport company so that it would be easier to buy a propeller from them.

Manager Zhao only knew a little bit about it and finished speaking in just a few words, so it's understandable that he didn't hear the safety information.

But what does Chen Fan do?

Writing novels and creating art!

What they excel at is... no, artistic embellishment.

So, based on what Manager Zhao said, we extracted the main theme and then filled in the details.

Please, this Secretary Tian is nearly 50 years old. How could he possibly remember things from his youth so clearly?
The stories about not being able to move the ropes when he first boarded the ship, or being able to navigate treacherous shoals as soon as he learned to steer, were all made up by him.

However, this isn't just made up; many sailor apprentices went through this process. It's simply a matter of paraphrasing, but it's basically accurate.

Judging from Secretary Tian's expression at this moment, he seemed to have taken it seriously and was even trying to savor it.

Finally, he couldn't help but sigh, "Oh my, I didn't expect that after so long, someone would still remember this old Zhao. I had dealings with him when I went to the county company before, but he didn't mention these things much at the time. I didn't expect him to be such a thoughtful person."

At this moment, his impression of Manager Zhao was off the charts.

Of course, Chen Fan, as the one directly stating the facts, already had a high impression score, and at this moment, it was completely at its maximum.

He clapped his hands and said to Anquan and Chen Fan, "I know why you've come, and I know you're both in a hurry. So let's not waste any more time and go straight to the shipyard."

Without even tidying up the documents on the table, he gestured and walked out.

Chen Fan and An Quan quickly followed behind him, exchanged a glance, and smiled knowingly.

After they all came out, Secretary Tian locked the office door and said as he walked forward, "The shipyard has a scrap warehouse where those machines that can't be repaired, as well as some spare parts, are stored."

Those two propellers broke down only a few years ago, just two or three years ago. At that time, a ship hit a reef, which directly damaged the engine. Not long after that, another ship's propeller got caught in a tattered fishing net. The helmsman didn't notice and kept increasing the throttle, which also caused it to break down.

At the time, we tried to send the two sets of machines to the prefectural committee or even the provincial capital for repair, but even the engineers in the province said they couldn't solve the problem. We had no choice but to bring them back. We couldn't bear to throw them away, and we couldn't bear to sell them either, so they just sat there collecting dust.

After explaining the situation, he turned to look at Chen Fan, who was frowning, and smiled, "Teacher Chen, don't feel pressured. These two machines can be repaired if we can, and it doesn't matter if we can't. Anyway, I can definitely give you two sets of the paddle motor."

As for the thrusters, if you really want them, I can try to ask our sister units if they have any old ones that have been replaced. If not, we can even help you buy a new set.

"Don't worry, other production teams can't afford it, but you definitely can. I've heard about selling live poultry in the county; live poultry alone can sell for tens of thousands of yuan these days. A set of propellers only costs a little over 4000 yuan, which is definitely within your budget, Lujiawan."

Hearing this, Chen Fan smiled and said, "Thank you, thank you. I'm sorry to trouble you, Secretary Tian."

Turning to look at Anquan, I noticed that Anquan's expression wasn't good either, so I knew that he hadn't asked clearly beforehand.

Even the engineers from the province couldn't fix it, so how could he possibly fix this thing?

I was hoping to snag a bargain, but it seems like it won't be easy to find one.

However, even if it cannot be repaired in the end, buying a propulsion unit from a shipping company is also a solution.

These days, you can't just buy whatever you want, especially specialized machinery like this. First, you have to apply for approval, and only after that can you take the approval form to the relevant unit to purchase it.

Lujiawan isn't a shipping company, so why would they buy this kind of ship propeller for no reason?
Therefore, it is unlikely to be approved.

It's a different story if it's a shipping company. Once they're involved, it's almost a sure thing; there's no way it won't pass.

In that case, it wouldn't be a wasted trip.

Of course, the best option is to be able to repair it successfully, or buy a used machine, which is cheaper.

(End of this chapter)