Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 371 Waste Utilization
After a brief silence following Secretary Tian's words, the group burst into laughter.

Cui Baozhang pointed at Chen Fan and laughed, "As expected of Teacher Chen, you take advantage of us right in front of us. Couldn't you have been a little more tactful?"

Chen Fan sighed, "I'm afraid if I try to be tactful, you won't be willing to sell."

Then he spread his hands and said, "Look, even if I'm this direct, Secretary Tian still won't sell. Being tactful won't work either."

He felt both touched and puzzled when he said this.

What's touching is that Secretary Tian actually chose to believe me, but what's strange is why he chose to believe me? That was the conclusion reached by an engineer from the provincial capital!

Secretary Tian smiled and shook his head, "Since you've put it so bluntly, I'd be a real fool to still sell it as scrap."

Two seconds after he finished speaking, he let out a long sigh. "The engineers from the prefectural committee and the provincial capital may not have checked carefully, or they may not have been skilled enough. But there is another possibility: they never even considered fixing it for us."

He looked up as he spoke, a mocking smile on his face. "That's right. If we fix it, we'll only earn a little bit of hard-earned money. The company will still make the money, it has nothing to do with them. It's not as comfortable as just selling a new machine."

At the end, he added, "It can also cover up his incompetence."

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly, and he silently lowered his head, understanding why Secretary Tian had chosen to believe him.

Hearing Secretary Tian's words, Cui Baozhang took a deep drag on his cigarette and said indignantly, "They don't learn the good things, but only the bad ones. In recent years, some people and some units have degenerated to an unknown degree. They are slacking off and making excuses when they encounter problems. Where is the energy and attitude we had when we were doing the 'Run Forward' campaign, where we worked for months without rest?"

Secretary Tian pursed his lips and remained silent for a moment. After finishing his cigarette, he threw the butt on the ground and stubbed it out with his foot. Then he looked up at Chen Fan and said, "Our unit will take care of buying the parts you need. Once these two machines are repaired, one of them will be yours. I will also give you two more sets of outriggers."

At this point, he grinned and said, "Of course, not including diesel engines. Otherwise, a used diesel engine would cost 1000 yuan, which I can't afford to give away."

Chen Fan pursed his lips, wanting to say that they only had one diesel engine, so what use were two outboard motors to him?

Then they heard Secretary Tian continue, "However, we also have an idle diesel engine here. If you want it, we'll sell it to you cheaply, for 800 yuan, how about it?!"

Chen Fan immediately stepped forward and grabbed his hand, "Thank you, Secretary Tian, ​​for your support of our production team. How about 600?"

The smile that had just appeared on Secretary Tian's face instantly froze upon hearing these words. He looked at Chen Fan solemnly for two seconds, then turned to An Quan, "Are all the people from Lujiawan like this?"

Anquan grinned and nodded with a simple, honest smile. "Hey, that's how people in Lujiawan are. Anyway, it's just a used phone, so let's just forget about 600 yuan."

Secretary Tian shook his head with a wry smile, "I really can't afford 600 yuan. Two months ago, the Hongxing Brigade offered 800 yuan but I didn't sell it. If it weren't for Teacher Chen's sake, I wouldn't have planned to sell this diesel engine."

That's a 45-horsepower diesel engine, much better than your 12-horsepower single-cylinder engine that you somehow found somewhere."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan clapped his hands without hesitation, "Deal!"

He thought it was a low-power machine. 800 yuan for a 45-horsepower machine is really a friendly price, a steal!
At this moment, Secretary Tian waved his hand and calmly said, "Let's not talk about the deal yet. The premise of the 800 yuan deal is that you have to repair these two machines. Otherwise, like I said before, I will sell you two sets of outboard motors, or you can pay for them yourself and I will help you buy new machines."

Chen Fan confidently gestured, "As long as the new parts arrive, we can fix it immediately."

He paused for a moment, then turned to Cui Baozhang and said, “Master Cui, if it’s convenient, could you please call over a few level 5 craftsmen, the welders, fitters, and forgers I mentioned?”

Cui Baozhang nodded immediately, "I'll be right there."

He then turned around to look for someone.

After he left, Secretary Tian said, "You stay here and do your work. I'll go arrange the purchase of spare parts."

He paused for a moment, then looked at Chen Fan and smiled, "Don't let us buy the parts only to find out you can't fix it..."

Chen Fan immediately said, "I'll pay for the parts."

Secretary Tian waved his hand, saying, "You're the repairman we hired. There's no reason for you to pay if we can't fix it."

He paused for a moment, then chuckled at Chen Fan, "But it's not easy for us to earn money. If it's not fixed, you'll owe our company a favor. If we need your help then, you can't refuse."

Chen Fan rolled his eyes slightly and chuckled dryly, "Why don't you just state your conditions? I'm afraid your demands will be too high and I won't be able to meet them."

Secretary Tian laughed heartily, "Don't worry, I can do it, I definitely can!"

Without revealing the answer, he waved and walked out.

Chen Fan and An Quan exchanged a glance and then shrugged in unison.

Actually, even if Secretary Tian hadn't said it, they could have guessed it. The novel Chen Fan wrote for the construction company had already been published in the Yunhu Daily the day before yesterday, making many units in the county jealous and tempted. If Secretary Tian hadn't been after this, they would have dared to eat those two sets of propulsion systems!

Anquan walked safely to the thruster, squatted down to take a look, then turned to Chen Fan and asked softly, "How confident are you?"

Chen Fan walked over and squatted down, intending to point it out to him, but then realized that he knew nothing about mechanics, so he could only shrug and say, "You wouldn't understand even if I told you, so I'll just say 99%."

Anquan's eyes were clearly full of smiles, but the corners of his mouth were forcefully turned down. "Look how smug you are."

After a pause, he asked curiously, "If you hadn't pieced together two diesel engines last time, we wouldn't have known you were skilled in mechanical technology. But didn't you only know electronics before? When Secretary Yang and the others gave you a clock, you didn't fix it right away."

Or did you learn it before, but forgot it and then remembered it again?

Chen Fan shook his head slightly and said, "Actually, mechanical technology is not complicated. Look at that diesel engine, it only has a few parts. As long as you know its structure and principle, it is very easy to assemble."

He then pointed to the thrusters in front of him, "And this one too. Broadly speaking, this thruster system can be divided into three major systems. Looking at it more closely, the mechanism of each system is actually not complicated. The power system goes without saying, the steering transmission system is actually based on the principles of mechanical levers and gear meshing, and then there's the last one..."

Chen Fan explained at length, and after he finished, Anquan asked, "So you learned this mechanical technology later?"

Hearing this, Chen Fan couldn't help but glance at him, and after a few seconds of silence, he uttered a single word, "Yes."

Anquan couldn't help but marvel, "Why do I find that you learn everything so quickly?"

Chen Fan pondered for two seconds and said, "If you master math, physics, and chemistry, you can go anywhere in the world without fear."

This quote was made by Qian Weichang in 56 and gradually spread throughout the country. Later, few people dared to mention it again, but it recirculated in the 80s and remained a bible for many students until the mid-90s.

Anquan narrowed his eyes, silently repeated it a few times, and looked at him thoughtfully, "Is this why you repeatedly emphasized that the students in the study group should master the self-study series of math, physics, and chemistry?"

Chen Fan smiled and said, "That's one aspect. But it mainly depends on the students' personal development direction. If it's technical, then math, physics, and chemistry must be given top priority. If it's humanities, then you only need to learn the first half of the basics of physics and chemistry. You can shift your focus to history and geography for the rest, which will lay a foundation for your future studies."

Anquan nodded slowly. "I understand."

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps sounded. The two got up and turned around to see Cui Baozhang striding up the stairs, followed by a large group of people.

Chen Fan was a little confused. How could a mere commune repair shop have so many level 5 workers?

Don't underestimate a level 5 craftsman just because they seem insignificant compared to level 7 or 8 craftsmen. Reaching level 5 is no easy feat; both talent and hard work are essential.

Otherwise, countless skilled workers would spend their entire lives stuck at level three or below. Do you really think they don't want to climb the ranks? It's just that they lack the ability.

But how many people are there in front of us?

1234……, 16?
Cui Baozhang ran up to Chen Fan, panting, and turned to the three men in their forties standing at the front, saying, "This is Engineer Qin, a level 5 welder; this is Engineer Yi, a level 5 fitter; and this is Engineer Liu, a level 6 forger."

Then he drew a circle with his finger, "The people behind are our factory's other regular employees and apprentices. The highest level is level 4, and the lowest level hasn't been rated yet. They're here to learn."

Chen Fan then nodded in realization. "I knew it! A mere repair shop like this is lucky to have three intermediate-level mechanics. What more could you want?!"
He first greeted the three master craftsmen, and then, without wasting any time, took them directly to the disassembled machine and explained the repair requirements to them.

Time passed slowly. Half an hour later, the workers understood the key points of the construction and showed their notes to Chen Fan for confirmation. Cui Baozhang then waved his hand and said, "Bring all the tools up here and start working upstairs." The water below was almost reaching the corners of the walls and could flood the factory at any time. They had no choice but to work on the second floor.

However, when this repair shop was built, this situation was already taken into consideration. Not only the fitter and welder, but even the forging table and furnace needed by the blacksmith are supported by sturdy cement pillars, with an absolutely stable foundation that will not affect the performance of their skills.

Chen Fan watched for a while, occasionally discussing with the master craftsmen in hushed tones, adjusting the restoration process. After confirming that there were no problems, he bid farewell to Cui Baozhang.

Cui Baozhang was taken aback for a moment, then quickly said, "Why are you leaving now? It's almost noon. Just have a quick lunch at the office. Secretary Tian will be coming to see you later."

Chen Fan said with a smile, "It's not that we're being polite, but the repair of these parts can't be completed in a day or two. There are other important things waiting for us to do in Lujiawan, so I have to run back and forth between the two places."

After a pause, he added, "We also need to go to the water transport company to pick up the horses. We can just tell Secretary Tian when we get there."

Cui Baozhang had initially wanted to insist that his guest stay, after all, these two sets of thrusters had been a source of regret for them for two or three years, and now that there was hope for their repair, Chen Fan was indeed their honored guest. With lunchtime approaching, how could they let their esteemed guest leave so easily?
However, remembering the important matter Chen Fan had mentioned, he recalled something and asked, "The matter of opening a cooked food factory in the county?"

Chen Fan was slightly taken aback and looked at him in surprise, "You've heard about this?"

He paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "It's not a cooked food factory, just a small workshop, a side business run by the team, nothing special."

Cui Baozhang laughed heartily, "Hey, in our town, any unit with a dozen or so people is called a factory. You've all moved your units to the county seat, and I heard you also have three shops. Add them up and you must have at least a dozen people, so why can't you call it a factory?"

He clapped his hands and said, "Alright, since it's important business, I won't keep you any longer. But once you're done with your work and these two machines are almost fixed, we definitely have to have a big drink!"

Chen Fan immediately smiled and said, "Of course."

He turned to look at Anquan and said with a smile, "After all, why not eat it if it's free?"

The three laughed for a while, then walked down the stairs amidst the noise of hammering and banging.

As Chen Fan was about to go out, he saw the gate next to him that led to the adjacent dock and couldn't help but feel curious.

He asked Cui Baozhang, "Can I go over and take a look?"

Cui Baozhang laughed and waved his hand, "Of course. There's a ship being repaired inside, I'll take you to see it."

He then walked towards the gate.

Chen Fan and An Quan followed behind him. When they arrived at the shipyard workshop, they discovered that the side facing the water had no wall. Looking around, they could see the rolling river flowing right in front of them.

On a tall triangular steel support, a wooden boat about 20 to 30 meters long was being carried. Several workers were busy on the boat, and the sounds of hammering and welding could be heard from time to time.

Cui Baozhang pointed to the steel frame and said, "This is for towing boats. It uses a track to lift the boat out of the water. After the repairs are completed, it is slowly lowered back down using a winch. The process is similar to launching a new boat."

Then, pointing to the wooden boat on the support frame, he said with emotion, "This boat is probably older than you."

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly as he looked at the rustic wooden boat and asked softly, "In what year was this boat built?"

Cui Baozhang laughed and said, "40 years, isn't that longer than you?"

Chen Fan immediately fell silent.

This ship is 37 years old, but even if you consider its original age, it's not as old as this one. I'm impressed.

Cui Baozhang added, "When this ship was built, there were also Master Wang and his team. In the blink of an eye, more than 30 years have passed."

Chen Fan nodded in agreement, remarking that it was indeed quite remarkable that a wooden boat had been used for so long.

Hmm, wooden boats have a lifespan of at least 60 years, right?

Chen Fan clicked his tongue. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly noticed that there seemed to be another ship behind this one.

He took a few steps to the side and sure enough, he saw a wooden boat appear.

However, compared to the wooden boat on the support frame, that boat looked rather pitiful.

One-third of the ship is missing, leaving two-thirds of the hull lying there, with some cracks in places, clearly no longer suitable for launching.

Cui Baozhang followed Chen Fan this way, and then looked in the direction Chen Fan was looking. He smiled and said, "This ship ran aground. It was towed back by other ships. It was a coincidence that we were about to receive a few cement ships at that time, so we didn't repair it. It's been sitting here ever since, serving as a timber warehouse."

At this point, he suddenly sighed softly, pointed to the factory building next to him, and said, "One of those two propulsion systems is on this ship."

Chen Fan pursed his lips, said nothing, and continued walking towards the boat.

He walked up to it a moment later and asked curiously, "You just said you were going to use this boat as a timber warehouse?"

The ship-related materials he looked at were almost all about iron and cement ships, with no mention of wooden ships, which aroused his curiosity.

Cui Baozhang nodded and explained, "Although the boat ran aground, only the stern was severely damaged and the rest of the boat was not affected. Otherwise, it would have sunk to the bottom of the river before we could pull it out."

The wood from these old boats has adapted to the underwater environment due to long-term immersion in water. As long as it is not damaged, it is actually very suitable as a replacement for damaged parts of other wooden boats.

Our shipping company currently has over 40 boats, half of which are wooden boats left over from many years ago. So we keep this boat here for easy access to repair other damaged wooden boats.

After he finished speaking, Chen Fan frowned thoughtfully, but he didn't speak immediately. Instead, he circled around the half-boat.

Cui Baozhang followed behind him, and after a while, he realized what was going on. He took two steps forward and asked softly, "What, are you interested?"

Chen Fan stopped, turned around and smiled, then looked at An Quan and said, "Brother An, what do you think? Would it be appropriate for us to buy this boat, modify it, and make it the team's second large boat?"

Anquan was taken aback for a moment, then looked at the boat and frowned deeply. "Is this boat still usable?"

If we could buy this ship and modify it, it would indeed save a lot of time and timber, and it would be a way to make use of waste.

But can this piece of junk still be used?
Cui Baozhang's expression changed slightly, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes. He smiled and said, "If you want to use it, it can still be used."

He stepped forward and patted the hull, saying, "Listen to this, it's made of the finest wood. Even after being here for two or three years, the wood hasn't cracked at all."

He started as an apprentice at the age of 10 and has worked at this repair shop for nearly 40 years. As for his feelings for the ship, it's hard to put into words.

But if he had a choice, he would definitely prefer that every ship be able to sail on the water, instead of lying in the factory like it is now, waiting to be slaughtered.

Anquan walked over and pointed to a large crack, asking, "What's this?"

Cui Baozhang laughed and said, "This is not a crack in the wood, but a gap between the pieces of wood."

He sighed with some regret, "It's a pity that we never thought of putting the boat back into the water, so we didn't maintain it. Otherwise, applying tung oil twice a year would have been essential."

He paused for a moment, touched the boat wood, and said softly, "If you really want it, you can disassemble all these pieces of wood, reassemble them according to the structure of a new boat, apply tung oil, and wait for them to dry completely before launching them."

Ships are meant to be on the water, not sitting here as a storage depot, waiting to be dismantled and used on other ships.

Chen Fan watched as his eyes darted around, then coughed lightly and smiled, "To be honest, buying this boat and modifying it was just a spur-of-the-moment idea of ​​mine. But whether it will work or not, we'll have to go back and discuss it with the brigade leaders first. If they agree, we'll also have to ask Master Wang and the others to come and inspect it to see if it's even usable."

Cui Baozhang nodded and smiled, "I understand, I noticed that just now. But it's alright, the boat is right here, and nobody wants it. Go back and discuss it first, see if you want it or not, we can talk about the rest later."

(End of this chapter)