Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 385 Pay attention to safety
Inside the guesthouse, Chen Fan held the microphone. "Secretary, it's me."

Secretary Yang smiled and nodded to everyone, indicating that he had guessed correctly, before saying, "Oh, it's you. Are you doing alright at the prefectural committee all by yourself? How about we send Sanhu and Xiao'an over to help you?"

Chen Fan faced the electric fan blowing loudly, turned around to block the wind from the microphone, and then covered it with his hand, saying, "Of course we need helpers. It doesn't matter whether Brother Sanhu and Brother An come or not, but you or Captain Ye definitely have to come."

Secretary Yang's expression changed. "What, is there a big deal?"

Otherwise, why would we need to send them out?

Chen Fan: “This business is indeed quite large. However, Secretary, Captain Ye said before that once our breeding farm is on the right track, we will help the four brigades of Ganjiacun. I would like to ask, do you know the current breeding situation of their brigades?”

Secretary Yang was taken aback. Why was he asking about this again?

However, he didn't mince words, and said seriously, "You know how it is, we're a man of our word, we can't go back on our promises, especially since they gave us the seedlings on credit..."

Chen Fan quickly said, "I didn't say I was going back on my word. I just wanted to know how many live poultry they could provide and how many they could sell each month. Could you ask Captain Ye to make a plan, and we'll make a shipment plan as well, so we can allocate the quota according to the plan?"

Secretary Yang suddenly realized, "Oh, you mean this? No problem with that."

He clicked his tongue as he spoke, "But they used to raise livestock freely. They only started collecting seedlings and setting up breeding farms a few days ago after seeing that we were making money. I even arranged for someone to go there to provide technical guidance. So they probably don't have many live poultry that they can produce right away. I estimate that even all four teams combined can't compare to ours."

If you need more stock, you'll probably have to wait another three or four months until the new seedlings grow up. But they definitely don't have as many as we do. The veterinarians aren't a problem; we can send two to help, they can check on them from time to time. The key issue is that they haven't stockpiled feed; they don't have enough.

A few years ago, no one raised chickens. They only started raising them in the last two years, and it's mostly free-range chickens, mainly laying hens. A family might have three to five chickens, let alone ducks and geese, which were the job of the production team's duck herders.

So, all things considered, the total number of live poultry in those four production brigades was probably only half that of Lujiawan, which was indeed incomparable.

In addition, during the spring planting season, Lujiawan also took time to plant pasture and raise earthworms in order to develop livestock farming. It was thanks to these preparations, coupled with this year's bumper rice harvest and the abundance of rice bran, that they were able to feed so many poultry and livestock. Otherwise, even the most skilled cook would have no rice to cook.

Despite this, aquaculture in Lujiawan has reached a bottleneck. The scale may be able to double, but that will be the end of it.

Unless they can buy poultry and livestock feed, plus the team's own resources, they cannot continue to expand.

Therefore, at this time, the poultry and livestock raised by the other four brigades became the best source of supply for Lujiawan.

This is also why Chen Fan is concerned about their breeding situation.

After listening, Chen Fan felt that it was about the same as his estimate, so he said, "It's like this, I just finalized the deal with three bus stations in Yunhu..."

Secretary Yang was taken aback. Wasn't this the Health Department? How did it get involved with the bus station again?
However, he did not interrupt Chen Fan, but listened patiently to him finish speaking.

The more he listened, the more incredible it seemed. Finally, after Chen Fan finished speaking, he quickly asked, "You mean, just now, you've already reached an agreement with the leaders of the three bus stations in Yunhu? We can go there directly to sign contracts, and we can even build houses and open shops inside the bus stations?"

Upon hearing this, the other people in the office reacted in various ways.

Captain Zhang and Xiao Liewen exchanged bewildered glances. A shop inside a bus station? How much influence would that require?

Ye Shubao and An Quan exchanged a glance, both able to see the excitement in each other's eyes.

They had no doubt about Chen Fan's words. The key question was whether it was true or not. They only needed to go to the prefectural committee to find out. Chen Fan had no reason to lie, and he wasn't that kind of person.

Once these stores open, even if they only generate half the revenue of the three stores in Gufeng County, the days of separating the accounts of the three sideline business teams will have arrived!

As for Zhang Wenliang, seeing that no one was looking at him, he could only turn to Yang Xingxiu and say with a heavy expression, "With the increase in business, the side team also needs more manpower, especially in sales, which is all women. As the women's director, you have a great responsibility!"

Yang Xingxiu glanced at him and said, "You don't need to worry about my affairs. But if your transport team dares to mess things up, you'll be in for a world of hurt!"

Zhang Wenliang shivered immediately and turned away without hesitation, silently thinking to himself, "A good man doesn't fight with a woman!"

At this moment, Secretary Yang slammed down the phone, stood up, and said to Yang Xingxiu, "Hurry up and ride your bike back to get me some clean clothes."

Then, looking at Ye Shubao, he said, "Come with me to the prefectural committee."

Then, looking at Zhang Wenliang, he said, "Sanhuzi, arrange for the boat to be prepared. We'll set off once it's ready!"

Captain Zhang, who was standing nearby, asked, "Why don't you tell me what's going on first?"

Secretary Yang tried to force a smile, but finally couldn't help but say, "Heh, heh, Xiao Chen has made a big deal."

Xiao Liewen stared intently at him. "What kind of deal?"

I only heard bits and pieces on the phone just now, so I didn't understand anything.

Secretary Yang raised a finger, "As soon as he arrived, Section Chief Zhou of the Political Work Section of the Prefectural Committee's Health Department agreed to help, and called several directly affiliated hospitals and health schools to agree to let us go there to sell braised meat."

He paused for a moment, then added, "However, we haven't talked to Xiao Chen yet."

Ye Shubao, who was about to cheer with joy, immediately froze. "Why not go? It's already noon!"

Secretary Yang's smile widened, and he held up a second finger, "Because he went to the three bus stations under the prefectural committee and negotiated with them as well."

Then everyone remembered what Secretary Yang had said on the phone earlier. So that's how it is?
But is it really that easy to negotiate with the local bus station?
Secretary Yang could no longer contain his smile. With an exaggerated grin, he held up a third finger and said, "And he's going to talk to the prefectural committee's passenger terminal this afternoon about opening a shop. He called us over to sign the contract. If we can get it done..."

At this point, he suddenly paused, "Hey, hey, where are you all going?"

Yang Xingxiu ran out without looking back, saying, "I'll pack your clothes."

Zhang Wenliang: "Prepare the boat."

As he left, he was still muttering to himself, "Why did we leave the boat in Team 6? But it's faster to get there from Team 6."

Ye Shubao quickly put his things into the drawer. "I'll go home and change my clothes first. I'll wait for you at the No. 6 team dock."

After speaking, he ran away.

Soon, only Captain Zhang and Xiao Liewen remained in the office.

Because Secretary Yang also ran away. As for what he did there? Nobody knows!
The two of them faced each other, silently smoking, wondering what excuse they could come up with next time.

……

After hanging up the phone, Chen Fan first ate a quick meal at the guesthouse canteen, then went back to his room for a good night's sleep. He got up at two o'clock and went to the political work department. He greeted Sister Zhou first, then called Lin Liwen, waved to Xia Yuping, and headed to the passenger terminal.

Xia Yuping watched the two leave, first smiling sweetly, then pouting involuntarily.

Hmph, although your dock is large, I have three, three to one, so the advantage is mine.

Xia Yuping rested her chin on her hands, squinting her eyes as her mind wandered. She had helped Xiao Chen so much; they should be friends now, right? So, the next step was... ...and finally, the Tingshui Cemetery by the river was beautiful. Burying her there with her brother would prevent her from being lonely!

Chen Fan was unaware that someone had already chosen a grave for him. In order to save time, and having happened to come across a "turtle shell" taxi, he decisively took it there.

It took only a dozen minutes to reach the passenger terminal. After getting off the car, he looked at Lin Liwen's flushed face and said in a slightly apologetic voice, "It's still too hot in this weather. I'm so sorry to have troubled you to come with me."

Lin Liwen lowered her head shyly, "N-nothing, let's go in."

It wasn't the weather that was hot, but rather the sweltering heat. The two of them were crammed into the cramped, turtle-shell-shaped tricycle. If they hadn't been wearing long sleeves, there would probably have been some physical intimacy, which was quite embarrassing.

Upon arriving at the waiting room, Lin Liwen led Chen Fan upstairs with practiced ease, directly to the deputy director's office where her father worked.

Looking out from the window here, you can see the entire dock.

Below the steep concrete steps is a passenger terminal with 12 berths, each serving a different purpose. The upstream berths are for small passenger ships operating on nearby routes, the middle two are for temporary berthing of various sizes, and the downstream three are large berths specifically for large passenger ships.

The cargo terminal is one kilometer downstream, while the ferry terminal, which Chen Fan visited for the first time, is at the very bottom.

After finishing their business, Deputy Director Lin led him to the window to tour the dock.

Chen Fan stood by the window and looked at the ships on the dock, but did not see the small, assembled cargo ships from Lujiawan. Clearly, Secretary Yang and his group had not yet arrived.

Lin Liwen's father stood by the window with his hands behind his back, looking at the dense crowd on the dock steps, and said with a smile, "Comrade Xiao Chen, you gave up a bright future and chose to settle down in the countryside. My daughter Xiaowen always admires you when she talks about it."

Chen Fan laughed and said, "One person can't accomplish anything; you can only succeed by relying on the collective. Just like this livestock breeding side business, when we started, we received support from the commune and other production teams. Otherwise, just the seedlings and preventative medicines would have been a huge obstacle."

During the breeding process, from the production team leaders to ordinary members, almost everyone spared no effort and did their best to successfully raise these poultry and livestock.

But these weren't part of the planned supplies, and the supply and marketing cooperative couldn't handle such a large quantity of live poultry. We had to find a way ourselves, and that's when we needed help from friendly units like the health department and the passenger terminal. Otherwise, relying on the production team would probably just be a waste of time.

Deputy Director Lin nodded in satisfaction. He was used to people taking credit for others' work, but it was rare to see someone so eager to deny any credit, especially a young person.

Think about his previous achievements.

Whether it's being a well-known writer in the province or leading the compilation of a first aid manual at the health department, it's enough to prove that this young man has a bright future.

The only pity is why they're staying in the countryside and refusing to leave.

Thinking of this, he glanced at his daughter, who was staring blankly to the side, and couldn't help but sigh deeply.

Difficult to do.

Chen Fan didn't hear a reply, so he glanced discreetly at Deputy Director Lin and noticed that he seemed to be thinking about something, so he remained silent.

But after waiting another half minute, there was still no response, and he started to feel unsteady.

He then coughed lightly and, trying to make conversation, asked, "Director, how often does the Yangtze River flood here? Is it very dangerous then?"

Deputy Director Lin finally came to his senses, chuckled, looked out the window, and said with a smile, "It's alright. Although there are floods every year, they generally don't exceed the warning line. Even if they do, there's not much danger. Over the years, especially in the last ten years or so, the water level hasn't been too high."

He paused for a moment, as if he had thought of something, his expression changed slightly, and he said softly, "The most dangerous time was in 54. I don't know what happened that year, but the weather was abnormal. The plum rain season lasted for 50 days, almost twice as long as in a normal year."

In May, the Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake systems both entered the flood season at the same time, which is very rare in history.

In early July, torrential rains began to fall in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. If the Jingjiang Flood Diversion Area had not opened its gates and breached its dikes three times to release floodwaters, the entire middle reaches of the Yangtze River would have been in danger, and it might even have endangered the downstream areas.

The great flood that year lasted until early October before gradually receding.

When Deputy Director Lin said this, his face was particularly grave, as if he was still shaken.

He then looked at Chen Fan and smiled, “Speaking of which, we have to thank production team members like you on both sides of the Yangtze River. Since that year, production teams along the entire middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River have been mobilized every year to reinforce the riverbanks. The Yangtze River banks are now much higher and stronger than before, which makes us, the units that work near the Yangtze River, feel much more at ease.”

At this point, he laughed again, "So what you said earlier was right. We all help each other. Unity is strength. You can't get anything done by going it alone."

Chen Fan naturally smiled in response.

Mutual help does exist, but it's important to consider who you help. Why should someone else help you?

So, in the end, it all comes down to human relationships.

Lin Liwen watched the two of them chatting happily and smiled broadly. Although her younger brother was a little younger, he was much more mature than his peers who were pursuing her. At least none of them dared to talk and laugh so freely in front of their father.

It's good enough if you don't cower like a quail.

As expected, the men I've set my sights on are just different!
After Deputy Director Lin finished speaking, he pointed to the Yangtze River outside the window and said with emotion, "The Yangtze River is of paramount importance in flood control. Unless we encounter a once-in-a-century flood, there will be no major problems."

Accidents often occur in seemingly insignificant reservoirs, lakes, or smaller diversion channels.

In the context of the Yangtze River system, the main stream is naturally the Yangtze River itself. The river from Lujiawan to its estuary can be considered a tributary. The smaller rivers that flow into this tributary are called branching streams, meaning they branch off into different waterways. (I haven't studied water conservancy, so I'm not sure if this is correct; this is how the river defense section in our town, which is in charge of water conservancy projects, divides the river.)

Hearing Deputy Director Lin's words, Chen Fan couldn't help but ask curiously, "So accidents still happen?"

Deputy Director Lin nodded, turned around and pointed in a certain direction upstream, saying, "Less than 5 kilometers ahead is the mouth of the Liuhua River, which marks the boundary between your Gufeng County and Shuanghe County."

Chen Fan nodded slightly, "Yes, our goods came via the Liuhua River waterway."

The banks of the Liuhua River are mostly rural areas, with only Shuanghe County, a county town, located at the river mouth. The riverbanks are covered with all sorts of miscellaneous trees, which bloom every spring and their petals fall into the water, hence the name.

Unfortunately, Chen Fan never saw it.

Deputy Director Lin smiled, moved his finger upwards, and continued, "Less than three kilometers further up is the mouth of Yunhu Lake into the river. Yunhu Lake is very large, covering more than 100 square kilometers, so it was designed as a natural reservoir, and many water conservancy projects were built there."

Last autumn, Yunhu city was suddenly hit by torrential rains, causing the lake to swell rapidly. To release the floodwaters, the water resources department decided to open the sluice gates.

At this point, he suddenly sighed, “Not far from the sluice gate, there is a small village of twenty or thirty households. The houses are on the outer embankment. Actually, it can’t really be called an embankment. The area itself is a small hill by the water, so it’s normal for the houses to be built on the hillside.”

As a result of the continuous torrential rain, coupled with the impact of the flood discharge, a landslide was directly caused..."

He pursed his lips and shook his head slightly. "After the accident, the local party committee leaders immediately organized boats and personnel for the salvage operation, but in the end only some of the bodies were recovered."

After he finished speaking, he remained silent for several seconds before turning to look at Chen Fan and saying, "The Yangtze River is the busiest waterway in the country. Every day, countless supplies travel on the river, and the river water nourishes countless lands on both banks, feeding hundreds of millions of people."

On the other hand, what you just said is also true; living by the river means danger.

However, Mr. Li is right. As the saying goes, man can conquer nature. As long as we can nip the danger in the bud and subdue the natural barrier of the Yangtze River, then the Yangtze River will honestly contribute to the people.

This is the same principle Mr. Li taught us: "Always be vigilant." Soldiers must be vigilant against invaders, and we must be vigilant against devastating floods. The same applies to you.

Hearing the last sentence, Chen Fan was a little confused. "Huh?"

What does this have to do with us?

Deputy Director Lin smiled and said, "You must always be vigilant and pay attention to safety. You deliver goods by boat every day. If you are even slightly negligent, losing the goods is a minor matter, but losing lives is a major issue!"

Chen Fan immediately stood at attention and said solemnly, "We will definitely keep the director's teachings in mind, pay attention to safety at all times, and ensure that all potential safety hazards are eliminated."

Deputy Director Lin patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction, "Good, good, good."

At this moment, Chen Fan's eyes suddenly lit up, and he pointed to a boat that was about to dock and said, "Director, look, our boat has arrived."

Deputy Director Lin turned his head and looked in the direction Chen Fan was pointing. The first thing he saw was a small, makeshift boat that looked like a plank floating on the river. He was a little surprised and turned to look at Chen Fan. "You're not talking about that plank boat, are you?"

Of all the boats at the entire dock, it's the most unique; it's impossible not to see it!
Chen Fan chuckled awkwardly, "Don't let its small size fool you, it's absolutely sturdy. We've run it many times already, and there's not a single sign of it falling apart."

Deputy Director Lin was completely exasperated, feeling utterly defeated.
Chen Fan quickly added, "Moreover, we are building a large ship that is over 20 meters long, and it's being built by our commune's water transport company. Once the large ship is launched, we'll immediately replace this ship!"

Deputy Director Lin's eyes twitched. "Your commune's water transport company can build ships? I've never heard of any other water transport company in the whole region that has that capability."

shipbuilding?

The shipyard is only three kilometers upstream. When did the prefectural committee get a second shipyard?
(End of this chapter)