Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 393 Preparation, Sing
We share blessings and share hardships.

Since they also wanted to learn music, they decided to study together.

So, in addition to studying, the four girls had an extra task besides working: learning to sing!
In the educated youth compound, Chen Fan sat on a chair, playing the accordion.

Jiang Lili and the other three stood in a row, their faces flushed, suppressing their laughter, and acting coy. Even Huang Ying, who was usually the boldest, had completely lost her usual boldness.

Chen Fan ignored it, started playing a prelude, and shouted, "The Commune Has Another Bumper Harvest Year, Ready, Sing!"

A series of scattered sounds arose.

"The bright sun... shines over the mountains and rivers."

Jiang Lili sang a line in a voice barely above a whisper, keeping her head down and not daring to look at anyone. Only then did we realize that she was the only one who had finished singing the first line.

Yang Ju, standing next to her, only sang the two words "bright sun," while Huang Ying and Liu Dan just laughed and didn't sing a single word.

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly. He stopped playing and looked at them helplessly. "Xiao Ying, you usually love to sing, so why can't you open your mouth now?"

The oriole pouted, burying its head below the ground like never before, not daring to utter a sound.

Chen Fan shifted his gaze to Liu Dan, "Xiao Dan, you're going to be a broadcaster, huh? What, you're going to be a broadcaster but not actually say a word, just rebroadcasting other radio programs?"

Liu Dan pursed her lips, and before she could even muster any sadness, she burst out laughing. She quickly suppressed her laughter and stood at attention.

It just lowers its head at an angle even greater than a nightingale's; its neck is quite long.

Chen Fan then looked at Yang Ju, "Xiao Ju performed well, she's two points better than the other two."

Yang Ju's eyes lit up immediately, and she wanted to ask: Really? Which two points?

Then Chen Fan said, "One dot for one word, two dots for two words."

Good heavens, she almost choked on her own breath.

Chen Fan looked at Jiang Lili one last time and said, "Lili, you sang not badly, but your voice was a little soft. Were you singing for the mosquitoes on your shoulder to hear?"

Jiang Lili waved away the mosquitoes, clutched her clothes, lowered her head, and pouted, annoyed.

At this moment, the music attracted a lot of people, who crowded at the entrance of the courtyard, laughing and watching the excitement.

"What are they doing?"

"Can't tell? You're learning to sing."

"I heard that there will be a National Day performance. Company Commander Zhang has already notified all the militia members to select people for the rehearsal."

"Director Yang (Xingxiu) also announced that each team should send two female members to perform a chorus together."

"Agency An and Teacher Chen also have a program."

"What about the others? Does Teacher Chen intend to bring them along for the performance?"

"Of course we have to bring them. Of all Teacher Chen's students and apprentices, these few are the closest to her. How could we not bring them along for the performance?"

"It seems like you haven't learned Teacher Chen's skills. You can't even open your mouth properly, let alone sing?"

Then someone shouted,
"Xiao Dan, sing it out loud."

"Huang Ying, have you not eaten? Open your mouth."

"Xiaoju, you need to put in some effort and learn to sing from Teacher Chen. Others would never dream of such an opportunity. Don't embarrass yourself."

Seeing the group becoming even more hesitant, Chen Fan immediately drew out a long voice and shouted towards the door, "If you don't go to work soon, be careful Accountant Liu will deduct points from your work."

The group burst into laughter, then walked jokingly towards the fields.

"I didn't realize that Teacher Chen was so protective of his own."

"Of course! You get attached to a dog once you raise it, let alone living with it for more than half a year."

"This is why you can hit your own child, but no one else can say a word."

"Isn't that good? It means Teacher Chen treats them like family."

"Our own people are our own people, but there are a lot of them."

"Then let your Xiaodan come back, then there won't be one less."

"Why should I? Why don't you suggest sending your Huang family's girl back?"

"Hey, we agreed no dirty tricks, what's the meaning of this?"

"It's nothing, it's just a joke."

……

After the crowd dispersed, Chen Fan looked at them and said, "Do you feel embarrassed?"

Huang Ying nodded quickly, like a chick pecking at rice, "Yes, yes, Teacher Chen, how about we go up to the house on the hillside and sing?"

The other three quickly echoed his sentiment.

I was so embarrassed to be surrounded by so many people just now.

Chen Fan said, "Is that something to be embarrassed about? When you go on stage to perform that day, thousands of people will be watching you. Will you still be able to sing then?"
I'm telling you, you all need to practice your ability to perform in front of a large audience. First, you need to calm your mindset. Second, you need to train your concentration. No matter how many people are watching, you must treat them like cabbages planted in a field, focusing wholeheartedly on completing your work.

He then drew out a long note, "Let's start again. Everyone open your mouths and sing along with me."

Then start playing again.

The four girls exchanged glances, took a deep breath, and encouraged themselves.

This time, Chen Fan led them in singing, "The bright sun shines over the mountains and rivers, the People's Commune is better than the sky, splitting open the Tiger's Mouth Cliff, bringing forth the Nine Dragon Spring from underground,..."

With Chen Fan leading the singing, they were finally able to keep up with the rhythm this time.

Four female voices mingled together, "A thousand drops of sweat for a seedling, ten thousand loads of yellow soil for an acre of land, ah ah ah ah eh..., through drought and flood, we work hard, the flowers of Dazhai bloom in our hearts, the flowers of Dazhai bloom in our hearts."

After singing it twice, as the notes faded, Chen Fan released the accordion, smiled, and clapped lightly, "Not bad, not bad, that's exactly how it should be."

The girls finished singing successfully and were all all smiles.

At this moment, Captain Yang walked in with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face. "Preparing for the show? Not bad."

Upon seeing the arrival of outsiders, their faces instantly turned bright red. Unfortunately, Chen Fan did not speak, so they could only stand there, so embarrassed that they wished they could disappear into the ground.

Chen Fan glanced at them and said, "Go inside and keep practicing. Get the song down to your heart's content first, then I'll accompany you."

Seeing the four girls rushing into the house, he immediately stood up, took off his accordion, and led Captain Yang into his own room.

Upon entering the room, he first put away the accordion, then offered Captain Yang a cigarette, invited him to sit down, poured him a bowl of tea, and then sat down himself, saying, "Captain, are you here for the National Day performance?"

Captain Yang took a sip of water, lit a cigarette on the lighter Chen Fan handed him, and then shook his head and said, "Our team doesn't handle the program. The brigade can call in people whenever they want, and we'll do whatever they say. We just need to cooperate."

He paused for a moment, then turned to look at Chen Fan and chuckled, "Xiao Ju told me that you haven't been making pottery for a long time?"

Chen Fan lit a cigarette to keep him company, nodded, and said, "Yes, it's been a while since we opened the kiln."

He then explained, "Now that the production team is developing so well, next year the primary school will definitely need to recruit several new teachers, as well as the cooked food shop and workshop. With so many people, we'll need to promote a few group leaders, shop managers, and financial accountants and cashiers. In addition, the transportation team also needs to be formalized in its management. We need people in all aspects. Secretary Yang and the others have already discussed it. Just like when we selected the veterinarian, for positions requiring education, we will give priority to candidates with high levels of education. And except for more dangerous positions like mechanics, other positions are open to both men and women."

There are currently 20 people in the training class at the brigade headquarters. If we include the four of them, that makes 24. With so many people competing, some are bound to be eliminated.

Xiaoju and the others are different from others. Everyone knows that they live under the same roof as me and eat special meals every day. I don't care if they are outdone by others, but I'm afraid they won't be able to handle it.

So, some time ago I told them to put everything else aside and, apart from the work assigned by the team, devote all their time to studying.

After saying a lot, Captain Yang kept nodding.

After he finished speaking, Captain Yang smiled and said, "I understand, I understand the reasoning."

He paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Well, the house doesn't need a few more work points now. You took them to make pottery before and gave them money, and I'll keep that money for them. After the autumn harvest, they don't need to go to work yet; they can stay home and study hard."

Chen Fan laughed heartily, "That would be great!"

Then, her eyes darted around slightly, and she asked with a hint of hesitation, "Where's Xiao Jiang?"

Captain Yang clicked his tongue, pondered for two seconds, and then waved his hand, "Xiao Jiang has been here for almost four years. She's always been honest and hardworking, so let's count her in."

She then looked up at Chen Fan with a suspicious expression, "I see you care about her quite a bit, you two...?"

Chen Fan remained calm and composed, saying in a serious tone, "Xiao Ju and the others live here too. Do you think they don't know what kind of relationship I have with her? Besides, Xiao Ju and the others moved in to prevent a lone man and woman from making mistakes. Would I dare to go against the grain?"

Captain Yang frowned slightly. "Are you saying that you would have dared to commit the crime if Xiaoju and the others hadn't moved in?"

Chen Fan was speechless. "Captain, your thinking is quite jumpy."

Captain Yang chuckled, "Well, I just wanted to give you a heads-up, nothing more."

He only touched on the point, not wanting to say too much and offend Chen Fan, which would be counterproductive.

Even if Chen Fan really had feelings for Xiao Jiang, he wouldn't necessarily reject her if she stayed in the production team.

If Xiao Jiang stays, how can Xiao Chen fly away?

Seeing that he wasn't going to talk about it anymore, Chen Fan breathed a sigh of relief and casually asked, "Did you come here today just for this?"

Captain Yang raised his head and said "Ah" softly, "Here's the situation. Before, our team was a toilet construction team, but later we started a cooked food workshop, so we changed into a decoration team. However, we haven't lost our original business."

Now that the team's tasks are all completed, the only important thing left is the autumn harvest. After that, things will be easier for a while, so many people have come to us wanting to hire a renovation team to renovate their toilets and kitchens.

Although the conditions of the members of Lujiawan were not particularly bad in the past, they were not very wealthy. Whether it was building a house or decorating it, they would usually start preparing two or three years in advance.

We made a good profit this year, and with the next batch of chickens, ducks and geese ready for market, plus the guaranteed year-end bonus, our family's annual net income, after deducting expenses, could be several hundred, or even over a thousand, which is two or three times more than last year. And when rabbits are in season next year, our income will be even higher.

With money, who wouldn't want to live better? As a result, many families have started thinking about building or renovating houses.

After hearing this, Chen Fan blinked in surprise, "Change the kitchen?"

Captain Yang chuckled and said, "To be honest, the kitchen is simpler than the toilet. It doesn't require much work, and any few people can do it. But only our renovation team can get ceramic slabs from you. If they want to build a stove with ceramic slabs, they can only come to us."

At this point, Chen Fan understood his purpose. "So you want me to open another kiln and supply goods to the renovation team?"

Captain Yang nodded repeatedly and smiled, "That's what I mean."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "We know you're busy, and those girls also need to focus on their studies. Making pottery blanks is a rather tedious task. I discussed it with the leaders of their renovation team. What do you think of this?"

He gestured and said, “Find a few nimble women in the team, and you can teach them how to make and dry pottery blanks. After that, we will also send people to help with the kiln firing. You just need to guide them from the side.”

The renovation team will still settle accounts with you at the original prices for the squat toilets, terracotta bricks, and shards that are fired: 10 yuan per piece for their team and 12 yuan per piece for other teams. As for those who make the terracotta blanks, how did you split the bill with Xiaoju and the others before? You should do the same in the future.

In other words, no matter how many people are making the clay blanks, you take 6% of the money from the sale and they take 4%. This will not affect you, and it will also give them extra income.

Secondly, firing the kiln isn't a daily occurrence; each kiln can fire a large batch, and the renovation team also needs time to complete the work. It's estimated that firing once a month will be sufficient. You don't need to do anything yourself; just provide technical guidance.

what do you think? "

After he finished speaking, Chen Fan narrowed his eyes, weighing the pros and cons.

Captain Yang stared at him intently, feeling a little puzzled.

With conditions set like these, why not agree immediately?

But to say that Chen Fan is stingy is even more impossible. Would a stingy person hand over a diesel engine? Would he lead everyone to run a cooked food workshop and open a cooked food shop?
So, what is he hesitating about?
Chen Fan hesitated because there was too much money; it was too hot to handle!
Leaving aside the ceramic tiles used in the kitchen, just considering squat toilets, a renovation team can build a maximum of 3 toilets a day, which is 90 a month. Even if we take a big discount and calculate it as 50, the minimum monthly income is 500 yuan.

He does nothing, just provides some technical guidance, and takes 6% or 300 yuan.
The entire production brigade has 586 households. Even after deducting those that have already been renovated, they can still make a living for half a year. Add to that the households in the town and other production teams... If we calculate based on the total of about 5000 households in the commune, he gets 6%... That's three households with ten thousand yuan each?!

Besides, firing a kiln is not technically demanding. Anyone with a bit of a brain can figure it out after firing it three to five times. For example, if you let Jiang Lili and the others fire the kiln now, they can usually succeed on the first try.

This is different from doing a side job outside based on your skills. For example, someone who can make horseshoes can earn a living by their skills. They do it themselves and it's only right that they earn a lot. But Chen Fan does nothing. He just talks and gives pointers a few times and then keeps getting paid for nothing.

Or should we split the lion's share?
Isn't this just planting a time bomb for myself?!
After a brief moment of consideration, Chen Fan turned to look at Captain Yang and said with a smile, "Captain, when I was leading Xiaoju and the others to fire the kiln before, strictly speaking, it was at most a family workshop. No matter how the profits were divided, it was a matter between the few of us. Even if the market inspectors from the commune came, they wouldn't be able to find any major problems."

However, if the team also gets involved and arranges for the members to make pottery blanks, then the nature of the situation changes.

This is a collective sideline business; all profits must belong to the collective. A portion is then handed over to the collective, and the remainder is distributed among individuals according to their contributions. For me to take the lion's share is against the rules.

Upon hearing this, Captain Yang gasped and frowned, saying, "Oh dear, we really hadn't considered that."

He turned to look at Chen Fan, "You're full of ideas, come up with a solution. Anyway, you'll definitely be treated well."

Chen Fan took a deep breath, thought for a moment and said, "There's no other way. If we really want to run a side business properly, we can only treat it as team property. Those who can join this team property are considered members of the side business team. Their income is based on the wages of regular construction team workers, and the profits are handed over as public property."

He turned to look at Captain Yang and smiled, "If business is good and the profits we hand over are high, you can just calculate my salary, and I can be listed as a technician. If we don't earn much, then forget it."

Don't be fooled by the large sum of money from the revenue sharing; once the royalties are reinstated, you can earn it back with just a few words.

In contrast, building a strong foundation among the masses to pave the way for future windfall gains was more important to him.

That being said, this must be his third salary!
Captain Yang frowned deeply. "Aren't you at a disadvantage like this?"

If Chen Fan had a little more selfishness, he could have dragged Yang Ju and the others to make pottery every day and earned several hundred yuan a month without fear of being investigated.

But with this change, his income decreased significantly. Even if he were paid according to the salary standards for a technician at Master Wang's level, he would only earn 112 yuan a month.

Before coming here, they had calculated the costs: one was a minimum of 300 yuan, and the other was a maximum of 112 yuan. The difference was quite large.

After thinking about it, he realized he had no other choice; the renovation team was still waiting for news at his house.

Besides, this was the safest and most reliable method proposed by Chen Fan himself, so he nodded slightly and said, "Okay, then we'll do it your way."

Chen Fan smiled and said, "Then I'll wait until you've arranged the people, and then I'll teach them how to make pottery and fire it."

After a pause, he added, "But don't put the kiln here. I have a lot of animals here, and it's too noisy and inconvenient."

Everything else is fine, his main concern is that he might scare Gun Gun.

Captain Yang had no problem with this small matter and immediately nodded and smiled, "Sure, since the place where we built the water tower and fired the brick kiln before also belongs to our Team 6, let's just build the kiln there."

Hearing him mention brick kilns, Chen Fan added, "Then why not just fire the red bricks along with the bricks, and bring in some other materials? There are always people willing to spend money and save trouble; every little bit helps. As long as we don't just sell bricks, the brick and tile factories can't really say anything."

Captain Yang clapped his hands with a smile, "That's a good idea, let's go with it."

(End of this chapter)