Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 397 No One Can Stop It (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
In rural areas these days, climbing trees is a basic skill, for both men and women!

Five girls moved through the woods, picking the fruit from the bottom trees first, then climbing up to pick the fruit from the top. Working together, they swept through the trees, leaving no fruit behind.

Chen Fan wandered around below with his hands in his pockets, saying, "It's okay if some of them aren't ripe. There's no need to pick them out and throw them away. Adding a few unripe fruits to make wine can adjust the acidity."

As he spoke, he picked up a ripe persimmon from the basket, peeled it, and took a bite.

Mm, sweet.

But not much.

My mouth felt a little numb afterward.

Chen Fan smacked his lips, wondering how persimmon wine was made. It seemed like the skin and seeds had to be removed?

It's okay, we'll figure it out after a few more tries, and we can make more fruit wine next year.

Standing on a branch at the top of a tree, Liu Dan saw Chen Fan eating persimmons, so she also picked a bunch of grapes from the spreading grapevines, plucked one and put it in her mouth, immediately grimacing, "So sour!"

Huang Ying and Jiang Lili, who were holding a piece of cloth below and waiting to receive the fruit, were speechless. This silly girl, if it wasn't sour, would it have been able to stay?

It was eaten by birds long ago!

Seeing Liu Dan's helpless expression, Yang Ju and Zhang Cuie stood aside and burst into laughter.

Chen Fan was about to speak when he suddenly turned around and looked back.

Just then, Secretary Yang walked over from the side of the house. Seeing them, he couldn't help but laugh and say, "Hey, where have you all been? Picking fruit here? Is this fruit even edible?"

As Chen Fan walked toward him, he laughed and said, "We've picked and eaten everything that's edible. The ones I brought to the brigade headquarters the other day are examples. They're all sour and can only be used to make wine."

Secretary Yang looked at him curiously, "You know how to make fruit wine?"

Chen Fan took out a cigarette and handed it to him, saying, "Just learn from the book."

Secretary Yang took the cigarette, shook his head, and sighed, "You intellectuals are really something. Even if you gave me a book, I couldn't get into it."

He then pointed in the direction they came from, "We're about to head back, just saying goodbye."

Chen Fan walked with him forward, saying, "Perfect timing. The wine I brewed last time, the yellow wine, is ready to be opened. You should all take some back and drink it."

Secretary Yang grinned and laughed heartily, "Better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early, then we won't stand on ceremony."

Upon arriving at the front yard, Captain Zhang, Xiao Liewen, Ye Shubao, Zhang Juemin, along with the brigade's accountant Li and custodian Luo, were strolling around the 12 large wine vats under the covered walkway.

Zhang Wenliang and An Quan had been here many times before and were tired of seeing the same things, so they played with the dogs and birds on the side.

Unfortunately, Duoduo, Qiuqiu, and the Eurasian Falcon didn't react at all, instead watching them warily and preparing to summon the Rat Snake at any moment.

Captain Yang stood to the side smoking, waiting to see what would happen.

Yang Xingxiu clung tightly to the railing, chatting with the pandas inside. Unfortunately, the pandas were only sitting a meter away from the railing, holding bamboo in their hands and two kittens in their arms. The three big-faced cats looked at her with bewildered expressions as they chattered incessantly.

do not understand at all!
As soon as Chen Fan came over, he offered a cigarette to one of them, then smiled and said, "Wait a minute, I'll go find a few jars and get you some wine to take back."

At this moment, Ye Shubao waved his hand and pointed to Zhang Wenliang, "Tell him the location and let him get it. Come here, we need to discuss something."

Chen Fan was stunned for a moment, and just as he was about to speak, several girls rushed over from behind.

Yang Ju: "I know where the jar is, I'll go get it."

As he spoke, he ran down the slope.

Zhang Cuie looked at Captain Zhang and said, "Uncle, I'll go help her."

After saying that, he ran away.

Jiang Lili, Huang Ying, and Liu Dan lagged behind and went to the kitchen together to boil water and make tea.

Captain Zhang and Captain Yang watched from the sidelines, their eyes twitching. Why did it seem like they were working even harder here than at home?

Chen Fan, oblivious to the situation, gestured and said, "If we're going to discuss things, let's go inside. There's a fan inside, and it'll be more comfortable to talk while we sit."

Secretary Yang, however, sat directly on the wooden railing of the covered walkway, leaning against the pillar, smoking and laughing, "No need, you have river breezes to the east and big trees to the west, it's better than inside the house, a little river breeze is enough."

The others didn't hesitate either, each finding a place to sit down.

Some sat on the railings, while others sat directly on the steps of the covered walkway.

Only Yang Xingxiu couldn't bear to part with Gun Gun, and she even sat on the base under the bamboo railing in the panda enclosure, softly calling out to Gun Gun.

Chen Fan broke out in a cold sweat. He dared not easily open the park gate and let her in to play with Gun Gun. Gun Gun listened to him and certainly wouldn't hurt her, but people carry a lot of germs, and if Gun Gun got infected, it would be troublesome.

So usually only he and Jiang Lili and the other three are allowed to go in to feed the animals; no one else is allowed in.

They refused to go inside, so Jiang Lili and Liu Dan carried out an eight-immortal table and moved a few benches, and then Secretary Yang and the others moved over from under the covered corridor.

Chen Fan took out a cigarette, lit it, and tossed the rest on the table for them to help themselves. Then he looked at Ye Shubao and asked, "What's up?"

Ye Shubao crossed his legs, wiggled his buttocks, and said, "I was having dinner with two cadres from the commune just now, and they mentioned that our production team's sideline businesses are thriving now, and there's a policy from above to promote agricultural mechanization. They asked if we had any ideas about buying a batch of agricultural machinery to support production."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan's face lit up with joy, and he said, "This is a good thing!"

He turned and looked around at everyone, then said seriously, "If we had a few harvesters, how much manpower could we save during the autumn harvest? There are also threshing machines, rotary tillers, rice transplanters, tillage machines... If we had these machines, the production team's efficiency would definitely be higher, especially during the double harvest season, we wouldn't have to rely on manpower anymore!"

Previously, the production team didn't buy agricultural machinery because they didn't have the money, but now they do, and they can easily buy a batch of agricultural machinery through the commune.

With these machines, the work that would take a month of backbreaking labor to complete during the double harvest season can be done easily in a week. Is there any comparison between them?

He paused for a moment, then suddenly added, "By the way, don't buy combine harvesters. Those things aren't suitable for small, scattered farms. Large farms and plains are where they're meant to be."

Ye Shubao chuckled dryly twice, "You see things clearly. Back then, the commune actually bought a combine harvester, but it couldn't move once it got into the paddy field. It could only go a few steps before it had to turn around, ruining more rice than it harvested. Especially here, there are ditches everywhere, and that big machine couldn't move anywhere. In the end, the machine, which cost several thousand yuan, was only used once, and we had to sell it cheaply."

Captain Zhang waved his hand, took a puff of his cigarette, and frowned as he said, "Of course we all know that agricultural machinery is better than manual labor, but, as you heard what Old Ye said, we don't really know which kind of agricultural machinery is suitable to buy."

Since buying that combine harvester, the commune's agricultural machinery station has practically become a tractor station. If it weren't for the few rotary tillers attached to the back, it would almost be a transport team. Asking them is pointless.

As he spoke, he looked up at Chen Fan and smiled, "So when we were discussing this earlier, we thought you were very knowledgeable, so we came to ask for your opinion. Also, once we buy the machine, we need someone who knows how to operate it and someone who knows how to repair it."

In this regard, if the production team buys agricultural machinery, the commune will help obtain a few training quotas for tractor drivers so that they can go to the county to learn agricultural machinery driving and maintenance.

However, we're worried that the people we select might not learn very well. You have cultural knowledge, can even assemble an engine yourself, and can repair large machines for the shipping company. You're definitely more than capable of guiding them, so we'll need your help in this area.

Without hesitation, Chen Fan nodded in agreement, "Sure, I'll take a look at it after the farm machinery is bought. It shouldn't be a problem."

There's really nothing to say about this kind of trivial matter. We're just covering for them; we don't even need to provide training. It's much easier than running a training course.

At this moment, Yang Ju and Zhang Cuie each carried a basket up and carried the baskets into the kitchen to wash the pottery jars.

Jiang Lili and the others came out of the kitchen, each carrying a teapot and a teacup.

Three teapots and a stack of bowls were placed on the table. A bowl of tea was poured for each person, and the lids of the teapots were removed to allow the tea to cool down faster.

After they entered the house, Chen Fan continued, "I remember the newspapers often mentioned that the government had been promoting rural mechanization for several years, and Mr. Li personally gave instructions and assigned subordinates back then."

"Buying agricultural machinery is such a big deal. Will the commune and the county provide any support?" Although Lujiawan is not short of money now, no one would complain about having too much money. We should save where we can.

Secretary Yang immediately smiled and said, "That's another matter. There's more to it than you know. Back when agricultural mechanization was being promoted, most counties across the country established their own agricultural machinery factories one after another, all rushing to manufacture harvesters and rice transplanters. Our Gufeng County was no exception."

He took a puff of his cigarette, shook his head and sighed, "It took three or four years of research and development before we finally developed the Gongnong-3 harvester. They didn't even think twice before building 38 of them in one go, and they even planned to send them to the higher authorities as a gift."

Chen Fan's eyes widened. Was the Gufeng County Agricultural Machinery Factory really that powerful?

He immediately asked, "Has it been delivered?"

"What a load of rubbish!"

Xiao Liewen said irritably, "The harvester broke down halfway to the waterway dock. The ones sent to the communes below also had a lot of problems. Although they were a little better than the combine harvester, they were only slightly better. The time spent working was less than the time spent repairing them. In the end, all 38 machines were returned to the agricultural machinery factory."

Chen Fan's face immediately froze. Is it really that amazing?

They dared to send it as a gift without even verifying it?

Captain Zhang continued, "From then on, the county agricultural machinery factory, like the water transport company's repair shop, became the repair unit for agricultural machinery in the county, and never manufactured agricultural machinery again."

Secretary Yang tapped the table. “The problem now is that there are special funds from above to support production teams in purchasing agricultural machinery, but local regulations exist. If the communes or production teams below want to buy products from large factories, they will issue a letter of approval to allow it.”

But then, not a single penny was left. The agricultural machinery purchase subsidy could only be used on agricultural machinery produced within the county.

At this point, everyone stared at Chen Fan expectantly. Even Yang Xingxiu, who had been playing with the roly-poly toy, couldn't help but turn around and stare at him intently.

Seeing this, Chen Fan immediately realized what was going on and said irritably, "I understand now. You came to me under the pretense of discussing buying agricultural machinery, and you also pretended to want me to cover the costs for the machinery operators. Your real purpose is to get me to go to the county agricultural machinery factory to take a look at those machines, right?"

Upon hearing this, Secretary Yang grinned and said, "No, no, how could it be fake? I really want to buy agricultural machinery and I'd like you to cover the cost."

Before he could finish speaking, Captain Zhang chimed in with a laugh, “But when buying things, who doesn’t want to buy cheap and good quality? You can even repair the big machines at the water transport company. If you can find problems with those agricultural machines, we can buy them back. With the depreciation and the agricultural machinery subsidy from the county, we can save at least this much.”

As he spoke, he held up his finger and made a gesture.

Chen Fan's eyes darted around slightly. "1600?"

Secretary Yang, who was standing next to him, immediately scoffed, "Why would I bother with this for 1600 yuan?"

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly; those words were incredibly arrogant.

Who was it that couldn't even part with a single dollar back then?
Then I saw Secretary Yang make a gesture, "16,000 yuan!"

Chen Fan's eyes widened instantly. "How is that possible?"

Even if it's an old farm machine, it shouldn't be worth 16000 yuan, right?

Secretary Yang immediately said, "Let me do the math for you. A brand new small tractor costs 3500. We have 12 teams, so we need at least 3 or 4 machines. Let's say 4, that's 14,000. Add to that the matching rotary tillers, rice transplanters, and tillage machines, and we can say 5000 each, right?"

Chen Fan thought for a moment, "It's a little expensive, let's say 4500."

He now understands quite a bit about machinery and his price estimates are pretty accurate.

Secretary Yang pursed his lips. "Alright, let's say 4500. That would be 18,000 for four machines. But since we're buying used machines, we need to offer a 50% discount first. And these are all defective machines that have been returned, so we have to offer another discount. Let's say 2000 yuan per machine. That's not unreasonable, is it?"

Chen Fan nodded. "More or less."

Secretary Yang counted on his fingers, "The price difference is 1 yuan. In addition, the county said that subsidies would only be given for goods purchased from the county's agricultural machinery factory. As a result, this money has been sitting in the county for several years, waiting to be used for its designated purpose. However, the production teams that are willing to spend money to buy agricultural machinery would rather buy used goods from other places than accept their new goods, so the money is still there."

If we buy machines from the county's agricultural machinery factory, and we subsidize each machine by 1000 yuan, then each machine only costs 1000 yuan. Tell me, isn't that a saving of 16,000 yuan? No, 14,000 yuan?!

According to their estimate, the new machine would cost 5000 each, which would save them 16,000. However, Chen Fan was pressured to pay 500, which almost made him lose his mind.

After he finished speaking, Anquan took a sip of tea and said with a smile, "There are many tasks related to agricultural production. The two cadres in the commune are probably also tasked with promoting agricultural mechanization. They suggested that Lujiawan buy agricultural machinery and even hinted that we should buy the problematic machines from the county agricultural machinery factory. This was obviously intentional."

However, the key to this matter still lies with you, Xiao Chen. If you can find the problems and turn them into working machines, then the agricultural machinery factory can be revived, the county's agricultural subsidies can be distributed, agricultural mechanization in the whole county can continue to advance, and our Lujiawan can also get a batch of machines at the lowest price.

It might even be cheaper than the price Secretary Yang calculated. Besides, we can establish a cooperative relationship with the county agricultural machinery factory, which will provide conveniences such as future agricultural machinery repair, new agricultural machinery testing, and priority purchase.

Chen Fan glanced at everyone and chuckled softly, "Now that things have come to this, what else can I say?"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately beamed with joy.

But Chen Fan quickly added, "To be honest, I can only promise to try, I can't guarantee that I can fix it."

He looked at Secretary Yang with a serious expression. "Brother An knows the inside story about repairing the propeller at the water transport company. The main structure of their propeller is not actually broken; it's just that the auxiliary parts malfunctioned. Replacing a part will make it work."

"Besides, agricultural machinery is different from propellers. I won't know how to handle it, so please don't blame me."

Secretary Yang immediately shook his head, "No, no."

Xiao Liewen chimed in, “This isn’t war, nor is it a matter of life and death. If we fail to complete the mission, we’ll be held accountable, and nobody will dare to carry out the production team’s tasks. I can vouch for you on that point; with me here, no one can bully you.”

Secretary Yang rolled his eyes at him. "Pah! Who bullied him? I'm telling you right now, in Lujiawan, anyone who dares to bully Xiao Chen is going against me!"

Chen Fan looked left and right, then silently took a sip of tea.

He's in his fifties or sixties, and his acting skills are a bit lacking.

Seeing that he didn't react, Secretary Yang took the initiative to back down. He coughed and smiled at Chen Fan, "Little Chen, don't worry about this. We'll see how far we can go. If it succeeds, great. If it doesn't, it's okay. We can just spend more money to buy agricultural machinery from other places."

Captain Zhang nodded repeatedly, "That's right, that's right. After we buy the farm machinery, we'll need you and those guys to take care of it."

Secretary Yang added, "Anyway, whether it works out or not, I can give you the bottom line."

Chen Fan blinked and looked at him, "What bottom line?"

Secretary Yang leaned closer, feigning mystery, and whispered, "Your chubby little boat, weren't you going to get a boat handling machine? This machine will be included in the agricultural machinery category, and the brigade headquarters will reimburse you for it."

Chen Fan blinked. Such a good thing?

Then, with a hint of hesitation, he asked, "This... isn't against the rules?"

Secretary Yang glared at him, "In Lujiawan, my rules are the rules!"

He laughed and said, "Anyway, you can't get the ship certificate, so ask the shipping company to help you get one and register the ship under Lujiawan's name."

With the permit, you can travel freely throughout the entire Yangtze River region, not just the prefectural and county towns.

"This boat is still yours to use and exclusively yours. No one can touch it, just like your own boat."

After saying that, he patted Chen Fan on the shoulder and laughed, "How about that, pretty good, right?"

Chen Fan immediately slammed his fist on the table, "I'm going to the county agricultural machinery factory, and nobody can stop me!"

………………

(Jiang Lili/Jiang Tiantian: Please vote for me!)

(I restored an old photo from 77. Of all the photos I've seen, this one really looks like the Jiang I imagined. I'm releasing it early to ask for your votes!)

(End of this chapter)