Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 536 I have a friend

The poem "Rain falls in torrents during the Qingming Festival" is most fitting for the Jiangnan region.

It seems that it rarely doesn't rain during the Qingming Festival in the Jiangnan region.

A light drizzle fell at Qingshan Cemetery.

It rained, but not heavily; it didn't even wet the paper money in the brazier.

Chen Fan didn't use an umbrella. He was wearing a shirt underneath a mid-length polyester trench coat, which he had bought the first time he came to the prefectural committee. It was perfect for rain protection.

Following the customs of his hometown, he burned paper money, incense, and kowtowed, completing the entire ritual.

Like some places in Hubei, Hunan, and Jiangxi, this area has the custom of "inserting green" during Qingming Festival, also called "floating grave" or "hanging green." It involves using a bamboo pole to carry a string of paper flowers and inserting them on the grave. The old rule is that "new graves are inserted early, and old graves are inserted late."

Graves where the deceased died within the last three years are considered new graves, and the ritual of offering sacrifices and planting greenery should begin about a week before Qingming Festival.

Chen Fan's parents passed away more than three years ago, and their graves are old, so today is a good day to pay respects.

After taking the prepared paper flowers from Huang Li, they carefully placed them on the grave mound. Only after that did the others step forward.

Before they returned from the capital, they had already sent telegrams to the machinery factory and Lujiawan. So early this morning, Captain Yang of Team 6 arranged for Huang Li, Yang Mei, and Liu Lu to come with the cargo ship to clean up Chen Fan's old house.

Their three older sisters and the Jiang sisters have all gone to school, so these things can only be done by them. Otherwise, Chen Fan would have to clean up by himself, which is really pitiful.

Factory Director Yang threw a handful of paper money into the burning ceramic pot and said with emotion, "Old brother, sister-in-law, you can rest in peace. Brother, your son is better than you. The Chen family has a successor."

Two engineers from the Ministry of Machine Building and FAW also offered sacrifices and poured a cup of wine together.

One of the engineers stepped forward and said solemnly, "Engineer Chen, your hard work will not be in vain. We will definitely make good use of your painstaking research on automobile design ideas to contribute to the country's automobile industry. The names of you and your son will also be engraved in the annals of my country's automobile industry."

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly, unsure of what to say.

A few minutes later, Deputy Factory Director Li and the others finished their respective worship and then went down the mountain together.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Chen Fan opened the door and got into the car. The three girls sat in the back. Director Yang did not go with the people from the Ministry of Machine Building, nor did he get into his own car; instead, he got into his own car.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Director Yang looked around and said, “Your car is a bit too plain. How about we get you a new one? After all, you designed that car, so no one will say anything if we change it.”

Chen Fan started the car and drove forward, saying without hesitation, "Forget it, if we're really talking about it, apart from the engine, my car is no worse than those two new cars."

This vehicle was built by him and more than a dozen senior workers. It looks the same as before, but the internal structure is completely different. Its performance in all aspects is comparable to that of off-road vehicles in later generations. Otherwise, he wouldn't dare to drive it to the provincial capital and would dare to speed on the muddy and bumpy national highway.

The problem is that the overall materials and engines are limited by this era, and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

Materials are the foundation of industrial machinery development, but Chen Fan has always kept his distance from materials science, a fundamental science that requires immersion in the laboratory. He believes the great responsibility of developing materials science should be left to others.

He could only dabble in mechanical design at the surface level to improve his life a little.

Actually, our automotive industry also had some good cars at that time, such as the Hongqi CA72 sedan mentioned earlier. Although it made a fool of itself during the test drive of the prototype, after the design was improved and it was produced, the first batch of 10 cars were sent to Haizi, and the first one was taken away by General Manager Lin.

That day, the wind was strong and the rain was heavy. Mr. Lin was driving this car at 120 kilometers per hour on a bad road... and ended up overturning, no, overturning the engine, but the car was still okay.

The fact that it can reach speeds of 120 kilometers per hour shows that this car is technologically advanced; however, the manufacturing process is simply not up to par, and it cannot guarantee that every car will meet quality standards.

Upon hearing Chen Fan's words, Director Yang immediately made a decision without hesitation: "Then we'll build you a new engine to replace it."

Chen Fan blinked, feeling a surge of excitement, wondering if he should develop a V12 engine.

Then I decisively gave up.

If a random 90s-era engine can attract so many big shots, what would happen if a V12 were used?
Well, mainly because he doesn't understand it. The structure of that thing is too complicated, and he's not from that field. He hasn't even seen the leaked design drawings.

Let's stick with the 2.0 four-cylinder engine from the new sedan. It's actually not bad. The Santana later had 1.6 and 1.8 engines.

He smiled at Director Yang and said, "Okay."

We chatted all the way, and arrived at the machinery factory in about ten minutes.

Chen Fan handed over several notebooks, which were then copied and reproduced by engineers from the First Ministry of Machinery Industry and FAW, with the help of the Machinery Plant's technical department.

This task is estimated to take two or three days to complete.

Chen Fan naturally wouldn't wait there. He picked out an engine from the workshop, installed it, and then left.

His puppies are still waiting for him at home.

Then Director Yang grabbed her and dragged her to the small canteen for a meal, and even Huang Li and the others were taken care of.

Besides Director Yang, there was Deputy Director Li, Chairman Zhao of the Trade Union, and Secretary Zhang of the Youth League Committee. The Women's Director went to the children's table.

The leadership team of the machinery factory was all present.

Chen Fan said, "Uncle Yang, I've told you everything I need to. The rest has nothing to do with me, right?"

Deputy Factory Director Li waved his hand and said, "Xiao Nan, serve the dishes."

He then picked up the wine bottle and poured him a drink, saying, "You deserve the most credit for the smooth approval of Yunhu Automobile Factory this time. You must attend this celebratory banquet today."

Chen Fan smirked, "Uncle Li, we're all family here, so let's not stand on ceremony. You can have the celebration banquet with the leaders or with all the factory workers, but I'll skip it."

By the way, with such a big celebration, there should be prizes, right? Are they in my car?

He raised his glass and said, "Well then, I'll drink this one. See you later."

Chairman Zhao grinned and laughed heartily. "Old Li, I told you long ago, Xiao Chen won't fall for your tricks."

Deputy Factory Director Li glanced at him sideways and asked, "When did you say that? Did you say it after drinking, or while you were asleep?"
Chairman Zhao ignored him and turned his gaze to Chen Fan, smiling as he said, "Let's not talk about a victory celebration banquet. You just said that we're all family, so we don't stand on ceremony. We're all family, so everything is easy to discuss, right?"

Chen Fan quickly interrupted, "Uncle Zhao, please tell me what it is first, and then we can see if it's easy to discuss."

Secretary Zhang of the Youth League Committee leaned back in his chair and chuckled incessantly, but didn't say a word.

At this moment, several people brought up the dishes on trays. The four dishes and one soup were within the allowed limit, but the plates were a bit large.

Factory Director Yang then spoke, “These are spoils of war that Xiao Chen brought back from the Northeast. There is tiger meat, venison, yellow sheep meat, merganser, and grouse. It’s just that the journey is long and the land is vast, so many things couldn’t be brought back. Otherwise, there would be even more good stuff.”

Deputy Factory Director Li and the others picked up their chopsticks, each took a bite, and nodded repeatedly, "Mmm, delicious, great taste."

Chen Fan looked around, chuckled, shook his head, picked up a piece to taste, put down his chopsticks, and said, "Not bad, it's the same style as the chef at the Gongnong Restaurant, it's just that the cooking time is a little lacking."

Secretary Zhang gave a thumbs up, "You guessed it right away. Master Nan learned his craft at Wangjianglou in his early years and was the last disciple of Master Cai at Wangjianglou."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Oh, it's the Workers' and Peasants' Restaurant now."

As soon as he finished speaking, Deputy Factory Director Li pulled his chair closer to Chen Fan and said with a smile, "I heard from Old Yang that you took down a big tiger?"

Chen Fan nodded, then looked regretful. "My master took the tiger skin. It had only undergone simple processing and hadn't been tanned yet, so they took it themselves. Most of the tiger bones were taken by FAW, and I only kept some for myself. I also made a few jars of wine for my master in Beijing, so there's not much left."

Deputy Factory Director Li remained unfazed. "And what about the tiger penis?"

Chen Fan looked at him with a strange expression, then glanced at Chairman Zhao, Secretary Zhang, and Factory Director Yang beside him...

Factory Director Yang was eating when he saw the look in his eyes and quickly waved his hand, saying, "Don't look at me, I don't want that stuff."

Deputy Factory Director Li coughed lightly and said righteously, "I don't need it either."

Then, changing the subject, he said, "Mainly because I have a friend who really needs this."

Chairman Zhao and Secretary Zhang nodded together, pointing at him, "Yes, yes, it's what his friend wants."

Chen Fan blinked, looked at the three of them, and said with some regret, "I thought you wanted it yourselves, then I could spare some of the medicinal wine. If you're friends, then forget it, I'd rather keep it for myself."

The three of them stared at him in disbelief.

Two seconds later, Factory Director Yang asked with a strange look, "You want it yourself?"

Chen Fan nodded confidently, "Yes, I'm a little nervous."

The four men looked at each other, speechless.

Factory Director Yang coughed lightly, put down his chopsticks, and looked at Chen Fan seriously, saying, "I'm not joking anymore. The main reason I kept you here today is to hear your opinion. The automobile factory is about to open and start production. According to the intentions of the Prefectural Committee's Industrial Department, the Provincial Industrial Department, and the First Ministry of Machine Building, FAW, Dongfeng, and the Jiangnan Automobile Factory in this province will provide us with some production equipment."

"You already know that we need to submit the car design blueprints to be shared with car factories across the country for production. Besides equipment assistance, the Ministry of Machinery Industry will assign our factory a certain production quota. Initially, it won't be much, maybe around a hundred vehicles. If we perform well later, the quota can be increased."

Chen Fan frowned slightly as he listened. The design drawings were submitted, along with some semi-new, secondhand equipment and initial task orders. After that, the higher-ups wouldn't care anymore. Whether Yunhu Automobile Factory lived or died depended entirely on how well Director Yang and his team handled things.
Well, the treatment is really not good.

Taking Dongfeng Motor Corporation (Dongfeng) and Jiangnan Automobile Plant as examples, Dongfeng was considered a subsidiary of FAW (First Automobile Works). All of its production equipment and vehicle models were built with the assistance of FAW. FAW was responsible for the construction of 11 specialized plants and two systems: heat treatment and electroplating. A total of 1539 technical and business backbone personnel were provided to Dongfeng, and later a large number of skilled workers were transferred, bringing the total number of personnel provided to 4200.

Even the Second Automobile Works' factory was initially designed by the factory design department of First Automobile Works.

Looking at Jiangnan Automobile Factory, it's not even a biological son, let alone an adopted son; at most, it's just an apprentice.

The Ministry of Machine Building only issued policy and equipment approvals; everything else had to be pieced together by the Jiangnan Provincial Department of Industry. Even the Yunhu Machinery Factory was bled dry back then.

Purely third-class treatment.

If it weren't for the fact that car design blueprints could be obtained from the Ministry of Machinery Industry at that time, this car factory, which only produced one or two hundred trucks a year, would probably have directly transformed into producing tractors.

Yunhu Automobile Factory is located between the two.

However, this treatment was obtained in exchange for two sets of Chen Fan's blueprints.

If Director Yang and his team perform well, things will be fine. Otherwise, they might end up benefiting a few automotive giants, ending up like the Jiangnan Automobile Factory, only able to make a name for themselves locally, and eventually being dissolved when the wave of bankruptcies arrives.

However, it would be inappropriate to say that the Ministry of Machine Building and the provincial departments did something wrong.

They did provide resources after all, so it's not like they got something for nothing.

Seeing the change in Chen Fan's expression, Director Yang knew that he understood what he meant and couldn't help but smile bitterly, "Although we have received aid resources, it will take at least half a year for the factory to be completed and put into production. During this time, we can only do small-scale work, just like the Hongqi automobile production workshop, relying on manual labor to piece things together."

Large manufacturers like FAW, Dongfeng, and BAIC have complete parts supply units, and can prepare to produce new cars as soon as they receive the blueprints, which is definitely far ahead of us.

This puts us at a disadvantage from the start.

So I'm keeping you here mainly for two reasons. First, given this situation, do you have any good suggestions? Second, you made suggestions at FAW, now that you're back in our own company, do you still have anything suitable for us to offer?"

He took out a cigarette, lit one for himself, and then tossed the whole pack to Chen Fan. “I can’t get any other benefits, but when Yunhu Automobile Factory is established, I’ll give you the title of technical consultant, just like at the machinery factory, with a monthly allowance of 100 yuan. That’s just a token.”

Chen Fan picked up the cigarette, looked at it, and saw it was a Zhonghua cigarette with a filter. He took one out, put it in his mouth, put it in his pocket, and then took out a lighter to light it.

Deputy Factory Director Li, standing nearby, twitched at the corner of his eye and could only take out his own Yongguang cigarette filter and offer one to Chairman Zhao and Secretary Zhang.

Chen Fan took a puff of his cigarette, shook his head slightly, and said, "Forget about the allowances. Although there are no clear regulations, it's best not to have too many of these things. I didn't receive any allowances for my position as an advisor at the Provincial Health Department, nor for the machinery factory and the cotton mill. I won't take any more of those in the future."

Deputy Factory Director Li was taken aback upon hearing this, and frowned as he said, "How can this be? You've become a consultant for the factory and actually done a lot of work. How can you not take anything? Besides, the consultant allowance is perfectly reasonable. Some of the older leaders also received allowances from their superiors. What's wrong with you taking it?"

Chen Fan waved his hand firmly, "I'll accept any prizes you give me, but forget about the allowances. I don't want any more, and I don't want any that I haven't claimed yet."

Allowances are actually a bit like a panacea; as long as you can come up with a suitable reason and meet the conditions, they can be issued as a supplement to your salary.

Before the wage reform in 55, revolutionary workers basically did not receive wages, but instead received income in the form of "supplies," which included food, clothing, allowances (pocket money), and supplies for children accompanying the military (childcare fees, nanny fees), etc.

After the full implementation of the wage system, all these various forms of "supply" were factored into wages and became part of them. (There is a book called "Jianmin's Account Book," which records household income and expenditure from 52 to 93, covering almost the entire wage reform process in my country. It's quite interesting.)
For a long time, all employees and cadres across the country only received wages, including special allowances for seniority, overtime, high temperatures, and dangerous situations. Apart from wages, they had no other form of income.

There were no allowances either.

However, things can be accomplished by human effort.

I don't know when it started, but in addition to wages, there are now "allowances".

For example, if a senior technical staff member is seconded from Company A to Company B, Company B might secretly provide them with benefits such as meal allowances, accommodation allowances, and night shift allowances in order to encourage them to work harder and solve problems.

Some were given in kind, while others were given money or tickets directly.

Of course, only highly skilled experts can have this opportunity; ordinary technicians don't have such good fortune.

Later, it seemed that no one cared, and gradually these allowances appeared openly, and were even recognized by some local governments, which is why it happened that one person received money from several units.

However, the number of people was relatively small, and there was no Weibo promotion at that time, so not many people knew about it.

For example, Chen Fan was receiving several allowances at the same time, but the ordinary employees of the machinery factory and the cotton mill did not know this and thought that he was only receiving some welfare items.

It's practically a case of "everyone in the industry knows it, but nobody outside the industry knows it," otherwise someone would have written a letter of complaint long ago.

Although it wasn't a major mistake, it still made him look bad.

Now that royalties have been reinstated, I earn more than two thousand yuan a month just from writing, plus work points in Lujiawan. There's really no need to risk it for such a small amount of money, so I refused and will never accept it again.

Factory Director Yang and Deputy Factory Director Li exchanged a glance. Seeing his firm resolve, they could only nod in agreement.

Deputy Factory Director Li thought for a moment and said to him, "After all, you are still a consultant in the factory, so you can't be without any benefits. Keep the car, oil and maintenance fees. In addition, the factory will give you some in-kind subsidies, which do not involve money, so don't refuse."

Chen Fan didn't refuse; instead, he laughed and said, "Don't just dump all sorts of random things on me, I don't want anything bad."

Deputy Factory Director Li immediately threw his head back and laughed, "Don't worry, your Uncle Li won't try to fool you with ordinary goods."

Chen Fan smiled, turned to look at Factory Director Yang, and said seriously, "Uncle Yang, you went to FAW and read the letter of suggestions I wrote to them. What do you think is their biggest problem in production?"

Factory Director Yang hesitated for two seconds, then looked up and said, "Quality!"

Chen Fan nodded slightly, "Strictly speaking, neither the Hongqi sedan nor the Jiefang truck has any fatal design flaws. It's just that they lack competitiveness compared to imported vehicles. Their fundamental problem is insufficient quality control during the production process, which easily leads to defective products."

There are two main reasons for this outcome. The first is the lack of a sound management system and lax supervision of incoming materials and spare parts, allowing defective materials to flow into the production line. While this can be improved through stricter management, the second issue is truly critical.

Factory Director Yang stared intently at him. "What's that?"

Chen Fan suddenly sighed, turned to look at Deputy Factory Director Li, Chairman Zhao and Secretary Zhang, then turned back to them and said seriously, "Actually, this problem also exists in our machinery factory, and that is 'frugality'."

"frugal?"

Factory Director Yang was dumbfounded. He looked at the three people beside him, their faces also filled with confusion.

Deputy Factory Director Li frowned and asked, "How can frugality be a problem?"

Chen Fan looked at him and said softly, "Then let me ask you a question. We are now producing vans, but after the vans are assembled, we found that there is a problem with the doors. Not only do they require a lot of force to close, but the gaps in the doors are also quite large. However, this does not affect the use of the vans. So, do you want to use this door or not?"

Deputy Factory Director Li laughed and said, "What's wrong with using this..."

Before he could speak, he suddenly realized something and stared blankly at Chen Fan. "You mean, this door can't be used?"

Chen Fan smiled and turned to look at Factory Director Yang. "Uncle Yang, do you remember that new car you saw at the FAW factory? That's where their problem products come from!"

Factory Director Yang understood what he meant and stood there stunned for a while before raising his hands and gesturing, "But if we don't use it, wouldn't this door be a waste?"

Chen Fan shrugged, about to speak, when Deputy Factory Director Li sighed and said, "That's why he said 'frugality' is a big problem."

Factory Director Yang licked his lips, opened his mouth wide but couldn't speak.

Chairman Zhao and Secretary Zhang looked at each other, speechless.

Before today, if anyone told them that a door that didn't close properly needed to be replaced, they would be slapped across the face.

It's not like it can't be used, so why shouldn't it be used?!

Chen Fan leaned back in his chair, took a drag of his cigarette, and said with a smile, "Use it, and this car is defective; don't use it, and although it's a waste of a door, you get a new, airtight car that's easy to open and close. Is it so hard to trade a door for a car?"

Factory Director Yang finally came to his senses and sighed with a look of disappointment, "It's not difficult, but no one wants to choose this option."

Secretary Zhang suddenly said, "Actually, this phenomenon cannot be blamed on any one person. If a door is wasted for no reason, some workers will not stand it and will report it to their superiors."

Chen Fan stated bluntly, "Then tell all the workers that allowing defective products into the production process is irresponsible. They saved a door, but ruined a good car!"

He turned to look at Director Yang and said, "As long as you focus on quality and ensure that every car leaving the factory meets the design standards, then neither FAW, Dongfeng, nor BAIC and SAIC can block the development path of 'Yunnan Automobile'."

Factory Director Yang hesitated for two seconds, then changed the subject and asked, "What about the cost? The minimum cost of a Hongqi car is 8, but it only sells for 4. How can we control the cost?"

Chen Fan shrugged and said, "It still comes down to this: improving efficiency and reducing defective products are the only ways to reduce costs and increase efficiency."

Moreover, the pricing of Hongqi is set by higher authorities; they receive policy subsidies, and the products are designated for sale to specific units, so they aren't afraid of losing money. Do you, Yunhu Automobile Factory, receive any policy subsidies?

Factory Director Yang shook his head, "We haven't discussed it yet."

Chen Fan smiled and said, "Then let's go and negotiate. Either offer subsidies or raise the price. Many organizations can't buy cars right now. I think as long as they have a quota, even if it costs tens of thousands more, there should be quite a few organizations willing to spend that money."

(End of this chapter)