Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 658 Half for One Family

Generally, Chen Fan only offers suggestions and does not participate in the specific implementation.

When he first started his side business last year, no one in the production team knew how to do it, so he took charge of everything himself, from raising livestock to opening a shop. He also set up a breeding demonstration site at the educated youth settlement and cultivated rabbit seedlings for the brigade headquarters.

Now, more than a year has passed, and after a series of trials and tribulations, everyone from Secretary Yang, Zhang Wenliang and the captains of each team, down to the veterinarians and liaisons in the teams, has been greatly trained.

Like this job fair, he only mentioned it briefly, and Zhang Wenliang and his team did a great job afterwards.

The same goes for this "Lujiawan Skills Training Class".

After offering his suggestions, he completely ignored the actual implementation.

The school's charter, curriculum, teacher selection, teaching location, student dormitory arrangements, and other related matters were all discussed and arranged by Secretary Yang and his team, and then Zhang Wenliang made connections with various parties, gradually establishing the school through trial and error.

Chen Fan simply stood by and watched, remaining silent even when he saw the problem.

Lu Xun said: "People can't teach people, but experience can teach people in one go. Suffering losses is like eating; the more you suffer, the more you grow."

Everyone in Lujiawan is doing very well right now, especially Zhang Wenliang, Captain Yang, and a few others, who have become the backbone of the side business's development.

Therefore, you must let go when it's time to let go, so that you can conquer the world with great enthusiasm.

"Yier ya, aihai ya, aihai aihai yaier ya,..."

Chen Fan hummed a song softly as he left the clothing training class and went to inspect the breeding farm.

Inside a small house, a farmer is training a new trainee.

He held up an egg and said, "We run a breeding farm, and veterinarians oversee hygiene and disease prevention, so there are generally no problems. The biggest challenges are twofold: the first is feed, and the second is seedlings."

Back then, we had to borrow a batch of seedlings from four brigades—Hongxing, Ganjiacun, Bailanghu, and Shengli—to set up our breeding farm.

Later, together with the comrades from the commune's agricultural technology station, we learned artificial incubation methods. From then on, our breeding farm never lacked seedlings again, and we were able to support other production brigades and develop together.

Half of you are from our brigade, and the other half are from other brigades. Those from our brigade are easy to talk to, but for the others, I need to make this clear and lay it all out beforehand. Otherwise, if anything goes wrong, don't blame our Secretary Yang for going to your brigade secretary and getting angry.

What did you say?
"That's the skill you learned here. You can take it back with you; we won't ask you to hide it."

As soon as these words were spoken, a small group of people in the crowd began to whisper among themselves.

But when the farmer's gaze swept over them, they all immediately shut their mouths.

Once the scene quieted down, the farmer continued, "We're not afraid you'll learn the techniques and leave, but there's one thing: you've all signed contracts and must work here for a full five years. Unless you're unqualified or make a mistake, we won't kick you out."

If you dare to leave on your own, it will implicate your entire brigade. If one leaves, two will have to be compensated. Our Secretary Yang will personally go to your brigade to demand your return.

Did you hear everything clearly?"

After the words were spoken, it took two or three seconds before someone responded intermittently, "I heard you clearly."

Chen Fan chuckled as he watched from outside the window. This discipline is terrible. He had to talk to Zhang Wenliang and make sure to include militia military training in the curriculum. Organization without discipline is not a good thing.

As for the fact that someone frequently skips work, disregards company rules, and travels around the country aimlessly, of course, this is not visible.

Who can see the darkness on their own body?

After the breeder inside the house gave the warning, he began to teach, “my country has records of artificial incubation for more than 2000 years. In 1876, the Little Book was even learned from our country. So my country’s artificial incubation technology is relatively long-standing and relatively advanced.”

Current artificial incubation techniques typically use heated brick beds (kang) in the north and buckets in the south. What do we use here?

He pointed to several large vats placed against the wall, "We use vats. This method of incubating eggs in vats is more complicated and requires a lot of patience. In addition to maintaining the water temperature, the aluminum basins used to hold the eggs must not get wet, and the eggs must be turned over every four or five hours..."

Chen Fan was listening to the lecture inside when Zhang Wenliang walked over, took out a cigarette, offered it to him, and chuckled softly, "Do you know this technique?"

Taking the cigarette and putting it in his mouth, Chen Fan squinted and said, "Besides incubation in jars, there are also incubation in heated beds and incubation using high-powered electric lights. Why did you learn incubation in jars?"

Zhang Wenliang was slightly taken aback. "Hey, you actually know about this?"

He paused for a moment, then struck a match to light his cigarette and lit it for Chen Fan before saying, "Because the agricultural technicians in the county only know how to use this kind of jar incubation, and high-powered electric lights are hard to buy, and even if they are, there are often power outages, so we can only use this incubation technology."

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly. He made a gesture and walked away, asking at the same time, "What's the hatching success rate?"

Zhang Wenliang smiled and said, "It's alright, the incubation rate is about 70% to 80%."

Chen Fan turned and glanced at him. "So low?"

Zhang Wenliang took a puff of his cigarette and exhaled a long plume of smoke. "It's not low. The book says it's 95%, but in practice, it's a bit different from what the book says. Maybe as time goes on and the incubators' skills improve, the hatching rate will be about the same as what the book says."

Chen Fan nodded, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

In what year was the domestically produced artificial incubator invented?

It seems that in 1987, the Liyuan Repair Shop in Ankang, Shaanxi Province invented the first domestically made incubator.

However, it continued to improve until it began order-based production in 95.

That's still more than ten years away.

Generally speaking, poultry egg incubators are also mechatronic devices, which happens to be right up Chen Fan's alley. If he were willing to immerse himself in the laboratory for a few days, he might be able to develop this thing.

The significance of an egg incubator to the aquaculture industry is self-evident.

We didn't do it before because it wasn't the right time. At the beginning of our business in Lujiawan, we lacked everything. A single incubator couldn't play a decisive role. Moreover, the scale of poultry farming, in addition to seedlings, is also limited by factors such as feed and the speed of slaughter. Hatching too many chicks would actually be a problem.

On the other hand, without stable, fast and effective sales channels, it is certainly impossible to support the increase in the number of animals raised through industrial incubation.

If you want to establish a food factory now, you could consider introducing an industrial incubator. Otherwise, it might turn out the other way around, like last year, when there weren't enough poultry to sell, so you had to bring in other production teams in advance.

Seeing that he remained silent, Zhang Wenliang's eyes flickered slightly, and he asked in a low voice, "Another new idea?"

Chen Fan glanced at him, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a cigarette. He exhaled a few smoke rings and then smiled, "I have an idea, but it's too early to say. We'll talk about it when we have some progress."

Zhang Wenliang immediately beamed with joy and nodded repeatedly, "No problem, no problem, you can talk whenever you want."

As long as Chen Fan has a change of mind, Lujiawan will benefit. He couldn't wait for Chen Fan to have more ideas, preferably one every day, a constant stream.

……

After visiting the remaining side businesses and finding no major problems, Chen Fan returned home.

Looking at the calendar, today is November 15th, the Lower Yuan Festival.

A quick calculation reveals that, aside from demolishing houses and ruining buildings, nothing else is advisable.

He then decided to set off again tomorrow.

The main principle is caution!
The next morning, he asked Liu Lu and the others to pass on a message to Secretary Yang and Captain Yang, and then he took his backpack and sailed the small boat to the prefectural committee.

Because he got up early, before it was time for work, he changed vehicles at the pier and found a breakfast shop to eat at.

The counter was set up at the entrance, and there were quite a few people eating breakfast. Chen Fan queued for a while, and when it was his turn, he bought a few tickets and then went to the food counter to pick up his meal.

Okay, let's continue queuing.

After finally getting a turn in line, I ordered a bowl of rice noodles, a fried dough stick, a fried dough stick, and two large meat buns. I carried the food around for a while before finally finding a seat.

Thinking back to when Jiang Lili and the others were still around, they would buy things and deliver them to our homes every morning; it must have been quite tiring.

Chen Fan reminisced about the past, marveling at how diligent the two sisters were, before digging in their food.

In such a place, there was naturally no shortage of lively conversations among acquaintances. Chen Fan ate his food silently, listening intently to the latest happenings at the prefectural committee.

"I heard the film crew left yesterday?"

“They just left yesterday. My neighbor’s daughter even went to the Yunhu Hotel to see them. Several actors who were filming rode in a Yunhu sedan, while the others rode in two vans and a truck. They all left together.”

"Heh, you've been here for quite a while this time, haven't you?" "Not short at all. I arrived at the end of September, so it's been almost two months. People come to watch the filming location every day. I heard even Chen Fan went there."

"Yes, I heard that too. It seems they went there in early October, and then filming was suspended for a few days because Chen Fan changed the script."

"He's a writer, he wrote all the books. If he thinks the actors' performances aren't right, he'll definitely have to say something."

"So writers are really ruthless; even moviemakers have to listen to them."

"I wonder if Chen Fan's other stories will be filmed at Yunhu?"

"It's hard to say. Anyway, I heard that the filming for The Ferryman has already been completed, and they're filming in places around Shanghai. I doubt that the others will come."

"That's not right. Chen Fan wrote about this place, so why didn't he come here and film somewhere else?"

"That's how filmmaking is. They film a mountain here, a body of water there, and then they call it a place, but only they know the truth."

……

Listening to their discussion, Chen Fan guessed that they had probably only filmed exterior scenes and some interior scenes at Yunhu Lake, and that they would have to film other scenes after they returned.

Otherwise, at the current rate of efficiency, it is unlikely that a movie can be completed in less than two months.

After finishing breakfast a short while later, he felt a bit feverish. He took out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, unbuttoned his coat, got into his car, and left.

The first place we went to was a cotton mill.

Just then, Jiang Heng and Shen Xueyi came to work. They were overjoyed to see him, and Shen Xueyi even skipped her own office and followed him to the factory manager's office.

Chen Fan didn't let them do anything. He took out a travel mug from his bag, poured himself a glass of water, then sat down on the sofa and said with a smile, "I heard that the crew of 'Cloud Lake Romance' has finished filming and left. Were there any scenes of the cotton mill in it?"

Jiang Heng walked over and sat down, laughing heartily, "Of course there is. I followed your method, first contacted Jiangnan Film Studio, used a batch of 'unplanned' fabric to exchange for a batch of film, and then went to find their Director Huang."

When he heard there was film, he was overjoyed. And when he heard you were the one threading the needle inside, he agreed without hesitation.

He paused for a moment, then moved the ashtray in front of Chen Fan. "You smoke yours, don't worry about me."

Chen Fan smiled and waved his hand, "I don't smoke often, it's mostly cigarettes I smoke for social occasions."

Although I occasionally smoke while fishing or drinking tea, it's just a lonely smoke. So I don't smoke much most of the time.

Jiang Heng offered a word of advice, but seeing that he wasn't smoking, she let it go and continued, "Following your suggestion, Director Huang filmed several scenes of the subordinate textile and garment factories, as well as product shots, all as background footage for the storyline, which didn't affect the movie."

Yesterday, after they finished filming and left, I went to see them off. He told me that the film still needs editing and music composition, and it probably won't be released until after the Spring Festival.

After a few casual words, Chen Fan steered the conversation to business, "When will the down jacket fabric production line be able to go into production?"

Jiang Heng replied without hesitation, "The equipment installation and debugging were completed a few days ago. We tried producing some fabric these past few days. There were some minor issues, but nothing serious. After the adjustments are completed, we estimate that we can officially start production next month."

Chen Fan nodded. Next month, that is, December, the garment factory in Lujiawan has not yet been officially completed, and the industrial sewing machines promised by the machinery factory have not yet arrived.

They're ahead of the pack!

Just as he was thinking about how to talk to Jiang Heng, Jiang Heng suddenly coughed, first looked at Shen Xueyi sitting opposite him, then turned to look at Chen Fan with a friendly expression, "Well, Xiao Fan, I want to discuss something with you, see if it's okay."

Chen Fan looked up at him. "What is it?"

Jiang Heng smiled and said, "That's right. Last time I went on an inspection tour with my superiors, we saw that down jackets really have a promising future, so the Provincial Department of Light Industry also wants to produce down jackets."

Chen Fan's eyes widened. "And then?"

He felt a little dizzy. Could it be that he had been robbed of the opportunity?
Lujiawan has stockpiled a lot of duck and goose down, just waiting to put the fabrics into production... wait, it seems the factory buildings aren't finished yet?
That's fine.

What? Why isn't there any chicken down?
Of course, chicken down lacks the oily layer on the surface of duck and goose down, has poor waterproof and warmth retention, and also has a strong odor, so it cannot be used as filling for down jackets. Its function is not as good as chicken feathers.

Jiang Heng glanced at Chen Fan and said with an embarrassed smile, "Since our factory is the only one in the province with a down jacket fabric production line, and we also happen to have a subordinate garment factory, the provincial department assigned this task to us."

Therefore, I would like to discuss with you whether it is possible for our two garment factories to share fabrics temporarily. If the sales of down jackets meet expectations, the provincial department will immediately approve our addition of another fabric production line.

what do you think? "

Chen Fan blinked and gestured as he said, "You mean, the fabric produced on this production line will be purchased jointly by your garment factory and Luwan Garment Factory?"

Seeing Jiang Heng nod, he continued, "Then how is the ratio determined?"

Jiang Heng smiled and said, "If you agree, it would be best if each of you splits it in half."

Chen Fan pursed his lips, suppressing a laugh. "Then I'll go back and tell Secretary Yang and the others. It should be fine."

He was still thinking about how to talk to Jiang Heng to postpone the delivery of the fabric, or not to maximize production capacity and produce and deliver in small quantities.

Once you've stockpiled these fabrics for a month or two, they'll finally have a use.

Two months later, it will be close to the Chinese New Year, which is the peak season for down jackets. At that time, the more fabric the better, and everyone can afford as much as they want.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Heng was the first to bring up the idea of ​​reducing the supply.

No wonder he's a future father-in-law; he's only thinking of himself.

Of course, the cotton mills also benefited.

Their garment factory produces down jackets, and as long as the quality isn't too bad, they're sure to make a fortune before the Spring Festival.

This will also allow them to see how the market reacts to down jackets, and then we can add more fabric production lines, which will also benefit Lujiawan.

Win-win!

At this moment, Shen Xueyi said, "Xiao Fan, I've learned about the production process of down jackets, which is very different from ordinary clothing. The most crucial part is the down filling and shaping, and the key is to fix the down into small compartments. Has your clothing factory learned about this aspect?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Heng quickly added, "In order to produce down jackets, the garment factory specifically selected over twenty outstanding key workers to go to Jiangxi to learn down jacket manufacturing. Have you made any arrangements?"

Chen Fan nodded. "That's definitely possible."

He paused for a moment, then smiled helplessly. "You are a large state-owned factory, qualified to work with other factories, and they have to provide assistance according to the rules. Lujiawan is different; it's just a commune or brigade unit, and nobody pays attention to them even when they come to us. I can only wait until I've figured it out before I teach them."

At this point, Chen Fan spread his hands and said with a wry smile, "But we don't have any fabric or professional sewing and ironing equipment, so we can't teach you for now. One of the reasons I came to the prefectural committee this time was to go to the machinery factory to ask about equipment."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Heng nodded in understanding and then said, "Okay, once the machines are properly recalibrated and there are no new problems, I will arrange to send the first batch of fabric produced to you."

Chen Fan smiled and nodded, "Thank you, Uncle Jiang."

Jiang Heng deliberately put on a stern face and said irritably, "We're family, why are you talking to me like that?"

Shen Xueyi also laughed and said, "Besides, you're not doing this for yourself, but for the public good. We have to cooperate well in terms of both reason and duty."

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "Then I won't stand on ceremony. Once this matter is settled, I'll personally cook a nice meal for you and your aunt."

Jiang Heng and Shen Xueyi exchanged a smile, then turned to him and said, "Then we'll wait."

……

After leaving the cotton mill, Chen Fan headed straight for the nearby automobile factory.

Whether it's incubators, industrial sewing machines, or related down jacket production equipment, you should go to a machinery factory.

However, Chen Fan wanted to discuss this matter with Director Yang first.

Because while incubators may seem simple and far less sophisticated than cars, their importance to the country, especially in this era, is no less than that of automobiles.

With this, the benefits to agricultural development can only be fully realized and promoted by the highest-ranking leaders.

Of course, he had to consult Director Yang first about such a lucrative opportunity, so that he wouldn't be overlooked if something good happened later.

(End of this chapter)