Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 78 Can't Afford It!

No need to prepare the ingredients yourself, cooking is so fast.

Chen Fan and Liu Jujiang each had two pots, and in no time they had prepared several large tables of dishes.

Perhaps the custodian Huang had mentioned yesterday afternoon's events to Huang Laosi, because today his family specially prepared several large blackfish, clearly caught fresh from the river that morning. Although not as big as the one Chen Fan caught yesterday, they still weighed about eight or nine pounds. Then they begged Chen Fan to make several bowls of pickled fish.

When you invite the chefs and helpers to dinner, if the dishes are prepared well, not only will the host feel proud, but the chefs will also work even harder.

Turtle meat is a novelty, but since everyone here is from Lujiawan, they've all basically eaten it before, and everyone knows it's worthless—you can just pick it up anywhere in the ditch. The only problem is that it's a bit troublesome to butcher.

The biggest advantage of this dish is that it's plentiful and filling, saving the host money compared to chicken. The chefs also love it, as it gives them energy, so naturally, they made turtle the main dish.

In addition, if we could also serve a dish of pickled fish that no one has ever tried before, the chefs would definitely be satisfied and would be more attentive in their work.

Since the fish were readily available in the river and didn't cost the owners any money, they naturally turned to Chen Fan for help.

Chen Fan had no objection; after all, they had already prepared the fish, and all he had to do was toss the fish a few more times.

Unexpectedly, just before starting the fire, Captain Yang arranged for Yang Ju and Yang Mei to bring over several basins of materials for him to process, as they were intended to entertain the technicians from the post office.

Chen Fan simply combined the two families' cooking into one pot, making five large bowls of braised turtle and five large bowls of sauerkraut fish.

Then we officially started eating.

Three dining tables were set up in the open space outside. They were proper "Eight Immortals Tables," which are large square tables with a few benches on them. Two people could sit on each side, so there were a total of eight people seated, hence the name "Eight Immortals Tables."

The head chef and his assistants were invited to sit down, while the family members were seated at a separate table inside the house. The extra braised turtle and pickled fish were for them.

According to the local custom, the craftsmen do not eat at the same table as the guests, so Master Liu also went inside to eat at a side table.

Chen Fan blinked at him, about to follow him on his own, but was stopped by Huang Laosi, who invited him to eat at the main table outside.

Seeing his bewilderment, Liu Jujiang chuckled and explained in a low voice, "Today's slaughtering is different from the day before yesterday. That day, I was just helping out, and the team leader gave me some meat as a thank you gift. Today, I'm the fire-tending master they hired, and I only get two yuan for my services, so of course I can't sit at the main table."

You're just like me when I made the pork stew that day. You're just helping out and only making two dishes. Brother Huang will definitely give you a thank-you gift later, so he won't give you any extra money.

"Do you want to pay and come inside with me for a side meal, or do you want to eat at the main table outside for free?"

Chen Fan instantly understood: "If I take the money, I'll be a craftsman; if I don't take the money, am I still a customer when I come to help?"

Liu Jujiang nodded, "That's right, that's the meaning."

Chen Fan said without hesitation, "Then I'll eat out."

It wasn't that he was embarrassed to accept money from others; if Liu Jujiang could accept it, so could he.

The main reason is that he's about to become a broadcaster. If he becomes a jack, people will gossip behind his back, saying that the broadcaster of Lujiawan Brigade is Chen the jack. What about his and the brigade's reputation?
Judging from Captain Yang's reaction yesterday, it's clear that being a broadcaster is a prestigious profession, much more respectable than being a craftsman. Why even ask who should choose?!

……

They sat down at a table outside. Chen Fan sat with the team leader, the bricklayer foreman, and the carpenter foreman. Huang Laosi was also there, along with three other people. After exchanging a few polite words with the team leader, the team leader took the first bite, and the meal officially began.

Since they were construction workers, the conversation naturally revolved around the house.

While working, Wang Youhai, the team leader, didn't utter a single idle word. But after downing half a bowl of wine, he began to chatter on and on: "Our place is still not good enough. Many places outside have started building brick and tile houses. Rows and rows of red brick houses look so beautiful."

Upon hearing this, Old Huang, who was sitting next to him, chimed in, "Really? Every household has a brick house?"

Today, custodian Huang had to oversee the installation of the loudspeaker, so he didn't come over. Otherwise, this position wouldn't be occupied by the eldest son, Huang, but by custodian Huang, the representative of this generation of the Huang family.

Wang Youhai took a sip of wine, then picked up a piece of pickled fish, eating it with great enthusiasm. He gave Chen Fan a thumbs up, saying, "Chef Chen's skills are truly amazing. I've never eaten such delicious fish before."

Chen Fan smiled modestly, "It's just something new to try."

My mind was racing, urging you to hurry up and tell me!

As a result, Wang Youhai ate another piece before slowly saying, "You may not know this, but a couple of years ago, some rural areas carried out 'square consolidation,' which required 'land in contiguous areas and residential areas in contiguous zones,' and gradually relocated farmers who originally lived in the old villages to newly selected places for unified living."

Moving was one thing, but the cost of building a new house still had to be paid for by the individual. At most, the production team would provide some materials. Those without money would still build mud-walled, thatched huts, while those who could afford it or borrow money built brick and tile houses. So, in some places, there were long rows of impressive red brick houses.

Upon hearing this, Huang Laoda and Huang Laosi exchanged a glance and asked in surprise, "Why don't we have such good things here?"

Although we have to pay for the building ourselves, it would be good if the team could provide some materials. The biggest expense in building a house is the cost of materials, so every little bit helps, and we might save a hundred or two hundred yuan.

They toiled tirelessly in the fields, and a strong laborer could only earn two or three hundred yuan a year, provided the harvest was good and he couldn't get sick or take leave. Even so, after deducting food, drink, and support for his family, a family was lucky to have a few dozen yuan left. It would take several years to save up a hundred or eighty yuan.

Wang Youhai glanced at them, pursed his lips, and said, "Their requirements are 'contiguous land and residential areas along a line.' Look at our place, every few steps there's a hurdle, and a few more steps there's a slope. How can we have contiguous land along a line?"

Old Huang chuckled dryly, "If that's the case, even half of Yunhu Lake wouldn't be enough."

"is not that right."

Wang Youhai continued, "Furthermore, don't be fooled by the fact that building a mud-walled house only costs three or four hundred yuan. But if you want to build a large red brick house with tiled roofs, it won't be less than 1000 yuan."

Old Huang's eyes widened. "That much money?"

Wang Youhai put down his chopsticks and started counting on his fingers, “Let me do the math for you. A red brick costs 3 cents a piece. To build a three-bay house like yours, which is about 65 to 70 square meters, you would need 10000 red bricks. The cost of just buying the bricks alone would be 300 yuan, which is equivalent to the cost of your entire house!”

Old Huang picked up his wine bowl and chuckled, "Can't afford it, can't afford it!"

Wang Youhai laughed and said, "You can't handle this? There's more."

He then continued to calculate, “Red brick houses cannot use wooden pillars, they must use cement pillars, that’s 20 yuan, 9 cement beams will cost 90 yuan, wooden rafters will cost 100 yuan, floor tiles will cost 100 yuan, 1200 red tiles, each tile will cost 1 cents, that’s another 120 yuan, then add 50 yuan for cement, 50 yuan for lime, and 80 yuan for construction costs.”

There are other miscellaneous expenses too. Furniture will cost money, right? This huge meal will last for three or four days, that will cost money, right? And all these laborers, even if you don't pay them wages, you'll still need a bottle of wine and two packs of cigarettes a day, right?
And then there's the subsequent application and finishing touches; you can calculate the cost yourself.

Huang Laosi decisively raised his hands, "We can't afford it, we really can't afford it!"

(End of this chapter)