Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 93 The Scissors Difference

After fixing the radio, Chen Fan took out the grandfather clock while he still had some time.

Carefully placing the glass cover aside, without even taking the base, I simply put the clock on the table and disassembled all the parts.

The structure of this old-fashioned clock was relatively simple, and Chen Fan found the problem without much effort.

The oscillating spring is broken, and two iron gears are severely rusted, while the other gears also have some rust marks.

Chen Fan took tweezers and disassembled all the parts, making notes on each one on a piece of paper. Then he found a large bamboo tube, sawed it in half, put all the parts inside, poured kerosene into it, and soaked the parts.

Jiang Lili watched his movements curiously, "What are you doing?"

Chen Fan glanced at her and smiled, "Some parts inside are rusty. Kerosene can remove the rust and clean the residual lubricant on the parts. Just soak them for a little over an hour, take them out, wipe them clean, and they're ready to use."

Jiang Lili's eyes widened. "You can fix it like this?"

Chen Fan shook his head. "Not yet."

As he spoke, he picked up the pendulum spring and said, "This part is faulty and cannot be repaired. It must be replaced with a new one. When we go to the market, we'll go to the commune to see if we can buy a new one."

However, he didn't have high hopes. After all, this place was too small. Even in a prefecture-level city, it wouldn't be difficult to find a watch repair shop. But in a commune, he shouldn't even think about it.

That morning, Captain Zhang told him that there was a coppersmith at the commune's repair shop who had also worked as a silversmith before, and asked if he could ask him to hammer out a pendulum spring.

This homemade pendulum spring doesn't need to last for many years; it just needs to last a few years. When I have the opportunity to go to a big city in the future, I can buy suitable spare parts.

Seeing that he was almost done with his work, Jiang Lili went to the kitchen to cook. Chen Fan also went to check his small mud bricks.

Not bad. Although there hasn't been much sunshine these past few days, there has been a lot of wind, which is perfect for air drying. I estimate it will be ready to use in another two days.

After lunch, I took a nap, and after waking up, I cleaned the parts, reassembled them, and waited for the new pendulum spring to arrive before the clock could be used.

I went to the brigade headquarters for another hour in the afternoon, and my first day of professional career passed by uneventfully.

……

The next morning, when Chen Fan was woken up by his alarm clock and saw the hands pointing to 5 o'clock, he had a deep question in his heart.

How did I become an unofficial militia member?
At 5 a.m. in winter, it's the time when a normal person is sound asleep, when the blankets are warmest, when it's the darkness before dawn, and when dreams are deepest...

Oh, right, it's a gun!
You can touch a gun, fire a cannon, and even legally own a gun!

Once you miss this opportunity, it's gone forever.

If you miss this era, you can forget about ever touching a gun again!
With that thought in mind, Chen Fan resolutely threw off the quilt, dressed as quickly as possible, opened the door, and prepared to rush into the darkness.

Then I saw red flames in the kitchen?

He was stunned for a moment, then quickly walked to the kitchen, where he saw Jiang Lili tending the fire in front of the stove. The red flames reflected on her face, making it look rosy.

Chen Fan blinked. "Why are you here so early?"

Startled by the sudden sound, Jiang Lili took a breath and said with a smile, "Didn't you say you were going to get up early today to train with the militia? I'll cook you some breakfast."

Chen Fan stared at her blankly for a while before pursing his lips and saying, "There's no need to get up so early. There's a kitchen at the brigade headquarters. I can just bring some food and heat it up there myself."

He paused for a moment, then added, "And there's a reference room there. I might not come back at noon anymore; I'll just read there and come back after the afternoon broadcast."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lili lowered her head and said, "Oh."

Chen Fan thought for a moment and then said, "But I'll still be back for dinner, so don't forget me when you're cooking."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lili couldn't help but look up and smile, "Oh."

He then glanced at the large iron pot, lifted the lid, and saw the porridge inside bubbling away. He quickly ladled it out and placed it on the table for him. "Why don't you eat first before you go?"

Chen Fan smiled and pointed outside, "Let me cool off first, I'm going to wash my face."

Chen Fan quickly finished washing his face and brushing his teeth, and the porridge had cooled a bit. He slurped it down and was about to leave when Jiang Lili suddenly called out to him, "Chen Fan, you said yesterday you were going to sell things at the market, were you going to sell cotton too?"

Chen Fan's eyes darted around slightly, and he nodded. "Ah, what's wrong? You want it?"

He then pointed to his room, saying, "Go get it yourself, take whatever you want."

Jiang Lili quickly shook her head, "No, no, I have my own."

She paused for a moment, then added, "I mean, instead of selling cotton, you should sell cotton quilts."

Chen Fan was taken aback. "A quilt?"

Jiang Lili nodded and pointed to the north, "The brigade has its own oil press, mill, and cotton gin, all over the 10th team. You can send your cotton there to be ginned into quilts."

On market day, people from the commune would be there, and they would definitely have people buying cotton quilts. Cotton only sold for 70 cents a pound, but cotton quilts could fetch 1.4 yuan. Even if the cotton carder charged 20 cents a pound, it was still much better than selling cotton.

Chen Fan's eyes widened. Even including processing fees, there was still a price difference of nearly 50%?!

Could this be the price scissors?!

Seeing that he didn't speak, Jiang Lili said again, "Even if you can't sell them all, it's easier to preserve them by fluffing them into cotton wadding, and you can keep them for yourself in the future."

Then she remembered what Chen Fan had said about staying at the brigade headquarters to read during the day, so she said, "If you're not free, I can deliver it to you, and I can also cover the processing fee for you first."

"Need not."

Chen Fan raised his hand and said, "The reading will be postponed for one day. I'll come back today and go with you."

He chuckled again, "But I'll need you to cover the processing fee for me."

Then, with a furrowed brow, he said, "A pound of cotton only costs 7 cents, but the processing fee is 2 cents?"

Jiang Lili explained, "7 cents is the price we sell it for. If it were a supply and marketing cooperative, it would sell for 9 cents, which is actually not low. The 2 cents processing fee also includes the cost of the cotton yarn. The cotton ginning workshop is also a collective enterprise of the brigade, and the cotton ginners also receive work points, so this price is actually not very profitable."

Chen Fan nodded. "Understood."

He then smiled at her and said, "Okay, I'll go to the brigade headquarters first, and we'll go together after I finish my early shift."

Jiang Lili smiled and nodded, "Okay."

Chen Fan waved his hand before turning and walking out.

Leaning on his dog-beating stick, he strode briskly all the way to the brigade headquarters. When he arrived, he took out his alarm clock and checked the time; it was still a quarter of an hour before 6 o'clock.

The gate to the brigade office was still closed. After another 10 minutes, Zhang Wenliang finally came to open the door.

"You're here pretty early."

Zhang Wenliang greeted him first, took out his key to unlock the door, and then asked, "Have you practiced before?"

Chen Fan shook his head. "No."

Zhang Wenliang glanced at him and said, "It's alright. You're quite tall and young, so you should be able to adapt in a few days. Here, I'll teach you a few moves to warm up. Once everyone's here, you can practice with us."

Chen Fan readily agreed, smiling and nodding, "Okay."

It didn't take long; in the time it took them to talk, all of the dozen or so people had arrived, and not a single one was late.

When Xiao Liewen walked over with his hands behind his back, he saw Chen Fan there and nodded in satisfaction.

His face immediately darkened. "Company Commander Zhang."

Zhang Wenliang immediately stood at attention and at ease, and said, "Here."

Xiao Liewen: "Let's begin our morning exercise."

(End of this chapter)