Journey 1995:Non-Stop

Chapter 83 Watching the Fun

To be honest, Yan Hui didn't have the skills that Zhao Ge and Wang Chao possessed. Every time he thought about this, Yan Hui felt that his fourth uncle's salary for him wasn't low at all.

But whenever Yan Hui thinks about doing business, he can't wait to find business opportunities.

More than half a month passed by unhurriedly, and the weather gradually became less hot.

During this time, Yan Hui gained a clear understanding of the entire factory's operation process. Since he shared a room with Brother Zhao, they often chatted, and he also learned some basic mechanical knowledge.

Brother Zhao told Yan Hui that Wang Chao was someone he had brought over. This young man used to be very careless in his work. Once, when he was making a wooden board with a small cutting machine, he lost his little finger because he was distracted.

The hospital he went to was very basic and didn't have the technology to replant severed fingers, so Wang Chao has been missing a finger ever since.

Wang Chao was discouraged for a long time and eventually became somewhat taciturn. But from then on, Wang Chao's personality changed drastically. He became meticulous when operating any machinery and became Brother Zhao's most capable assistant.

Because of Wang Chao's unique personality, Yan Hui didn't become friends with him. However, when Wang Chao had free time, Yan Hui would go over to ask him some technical questions, and Wang Chao never held back. Yan Hui could tell that Brother Zhao was actually being secretive; he always did many crucial steps in the workshop himself, sometimes even not letting anyone see. The things Yan Hui could ask Brother Zhao were mostly simple things.

That evening, after Yan Hui finished his work, Lao Guo came to find him again, and they played together near the freight station.

"Old Yan, to be honest, I've gotten used to your hairstyle after a few times, and it actually looks pretty good." Old Guo rubbed his hair. "It's making me want to shave it too."

“Okay,” Yan Hui generously took out five yuan, “you can get a shave, it’s on me.”

"So much money?" Old Guo suspected something was amiss and dared not accept the money.

"I can grow my hair out once it gets cooler," Yan Hui said, waving his hand in the air. "It's still a bit hot right now."

"What?"

"You know that processing plants are full of wood chips. When the weather gets cooler, I'll learn from the other workers and make myself a big Lei Feng hat. It'll be more comfortable than it is now," Yan Hui said, sounding somewhat expectant.

"You're something else. I've noticed you're really smart; you can come up with all sorts of clever ideas. What were those protective glasses you had last time? They were kind of interesting."

"That's called goggles! Haha, it'll do for now." Yan Hui laughed as he spoke.

A few days ago, Yan Hui tried making goggles for himself several times, and finally succeeded once. These so-called goggles were actually made from Laoshan mineral water bottles.

Laoshan mineral water comes in a transparent plastic bottle. Yan Hui peeled off the white label and then used a knife to carefully cut out enough material to cover the outline of his two eye sockets.

Uncle Si had a lot of empty mineral water bottles, which used to be picked up and sold for money. Yan Hui took a few, tried a few times, and modified them into two water bottle goggles.

Later, he improved the goggles by gluing cotton around the area that contacted the eye sockets. This made them both comfortable and provided a good seal. Once finished, the goggles were simply tied at both ends with a string and then put on the head.

The biggest problem with this thing is the poor visibility, because the front is a protruding round bottle structure. But that's not a problem, because the underground space is very narrow. After working on it for a week, Yan Hui can say that he knows how to remove sawdust with his eyes closed.

The benefits were enormous; the flying sawdust wouldn't get into his eyes at all. It was like wearing diving goggles underwater—he could see wide enough! Therefore, Yan Hui felt that wearing these was better than not wearing any, because he had always had to squint before. (The term "diving goggles" is for ease of understanding; at the time, Yan Hui had no idea what diving goggles were.)
Moreover, because the plastic bottle is large and has a round, convex design, it is difficult for wood chips to stick, while wood powder can be easily wiped off with an arm.

Yan Hui was thinking that once the weather got colder, he would wear a big Lei Feng hat, along with his earplugs, mask, and goggles, and then there would be no downsides to this job!

"It's really impressive; most people couldn't come up with something so good." Old Guo meant it sincerely. He had visited his fourth uncle's factory these past few days and knew about Yan Hui's work situation. "Last time you mentioned you were going to Jilin Province with your dad in a while?"

“I asked my dad last night, and he said I should go with my uncle. He won’t go. To be honest, I can’t help with the rosewood business here right now, so it’s good for me to go out and try my luck. I might go there for a year or two to learn something. To be honest, I know far less about timber than you do.”

"Oh? When are you going?" Yan Hui asked, feeling a little sad.

Throughout Fengtian, Lao Guo was his best friend.

"Don't worry, I can't go this year either, it will be next spring at the earliest." Old Guo patted Yan Hui on the shoulder. "So, do you have any good projects right now? Help me make some money, so that when I go to Jilin Province, I'll have some start-up capital."

"If you go there, won't you be working for your uncle?"

“My uncle also has a son.” Old Guo looked in one direction, then looked at Yan Hui. “You’ll understand when I tell you this.”

“That’s true.” Yan Hui nodded.

Yan Hui understood, of course, but he also knew that Lao Guo would have had a much more comfortable life than him, having directly joined the business. The reason was simple: Lao Guo's father was far more successful than Yan Hui's.

"Oh, by the way, if you want to talk about the project, follow me." Yan Hui waved in the direction of the freight station. "This way."

"You're here. Shall I give you a ride?" Old Guo adjusted his bicycle.

“It’s not convenient to ride a bike over there. You can park your bike in my uncle’s yard and we can walk over.”

"Row."

The two parked their bicycles and arrived at the freight station a few minutes later.

From afar, Yan Hui spotted Uncle Cheng Gui and Da Kai; the father and son's height was indeed striking.

"What are they doing?" Yan Hui asked curiously. "They look like they're arguing."

"Let's go, let's go take a look." The two idlers immediately moved closer.

As you get closer, you can hear some of their conversation; they are indeed arguing. Because of the distance and surrounding noise, you can only tell that they are arguing, but you can't make out the content of their argument.

"Don't get any closer, it'll be no fun if we get caught," Yan Hui said, stopping Lao Guo, who wanted to continue moving forward, as he just wanted to watch the show.

"From what I heard, it sounded like Da Kai's dad was scolding him for being useless?"

"Maybe, I don't know why they're arguing here." Yan Hui nodded. "It's pointless, let's go."

"Hey, listen, his dad said not to embarrass him here. What does that mean? Da Kai is here again?"

“Da Kai keeps running back and forth, and Xiao Bao is here too. Hmm, Xiao Bao is here?” Yan Hui was about to leave, but suddenly wanted to watch the show.

(End of this chapter)