Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 652: The Rise of Plastic Greenhouses It’s finally snowing!
The next day, around 9 o'clock.

Lao Qian and Liu Xuemin led four people from the agricultural machinery station to Lao Xu's house, driving two cars respectively, one old Jiefang and one old Dongfeng.

Xu Ning asked Li Fuqiang and Wang Hu to unload the iron pipes, plastic films and pipe pressing machines from the rear compartment and place them neatly in the yard.

Afterwards, Xu Ning directed them to start measuring the size of the platform under the eaves. On average, an iron pipe was inserted every one and a half meters, and the height was just right to reach the eaves.

They first tried using a pipe pressing machine to bend the iron pipe. After it had a slight curvature, two or three people held the iron pipe under the eaves to measure it. When they felt the length and height were about the same, they determined the length and curvature of the iron pipe.

Since this was the first time to do this, even the most experienced people could not help but pause from time to time, so it was not until noon that they just finished nailing the wooden pegs under the eaves.

After lunch, everyone got busy again. They first nailed the wooden pegs, inserted the bent iron pipes into them, covered them with plastic film, and filled the gaps around with moss. In this way, when it snows, the snow will press down the plastic film on the ground.

However, there was a crucial problem that needed to be solved, which was where to open the door. After some research, Xu Ning and others decided to open a small door on the east side, that is, in the second east room. When making the small door, the people at the agricultural machinery station worked much faster because they had made greenhouse doors before.

It was not until around three o'clock in the afternoon that the plastic shed under the eaves of Old Xu's house was finally completed!
The old women looked up at the plastic shed. The plastic was not too thin. Even if it snowed, the snow would slide down the curve to the ground. There was no need to worry about the snow collapsing the plastic shed.

"This thing is really great! I can't feel any wind when I stand inside. I definitely don't need to paper up the windows in winter."

Han Fengjiao nodded: "Not bad, we can put a few tanks here, and we don't have to run downstairs to get things, it's quite convenient."

Liu Lizhen felt very satisfied. When she lived in the old house in previous years, she had to paste the window gaps every winter. If there was plastic sheeting, she would use sorghum stalks to seal the windows. But now with the plastic shed, not only can she open the windows for ventilation in winter, but it is also warmer than sealing the windows.

Outside the plastic shed, Xu Ning, Lao Qian, Liu Xuemin and others gathered together to discuss the cost of iron pipes and plastic film. Then Liu Xuemin calculated that the cost of plastic film and iron pipes used in five rooms was 18 yuan, which did not include labor and installation fees.

Xu Ning frowned and said, "The cost is indeed a bit high."

Liu Xuemin said with a smile: "Of course it is high! I bought you thick plastic sheeting, which costs only 4 yuan. The iron pipe is also relatively thick, and it can be used for three or four years. There is no need to buy plastic sheeting every year. On average, even if it is used for three years, it will only cost more than 6 yuan a year."

Li Fuqiang grinned and said, "That's quite cheap! Brother, give me one too."

Wang Hu said: "My family also has this! This thing looks very straight."

"Just fix it, pay for it yourself."

Liu Xuemin waved his hand and said, "Why pay? Our family members will be treated for free. Just consider it as publicity."

"How can that work? You have to pay for it, otherwise how are you going to pay for it? No, you guys should research this, I won't get involved."

Lao Qian advised: "Brother Liu, do as Erning said. The plastic sheeting and iron pipes are not for nothing. If you lose money, it will be troublesome for the station to check the accounts later."

"Okay! Then I'll charge you the cost price."

Xu Ning reminded him, "I heard you say that plastic sheeting and iron pipes are good or bad? Then you can set a standard, for example, one price for thin plastic with thick iron pipes, another price for thick plastic with thin iron pipes, four prices in total. Whoever wants to install a plastic shed can choose it by himself."

Liu Xuemin clapped his hands and said, "This is a good idea! Democracy!"

"It has to be democratic. Prices should be clearly marked, but labor costs should also be calculated. How much money two people can earn as a family should be worked out."

Lao Qian said: "I think after deducting the cost and labor, each family can only save six or seven yuan."

Xu Ning waved his hand and said, "Impossible! Who would bother with this with only 20 or 18 yuan left? There should be at least 48 yuan left. The cost price of a shed like mine is yuan, so let's set it at yuan."

"48 yuan... a month's salary for an employee. Who can be willing to spend that money?"

"There must be someone willing to do so. Don't worry. Spending one month's salary to keep you warm for three years, isn't that worthwhile?"

Chen Hedong said: "It's only 16 yuan a year, there must be people willing to do it."

Liu Xuemin nodded: "Okay, let's do this for now! I'll talk to Zhibin later. If we can't fix it in the countryside, we can definitely fix it in the city!"

"OK……"

Although the profit is less than riding a donkey backwards, this thing does not require much technical skills. You only need to find two people who are good at working and can do it. At this time, someone may ask, this plastic shed is easy to make, aren't you afraid that someone will learn and imitate it?

It is just a random imitation, this kind of unskilled work, the main difficulty lies in the acquisition of raw materials. Plastic sheets and iron pipes are simply not available for purchase by ordinary people, and there is no channel to purchase them in large quantities.

And those who have channels don’t care about these little things. They work so hard to earn just over 10 yuan…

Xu Ning invited everyone to come in for tea. Liu Lizhen signaled to her oldest son to the north kitchen. She bowed her head and whispered, "Son, this plastic shed is very well made. Your uncle and your second aunt like it. Ask..."

Before my mother finished speaking, Xu Ning said with a smile: "Can I eat alone? Prepare it for my second uncle and my eldest brother's family tomorrow, and then for my uncle the next day."

On the side, Han Fengjiao said with a smile: "I knew Erning had already arranged it, we don't even need to ask."

Sun Lianfang said, "Brother, do you want to give my house the whole thing as well?"

"You don't even go home to live, what are you doing?"

Guan Lei spent most of his time in Lengchang, and Sun Lianfang lived with Wang Shujuan at Old Xu's house. Sometimes when Xu Long came back, she would live in the second east room of Old Wang's house. Anyway, there was always a place to stay wherever she went.

Meng Ziyan whispered, "Should I build one for my mother's house as well?"

"Of course I have to buy it. The cost price is 18 yuan. You will pay Brother Liu 6 yuan later. This thing should last for three or four years, which is only 37 yuan a year on average. But you have to tell others that it is nearly 2 yuan, understand?"

"Ah, I know."

"Only more than 6 yuan a year? That's quite cheap!" Han Fengjiao said with a smile.

These old ladies all think the price is not expensive, and the reason is naturally that their families have become wealthy.

Xu Ning smiled and said, "Of course, they are our family, so it would be expensive to sell them to outsiders."

"Okay! I'll give the money to Xuemin later."

After that, the old women went home to get the money. When Yang Shuhua was about to go home, she was stopped by Li Fuqiang. After talking carefully, she found out that Li Fuqiang had already given all the money.

In the evening, the sun sets and the colorful clouds are dazzling.

When Xu Laonian and Wang Erli came back, they saw the army green old Dongfeng parked outside the door. Xu Laonian couldn't suppress his joy and gently caressed the old Dongfeng. When he was about to get into the back compartment to enjoy it, he heard Wang Erli scream "Oh my God!"

"Brother, take a quick look!"

"What's the matter?"

Xu Laonian hurried over and was a little confused when he saw the plastic shed under the eaves of his house.

"What the hell is this... Why is the greenhouse in front of the door?"

At this time, Li Fuqiang, who was chatting in the plastic shed, pushed open the door, stood in the woodshed, and shouted, "Uncle, uncle, come in here!" The two hurriedly walked over, and Xu Laonian asked, "The shed that was closed today? Your brother wants to grow vegetables in the shed?"

"It can keep out the wind and cold, it's much better than papering the windows. Uncle, second uncle, come in and feel it."

Xu Laonian looked up and saw Liu Xuemin and Lao Qian. They greeted each other. When Xu Laonian and Wang Erli entered the plastic shed, they really didn't feel any wind. They looked curiously at the gap between the eaves and the shed. Seeing that it had been sealed with moss, they nodded with satisfaction.

"It's a nice touch! How much did it cost?"

Wang Hu said, "It's not a lot of money. We booked all five rooms for only 18 yuan."

"This thing should last for three years."

Wang Erli said: "That's really not expensive, why don't we have it?"

"I haven't had enough time. I will deal with my family and Brother Qiang's family tomorrow. Today is the first time, so I'm not very experienced yet."

Xu Laonian smiled and said to Lao Qian and the others, "Come in! You can stay here tonight."

"Uncle Xu, we have to go back to the street to get plastic and iron pipes, otherwise we won't be able to work tomorrow and we'll have to stay here overnight."

"Okay! Let your aunt prepare two more dishes tomorrow."

Liu Xuemin said with a smile: "The food for lunch today is quite hard..."

"..."

Two days later, the Wang, Meng, Li and Liu families had all installed plastic sheds. Since the Meng, Li and Liu families were located in the center of the village, the plastic sheds looked extremely eye-catching.

When people passed by, they looked into the courtyard. If they saw Wu Qiuxia and Yang Shuhua, they would ask what the plastic shed was for. After learning that it could block wind and cold, they had some ideas in their minds, but they backed off when they asked about the price, because five rooms would cost nearly 50 yuan, and three rooms would definitely cost 30...

However, there were people in Qing'an Village who had wealthy families, such as Du Shoucai and Lao Tang. The two of them basically did not bargain and directly gave the money to Liu Xuemin. But after he learned about the relationship between Du Shoucai and Xu Ning, he secretly returned the money to Du Shoucai, keeping only the cost price, and pocketed Lao Tang's share.

Afterwards, Liu Xuemin went to Taipingtun to install a plastic shed for Lao Hu's family. The business of this plastic shed gradually became famous in Qing'an. Some people were deterred by the price, some thought it was worth it, and some thought they could make it by themselves with some wood or plastic. In short, only a few people spent money...

Xu Ning and Meng Ziyan went to Old Meng's house. His house had a total of three rooms, and the door was on the west side, which was connected to a shed where wood was stored. Meng Quezi and Liu Fenfang said that this thing was very practical. They had only been busy pasting windows before and had never thought about plastic sheeting.

In fact, even if they think about it, most people are reluctant to spend money...

Chen Hedong stayed at Old Xu's house for five days. He and Xu Ning went for two trips to Nanshan. One trip was to hunt dogs, and they only caught three wild boars, all of which were sent to Lengchang. The other trip was to Dongshan to hunt, and they picked up a few pheasants and catfish.

That night, Chen Hedong sat on a stool leaning against the edge of the kang, holding a cup of tea in one hand and eating melon seeds in the other, staring at the TV. He suddenly said, "I have to go back tomorrow."

Xu Ning tilted his head and said, "Why rush? Just stay for a few more days. There won't be anything to worry about when you go back."

"You have to go back, my grandfather won't live for many years, so every chance you get to see him is a plus."

"Are you going back by train? Or are you looking for a ride?"

Chen Hedong thought for a moment and said, "Let's take the train. I don't have much money anyway."

It is normal to think that if you don’t have money, you won’t be afraid of thieves stealing.

At this time, Wang Shujuan passed by the door of the west room and said, "Erning, your brother will be back in two days. He will take me to the city for an inspection, and then he seems to be going to the province with his uncle for a meeting."

"Are they the only two going to the province?"

"I don't know. Why don't you give me a call and ask?"

Xu Ning nodded: "Okay, Brother Dong, you can stay for two more days. If there is room in my brother's car, you can go back to the provincial capital with my brother. You have met my third uncle, right?"

"I know that he is a comrade-in-arms with Wan Faqun and Liu Aimin, and he is also Zhang Aini's adoptive father... Now that we know each other, we are actually relatives."

"Not good!"

Li Fuqiang said, "How about taking a walk in the mountains tomorrow? Let Juan'er call Dalong."

Xu Ning turned to look at Chen Hedong and asked, "Are you going?"

"Go! I want to get some toads and loaches, stew them with soybean paste and make them very fragrant!"

"Then I won't take the dog out tomorrow, I'll go to Xiaoshi River to catch some fish..."

Meng Ziyan was pushed into the house by Sun Lianfang and said suddenly, "Lianfang wants to go too."

"Oh, sister-in-law! Didn't you want to go..." Sun Lianfang pursed her lips and hid behind her, not daring to look at Xu Ning.

Xu Ning smiled and said, "Let's go together. We can't drive very far anyway. Wear something thicker tomorrow and bring a few more pairs of boots."

"Okay! Don't worry, brother. I'm good at catching frogs. Just wait and see how I perform tomorrow."

Sun Lianfang spoke eloquently, and after that she happily took Meng Ziyan and Guan Hua to the east room.

In Xiaoshi River, the toads have fallen into semi-hibernation. They hide under the rocks or in the cracks of the shore, so catching toads is very simple. One person intercepts them with a scoop net downstream, and the others go down to the river to smash the stones, or lift the stones up and sweep the river surface with their feet to make the water turbid. The toads will then float down with the current and fall into the scoop net.

Flower loaches have fat bellies and short bodies, and live in water with grass. Sun Lianfang has indeed been playing with them since she was a child. She is better at catching fish than Xu Ning. She can use a scoop net to reach under the grass and then gently scoop it up, and she can catch three or five fish, in addition to many small white fish...

When I got home, I squeezed the small fish, coated it with flour and fried it in a pan. Then I simmered the loach with soybean paste, and stewed the toad and tofu in the same pot. This meal was simply amazing!
Chen Hedong ate very happily. It seemed that he liked it very much. Even his alcohol tolerance increased a bit.

After the meal, Wang Shujuan and Xu Ning said that Yang Yusheng would not be able to go to the provincial meeting until five days later. There were only Yang Yusheng, Xu Long and Ma Li in the car, and there was just an empty seat.

Chen Hedong was very happy to hear that. He didn't expect that he could take a jeep back to the province. This is much better than taking the train. Moreover, he can stop and rest when he is tired. He can also take turns driving with Xu Long.

However, on the day when Xu Long took Wang Shujuan to the city, snowflakes suddenly started falling at night.

Xu Ning looked at the snowflakes and smiled, "This snow shouldn't be too heavy. The forest farm is finally going to open up the mountains and build a large enclosure!"

Chen Hedong said regretfully: "Anyway, I can't catch up..."

"That's not certain. What if the road is closed due to heavy snow?"

Chen Hedong said with a smile: "Come on, forget it. Just look at the snowflakes and you'll know they're not big."

"Well, the snow particles are quite fine. It should be enough to reach your ankles."

(End of this chapter)