Development of productivity started in 1981

Chapter 27: Learning to drive and turning a bicycle into a motorcycle
1981年8月15日，农历7月16日
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Wang Jiankun rode his bicycle to Tsinghua University early in the morning. He had to get some things done as soon as possible, otherwise it would be too late to prepare when school started.

Arriving at Tsinghua University, I found Hu Xiyang, who was about to start the car and go to the intersection to wait for passengers. When he saw Wang Jiankun coming, he hurriedly asked, "Jiankun, you are here, do you need a car?"

"Yes, I'm going to Raozhou tomorrow. Are you free?"

"Are you free? What time do you leave tomorrow? Are you going to Raozhou to bring lighters from your production team?"

"It's best to leave at dawn tomorrow. You have to leave early. My father and I will go together. Bring some lighters with you. You have to teach my father on the way."

"Okay, then it's settled. I'll rush to your production team at dawn tomorrow."

"Okay, one more thing. Can you help me get some cement next month? I need about 5 tons. My family is planning to build a house."

"Sometime next month, if cement production increases after September 9, I think I can find a way to get 15 tons for you."

"It's still in time to get it by the end of September."

"That should be no problem. At that time, all three kilns were in operation, so it would be no problem to produce tons."

"I'll give you the price for the cement first, and I'll add another 50 yuan for you to help with relationships and gifts."

"Okay, I will deliver the cement to you on time so that it won't affect the construction of your house."

After discussing these two things, Wang Jiankun went to the supply and marketing cooperative to inquire about the supply of paint and kerosene. The supply and marketing cooperative said that they had as much of these two items as needed and there was a factory in Raozhou producing them.

It turns out that this green paint is gradually becoming unpopular, and most of it is sold to county towns and towns. Cities now use paints with more blendable colors and smaller particles.

Kerosene sales are even lower in cities. Electric lamps are used for lighting now, and kerosene cannot be sold in some big cities. People buy it cheaply and use kerosene stoves to cook and boil water.

Wang Jiankun was relieved to see that there was no problem with the supply of these two raw materials, but he also planned to go back and ask the team to store enough for half a month's use. When the time comes, new materials will be used with old materials to ensure that production will not be interrupted.

As for flints and springs, Wang Jiankun plans to rely on his super powers to supply them this year.

One reason is that these two types of items are small in size. A cubic box can hold 1 flints or 50 springs.

Another reason is that Wang Jiankun had not figured out how to make these two types of equipment, as there are many processes involved and the two sets of equipment cannot be produced all at once, and their rationality is also easily questionable.

When he arrived at Tsinghua Post and Telecommunications Office, Wang Jiankun called Cheng Yong and asked him about the sales of his lighters.

Cheng Yong said that I sent you a telegram yesterday, but it seems that you haven't received it yet.

Wang Jiankun thought that I should set off early this morning, and maybe Wang Liping would go to Fengshan today to get it and bring it back to the team.

Cheng Yong told Wang Jiankun to buy more goods to send to Raozhou. More than half of the goods sent last time have been sold, and more and more dealers are coming to him after hearing the news. Now he no longer delivers less than 100 goods, but asks them to wait for the next batch of goods to arrive.

Wang Jiankun didn't expect the sales of lighters to explode so quickly. He had thought that due to the inconveniences in communication and transportation, the sales explosion would only occur in October at least.

It seems that the 10 yuan a month mentioned last night is not far away. Maybe it will be achieved next month.

Wang Jiankun told Cheng Yong that another batch of 1400 pieces had been received, including 1000 painted ones, 200 brass ones and galvanized ones, and would be delivered to Raozhou tomorrow.

Cheng Yong was very happy to hear what Wang Jiankun said, and asked Wang Jiankun to expedite the delivery and order. Maybe two to three thousand units could be sold every day in September.

Wang Jiankun hung up the phone and prepared to go home. He wanted to prepare for the expansion as soon as possible.

On his way back and passing Fengshan, Wang Jiankun went to the blacksmith shop and chatted with his classmates and Cha Xiaoming.

This time we went to the blacksmith shop and dismantled the iron forging area, leaving only the calcining furnace and the sand casting area. We also added three grinders and three more people.

Only Master Quan's second son was doing the assembly, and he said the others were assigned to some people's homes for assembly.

His youngest son has gone to Raozhou to manage the warehouse, and in a few days a truckload of clocks will be shipped to Raozhou.

At Master Quan's house, he talked about the recent sales situation and said that they could produce more than 80 units a day. He was stocking up on goods these two days and was preparing to transport a truck to Raozhou.

Wang Jiankun plans to reduce the frequency of transportation of springs and glass, and plans to deliver 1 sets each time, 3 to 4 times a month, and settle the payment and commission together every month.

Master Quan also agreed, and this way his financial pressure was much less. Although he sold a lot of goods, the investment was also not small.

Master Quan also suggested whether the table clock could have more styles and a few higher-end ones.

Wang Jiankun said it was possible, the basic parts could remain unchanged, but the material and shape could be changed.

For example, high-end ones use copper for the pendulum and hands, and the dial can be custom-made from ceramic in Jingdezhen.

You can even consider gold plating and buying some precious wood for the base.

The appearance of the base can also be carved, with some decorative pieces added, etc.

After hearing what he said, Master Quan was inspired to buy some red copper and make a batch of high-end ones as a trial. If the results were good, he would try other things.

After all, when there are more designs, the price will definitely go up, and it’s hard to say whether consumers will buy it.

After chatting for a while, Wang Jiankun rode his bike home. Passing by the red soil tea mountain, Wang Jiankun synthesized 100 kilograms of gray cast iron and took it home. This was enough to make 2 pieces, which could temporarily meet the production needs for a few days.

This time I went to Raozhou to get 5 tons of gray cast iron, which is enough to make 20 lighters. After all, I may not be able to go to Raozhou frequently after going to school.

Everyone in the family was busy out, so Wang Jiankun didn't have to explain. When he came back at noon, he said that he had bought some gray iron plates last time and forgot to take them out.

During lunch, Wang Jiankun told his mother that he had found 100 kilograms of gray cast iron and could arrange for it to be taken for stamping in the afternoon.

Then he changed the call with Cheng Yong and said that the expansion of the lighter factory must start immediately from today and there is no time to wait.

Grandpa asked if it was too hasty.

"We have to be anxious. We are the only one selling cheap lighters on the market. We need to start production as soon as possible. If we are late, more and more people will see the shortage in the market and try to find ways to make them."

"Then we'll discuss building the factory with the team leaders this afternoon. We'll build it at a cost of 10 per month. You'll produce a blueprint later."

"We should expand the workstations in the tea factory first and build the new factory at the same time. When part of the new factory is built, we will move some equipment. This will maximize efficiency."

"You are smart and quick-witted. Can you buy the equipment when you go to Raozhou this time?"

"Sure, I'm familiar with the people there, and this equipment is simple. The difficult part is the mold manufacturing."

"That's good. I'll help you keep an eye on the site at home, and you can go to Raozhou to get the equipment and raw materials."

"My father will go with us tomorrow. He will follow the truck a few more times to get familiar with the road conditions and get to know the receivers there."

"No problem. How do we arrange the delivery of glass and clockwork in the future? Master Quan is asking for more and more quantities now. Each time, it's several thousand dollars. I don't feel comfortable letting outsiders take it."

"I made an agreement with Master Quan when I passed by Fengshan this time. We will deliver 1 sets each time, about once every six or seven days. We will record the payment each time and settle it together with the dividends at the end of the month. You can settle it with your mother or father at that time. We will still ask Wang Liping to use the team's ox cart to deliver the goods."

"That's a good arrangement. I'll go talk to Wang Liping and ask her to pay him an extra 2 yuan for each delivery."

"Sure, he's my relative after all, and it takes up most of my time, although the full work points in the team are not worth 2 yuan a day now."

In the afternoon, Wang Jiankun did not run far. He just transported metallic zinc back and forth to the copper mine and tea mountain, synthesized it into brass and galvanized iron, and then transported it back and put it in wooden boxes.

After all, we don't plan to mass-produce these two types of lighters in the future, so we will just use these zinc synthetic metal sheets and produce about 1 of each per month.

By then, perhaps the scarcity of goods will make them more valuable, and the price may be even higher.

The next day, before dawn, the father and son got up, washed, had breakfast, and then used their bicycles to transport 1400 lighters to the side of the road.

Not long after, Hu Xiyang arrived in a truck, found a spacious place to turn around, and the three of them loaded the lighter and two bicycles into the truck and set off.

On the way, Hu Xiyang talked about the various road conditions and the names of the places they passed.

Wang Jiankun wrote it down in a notebook and went back to ask his father to confirm it.

After taking a short break in Wuyuan County, Hu Xiyang also took his father to familiarize himself with the various parts of the truck, which parts are prone to failure, etc.

He also taught some driving skills, such as how to start the car, how to shift gears, how to look at the road and the rearview mirror, etc. Although such explanations cannot make my father learn, at least he has a preliminary impression. In the future, Wang Jiankun will also reinforce his father from time to time, so that he will have a foundation for learning to drive in Raozhou, and it will not be so tiring to learn.

After all, today's drivers are all very arrogant. Even though Cheng Xing's friends will teach them and pay them, if they try to learn without knowing anything, they will definitely be scolded.

Wang Jiankun didn't want his father to suffer any injustice, so he asked his father to learn more now so that he could have an easier time in Raozhou.

Hu Xiyang was also very serious and responsible. He explained everything along the way, and Wang Jiankun took notes in a large notebook.

It seems that there is a reason why the driver is so arrogant. After all, there are so many things to remember, and some matters may lead to car accidents if not handled properly.

They arrived in Raozhou at 10 a.m. After unloading the lighters in front of Cheng Xing's shop, they asked Hu Xiyang to go to the guesthouse to rest first.

Wang Jiankun introduced his father to Cheng Yong and Cheng Xing. After a brief greeting, they went inside to settle the accounts.

The total wholesale price of these 1400 lighters is 2 yuan.

Cheng Yong took out the 21-step Great Unity that he had prepared, and Wang Jiankun and his father each took a portion of the points.

Obviously, his father had never counted so much money before, and it took him half an hour to finish counting. Wang Jiankun didn't want to appear abnormal, so he counted with him. After they found no differences, Wang Jiankun and his father rode back to the guesthouse.

Cheng Yong wanted to treat everyone at noon, but Wang Jiankun said he had important things to do in the afternoon, so he would treat everyone in the evening after he finished his work. They would go to the same restaurant as last time.

Cheng Yong said let’s get together in the evening.

After returning to the guesthouse, Wang Jiankun asked his father to keep the 1 yuan, and he took the 1 yuan for himself, saying that he would use it to buy raw materials and equipment.

The father had no objection. Now his son was the one who earned the most money in the family, and he was also sensible and would not spend the money recklessly.

At noon, the three of them went to a slightly busier restaurant on the street to eat. They didn't drink any alcohol because in the afternoon Wang Jiankun asked Hu Xiyang to take his father to learn how to drive so that he could master some basic driving knowledge as soon as possible.

After dinner, they were allowed to go back to the guesthouse to rest. In the afternoon, they found a place to practice driving. They agreed to meet at the guesthouse at 4 o'clock to transport the goods. Wang Jiankun went to the scrap yard.

I bought 6 tons of scrap iron and 5 kilograms of copper from it, enriched the manganese and other heavy metals they contained and sold them, and also bought 2 cubic meters of scrap wood.

They asked the scrap yard to find a truck to transport the goods to a less crowded intersection, unload the goods on the roadside, and then told them that people from the commune would send a cart to take them away because the truck couldn't fit in.

The goods are transported to the location the owner says, and they leave after unloading.

Wang Jiankun combined the materials for this car into 5 tons of gray iron plates, 30 springs, 12 stamping machines, and 6 sets of molds and assembly tools such as paint spray pots.

These were packed into wooden boxes one by one, covered with straw, and waited to be loaded onto trucks and taken away in the evening.

After finishing all these, Wang Jiankun went to the department store to see what power tools were available, but he couldn't find any after looking around.

After leaving the department store, Wang Jiankun rode his bike for a walk. When passing by a repair shop, he saw a Jialing 50 motorcycle that he had seen in a magazine in the shop.

However, this motorcycle looks like it has been scrapped. The front wheel hub is broken, the tire is torn, one of the front fork walls is broken, the black paint is all scratched, and several headlights are broken.

Wang Jiankun stopped the car and asked about the situation, whether the car was going to be repaired or scrapped.

The owner of the repair shop said unhappily that this was bought by his good-for-nothing son, who had been riding it for a short time when he got into an accident and is still in the hospital. The bike has been left here and he will sell it to the scrap yard when he has time. He also asked his colleagues in the repair shop, and they said that such damage cannot be repaired unless spare parts are bought from the original factory to replace it. However, the money needed to buy spare parts is not much less than that needed to buy a new bike, so it would be better to sell the scrap and buy a new bike with that time and money.

When Wang Jiankun heard him say that he was going to sell it to a scrap yard, he said, "Master, I've always wanted to buy a motorcycle, but I haven't seen any in Shangrao. Why don't you sell it to me? I can definitely offer you a higher price than the scrap yard, and you don't even have to deliver it to me."

The owner of the repair shop asked, "How much are you prepared to pay for it?"

"Now a new car costs about 3 yuan. Your car only has the engine and rear wheels in good condition. How about I charge you 5 yuan for the intact parts? The scrap yard will give you 1 yuan at most."

The owner of the repair shop was tempted when he saw that he offered 1 yuan. In fact, he went to ask the scrap yard, but the offer was only 400, less than a fraction of what he paid for the car.

But he didn't intend to give in and wanted to get more from Wang Jiankun.

Seeing that he wanted to raise the price, Wang Jiankun pushed the bicycle and prepared to leave.

When the boss saw that he was about to leave, he said, how could he do that? He had finally found someone who could afford the price.

So he grabbed Wang Jiankun and said he was willing to let him buy it for 1 yuan.

Wang Jiankun stopped and walked to the side of the motorcycle. He looked at the motorcycle carefully. Although it had been projected into his mind, the feeling of seeing it in the real world was still very different.

After looking at it for a while, I discussed with Tomoko how to repair it, and then asked the boss to give him the gifts that were given when I bought the car.

The boss thought that this request was not excessive, so he took out some of the things he had given as a gift and said that they were all here. The helmet was broken, but the others were intact.

Wang Jiankun looked at the instruction manual, certificate of conformity and invoice, confirmed that they were correct and paid 1 yuan to the boss. He then found a cart nearby to take the motorcycle away.

Wang Jiankun led the way, holding the bicycle. When they came to an intersection, he said that he would drop it off there and wait for someone to come and take it away. He then unloaded the motorcycle from the cart together with the driver.

After the cart went away, Wang Jiankun began to repair the motorcycle.

With the help of his super powers, Wang Jiankun repaired the front fork wall, steel rim and tire.

Several lights and useful parts were also restored one by one.

The exterior of the car was then repaired, and the helmet was also repaired.

Not long after, a brand new black Jialing 50 appeared in front of us.

Wang Jiankun put the bicycle aside, walked a few laps with the help of the motorcycle, then started the car and drove slowly in first gear until he got used to how to adjust the center of gravity and slowly shift gears.

There were not many people on the road, and Wang Jiankun was able to ride steadily after half an hour. He then tied the bicycle to the back and rode the motorcycle back to the guesthouse.

At this time, his father and Hu Xiyang were already waiting for him. When they saw him unloading the bicycle from a black motorcycle, they hurried over to ask what happened.

Wang Jiankun said that he had asked a friend to buy it for him, and it happened to be delivered today so he rode it back.

My father did not doubt his words. After all, he had been to Raozhou several times and could get lighter equipment and raw materials, so it should not be difficult for him to get a motorcycle.

My father still had some questions to ask, and after unloading the bicycle, he asked, "How much did you buy it for? How come you can ride a motorcycle now?"

"It cost 3500 yuan. Anyone who knows how to ride a bicycle can ride it after learning how to shift gears. When you get home and become proficient at riding a bicycle, I will teach you how to ride a motorcycle."

"That's great. I didn't expect that I would have a motorcycle to ride just after I got on a bicycle."

"You'll still be driving the truck next month. When our road is repaired, we'll get a car."

"We can't be so high-profile. Our commune and county leaders don't ride in cars. We have motorcycles and trucks, which are good enough and practical. Cars are not practical."

"Let's talk about it later. You and Hu Xiyang get on the truck and follow my motorcycle to transport the goods."

So the three of them went to where Wang Jiankun kept the materials and equipment and loaded boxes of goods into the car.

The three of them returned to the guesthouse and washed up. They were covered in dust from moving goods, so they had to be clean before eating.

Walk to Cheng Xing's shop and invite them to have dinner at the same restaurant we went to last time.

Before coming, Wang Jiankun told his father and Hu Xiyang not to tell anyone about the goods shipped today, because he wanted to let the Cheng brothers know that the production site was not good.

At the dinner table, Wang Jiankun and Cheng Xing drank beer, and the other three drank white wine. They ate until around 9 o'clock.

I didn't expect that my father could be so talkative at the dinner table, and we even played finger-guessing games afterwards.

Wang Jiankun thought this was a good idea, as his father should be able to handle transportation and sales in the future.

These days, business is usually discussed over a dinner table. If you can handle things over a dinner table, your business is halfway to success.

Cheng Yong also talked about the mahjong mat. He said that he could get it when he came to deliver it next time. Some friends in Guangzhou already bought it there and sent it over.

In fact, Wang Jiankun didn't care much about the mahjong business, but in order to let the rich lead the poor, he had to develop the resources of his hometown first so that other production teams would have an industry that could make money.

(End of this chapter)