My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 26: Making Atomic Bombs Is Not as Good as Selling Tea Eggs
The mailbox factory is located in the deep mountains 170 kilometers away, and this large truck is the means of transportation to send the factory leaders out.

He was even tasked with moving the store back home.

The factory director, dressed simply, made no secret of the situation at the table: "This is the reception window that was previously allocated to us. We had quite a few people there at first, but this year, with budget cuts, the number is shrinking, and the factory is struggling to make ends meet. I'll give you this labor service department for 2,000 yuan a year."

This is not a commercial area, and no one rents the storefronts, or there is no awareness of renting out houses.

Weidong had heard that the later famous refrigerator factories, electrical appliance factories, and automobile factories now all had contract prices of several thousand yuan and buyout fees of hundreds of thousands of yuan.

Very cheap.

It's only a little over a hundred dollars a month, and I can earn enough money with just one basket of bacon.

But he remained calm and said with a smile: "Eat first, eat first, this tastes good..."

The bespectacled factory manager was anxious: "How can I eat more? The whole factory is waiting. I finally understand what it means to be like chewing wax."

Weidong didn't seem to be the type to just cut as many as he wanted: "Can't the higher-ups help with sales?"

The factory director shook his head and admitted, "We're connected to the aerospace sector, but now they've all stopped production. We have no funding and no projects, and they're clamoring for marketization. Of course, these materials used in space are no longer needed. Our superiors are also asking us to marketize, so we have to find our own way out!"

I was so anxious that my hair turned white. I rushed here overnight, but ended up meeting such a slow doctor like Rang Weidong, who only showed up now.

He poured himself a beer and continued, "We have to take it one step at a time. I'm just wondering where these other people can sell their titanium ingots, and how much they can fetch at most. Haven't the higher-ups given us any hints? I can then explore further along this line of thought."

The factory director was puzzled. "Our work discipline is confidentiality. Only those who strictly adhere to this discipline can gain the organization's trust. Under normal circumstances, we're not even allowed to inquire about the technical work of our own parents and children. This is the lesson learned from the millions of lives I've lost. For the work of various ministries and committees that isn't under my charge, we adhere to the basic principle of not caring about, not asking about, and not discussing it."

The auntie's chopsticks were as good as Goudan's, and she kept talking: "The higher-ups are still working, drinking tea and reading newspapers. After a few generations, they don't even know what titanium is."

She only shut up after another factory leader coughed.

Weidong understood that this was a huge planned economic system that had no contact with the outside world. Finding a way out on his own was like asking for death.

He nodded slowly. "I mainly want to earn some money selling bacon, but my classmate is definitely not willing to cooperate with others in this secretive business. I asked him and he said that buying by the ton is not a problem..."

He imitated the old doctor's heavy breathing, and sure enough, the two factory leaders froze their chopsticks.

"But how are we going to deliver these tons? Last time we delivered 100 kilograms to the university, it was such a hassle. It would probably be much more convenient to have a car."

He wasn't good at going around in complicated circles, so he was quickly exposed.

Fortunately, the other party was not cunning and breathed a sigh of relief: "We will assign the car to you, and Lao Li will be there to help you without saying a word."

But Weidong said, "I can drive a Dongfeng 140 myself. I'm an apprentice driver at the Shangzhou Second Transport Company. If possible, you can also lease this truck to me. I'll pay a combined annual contract fee of yuan."

The chopsticks that the factory leader had just put into the pot froze again.

Let Weidong sort out the relationship: "If it's feasible, I'll bring my parents here and try to open a shop selling cured meat and local specialties. They'll be considered temporary workers at the Labor Service Department. We have rural household registrations, so we're definitely close to our parents. I promise to bring back the sales proceeds before the Spring Festival to pay off the contract fees... I'll borrow money and try to pay it off before the New Year."

That’s 20,000 yuan.

In 83, it meant about two million or twenty million to ordinary people!
The titanium ingots stored in the warehouse were transferred to the superiors, but one ton would definitely not bring back so much money.

Another factory leader chimed in, "Foreign products are definitely more advanced and cheaper than ours. It's impossible for them to be lost in such quantities. We can't be making any mistakes. The February policy document assigned us to Jiangzhou City. We've had several meetings where they've urged us to fend for ourselves. Only then did they change this sales department to allow us to sell externally. I think there's no problem. We can put Xiao Rang in the sales department as well."

The old lady chewed the hot tripe and spoke quickly, "Xiao Rang has been coming and going many times. He sells bacon here in July and August. He knows everyone in the factories. Anyone who wants to come to the city can watch over him. I'm going back to celebrate the Spring Festival. The factory's trucks are no longer being used for transportation, so they're just parked there as decoration. Anyone who dares to do private work will be fired!"

Even if an ordinary driver is brave, he doesn't have a stable job and dares to take on such a contract.

Guessing there was really no other way, the factory director gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, come over as soon as possible with your household registration and other documents to sign the contract. We will also ship a ton of titanium ingots over. We will treat you with sincerity and hope to maintain long-term sales and overcome difficulties together!"

Another said cautiously, "Sister Wang, you should stand guard for the last shift and help Xiao Rang to run the sales office until the Spring Festival. Lao Li, go back and inspect the car thoroughly to make sure it is absolutely safe!"

Weidong immediately raised his glass, passed out cigarettes, and asked what the February document was.

The result was really a hurdle. Starting from February 83, Jiangzhou was approved to become a separately planned city, taking the lead in piloting large-city reforms and having provincial-level economic management authority.

The provincial capital in Weidong's mind had actually begun to enjoy provincial treatment from that moment on, until it was completely equal to the direct-administered government more than ten years later.

No wonder the business atmosphere in Jiangzhou City is much more relaxed.

But Shangzhou is still under the jurisdiction of the province at this time. On the contrary, the county where the non-ferrous metal factory is located has been allocated to Jiangzhou. It has been transformed from a third-line factory under the ministry into a social factory under the municipal government. The factory director would cry if he drank two more glasses of white wine.

This transition was too difficult for them. They felt abandoned.

If Weidong hadn't already had the mentality of a sixty-year-old, he would have probably told them that this titanium ingot could be sold for sixty-six thousand.

Still able to survive.

The business philosophy of this era is that I have the information gap, so I should make the money.

There is no business without fraud. If you don't make a profit from the difference between the two ends, is it a waste to learn new trends and do good deeds?
Let Weidong keep reminding himself not to be soft-hearted.

A person with a kind heart deserves to be poor.

The document was received in August, but the remote factory only took a look at it.

It is difficult for bad people to find such a closed environment with beautiful mountains and rivers.

Several adjacent third-line factories also have their own small docks, where they can directly load goods onto ships and send them down the Yangtze River.

But they mainly transport goods to northern Sichuan by road, so they always maintain a fleet of seven or eight trucks, two of which are Dongfeng 140 five-ton trucks, which are new models from the beginning of last year.

That was also the car allocated by the superior unit, but it was remodeled just after one year!
State-owned assets cannot be sold casually, so contracting is an attempt to make a living on one's own.

Eating, drinking and talking about things is indeed very convenient for building closer relationships and communicating.

Weidong secretly listed it as his second most powerful work weapon after smoking.

After eating and drinking, they all watched Weidong skillfully drive the truck in circles.

This type of Dongfeng truck has a steering gear that is easier to operate and a steering wheel that is much lighter than those old trucks. It is also faster and easier to drive, and has synchronized gear shifting. It can be said to be the most advanced popular model at the moment.

If the production site was not near Shangzhou, there probably wouldn’t be so many in this area.

Master Li, who has not yet realized that he will gradually lose his job, commented that Xiao Rang drives like a veteran driver and is very calm.

I have a deep understanding of left and right angles.

Little did he know that the main job of a security guard in later generations was to help parking lot owners reverse their cars, something he had understood for decades!
We agreed to say goodbye and board the boat immediately in the afternoon, arriving in the evening.

Erfeng had never heard Rang Weidong mention the three passes, but she still had a very clear perception of it.

I immediately felt that Weidong, who was driving the car, seemed like a god!

On the boat back to Shangzhou, everyone could only look at it with sadness and admiration.

It feels like there is a long distance between us.

Weidong stopped sorting out these messy girlish feelings and bought a few silk quilts, giving two to each of them, and then divided the 300 yuan for bacon to Erfeng.

Erfeng only watched the entire sales process from afar and did not deal with the price or money. But with her enthusiasm, as long as she got rid of the constraints of the young wife, she would definitely be able to get started easily.

Rang Weidong did not hide it from her: "I will ask my parents to come up and set up a shop there. Even if I am not in Jiangzhou, you can come here to sell goods and do business. Everyone's fate will change."

Er Feng said softly, "Where are you going?"

Let Weidong point to the two banks of the river as it flows by: "Out there are all over the country, north and south, and even more so, Europe and America. I must go and see them in this lifetime, to make my life worthwhile!"

The rural girl was stunned. She must have never seen such a charming man.

There is absolutely no confusion in this era, only an unwavering sense of direction.

The next morning after returning home to rest, I asked my mother and Erfeng to go back to their hometown to get their household registration books. The household registration management in rural areas is relatively loose, but these procedures are still no problem in the commune brigades close to the county town.

It is mainly a proof of psychological comfort. In fact, after several secretive transactions to "accumulate funds", Weidong is still more accustomed to the payment and delivery.

But just after I sent my mother off and let her get familiar with the route back home, I was thinking about going for a couple of drinks at noon to urge my father to "resign" when the young female teacher stopped me: "My father invited you to his house for lunch!"

Her face was still full of joy.

Weidong couldn't tell that there was still some shyness about his daughter. He just laughed in his heart and said, "Goodbye, Director Shi."

(End of this chapter)