Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 226 Those Factories of the Past

Xia Maosheng said, "Oh right, I forgot to remind Chen Hui about the transformer. We need to get that sorted out as soon as possible."

Xiao Wei said, "You have something to do too. Go see Uncle Wang this afternoon and get the food factory's license. This can't be delayed any longer."

Xia Maosheng asked, "What's the factory's name?"

Xiao Wei thought for a moment and said, "Let's call it Brothers, Longcheng Brothers Food Factory. You can ask again whether the factory needs to re-apply for licenses if it sets up a sales point outside. I don't know anything about these things."

Xia Maosheng said, "Okay, I'll take care of it this afternoon. I'll leave this to you. Master Gong and the others will be here soon. I think we should call Master Chang over too, so we can discuss these things together. There are quite a few things that the two of them need to discuss."

Sister Zhang called from the kitchen, "The food's ready! Are you eating?"

Everyone got up to prepare dinner, and Xiao Wei looked around and said, "Where did Chen Hui and Liu Hongliang go? Why haven't they come back yet?"

Xia Maosheng said, "They're not hungry. I wouldn't be surprised if those two, with their personalities, ran back to Fengtian together."

Everyone ignored the two of them and sat down to eat. Because they had eaten a little late in the morning, Xiao Wei and Xia Maosheng didn't eat much.

At noon, Huang Laowu and a few others drank with their buddies from the power company. They were all young men, and Huang Laowu and the guy in the suit named He Jun already knew each other, though not very well. Xiao Wei and his two companions sat at a table with Master Gong and Master Chang, discussing their overall layout ideas while eating.

"You're going to pave flooring all over there, right? Why not just use more and cover these walls with flooring? I'll think about what kind of design to give your storefronts. Like this cake shop, isn't it called a pastry shop? I'll give it a pointed roof, with the bottom protruding a bit to create a castle-like shape. The ballroom side will be flat, with the entrance hall protruding a bit on top. I'll put colored lights inside, I guarantee it'll look great."

Master Gong took a sip of Linghe wine, dipped his chopsticks in the wine, and drew some lines on the table to express his thoughts.

Master Chang said, "It's feasible. I'll build a layer of reinforcement inside for you, weld a ring of angle iron around it, and weld it directly to the steel bars inside. It'll be absolutely sturdy. You wanted to stretch the entire sky with star-shaped wires, right? I'll leave a row of rivets for you. You won't notice it unless you look closely. Once it's done, just thread the No. 8 wire through and stretch it up."

Xiao Wei said, "The main concern is that the light wire might leak electricity. Lao Wu said we need to add some kind of ceramic pad on top."

Master Chang said "Oh," thought for a moment, and said, "Here's what I'll do, Lao Gong, leave a row of openings on top, make a recess, and I'll add a screw to the end of the iron bar. Then you can just screw the ceramic pad on top, and you won't be able to see it from below. Aren't we using flooring? Just one row is enough."

Master Gong thought for a moment, nodded and said, "Okay, this part should be close to the wall. After that, just raise it by ten centimeters in other places. It's just that the pointed top part is difficult to do. We need to pull it horizontally again, otherwise we can't get around it."

Master Chang picked up a piece of food and said, "That's a small matter, the electrician will know how to handle it. So, you don't turn on the lights at the main entrance of your restaurant? You can turn them all on. I'll build a wider frame for you on the awning, and then put another one on the roof. I'll make the top one a bit narrower, and it will definitely look better when they're on."

Xiao Wei said, "Okay, thank you both. Here, let me toast you." The three of them clinked glasses and downed their drinks in one gulp.

Master Chang said, "The firewall here should be almost finished by tomorrow. I'll come over tomorrow to weld the earthen stove for you and also get this frame set up."

Master Gong asked, "Can it be finished in one day?"

Master Chang did the math, shook his head and said, "It'll take two days. It can't be finished in one day. We still need to get the steel bars out, and then we'll have to wrap them with tar paper. This job is slow."

Master Gong nodded and said, "That's perfect. It'll take me two days too, so I'll come over once you're done here. I've called three experienced workers over, so there are six of us. We'll split into two rooms and finish the other side in two days. Have you found a painter yet?" he asked Xiao Wei.

As soon as the door opened, Chen Hui and Liu Hongliang walked in, chatting and laughing. Xiao Wei turned around, saw them, and asked, "Where did you two go? A three-hour test drive."

Chen Hui walked over with a smile and said, "We've left the city and taken a stroll around the outskirts. Li Bing, get me two pairs of chopsticks, I'm hungry." He pulled up a stool and sat down, and Liu Hongliang also sat down at the table.

Li Bing agreed and brought over a bowl and chopsticks. Chen Hui took them, poured some water, and put them on the table. He said, "At first, I was thinking of having Hong Liang drive around to see how well he drives. But then I realized that Longcheng is really small. We were out of town in no time. So I said that I wanted to open a pig farm on the outskirts of the city in the future. Hong Liang said he knew a few places, so we went and took a look."

Liu Hongliang said, "We used to have a few small factories on the outskirts of the city in Jian'an, but they all went out of business. The factory buildings are still there, but they've been abandoned for many years."

Xia Maosheng asked, "What factory?"

Master Chang chimed in, "Electrical tape, you went to the welfare factory, right? It's that black adhesive tape. Don't even mention what they made. It's better that factory went out of business. That stuff they made couldn't stick wires to anything, and it left your hands covered in black grime that you couldn't wash off."

The electricians next to Huang Laowu laughed. Huang Laowu said, "That's a good point, buddy. A few years ago, they really screwed us over with those adhesive tapes. Every electrician here cursed them." He gestured around the table with his chopsticks and said, "See? This table is full of victims. You Jian'an people really put up those rip-offs."

Liu Hongliang said, "That's right, so we can't sell them anymore, they're a flop."

Master Gong asked Xiao Wei, "Are you going to raise pigs?"

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "Yeah, a restaurant costs a lot of money every year. I'm afraid of buying things from outside because I'm worried about problems. I'm too afraid to buy anything after watching the news all day. My friend has a restaurant in Fengtian, so I thought I'd keep some for myself to use for both ends. If I have too much, I can get some for my relatives and friends, so at least we can eat with peace of mind."

During this period, pigs injected with water and fattened pigs have already appeared. These days, the news dares to speak and act, reporting directly and even reminding citizens to be careful not to be deceived when buying things.

Master Chang laughed and said, "That'll do. We can benefit from it too, haha. But Xiao Hongliang's idea is a bit far-fetched. That welfare factory isn't very big, is it? I remember it's just four single-story houses with a small yard; it's quite cramped even for two cars. Can they raise pigs there?"

Liu Hongliang, without looking up from his steamed bun, said, "Not only this, but also the valve factory, the bed sheet factory, several places. Chen Hui has his eye on the bed sheet factory."

Master Chang said, "Are your valves still in production? I heard business is going well; I haven't heard anything about them going out of business."

Liu Hongliang said, "It's no good, we're just making do. Last year, that salesman who embezzled over three million yuan nationwide was exposed in the news, and the factory director was also dismissed. He's completely out of work now. These days, valve factories are everywhere. If your family's meals and spending money are on the news, who would dare to do business with you?"

Master Chang nodded: "Oh, right, that's true. That kid's got some nerve. He spent over three million a year, I wonder what he ate. Now he's in for it, eating cornbread for the next ten years. Was he sentenced to fifteen?"

Liu Hongliang nodded and said, "Fifteen years ago, his wife ran away with the children, leaving his mother all alone by the Xiachang River."

Master Gong said, "This news is utter nonsense. Why report this? How are you going to sell your goods if you don't eat or drink? Who's going to do business with you?"

Master Chang said, "These days, it's tough to make a living in a small factory. If the products aren't in the plan, you have to beg people to buy them. It's much more comfortable in a big factory. You just have to produce, and there's always someone to buy whatever you produce."

(End of this chapter)