Chapter 31: Promote It a Little
Chen Fan watched Jiang Lili laboriously pulling at the cotton cloth, and recalling her words, he couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly.
That's right, labor is cheap these days, but goods are valuable, especially industrial products.
Things like those hard plastic sandals that nobody wanted in later generations were quite valuable these days, costing several yuan a pair.
And then there were the "national hit" Warrior (回力鞋) shoes of the 70s, costing 8 to 10 yuan a pair. The larger the size, the more expensive they are. The cheapest size 38s were 8.87 yuan, while the most expensive size 43s were 10.02 yuan. That was equivalent to half a month's net income for a strong laborer in Team 6 of Lujiawan this year.
If it were leather shoes, they would be even more ridiculously expensive.
So, ordinary families in this era were still accustomed to making their own shoes or buying the cheapest cloth shoes.
Without realizing it, Jiang Lili had brushed an entire board of cotton cloth. Then she said, "This needs to be placed outside to dry. Once it's dry, we can use it for shoe soles."
As she spoke, she went to get the wooden board.
Chen Fan proactively helped her lift it. Jiang Lili smiled and said, "This is light; it's no trouble."
But Chen Fan didn't let go, so she didn't say more. The two of them carried the board and placed it against the wall under the eaves outside.
There was no sun today; the sky was gloomy, and gusts of wind blew, making it even colder than yesterday. With such a strong wind, it would probably dry in a day.
Chen Fan clapped his hands and smiled. "I see you're quite tired. You always have endless work to do."
Jiang Lili lowered her head and smiled. "It's actually alright. When I first came here, I wasn't used to it, but after I adapted, I feel quite fulfilled."
With the gebei (打袼褙, layers of cloth glued together) done, they had to wait for it to dry before making the soles. Chen Fan returned to his room and sat down, reading a book while sipping half a bowl of hot water. By this time, the alcohol was taking effect, so he simply took off his clothes and lay down on the bed to catch up on sleep.
After a while, Jiang Lili, with her hands clasped together, slowly walked over. First, she glanced at the door. Just as she was about to say hello, she saw Chen Fan lying on the bed asleep.
She suddenly felt inexplicably relieved. Then, her eyes flickered, and she glanced at the tightly closed courtyard door. Frowning, she thought for a moment and tiptoed into the room.
First, she gently called out twice, "Chen Fan, Chen Fan."
A voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz could never wake him.
Seeing that Chen Fan didn't react, she squatted down and held up the cloth shoes in front of the bed, comparing them for a moment and secretly memorizing the measurements. Then, she put the shoes back and quietly walked out.
...
While Chen Fan was sound asleep, Captain Yang carried a basket and strode into Team 5 of Lujiawan, which was also the location of the Lujiawan Production Brigade's headquarters.
The distance between Team 6 of Lujiawan and the brigade headquarters and the Nanhu Commune was basically the same, less than an hour's walk, or a few minutes by bicycle.
Although it was already 1977, bicycles were still a scarce and expensive item. Yang Chuanfu had saved money diligently for more than a decade, and now he had enough money, but he still couldn't get a bicycle permit. No matter where he went, he still had to rely on his two big feet.
The brigade headquarters was located in a very grand brick-and-tile house. At the entrance of the two-meter-high brick courtyard wall hung two wooden plaques:
"Nanhu Commune Lujiawan Production Brigade Revolutionary Committee"
"Nanhu Commune Lujiawan Production Brigade Party Branch"
A red five-pointed star was also painted on the lintel.
Walking into the courtyard, it was a space of about a hundred square meters, paved with thick bluestone slabs that showed little sign of damage despite decades of wind and rain.
Inside was a courtyard-style brick and tile house, with two-meter-wide gaps left between the sides and the courtyard walls.
In the middle of the brick wall, a white lime band about one meter wide was painted, and a line of large-character slogans was written in red paint:
"Communism is Paradise, the People's Commune is the Bridge."
Above the main entrance hung a wooden plaque, "Production Team Office".
On both sides of the gate, words were also written in white: "Self-Reliance, Hard Struggle".
Yang Chuanfu, carrying the basket, had only reached the middle of the courtyard when he shouted, "Is anyone here?"
Soon, someone came out, pulling the army coat over his shoulders and squinting at him. "Oh, it's Old Yang. Why are you here today? The dividends have already been distributed, right?"
Yang Chuanfu grinned and laughed. "What, can't I come and see you if there's nothing else going on?"
"See me? I'm not a young wife; what's there to see?"
As he spoke, the man walked inside. "Old Ye and Old Xiao are here. Come in and have a cup of tea."
Yang Chuanfu carried the basket inside. This place was originally used to receive commune members, but at this time, the brigade leader Zhang Changjiang, and the deputy leaders Ye Shubao and Xiao Liewen were all here.
The person who went out just now was Zhang Changjiang.
Yang Chuanfu placed the basket on the nearby table, took the tea mug handed over by Zhang Changjiang, grinned, and said, "The three leaders aren't out directing work today, but are holding a closed-door meeting here?"
"Nonsense."
Ye Shubao threw him a cigarette, stared at him, and said, "Hey, what's going on with the person you saved yesterday? Constable Zhu even came to me, asking me to notify all the teams below to report any news."
Yang Chuanfu pulled out a chair and sat down, crossed his legs, took a puff of smoke, and then said, "That person is indeed strange. He remembers some things, but he doesn't remember others. It doesn't seem like he's pretending. At least, I can't see that he's pretending."
Xiao Liewen, smoking a cigarette on the side, said, "If there's really something wrong with his head, anything is normal. I used to be in the army. Our company commander was like that. In the fifties, up north, a shell exploded next to him. He fainted on the spot. When he woke up, he didn't recognize people or remember things, but he still remembered how to fight. After his injuries healed, he picked up a gun and went to the battlefield, and he still knew how to command. Isn't that strange?"
Yang Chuanfu immediately pointed at him. "Hey, hey, this person is also like that. He doesn't remember where he came from, where his home is, or his parents and relatives, but he remembers some bizarre things."
Zhang Changjiang glanced at him. "Bizarre things? What things?"
Yang Chuanfu immediately put the cigarette in his mouth, stood up, picked up the basket, and then opened it. Inside was a large bowl.
Needless to say, it was a large bowl full of soft-shelled turtle meat, taken from the pot that Liu Ju Jiang had made earlier.
The three giants of Lujiawan leaned over together, looking at each other. Then, Zhang Changjiang looked at Yang Chuanfu. "This is the bizarre thing?"
Ye Shubao picked up the bowl and looked at it, carefully examining it. "This thing...could it be a soft-shelled turtle?"
Xiao Liewen was immediately shocked, his eyes fixed on the meat in the bowl. "Soft-shelled turtle meat?"
Ye Shubao directly took a piece with his hand and threw it into his mouth. Immediately, his eyes lit up. "Although it's cold, the taste is not bad."
Then he looked at Yang Chuanfu. "Is it really soft-shelled turtle meat?"
Yang Chuanfu grinned and laughed. "This is the bizarre thing I was talking about. That kid doesn't remember anything else, but he remembers how to cook soft-shelled turtle..."
Then, he recounted the events of yesterday and today, and finally said, "Isn't it almost the New Year? Some teams clear their ponds before the New Year, and some clear them after. When they clear the ponds, they don't know how many soft-shelled turtles they'll dig out. If they just waste them like that, wouldn't it be a pity? So, I came here to report to you and see if this method of cooking soft-shelled turtle should be promoted a little."
Soft-shelled turtles had been disliked here for who knows how many years, but who would have thought that it was actually a delicacy? After this wave in Team 6 today, it's estimated that in less than two days, those women who married into Team 6, as well as families whose daughters married outside, will definitely spread the news.
So, Yang Chuanfu ran to the brigade headquarters as soon as possible, firstly to seek credit, and secondly, since everyone was from the same village, he wanted everyone to enjoy the benefits.
(End of Chapter)
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