Chapter 66 Chapter 66 (Second update) But it! Is! Cheap...
Not only Liu Fang was curious, but everyone except the two new colleagues was also curious.
Last year, the Lu family made a big fuss in the street office because of the issue of their eldest son not being able to go to the countryside, especially Lu's mother, who almost drank pesticide.
It was not to prevent his eldest son from going to the countryside that he threatened these workers to drink pesticides.
Instead, he used filial piety to threaten his son, saying that if he did not go to the countryside, he would drink pesticide and die in front of him.
Anyway, the incident was a particularly big deal. The Lu family's parents only favored their youngest son and had ignored the older son since he was a child. They were worried that if he didn't go to the countryside, he would hinder the younger son in the future, so they forced him to go to the countryside.
The street office had tried to persuade him, but after half a month of fuss, the eldest son of the Lu family finally passed away.
But Liu Fang and the others didn't expect that they would come back after going to the countryside for a year.
Xiong Ping sighed, "She had to come back. She was so sick that she was in a terrible condition. The production team over there was afraid they would have trouble explaining the situation, so they sent her back."
The disease is really very serious.
She had seen it with her own eyes. He looked like a completely different person compared to last year. His cheeks were so thin that they were sunken, and he had to gasp for breath for a long time to finish a few sentences. But even though he was in such a state, the Lu family still refused to let him visit them, saying that their youngest son was married and it was inconvenient for him, as the older brother, to stay at home.
Finally, I had no other choice but to come here and apply for a house.
But the housing situation here was already very tight, and she wanted to help with the procedures out of pity for the eldest son of the Lu family. Even if she couldn't get a house, she would at least find him a place to live.
But upon checking, it was found that the person's household registration was still with the production team. If he didn't transfer it quickly, he would be treated as a migrant worker.
Xiong Ping was somewhat helpless. "His family doesn't care about him. He himself is so sick that he can barely get up. I can't, as an outsider, sign a guarantee for him, can I?"
Director Wang frowned and said, "Go to the Youth Affairs Office, explain the situation, and ask their staff to come and help you deal with it."
"Okay, I'll go now." Xiong Ping packed her things and went out.
The office was not quiet either.
Everyone was talking about the Lu family.
"Originally, his neighbor said that if she hadn't seen with her own eyes that his mother gave birth to him, she would have doubted whether this eldest son was picked up."
"I've never seen anyone so biased."
Jiang Shuangshuang was not very curious about this matter. A stranger she had never met would naturally not attract her attention.
She was more curious about something else.
Seeing Director Wang holding the cup to pour water, she stood up and followed him, "Director, I have something to ask you."
"You say." Director Wang couldn't help but smile gently at Xiao Jiang. He didn't know if it was because Xiao Jiang's reputation had spread, but the area under their jurisdiction had been very quiet recently. The residents were in harmony with each other, and they hadn't been on the scene for several days.
Perhaps there is another reason, which is that Xiao Jiang is particularly prosperous in the street office. Except for the very busy first day on the job, he is very free most of the time.
She thought how nice it would be if she could have this free time until she retired.
So it was hard not to smile at Xiao Jiang, and I took the initiative to say, "If you have something to do, just tell me. When I'm not busy, I'll just treat it as your presence. After all, everyone has private matters to attend to, right?"
"Thank you, Director." Jiang Shuangshuang thanked him quickly.
Isn't this obviously "paid leave"? However, this time she was not asking for leave. She asked: "Director, I want to ask, if the educated youth who went to the countryside are given a work quota, can she be transferred back?"
Director Wang frowned. She didn't say anything right away. Instead, she led the person to the staircase and whispered, "Are you asking for your elder sister?"
Jiang Shuangshuang nodded.
Director Wang sighed in his heart when he saw it, but it was also human emotion. He knew before that Xiao Jiang's girlfriend was coming to visit, and since he had brought the girlfriend into the house, the big wedding would definitely be a long way off.
He is a soldier in the army, so the couple will definitely not be separated from each other, otherwise they would not see each other many times a year. She and Xiong Ping talked about it a few days ago, and they said that Xiao Jiang will definitely not stay here for long.
But I didn't expect it to happen so soon.
It is understandable. If Xiao Jiang really wants to join the army, someone has to take over her work quota, and her eldest sister is the most suitable candidate.
However, this matter is not as easy as imagined.
She said, "In the past two years, the call for going to the countryside has become louder and louder, but it has become more and more difficult to implement. If you want your elder sister to return to the city, it is not enough to have a work target. The Zou family in Xicheng has a similar plan to yours. They have been working on it for three months and have not yet completed the process..."
It's easier to go than to come back.
The workload of the Youth League Office is much greater than theirs now, because the vast majority of people are actually afraid to go to the countryside.
Especially when the educated youth who went to the countryside sent back letters one after another, everyone would be afraid that something unexpected might happen to them in a place where they were unfamiliar with.
Besides, farm work is not that easy to do. Let’s not talk about their generation, just look at the young people in the city today, which one has ever done farm work?
All the educated youth who went to the countryside complained.
Those who haven’t been there don’t want to go, and those who have been there want to come back.
If a large number of educated youth are going to return to the city, what is the point of this call?
So there was indeed a procedure in the past, and as long as there were work targets in the city, it was possible to return, but it is really too difficult to fully implement this requirement.
From the local brigade to the commune and then to the city, I have to go through so many procedures. After going through those procedures, they have to process it again. If it is postponed for a day, I don’t know when it will be processed.
Just like the Zou family, they have not completed the procedures even after three months.
Xiao Jiang's situation is different from that of the Zou family. Xiao Jiang cannot leave until her elder sister finishes her business. Her position is special. She is different from other employees in the street office. She works for the Public Security Bureau and she is the only one here.
If this position is vacant, there will be no one.
Therefore, Xiao Jiang can only follow the army when Sister Jiang has completed the procedures. If he is lucky, it will take about half a year. If he is unlucky, it is possible that it will take one or two years.
So she specifically reminded him, "You should have heard about the matter of the eldest son of the Lu family just now. If you want to return to the city, there are two ways now. The first is to join the army, and the second is to be too sick to work in the fields."
The educated youth went to the countryside to build the countryside.
But you are so sick that you can't even get out of bed. You can't expect the villagers in the brigade to support you, right?
The eldest son of the Lu family was in such a situation. He was "driven" back before his household registration was even transferred.
The reason he was so anxious was not only because he couldn't work, but also because he was worried that a bad person would be missing from the production team, which would be even more difficult to explain.
So the production team directly issued a letter of introduction to let the person come back first, and the formalities were completed later.
Not to mention other places, the few educated youth who returned to the city in their area were either sick or injured, and they could not continue to stay in the countryside to do farm work.
As for taking other paths, there really isn't one.
In a situation like this, the family must have some connections to get everything done, but families with these connections would never send their children to the countryside in the first place.
But she thinks the current trend is not very good.
They had to bear the pain of sending their own children to the countryside, but the children of some leaders were all left in the city, which would sooner or later cause chaos.
Director Wang didn't want to go into too much detail, but just patted her on the shoulder and said, "You'll have to go to the Youth Educated Office to ask about the specific situation. If you really want her to take over, you have to get it done quickly. Send her a letter and ask her to ask the local commune about the specific procedures."
Jiang Shuangshuang nodded, "Okay, I'll go ask tomorrow."
"Okay, I'll go get some water... Oh, I have one more thing to ask you!" Director Wang turned halfway around and quickly turned back. She had seen Jiang Huanhuan before, but she didn't have much of an impression of her. "Is your elder sister as good at fighting as you are?"
"..." Jiang Shuangshuang didn't know what to say. The elder sister in her memory definitely had never attacked her original self, but she did beat Jiang Xiaozhou occasionally.
But that kid still makes some bad mistakes from time to time, so I must have not hit him hard enough to make him forget his lesson.
After hesitating for two seconds, she was not too sure: "It should be OK."
She thought she could give it a try.
After all, she has worked in the production team for two years, so she should have some strength. Then she can teach big sister a few tricks. If one against three is not enough, one against one should still be able to win...right?
If it doesn't work, let her take Jiang Xiaozhou with her.
With proper training, he can not only take care of the housework at home, but also act as a thug when you go out. He is truly an all-round little brother!
No... I can't think too much about it. If I do, I'll feel reluctant to let him go.
"That's good, that's good." Director Wang's eyebrows lit up when he heard her say that.
It's good as long as you can fight.
If you make a name for yourself, the people around you will calm down a bit.
But even if she is not very good at fighting, it doesn't matter. Xiao Jiang's reputation has spread out. If anyone dares not to give Xiao Jiang some face, doesn't he worry that Xiao Jiang will come back and deal with him in the future?
After all, she just married to follow the army, it's not like she will never come back for the rest of her life.
The two of them walked out of the stairwell one after the other, returned to their seats and started working again.
One was busy knitting a sweater, and the other was busy writing and drawing in a notebook.
It doesn't look like a drawing, but more like a ghost painting. Jiang Shuangshuang looked at the watch on her wrist, counting the seconds until it was time to pack up and leave work!
The street office is close to the mansion, and it only takes a few minutes to get there by bicycle.
The bike she rides is a prize from a slaughterhouse, and although she built one herself she definitely prefers new quality.
Jiang Xiaozhou actually discovered the problem when she went to test ride the bike earlier.
Because the chain and the shaft are somewhat mismatched, the body of the bike makes a "creaking" sound when riding, which is quite annoying.
Unlike the new one, it's extra smooth.
It still needs to be improved, but after her disturbance, it has become difficult for Uncle Liao to collect more bicycle parts. One option is to sell them as scraps, and the other is to turn them into treasures and possibly make a rideable bicycle again.
Everyone knows how to choose.
It seems that I can only wait until I have time to go somewhere farther away with Comrade Cheng and see if there are any suitable spare parts there.
As soon as I arrived at the gate of the mansion, I saw Mr. Zhou waiting there.
When Mr. Zhou saw her, he immediately raised his hand and said, "Xiao Jiang, how come you came back so soon? I thought you were waiting for a while."
"Why are you waiting for me here?" Jiang Shuangshuang got out of the car. "It's quite windy here, don't catch a cold."
"No, no." Grandpa Zhou seemed a little impatient, and he couldn't help but smile on his wrinkled face. "Good news, very good news! Do you know what happened to me at Xiao Liao's place just now?"
Without Jiang Shuangshuang asking, he immediately continued, "Some people heard that you made a bicycle with some broken things, so many people went to Xiao Liao to ask about it, hoping to get a set of bicycle parts..."
What Xiao Jiang said was right before.
There were quite a lot of people who went to Xiao Liao's place. That guy was also a far-sighted person. After knowing that she was assembling bicycles, he collected some more and stored them in the warehouse, betting that no one would come to exchange them in the future.
In the end, he really got what he bet on.
When he went there, they were negotiating the price. They didn't ask for money or receipts, but only for food and meat.
He didn't want to bother Xiao Liao at first, but Xiao Liao pushed a business to him instead. "The man wanted us to help him assemble a bicycle, and the price is negotiable!"
Jiang Shuangshuang thought about it and didn't respond immediately.
Afraid that she might misunderstand him, Grandpa Zhou explained, "It's up to you whether I help you or not. I'll just help you out. Just give me a pound or two of wild boar meat for my pity."
During this time, I helped Xiao Jiang learn how to ride a bicycle. He can't say that he has completely learned it, but he has some idea of how to do it.
But he is not the kind of shameless person who would leave Xiao Jiang behind and take the job himself. That is something that goes against his conscience. Old Man Zhou cannot do that.
But if Xiao Jiang really wanted to take it, he would shamelessly want to help out. He didn't want much, just a pound and a half of wild boar meat would be enough.
Jiang Shuangshuang smiled at what he said and asked, "Have you told them about the steel plate?"
"I said, they said they would find a way." Old man Zhou would definitely say, otherwise the assembled bicycles cannot be put on the road, don't blame them for not explaining clearly, "If we really want to accept it, then we should sign an agreement in advance, just like I accept carpentry work, and it won't be a problem to go directly to the street office to get a notarization."
Take some folk crafts for example, if someone wants to make a cabinet or do some woodworking, they can't just go to the factory and find the carpenters, right?
You have to find the craftsmen yourself, and after both parties reach an agreement, you go to the street office to register. Whether to pay with money or with goods is a matter of coordination between the two parties.
Grandpa Zhou had nothing to do at home. Because of his back pain, he couldn't work for a long time, so he occasionally took on some carpentry work. He knew a little about this kind of work.
"Okay." Jiang Shuangshuang nodded. She bought a bicycle not just for herself to ride. If she could make some money from it, that would be great.
She gestured with her hand and said, "Tell them this amount. If there is no problem, just deliver the parts to the yard."
"Six...sixty?!" Mr. Zhou thought it was six dollars at first, but six dollars was too little. It was not a good deal to earn six dollars after working for a few days.
But if we talk about sixty...
He took a breath and said, "Isn't this too expensive?"
"Is it expensive?"
Mr. Zhou opened his mouth, but when the words came to his lips, he said nothing.
Sixty dollars is definitely too expensive.
Equivalent to two months' salary for an ordinary worker.
But this is a bicycle!
If an ordinary worker wants to buy a bicycle, he has to save up a year's salary even if he does not eat or drink, and he may not be able to buy one.
But if you calculate the price of assembling the bicycle, the accessories from Xiao Liao would only cost about 30 or 40 yuan at most, and if you think of a way to get a steel plate, it would only cost a few dozen yuan at most, plus the 60 yuan assembly fee...hiss, it only comes to about 150 or 160 yuan, which is at least half the price if you go to a department store to buy a bicycle!
Although it can’t be used for long distances and can only be used for a few laps around the area, it is cheap!
Although some accessories are made of wood and need to be replaced over time, it is cheap!
Although it looks ugly and squeaks when riding, it is cheap!
The price can be at least half of what it is worth?
By this calculation, the assembly fee of sixty dollars is really not much at all!
The more Mr. Zhou thought about it, the more excited he became. His old face flushed with excitement. He didn't even dare to count how much money he could make by taking more orders, but he couldn't help but speak excitedly, "We're so slow this time because we were delayed for a while. With the experience from last time, we can make one in ten days or half a month. If we can make two in a month..."
"It's not that easy." Jiang Shuangshuang chuckled and shook her head, "Do you think it's troublesome to assemble a bicycle?"
Mr. Zhou thought about it.
It was definitely troublesome at the beginning because the various parts didn't fit together. After putting them together again and again, I finally had to disassemble them and make another wooden part.
It is all thanks to the drawings made by Xiao Jiang. Without such detailed dimensions, it would be difficult to assemble the various accessories together.
But just because it’s difficult at the beginning doesn’t mean it will be difficult later on.
After doing it once, you will have a clear idea of what size and what accessories should be made. If you really don't want to waste time, you can just follow the original one and copy it one by one.
But after Xiao Jiang mentioned this, Mr. Zhou finally understood how funny his words were. He laughed at himself and said, "I, an old comrade, don't understand it as well as you do. It's true. It's not something that only the two of us can do. There are always people who are better than you. What we can do, others can do too."
Jiang Shuangshuang nodded. That was what she meant.
It is not a very complicated technical problem. Some experienced technicians can take it apart and not only put it back together easily but also make another one by following the same method.
So this job cannot be based on quantity.
If she really relies on low prices to attract customers, maybe countless competitors will pop up next month to attract customers. An experienced master chef will definitely do a better job than her, with cheap prices and good quality. So what is her place?
And what is indispensable for assembling a bicycle is some original accessories.
A bicycle must have a trunk and wheels. If these two parts are made of wood, it will be just a toy, which is only for viewing but not for practical use.
Bicycles are expensive in the first place. Not only are few people buying them, but families who own one will also cherish them very much. It will only become increasingly difficult to receive these original accessories.
Especially when you know that someone can assemble these broken parts into a rideable bicycle, who would be willing to sell them at a low price?
So this job can only make quick money, and they are considered quick if they can take two or three orders.
Since the quantity is small, the price will naturally go up.
Just like the bill that Mr. Zhou just calculated, sixty yuan is not a high amount and it is definitely not a loss for the party who pays.
Seeing that Mr. Zhou had figured it out, Jiang Shuangshuang said, "We'll split it 70-30. You go contact the people who want to assemble bicycles. Once they're done, bring the stuff to the yard. We'll work overtime and try to make more money before the factory opens!"
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