Chapter 91: Exchanging Food
Secretary Song was very happy. The fact that they didn't bargain too high showed that they were really afraid of wasting money on these 2,000 enamel basins.
Of course, he would not agree so readily, and still looked embarrassed: "We country people live frugally, and at most 26 kilograms of rice."
"But I can guarantee that the rice is all dry and new grain from last fall."
"Of course, if you want to save some trouble, I can collect the paddy and transport it to the processing plant in town to process it into rice."
In the countryside, people pound rice and remove the rice bran, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive and labor-intensive.
But there is already a processing plant in the town that can use rice husking machines to remove the rice shells.
This process is to remove the husk of rice and separate the brown rice and bran.
The brown rice is then sent to a rice mill for milling.
The rice mill uses a grinding wheel to grind the outer skin of brown rice, removing the light brown cortex and germ, and eventually turning it into white rice, which is polished rice.
These machines all require electricity, so Secretary Song sometimes drives a ox cart to the processing plant.
The main reason is that Wu Xiu prefers to eat refined rice.
Otherwise, most people in the countryside would eat brown rice, which would save more food.
Of course, Secretary Song was not really thinking about them, he just wanted some husks and bran.
Not only can it be mixed with wild vegetables to feed chickens and ducks, but if the village can really raise ducks, the more of these the better.
Director Xiao agreed when he heard this. If the rice was harvested, he couldn't open every bag for inspection.
But if what you collect is rice, you can take a look at it while it is being processed.
Or you can ask the people in the processing plant to help keep an eye on it.
Therefore, he asked Secretary Song and his daughter to have some tea first and wait for him for a while, and he went to discuss it with the factory director immediately.
After a while, Director Xiao directly invited Secretary Song and Chu Hong to go to the factory director. After a polite greeting, they continued to bargain.
One pound of rice can produce about 70 to 80 ounces of rice.
After removing the bran, some of it will turn into broken rice, so one pound of rice can only produce about seven or eight ounces of rice.
In the end, it was decided to exchange 18.5 kilograms of the highest quality refined rice for a defective enamel washbasin.
And we are required to hand over all the rice within half a month.
If the rice is not paid in full, Secretary Song will have to pay for it himself.
After reading the contract carefully, Party Secretary Song said, "Before signing, you have to give me a certificate. Then we can go to the commune and ask the leader to stamp it. This way, you can rest assured, and I can rest assured too."
"If this is misunderstood as a private transaction, our whole family will be killed."
The factory manager was also very happy to hear this. With the commune's seal, he didn't have to worry about them not being able to sell the basins and sending them back with the defective ones.
He agreed readily and went to the commune with them again.
Fortunately, Secretary Song had supplied vegetables several times before, so in the eyes of the leaders, he already had experience.
Secretary Song said bitterly: "Leader, our countryside is too far away from here. Every household is short of enamel washbasins, enamel jars, enamel plates, and enamel basins."
"Although these are defective products, we country people are not particular. As long as it doesn't cost money, we should be willing to spend 28 kilograms of rice to exchange for an enamel washbasin. I would rather pinch my belly than exchange it."
"We solved the problem of defective products in the enamel factory being difficult to sell, and the enamel factory can also add a home to our family."
"Our hard work is not in vain. The rice bran and broken rice can also feed those who have been sent down to the countryside for a while."
The leader asked carefully before signing.
For the leaders, any factory can boost the local economy and is also linked to their resumes.
If problems occurred at the enamel factory while the leader was in office, wouldn't that be embarrassing for him?
Whether it was the director of the enamel factory or the commune leaders, they all felt that one catty of rice was seven taels of rice, twenty catties of rice was fourteen catties of rice, and twenty-eight catties of rice should be about nineteen and a half catties of rice.
However, Secretary Song knew in his heart that one pound of rice could yield eight ounces of rice, and broken rice and rice bran could also bring in a lot of income.
Although broken rice doesn’t look good, it still tastes delicious.
Chu Hong also admired her own father for being so capable. On the surface, he did not get any benefits, but for every washbasin he sold, he could get two kilograms of broken rice and one kilogram of rice bran.
But a little bit adds up to a lot, two thousand washbasins, that would be four thousand kilograms of broken rice?
I've been eating it for two years.
Now that it had been decided, Secretary Song immediately rode his bicycle back and drove the village's ox cart over.
Chu Hong stayed in the factory and had to check the defective washbasins again after all the ones were shipped out.
Because they didn't want any salary, the factory director also gave them a set of high-quality Double Happiness enamel six-piece set: a washbasin, three large, medium and small vegetable basins, and a teacup for drinking water.
Chu Hong certainly wouldn't refuse this good opportunity to get a bargain. If she bought it herself, it would cost at least five or six dollars.
The enamel washbasin does not take up much space and can be pulled away entirely by an oxcart.
There are six villages outside Lingxia Village. The father and daughter drove a ox cart to visit the brigade headquarters of each village and told everyone that starting tomorrow they could go to Lingxia Village to exchange 28 kilograms of rice for a defective washbasin.
Because of the commune's seal, Party Secretary Song did not have to worry too much. Instead, he went into the villages to look for village cadres under the slogan of serving the people.
Secretary Song had been the team leader for many years and knew every village secretary and team leader, so it was easier for him to talk to them. He could just ask the village cadres to help him talk to the villagers.
Chu Hong also chimed in: "Dad, there are hundreds of people in our village digging a reservoir. Can't you just go to the reservoir and shout?"
The washbasins were stacked there and no one could count how many there were.
But after hearing what Chu Hong said, it seemed that there were not many wash basins, and many people were eager to come up and make friends: "Secretary Song, leave two for me, and I will go find them tomorrow morning, okay?"
"Save one for me, too."
Even if he disliked the enamel washbasin, the word "囍" became "喜", and the pair of magpies also became one magpie. Looking at the person with big flaws and hearing the villagers vying for the washbasin, his heart began to waver.
Anyway, everyone is scrambling to get it, thinking it is a good deal.
As a result, more and more people are clamoring for it.
When they returned to the village, it was dark and every household was having dinner.
But seeing many people from Lingzhong Village carrying baskets on their backs, they came out curiously to watch the fun. When they heard that they were going to Secretary Song's house to exchange for basins, they were afraid that they would not be able to get one, so they turned around and shouted to their family, "Shitou, quickly ask your mother to scoop up 30 kilograms of rice and go to Secretary Song's house to exchange for basins."
I was afraid that if I went too late, the good pots would have been replaced.
Fortunately, nowadays, the sales clerks in the supply and marketing cooperatives have eyes that seem to grow on top of their heads. You can't choose what you buy, and you'll get a cold shoulder if you touch something.
Another thing is that everyone takes good care of things and would not rummage through them clumsily. As soon as Chu Hong handed it over, they would check it up and down and left and right. If there was no paint peeling, they would be happy and carefully take the basin and leave.
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