Chapter 107

After debugging the various functions of the washing machine, the master introduced to the family how to use the washing machine.

Jian Lu naturally knew everything, but she mainly wanted her family to hear it.

Cheng Zheng learned it after just one listen. He had seen this thing at Song Lu's house and heard that it was very labor-saving and did not require one to get tired.

After the introduction, he took out a pack of Daqianmen from his pocket with one hand, handed a cigarette to each of the two masters, and sent them out with Jian Lu.

Jian Lu also opened two fresh coconuts picked at home that morning for the two to drink on the way.

It's really not easy to deliver a large appliance in this hot summer.

Aunt Wang thought of the washing machine she had just seen, and a hint of joy appeared on her face. "Is this thing really that good? Can it wash clothes cleanly?"

Jian Lukuan comforted her, "Mom, don't worry, it can wash clean, and you can be more relaxed in the future. It's just that this one has a single tub, and can't spin dry. When it's suitable in the future, we can buy a double tub, one side is for washing clothes, and the other side is for spinning clothes, so you don't have to worry about it yourself."

"Is there such a thing?" Aunt Wang had never heard of it before and thought it was magical.

The three of them entered the house and looked around but didn't see Shuangshuang. "Shuangshuang? Hey, where is she?"

Cheng Zheng shouted loudly, but no one in the room responded to him.

"Did he go upstairs?" Aunt Wang guessed that the child went upstairs to play.

"Hahahaha! I'm here!"

Suddenly, a little head popped out of the washing machine tub in the bathroom. It stretched its head out and waved to its father, mother and grandmother, smiling.

"How did you get into the washing machine?" Aunt Wang stepped forward and looked at her granddaughter, who could just fit into the washing machine's single tub, which was completely filled. "What a fool."

"Hehe." Shuangshuang stuck out her tongue and smiled.

"Come out quickly." Jian Lu didn't smile, her face was very serious, "Don't enter the washing machine in the future, it's very dangerous here."

Shuangshuang noticed that her mother was a little angry, so she immediately put away her smile and struggled to get out. However, it was easier to get in than to get out, and both of her hands got stuck.

The adults had to use some effort to get her out, and Shuangshuang finally came out holding her father's left arm.

"Look, isn't it dangerous?" Jian Lu thought of the future, when some children would sneak into the washing machine when the adults weren't paying attention. When the adults came back, they didn't notice there was someone inside, so they just ran the water, put the clothes in, pressed the switch and turned it... a tragedy was born.

"Yes." Shuangshuang climbed in by stepping on a bench, but she didn't expect it to be so difficult to get out. She nodded and said, "I won't go in."

"You must not go in!" Jian Lu stressed again and again, reiterating the interests involved to her.

"I know, I know." Shuangshuang found that her mother was particularly serious at this time, so she naturally became more alert.

Not only the washing machine, Jian Lu also specifically told the lady about the precautions of the fan, "Don't get too close to the fan when it's spinning, otherwise your hair will get tangled in it and you'll have to have your hair cut."

Hair needs to be cut?

She stretched out her hands to protect her hair. She wouldn't do it! Her hair is her most precious. She can only cut it if she wants to.

With two new members in the house, the house feels much cooler in the summer. The fan is blowing, and Cheng Zheng asked the orderly to get some ice cubes, put them in an enamel basin, and place it in front of the fan. In this way, when the fan blows, the ice cubes are blown and the coolness is scattered everywhere.

Jian Lu was quite satisfied with this method, which was almost equivalent to a simplified version of air conditioning.

Air conditioning? Jian Lu missed it so much. She had already gone through ten summers without air conditioning. It was really not easy.

Counting on my fingers, it should be soon before I can live with air conditioning.

When the washing machine starts working, Aunt Wang's work becomes easier. However, once she has some free time, she feels uncomfortable.

I cleaned the house inside and out, wiping everywhere with a rag, and when I heard the washing machine in the bathroom was quiet, I went over to take a look.

My daughter-in-law taught me how to use the washing machine. She reached out carefully and pressed a button. With a click, the lid of the single tub could be opened. The clothes inside were washed twice and still looked quite clean.

After carefully inspecting it from head to toe, Aunt Wang initially recognized the capabilities of this large appliance, which made Jian Lu and Cheng Zheng murmur softly.

"Mom is still worried. I guess she doesn't trust the washing machine."

Cheng Zheng understood it deeply, "Not only does she not trust the washing machine, she doesn't even trust me. When we three brothers used to wash clothes, she felt that none of us were clean, and she always had to rework and wash again."

"All mothers are like this." Jian Lu suddenly realized that she was the same. Sometimes Shuangshuang was in the mood and said she wanted to wash her clothes herself. She would take her little clothes and rub them here and there. In the end, Jian Lu would secretly take them back and rub them again. She didn't know what was going on in her mind, but she always felt that the child was not washed clean.

The two of them whispered a few words and then took the wooden barrel, which was filled with clothes that had just been taken out of the washing machine. They prepared to wring them out and hang them in the yard.

The Cheng family's yard is kept clean and lively.

The loofah and eggplant racks seem to be a good place to enjoy the cool air. You can move a stool and sit underneath. Most of the sunlight is blocked by the green leaves on the racks. Only sporadic golden sunlight shines through the gaps between the green leaves and casts mottled light and shadows on the ground.

Jian Lu loves to sit here and read a book or play with her children.

This year, Jian Lu not only grows vegetables, but also plans to plant flowers in the yard.

Things are different now. The Great Movement has ended, reform and opening up have begun, and various regulations have been relaxed. No one will care if you plant some flowers in your own yard.

Jian Lu asked the orderly Xiao Zhao to get some flowers and prepared to transplant them directly into the yard. When Xiao Zhao came over with a few sunflowers and cosmos chrysanthemums, he felt the gaze of his leader was sharp, like an icy blade.

"Hello, Captain!" Little Zhao Chong saluted the captain and asked about his injuries. He still felt guilty because he had let slip in front of his sister-in-law that the captain was injured.

"Xiao Zhao, put your things down, thank you." Jian Lu prepared a snack for them, "Here are some walnut cakes, go wash your hands and eat them."

"Thank you, sister-in-law. I feel so embarrassed!" Xiao Zhao laughed, then looked at the team leader and felt even more guilty.

"What? You are your sister-in-law's man now? Do you still recognize me as the leader?"

"Captain!" Xiao Zhao was shocked. "I am definitely your man! I swear, I will follow your orders in everything I do!"

God can see what kind of heart he has!

"Next time you make decisions on your own and say anything in front of your sister-in-law, I'll... "

Xiao Zhao understood, "I will just run five kilometers. Captain, don't worry, I will never do that again. As long as you don't allow me to say it, I will never say it. I won't say it even if you kill me."

"Who wants to beat who to death?" Jian Lu poured a glass of water for Xiao Zhao and brought it out. As soon as she arrived in the yard, she heard such an explosive topic.

"No, no, sister-in-law, this is a peaceful time. How can we kill people?"

"That's right." Jian Lu nodded and asked him to eat, completely unaware that Xiao Zhao had just been threatened by Cheng Zheng.

Xiao Zhao is a down-to-earth and motivated orderly. Although Jian Lu has repeatedly refused him to help plant flowers, how can he not seize the opportunity to show off in front of his own leader?

The team leader is injured and needs me now. I can't let my sister-in-law dig the dirt, right?

Xiao Zhao was busy with his hoe, while Jian Lu and Cheng Zheng were talking. "Is it because you're watching him that he doesn't dare to leave?"

Cheng Zheng glanced at his wife and said, "Am I that terrible? It's a good thing for young people to exercise."

When Shuangshuang returned home with a group of children, they saw beautiful flowers planted in their home.

Sunflowers are bright purple flowers that sway in the wind among the green leaves, giving them a unique flavor.

Cosmos is light pink, with five petals, and is majestic and beautiful.

"Wow, Huahua is so beautiful." Shuangshuang reached out to touch it, and then asked other children to touch it as well.

Seeing a group of children coming, Jian Lu grabbed a handful of candies and distributed them to them one by one.

"Thank you, Aunt Lulu."

"You're welcome, eat and have fun."

Cheng Zheng, who was recuperating from his injuries, was arranged by his wife to sit in the yard, watching a group of children playing house next to him. It was such a childish and interesting game.

But the children are very careful with the flowers and are afraid of stepping on them.

=

After recuperating for more than half a month, Cheng Zheng's gauze could be removed, but he thought about the good treatment he had received recently, especially that his wife could feed him fruits and other things when no one was around, so he asked the nurse at the health center to wrap him again. After the examination, he left, and when he got home, his wife asked him about the situation.

"How is it?" Jian Lu did not go with Cheng Zheng. She was making food at home and could not leave.

I chopped half of the pumpkin I grew at home and prepared to make pumpkin pie.

Steam the pumpkin slices until soft, then mash into a soft paste. Mix with flour and glutinous rice flour, knead into a dough. Put small pumpkin cakes into the pan one by one, and fry over low heat until the surface is golden brown and slightly crispy.

The pumpkin pie served on a plate is square and cute, a perfect example of both good looks and great taste.

Shuangshuang held the pumpkin pie in her hands and finished one in three bites. As for Cheng Zheng, he could finish one in one bite.

Pick up a pumpkin pie and put it in your mouth. The sweet and soft taste is stimulated by the warm taste, instantly stimulating your taste buds.

After swallowing a pumpkin pie, Cheng Zheng finally replied, "It's almost done."

Jian Lu took a look at his gauze and said, "Is it because the medicine didn't work? Can't we remove this gauze? It must be very uncomfortable to cover it in such a hot day."

"It's okay. I can handle it."

Jian Lu glanced at him and thought, yes, this guy would button his shirt to the top even in the hottest summer, he is really heat-resistant.

With the other half of the pumpkin left over from making pumpkin pie, Jian Lu made pumpkin and mung bean soup. The pumpkin slices were cooked in the pot until they were soft, the orange-yellow pumpkin roots were scattered, and the mung beans were gradually cooked, emitting bursts of refreshing aroma along with the sweet pumpkin.

Put the cooked pumpkin and mung bean soup in cold water for a while, and add some ice cubes that Cheng Zheng asked someone to bring in the basin to cool it down. After two hours, the pumpkin and mung bean soup has become slightly cool, more refreshing and thirst-quenching, making people salivate.

Shuangshuang drank two bowls of pumpkin and mung bean soup and ate two pumpkin cakes. Their stomachs were so bloated that they were afraid they wouldn't be able to eat dinner.

Jian Lu also had no plans to eat. When the weather got hot, people's appetites were poor. She felt sweaty while eating. It would be more refreshing to drink a bowl of cool soup.

After finishing a bowl of pumpkin and mung bean soup, Jian Lu put down the bowl and talked about tomorrow's arrangements. "By the way, I have to go to the pearl farm tomorrow to arrange work. Shuangshuang is thinking about her sister Duoduo and said she wants to go with me."

Cheng Zheng's expression didn't change at all, he just waited for her to continue.

"Mom has to go to help out at Sister Liu's house in the courtyard tomorrow. They have a good relationship. Sister Liu is going to welcome her daughter-in-law tomorrow, so I have to help with the cooking." Jian Lu looked at Cheng Zheng, who was about to become a lonely man, and said, "You decide whether to eat at home tomorrow or go to the next door for a free meal."

Everyone has made arrangements, so Jian Lu told Cheng Zheng about it in advance.

Who knew that Team Leader Cheng was so calm and composed that he said directly, "I'll go with you and Shuangshuang tomorrow."

Jian Lu: “…!”

"You actually want to go with us?" This is really strange. Jian Lu was a little surprised. You know, her family seldom went on long trips together. Usually, if they could go to the county town, they had to choose a time when the man was not busy with official duties. Of course, such times were very rare.

"Yes, it's a good opportunity to go out for a walk." Cheng Zheng has been used to staying with his family these days. He felt a little uncomfortable when he was suddenly asked to stay at home.

"But what about your injuries?" Jian Lu's only worry was that going out would not affect the recovery of her injuries.

"It's no problem, don't worry."

"Okay." Since he said so, Jian Lu believed that he must be aware of his physical condition.

The next day, the weather was clear and the sky was high in the sky. Early in the morning, the Cheng family members were busy.

Aunt Wang went to the home of an old sister with whom she had a good relationship to help with cooking, while Cheng Zheng and Jian Lu took Shuangshuang to the pearl farm.

Ever since Jian Lu and Cai Xiujuan jointly invested and privately contracted the pearl farm, their level of dedication has changed greatly. After all, there is a huge difference in the level of enthusiasm when being your own boss and when working for someone else.

Along the way, she excitedly told Cheng Zheng about the development of her pearl farm. She was talking nonstop, "You don't know, our orders are not many now, but they are stable and the amount is large. We still need to increase production."

Cheng Zheng had heard a little about his wife's story. Seeing her excited, he was also happy, "You guys did a good job."

He had never contracted a factory, but if you think about it, this is definitely not an easy task.

"That's right, we call this a strong alliance."

After getting off the boat, Jian Lu took the man and the children to Cai Xiujuan's home with ease. Jian Lu knew the location for the preparation and establishment of Xinchang, but she didn't know whether Cai Xiujuan was at home or present at the moment, so she decided to go to her home with the gift first.

Shuangshuang was jumping and running in front. She had already remembered the location of sister Duoduo's house and was excited to go play with sister Duoduo. Last time, sister Duoduo said that when summer came, she would take her to pick lotus.

"Aunt Lulu, Uncle Cheng, Shuangshuang!"

Duoduo was indeed at home, and so was Cai Xiujuan, who was having a meeting with the workers.

Cai Xiujuan welcomed Jian Lu and others into the house. She was a little surprised to see Jian Lu's man coming, especially when she saw the gauze on his arm, which made her feel some respect for the soldier.

"Lulu, Captain Cheng, sit down and drink some water." Cai Xiujuan busily prepared some food and placed it on the table. She then called Shuangshuang, "You guys can eat whatever you want. Duoduo, you have to take good care of Shuangshuang."

"I know, Mom."

"Sister Xiujuan, there's no need to greet us. Go ahead and do your work."

Seeing that Jian Lu arrived on time, Cai Xiujuan simply called her to join the meeting. "Since you are here, come and show us quickly. Head Cheng, Lulu and I will be busy now. We are sorry for the poor hospitality. Please sit for a while."

Cheng Zheng naturally didn't mind. His wife came here to work, so he wouldn't hold them back and just let them do as they pleased.

Cai Xiujuan led Jian Lu to another room and introduced her to everyone, "Comrades, our director Jian is here today. Please welcome him."

Jian Lu was the director of the farm, just like Cai Xiujuan. There were two directors in one pearl farm. She didn't really care about it, but when she saw the workers clapping for her sincerely, she suddenly felt like she was really holding a shareholders' meeting.

"You stay outside with Shuangshuang and the others. I'm going to a meeting first." Jian Lu instructed Cheng Zheng who was sitting in the main room.

"Okay, don't worry about us."

Cheng Zheng was sitting in the main hall. It was a rare leisure time. He looked outside through the door of Cai Xiujuan's main hall. He saw a hazy waterscape at a glance. Various lakes and ponds were filled with clear water, which made people feel calm.

Since he joined the army, he has been living in a high-intensity training, combat, study and work rhythm. His tense nerves have never relaxed for decades. Only today, his ears were filled with the laughter of Shuangshuang and Duoduo playing cat and tumble, occasionally mixed with the sound of a group of people in the inner room having a meeting and discussion.

Cheng Zheng has excellent hearing and can keenly detect Jian Lu's voice among a crowd of people talking.

Now, Jian Lu is telling everyone about her ideas.

"Now our two major orders are relatively stable, one is from a pharmaceutical retail store, and the other is from a foreign company. We can survive on these two orders, and we can live well. But if one or even both of them suddenly terminate the cooperation, wouldn't we be in trouble? So, we can't stop looking for other sales channels. This is what I have always emphasized. Grasping core technology and production level is the key. Similarly, sales channels are also critical, otherwise all the good things will be wasted."

Jian Lu knew that many people were still content with the status quo, and always felt that the pearl farms were developing very well and they could just sit back and enjoy the profits. There was no need to make any trouble, especially for sales. It was said that they would have to run around outside, which was tiring enough.

"This time I came here mainly to propose setting up a sales department to run independently."

Nowadays, pearl farms have very finely divided departments such as breeding and pearl collection, but sales have never received much attention.

Cai Xiujuan listened silently for a long time and thought it made a lot of sense. She took notes quickly, mainly combining words and drawings. She has been self-taught in recent years, and later she opened a blindness elimination class in the field, inviting educated youth to teach. People in the field followed suit, and she also went to learn. In this way, her cultural level has greatly improved, and she can basically recognize the same number of words as a sixth-grade primary school student.

"I think this is a good idea. I was also shocked when you said it. If there were no orders suddenly, we would be very anxious. Where would we find buyers in such a short time?"

"That's right."

"Then how do we choose the sales? Or should I recruit people from the commune?" Cai Xiujuan didn't know much about this aspect and repeatedly asked Jian Lu for her opinion.

Jian Lu glanced at the key personnel present. They were all quite shy. Being a salesperson was not something that just anyone could do. "Actually, I have a candidate who is quite suitable."

"Who is it? Is he from our commune?"

Jian Lu shook her head and reminded her, "Do you remember the gay man selling watches that we met at the train station last time?"

"Ah..." Cai Xiujuan thought about it carefully and finally remembered the man. He was eloquent and was still very persistent in selling the watch to Jian Lu after being rejected several times. Cai Xiujuan immediately understood why Jian Lu said he was suitable. "Then I will bring someone to look for him in a few days."

"His family conditions are not good, but he is very suitable for this job. He will definitely work hard and do it seriously." Jian Lu explained to Cai Xiujuan the key points of setting up a sales department. The main thing is to select and train talents. For people, quality is more important than quantity. "Let's run the business for half a year first. A quick mind is the most important thing."

Jian Lu's voice kept floating out from the half-open wooden door and reached the ears of Cheng Zheng who was sitting in the main room. Cheng Zheng turned sideways and happened to see his wife's profile through the gap in the door that was not closed tightly.

Jian Lu was focused and serious when she was explaining the pearl farm affairs to others. She explained various precautions clearly and in a crisp voice. She spoke neither hurriedly nor slowly, as if she was shining with light. Even Cheng Zheng, a layman, was fascinated by her.

I couldn't help but agree with her in my heart; it seemed to make sense, and I was unconsciously drawn into it, wanting to hear her continue.

Cheng Zheng was too busy in the past and seldom noticed his wife busy with her career. But today, after seeing and hearing her, he was suddenly shocked by how amazing his wife is. He never thought that his wife could handle all these rules and regulations and various things that needed to be taken care of so easily.

When Jian Lu came out of the meeting with the people in the venue, she saw Cheng Zheng sitting on a chair in the main room, looking at her with... well, a half-smile on his face.

"What's wrong?" Jian Lu touched her cheek. Is there something on her face?

Cheng Zheng narrowed his deep eyes slightly, a smile spread in his eyes, and his eyes sparkled, "Director Jian is really amazing."

Jian Lu raised her lips slightly, not shy at all, but rather a bit coquettish and proud, "It's good to know, Captain Cheng, please don't worship me too much~"

Cheng Zheng resisted the urge to pull this charming and lovely woman, who had just been assigning tasks in a swift and fierce manner, into his arms. This was someone else's home, so he had to be more restrained.

After the meeting, and after the next work was arranged, Jian Lu and her family of three followed Cai Xiujuan and her daughter to see the clam pond and the newly completed site.

Today, the pearl farming technology here has become mature, and the female workers are busy in an orderly manner. Cai Xiujuan is even more proud when talking about everyone's income.

"Nowadays, the monthly salary of female workers who raise river clams is over a thousand yuan, and the salary of workers who extract pearls is about the same. The treatment here is better than anywhere else." Pearls are expensive, but after getting started, the output is stable, and as long as the sales channels are stable, you can make a lot of money.

Thinking of this, Cai Xiujuan once again realized the importance of sales channels that Jian Lu mentioned, and prepared to set up the sales department in a few days.

It was the first time that Cheng Zheng saw in person the pearl farm that his wife and others had jointly run. Upon learning that the farm had solved the employment problems of many people and even provided extremely high incomes, he was full of praise, thinking that this was truly a remarkable achievement.

All of this was created by Jian Lu and Cai Xiujuan. Cheng Zheng looked far away and saw the slogan painted on the nearby wall. It really proved the saying that women hold up half the sky.

Shuangshuang and Duoduo naturally had no interest in work-related matters, so they went to play nearby hand in hand. Cai Xiujuan gave a command and took Jian Lu and his wife to the venue to have a look.

"Is this place well built? I watched them build it according to the drawings you drew. The office, laboratory and workshop are all spacious."

Jian Lu looked around. This was her first time here after the new place was completed. It was indeed well built and the layout was reasonable. "Not bad."

"Of course not. It's much better than the one we had before."

Cai Xiujuan is also satisfied. Today's Xinchang has a brand new look and has abandoned the layout that was found to be unreasonable during experiments in the past few years.

Cai Xiujuan walked further inside and took the person to her own office. Next to it was the office reserved for Jian Lu. "Whenever you come to work, this office is reserved for you."

Jian Lu shook her head. "Actually, there's no need to keep it for me. I don't have the time to come over. You still have to keep an eye on it."

She is still mainly busy with her studies. As for after graduation, Jian Lu's biggest dream is to invest everywhere so that she can lie down at home and earn money.

"No, that won't work. It's what it should be. You are the manager of our farm, so there must be rules and procedures. I also told the workers below that. We have two managers in our farm."

Cai Xiujuan is an honest person who doesn't pretend to be anything fancy. She is also worried that she has not treated Jian Lu well enough.

"Sister Xiujuan, you are too polite..."

"Mom! Mom! Dad!" Before Jian Lu finished her words, she was suddenly interrupted by the sound of Shuangshuang approaching from far away. The little girl anxiously leaned back and forth, "Sister Duoduo... someone just grabbed Sister Duoduo, so fierce."

"who?"

The adults were immediately alerted. Cai Xiujuan stepped forward and said, "Shuangshuang, please speak slowly. Where is Duoduo now?"

"Behind the pond, that seems to be Sister Duoduo's father."

Duoduo’s father?

Jian Lu's impression of this man was already very vague. Wasn't that Liu Santong, who was sentenced to prison for committing hooliganism and fooling around outside?

He must have been out of prison for a few years, why did he suddenly come to see me now?

"Let's go and take a look!" Jian Lu called her husband and hurried over following Cai Xiujuan's pace.