After Gao Shujing became the head of the repair shop, the team gave him a salary of five yuan for each day's full work points, plus a 10% share of the profits from each item sold.
Work points are settled twice a year, while wages and profit sharing are paid monthly.
The money from trading in the bicycles was distributed among the entire brigade, and Gao Shujing would also receive a share. Of course, by then, he would be lucky to get two or three yuan from the repair shop's profits.
When work points are settled, workers can receive grain, meat, oil, and money. According to Gao Shujing's full work points, in addition to grain, meat, and oil, he can also receive several tens of yuan in cash, which is equivalent to one or two months' wages for a worker.
It took Gao Shujing nearly ten days to put together this bicycle. After repairing the tractor, he also fixed the water pump that was almost scrap metal. Only then did he manage to make his first bicycle.
He simply had too many chores every day, including taking care of the food and clothing of four children and going to town to buy things every few days. It was considered good if he spent three or four hours a day on repairs.
He is also a perfectionist, and he will try his best to erase even the smallest flaws, which makes the repair process even slower.
Gao Shujing took out a cost list he had prepared earlier from his pocket and handed it to him: "It's all sorted out. The repair cost for this bicycle is a dozen yuan. Every expense is listed on the list. Take a look."
Captain Huang took the list and glanced at it, then became even happier: "Wow, such a good bicycle only costs a dozen yuan to make, it's such a good deal."
Gao Shujing cautioned, "The repair cost of every bicycle is not the same. This bicycle was repaired using the better materials from that pile of scrap. The worse the parts, the higher the repair cost."
Captain Huang: "It's alright, as long as it can be fixed."
Captain Huang was happily calculating in his mind that a new bicycle outside would cost at least 160 yuan, and you would also need a bicycle ticket and connections to get one.
The bicycles they assembled are so good that you can't tell they're secondhand unless you look closely. People from their brigade ask for eighty yuan, while outsiders ask for one hundred yuan. No receipts required. It's not unreasonable, is it?
If we calculate it this way, even if Gao Shujing later increases the repair cost to forty or fifty yuan, they will still make a profit.
Based on Gao Shujing's repair speed, as long as he collects enough scrap, Gao Shujing can generate at least three to four thousand yuan in revenue for the brigade each year.
A 200-pound pig can't even sell for 200 yuan, but Gao Shujing's contribution alone is equivalent to that of twenty pigs.
The Xiafen brigade raised thirty pigs and employed five or six people. Considering all that, Gao Shujing's contribution was greater.
If he collected enough scrap, he could have Gao Shujing bring his apprentices to repair it. Unfortunately, there were too few scrap machines in the town, so the idea of expanding the repair shop could only remain a thought. Captain Huang regretfully gave up on this way of generating income.
With his efforts paid off, Captain Huang excitedly rode his bicycle around the brigade again. Amidst the envious glances of the crowd, he happily called upon Party Secretary Li to return to the brigade office to discuss the final exchange price.
Party Secretary Li was the head of the brigade, and their division of labor was that the brigade leader was in charge of the brigade's affairs, while Party Secretary Li was in charge of the brigade leader.
Of course, while Captain Huang was busy, Secretary Li would also share some of the brigade's affairs.
The repair shop is a new way to generate income, which is a big deal for the team, so of course we need to discuss it with Secretary Li.
When he heard that Captain Huang had resold a bicycle that cost a dozen yuan to repair for eighty yuan, Secretary Li gasped: "Isn't this speculation and profiteering?"
Captain Huang reasoned with them: "We are exchanging goods in the name of the brigade, and the money earned belongs to the brigade and will be distributed among the team members later; speculation and profiteering involves buying low and selling high, wantonly disrupting the market, and making huge profits for oneself."
“The lowest price for a new bicycle outside is 160 yuan, and you need a bicycle ticket. The price here is half the price, and you don’t need a ticket. It’s also to generate revenue for the brigade, and it has nothing to do with speculation.”
Thinking about the price of bicycles outside, Secretary Li calmed down. Their bicycles, which were almost new, were only half price and they didn't charge a ticket, so they weren't expensive at all.
At the very least, if you put this bicycle outside, let alone eighty, even if you sold it for one hundred and sixty, people would fight over it if you didn't need a ticket.
Party Secretary Li nodded and said, "When you calculate it this way, it really isn't expensive."
Captain Huang pressed on, saying, "The repair costs will only increase as the vehicle is assembled from the best materials found in that pile of scrap."
"It would be much more difficult to assemble the remaining materials into a bicycle that is 80 or 90 percent new, so our price is really not high."
Secretary Li understood this principle and nodded, saying, "The price is settled. I'll take this bicycle and pay the team later."
The once high-spirited Captain Huang's face stiffened, turning into a bitter expression: "Old Li, I've already ordered this truck. I've told everyone in the team about it, and we're just waiting to pay and take it home. You can't just interfere."
Party Secretary Li took a puff of his cigarette and began to play the victim: "I'm more than ten years older than you, and I might not be able to walk properly one day and won't be able to ride a bicycle anymore. Unlike you, you're in your prime, you never hesitate to go up mountains or down rivers, and you have plenty of time."
"When you get old, all you want is this little bit of fun. You can't take it from an old man like me."
Captain Huang looked at the energetic Party Secretary Li in front of him. He thought that Li could be jumping around for another ten years or so without any problem, but he insisted on playing the victim and trying to steal his bicycle.
The devil is always one step ahead of the saint. In the end, Captain Huang couldn't win against Secretary Li and lost his bicycle lover.
Gao Shujing returned the bicycle, and Yu Rujia discussed with him the things to prepare for the Mid-Autumn Festival. He was the main worker in the family, so he needed to know about these things.
Upon hearing her mention the Mid-Autumn Festival, the astute Gao Shujing indeed said, "I'll go to town tomorrow or the day after to see what supplies are available, and I'll pick some to bring back. Or, if you want to buy anything, just give me a list, and I'll buy it all together."
Yu Rujia: "We don't need to buy chickens; we can just exchange them with the people from the brigade later. We can catch fish from the river, and buy some meat and bones. We can use the bones to make soup. Do you know how to clean pig offal?"
She has many things she wants to eat, but she just doesn't want to cook them herself. To save time, she hasn't eaten pork offal in a long time. Although these things are difficult to prepare, they taste even better than meat when stir-fried, and she really likes them.
Gao Shujing understood her thoughts. After spending two months together, he knew about her love of food and her lazy nature, and he never thought of changing her.
Yu Rujia may procrastinate on these trivial matters, but she is never ambiguous when it comes to important things. You can tell from the medicine cabinet in her room filled with bottles of pills that she is doing her job as the team doctor very well.
Gao Shujing: "Pig offal doesn't require coupons. If I come across it, I'll bring back two sets and we'll stir-fry them."
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