Chapter 160
Xia Juhua smiled and said, "Of course it's much easier to walk than before. When we got off the train, Liu Xi and I were wondering how far the road had been repaired. We didn't expect to find ourselves walking on a new road when we got back."
The Fifth Master's face was all smiles: "That's right, I've never walked on such a flat road in my life. Although it was a little hard to step on, Daxi rode his bicycle to take me to the brigade, and the whole way was not bumpy at all."
Seeing the old man so happy and beaming with joy when talking about the road, Xia Juhua could only be even happier: "With this road, we can import and export sweet potatoes, deliver grain, or transport hot and sour rice noodles without worrying about the road collapsing and the car getting stuck inside and causing delays."
Delaying time is one thing, but if there is a waterwheel in the pit and it tilts, the grain on it will fall into the water and be wasted.
Sun Zhaodi then told another story she had heard: "The day before yesterday, someone took a basket of eggs on a bicycle and rode it to the supply and marketing agency. He came back and said that the eggs were safe all the way, and when he took them out at the supply and marketing agency, not a single one of them was broken."
It is not easy to carry a basket of eggs on a bicycle. If the bicycle is bumped, the eggs inside may bump into each other. Hearing what Sun Zhaodi said, Xia Juhua and Wuye were even happier and continued to talk about the benefits of building roads.
What Fifth Master is most concerned about now is the brick-making work that Xia Juhua had planned before she left. Now the adobe bricks and tiles made in Ping'an Village have been transported to Xiajia Village, and two kilns have been fired. Chen Qiusheng said that they also bought a lot of adobe bricks made by members of the Xiawo Brigade. The old man has been a little confused:
"Before you left, you asked Qiu Sheng to collect adobe bricks from Xiakuo Brigade. What's the point of burning so many bricks? I figured it would be enough to build another vermicelli factory."
Xia Juhua knew everything about Master Wu except why the hot and sour rice noodle was only supplied to the troops: "Didn't I tell you before I left that I have developed a new instant noodle? After the comrades in the army tried it, they thought it was as good as the hot and sour rice noodle, so they wanted us to continue to produce it in large quantities. I still have some left, how about I make some for you to try now?"
Fifth Master was a little confused, not sure whether Xia Juhua had told him, but he had eaten dinner and usually went to bed at this time, so he naturally said he didn't know. He continued to ask him about the problem: "Do we need to build another factory? If we build a new factory, it's a good thing, but there will be a lot of people needed inside. Will there be anyone to farm?"
For farmers, land is their foundation. If no one cultivates the land in the old factory, no matter how much money is earned, Wu Ye will not be able to accept it.
Xia Juhua had long felt that Ping'an Village Brigade was short of manpower, but the instant noodle factory had to be built as soon as possible. After thinking for a while, she said, "Actually, a production team has about 500 acres of land. Whether it's wheat harvesting or planting, machines can be used. Each production team can have 60 to 70 people to serve. It's when we rush to plant sweet potatoes that we need more manpower late. If that doesn't work, we can just draw people from the factory."
Seeing her determination to build the factory and knowing that the income from the factory was indeed higher than that from farming, there was no member who did not want to work in the factory. Fifth Master did not say anything against it, but from the way he kept sucking on his pipe, it could be seen that he was not very reassured.
Xia Juhua felt that she needed to call Technician Xue, no, Engineer Xue, and asked him to study agricultural machinery in addition to the automatic production machine for instant noodles. It would be best if even the sweet potato harvest could be produced by machinery, so that more manpower could be freed up.
Seeing that the two had been silent, Sun Zhaodi spoke up: "In fact, the women in our production team can earn money by weaving. The women in other production teams are jealous. They are almost fighting for people in the two recruitments. If they can also work in the factory or operate those farming machines, I think some people should be willing to do it."
Yes, now all the women in the Pinganzhuang production team have work to do, and they have also recruited two groups of women from other teams to join the weaving group. So why can't the hot and sour noodle factory and the instant noodle factory recruit female workers in the same way? Most of the women in the other four teams have to be idle in winter.
In the past, only strong laborers were recruited because transporting sweet potatoes, slurrying and filtering vermicelli required great strength, and women would easily get tired and injured. But now, vermicelli factories and the upcoming instant noodle factories have all started semi-automatic or fully automatic production. Women are careful and flexible, and can do everything from packaging to frying seasonings, so they are really suitable for factory work.
Xia Juhua kept it in mind and waited to have a meeting with Li Changshun and others tomorrow to discuss it. Now she had to settle driver Xiao Wang.
The meal was over, and the next question was where to live. Both Liu Zhiquan's and Liu Zhishuang's rooms could accommodate people, so in the end, Xiao Wang, the driver, and Qi Weidong moved into the south room of the east wing - the north room had always been occupied by Liu Zhiquan and his wife, and Xia Juhua felt it was inappropriate for outsiders to live there.
It's not too cold now, so put two pieces of firewood on the kang, spread the mattress and cover them with a quilt, so that they won't be cold.
At dawn the next day, the roosters in Ping'an Village began to crow about the sun. Someone's dog was woken up by the roosters and started barking at the sky in dissatisfaction. The whole village suddenly became lively.
Xia Juhua listened to the chorus of the roosters and smiled to herself at the roof: How wonderful! In the past, no family in Ping'an Village was willing to use the limited quota to raise roosters. Once they had enough breeding eggs, they would sell or kill the roosters to free up space to raise another hen to lay eggs and sell for money.
Listening to the crowing of chickens now, every household has more than one or two roosters, so we won't have to look for breeding eggs everywhere for next year.
After waking up, Xia Juhua didn't have the habit of staying in bed. She washed up and went to the kitchen to make breakfast for Xiao Wang and Qi Weidong. When she opened the door, she saw that the kitchen was cleaned by Sun Zhaodi. The things in the kitchen were still arranged in an orderly manner according to Xia Juhua's habit, and there was a basket of eggs placed prominently on the west stove.
The chickens at home should have laid eggs during the days she was away. But this year, the chicks she brought from Fifth Master's house have grown into about ten roosters, and the remaining twenty or so hens are all from this year. They have just started laying eggs, so it's good to have one egg every two days.
It was only seven or eight days, so it was impossible to save so much. Needless to say, Sun Zhaodi must have sent all the eggs laid by the thirty chickens she raised for Xiaoman.
As it was still dark, Xia Juhua could not afford to lose the eggs, so she ran to knock on the door next door, thinking that when she saw Sun Zhaodi again, she would tell her that Xiaoman's chicken had been given to her to raise, and she could keep the eggs for herself - raising chickens was not only laborious but also required food, and she couldn't let them eat the food from Chen Dongsheng's house and then have the eggs belong to Xia Juhua.
Having cooked for two lifetimes and with plenty of ingredients at home, Xia Juhua easily made scallion cakes and seaweed egg drop soup with the seaweed she brought back. When driver Xiao Wang and the other driver got up, everything was already on the table.
Driver Xiao Wang was full of praise for Xia Juhua's cooking skills. Xia Juhua just asked him to eat more because he had to drive back to the district soon. There was only one person driving on the road and there was no one to talk to. He would have the energy to drive only after eating a full meal.
After they finished eating, Sun Zhaodi came in with two tied roosters. Xia Juhua couldn't help but say, "I brought them 60 eggs two days ago, and now I caught two chickens. Do you have to bring them half a pig next time?"
Sun Zhaodi smiled and said, "Now all pigs are kept in the pigsty of the production team. If everyone shares their pigs, I can raise two of them. In the city, they have to pay for even a scallion. Now Zhishuang is the only one earning a salary. If he brings some food with him, they can save some money."
Driver Xiao Wang was a little stunned. Is this really Liu Zhishuang's mother-in-law? Even though his wife's family is from the city, because there are many brothers and sisters, they are the only ones who can bring things to his mother-in-law's house every time, and they have never seen anything from his mother-in-law's house.
What kind of life is Liu Zhishuang having? His mother-in-law brings him things time and time again, and they are all nutritious things.
Xia Juhua also packed a large bag of the semi-finished instant noodles she had been testing, and gave another five kilograms of vermicelli and one kilogram of dried shrimp to driver Xiao Wang, asking him to take them home and try them - everything that should have been given to Liu Zhishuang had already been given to him yesterday, so Xia Juhua didn't bring him anything else.
Such old things are enough for the whole family to eat for half a month, how can we just taste them? Xiao Wang, the driver, was very reluctant, and repeatedly said that he was the one who picked up Xia Juhua and it was arranged by the leaders of the supply and marketing cooperative. Xia Juhua still insisted that he take them: "They are all our own things. If you like to taste them, tell Zhishuang and ask him to bring them back to you next time he comes back."
What else could driver Xiao Wang say? He could only take the things, thank the owner repeatedly, and drive back to Chengping area.
After sending driver Xiao Wang away, Xia Juhua asked Qi Weidong with a smile: "You have been following me since last night. Are you planning to fight a protracted war with me? Tell me what your plan is."
Qi Weidong knew that Xia Juhua couldn't keep his thoughts to herself, so he smiled and pulled her back to the main room, asking, "Auntie, do you really want to hand over all your Hai Mi to the brigade?"
Xia Juhua corrected him: "It was not handed over to the brigade, but to the instant noodle factory."
"What's the difference? We are all from the brigade. Auntie, tell me the truth, all that money has been given to the brigade for nothing, don't you feel bad?" Qi Weidong kept shaking his head, indicating that he didn't understand what Xia Juhua was thinking.
Xia Juhua nodded: "I feel bad, of course I do. But without these seafood, the instant noodles only have three flavors of seasoning: pork, shredded chicken, and hot and sour. Eating them often can easily hurt people."
"Who still eats that stuff as a meal every day..." Qi Weidong just said this, and then he remembered that the hot and sour noodles had been supplied to the troops. A possibility emerged in his mind. He stared at Xia Juhua and couldn't say the following words.
Seeing that he should have thought of that possibility but did not ask, Xia Juhua nodded to him without saying anything: It's good that you understood it, and you didn't tell anyone. Qi Weidong is not someone who can't keep secrets, maybe he can help me with this matter.
Liu Xi is still a little immature when it comes to outside affairs, and it would be much better if Qi Weidong was with him.
Qi Weidong's face rarely looked serious: "Auntie, can I invest some money in your instant noodle factory? Your vermicelli factory only makes wages now, and the brigade doesn't have much money left. The members' money was used to repair the road last time, so what can they use to build an instant noodle factory? How about I invest some money?"
After realizing the role of the instant noodle factory, Qi Weidong's first thought was that he had to get involved. If for no other reason, just because Xia Juhua had put so much effort into it, he had to get involved.
His experience of working with Xia Juhua over the past few years has taught him that the more Xia Juhua puts in, the greater the rewards she gets. Moreover, this matter involves the military, let alone whether it makes money or not, how many people in the country can contribute to the military? !
He must exert this strength, even if it means he has to do everything he can!
Xia Juhua didn't expect Qi Weidong to react like this. She felt that her brain was not good enough: "You want to invest in the instant noodle factory, but you are not from Ping An Village. It will be difficult to distribute dividends to you in the future. Your investment will be wasted."
"Auntie, you are from the Ping'an Village Brigade, I can just give you the money." Qi Weidong didn't think it was a problem.
Xia Juhua wanted to say that she borrowed the money from Qi Weidong to buy seafood, otherwise she couldn't explain where her money came from. Now Qi Weidong wanted to leave the money with her and then use her to give it to the instant noodle factory. Xia Juhua felt that it was inappropriate.
Seeing that Xia Juhua had not given in, Qi Weidong became anxious: "Auntie, you said that we have been working together for so many years, and your nephew has never cheated you or taken advantage of you, right? Now your nephew wants to invest in an instant noodle factory with you, but you don't agree. Do you think your nephew is not worthy of your trust and are afraid that your nephew will leak the news?"
Speaking of leaking the news, it was a bit serious. Xia Juhua's trust in Qi Weidong was built up little by little over the years of making money together. Both sides had already recognized his character and style of doing things. How could she let Qi Weidong have such a misunderstanding? She hurriedly said:
"It's not that I don't believe you. It's just that I just had this idea to build an instant noodle factory, so I just started to prepare. I haven't calculated how much money it will cost, and I don't know how much the gap is. I also said that this factory can only be built in the name of Ping'an Village Brigade. It's not something that can be done by me and you alone."
Qi Weidong said: "Auntie, if you really believe in me, then discuss with the people in your team to see if I can invest money - now everyone is short of money, it's the right time for me to invest. If your team thinks it's not okay, I will ask my uncle. I don't mean anything else, I just think I made some money from selling vermicelli with Ping An Zhuang, and now Ping An Zhuang is having difficulties in building a factory, I want to help, why can't I do it?"
Are you still being unreasonable? Who told you that it was difficult to build a factory? Well, you wanted to invest money but they didn't dare to accept it, so you think it was difficult for them to build a factory? Are you writing a TV drama?
Xia Juhua looked at Qi Weidong who was cheating on her. She wanted to reject him, but she felt that it was too hurtful. She might feel uncomfortable cooperating with him in the future. After thinking for a while, she said to Qi Weidong, "You go back first and sell your seafood. I have to discuss with the team and then give you a reply. Is that okay?"
Qi Weidong nodded: "Auntie, I feel relieved when you say this. As long as you agree, others will definitely have no problem."
That's right. Besides having her own ideas, Xia Juhua also has to look at the big picture, right? Team-run factories are rare now, and there is no individual factory at all. She dare not guarantee Qi Weidong that she can definitely accept his money.
Until Qi Weidong went to find Liuxi and asked him to take her back to the county town by bicycle, Xia Juhua did not give in, and only said that she would hold a meeting with the brigade cadres to discuss it. However, Qi Weidong's words also gave her an idea, that is, if the brigade did not have many objections, then her money could also be invested in the instant noodle factory through Qi Weidong's hands.
On the one hand, if the instant noodle factory has sufficient funds, it can add another production line to increase production. On the other hand, after the big packaged noodle factory is launched, she has invested in the instant noodle factory, and her control over the instant noodle factory can be taken to a higher level.
Compared to the predecessors who had to deal with the flour themselves, Xia Juhua developed the instant noodle factory entirely by trial and error. Even if she drew on some experience from her previous life, that was experience that no one else had, wasn't it?
When the contract responsibility system was implemented, the instant noodle factory was divided among the members according to the collective economy and on a per capita basis. Xia Juhua became someone who was doing wedding dresses for others - she did not ask for the instant noodle factory to become her own in the future, but hoped to get more rewards after her efforts.
The more Xia Juhua thought about it, the more she felt that Qi Weidong's idea of investing in an instant noodle factory was feasible. She immediately stopped riding her bike and walked slowly on the newly paved asphalt road, planning to go to the brigade headquarters to discuss it with someone.
Before discussing the matter, Xia Juhua first went to see Accountant Chang to learn about the use of the road construction funds. Accountant Chang created an account book for the road construction and gave Xia Juhua the figures:
Ping'anzhuang Brigade raised a total of 90,320 yuan for road construction, used 71,742 yuan and 8 cents, and had 18,577 yuan and 92 cents left.
Hearing that there was still so much money left for road construction, Xia Juhua was a little unconvinced: "How could there be so much left?"
Accountant Chang pointed to the numbers in the account book and calculated them for her one by one: the materials cost 57,961.28 yuan, and the labor cost totaled 13,780.8 yuan, which was not all that was left.
He also explained to Xia Juhua why they had so much money left: "The members of our brigade worked really hard because we were building the road for ourselves. We started working as soon as the day started to get light and stopped only when it got darker. The section from the fifth brigade to the commune was flattered by other brigades, so we got more work credits."
"Plus, the asphalt was taken care of by the other army, so we didn't spend any money, so we have some left. Otherwise, we would have to add another 5,000 yuan for the labor, and the asphalt would have cost more than 10,000 yuan. Let alone any money left, it might not even be enough after all the calculations."
Xia Juhua completely believed what Accountant Chang said. After closing the account book, she heaved a sigh of relief: "The members of our Ping'an Village Brigade are really hardworking and considerate of the collective."
Accountant Chang disagreed with her words: "If it weren't for your 5,000 yuan, no one would fight so hard. You have spent all your own money. People are all made of flesh and blood. Can everyone pretend not to see it?"
Having said that, Xia Juhua had seen in her life that her closest people took her efforts for granted. At this moment, she could not help but be grateful to the members of the Ping'anzhuang Brigade for their gratitude.
Seeing that she was still in a state of agitation, Accountant Chang deliberately changed the subject: "Now that there is so much money left in the account, do you think it is better to invest it directly in the instant noodle factory, or return it to the members?"
Xia Juhua certainly hopes to invest the remaining money in the instant noodle factory. Inspired by Qi Weidong, she thinks this is equivalent to all members investing in the instant noodle factory. When the factory is sold out, the shares can be divided according to each family's investment, so that members will not be at a loss due to the sudden change in production methods.
With the income from the instant noodle factory as a guarantee, the members who invested in the company would always get a share of the dividends, so they wouldn't have to rely solely on the income from farming and live in poverty again. However, the money was raised by everyone for road construction, so she couldn't make the decision herself. She still had to call a meeting of the brigade cadres and production team leaders.
Xia Juhua's past life experience taught her that you should not make decisions for others just because you think it is good for them. What if they have their own ideas? Then you will be working for a bad purpose.
When Li Changshun and others heard that Xia Juhua had returned, they called everyone to a meeting. They thought she had brought back some new instructions from her superiors, so they hurried to the brigade headquarters. After greeting Xia Juhua, they never took their eyes off her, hoping that she could tell them about the new instructions from her superiors as soon as possible.
After all, things have changed more and more outside during this period of time. First, there was news that the college entrance examination had been resumed, and then the evildoers who had been sent down to the countryside in the early years were rehabilitated and returned to the city. Now there is a rumor that the educated youth can return to the city regardless of whether they can get into college or not.
Ping'anzhuang Brigade did not receive any of the evil spirits that were sent down to the countryside, but now, except for a few educated youth who were preparing to take the college entrance examination, the rest of them were wandering around Ping'anzhuang Brigade, some wanted to sell their things that they had used for a few years to members of Ping'anzhuang Brigade, and some wanted to exchange some local specialties from members of Ping'anzhuang Brigade to take home. They were all preparing to return to the city.
If we go back two years, those educated youth who wanted to sell their old things to members of Ping'anzhuang Brigade could still sell them. But now, if Ping'anzhuang Brigade wants to buy something, Xia Juhua doesn't even need to step in. Liu Liqun or Chen Qiu Sheng can contact the county supply and marketing cooperative to solve the problem.
As the work points increased, the members' vision became more open. How could they still be interested in the old things of the educated youth? This was a great blow to the educated youth who felt good about themselves.
Those educated youth who wanted to exchange things with the members of Pingan Village were actually not as wealthy as the members. They were very picky about the things they exchanged, and even wanted to take the members' things away directly. Several disputes arose because of this. If Liu Liqun had not often come forward with a sullen face, who knows how serious the trouble would have been.
If there is news that the educated youth are returning to the city, the production team leaders in Ping'an Village would be eager to send them off with firecrackers, so they want to know whether the policy from their superiors has been issued.
Unexpectedly, what Xia Juhua talked about was not the new policy from the higher authorities, but how to deal with the remaining funds for road construction: she proposed two options. One was to calculate the proportion of the remaining funds to the total funds based on the amount raised by everyone, and then return the money directly to the members.
Another way is to use it to build an instant noodle factory. The amount of money left for each company is calculated according to the above ratio. After the instant noodle factory is built, the share of the shares is calculated, and dividends are distributed to members every year based on this share.
After listening to this, Li Changshun asked Xia Juhua directly: "Which one do you think is better?"
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