Everyone at the table talked about the arrival of the power construction team. It turned out that the brigade near the town where Wan's family lived had electricity last year. The Wan family members said that having electricity made things much more convenient, but they had to use it sparingly.
The family next door to theirs always forgot to turn off the lights, and they paid two dollars for electricity in the first month, which was very distressing.
Brother Wan said that someone in the village bought a TV set, which cost two cents each. When there are many people, one can earn a few dollars a day.
Zhou Huaiqing nudged Zhou Huaian who was sitting next to him and whispered, "Youngest brother, the electricity will be available soon. Go order a TV and you can watch TV when the electricity is available."
Zhou Huaian smiled and said, "You're going to have a wedding in the second half of the year, so you should buy one."
"It's too early to hold a wedding banquet just now!" Zhou Huaiqing looked at Zhou Huaigang, "He's getting pregnant soon. This girl fell in love with his sister Dandan at first sight and they will be engaged next month."
"Youngest brother, don't listen to his nonsense!" Zhou Huaigang rolled his eyes at Zhou Huaiqing, "It was obvious that he met an old classmate on a blind date, and he was so excited that he didn't even know what to say..."
Zhou Huaian and others started to make a fuss, asking Zhou Huaiqing to clarify whether they were elementary school classmates or junior high school classmates. Everyone was laughing and having a great time.
Yang Chunyan sat at a table with Xiao Jiuer, Zhou's mother and a few sisters-in-law, listening to Zhou Jiakang at the next table bragging about watching TV in Ning'an.
Zhang Xiuxiang patted him and said, "You old woman, all these delicious foods can't keep you from eating?"
Zhao Huifang said with a smile: "Xiuxiang, neither you nor the second child are talkative. You grew up in a well-off family, and your mouth is comparable to the youngest child."
Zhang Xiuxiang: "He is the most talkative person in my family. He chatters all day long. We are used to his chattering. Huaijun and I are still a little uncomfortable in Baicaoping."
Zhou Jiakang turned around proudly after hearing this, "Mom, didn't you say I was a nagging old woman? How come you are not used to going to Baicaoping without me?"
Zhou Xiaoqian pulled him and said with a sullen face, "Eat your meal quickly. You've eaten too much. You can't answer any questions." Then she warned him in a low voice, "If you don't eat well, I won't take you to Fangtian this afternoon."
"Oh!" Zhou Jiakang immediately sat back obediently.
Aunt Zhou San smiled and said, "Xiuxiang, your Xiaokang is quite obedient to Xiaoqian's management!"
Zhang Xiuxiang nodded helplessly, "Sometimes what I, as a mother, say is not as effective as what his sister says."
The two tables of children had finished their meals, wiped their lips, said hello to the adults, and rushed to the school to see the power construction team.
The adults ate and chatted until all the food on the table was finished. Some even scooped up some rice and poured the soup into it to eat with their meals before leaving the table to help clean up.
Yang Chunyan and her sisters-in-law helped to pack up, and then they walked back slowly together. When they got home, they saw Zhou Huaian squinting in the rattan chair, and Xiao Jiuer lying on the small bed and snoring.
She was about to ask him to go to bed when Zhou Huaian opened his eyes and looked at her, "Yan'er, the electricity will be turned on soon. How about we talk to Wang Zhen and ask him to help buy a TV?"
Yang Chunyan thought that although she was not interested in television, people nowadays were very fascinated by it. "Okay, if you want to buy one, just buy a black and white one. Color TVs are too expensive. It would be better to add some money and buy a piece of land."
"Listen to my wife." Zhou Huaian reached out and pulled her to sit on his lap. "I also want to buy a refrigerator. Look..."
Yang Chunyan thought for a moment and said, "Forget about the refrigerator. My sister has already said that the voltage in the countryside is unstable and it is easy to burn out the machine."
"It's so expensive that I'm a little reluctant to spend it." Zhou Huaian hesitated for a moment, then said, "Yan'er, I'm going to the provincial capital next month. I want to take my grandfather and mom with me. What do you think?"
Yang Chunyan had never seen the provincial capital at this time, and she also wanted to go to Qingnian Road and the North Station Wholesale Market, but she didn't know if they were open at this moment. She happily said, "Okay, let's go together."
"Yan'er, you are so nice!" Zhou Huaian's hands were dishonest, he hugged her and groped her.
Yang Chunyan slapped him away and said, "Stop it, your mouth is full of the stink of alcohol, it's stinking, get out of here right now!"
Zhou Huaian blew a breath into his palm and sniffed, "Where is the stink? It's clearly the smell of wine. Come on, wife, mom and the old man have gone to the next door, we can have some free time..."
Yang Chunyan pinched the soft flesh on his waist and said, "It's broad daylight, let go quickly, the big brother and the others will come to talk to you later."
"Okay, okay, let's talk." Zhou Huaian calmed down. "Uncle Xu said that the Water and Electricity Bureau is coming to do construction and needs to find someone to help. He said that his Xu Laosan will go and Uncle Datian's Huaiqing will go. He asked us which one should go? I don't want to go. Who do you think is better to go?"
Yang Chunyan stood up and sat on another chair. "If the Water and Electricity Bureau wants to help with the construction, anyone can go! Do we need to discuss it?"
"Learn the technology. If we want to invest in a hydropower station, we must at least have people who know the technology!"
"You guys agreed! Did the people from the power bureau agree to teach them?"
"Yes!" Zhou Huaian nodded, "Wang Zhen told me to pick a few people out, let them learn from the construction team for a period of time, and then go to the power plant to learn. When the time comes, find someone to get some obsolete machinery and equipment for them to practice with.
He said that learning electrical engineering is just like learning a craft in the past. Practice makes perfect. As long as you are familiar with the structure of the components and the direction of the circuits, even if you encounter something you don’t understand in the future, you can learn it by following the instructions.
"You need to be careful and have a good memory to learn this. Unfortunately, the kids at home are too young, and it seems that there is no one else suitable except you."
"That's right. I think I can do it, too. You know my temper. I can't sit still." Zhou Huaian stood up and squatted in front of her. "I thought about it for a long time and I think my second brother can do it. He used to learn things very quickly. He has a good memory like me and is smart."
Yang Chunyan patted him with amusement, "You are so shameless. No matter what you say, you have to praise yourself... Woo... Woo..." Before she could finish her words, he leaned over to block her...
Zhou Huairong and his two brothers came back to celebrate the New Year and have a full-month banquet. They did not cook at home, but ate in the oven with Yang Chunyan's family.
In the evening, during dinner, Zhou Huaian told everyone about his plan to invest money to build a hydroelectric power station, and about Secretary Xu and Wang Zhen asking his family to pick someone to learn electrical engineering skills.
After hearing this, Zhou's father frowned and said, "There are all kinds of people in the village. If you ask everyone in the village to invest money, will there be disputes in the future?"
Zhou Huaian: "What's there to argue about? It's voluntary and no one is forced to invest. It's just like our family doing business with Uncle Xu, Yiding and Uncle Datian. We sell things at a cost, and after a season, we divide the profits according to the shares invested by each family."
The old man said: "If the whole village invests money, there will be an accountant to do the accounting, just like we used to earn work points. When the time comes, we will settle the accounts once and for all. There is nothing to argue about. I am just worried, can you guys handle such a big business?"
"Wang Zhen and Uncle Xu are working on this. When they are done, we will just follow them." Zhou Huaian said, looking at Zhou Huairong and the others, "Brother, which one of you wants to learn technology?"
Zhou Huaishan said without hesitation: "I won't go. I can do hard labor, but forget about brain work!"
Zhou Huairong also shook his head, "I'm already struggling as a team leader, so I won't go as an electrician." He looked at Zhou Huaijun and said, "Second brother, I think you can do it."
Zhou Huaishan: "I also think that my second brother is good. He learns things much faster than us."
After hearing this, Zhou Huaijun looked at Zhang Xiuxiang and said, "I'm going to learn electrician. Can you do it alone?"
Zhang Xiuxiang smiled and said, "Okay, if not, I'll ask Haili to come with me and help for two days."
After hearing this, Zhou Huaijun said to Zhou Huaian: "Youngest, do you think I can do it?"
Zhou Huaian: "Go and try it first. If it works out, keep doing it. If it doesn't, you can still get one or two yuan a day."
Zhou Huaijun nodded, "Okay, then I'll give it a try."
After dinner, the brothers went to the oven to help. Zhou Huaian said, "Brother, the construction team from the power bureau is here. It looks like the electricity will be back soon. Why don't you go get a TV and take it home?"
Zhou Huaijun: "I do want to, but it's a bit expensive, several hundred yuan per unit!"
Zhou Huaian: "Why do we make money? It's to make our lives more comfortable. Besides, if we ask Wang Zhen to help us buy it, not only will we not need a ticket, but it will also be cheaper than the department store."
Zhou Huaishan said with a smile: "Youngest, buy one and we will come to your house to watch it in the future. It will be more lively with more people."
Zhou Huaian glanced at them and said, "You are all stingy. When the electricity comes, I will buy a TV. You guys pay for the electricity every month!"
Zhou Huairong laughed and said, "You are stingy and you still say we are stingy. I went to your house to watch TV to give you face, but you still want me to pay for the electricity. I think you almost want to be beaten!"
"You still want to collect the electricity bill? It's better to give you a few chestnuts every month!" Zhou Huaishan hugged him, "Big brother, second brother, go ahead and treat him to chestnuts!"
"Here we go!" Zhou Huairong and Zhou Huaijun stepped forward and held him down before firing. The brothers started to quarrel...
The next morning, several people from the purchasing points took their tractors to their respective locations, and Luo Haili followed Zhang Xiuxiang to Baicaoping.
Everyone thought that during the first week of the market opening, although not as much as before the New Year, there would still be two to three thousand kilograms of truffles harvested a day. However, as time went on, the harvest became less and less, and sometimes only five to six hundred kilograms of truffles were harvested a day.
Only Zhou Huairong's purchasing point and Secretary Xu's purchasing point have two to three thousand kilograms of goods a day.
Zhou Huaian simply stopped the purchasing points in Baicaoping, Sancha Road and Tonglin, leaving only the two purchasing points with sufficient supply.
In a blink of an eye, the construction team has been in the countryside for nearly half a month. They inspected the road from Baima Town to Fangtian Brigade and planned the route for burying the electric poles.
From the town all the way to Funiu, electric wires need to be laid. The workload is huge, and the power bureau has sent several construction teams.
Zhou Huaijun, Zhou Huaiqing, and Xu Laosan followed the leader of the construction team, who was Wang Zhen's classmate. (End of this chapter)
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