Chapter 78 Cigarette Factory
Tao Nanfeng and Xiang Bei also stood up at the same time.
A telegram, an urgent telegram, must be something extremely urgent.
The three of them rushed out of the house together. Tao Shouxin was so panicked that he didn't even change his slippers and ran out in his cotton slippers.
"Comrade postman, it's me, Tao Shouxin."
The postman rode a green bicycle and held up the telegram in his hand: "Please sign for it."
Tao Shouxin took the telegram and quickly read its contents. A second later, he handed the telegram to Xiangbei: "For you."
Xiangbei was stunned for a moment, his expression suddenly became solemn, he took the telegram and read it aloud.
"Tell Xiangbei that the agreement with the cigarette factory has changed. Lin Hu has already left for De County, so meet up with him immediately."
Tao Shouxin asked him with concern: "What's going on?"
Xiangbei put the telegram in his pocket and looked at Tao Shouxin apologetically.
"I have to leave for De County Cigarette Factory right away. We had originally agreed to import their equipment and produce cigarettes on our behalf, but I don't know what went wrong and they don't plan to fulfill their promise. Zhou Linhu and his team have already gone there, but I still have to go there in person, otherwise I won't be able to keep the situation under control."
He turned and looked at Tao Nanfeng, with a hint of attachment and reluctance in his eyes.
"Wait for a few days at home. I will come to pick you up after I finish my work in De County." They had just met and were about to be separated. Xiangbei was really reluctant to let go.
Looking up at Xiangbei, Tao Nanfeng said without hesitation: "I'll go with you!"
Xiangbei's eyes shone brightly, but then dimmed again: "Time is tight, I have to drive at night, and I will sleep in the car when I get tired. You can't bear this hardship."
Tao Nanfeng pursed his lips and shook his head: "I am not afraid of hardship."
Xiangbei felt a warm feeling in his heart, but he was still reluctant to let Tao Nanfeng rush with him. He turned his gaze to Tao Shouxin, hoping that he would stop Tao Nanfeng.
Tao Shouxin frowned and lectured his daughter: "Why are you joining in the fun? It takes a day and a night to drive to De County. Xiangbei is a former soldier and has been trained to endure such hardships. How can you do that?"
Tao Nanfeng pulled his father's arm and said coquettishly, "Dad, I want to be with him. He drives for so long alone, it will be safer for me to follow him."
Tao Shouxin looked down at his daughter's slightly pouting lips, her bright eyes full of pleading, and he couldn't help but soften his heart.
Tao Nanfeng could see that his father had already agreed halfway, so he continued to add: "Dad, I am currently attending a cadre training class, and my file is still with the farm, and I am still the head of the farm's infrastructure department. If there is any problem with the tobacco factory project, it is my responsibility to step in, right?"
Seeing that his daughter had made up her mind and thinking what she said made sense, Tao Shouxin nodded despite his reluctance.
"Okay, I agree that you can go with me. Take your luggage with you, don't cause trouble for Xiangbei on the way, and don't complain about being tired. Do you hear me?"
Tao Nanfeng smiled brightly, blinked at Xiangbei and said, "Wait a moment, I'll pack my things." Then he ran into the house.
Tao Shouxin turned his head to look at Xiangbei, opened his mouth, but closed it again. After struggling for a long time, he finally pulled Xiangbei to the corner of the yard and said something earnestly.
"Xiangbei, I believe you are a gentleman, so I agreed to let my daughter go with you. Although you are lovers, you are not married after all. There are some things... that are based on emotion and should be controlled by etiquette. Please restrain yourself, okay?"
There was a slight tremor in his voice, which was the kind of protection a father could offer his daughter.
Xiangbei blushed and puffed out his chest: "I promise you that I will stay rational before marriage. I will always love and protect Nanfeng. This love includes giving her enough respect and protecting her reputation and innocence."
Tears flashed in Tao Shouxin's eyes.
He didn't say anything else, just stretched out his arm and patted Xiangbei's shoulder hard. Say silently in your heart: Thank you! Thank you.
--
A night of rapid travel.
Xiangbei held the steering wheel with both hands, his eyes looking forward, occasionally distracting himself to chat with Tao Nanfeng.
Tao Nanfeng observed his movements carefully, thinking that if he learned how to drive, he wouldn't even have to turn on the headlights when driving at night, and his night vision ability would be very effective.
Xiangbei saw that she was interested, so he explained seriously, and Tao Nanfeng nodded repeatedly.
"If you really want to learn, I will teach you when we get to the farm, and I will find a way to get you a driver's license." Driver's license is difficult to learn and pass nowadays. It takes half a year of full-time study to pass the test, and you also have to intern for a year without any safety accidents before you can get the license.
Tao Nanfeng asked curiously: "What does a driver's license look like?"
Xiangbei freed up one hand, took out a palm-sized red book from his clothes pocket and handed it to Tao Nanfeng.
Tao Nanfeng took it and looked through it carefully. There was a red leather cover with the words "Motor Vehicle Driver's License of the People's Republic of China" printed on it. When he opened it, the five big words "Serve the People" on the title page were shining brightly.
In addition to the driver's license number, the inside page also contains relevant information such as name, date of birth, place of origin, service unit, competent authority, issuing unit, and date of issuance.
Tao Nanfeng stared at the two names "Xiangbei" on it in a daze. She didn't know why, but just seeing these two words made her feel sweet in her heart.
He glanced toward the north and said, "It's dark, you can't see clearly, don't hurt your eyes, wait until tomorrow to see."
Tao Nanfeng smiled, closed his driver's license and put it back into Xiangbei's pocket.
A fragrant breeze blew over her, and she saw jade arms lying across her body. The scene was so erotic that Xiangbei's heart was moved and his breathing became heavy.
Thinking of Tao Shouxin's instructions, Xiangbei looked straight ahead and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Close your eyes first, so I can drive with peace of mind."
Tao Nanfeng didn't dare to disturb him anymore. He leaned his head on the back of the passenger seat, placed his hands on his lower abdomen, and slept quietly.
After driving for five hours straight, Xiangbei was really tired, so he stopped the car at a gas station. He closed the car window, quietly took out a thick piece of clothing from the luggage, covered Tao Nanfeng with it, then lay down in the back seat and quickly fell into a rest state.
We walked and stopped like this and arrived in De County smoothly early in the morning of the third day.
Just as Xiangbei said, the air here is filled with the smell of cigarettes. When you take a deep breath, you can smell a hint of smoke invading your nose and lungs.
Tao Nanfeng frowned.
Very few women can appreciate the smell of cigarettes. That kind of overbearing aura sticks to wherever it goes and cannot be shaken off.
Xiangbei took out a box of cooling oil and handed it over: "Apply a little under your nose, and the smell will not be so strong."
Tao Nanfeng took the cooling oil, applied some and felt that the smell was indeed fresher.
Turning to look at Xiangbei, after driving for a day and two nights, Xiangbei's eyes were bloodshot and there were countless blue stubbles on his cheeks. He looked a little haggard.
She raised her head and stroked his face, saying distressedly, "You should find a guesthouse to rest. You are too tired from driving like this."
Xiangbei held her hand, kissed her palm, and smiled: "This is nothing. We used to go on missions and took turns driving for three days and three nights. It's okay."
He drove straight to the guesthouse next to the De County Cigarette Factory.
"Zhou Linhu and his family must be living there. Let's go there directly. Let's wash our faces and I'll take you to eat a small bowl of rice noodles."
Tao Nanfeng looked at his watch. It was half past six. It was still early. The leaders of the cigarette factory would probably not go to work until eight or nine o'clock.
Xiangbei was a frequent business traveler. He brought a letter of introduction with him and went to the guesthouse to book two rooms. After asking which room Zhou Linhu was staying in, he went up and knocked on the door.
Zhou Linhu opened the door with sleepy eyes, and when he saw Xiangbei, he hugged him as if he had seen a family member.
"Director, you are here! Director Gao of the cigarette factory refused to see us."
When Zhou Linhu looked up and saw Tao Nanfeng standing there, his eyes widened immediately. He pushed Xiangbei aside, grinned at Tao Nanfeng, and stretched out his hand to shake his: "Chief Tao, you are here too?"
Xiangbei looked stern at the side, and Zhou Linhu only dared to shake hands lightly.
Xiangbei said to Tao Nanfeng, "Let me ask about the situation first. Go to your room and wash up. I'll call you later."
Half an hour later, Tao Nanfeng and Xiang Bei met up refreshed.
Xiangbei was a soldier. He moved quickly and efficiently. He not only changed his clothes, but also shaved and brushed his teeth. He looked energetic.
Tao Nanfeng braided her hair into a big braid again. Her hair was black and shiny. The end of the braid was tied with a light blue silk ribbon into a bow, which swayed gently with her light steps, like a butterfly spreading its wings and about to fly.
She wore a blue and white plaid jacket, which made her face look as white as jade and her features as picturesque as a painting.
Seeing Tao Nanfeng like this, Xiangbei's heart was filled with love, but the head of the publicity section Zhou Linhu, the office director Wang Xiaoxi, and the driver Mao Peng were watching him covetously. He couldn't express his love, so he could only raise his hand and gently hug her shoulders: "Let's go! Let's eat rice noodles."
De County's rice noodles are very famous in Hunan Province.
The rice noodles made from early rice are white, round and long. After being boiled in boiling water, they are added with bone soup, green onions, green and red peppers, and then topped with a layer of freshly fried toppings. They taste salty, fragrant and delicious, and very chewy.
There are two state-owned restaurants near the entrance of the cigarette factory that also sell rice noodles, and there are many diners coming and going.
Wang Qingxi walked to the ticket office and bought a three-ounce bowl of rice noodles for each person, with the topping being stir-fried sour beans and minced meat. When the rice noodles were served in front of him, Tao Nanfeng leaned in to smell them. The aroma of the rice noodles mixed with the fragrance of the meat and vegetables soothed his stomach that had been eating dry food all day.
A group of five people, eating and chatting.
Xiangbei lowered his voice and told Tao Nanfeng the whole story.
Gao Deshun, the director of the cigarette factory, had originally agreed with Xiangbei that the factory would introduce equipment from Country D, and 50% of the new equipment would be sold to Xiufengshan for 3,000 yuan. As agreed, after the new equipment was installed in January, Xiufengshan Farm sent people over to hand over the money and deliver the goods, and also sent engineers to guide the installation of the equipment.
Unexpectedly, when Zhou Linhu and others brought money this time, things changed.
Deputy Factory Director Chang Gui deliberately made things difficult for some unknown reason, saying that this set of old equipment was also imported from Country D and was bought for more than 20,000 yuan. How could it be possible to sell it to the small Xiufengshan Farm for 3,000 yuan?
The workshop director sneered and said that even if it was old equipment, there were countless people rushing to order it, so how could it be your turn? He brought a group of workers to stop Zhou Linhu and his team from moving the equipment away.
Tao Nanfeng heard this and asked in confusion: "How did you get Director Gao to agree in the first place? Why did you change your mind now? Did something unexpected happen?"
Xiang Bei nodded and said, "Zhou Linhu and his friends have been here for two days and have found out some news. Director Gao and Deputy Director Chang are not on good terms, and this time it was Deputy Director Chang who was causing trouble."
Zhou Linhu added: "In fact, the cigarette factory is not doing well now. The workers eat from the same pot, production enthusiasm is low, and the quality of cigarettes has been declining year after year. That's why Director Gao is willing to cooperate with us.
That old equipment was not well maintained and is now left out in the open air to be exposed to the sun and rain. We were not willing to spend three thousand yuan to buy such old equipment.
Xiufeng Mountain's tobacco leaves are of excellent quality and its location in the mountains provides a good production environment, so the quality of the cigarettes produced is guaranteed. If it weren't for the need to ensure sales of their cigarette brand, who would be willing to produce it and put their label on it! ”
Xiangbei looked thoughtful, his eyes deep.
Mao Peng was used to such leaders who deliberately held back. He curled his lips and snorted, "I think that Chang feels that he didn't get any benefits. As long as we secretly give him some money, everything will be fine."
Tao Nanfeng looked at him seriously and signaled him to be careful about the occasion when speaking.
Zhou Linhu also covered Mao Peng's mouth: "Say less, this is the tobacco factory's territory!"
Looking north, I saw that everyone had finished eating the rice noodles, so I stood up first and walked to the opposite side of the factory.
The gate of De County Cigarette Factory was open, and workers in light blue work clothes walked into the factory lazily in twos and threes.
Zhou Linhu shook his head: "The management of De County Tobacco Factory is getting worse and worse. It is far worse than the tea oil factory on our farm!"
Xiangbei stood on the side of the road and pulled Tao Nanfeng to his right side to protect him.
"In the past, tobacco management was managed by the Ministry of Light Industry, with production and supply integrated. Now the Tobacco Industry Corporation has been abolished, and all cigarette industrial enterprises and tobacco leaf purchasing departments have been decentralized to local governments. Management is actually quite chaotic..."
Wang Xiaoxi's mind moved: "Director, what do you mean?"
Xiangbei said: "Before, because we didn't understand the industrial production process of cigarettes, we thought of doing OEM for the De County Cigarette Factory and earning some hard-earned money. But now... since they are holding us back, we might as well make a big deal!"
When Zhou Linhu heard this, a glimmer of excitement flashed in his eyes: "Director, should we not use their old equipment?"
Xiangbei said: "Let's talk again today. If they continue to make things difficult, then change our mindset! Don't buy old equipment and save money to go to the provincial capital.
Taking advantage of the fact that the management authority of the cigarette factory has been delegated to the provincial government, we took the documents and prepared the application, and regardless of whether it involved entertaining guests, giving gifts, or using connections, we put in the spirit to overcome difficulties and work hard to obtain the relevant qualifications. ”
Zhou Linhu slapped his thigh with joy and said, "Great! People say that a small temple has few gods and a shallow pond has many turtles. The De County Cigarette Factory is fighting overtly and covertly, and everyone is pretending to be nice. We have tried our best to be careful, and the public relations expenses have long been exceeded, but we still can't get things done. I am so angry.
Director, you have a far-sighted vision and this is a good idea. There are procedures to go through, entertaining and giving gifts anyway, so we might as well do something bigger. Our Xiufengshan Farm will create its own cigarette brand and open its own factory to sell cigarettes. I don’t believe we can’t make money! ”
Xiangbei said: "It's troublesome to open a factory by myself, so I want to borrow the brand of De County Cigarette Factory. Lin Hu, don't be too happy, I will go with you again. If you are easy to talk to, we will keep the status quo; if not... we will break up!"
Wang Xiaoxi was relatively calm and tried hard to suppress his excitement.
"These past two days have not been without results. I met two engineers from the cigarette factory. They are responsible for equipment repair and maintenance. They complained to me that the factory's performance is getting worse and worse, and the leaders are corrupt and don't respect technical personnel. For so many years, they have been unwilling to solve the employment and housing problems of their families. If we want to break up, why don't we just kidnap these two engineers and move them to the farm?"
Xiangbei nodded approvingly: "Great! With the equipment technicians, we will be more confident. Our farm will provide them with whatever conditions they want, including wages, bonuses, housing, employment for family members, schooling for children... everything is fine."
After making all the arrangements, Xiangbei said to Tao Nanfeng, "If you are tired, go back to the guesthouse and rest. If you can't sleep now, let Mao Peng accompany you to stroll around De County?"
Tao Nanfeng shook his head and smiled slightly with his lips pursed.
"No, I will go with you and take a look at the floor plan of the tobacco factory. I will learn from them and start designing when I return to the farm in preparation for building the tobacco factory."
Zhou Linhu laughed: "Chief Tao, you really are worthy of being the chief of our farm's infrastructure department. You have a strong sense of professionalism."
Xiangbei was originally worried that Tao Nanfeng would not be able to handle the long journey, but now, seeing her bright eyes and her excitement of trying, he couldn't help but smile.
"Okay, let's go in together!"
The author has something to say:
Note: In 1963, the Ministry of Light Industry issued the "Notice on the Establishment of China Tobacco Industry Corporation and Local Branches", and began to pilot tobacco trusts, centralized and unified management of cigarette industrial enterprises, implemented a management system that integrated production and supply, unified production plans, unified resource allocation, rectified cigarette brands, and improved product quality.
From the late 1960s to the mid-1970s, the China Tobacco Industry Corporation was abolished, and all cigarette industrial enterprises and tobacco leaf purchasing departments were decentralized to local governments. The tobacco industry faced a serious situation of chaotic management, blind development, imbalance between production and sales, declining quality, and reduced efficiency.
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