Chapter 70 Chapter 70 Stranger
"This was developed by the factory based on the recipe Comrade Yang Dai sent earlier. Comrade Han Lin, why don't you try it?" Zheng Huasheng glanced at the time. Although it was already late, he was not in a hurry to leave.
When he first arrived at Huangzhuang Brigade and learned that Yang Dai had left, Zheng Huasheng was indeed planning to go back to the factory directly. After all, without Yang Dai, there was no use for him here.
However, he was pulled into the office by the captain of the Huangzhuang Brigade to talk for a while. Although he had no idea how the captain of the Huangzhuang Brigade recognized him, the other party was very enthusiastic and he couldn't keep refusing.
After finally getting away from the captain, Zheng Huasheng changed his mind.
Since we have come here and stayed for such a long time, we might as well wait a little longer.
Even if Yang Dai was not at home, Han Lin had to know that he had made this special trip here.
"We had hoped to have the finished product ready before Comrade Yang Dai left for the capital so she could give us some pointers. But we're still a step too late," Zheng Huasheng said with a sigh. "How about Comrade Han Lin give me Comrade Yang Dai's address? I'll have someone at the factory send a couple of boxes over. She absolutely has to try it."
"She just went to the capital, and her whereabouts and address are still uncertain in the past two days. I'll ask her after she calls me back." Han Lin smiled but didn't say whether to give her the address or not.
But under Zheng Huasheng's gaze, Han Lin still picked up the pastry on the table and tasted it.
"How does it taste?" Zheng Huasheng felt a little nervous for some reason. Before he came, he had already held a small tasting session inside the factory, and everyone praised it.
Obviously, no matter what Han Lin's opinion was, it didn't matter to him, but just watching Han Lin tasting the food, he became inexplicably nervous.
"Director Zheng's food research and development skills are still so good." Han Lin tasted it and gave it a very high evaluation.
Although the pastry recipe was given by Yang Dai, the taste of the pastry is somewhat different from when Han Lin first tried it. It is softer and the filling has a crunchy texture. These should all be Zheng Huasheng's own innovations.
"The original recipe is good, but the cost is still too high for mass production. The factory studied it for two days and finally adjusted the ingredients in the formula. Fortunately, the taste is still good." Zheng Huasheng's tone sounded flat, but there was still a hint of pride that he couldn't help.
After Yang Dai specially gave him the recipe, he went to the laboratory and made it himself on the spot. It tasted good, but when he calculated the cost with the master craftsman in the workshop, he found that the cost was indeed too high.
Due to the loss of raw materials and various costs, if you want to make money, the price will have to be set extremely high. It will probably be difficult to sell it in the county town, and it will only have a chance of survival if it goes to big cities.
After telling the factory manager about these difficulties, although he thought the pastry was good, he decided to give up after the meeting. After all, although the current food factory seems to be prosperous, its foundation is still too shallow. The price of this pastry is high and the profit is not high. If it can only be sold outside, there is really no need to take the risk.
Before the meeting, Zheng Huasheng actually knew that this would be the result, but he still held out hope. After all, the food factory now had a way to obtain foreign exchange, and they could still rely on foreign businessmen to make a fortune. This price was actually nothing abroad, and it could also better reflect the national characteristics.
But Zheng Huasheng quickly rejected it. He was obsessed with foreign exchange, and biscuits and pastries were two completely different things.
The biscuits have a long shelf life and are easier to store.
It's the complete opposite with pastries. If they were to travel across the ocean, they would probably be broken into pieces before they even reach their destination.
But Zheng Huasheng was unwilling to give up just like that.
The food factory does not have old craftsmen who have passed down the old skills, and the products they made before were not tasty, otherwise they would not be on the verge of bankruptcy. Now they rely on small biscuits to exchange technology with various food factories, but it is far from enough. Food factories always need to produce new products.
Yang Dai has already handed over the complete recipe to Zheng Huasheng. If the recipe is buried just because of cost reasons, Zheng Huasheng will not be willing to do so. He also feels that the current food factory is not stable enough.
Zheng Huasheng and two master chefs went back and forth in the factory to adjust the recipe proportions, and finally produced a good finished product. While the cost was reduced, the pastries were no longer so easy to break, which won unanimous praise within the factory.
"Director Zheng has spent so much time adjusting the formula. It would be a waste of his talent if it was only sold locally in our county." After listening to Zheng Huasheng sharing his excitement, Han Lin spoke slowly, and his words touched Director Zheng's heart.
Ever since his new pastry won unanimous praise at the factory's internal tasting meeting, Zheng Huasheng has been in an excited state. He can't wait to have a meeting with the sales staff and ask them to promote this new pastry.
But unfortunately, there are not many people in the sales department.
The people in the sales department are running around, trying to open up sales channels for the biscuits all over the country. This is the factory's current focus. Only the head of the sales department remains in the factory to handle some miscellaneous matters and is responsible for keeping an eye on local sales.
"We are indeed planning to sell it on a large scale, but we still have to wait a little longer because the packaging hasn't been designed yet." Zheng Huasheng made up an excuse and didn't tell Han Lin the real situation in the factory.
Han Lin didn't care. He mainly wanted to use this pastry to promote himself and become a temporary salesman in the food factory, responsible for the capital area. In this way, he would have a legitimate opportunity to go to the capital.
Hearing Han Lin's proactive sales pitch, Zheng Huasheng was surprised for a moment and opened his mouth to refuse.
But Han Lin didn't give him a chance.
"Director Zheng, wait a minute." Han Lin said as he took out paper and pen and started painting.
Zheng Huasheng moved closer to Han Lin, his eyes widening as he watched Han Lin paint on the paper.
"Director Zheng, what do you think of using this painting for the packaging design of the pastries?" Han Lin smiled. "We can give the pastries a name and then engrave a seal with the name of the food factory and the pastry."
Zheng Huasheng looked at the words in his hand, then looked at Han Lin who was speaking. He always felt light and unreal.
"Han Lin, you can also draw?" Zheng Huasheng finally found his voice.
"After all, they are husband and wife." Han Lin smiled and pushed the painting he had just completed in front of Zheng Huasheng.
Zheng Huasheng looked at the painting, then at Han Lin, and after a while he said, "Can I take this painting with me?"
Although he thought the painting was very good, he still had to take it back to show it to the people in the Propaganda Department so that he could feel at ease.
"Of course. If Director Zheng feels there is anything wrong, just let me change it." Han Lin's attitude was so good that Zheng Huasheng was a little surprised.
He had no contact with Han Lin, but he had his own intuition.
But Han Lin was obviously more frank than he imagined and spoke directly about his thoughts.
If the packaging is finalized, he wants to be in charge of sales in the Capital Region.
Zheng Huasheng's first reaction was to refuse. After all, Han Lin was not from the food factory, and the capital was a big place. Even if it was to find a sales channel, Zheng Huasheng wanted to do it himself. After all, he had been to the capital and was familiar with the place.
Besides, Zheng Huasheng knew nothing about Han Lin.
But before he could say the words of refusal, Zheng Huasheng suddenly met Han Lin's eyes, and the words of refusal that he had just prepared were stuck in his mouth like a stone, and he couldn't say a word.
"If I need anything, I will contact you." Zheng Huasheng did not give an accurate reply after all. He took Han Lin's words and left in a hurry.
Han Lin sent the person to the intersection and was friendly all the way.
The lights were shining in the room, and the furnishings in the room remained the same as before, without any changes, but one person was missing, and the room seemed to become empty in an instant.
Han Lin turned off the lights, but he couldn't sleep at all. A month was still too long.
Ever since Yang Dai got on the train, Han Lin has been waiting for Yang Dai to contact him. Worried that he would miss Yang Dai's call or telegram, he went to the county post office early in the morning to wait.
However, Han Lin did not do nothing. He also went to the black market to take a look.
The black market in the county town reopened, and people gradually came to buy and sell things. It seemed much more lively than before. Han Lin initially just took a look at the situation in the black market, but after discovering that the black market was indeed safer than before, he began to sell some of the bills in his hands.
The bills I picked up at that time have not been spent to this day.
Han Lin had used these bills earlier to buy a lot of things for his home, but there were also many duplicate bills among them, and it was really unnecessary to keep them in his hands. It would be better to sell them and make another profit.
Yang Dai called in the afternoon, and Han Lin was sitting in the post office at that time.
When he heard the phone ringing at the post office, he subconsciously stood up, looked at the post office operator, and then took the receiver from the operator.
Yang Dai has settled down in the capital. This time she did not live in a guesthouse, but directly lived in the dormitory of the aviation department.
The treatment was very good, it was a single room, and considering that Yang Dai had just arrived in the capital and needed to adjust and get familiar with the school, the formal class time was set for two days later.
There was a special phone number at the aviation base, and the two agreed to call each other every Friday at noon. Only then did Han Lin finally feel relieved.
But he was still a little dissatisfied. He could only hear voices on the phone but not see people. It would be better if he could see people.
Such a thought flashed through Han Lin's mind.
Then he sped up his bike. Yang Dai's phone call was like a panacea. Now he was full of energy and had the strength to do anything.
Han Lin parked the car at the door, took out the key from his pocket and prepared to open the door, when Han's mother suddenly came over.
"Dinner is ready, come home and eat." Han's mother grabbed Han Lin's hand, "You're the only one at home, and the stove is cold. It's very troublesome to cook again."
As Han's mother spoke, she grabbed Han Lin's arm tightly, hoping that Han Lin would go home with her.
Han Lin sighed helplessly and put away the key in his hand.
"Please sit on it, I will ride you on my bike." Han Lin looked at Han's mother. He didn't expect that Han's mother would be so persistent.
"I heard from your father that the construction site at the chemical plant will resume work in the next two days, but it probably won't be operational for a few days. What are your plans for the future?" Han's mother sat on the back seat of the bicycle, her tone still filled with worry.
Han Lin suddenly became responsible after marriage, and his mother was proud of him. In the past, Han Lin would have followed his father to the construction site obediently and would have been praised by the site leaders.
Even if Han's mother hadn't publicized the matter five, six, seven or eight times in Huangzhuang Brigade, she would definitely not have worried.
But after all, times have changed now. My son can’t be too much behind his daughter-in-law, right?
In Han's mother's understanding, a marriage in which the woman is stronger than the man is disharmonious, and she is worried that the couple will not be able to last long.
"Let's talk about it in two days." Han Lin already had a plan in mind, but he didn't plan to talk much about it with Han's mother. After all, things were still uncertain.
Han Lin took his mother home. The food was already prepared and was being served on the table.
"Hurry, hurry, wash your hands and let's eat." Han Dan was standing at the door. When he saw Han Lin driving Han's mother in, he hurriedly greeted them.
The food at the Han family has actually been pretty good these days, with meat on the table every day.
Han's father can earn money and has extra income. Han Hui and Han Jing's income in Huangzhuang Brigade is also good. In addition, Han Dan has been living in her mother's house these days, and Chen Yongnian brings back meat from the commune every now and then. The Han family's food level has risen sharply these days.
But Han Lin had no appetite. The whole family sat together and occasionally felt lively.
But meeting each other every day became a hassle for Han Lin.
Especially looking at Han's mother's current state, even if he had agreed before that he would not go home, Han's mother would probably just turn a deaf ear to it.
Maybe I would even specifically wait for him at his house during meal times.
Han Lin thought so and looked at his father. His father was eating and did not notice Han Lin's attitude.
Han's mother was all smiles. She didn't even bother to eat herself, but instead picked up food for everyone.
My daughter comes first, and I can’t forget my two daughters-in-law. Of course, there is also Han Lin. Since we are going home for dinner, I can’t let Han Lin go hungry.
Han Lin couldn't refuse, so he simply picked up his bowl.
Han Dan watched from the side and sighed silently. The older her mother got, the more she wanted to do things her own way. If she continued to do this, this family...
Han Dan thought so and looked at Han Jing and Han Hui, nodding silently.
It probably won't disperse for a while.
She has been at home these days and has been specifically asking about what has happened during this period.
Han Jing's ability to become the chief accountant of the Huangzhuang Brigade seems to be due to the help of Han Lin and his wife.
As for Han Hui, Han Hui's wife Huang Fengxia seemed to have something to ask of Han Lin and his wife.
Based on these two things, even if Han's mother makes a fuss, the family will not be broken up for the time being, but what about the long term?
Han Dan had something on his mind and ate the meal in a somewhat uneasy manner. Fortunately, Chen Yongnian and Han's mother were there to take care of him, so he didn't eat less.
After eating, before Han Dan put down his bowl and chopsticks, he heard the voice of Han's father.
"Today I went to the team leader and applied for a homestead, but it's a bit far from our area." Father Han looked calm, as if what he was talking about was just a trivial matter.
"What do you think, second brother?" Father Han didn't look at Mother Han, but looked directly at Han Hui.
"Where is that place?" Han Hui and Huang Fengxia looked at each other and asked about the homestead.
If you really think about it, Han Hui still hopes to move out.
And it’s better to move sooner rather than later.
My wife is pregnant, and after the baby is born, it will be more lively living together and we will need more space. So it is inconvenient for the whole family to live together.
"Although it's a bit far, there are houses nearby, so it's not too far away." Han's father added.
The houses on the Han family's side were all built in the early years. The newly applied residential land is in another area, and people have been building houses and moving there one after another.
"Then I'll find a good day." Han Hui was not vague and seemed a little serious.
Although we should break away from feudal superstitions, we still need to pay attention to the necessary details when building a new house.
"Why are you going through the trouble of building a house at this time? Your second son's wife is just pregnant. Aren't you asking for trouble by building a house at this time?" Han's mother frowned. She didn't expect that Han's father didn't even discuss it with her this time and directly asked Han Hui to build a house and move.
I was still trying hard to get the third child to move back in, but the other side was already preparing to let the second child move out.
"So we should take advantage of now to build the house so that the baby can be born in the new house." Father Han didn't want to say more. After he finished speaking, he put down his bowl and chopsticks and left.
There was silence at the Han family's dinner table for a moment. Han's mother angrily threw down the spoon in her hand and followed Han's father into the room.
The few people left in the Han family looked at each other, and they all knew in their hearts that Han Hui's move would not change.
In this family, it seems that Han's mother is the one who makes the decisions and Han's father rarely speaks, but as long as Han's father makes a decision, Han's mother basically cannot defeat her husband.
"It's getting late. I'll go back first." Han Lin washed his hands and looked through the window. It was obvious that Han's father and mother were arguing in the room.
Han Lin pretended not to see it and rode his bike home.
The house was cold and deserted, and Han Lin had no desire to sleep, so he simply turned on the light and wrote a letter to Yang Dai, thinking that he would go to the food factory in a couple of days to ask for news.
Although he has never sold anything seriously, he is pretty much the same in everything he does. With samples, legs and a mouth, he can always get things done.
Since Yang Dai was not at home, Han Lin's meals became simple. He wanted to go to work after dinner, but when he went out, he found that the notebook he had picked up earlier had been forgotten at home and had not been returned to its owner.
Han Lin was not interested in going to work, he just wanted to find something to do. Looking at the notebook, he simply changed direction and went to the cowshed.
It's time to go to work, but the people in the cowshed are all there, just everyone is busy with their heads down.
When he saw Han Lin coming, he just looked up, then lowered his head and went back to work, indifferently.
Shi Chengui of course also saw Han Lin, but there was no expression on his face.
In recent days, more and more people have come to Shi Chengui for medical treatment. The team leader advised Shi Chengui and several others to move out of the cowshed, but they refused to listen, so he had to start from another direction.
These days, Shi Chengui basically didn't have any work assigned to him, so it was completely fine for him to just sit there and rest.
There was a constant stream of people coming to seek medical treatment, and Shi Chengui's temper was still a little strange, but since people came to him, Shi Chengui took their pulses and prescribed medicine.
After all, Shi Chengui knew in his heart that the greater the role he played in the Huangzhuang Brigade, the more relaxed the lives of these people in the bullpen would be.
Although Shi Chengui didn't want to go back to the city to restore his reputation, he knew that others still had some thoughts in their hearts, but they lived numbly and couldn't show it.
Han Lin was not familiar with any of the people in the bullpen, and there was no name on the notebook. Even if Han Lin was smart, it would be impossible for him to find the owner of the notebook directly.
He simply walked straight to Shi Chengui. Although Shi Chengui didn't necessarily know who this thing belonged to, it was definitely passed down from the cowshed. Giving it to Shi Chengui could be considered as returning it to its original owner.
But Han Lin was a little unhappy. The drawings in the notebook were very exquisite and attracted him. He wanted to understand every one of them, but after all, his knowledge was limited. He only looked at the contents of the notebook, and many things were vague to him.
It would naturally be good for Han Lin if there was someone leading the way in front, but the people in the cowshed have always been low-key. Even now that Shi Chengui is so popular in the Huangzhuang Brigade, the treatment of several people in the cowshed has been repeatedly improved.
But the attitudes of several people have not changed from beginning to end, and they wish they could become invisible.
"Why are you here?" Shi Chengui's attitude was still not good when he saw Han Lin, but it was not as bad as before.
"Are you asking for birth control pills again?" Shi Chengui couldn't help but frowned when he thought of the last time they met.
"I do have such an idea, but I don't know what the old gentleman thinks now? Are you willing?" Han Lin did not take out the notebook directly, but followed Shi Chengui's words to start a greeting.
Han Lin has already discussed the matter of having children with Yang Dai, and they both agree not to have children for the time being.
But now Yang Dai is not at home, so it is useless for him to ask Shi Chengui for a prescription.
It's impossible for him to get pregnant alone.
But Han Lin thought about it and took out something else from his bag.
"Take a look. Do you believe it this time?" Han Lin unfolded the paper and placed it in front of Shi Chengui.
The content above is very simple. It is an agreement signed by Han Lin and Yang Dai, stating that they will not have children in the next two years until the family conditions are better. There are also signatures of both of them on it.
"Are you using this kind of thing to fool me this time?" Shi Chengui read through the entire article at a glance, but he still had a natural distrust of Han Lin.
Han Lin felt like he was about to laugh out loud because of this old man. What was there in him that was worth fooling around with?
Besides, it was not he who proposed the signing of this agreement, but Yang Dai.
In fact, there was no point in signing this document, but Yang Dai suddenly became interested, so Han Lin naturally agreed to her wish.
Han Lin laughed and didn't want to say any more to Shi Chengui.
He could sense that Shi Chengui naturally disliked him, and he had thought to himself that if Shi Chengui still refused to prescribe medicine this time, he would go find Guan Changlin.
Although Guan Changlin's medical skills seem to be inferior to Shi Chengui's, it is not a difficult or complicated disease after all, so there shouldn't be any big problem.
"I can prescribe medicine for you." Shi Chengui coughed lightly and changed his tone, hesitating a little, "The prescription you gave me last time..."
Shi Chengui was a little embarrassed to ask at first, but when he looked at Han Lin's face and thought of Han Lin's past reputation, he seemed to have inexplicably gained confidence.
"Where did you get that prescription?" Shi Chengui reiterated, "Tell me, and I'll prescribe medicine for you."
"As long as the county pharmacy has all the necessary ingredients, one dose of medicine can last a month."
"If you want to get pregnant, stop taking the medicine three months in advance." Shi Chengui stared at Han Lin, waiting for Han Lin's words.
The medicinal materials in that prescription were precious and the dosage was precise. He didn't understand why Han Lin gave it to him and where the prescription came from.
"I found it at the scrap yard." Han Lin didn't hesitate like before, giving a straightforward answer. He even added a few words, "When I was building a house, I used newspapers to cover the walls. I went to the scrap yard to buy newspapers, and this recipe was stuck in there."
Every word Han Lin said was false, but he knew that Shi Chengui would believe it.
Even though this reason sounds absurd, it is indeed very possible.
Sure enough, Shi Chengui didn't say anything else, but picked up the pen and wrote a prescription for Han Lin.
Han Lin took the prescription and then took out the notebook he had kept in his bag, ready to ask Shi Chengui to find the owner.
But just as he took out the notebook and before he could say anything, Han Lin felt someone's eyes staring at the notebook in his hand.
Looking up, I saw only one person bending over and sweeping the floor.
Without thinking too much, you will know that the notebook in Han Lin's hand is probably related to the other party.
Thinking of this, Han Lin did not hand the notebook to Shi Chengui, but walked over step by step.
Seeing Han Lin approaching him, the other person swept the floor more seriously, and even changed the place, but never looked up.
Han Lin stopped and looked at the other person, but ultimately said nothing.
He just stepped back, picked up a branch from the ground, squatted on the ground and started drawing.
This picture is the one in the notebook. Han Lin didn't know what specific parts it was, so he wanted to ask and find out.
But the other party was obviously afraid of me going up to him and asking him questions.
Han Lin could only settle for the second best and see if the other party would respond to this method.
After finishing the drawing, Han Lin took a few steps away and sat back next to Shi Chengui, waiting for Shi Chengui to write the prescription as if nothing had happened, but his eyes still fell on the drawing he had just drawn on the ground from time to time.
But Han Lin was destined to be disappointed. After he finished painting and walked away, the other party did not come closer. Instead, he walked further and further away and refused to even look at him.
Han Lin no longer had any extravagant hopes, and finally took out the notebook again and placed it next to Shi Chengui.
"Please return this thing to its original owner." Han Lin put down the notebook, put away the prescription, and left the cowshed.
Shi Chengui casually opened the notebook, looked at the contents on it, pursed his lips and said nothing.
After all, they had lived in the same bullpen for several years, and even though they each had their own secrets, he could still recognize who the notebook belonged to.
Han Lin wasted time in the cowshed, so he simply didn't go to work. Instead, he went home to do a thorough cleaning.
Yang Dai will be back home in a month. By then the weather will be cold, so bedding and other things need to be prepared in advance.
When Yang Dai left, she didn't take many thick clothes with her. Han Lin planned to pack up the clothes at home in the next two days so that it would be convenient to mail them to Yang Dai, or he could bring them with him when he went to the capital.
In order to avoid being disturbed, Han Lin simply locked the door and worked alone at home.
As the sun went down, Han Lin was having dinner alone at home when someone knocked on the door.
I originally thought that it would be Han's mother who was persistent in asking Han Lin to go home for dinner, but when I opened the door, I found that it was not Han's mother, but Han Hui.
"Dad asked you to go back and have a meeting." Han Hui didn't say much, only conveying the purpose of his visit.
Han Lin looked down at his clothes and knew what was going on. Without wasting any time, he locked the gate and followed Han Hui to the Han family.
"In the afternoon, a man was hanging around your door for a long time." Han Hui and Han Lin walked side by side, talking about the man they met today.
Han Hui is the captain of the militia and patrols the village on a daily basis.
In the afternoon, Han Hui saw a stranger wandering around Han Lin's house, and he went up to ask.
I thought they were some of Han Lin's old friends, but after asking a few questions, I found out that they were soldiers and didn't know Han Lin.
As for wandering around Han Lin's house, it was because he came to visit his comrades and accidentally took the wrong road.
Han Hui felt that the other party was not telling the truth, but the other party's identity as a soldier could not be faked, so he did not continue to interrogate him. Instead, he personally sent the man to the intersection and pointed out the direction.
The other party was very talkative. After knowing that he was Han Lin's brother, he asked a lot of questions along the way.
Han Hui didn't take it seriously at the time, but when he thought about it now, he always felt it was a little strange, so he simply asked Han Lin again.
Han Lin carefully asked about the other person's appearance, searched his memory, and found that he really didn't know the other person, so he simply didn't take it to heart.
A stranger is not worth bothering about. Instead of finding out who the stranger is, he might as well go to the food factory to check the progress.
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