Chapter 192
After the Little New Year, the Spring Festival will come in a flash.
The factory logistics department has already started distributing New Year's goods, but the factory leaders are still scratching their heads about how to switch to producing civilian goods.
"To provide New Year's benefits to employees, the finance department approved over 6,000 yuan. 833 doesn't leave us much money, so we need to come up with a plan for the production change as soon as possible," Lei Wanyuan said, standing by the window. "This dragging on isn't going to work."
Tian Chunshan took a deep drag on his cigarette next to him. "Let's switch to producing bicycles. The technology isn't that difficult, but the price is high. There's definitely a future for it."
"Bicycle frames and parts require a lot of steel. Which steel mill would be willing to give us steel on credit?" Huang He said, also smoking. "Actually, producing radios is pretty good. The high level of technology is what really shows off Shuguang Factory's capabilities."
Kang Jian chuckled, "You're too ambitious. The two things you mentioned won't be in production within six months. Let me suggest something no one has mentioned before. What do you think of producing electric fans? They're not cheap! We have an electric motor factory in our county, so we can buy some motors on credit from them."
“…”
"Or you can try cutting tools and measuring tools."
"There's a measuring tool factory in our city. Their production equipment is professional and their output is very high. Our existing equipment is not suitable, and we are not competitive compared to them."
Lei Wanyuan smoked silently.
He felt that the ideas of these three people were not very reliable.
In the past, at Factory 833, we had military funds for purchasing raw materials and the army was responsible for the sales of products, so everyone focused on production.
It is more planned than a planned economy, closed and single.
These people are good at production and technology, but none of them has really been involved in economics.
If we decide to change production on a whim and fail, it will be a devastating blow to Shuguang Factory.
Lei Wanyuan thought, fortunately the province sent them a deputy factory director who was professionally trained and understood economics, so they didn't suffer a complete defeat.
"Director Ye, what do you think?"
Ye Manzhi was wrapped in a military coat, curled up on the sofa on the other side of the office.
She looked at the four men by the window and wanted to say, "Why don't you close the window and smoke? I'm almost frozen to death by the cold wind."
She was the only female comrade in the team, and because the products of Factory 833 were special, there had never been a female in the factory's leadership team.
When they first started attending meetings with her, Lei Wanyuan and the others would be considerate of her and refrain from smoking in the office. But they were all heavy smokers, and they would subconsciously want to smoke, especially when they were thinking about something.
In recent meetings, some people couldn't hold it in any longer, so they ran to the window and smoked with it open.
The leaves on the branches were so cold in the coldest days of winter that they felt numb.
Seeing that she didn't move for a long time, Lei Wanyuan thought that the distance was too far and she didn't hear him, so he couldn't help but raise his voice and ask again.
Ye Manzhi took a sip of the hot water and replied, "The product I came up with is incomparable to everyone else's. It doesn't require high technology, and the price isn't high either. The advantage is that it can be put into production quickly."
"Director Ye, what kind of product do you have in mind?"
Facing everyone's questioning gazes, Ye Manzhi said a little embarrassedly: "A toy gun."
Compared with other people's high-tech products, what she said is not that advanced.
Sure enough, the four men by the window all looked at me with an expression of "That's it?", and they obviously thought the idea of a toy gun was too childish.
Ye Manzhi's idea was indeed inspired by his friends from childhood.
Her husband Wu Yuzhuo got a new gun while on sentry duty and showed it off to the children's group and kindergarten for several days.
As a result, many children went home and asked their parents to help them make guns. There was a brave little boy who came to Wu Zhengrong's house and asked if he could make one for him. He would give the 40 cents pocket money he had saved to Dr. Wu.
Wu Zhengrong still remembered that this kid had pulled Youyan's pigtails last year, so he drove the brat away without mercy.
The huge demand for "guns" among children gave Ye Manzhi the idea of producing toy guns.
"The products everyone's talking about are great, but they all require new equipment to achieve mass production," Ye Manzhi explained. "We're still in the stage of accumulating funds, so the best option right now is to make full use of the equipment left behind by Factory 833."
"We have forging equipment and metal cutting machines that can create the appearance of toy guns. Compared with toy guns on the market, ours is more realistic in appearance and may be favored by some children or gun enthusiasts."
Tian Chunshan asked skeptically, "What kind of family would buy a toy gun like that for their child? Toy guns like this are priced at more than one or two yuan."
With this money, what can't you do?
He felt that no parent would spend money to buy such flashy things for their children.
Ye Manzhi said: "The department store has a special toy counter, and among them are two types of toy guns: a pistol and a slightly longer one. The fact that there are toys in the counter shows that people are buying these toys."
After all, there are only a few parents who can make guns for their children by themselves.
"There are people who consume it, but the market is limited, right?" Tian Chunshan shook his head in confusion. "Anyway, I won't buy it."
Ye Manzhi said, "The domestic consumer market is indeed limited, and this type of product is a one-time purchase; a toy can be used for a long time. Therefore, our toy guns can be positioned as export products. I've seen toy factories signing contracts at the Canton Fair, and the orders are usually very large. There's a toy factory in Shanghai that produces iron pistols specifically for export."
Several male comrades looked at each other and were a little hesitant about this decision.
Two minutes later, Lei Wanyuan stubbed out his cigarette and said, "We're currently in the phase of continuous experimentation. Only when we've accumulated enough capital can we embark on large-scale projects. We'll try out any product that can be produced with the equipment we have. Let's first organize a toy gun production team and an electric fan production team to produce a small number of products for trial production to gauge market conditions. If we receive a production order from our superiors, we'll proceed to mass production."
Both deputy factory directors, Kang Jian and Huang He, are from technical backgrounds.
Lei Wanyuan asked them to each take charge of a group.
The two had no objection to this arrangement, but disagreements arose when assigning tasks.
Both sides want to get electric fans, and neither wants to get toy guns.
Ye Manzhi: “…”
The disdain is too obvious.
*
The reactions of his colleagues made Director Xiao Ye feel a little embarrassed, and he secretly criticized these men for having no vision.
What's wrong with the toy gun?
When the factory earns foreign exchange with these toys, you will all be dumbfounded!
Ye Manzhi returned to her office carrying a teacup and found Zhou Ruyi holding a thermos and looking out the window.
"Ruyi, what are you looking at?"
"Director, come and look!" Zhou Ruyi pointed out the window and said excitedly, "There are chickens outside!"
"What?"
"Chicken! The factory is going to distribute the New Year's goods!"
Ye Manzhi quickly ran to the window to look in. "Why are there so many chicken coops? Did they move the chicken farm here?"
"Chen Xuan said the catering department had ordered these live chickens from the chicken farm. They had originally wanted the canteen to prepare a good meal for them before Factory 833 left. But they left a day early, so they didn't get to eat the chicken. Director Lei said the workload of killing chickens was too much, so they stopped stewing them in the canteen and instead gave each employee one as a New Year's gift."
Ye Manzhi: “…”
The welfare benefits provided by the street office, industrial bureau and food factory are good.
But this was the first time she had encountered a company that distributed live chickens during the Chinese New Year.
A live chicken costs at least two dollars.
However, Lei Wanyuan's idea is very good. Eating a chicken meal in the cafeteria will only make people happy for half a day at most, but taking a live chicken home can make them happy for the entire Spring Festival.
Moreover, the New Year benefits at Shuguang Factory were distributed at a rate of 5 yuan per person. The canteen meals became New Year benefits, saving the factory two to three thousand yuan at once.
Zhou Ruyi asked, "Director, we've just arrived at Shuguang Factory. Can we receive New Year's benefits?"
Last year, when Zhu Kehai received New Year's goods at the food factory, many employees talked about him behind his back.
"Of course, we built a jam factory for the factory and have made a contribution to the factory. Why can't we get it?" Ye Manzhi waved his hand and said, "Come on, let's go downstairs and pick some chickens!"
…
After Wu Zhengrong received a call from Director Ye at work, he picked up his child and then rushed to the station to pick up his wife.
A group of passengers got off the bus one after another. Ye Lai Ya was the last one in line. Before she got off, a chicken cage was handed out from the bus.
"Help me get this quickly. Did you bring the quilt?"
"I brought it." Wu Zhengrong took the chicken coop and covered it with a worn military coat to keep the chickens warm. "Our chicken coop has been demolished. Where else can we keep chickens?"
Their family only raised chickens during the first two years after Youyan was born, and his father-in-law and mother-in-law usually helped feed the chickens.
Ever since they moved to the military academy, the couple have been busy with work, and Lihua and Kuihua could not be relied upon, so the idea of raising chickens was completely canceled.
"I can't keep it for long. I'll eat it during the Chinese New Year."
Ye Manzhi jumped off the car, holding a piece of pork in his left hand and half a pound of fruit candy and a bag of frozen pears and persimmons in his right hand.
"I thought the logistics department would be able to purchase some apples and carp, but they didn't get any this year."
"Our company gave it to us." Wu Zhengrong took the things from her hand and walked ahead. "This year, there was also a small bundle of razorfish. As soon as I threw it into the yard, Lihua licked it."
"Haha, it's Chinese New Year, I have to give Lihua some special treatment."
The couple talked about their plans for the New Year and walked into the family compound in the cold wind.
After passing the sentry post, we ran into a row of child soldiers walking out with guns on their backs.
Ye Manzhi hadn't seen the person yet, but when she heard the crisp command "one, two, one", she knew it was her Wu Yuzhuo.
She glanced at the team, her eyes not lingering at the front, but looking straight to the back.
Sure enough, she saw her daughter walking at the end of the team with a new gun on her back, shouting commands loudly.
"Isn't this kid afraid of the wind?" Ye Manzhi asked critically. "Is the boy walking next to the team a squad leader or something? Why isn't he responsible for giving commands?"
Hearing this, Wu Zhengrong turned his gaze to the boy, looked at him for two seconds, and suddenly shouted, "Lu Yuejin, come here!"
“…”
Ye Manzhi tugged at his sleeve and said, "Let's not get involved in what happens between children. If Youyan wants to shout the commands, let her do it. Let's not stand up for her."
"Don't you think Youyan was bullied?" Wu Zhengrong looked at her with a smile.
"..." Ye Manzhi pulled his arm hard, "Ah, anyway, just stay out of the children's business."
If the parents really interfered in their children's affairs, it would be so embarrassing for Youyan in front of the other children!
When she was a child, she was willing to let her brothers stand up for her, but she was never willing to let Old Ye stand up for her.
Wu Zhengrong stood there motionless.
Lu Yuejin, whose name he called, had already asked the duty team to "stand still" and ran over happily.
"Report to the commander!" Lu Yuejin asked seriously, his gun slung over his shoulder, "What are the commander's instructions?"
Ye Manzhi: “…”
Who did this little brat learn this from?
The "chief" was holding a live chicken, pork, frozen pears and persimmons in his hands, but it did not affect his momentum when asking questions.
"Lu Yuejin, where did you get this gun?"
"My dad made it for me!"
Wu Zhengrong lowered his eyes to look at him, and said without knowing whether he was happy or angry, "Then your father's skills are quite good. He made it look like a real gun."
The child pulled down his scarf while talking, and Ye Manyzhi recognized that he was the one who wanted to spend 40 cents to let Dr. Wu make a gun.
She glanced at the gun behind the child and it really looked real.
Wu Zhengrong called over the young soldier on duty, whispered a few words of advice, and then said to Lu Yuejin, "Come home with me."
"I'm a propagandist and team leader for the Children's Corps," Lu Yuejin said, lingering as he stood there, unwilling to leave. "I still have duties to perform."
Wu Zhengrong asked, "You want me to take your gun away in front of the other kids?"
Propaganda officer Xiao Lu was frightened by him. He pouted and wanted to cry, but he felt a little embarrassed in front of the children.
While he was hesitating, Wu Zhengrong had already told his daughter.
"Wu Yuzhuo, you lead the other comrades to continue their duties. Lu Yuejin, please help me carry some things home."
"Yes!" Comrade Xiao Wu happily accepted the task assigned by the leader.
Wu Zhengrong handed the piece of pork to Lu Yuejin, turned around and walked ahead.
Lu Yuejin followed him reluctantly, muttering, "She's not the captain, how can she lead everyone on duty?"
"You're the captain, why aren't you shouting orders?" Wu Zhengrong said disdainfully, "You're always at the front when it comes to the limelight, but you let others do all the dirty work, right?"
“…”
The couple took the other family's child back home.
After Ye Manzhi settled her welfare chicken, she looked into the yard and asked, "Is this gun really a real gun?"
"Yes, an air gun." Wu Zhengrong put the confiscated gun on the table.
Ye Manzhi was shocked: "This kid is so brave, carrying a real gun on duty everywhere, what if it accidentally goes off?"
"It wasn't an accidental discharge. It wasn't loaded."
Hearing that there were no bullets, Ye Manzhi moved closer to the air gun and took a look at it. "Where did he get this gun from? Did he steal it from the adults at home?"
"It's hard to say. The Security Department has a few air rifles. These guns aren't powered by gunpowder, and military academy cadets occasionally use them for target practice." Wu Zhengrong curled his lips and said, "That naughty boy is running around everywhere. Who knows where he got his guns from?"
Ye Manzhi wanted to go to the yard to see the child standing there as punishment.
However, before she got up, she heard crying coming from the yard.
The head of security and Lu Yuejin's father rushed over together. The naughty kid was kicked on the butt by his father and started crying.
Wu Zhengrong walked out the door and handed the gun to the security chief. "It's a B513 air rifle. Let's find out where the gun was lost."
He didn't have this kind of gun at home, so Old Lu kicked out again, "Why don't you tell me quickly! Where did the gun come from?"
"Wuwuwuwu..." Lu Yuejin covered his buttocks and cried, "Brother Daliang lent it to me! Wuwuwuwu..."
Old Lu explained to the others, "Daliang is his cousin. He joined the Four Pests Control Team two years ago and bought an air rifle to kill sparrows. This one must have been bought at that time."
Wu Zhengrong nodded indifferently and said to the child, "It's getting late. Go home with your father and reflect on your mistakes."
This is what it means to see someone off.
The head of the security department wanted to take the father and son back to inquire about the details, check the guns of the security department, and call Da Liang to verify the situation.
After talking with Wu Zhengrong for a few words, he saluted and left.
Ye Manzhi returned to the house and asked, "Did Daliang really buy the air rifle? Can you just buy a gun like that?"
"Well, some people use this thing to shoot sparrows, and it's quite effective," Wu Zhengrong explained. "You can't just buy it casually. You need to register it with the Public Security Bureau and get a license. His cousin lent the air gun to someone else and got caught red-handed. I guess he lost both his license and the gun."
Ye Manzhi asked, "Where can I buy this kind of air gun?"
"I haven't bought it. Maybe it's in a department store."
*
Ye Manzhi spent half the night pondering the air gun. The next morning, before daybreak, he was awakened by the crowing of a rooster.
"This rooster is up too early!" She covered her ears and snuggled into the man's arms and muttered, "The reveille hasn't even been blown yet!"
"How about we stew it tonight?" Wu Zhengrong suggested with squinted eyes.
"Ask your daughter if she agrees first. If she can get past Youyan, then we can stew her."
After returning from duty last night, Wu Yuzhuo was very curious about the little rooster that suddenly appeared.
Not only did she feed the little rooster millet and water, she also instructed her father to build a nest for the chicken in the house.
Judging from the look on his face, he must be reluctant to eat it.
Wu Zhengrong got up when he heard the bugle call and whispered, "Keep an eye on her. Don't let her name the chicken. The chicken will be too tough and won't taste good."
Ye Manzhi originally wanted to take a nap, but she couldn't fall asleep because of laughing at this sentence.
If you really give a chicken a name, you will probably have to wait until it dies before you can put it in the pot.
When she got up, the breeder Xiao Wu, wearing a knitted sweater and trousers and with hair like a chicken coop, had already fed Lihua water and the little rooster cabbage leaves.
Ye Manzhi was wondering whether to stew it or braise it, and went to work with his saliva slurping.
She only went to the office to report in that morning, told the factory office where she was going, and then took Zhou Ruyi into the city.
"Director," Zhou Ruyi glanced at his watch, "Are we going to the store now?"
It's still working hours.
"Yes, going to the city to do some market research."
When Ye Manzhi worked at the food factory, she often went to the workshop to work, but she was not as familiar with the production of Shuguang Factory as other factory managers.
So, she didn't waste time in the workshop, but first did what she was good at and investigated the market conditions.
The two drove straight to China Street and headed to the First Department Store.
It is the end of the year and the department stores are full of citizens buying New Year's goods.
The granite floor tiles on the first floor were muddy due to the snow and water, and soon the staff sprinkled a thick layer of sawdust on them.
Ye Manzhi rubbed the soles of his shoes clean on the wood chips, then pulled Zhou Ruyi straight to the sporting goods counter on the third floor.
Compared with the counters selling candies, pastries and textiles, this place is quite deserted.
Ye Manzhi didn't need to queue up and asked immediately: "Comrade, do you have an air gun?"
"Yes, what do you want to use the air gun for?" asked the salesperson.
"What else can you do besides playing mahjong?" Ye Manzhi said, pretending to be knowledgeable. "I know you need to register if you buy this."
Seeing that she was knowledgeable, the salesperson took out an air gun sample from under the shelf.
"This is made by the Shanghai Air Gun Factory. It has a range of 70 meters. It's enough for shooting sparrows."
"Are there any other manufacturers?" Ye Manzhi picked up the air gun and shook it. "Are there any produced locally in Binjiang?"
"No, there's no air rifle factory here." The salesperson took out another air rifle and showed it to them. "This one is made by the Beijing Air Gun Factory. It has a range of 100 meters and is competition-grade."
Zhou Ruyi was surprised and asked, "How can this still participate in the competition?"
"Of course, the province organizes shooting competitions every year, and there are many shooting competitions across the country. Generally, buying a 100-meter range gun like this is enough."
Ye Manzhi came to investigate the market and asked as many questions as possible.
"Comrade, are there many athletes participating in shooting competitions? How are the sales of these air rifles?"
The salesperson, with nothing else to do, propped one elbow on the counter and said, "There are only so many athletes, and once they get a competition rifle, they rarely change it. But a few years ago, the State Sports Commission and the Communist Youth League or something like that have been promoting national defense sports and education for young people. They need to master basic military skills, so model airplanes, shooting, swimming, and so on have all become popular. There's militia reserve training in the countryside, and we've established a shooting club in the city. My son even took shooting training at a grassroots shooter training class."
"To master military skills, you have to use real guns, right? Can an air gun work?" Zhou Ruyi asked.
"Haha, where can we get so many real guns for target practice? An air rifle for grassroots training will do. Are you buying this for an individual or for an organization?" the salesperson stressed. "Air rifles must be registered with the Public Security Bureau. If you're purchasing this for an organization, you need to get a certificate from the Public Security Bureau first, otherwise we can't sell it to you."
Ye Manzhi agreed with a smile and asked, "Comrade, are these the only two types of air rifles you have? Which one sells best?"
"There are only two. The Shanghai one has a shorter range and is slightly cheaper, perfect for shooting mahjong. The Beijing one has a longer range and is slightly more expensive." The salesperson knocked on the counter and said, "First Department Store has the most comprehensive selection in the city. Even if you go to a sporting goods store, you'll only find these two brands."
The two thanked the salesperson and left the store. Zhou Ruyi said excitedly, "Director, can we switch to producing air guns?"
"I don't know. We need to look at the market conditions and compare them with our factory's production capacity."
There are three days left until the Spring Festival.
Ye Manzhi was eager to exchange ideas with other factory leaders.
But the last time she proposed producing toy guns, she was laughed at once.
We have to be more rigorous this time and do market research in advance.
Therefore, Director Xiao Ye decided to hold off for the time being and first go to inspect the shooting club in the city.
She thought that the grassroots shooter training class was quite interesting and wanted to take her son Wu Yuzhuo to the training class to learn from him.
"You can also bring your brother Che and brother Qiu along." Ye Manzhi felt that he was being very considerate.
However, Wu Yuzhuo resolutely rejected his mother's suggestion.
"Mom, I don't have time to go out and play tonight. I still have sentry duty."
"Ask your team leader for a leave. Who doesn't have some urgent matters at home?"
Wu Yuzhuo put his hands behind his back and said awkwardly, "Oh, no, I'm the team leader now. How can I ask for leave from myself?"
Ye Manzhi was stunned for a second, then quickly asked, "Baby, you became the team leader? When did it happen?"
"It's today!" Wu Yuzhuo said happily but puzzledly. "I don't know what happened, but Lu Yuejin suddenly can't be the team leader and propagandist anymore. The team leader asked the kids in our team to elect a new team leader. I'm the best at shouting commands, so everyone chose me!"
"Who is the propagandist?"
"It's me too!"
Ye Manzhi praised repeatedly: "Baby, you are amazing. The public's eyes are sharp. All those commands you shouted before were not in vain!"
That little boy Lu Yuejin must have been kicked out by the children's group because he used an air gun illegally.
She discussed with her daughter, "Youyan, if your father wants to stew the dahua, just let him eat it."
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