Reborn in 1977

After everyone was settled on the motorcycles, the driver turned to Chen Fan and asked, "Where to now?"

Chen Fan thought for a moment, "Now that we're here at the cotton mill, why not check out the cotton mill's sales department?"

As the largest textile enterprise in the Yunhu area, their sales department should have a lot of good fabrics, right?

Zhang Juemin and Zhang Wenliang looked at him strangely, about to speak, when the driver in front gave a thumbs up and nodded repeatedly, "Good choice, I wouldn't have thought of it if you hadn't said so."

Zhang Wenliang immediately asked, "Is there anything special about the cotton mill's sales department?"

The driver turned around and said to them, "Nothing special, but there are things that are 'not so special'."

The Zhang brothers felt a bit confused, not understanding what he meant.

Chen Fan, however, seemed to understand, "Do you mean they sell 'substandard products' at the sales department?"

He remembered that state-owned factories usually had their own sales departments. After the opening-up policy, the sales department became one of the factory's important sales channels, with a large number of goods being sold through this direct retail method every year.

And in addition to normal products, there was another type of product with an even longer history in these sales departments: 'substandard products' or 'second-class products' produced during the production process.

Even under the planned economy, there were quality requirements for the products submitted as tasks. If there were too many defective products, the factory leaders had to bear the responsibility.

But no factory could achieve a 100% pass rate. The 'defective products' that the higher-ups didn't accept were naturally left for the factory to handle itself.

Factories generally had two ways of handling them. The first, and most common, was to issue them to employees as 'welfare goods'.

However, factories producing consumer goods could handle this directly, while enterprises that didn't produce direct consumer goods had to find their own ways to dispose of them.

This involved another method of disposal, which was the enterprise's sales department specializing in selling 'extra-plan' products.

The so-called extra-plan didn't refer to products outside the planned tasks of the 1980s, but to products exceeding the planned quantity produced during the execution of production tasks, using 'loss materials' approved by the higher-ups based on the task volume, and raw materials that the factory managed to acquire on its own.

Just now, the driver said there was nothing special, only "not so special" things. Weren't those "not so special" things "substandard products"?!

Sure enough, the driver nodded with a smile, "That's right."

After a pause, he explained, "In addition to the initial spinning workshop, the cotton mill later established a textile company and a dyeing and finishing company, so in addition to cotton yarn, their products also include various fabrics.

Compared to other enterprises, they have more substandard products. On the one hand, there is coarse cloth woven from substandard cotton yarn using old machines. This cloth has many small bumps and feels very uncomfortable to the touch. No one would buy it if it were sold as a normal product.

On the other hand, there are normal defective products produced by the textile company. The quality of these products is better, and some may only be dyed incorrectly, which doesn't affect their use at all.

Adding these two aspects together, there will be more defective products. As long as the machines are running, there will be defective products, so the sales department never lacks this kind of 'not so special' fabric for sale."

He turned to look at the three of them and said with a smile, "If you don't have high requirements, you can go to the cotton mill's sales department to take a look. This kind of fabric doesn't require fabric coupons, and the price is lower than normal fabric."

Zhang Juemin immediately said, "No fabric coupons needed? What are we waiting for! Let's go, let's go!"

Zhang Wenliang quickly nodded, "Let's go now. It's almost noon, and the good fabrics will be snatched up if we're late."

As for Chen Fan's opinion, there was no need to ask. It was he who suggested going to the cotton mill's sales department.

So the driver immediately started the motorcycle and drove off with a 'putt-putt-putt'.

He made a U-turn at the intersection ahead and drove along the main road. In less than five minutes, he stopped in front of a large, flat building with eight storefronts open.

Chen Fan looked up, his first glance not at the huge sign of "Yunhu Cotton Mill Sales Department," but at a street sign on the side of the road, murmuring, "Changbei Road?"

If he remembered correctly, Jiang Lili's home was here, and he had even called Jiang Tiantian at the small shop at the entrance of her alley.

Hearing his voice, the driver turned off the engine and took out the key, saying, "Yes, this is Changbei Road, meaning the road north of the cotton mill."

Then he pointed to the opposite side of the road, "That's the cotton mill's employee dormitory area. There are dozens of rows and hundreds of rooms in this area, housing thousands of people. Almost half of the cotton mill's employees live here."

Then he pointed to the back of the sales department, "There's another dormitory area behind that, but it's for cadres. They're all two-story buildings, very impressive. Few units in the entire region can compare."

Chen Fan got out of the sidecar and smiled naturally, "Is that so? That's quite impressive."

Saying that, he walked towards the sales department.

At this time, there was no one buying anything in the sales department, and they were the only customers.

However, the four salespersons behind the counter didn't even look at them, talking to each other.

Chen Fan just glanced casually and unexpectedly saw a familiar face.

Wasn't that the so-called Sister Liu?

She had changed her clothes, wearing a white textile worker's hat on her head, and there was a strong smell of iodine, obviously she had gone to the clinic for treatment.

He didn't take it seriously after seeing the person. This person hadn't seen him before, so what was there to worry about?

With no one to greet them, Zhang Juemin and Zhang Wenliang went to look at the fabrics themselves, while Chen Fan slowly looked around with his hands in his pockets.

This store wasn't small. A small compartment was more than 20 square meters, and all 8 rooms were connected, adding up to nearly two hundred square meters, not much different from the Xinhua Bookstore just now.

However, there were only a few kinds of products in the counters, namely cotton yarn, thread, sewing thread, coarse cloth, and fine cloth.

And then there was nothing else.

There were few varieties, but there were many quantities. And sure enough, as the driver said, there was nothing "special," all of them were "not so special."

For example, sewing thread, the kind used for threading needles, was wound on a very large spool, placed on the ground in front of the sewing machine. It could be used for a long time. Clothing factories used this kind of thread to sew clothes, and families with sewing machines would also often use it.

This kind of thread must be uniform in thickness to pass through the eye of the needle smoothly. But many of the sewing threads here had lumps of different sizes that could be seen with the naked eye. It would be okay to use a large needle, but with a small needle, you would probably have to use a section, cut it off, and then connect it, which would be annoying to death.

As for the coarse cloth, the coarse cloth here was not much wider than the homespun cloth woven by rural commune members themselves. Homespun cloth was only seventy or eighty centimeters wide, and this coarse cloth was slightly wider, exactly one meter. I don't know what kind of machine produced it.

The last fine cloth, on the other hand, looked even and well-proportioned, and the quality didn't seem bad, but when you got closer, you could see that the colors were uneven, and it was obvious that there was a problem with dyeing and finishing.

Most of the people in the city who were a little particular would probably not want such products. Only people with tight budgets or people in the countryside who lacked fabric wouldn't mind.

There were quite a few people in the city who bought this kind of fabric, but it could only be made into clothes worn inside, the kind that outsiders couldn't see. But why use such good fabric for the clothes inside?

Zhang Juemin looked carefully and then looked at the price tags on the counter. Fine cloth was 35 cents a foot, and he was immediately tempted.

35 cents a foot was the price of the most ordinary cotton cloth. The price of this kind of blended fine cloth was generally around 50 cents. And this was finely woven industrial cloth, with a width of 1.4 meters or 1.5 meters, which meant that the same length had twice the amount of cloth as homespun cloth.

According to this price, it was almost the same price as homespun cloth, how could he not be tempted!

After whispering a few words to Zhang Wenliang, Zhang Juemin walked up to the salespersons who were still chatting and asked politely, "Comrade, do you need coupons for the cloth here?"

That Sister Liu turned her head impatiently and said, "No."

Then she continued to ramble, "I've had the worst luck today. I was scratched several times by that rat. If I hadn't dodged quickly, my ears would have been bitten off. I suffered a great loss. I must get an explanation from Lao Li for this matter."

Zhang Juemin stood there speechless, "Comrade, I want to buy cloth."

Sister Liu turned her head and said, "Buying cloth is nothing great, nagging, nagging, urging my soul."

A younger one next to her couldn't bear to watch and quickly walked over, making a gesture to Zhang Juemin, "Old comrade, what kind of cloth do you want?"

Zhang Juemin almost shut down. I'm only in my 30s, not even 40, am I that old?

But the other person's attitude was good, and he couldn't get angry, so he could only follow along sullenly.

Chen Fan also stood in front of the fine cloth counter, wondering if he should buy some fabric.

The problem was that these dyed fabrics were really a bit heartbreaking to look at.

Why were they dyed wrong?

While muttering to himself, he perked up his ears and listened to Sister Liu arguing with others.

"I suffered this because I was running errands for that Lao Li. If he dares not compensate me, I will go to Deputy Director Li. Hmph, so what if he's a leader? I'm still from eight generations of poor farmers, will I be afraid of him?"

Someone next to her was trying to persuade her, "Why bother, Sister Liu? Since ancient times, it has been said that the people should not fight with officials. You are not afraid of him, but there is no need to offend him."

"Then did I suffer this in vain? Let me tell you, this matter is not that simple. And that dead girl, if she hadn't stubbornly refused to let go, would I have suffered this today? No, I can't spare her…"

Chen Fan frowned slightly, then quickly relaxed, nonchalantly selecting fabric, while continuing to listen to the situation over there.

Finally, he selected a cotton-silk blend fabric in a dyed-wrong yellow color, which somewhat resembled khaki from later generations. Although it was a bit uneven, it could probably be used if cut, or directly made into underwear, base shirts, or even lining.

This fabric was soft and breathable, considered a high-end material. Even as a defective product, the price wasn't cheap, costing 50 cents per foot.

Chen Fan silently calculated that making a set of adult clothes would require about 7 feet of fabric, with slight variations depending on the body size. At 50 cents a foot, it would cost 3 dollars and 50 cents per person.

Not bad, acceptable.

Then, he took two steps forward and said to the saleswoman, "Comrade, please cut 50 feet of that fabric for me."

The saleswoman had been secretly watching Chen Fan. She had never seen such a spirited and handsome young man. When Chen Fan walked over and said he wanted to buy fabric, she was startled and smiled at him, "50 feet? Are you sure?"

Chen Fan didn't say much, directly took out the money, counted out 25 dollars, and placed it on the counter, smiling, "You see, I've already taken out the money, so I definitely won't be wrong."

The three companions next to him watched him together. Zhang Juemin muttered, "Here we go again!"

Zhang Wenliang gasped, whispering to his older brother, "That's why we can't let him go shopping."

They each only bought 6 feet of fabric, planning to make a set of clothes, but Chen Fan was something else, asking for 50 feet right off the bat. How many clothes could that make?

Seeing that Chen Fan was serious, the saleswoman was also very happy and immediately smiled, "Okay, but put your money away first. I'll write you a receipt, and you can go over there to pay the cashier. I'll cut the fabric for you."

Saying that, she first filled out the form, tore off the slip and handed it to Chen Fan, then moved the only bolt of cotton-silk blend fabric from the display shelf behind her, picked up the ruler on the counter, and measured it foot by foot.

Chen Fan took the slip to the cashier to pay, glancing at Sister Liu, who was still rambling on, ignoring the obvious impatience of the other two people.

One of them saw Chen Fan coming and quickly ran over to collect the money, issue the receipt, and handed back a receipt.

Chen Fan didn't deliberately linger or eavesdrop.

Actually, there was no need to eavesdrop at all. As long as you stood in this store, you could hear Sister Liu's shouting from even the corners.

One moment she was saying that Old Li had to pay compensation, the next she was saying she would go find trouble with Jiang Tiantian.

Then something about Old Li living separately from his father, and her house being in the same alley as Old Li's house, and that she would go find him tonight…

Chen Fan remained outwardly calm, watching the saleswoman measure the fabric for him.

As she measured, not only Chen Fan noticed something was wrong, but even Zhang Juemin and Zhang Wenliang's eyes showed jealousy.

Was this really how you measure?

Measuring a bit and giving a little extra each time. It was supposed to be 50 feet in total, and she gave extra 50 times. Wouldn't that add up to about two feet extra?

So being handsome meant you could do whatever you wanted?

The next scene made the two of them's eyes almost pop out of their sockets.

When the saleswoman measured to the end, she looked at the little bit that was left. She simply pulled out the wooden board, re-rolled the fabric, and said, "Just forget about the little bit that's left. It'll save me from having to cut it."

Zhang Wenliang stared blankly to the side, muttering, "Is that a little bit? It's at least two feet!"

Zhang Juemin gritted his teeth, "That adds up to 4 feet, two dollars!"

Even the driver shook his head and smiled wryly, silently taking out a cigarette.

So it turned out that being good-looking really could put food on the table.

The saleswoman skillfully re-rolled the fabric, folded it once more, tied it with a thin cloth strip, and pushed it to Chen Fan on the counter, "Comrade, your fabric is ready."

Chen Fan took the fabric in his hand, casually handed over two White Rabbit candies and placed them on the counter, smiling, "You're very skilled. Please have a candy."

The saleswoman unwrapped the candy, put it in her mouth, and continued to smile foolishly as she watched Chen Fan's back. Next to her was Sister Liu's incessant shouting.

Walking outside, Zhang Juemin and Zhang Wenliang both sighed again, feeling like they had a thousand words to say, but didn't know where to start.

Chen Fan ignored them, quickly walked to the motorcycle, put the fabric in the sidecar, looked left and right, and whispered, "Master, where is there a public toilet nearby?"

The driver immediately pointed behind the store, "There's one inside the cotton mill."

After a pause, he added with some difficulty, "But it's not easy to get into the factory area."

Chen Fan pointed to the opposite side, "There should be one over there in the dormitory area, right?"

The driver immediately nodded, "There definitely is there. I'll take you over."

Saying that, he was about to get on the motorcycle.

Chen Fan quickly waved his hand, "No need, no need, I'll go myself."

After speaking, he took off running, quickly crossing the road and disappearing into the alleys of the dormitory area.

When he came back, he saw the same scene again.

The three people were squatting on the curb, smoking, their eyes filled with melancholy.

Zhang Wenliang, "The dormitory area is too big, did you get lost again?"

Zhang Juemin, "It's been more than half an hour. If you hadn't come back, we would have had to search for you toilet by toilet."

The driver didn't have much emotion, only asking, "Teacher Chen, where to next?"

Chen Fan struck a comfortable pose, waving his hand, "Let's put everything else aside and get you the 'Math, Physics, and Chemistry Self-Study Series' first."

The driver was immediately moved and quickly stood up, saying, "No need, no need, just take care of your business. Anyway, my home is here, I can go anytime."

Chen Fan thought for a moment and smiled, "Then how about this, do you know where the second-hand store is?"

Big cities were more particular, calling it a "Trust Store," but in Yunhu, sorry, it was called a second-hand store, take it or leave it.

The driver immediately smiled, "Of course I know. Some people can't scrape together enough coupons, so they go to the second-hand store to buy things. They have the big items like radios, watches, bicycles, and sewing machines there. And that place isn't far from our sanitation department, it's in the old city, so if you don't have anything else to do, it's convenient to go back after browsing the second-hand store."

The so-called old city was the main urban area of Yunhu City before the founding of the country. Correspondingly, there was the "new city" that gradually developed in the late 1950s. Many enterprises, including the cotton mill, were in this area, a place that everyone envied.

Decades later, this would be Yunhu's "slum," a place that everyone despised.

Chen Fan laughed, "That's great. The Central Bookstore is also in the old city, right? Let's go to the Central Bookstore to buy you the book first, then go to the second-hand store, and then go back to the guesthouse."

This time, the driver didn't refuse, nodding and smiling, "That's perfect, we can run the whole route."

Then everyone got in the car, and the motorcycle puttered back.

First, they got off at the Central Bookstore, and the driver successfully bought the only set of the "Math, Physics, and Chemistry Self-Study Series."

He really didn't expect that even the Central Bookstore only had one set left. It was estimated that other Xinhua Bookstores either didn't have any or only had one set.

Thinking of this possibility, Chen Fan silently sighed for the educated youth of Yunhu.

You probably won't be able to keep up with the students of Lujiawan!

Coming out of the Central Bookstore, they drove a short distance forward, then turned a corner, and there was the second-hand store.

Chen Fan took the lead and walked in, the driver and Zhang Wenliang followed closely behind, while Zhang Juemin cautiously stayed on the motorcycle to guard the goods.

The characteristic of "small cities" was that the stores were big but had few things.

This second-hand store was no exception. It had a business area of nearly five hundred square meters, but only less than one-fifth of the space was used to display things.

There was only one counter inside, and the rest of the area was an open space. Bicycles and sewing machines, both old and new, were placed on the open space outside the counter. In addition, there were furniture of various sizes, which were also neatly arranged and categorized.

It was just that the quantity was a bit pitiful, and there weren't many varieties.

Chen Fan just walked around the furniture and consciously dismissed the idea of finding any bargains.

The best wood was only camphor wood, was there any need to pick it up?

Could it be that huanghuali and Phoebe zhennan wood were all in the trust stores in the capital?

Sighing quietly, Chen Fan went to look at the sewing machines and bicycles again.

There weren't many of these things either, but compared to furniture, they were already pretty good. After careful selection, he picked a bicycle and a sewing machine, spending a total of 150 dollars. At the price of new goods, it could be said to be a steal.

Zhang Wenliang was a little puzzled, pulled Chen Fan aside, and whispered, "You have a horse, why do you need a bicycle? And a sewing machine, can you make clothes?"

Chen Fan also whispered back, "The sewing machine is for my own use. I really can make clothes. The bicycle is for our Captain Yang. You don't know, he's been looking forward to a bicycle for more than ten years. It's a pity that he has enough money, but no coupon. That eighty percent new one looks pretty good. If I take it back to him, he'll definitely want it."

Zhang Wenliang was a little conflicted, "What if he doesn't want it?"

Chen Fan shrugged, "Then I'll just keep it for myself, riding a horse one day and a bicycle the next, alternating."

Zhang Wenliang pursed his lips and suddenly asked, "No, how much money do you actually have left on you?"

Hearing this, Chen Fan suddenly reacted.

Oh yeah, I just built a house and I'm in debt now, I can't be too extravagant.

So he shook his head regretfully, "Alas, after buying the bicycle and the sewing machine, my last bit of savings, along with the advance payment for the business trip, are all spent. This time, I'm really penniless!"

He was still silently comforting himself in his heart, anyway, there weren't any good watches here, let's talk about it next time.

Zhang Wenliang just quietly looked at him, "Do you think I believe you?"