Reborn in 1977

Chapter 369: Taking Control

The music ends, and the crowd disperses.

Beside the small water tower, under the shade of the trees.

Chen Fan leaned against the tree trunk, his eyes half-closed, "It's just turning off a machine and closing a water gate, why didn't you just stay here and wait? Why did you have to drag me along?"

Just now, Secretary Yang asked Chen Fan how the small water tower operated. After Chen Fan explained his ideas, the leaders decisively assigned the task to Zhang Wenliang. Whether he carried it out personally or assigned it to the militiamen under his command, the matter fell on his shoulders.

And so, after assigning the task, Secretary Yang and the others rushed towards the brigade headquarters, eager to see what their tap water looked like, and whether it would be more pleasing to the eye than river water.

Thus, only Chen Fan and Zhang Wenliang were left here.

Originally, Chen Fan thought that Zhang Wenliang also knew how to use a diesel engine, so after teaching him how to turn the machine on and off, and how to open and close the water gate, he prepared to go back on his own.

But Zhang Wenliang grabbed him and refused to let go, his reason being, "Although I know how to use a diesel engine and how to open and close the water gate, today is the first time. What if I make a mistake? You have to stay with me!"

Then the two of them sat in the shade of the trees, spacing out.

Zhang Wenliang was spacing out because it was his duty. Chen Fan was silently contemplating why he didn't just sneak away. Why did he have to stay and keep this blockhead company?

So he endured until 5:30 PM, when the sun was almost setting, before Chen Fan personally demonstrated how to close the water gate, then locked the iron door of the water tower, tossed the key to Zhang Wenliang, and rode away on his horse.

He didn't even want to talk to him!

Before long, he returned to the educated youth spot, removed the saddle, and the little mare and foal returned to the backyard on their own. The two dogs were also tired from playing today, and went straight to the kitchen door, lying down and sticking out their tongues to look at Jiang Lili.

Unfortunately, Jiang Lili didn't even notice them, and ran towards Chen Fan with Huang Ying and the other girl.

When she reached him, Jiang Lili said excitedly, "The water came to our house just now! We filled two big vats with water. We don't have to fetch water from the river anymore!"

Yang Ju nodded repeatedly, her little face flushed, "And the water is so clear! We don't even need alum to stir it. No, it's even clearer than water stirred with alum."

The water fetched from the river had many impurities. Alum could be used to make these impurities sink to the bottom, leaving clear water on top.

However, alum contains aluminum ions, and excessive intake can affect the body's absorption of iron, calcium, and other components, leading to osteoporosis, anemia, and even affecting the development of nerve cells, inducing Alzheimer's disease.

That's why Chen Fan painstakingly tried to install tap water in his home, and didn't refuse to hand over the diesel engine to build a small water tower.

Drinking alum water every day will really make you stupid!

As soon as Yang Ju finished speaking, Huang Ying quickly added, "And the tap water is so cool, much cooler than the river water. It feels so comfortable to touch."

Chen Fan couldn't help but smile and said, "This tap water is actually deep groundwater, which is in a constant temperature state all year round, and the temperature change is very small. The saying in books that well water is warm in winter and cool in summer is actually the same principle."

Liu Dan's already wide eyes widened even further, "So, in winter, the tap water will be warm?"

Chen Fan shook his head with a smile, "That's not true. Although the water that is just drawn out is warm, after passing through the reservoir and pipes, the temperature will have almost dissipated by the time it reaches home. It would be good if it doesn't freeze into ice water. If you want warm water, you should still boil it yourself."

He asked Huang Ying and the others to move the chairs out and sit in the shade of the eaves, chatting about tap water. Even when they had dinner, they were still talking about this topic.

Not only them, but tonight, the members of the entire Lujiawan Brigade were talking about tap water. It's just that the members of Teams 5 and 6 were chatting happily, while the families of the members of the other teams had a bit of sourness, as well as anticipation for the future.

And if they wanted to have tap water, the first thing to do was to get a big boat and sell all the chickens, ducks, and geese. Only then would they have the money to build a water tower!

…

The next morning, Chen Fan rode his horse to the brigade headquarters early in the morning. After meeting with An Quan, they went straight to the water transport company to solve the problem of the big boat.

Chen Fan rode on horseback, parading through the streets, waving and greeting the people who got up early.

He was now a little afraid of going to the streets, mainly because more and more people recognized him, and they would wave and greet him when they saw him. It wouldn't be good to ignore them, so he could only respond all the way.

The water transport company was at the western end of the Shizi Street in Nanhuzhen. He had never been there before.

An Quan rode a horse from the team to lead the way. He looked at Chen Fan next to him unhappily, muttering in his heart that the horse was shorter, and the person was shorter. The person on the horse was even shorter. He shouldn't have ridden a horse today!

Chen Fan didn't notice that his expression was wrong, and looked around, "Water and Land Police Station, Water Conservancy Station, River and Embankment Engineering Management Division, hey, aren't these all units related to water conservancy?"

An Quan came back to his senses, nodded and said, "Isn't it? Except for a few units near the intersection, the ones near the river are basically related to water. The Water and Land Police Station manages water disputes, the Water Conservancy Station manages hydrology and water conservancy construction, the Management Division manages embankment engineering, and in front of them are the Water Transport Company and the Ship Repair Factory. There is also a Ferry Management Office."

He pointed back, "The ferry to the county seat is managed by the Ferry Management Office. There is a ferry there, and there is a ferry here. A dozen people in one office live on these two boats."

Chen Fan couldn't help but laugh, "Then it's better to just merge into the water transport company."

An Quan shrugged and said with a pursed mouth, "No matter how good the water transport company is and how many employees there are, it's actually just a community-run enterprise. No matter how small the Ferry Management Office is, it's also a community-run enterprise. After the merger, they will be inferior to others. Who would want to?"

Chen Fan chuckled twice. This was also a characteristic of the times, and he naturally couldn't say anything.

After a pause of two seconds, he suddenly remembered the first time he went to the market before the New Year. Jiang Lili said that the commune seemed to be planning to cut several units. He didn't know what happened later, so he asked.

"This?"

An Quan turned his head to look at him and found that he had to look up again, and he felt unhappy in his heart, so he hummed and said, "Secretary Qian and the others do want to cut back. Now all the units are overstaffed, but the production capacity is only so much. They have to support the workers and so many cadres..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Fan asked in surprise, "There are still many cadres in the commune units?"

An Quan glanced at him, "Don't you understand? Have you heard of 'substituting cadre with worker'? They don't have the status of a cadre, but they are given the treatment of a cadre, and they do the work of a cadre."

Chen Fan understood as soon as he heard it, and nodded suddenly, "I understand."

The reason for formulating this rule was because talents were scarce in those years, and they could only select a group of outstanding people from the workers and let them act as cadres to manage the work, and then promote them to cadres when the time was right, or wait for the assigned cadres to come down, and these people would return to the worker positions.

Now it is naturally another matter.

But this is still good, after all, they are only substituting cadres with workers and are not real cadres. After a few more years, the word 'substituting' will be removed, and the burden at that time will be heavy.

Seeing that Chen Fan understood, An Quan chuckled and said, "Think about it, each unit has several of these people. The commune is so big, and the people who are affected by a fart are all relatives. How can Secretary Qian streamline it? Can he handle this?!"

Chen Fan pursed his lips and didn't say anything.

The horse ran briskly forward. Before long, Chen Fan saw a large area of bungalows and dormitories, with at least a hundred households inside. A little further ahead was a large yard, with two two-story office buildings in the yard, and a slightly old small water tower behind the buildings.

Needless to say, this must be the water transport company!

At the gate of the yard, two large iron gates separated the inside and outside of the company, with only a small door open next to the gatehouse. The plaque hanging on the cement door frame read "Nanhugongshe Water Transport Company".

Although it can't compare to the Gufeng County Water Transport Company, this company is one of the best in the Nanhuzhen area. No other company can compare.

An Quan seemed to be very familiar with this place. He didn't even get off his horse, and waved to the gatekeeper, throwing a pack of cigarettes over. The gatekeeper took the cigarettes with a smile, ran out and opened the gate for them.

He rode into the yard and ran all the way to the office building in the back before An Quan signaled Chen Fan to dismount and tied the reins to the wooden post against the wall.

Chen Fan glanced at the wooden posts buried on the side of the wall, and estimated that there were twenty or thirty of them, and couldn't help but be a little curious, "Does the water transport company have many horses?"

Anquan waited for him to tie the rope securely, then waved for him to walk inside together, smiling as he said, "It's not just a lot of horses; the water transport company is the unit with the most packhorses in the entire South Lake Commune. Their transportation team has nearly 50 mules and horses, specifically used for hauling goods. Even the Bailang Lake production team, which raises fish, can't compare."

Chen Fan's mind raced, and he immediately understood the logic behind it, smiling as he said, "That makes sense. The water transport company has so many boats, and there are goods to be transported every day. If they didn't have a transportation team, how could they quickly complete their production tasks?!"

Anquan chuckled, "That's why I say you're quick-witted. That's right. Besides these mule carts and horse carts, the water transport company also has several tractors used for hauling heavy goods, as well as front-end dump trucks for transporting river sand.

So, don't think the water transport company only handles goods in the water. In reality, their land transportation capabilities are also the strongest."

Chen Fan nodded slowly as he listened, the smile on his face growing wider.

The strongest is good. The stronger the unit, the more wool can be sheared. Chen Fan was determined to make friends with this company, even if Jesus tried to stop him!

However, no matter how strong they were, they were just a commune-run enterprise, unlike the county's water transport company, which had so many rules.

Along the way, as they went up the stairs, besides a few acquaintances who greeted Anquan, no one even asked who he was. This showed how lax the management of this unit was.

This was a business unit, not an administrative department open to the public. How could they allow strangers to wander around inside?

When they arrived at the innermost office on the second floor, Anquan knocked on the door. After hearing a voice from inside say, "Come in," Anquan immediately pushed the door open, laughing as he said, "Congratulations, Secretary Tian! Look who I've brought."

This person was the "helmsman" of the water transport company, the secretary and general manager, wielding all sorts of power.

Inside, a man in his forties or fifties first adjusted his glasses and looked at them. After a couple of seconds, he quickly stood up, walked around from behind his desk, and extended his right hand from afar, laughing as he said, "This must be Teacher Chen! I've heard so much about you!"

Faced with this kind of situation, Chen Fan was already well-versed.

He immediately walked towards him, extending both hands, "Not at all, not at all, Secretary Tian, it's a pleasure to meet you. I've also heard so much about Secretary Tian."

Secretary Tian deliberately changed his expression slightly, "Oh? Then I'd like to hear what you know about me?"

Chen Fan was not at all intimidated, smiling as he said, "I heard that you went on a boat when you were only 12 years old. At that time, you couldn't even lift the mooring rope; you had to drag it. But in just over half a year, you passed the assessment and became a qualified sailor.

Then, at 14, you followed your master to learn how to steer a boat. At 16, you became a helmsman, and before you were 20, you became the youngest captain in the entire Yunhu area. After that, you worked on the boat until you were in your thirties before you were promoted to cadre, responsible for ship allocation and water rescue..."

Listening to Chen Fan's words, Secretary Tian's expression became increasingly strange, but the smile on his face couldn't be stopped.

After Chen Fan finished speaking, he couldn't help but burst out laughing, "Hahahaha, I didn't expect that such a small matter would have reached Teacher Chen's ears."

He turned to look at Anquan, "Did you tell him?"

Anquan was also very surprised at this time. Hearing Secretary Tian's words, he immediately shook his head, "I only introduced that your surname is Tian, and you're a veteran of the water transport industry. I don't even know some of the things he just said. I really don't know where he heard them from."

Then, he looked curiously at Chen Fan and asked, "Who did you hear these things from?"

Chen Fan smiled and said, "Didn't we go to the county a while ago? We met Manager Zhao. I heard it from him."

Anquan was even more confused, "I was there at the time, how come I forgot about this?"

Chen Fan looked at him with feigned disdain, "You still have the nerve to say that? You were so drunk that day that you couldn't even hear me calling you. What could you have heard?"

Hearing this, Anquan immediately smiled sheepishly and stopped talking.

Chen Fan smiled, looking at Secretary Tian, who couldn't stop laughing, and secretly made a gesture of confidence in his heart.

Of course, what he said was true. Manager Zhao did tell him these things that day, but he took the initiative to ask, wanting to learn more about the leaders of the water transport company to make it easier to buy an outboard motor from here.

And Manager Zhao only knew a little bit. He finished talking in just a few words, so it was understandable that Anquan didn't hear it.

But what does Chen Fan do?

He writes novels and creates stories!

His specialty is nonsense... no, artistic embellishment.

So, he extracted the main thread from what Manager Zhao said and filled in the details.

Please, Secretary Tian is almost 50 years old. How could he remember the things from his youth so clearly?

What about not being able to lift the mooring rope when he first went on the boat, or being able to navigate dangerous shoals as soon as he learned to steer? Those were all made up by him.

But it wasn't made up blindly. Many sailor apprentices came up like that. It was just grafting one thing onto another, basically not wrong.

Looking at Secretary Tian's expression at this time, he seemed to have taken it seriously and was even trying hard to recall it.

In the end, he couldn't help but sigh, "Oh, I didn't expect that someone would still remember something so long ago. That old Zhao, I used to deal with him when I went to the county company. He didn't mention these things much at the time. I didn't expect him to be such a thoughtful person."

At this moment, his impression of Manager Zhao was directly maxed out.

Of course, as the direct narrator, Chen Fan's impression was already very high, and at this time, it was completely maxed out.

He clapped his hands and said to Anquan and Chen Fan, "I know why you're here. I also know that you're both very anxious. In that case, let's not waste any time and go directly to the shipyard."

As he spoke, he didn't even bother to tidy up the documents on the table, gestured, and walked out.

Chen Fan and Anquan quickly followed behind him, exchanging glances and revealing knowing smiles.

After they all came out, Secretary Tian locked the office door and said as he walked, "There's a scrap warehouse in the shipyard. Those machines that can't be repaired, as well as some spare parts, are all stored there.

Those two sets of propeller thrusters haven't been broken for many years, just two or three years ago. At that time, a ship hit a reef and directly damaged the machine. Not long after this incident, another ship's propeller was caught by a torn fishing net. The helmsman at the time didn't notice and was still forcibly increasing the throttle, which also caused it to break.

At that time, we also thought of ways to send these two sets of machines to the prefectural committee, and even to the provincial capital, for repair. But even the engineers in the province said there was no way to fix them. We could only bring them back. We couldn't bear to throw them away, and we couldn't bear to sell them, so we've just been leaving them there to gather dust."

After introducing the situation, he turned to look at Chen Fan, who was frowning, and smiled, "Teacher Chen, don't feel pressured. These two sets of machines, repair them if you can, and it doesn't matter if you can't. Anyway, I can definitely spare two sets of outboard motors for you.

As for the thrusters, if you really want them, I can also try to ask the brother units over there to see if they have any old ones that have been replaced. If there aren't any, we can directly come forward and help you buy a new set.

Don't worry, other production teams can't afford it, but you definitely can. I've also heard about you selling live poultry in the county. The live poultry alone can sell for tens of thousands now. A set of thrusters only costs more than 4,000, which Lujiawan can definitely afford."

Hearing this, a smile appeared on Chen Fan's face, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Secretary Tian."

He turned to look at Anquan and found that Anquan's expression was not very good either, knowing that he hadn't asked clearly before.

Even the engineers in the province couldn't fix it. Could he fix this thing?

He originally thought he could find a bargain, but now it seemed that this bargain was not easy to find.

However, even if he couldn't repair it in the end, buying a set of thrusters through the water transport company was also a solution.

In this day and age, it's not like you can buy something just because you want to buy it, especially for specialized machinery like this. First, you have to submit an application, and only after it's approved can you take the approval form to the relevant unit to purchase it.

Lujiawan is not a water transport company. Why would they buy such ship thrusters for no reason?

So, it's likely that it won't be approved.

It's different for the water transport company. As long as they take action, it's almost certain to succeed and impossible to not pass.

In that case, it wouldn't be a wasted trip.

Of course, the most suitable thing would be to be able to repair it smoothly, or buy a used machine, which would be cheaper.