Reborn in 1977

Chapter 658: Half and Half

Generally, Chen Fan only offers ideas and doesn't participate in the specific execution.

It was only when he first started his side business last year, when no one in the production team knew how to handle it, that he personally took charge, leading them in everything from breeding to opening a store. He even set up a breeding demonstration point at the educated youth center to cultivate rabbit seedlings for the brigade.

Now, more than a year has passed, and after a series of trials and tribulations, from Secretary Yang at the top to Zhang Wenliang in the middle and the captains of each team, and down to the veterinarians and liaisons in the teams, all have received great training.

Just like this recruitment fair, he only mentioned it once, and then Zhang Wenliang and the others handled it very well.

The same goes for this "Lujiawan Skills Training Class."

After offering his suggestion, he doesn't care about the specific implementation work at all.

Including the school charter, curriculum, teacher selection, teaching location, student dormitory arrangements, etc., were all discussed and arranged by Secretary Yang and the others, and then Zhang Wenliang contacted various parties to gradually establish it.

Chen Fan just stood by and watched, not saying a word even when he saw problems.

Lu Xun said: "People teach people, they can't teach them. Things teach people, once is enough." Suffering losses is like eating; you'll grow if you eat too much.

Currently, the people up and down in Lujiawan are growing very well, especially Zhang Wenliang, Team Leader Yang, and the others, who have become the backbone of the side business company's development.

Therefore, you must let go when it's time to let go, so that you can venture across the land with great enthusiasm.

"Yi er ya, ai hai ya, ai hai ai hai yi er ya..."

Chen Fan hummed softly, left the clothing training class, and came to the breeding farm for inspection.

In a small house, a breeder was training the new students.

He held up an egg and said, "We run a breeding farm, and the veterinarians are keeping an eye on hygiene and disease prevention, so there are generally no problems. Then there are two major difficulties: The first is feed, and the second is seedlings.

In the beginning, we even borrowed a batch of seedlings from the Hongxing, Ganjia Village, Bailang Lake, and Shengli brigades before we could start the breeding farm.

Later, we learned artificial incubation methods together with the comrades from the commune's agricultural technology station. From then on, our breeding farm never lacked seedlings, and we could also support fraternal brigades to develop together.

Half of you are from our brigade, and the other half are from other brigades. It's easy to talk to those from our brigade, but I want to make it clear to those from other brigades and say the ugly things up front, otherwise, don't blame our Secretary Yang for getting angry with your brigade secretaries if something goes wrong.

What are those words?

That is, you can take the technology you learn here back with you. We don't require you to hide it..."

As soon as these words came out, a small number of people in the crowd immediately whispered to each other.

But when the breeder's gaze swept over, they immediately shut their mouths.

After the scene quieted down, the breeder continued, "We are not afraid of you learning the technology, but there is one thing: you have all signed contracts and must work here for five years, unless you are unqualified or make mistakes, then we will drive you away.

If you dare to leave on your own, it will implicate your brigade. At that time, you will have to pay two for one person who leaves, and our Secretary Yang will personally go to your brigade to demand people.

Have you all heard clearly?"

After the voice fell, it took two or three seconds before someone responded intermittently, "Heard clearly."

Chen Fan watched from outside the window and laughed. This discipline is not good. He has to talk to Zhang Wenliang and must add militia military training to the training class's teaching syllabus. Being organized but undisciplined is not a good sign.

As for the fact that someone often skips work, disregards unit discipline, and runs around the country, of course, he can't see it.

Who can see the black on themselves?

After the breeder in the house finished the warning, he began teaching, "My country has had records of artificial incubation for more than 2,000 years. In 1876, Little Japan even learned it from our country, so our country's artificial incubation technology is relatively long-standing and relatively advanced.

Now, artificial incubation technology generally uses heated platforms in the north and barrels in the south. What do we use here?

As he spoke, he pointed to several large vats placed against the wall, "We use vats. This method of vat incubation is more complicated and requires a lot of patience. In addition to maintaining the water temperature, the aluminum basin holding the eggs cannot get wet, and the eggs must be turned every four or five hours..."

Chen Fan was listening to the lecture inside when Zhang Wenliang came over, took out a cigarette, handed it over, and smiled softly, "Do you know this technology?"

Taking the cigarette and putting it in his mouth, Chen Fan squinted and said, "In addition to vat incubation, there are also heated platform incubation and heating with high-power electric lights. Why did you only learn this vat incubation?"

Zhang Wenliang was slightly stunned, "Hey, you really understand?"

After a pause, he struck a match to light the cigarette and helped Chen Fan light his, before saying, "Because the agricultural technicians in the county only know this vat incubation. Besides, high-power electric lights are not easy to buy, and even if you buy them, there are often power outages, so you can only use this incubation technology."

Chen Fan's mouth twitched slightly, he made a gesture, and walked away, while asking, "What is the success rate of incubation?"

Zhang Wenliang smiled, "It's okay, the incubation rate is about 70% to 80%."

Chen Fan turned his head and glanced at him, "So low?"

Zhang Wenliang took a puff of cigarette and exhaled a long mist, "It's not low. The book says it's 95%, but in actual operation, there are some differences from the book. Maybe after a long time, the incubator's technology will become higher and higher, and the incubation rate can be similar to that in the book."

Chen Fan nodded, squinting his eyes thoughtfully.

When was the domestic artificial incubator invented?

It seems to be in 1987, when the Liyuan Repair Department in Ankang, Shaanxi, invented the first domestic incubator?

However, it has been continuously improved since then, and only started order-based production in 1995.

There are still more than ten years from now.

Generally speaking, poultry egg incubators are also mechatronics equipment. This thing happens to coincide with Chen Fan's major. If he is willing to immerse himself in the laboratory for a few days, he might be able to make this thing.

And the significance of a poultry egg incubator to the breeding industry is self-evident.

The reason why he didn't do it before was that the time hadn't come. Lujiawan lacked everything at the beginning of its business. A single incubator could not play a decisive role. Moreover, the breeding scale of poultry is limited by factors such as feed and slaughter speed in addition to seedlings. It is a problem to incubate too many chicks.

On the other hand, if there is no stable, fast, and effective sales channel, it will definitely not be able to support the increase in breeding volume brought about by industrial incubation.

Now that a food factory is to be established, it is possible to consider introducing industrial incubators, otherwise, it may be the other way around, like last year, when there were not enough poultry slaughtered for sale, and other production brigades had to be brought into the game in advance.

Seeing that he didn't say anything, Zhang Wenliang couldn't help but his eyes moved slightly, and he asked in a low voice, "Do you have a new idea again?"

Chen Fan glanced at him, put one hand in his pocket, clamped a cigarette in the other, exhaled a few smoke rings, and then smiled, "I have ideas, but it's not good to say now. I'll talk about it when I have a clue."

Zhang Wenliang immediately smiled happily and nodded repeatedly, "No problem, no problem, you can talk about it whenever you want."

As long as Chen Fan's mind turns, Lujiawan will benefit. He can't wait for Chen Fan to have more ideas, preferably one every day, endlessly.

...

Chen Fan finished visiting the remaining side business units and didn't find any major problems, so he returned home.

Looking at the calendar, today is November 15th, the Xia Yuan Festival.

Calculating with his fingers, besides demolishing houses and breaking roofs, everything is unsuitable.

He decided to set off tomorrow.

The main thing is to be cautious!

Early the next morning, he asked Liu Lu and the others to send a message to Secretary Yang and Team Leader Yang, and he took his backpack and drove the boat to the prefectural committee.

Because he got up relatively early, it wasn't time for work yet, so he changed cars at the dock and found a breakfast shop to eat.

The counter was set up at the door, and there were many people eating breakfast. Chen Fan waited in line for a while. When it was his turn, he bought a few tickets and then went to the food collection window to pick up his meal.

Well, continue to queue.

It was not easy to get in line, he ordered a bowl of rice noodles, a sesame pancake, a fried dough stick, and two big meat buns, turned around with them, and finally found a place to sit down.

Thinking that when Jiang Lili and the others were still there, they would buy and deliver them to his home every morning. It was really tiring.

Chen Fan recalled the past, lamented that the two sisters were really diligent, and then started eating heartily.

In this kind of place, there is naturally no shortage of acquaintances talking loudly. Chen Fan ate his food silently, pricking up his ears to listen to the latest news from the prefectural committee.

Did you hear that the movie crew left yesterday?

They just left yesterday. My neighbor's daughter ran to Yunhu Hotel to see them. The actors in the filming took a Yunhu car, and the others took two vans and a truck. They left together.

Heh, they stayed for quite a while this time, right?

“Not short at all, they came at the end of September, it’s almost been two months. People go to watch the filming location every day. I heard even Chen Fan went.”

“Yeah, yeah, I heard too. Seems like he went in early October, and then they even stopped filming for a few days. I heard Chen Fan revised the script.”

“He’s the writer, he wrote the books himself. If he thinks the actors aren't capturing the right feeling, of course he’s going to say something.”

“That’s why writers are so powerful. Even movie directors have to listen to them.”

“I just wonder if Chen Fan will come to Yunhu to film his other stories?”

“Hard to say. Anyway, I heard 'The Ferryman' has already finished filming. They found a place near Shanghai to film it, so the others might not come.”

“That’s not right. Chen Fan wrote about this place, so why not film here and go somewhere else?”

“That’s how movie filming is. They film a mountain here, a river there, and then say it’s all one place, somewhere or other. Only they know the truth.”

… …

Chen Fan listened to their discussion, guessing that they probably only filmed the exterior and some interior scenes in Yunhu. They would have to film other shots after returning.

Otherwise, with the current efficiency, it was unlikely they could finish filming a movie in less than two months.

After finishing breakfast, he felt a little feverish. He took out his handkerchief to wipe his mouth, unbuttoned his coat, and got in the car to leave.

His first stop was the cotton mill.

Jiang Heng and Shen Xueyi happened to be coming to work. They were especially happy to see him. Shen Xueyi didn't even go to her own office, and went with him to the factory director's office.

Chen Fan didn't let them do it. He took out his travel mug from his bag, poured himself a glass of water, then sat down on the sofa and said with a smile, “I heard the 'Yunhu Love' crew finished filming and left. Were there any shots of the cotton mill in it?”

Jiang Heng walked over and sat down, laughing heartily, “Of course there were. According to your method, I first contacted the Jiangnan Film Studio and exchanged a batch of 'extra-plan' fabrics for a batch of film, and then went to find their Director Huang.

When he heard there was film, he was overjoyed. When he heard that you were the one pulling the strings, he agreed without hesitation.”

After a pause, he moved the ashtray in front of Chen Fan, “You smoke if you want, don’t worry about me.”

Chen Fan smiled and waved his hand, “I don’t smoke often, it’s mostly for social occasions.”

Although he occasionally smoked while fishing or drinking tea, that was out of loneliness. So, there were many times when he didn't smoke at all.

Jiang Heng offered him one, but when he saw that he didn't smoke, he let it go and continued, “According to your method, Director Huang filmed several shots of the affiliated textile and clothing factories, as well as product shots, all as background for the plot, without affecting the film.

Yesterday, I went to see them off after they finished filming. He told me that the film still needs to be edited and scored, and it probably won’t be released until after the Spring Festival.”

After chatting for a few words, Chen Fan turned the topic to business, “When will the down jacket fabric production line be put into production?”

Jiang Heng said without hesitation, “The installation and debugging of the equipment were completed a few days ago. We've tried producing some fabric these past few days, and there are some minor problems, but nothing serious. After the adjustments are made, it is estimated that it can be officially put into production next month.”

Chen Fan nodded. Next month would be December. The clothing factory in Lujiawan had not yet been officially completed, and the industrial sewing machines promised by the machinery factory had not yet arrived.

They were ahead of schedule.

Just as he was thinking about how to talk to Jiang Heng, Jiang Heng suddenly coughed, first looking at Shen Xueyi sitting opposite him, then turning to look at Chen Fan, his face full of smiles, “That, Xiao Fan, I want to discuss something with you, see if it’s okay.”

Chen Fan looked up at him, “What is it?”

Jiang Heng smiled, “It’s like this, the last time I went out with the leaders to inspect, I saw that down jackets have a very promising future, so the Provincial Light Industry Department also wants to produce down jackets.”

Chen Fan widened his eyes, “And then?”

He felt a little dizzy. Could he be getting cut off?

Lujiawan had already stocked up on a lot of duck and goose down, just waiting for the fabric to be used… wait, it seemed like the factory building hadn’t been built yet?

Then it didn’t matter.

What? Why no chicken down?

That’s because chicken down lacks the layer of oil on the surface of duck and goose down, has poor water resistance and warmth retention, and has a strong odor, so it cannot be used as filling for down jackets. Its effect is not even as good as chicken feathers.

Jiang Heng looked at Chen Fan and said with an embarrassed smile, “Since our factory is the only one in the province that has implemented a down jacket fabric production line, and the factory also has an affiliated clothing factory, the provincial department has assigned this task to us.

So, I want to discuss with you, see if we can temporarily share the fabric between our two clothing factories. If the sales of down jackets meet expectations, the provincial department will immediately agree to us adding another fabric production line.

What do you think?”

Chen Fan blinked and gestured, “You mean, the fabric produced by this production line will be purchased by your clothing factory and the Luwan Clothing Factory together?”

Seeing Jiang Heng nod, he continued to ask, “How will the ratio be determined?”

Jiang Heng smiled, “If you agree, it’s best if it’s half and half.”

Chen Fan pursed his lips and suppressed a smile, “Then I’ll go back and talk to Secretary Yang and them, it should be no problem.”

He was still thinking about how to tell Jiang Heng to postpone the delivery of the fabric, or not to maximize the production capacity first, but to produce and deliver a small amount.

After stocking up for a month or two, these fabrics would be useful.

Two months later, it would be close to the New Year, which was the peak season for down jackets. At that time, the more fabric, the better, and they could use all of it.

He didn't expect Jiang Heng to bring it up first, wanting to reduce the supply.

As expected of his future father-in-law, he was thinking of himself.

Of course, the cotton mill was not at a loss either.

Their clothing factory wanted to produce down jackets, and as long as the quality wasn't too bad, they would definitely make a lot of money before the Spring Festival.

It was also a good opportunity for them to see how the market reacted to down jackets, and then add a fabric production line later, which would also benefit Lujiawan.

Win-win!

At this time, Shen Xueyi said, “Xiao Fan, I have learned about the production process of down jackets, and it is very different from ordinary clothing. The most critical thing is down filling and shaping. The focus is on fixing the down in small grids. Has your clothing factory learned about this?”

Hearing this, Jiang Heng quickly said, “In order to produce down jackets, the clothing factory specially selected more than 20 outstanding backbone workers to go to Jiangxi to study the production and manufacturing of down jackets. What arrangements have you made?”

Chen Fan nodded, “Of course we have.”

After a pause, he smiled helplessly, “You are a large state-owned factory and are qualified to connect with foreign factories, and they have to provide assistance according to the rules. Lujiawan is not good, it is just a community team unit, and no one will pay attention to it when they come to the door. I can only teach them after I have studied it thoroughly.”

Speaking of this, Chen Fan spread his hands and smiled bitterly, “But without fabric, and without professional sewing and ironing equipment, I can’t teach them for the time being. One of the reasons I came to the prefectural committee this time is to go to the machinery factory to ask about the equipment.”

Hearing this, Jiang Heng suddenly nodded, and then said, “In this way, after the machine is re-debugged, and it is determined that there are no new problems, I will arrange for the first batch of offline fabrics to be sent to you.”

Chen Fan smiled and nodded, “Thank you, Uncle Jiang.”

Jiang Heng deliberately put on a straight face and said unhappily, “We are family, why are you being so polite with me?”

Shen Xueyi also smiled beside him, “Besides, you are not doing this for yourself, but for the public, so we have to cooperate well in every way.”

Chen Fan laughed and said, “Then I won’t be polite. When this matter is over, I will personally cook a good meal for Uncle and Aunt.”

Jiang Heng and Shen Xueyi smiled at each other and turned to him and said, “Then we’ll be waiting.”

… …

After coming out of the cotton mill, Chen Fan went straight to the nearby automobile factory.

Originally, whether it was the incubator or the industrial sewing machine and related down jacket production equipment, he should have gone to the machinery factory.

However, Chen Fan wanted to talk to Director Yang about it first.

Because the incubator looked very simple, and its style was far less impressive than a car, its importance to the country, especially in this era, was no less than that of a car.

With this thing, the benefits to agricultural development could only be fully promoted and reflected by the top leaders.

Of course, he had to first seek Director Yang's opinion on such a good thing, so as not to say that he didn't think of him when good things happened in the future.