Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 400: Can I rent a tractor if I don't speak nicely? Good operation (asking for monthly votes)
"Brother Bin, don't wait for me. Let Brother Qian and the others drink with Station Master Liu and the two bosses first. I'll be back soon."

Stationmaster Liu said, "Brother Xu has something to do first. The hot dishes are already on the table, so let's start eating first."

Hu Zhibin said with a smile: "Eat your chopsticks, don't wait for him, he doesn't drink anyway. Stationmaster Liu is the main person today, we all have to accompany him well."

"Of course you have to! Stationmaster Liu, my brother doesn't drink, so I'll go around on his behalf first." Old Qian raised his glass and stood up.

At this time, Xu Ning pushed the door open and came outside, and saw Yang Liguo leaning against the wall, turning his head and looking at him with a smile.

"Brother, thank you for your help."

Yang Liguo waved his hand and pulled Xu Ning to the kitchen. "We are one family, but we have different opinions. How do you feel about going to Uncle San's place?"

"Very good, Uncle San has arranged everything, and there are some unexpected gains."

Yang Liguo nodded: "That's good, Third Uncle is not willing to abuse his power for personal gain..."

"I know. Uncle San is not seeking personal gain this time. He asked Sun Jishan to help him. There was a man about my age in the room just now. He is Sun Jishan's son. The girl is Sun Jishan's niece. She is now the girlfriend of my brother Guan Lei."

"Ah! So you went to the city to meet Sun Jishan?"

"Well, it's like meeting the parents. The result is not bad. After all, the Sun family in Sandahe is quite famous in Qing'an."

"He is indeed famous... How is your relationship with Secretary Hu Zhibin? I heard that you went into the mountains to save his little brother?"

When they reached the kitchen, Xu Ning talked about his relationship with Hu Zhibin. Yang Liguo said, "He invited me to cook for his boss's parents' birthday last time, and he wanted this amount right away!"

Yang Liguo held up a finger and continued, "But I haven't agreed yet."

Xu Ning frowned and said, "One hundred yuan? Just for cooking, no need to prepare dishes or anything like that, right?"

"Need not."

"Then if you have time, just agree to it. It's good to earn some extra money, and the price is not low."

Yang Liguo said: "It is precisely because it is not a small amount that I am a little hesitant."

Xu Ning looked around and saw no one around, so he whispered, "Brother, Hu Zhibin might be transferred to the city. He told me last time that celebrating his leader's mother's birthday was probably a cover-up, and the city leaders might come... If I help him, Hu Zhibin will definitely remember it."

Yang Liguo understood the meaning and said, "I understand what you mean. Fine, when you go back, tell him and ask him to tell me the time and place so that I can spare the time. I don't need the money. Don't we have this relationship with you?"

"Haha, okay, I'll tell him, but he can't do anything, he still has to pay."

Yang Liguo smiled and said, "That's his business. I have said it."

"Well, I'll go back first."

Yang Liguo grabbed his arm and said, "Hey, take this bag of vegetables home. These are leftovers from the past few days. If we don't eat them now, they will go bad."

"Is that possible?"

"Why not? Take it away."

Xu Ning bent down, picked up the sack, waved to Yang Liguo, left the kitchen, and went straight to the door. After he threw the vegetables into the Dongfeng 140, he turned and came to the lobby.

He stopped at the cashier counter and said, "Check out room 3 on the second floor."

The cashier didn't even look at the account book and blurted out: "Sir, the bill for Room 3 on the second floor has been settled."

Xu Ning frowned and asked, "Who tied the knot?"

"Secretary Hu paid the bill first. Just now, Chef Yang from our restaurant's kitchen came over to pay..."

Xu Ning nodded when he heard that: "Oh, that's fine, thank you very much."

"You're welcome, sir."

This private restaurant is different from the state-owned one. The waiters in the state-owned one are usually called "comrade", but in the private one they are called "Mr. or Ms.", and their service attitude is quite good.

Xu Ning walked up the stairs, pushed open the door of private room No. 3 and entered. At this moment, Qian Shude had just walked around with a glass in hand.

Hu Zhibin chatted with Stationmaster Liu and the two bosses, and at the same time made sure that Sun Liansheng ate more food. After all, he was a secretary in the county compound, and he had to be comprehensive in his work, and take care of everyone present. This was also Hu Zhibin's ability.

"You're back, Erning, hurry up and sit down and start eating..."

Xu Ning walked to the round table with a smile, clasped his fists, and said sorry to Stationmaster Liu and the two bosses.

The three of them were very understanding. After all, Master Yang was his elder brother, so it was normal for him to chat with him when they went out. Besides, this dinner was organized by Yang Liguo and Hu Zhibin, so for their sake they could not argue and instead had to accept it with a smile on their faces.

After Xu Ning sat down, Hu Zhibin turned around and said, "Boss Zhao, Boss Li, my brother's purchase of bricks is now entirely up to you. As you know, the road conditions in Qing'an are not very good, and your brick factory is quite far from Qing'an Village..."

Upon hearing this, Boss Zhao hurriedly said, "Secretary Hu, leave this matter to us, then you can rest assured! No matter how many bricks Brother Xu wants, I promise not to make a penny, and I will give you all according to the kiln price!"

Hu Zhibin frowned, holding the wine glass in one hand and said nothing.

Boss Li took a look and said with a smile, "Secretary Hu, I just learned that Brother Xu and Brother Wang both want to build houses, so they must need a lot of red bricks! I was thinking that even if I lose money, I must give them enough! I will bring as much as they need!"

Hu Zhibin smiled when he heard this, raised his glass and said, "Boss Li is a straightforward person. What he said is very frank! You guys should study the details on yourselves. I will chat with Stationmaster Liu about other things."

"Eh!"

Sun Zhibin was not dissatisfied with Boss Zhao, but what he said seemed too stingy and not nice enough. With so many people in the room, you are going to give a price? Is it time to talk about money?

"Erning, go talk to Boss Li and make a decision today."

Xu Ning smiled and nodded, then turned to look at Boss Li and said, "Boss Li, how are red bricks sold now? By the piece or by the ton?"

Boss Li glanced at Hu Zhibin and said, "You can sell it any way you want. By the block, it's 3.6 yuan, and by the ton, it's 15 yuan, which is much cheaper than by the block. But Secretary Hu is here, so I definitely can't give you that price. Brother Xu, how about we sell it by the truckload? That's more convenient!"

A ton of red bricks costs about 500 yuan, and if you calculate it at the price of 3.6 yuan, that would be 18 yuan.

And this is the price given to Xu Ning. If it is sold to others, it will definitely not be this preferential price. The retail price of each red brick is 0.4 cents, and the wholesale price by ton will be 1 or 2 cents cheaper.

Xu Ning smiled and said, "That's fine. Then what kind of truck should we use? How many tons does a truck carry? What's the price?"

"Our brick factory doesn't have Dongfeng 140, but we have two old Jiefang trucks and a few four-wheelers. I'll use the old Jiefang trucks to transport it to you when the time comes. Each truck can carry at least five tons! I'll give you that amount, okay?"

Boss Li stretched out his hand and said this, then glanced at Hu Zhibin, and was relieved to see that he was fine.

Xu Ning looked at the price and found it was indeed very cheap. Five tons of red bricks cost more than 2,500 yuan, and he only spent 50 yuan. The Xu family would need at least six trucks of red bricks to build five rooms. If the front yard was paved with red bricks and the wall was built with red bricks, ten trucks would not be enough. But ten trucks of red bricks cost only 500 yuan, which was nothing for the Xu family.

Moreover, if Hu Zhibin and Yang Liguo had not found these two bosses, Xu Ning would have to spend four or five hundred yuan more if he went to the brick factory to buy bricks himself.

"Row!"

After hearing Xu Ning's agreement, Hu Zhibin said, "Boss Li, at this price, you have to lose money, right? Hey, we are all brothers, we have to make some money, or let my brothers fill in some more."

Boss Li waved his hands hurriedly: "No, no! I can make less money at this price. Secretary Hu, don't worry, we will definitely not lose money!"

"That's good." Xu Ning asked again: "Does your brick factory have cement, steel bars, and sand and gravel? If you do, I won't look for a second one."

"Yes! But Brother Xu, this steel bar is expensive. One ton costs more than 700 yuan. The purchase price of the steel bars we bought back is 620 yuan per ton. How about I bring less when I buy them?"

"Thank you very much. Please help me bring some. Our two families are building ten rooms in total, plus four lower houses. You are experts in calculating materials. Can you help me calculate how much we will need?"

Boss Li nodded: "That's fine! I'll go back later, can you give me your phone number? Then we can talk on the phone."

"Row."

In addition to the steel bars needed to build a house, there are also sand, gravel, cement, and glass. Sand and gravel cost eight yuan per cubic meter, and cement costs twenty-three yuan per ton. However, Boss Li pays according to the purchase price, so sand and gravel cost five yuan per cubic meter, cement costs eighteen yuan, and glass costs four hundred yuan for five rooms.

Qian Shude raised his glass to toast, "Boss Li and Boss Zhao, let's have a drink. I'm sorry to bother you with this matter."

"Don't be polite. What's the trouble? We just do this. If you need anything in the future, just give me a call. If it's within my ability, I will definitely do it!"

"Open and bright!" Hu Zhibin gave an appropriate evaluation.

After agreeing on the prices of the steel bars, red bricks, cement, sand, gravel and glass needed to build the house, Hu Zhibin also talked with Stationmaster Liu about second-hand four-wheelers.

"The retail price of the newly released Dongfanghong-28 is too high. It costs more than yuan at the agricultural machinery station in our street. I paid yuan at the station, but we haven't sold five of them this year! But we have second-hand four-wheelers at our agricultural machinery station. They sell very quickly. We sold three in the first two days..."

Hu Zhibin said, "Stationmaster Liu, are there any second-hand four-wheelers that are cheaper? As you can see, my brother has to build a house this year, and he doesn't have much money."

Stationmaster Liu said with a smile, "The cheapest four-wheeler in the station now costs 3,800 yuan, but there are two consignment units that are quite cheap, but they are still 2,800 yuan... What do you want to use them for, Brother Xu?"

"Go to the mill to pull wood or something."

"Ah, then you can't use it yet..."

Hu Zhibin asked: "Why doesn't it work?"

"That's a small four-wheeler. It doesn't have enough power."

Hu Zhibin raised his glass and said, "Stationmaster Liu, please help me think of a solution."

Stationmaster Liu said: "There is a way, that is to take risks. Didn't our county compound have a leasing task two years ago..."

"Ah! Oh, how could I forget about this?" Hu Zhibin said, patting his thigh.

The purpose of this leasing task is to generate income. The county held a meeting to study it and thought that since so many four-wheelers were parked at the agricultural machinery station and rusted, it would be better to generate revenue for the county. How to create it? That is to drive the four-wheelers out and rent them to farmers who cannot afford to buy four-wheelers but want to use them.

With four wheels, harvesting crops will be faster. Two years ago, some people made good profits by renting four wheels to help others with the autumn harvest. However, disadvantages also emerged. That is, the rented four wheels are not well taken care of by the users. After the users returned the four wheels, the maintenance technicians at the agricultural machinery station saw that the engine was severely worn and almost exploded. There were also traces of being cut by a sickle on the tires and cracks on the axles!
The maintenance costs alone were twice as much as the rent, so the agricultural machinery station rarely rented out last year.

Hu Zhibin glanced at Xu Ning, then said to Stationmaster Liu: "Then let's go to the Agricultural Machinery Station and take a look."

"Okay! Let's drink first?"

"Drink! We must keep you company today. Boss Li and Boss Zhao, fill up your glasses quickly."

"..."

At around one o'clock, everyone had eaten and drunk their fill and walked out of the private room.

When going downstairs, the two brick factory owners were obviously unsteady in their steps, but they still carried their bags and walked to the cashier counter.

Hu Zhibin greeted, "Boss Li! The bill has been settled, we don't need you anymore."

Boss Li turned around and said with a red face: "Secretary Hu, look at what has happened. How can I let you spend money?"

"I'm treating my brother to a meal, so I can't let you spend money. We still have a long way to go."

"Hey, that's it, that's it..." Boss Li nodded and bowed.

As we walked out of the hotel gate, two brick factory owners pushed their bicycles and left first.

Xu Ning, Hu Zhibin and others walked towards the Dongfeng 140. As soon as they reached the front of the car, Xu Ning said, "Shi Tou, take Lian Fang and Sheng Ge to the supply and marketing cooperative to sober up."

"Brother, I didn't drink!" said Sun Lianfang.

Qian Shude said with a smile: "Going to Brother Qian's place to drink some soda is better than wandering around outside, right? Come on, let's sit in the back so we can get off later."

Guan Lei grabbed Sun Lianfang's arm, frowned and said, "Why are you talking so much?"

"Doing something behind people's back..."

Sun Liansheng smiled and said, "Just get in the car. It's no wonder Lei Zi scolded you."

Sun Lianfang held onto the rear railing of the car and said with a pout, "It's your fault!"

After everyone got in the car, Xu Ning drove towards the supply and marketing cooperative and dropped off Qian Shude, Sun Lianfang, Guan Lei, Sun Lianfang and Wang Hu at the door. Then Xu Ning, Hu Zhibin and Liu Xuemin went to the agricultural machinery station.

There are several four-wheeled vehicles parked in front of the agricultural machinery station, including Dongfanghong, Tieniu, and Fengshou walk-behind tractors.

Stationmaster Liu got off the car and pointed at several four-wheelers and said, "Brother Xu, which one do you like?"

Xu Ning asked: "Can all of these be rented?"

"Hahaha, we are family and we don't have to say two things. Secretary Hu is here. I can do anything you like."

Hu Zhibin patted Xu Ning on the shoulder and said, "Er Ning, I will guarantee you, so you can use it without worry! It won't cost much to rent it. We have more than ten idle four-wheelers in our agricultural machinery station. They will rust if left in the yard. As long as you return the four-wheelers when the higher-ups come to inspect them, there will be nothing to worry about!"

Xu Ning said with a smile: "Brother Liu, I can't cause you any trouble, right?"

"Why are you causing me so much trouble? Zhibin and I have been friends for many years. Even though he called me Stationmaster Liu in the restaurant just now, it was quite strange. But we have a good relationship in private, so I still have this right."

Hu Zhibin handed him a cigarette and said, "Erning, it's okay. If you like it, just sign the contract. The rent will be paid every six months. When you have paid enough rent to buy the four-wheeler, our Brother Liu will do some work for you and sell it to you directly."

Xu Ning understood what was going on when he heard this and said with a smile, "Brother Liu, thank you very much."

"Don't be polite, let's take a look first. Forget about the harvest tractors. They are all low-horsepower and hand-held. They can't be used for work in the mountains at all."

Xu Ning said: "Brother Liu, please recommend something to me. You are an expert in this area."

"Hahaha, what kind of expert? I just see a lot, so naturally I know a little bit. Then I'll tell you..."

Stationmaster Liu pointed to a tractor with a big chimney and said, "This is an Ursus, but its technology is too backward. It's good for dry fields, but its climbing traction is a bit poor."

"This is the Dongfanghong 28. It has a heavy chassis and wide rear wheels. It has good traction and climbing ability, but it's too noisy. I became deaf after sitting on it for a while. It's difficult to start in the Northeast, especially in winter. Do you see the black burn marks underneath? It was burned with firewood last winter, otherwise it wouldn't start!"

Xu Ning praised him appropriately: "Brother Liu really knows about cars. He is worthy of being the director of our agricultural machinery station."

Hu Zhibin laughed and said, "Haha, of course!"

(End of this chapter)