Li Jinze held a cigarette in his left hand and a skinning knife in his right hand. Without looking at the dead pig in front of him, he used experience to cut the skin and pork from the middle.
One knife.
Two knives.
Three knives.
Four knives.
With each swing, the dead pig swayed on the shelf.
Occasionally he would squint and take a few puffs, letting the ashes fall to the bloody ground.
"Li Jinze, the factory director is looking for you."
When people outside said that the factory director was looking for him, Li Jinze was so frightened that he quickly threw the unfinished cigarette into the trash can and kept waving his gloved hands to dispel the smell of smoke in the room.
Smoking is not allowed in the slaughterhouse. If caught by the leader, three days of wages will be lost.
"Li Jinze, what are you doing? The factory director is looking for you."
"Hey, hey, here we come."
Li Jinze put the bloody skinning knife on the chopping board, took off his gloves and ran outside.
"You went there wearing this?"
After being reminded by the old uncle, he realized that the leather apron was still on, so he quickly took it off and handed it over: "What does the factory director want from me?"
"How do I know this? Anyway, I sent someone here to deliver a letter asking you to come to the office."
Could it be that...the factory director knew about him secretly smoking in the slaughterhouse?
Li Jinze looked at the newbies sitting around the stone table playing poker with a gloomy expression. He wondered in his mind who was playing dirty tricks with him and snitching behind his back.
"What are you doing standing around, go quickly." The old uncle reminded again.
Only then did he wake up, put on his wife's newly made cloth shoes, and ran towards the yard where the factory director's office was.
"Director, director..."
Maybe it was because he had done something wrong. Unlike when he came to see the factory director before, he deliberately lowered his voice and knocked on the door again. After receiving a "come in", he walked into the factory director's office with some caution.
The furnishings in the room were still the same, but there was a person sitting on the sofa for guests.
"Chen Jianghe!"
Li Jinze's eyes lit up, and he could not help but breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the factory director was not asking him to come over to accuse him.
Lin Yue waved to him.
Just as Li Jinze was about to walk over and sit down, Director Jin's nose twitched and he said with a sullen face: "Li Jinze, are you smoking in the slaughterhouse again?"
"No, no, I smoked it in the yard."
Of course I can't admit this, not even to death.
"For Chen Jianghe's sake, I won't argue with you today. If you find me next time, see how I deal with you."
Director Jin glared at him fiercely, turned to look at Lin Yue, and suddenly changed his expression to a flattering one. His face changed so quickly that Li Jinze was at a loss as to what to do.
"Li Jinze is here, can you explain your intention now?"
Director Jin, can you be so polite? Despite his young age, this Chen Jianghe has a sharper brain than most people. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is the God of Wealth of the meat product factory. It is precisely because he followed his advice and changed his original thinking and business policy that Fotang Town Meat products factories can only do better and better. In less than a year, Shuangwu's brand has become more and more famous in several nearby counties. The supply of products exceeds demand, especially during holidays, when trucks carrying goods can line up from the warehouse to the yard. Outside.
It was him again. He came to sell wild boars a few days ago and gave him his second suggestion, which was to go to the county magistrate to complain about poverty and apply for a loan to expand the production line. He said that only by scaling up could he occupy more shares in the terminal market and the upstream material market. , in order to more effectively reduce costs, improve competitiveness, and ultimately crowd out the city's meat processing plants.
According to what he said, the matter was completed. After County Magistrate Xie's instructions, the bank agreed to grant them a low-interest loan of more than 100,000 yuan.
Lin Yue said: "Didn't you say before that the supply of live pigs was tight? Because of historical issues, the state-owned farms in the county should give priority to supplying the city's meat factory?"
"That's right, or do you want me to use this situation to express my poverty to the county magistrate?"
Director Jin didn't know what the boy's purpose was in bringing up the old story. He asked for help on this issue before, but instead of solving it properly, he found a way to take the wrong approach. Why did the boy turn back another page today?
Lin Yue said: "I am here to help you solve this problem today."
"What?" Factory Director Jin couldn't understand.
"If this problem was solved last time, where would you have a good excuse to apply for a loan?"
This guy……
TNND actually plotted against County Magistrate Xie.
What a thief!
Factory Director Jin said: "If County Magistrate Xie finds out, he will be unhappy."
"No, because the state-owned breeding farm encountered difficulties later, and you helped solve the problem later. Even if County Magistrate Xie sees through the tricks inside, there is no reason to get angry with you." Lin Yue patted the armrest of the sofa gently: " What's more, County Magistrate Xie is not the kind of person who is petty. The smarter you are, the more confident he will be in granting you a loan to support the development of the meat products factory. In business, credit is important, but integrity is not the same as honesty. I don't need to explain this. Explain it."
Factory Director Jin nodded, thinking it was true.
"You said there are difficulties in state-owned breeding farms? What difficulties?"
“According to the information I have, the number of pigs in state-owned farms this year is more than last year, but there is a serious shortage of feed, which has led to slow weight growth of pigs. The number of pigs that meet the slaughter standard has dropped compared with the same period last year, and the quotations of feed suppliers from other provinces have increased. High, and excluding the freight, losses and labor expenses, this transaction is not cost-effective. If we can help the state-owned farms solve the feed problem, the number of pigs that meet the slaughter standards will be more. Do you think they will give priority to supplying the extra part to who?"
Director Jin patted his thigh and understood.
"Tell me, what should we do?"
Lin Yue looked at Li Jinze, then at Factory Director Jin, and spoke unhurriedly.
…
Early the next morning.
Li Jinze carried a black canvas bag and walked into the train station following the flow of people entering the station.
He looked left and right, with "freshness" written all over his face.
As a slaughter worker, the farthest place I have been to in the past thirty years is the county seat. This is not the first time I have seen a train, but it is the first time I have ridden on it.
"Hey, hey hey..."
He stopped next to a stall selling tea eggs and rice dumplings, looking at the banners hanging under the container with the slogans "Shuangwu Brand Ham on Consignment" and "Jinhua Ham is the Best in the World, Shuangwu Ham is the Best in Jinhua" hanging under the container.
The proprietress wearing a white apron and a white hood glared at him fiercely: "Do you want to buy it? If not, don't stop me from doing business."
Li Jinze moved aside and continued to look at the banner and giggle.
As an employee of Shuangwu Meat Products Factory in Fotang Town, he is sincerely happy for his workplace.
"Fool."
The landlady glanced at him, covered the hot rice dumplings with the quilt used to keep warm, and glanced to the west, wondering how long it would take for the next train to arrive at the station.
Pa~
At this time, someone tapped Li Jinze on the shoulder.
He looked back and saw that Lin Yue was coming.
"What did you see? You're smiling like this."
Li Jinze pointed to the banner under the container.
Lin Yue immediately understood that thirty years later, wineries such as Yanghe, Gujinggong, and Luzhou Laojiao would no longer be surprised to see their advertisements put on big screens in station waiting rooms, as well as on the signboards of small shops in counties, cities, and even villages and towns. But today in 1983, CCTV advertisements were not yet popular. Of course, an old man like Li Jinze would be excited when he saw an advertisement promoting the products of his own factory.
"Come, let me introduce you to He Lai... Wuyou."
Only then did Li Jinze realize that there was a person standing behind him, holding a walking stick in his hand. His facial features were not exactly the same.
"His name is Li Jinze, a friend of mine."
He Zizi nodded towards Li Jinze.
Li Jinze somewhat dislikes the cripple, Wuyou? With this health condition, it doesn't look like he has enough food and clothing.
"Have you had breakfast?" Lin Yue asked again.
"have eaten."
"Okay, let's get in the car."
The train bound for the provincial capital has begun to load people. The conductor stood at the door to maintain order and kept shouting, "Don't crowd, don't crowd, watch your step."
Considering He Laizi's legs and feet were inconvenient, Li Jinze wanted to help him, but he didn't expect to be pushed away by him.
"I can walk without your help."
Hey, he's pretty crazy.
Li Jinze was speechless.
Lin Yue ignored the two people behind him, got on the train, found his seat and sat down.
Today’s trains are still green cars that run very slowly. Many people are crowded into one carriage. Seat tickets have become a rarity. Seatlessness is the norm. Sometimes if you sit down, you might hear a sound. Shouting - "You stepped on my hand". Looking down, you will find that someone has used the space under the triple seat as a hard sleeper.
He Laizi was staggered by the crowds in the corridor. Li Jinze spent a lot of effort to escort him to Lin Yue and sit down next to him. He gasped and said, "Why are they all standing?"
"I didn't buy a ticket, so I have to book it several days in advance." In return for opening the way for himself, He Zizi answered his question very kindly.
"Oh." Li Jinze looked at the passengers in the aisle who had been standing for a long time, with numb and tired faces. He was very lucky that he was taking the train with Lin Yue, otherwise his first train journey would definitely be... Stand at the destination.
"By the way, Chen Jianghe, you haven't told me why you are taking me to Hangzhou."
When He Zizi heard the name, the corner of his mouth twitched. He didn't know why Lin Yue concealed his name, but what was certain was that there must be a reason for doing so.
Lin Yue retracted his gaze from the window and looked at Li Jinze calmly.
"Go to the bottom of the cauldron and draw fuel."
Cramp in the cauldron?
Whose pain is it?
(End of chapter)
