Courtyard House: My Wife is Xu Huizhen

Page 254

She happily helped He Yuzhu undress, and then slipped her little hand inside.

"Brother-in-law, I want to thank you today."

"So how do you plan to thank me?" He Yuzhu asked with a smile.

The obedient and well-behaved Huizhi simply lowered her head...

The next day, He Yuzhu told Huizhen his thoughts, and she said:

“Okay, then let’s buy a courtyard house outside the city. Once the house is ready, we can move in.”

"We'll really get her married off, so that no one can find fault with it."

"Okay, you handle it. I'll go find Sister Li."

“Okay, you can go out and do whatever you want, I’ll take care of things at home,” Huizhen said.

Xu Huizhen knew that He Yuzhu liked to cause trouble. If she didn't let him do it, he could cause her trouble three times a day at home. She didn't know how he had so much energy.

Both sisters are pregnant. What if they also have affairs with a few waitresses at home?

It's better to let him do whatever he wants outside, as long as he doesn't bring women and children home, I'll just pretend I don't know anything.

Otherwise, his energy will have nowhere to go, which will cause problems.

He Yuzhu got on his bicycle and first went to find Tian Zao:

"Sis, have those factories started production yet?"

"The simple process of milling rice and pressing flour has been used for a long time. There are also printing presses, candle makers, and wood cutters, all of which can be used by simply connecting them to electricity."

Tian Zao paused for a moment, took a breath, and then said, "Making glass bottles requires skills. I found a skilled craftsman a couple of days ago, and we're doing trial production now."

"Really? There are even knowledgeable masters?" He Yuzhu was somewhat surprised.

“He used to blow bottles, so it’s perfect for him to become a technician.”

After Tian Zao explained for a while, He Yuzhu finally understood that before machines were used to make bottles, they were all made by hand. A tube was used to blow hot sand and water, and the tube was adjusted and rotated during the cooling process to make all kinds of glassware.

With his addition, there are no longer any technical difficulties in producing the glass bottle concentrate.

After talking for a while, Tian Zao asked, "What brings you here today?"

"Nothing much, I just wanted to find out if we could make canning jars."

"I remember the original plan was to make saline bottles, wasn't it?"

The so-called saline bottle is the bottle used for intravenous drips in hospitals. It contains saline solution. Nowadays, saline solution is relatively scarce. When people are sick, they usually get injections or take medicine, and it is rare for them to receive intravenous drips.

The main problem is the limited supply of brine. Even if we operate day and night, we cannot make up for the shortfall if we only produce brine bottles.

At that time, the supply of any product could not meet the demand, since there were relatively few manufacturers and too much demand from the people.

He Yuzhu said, "I have a new idea. I'd like to discuss with the neighborhood committee whether we should build a cannery?"

"A cannery?" Tian Zao was surprised, then she understood.

The simplest thing is that after producing saline bottles, they have to be sold to pharmaceutical factories, and each bottle only costs one or two cents. But if canning jars are produced, the neighborhood can set up a cannery.

No qualifications are required to produce canned goods; as long as cleanliness and hygiene are guaranteed, the street can produce them.

A can of food can sell for several cents, and the street vendors earn even more. It can also create jobs and alleviate employment pressure.

"This is great news! Let's go find Director Li right away."

Tian Zao is a fiery and restless person who can't stay still. The two of them immediately left the neighborhood committee and went to a street not far away.

"Making canned goods?"

Director Li Hongying was very surprised to hear Tianzao's report.

"Yes, I felt the same way when Zhu Zi told me earlier. We were wrong before. We shouldn't have produced brine bottles. It would have been much better to produce canning jars instead."

"Yes, I didn't expect it either. It's autumn now, and a lot of fruit will be available soon. If we make a batch of canned goods this year, it will definitely sell very well."

The street didn't have much capital, and they were hoping that once these factories started production and sold their products, the street would be better off and have enough funds to operate.

He Yuzhu said, "Actually, I have an even further idea."

"What are your thoughts?" Director Li asked.

He Yuzhu said, "There's no point in producing canned goods and selling them domestically to make money off our own compatriots. Everyone is struggling now, and canned goods are a luxury."

"Yes, when fruit is in season, it costs three to five cents a pound, and when it's expensive, it's only about ten cents. But if it's made into canned fruit, it will sell for at least five or six cents."

Actually, the main cost of canned goods is not the fruit or the labor, but the sugar.

Since ancient times, sugar has been a luxury. Even now that we are liberated, sugar is still very scarce and accounts for the most important part of the cost.

He Yuzhu's idea to make canned goods was well thought out; he had already obtained a large quantity of white sugar and rock sugar while in Moscow.

Even if it's not canned, granulated sugar is still a valuable commodity.

He Yuzhu said, "I went to Moscow this year and found that they have very little fruit there, and it's especially expensive."

Li Hongying asked in surprise, "You mean we can make fruit preserves and then export them to our big brother in the north?"

"Yes, I met an overseas Chinese there. He's the president of a mutual aid society. The silk was sold through him. As long as we ship the canned goods to Moscow, we can also use his channels to sell them."

Chapter 189 There are indeed some small matters that I need your help with.

"You mean the market is there, and the wholesalers are there too?"

"Yes, as long as we can produce canned fruit and ship it to Moscow, that will be fine."

"Great, let's go check out the cannery."

The three moved on to another location, this time to a glass bottle factory outside the city.

Compared to other factories, glass bottle production generates a lot of industrial wastewater, which is toxic, so it can only be located outside the city.

He Yuzhu knew that the wastewater would pollute the environment and, over time, affect the surrounding crops. However, for the sake of economic development, he had no choice but to sacrifice the environment first.

Only when the neighborhood earns more money can it help those impoverished households and those receiving the five guarantees. Otherwise, if people starve to death, how can they have the capacity to think about whether the environment will be polluted?

Besides, there's simply no awareness of the importance of polluting the environment right now.

On the way, Li Hongying introduced the factory's development to He Yuzhu. The district government was very envious of the batch of machinery that was on the street. They tried to take it back several times, but Li Hongying stopped them, and the machinery remained in the hands of the street.

We soon exited Andingmen and rode for a while longer. We saw a courtyard vaguely visible in the grove of trees by the main road. This was the glass bottle factory.

Li Hongying explained, "Master Pan Fugui said that the wastewater produced cannot be used for farming and has a strong odor, so we could only choose this remote place to build the factory."

"That's good, at least it can minimize the impact."

This location is between the Second Ring Road and the Third Ring Road. By the 80s, it will all be converted into residential land, and the so-called environmental pollution will not be a big problem.

The three of them entered the factory. He Yuzhu saw that only a few factory buildings had been built, and even the offices were temporary sheds.

Inside the factory, machines were humming as production was underway.

Accompanied by Factory Director Shen, the three visited the workshop.

The main raw materials for glass bottles are quartz sand, sodium carbonate, and limestone, both of which are the most common minerals. Quartz sand accounts for more than 70% of the total weight.

The raw materials are screened to remove impurities and cleaned, then heated to become liquid, then blown by air and shaped in a mold. At the other end of the production line, a brand new, hot bottle appears.

During the transport, workers were sorting through the bottles, picking out those that were obviously substandard. Most of the bottles had cooled down by the time they reached the end, and the workers simply picked them up by hand and put them into large cloth bags.

Then Director Shen called over Master Pan, who was conducting an inspection.

Li Hongying first inquired about the current production situation.

"It's great. I wasn't familiar with the machine for the first two days, but after these few days of figuring it out, I know how it works. These saline bottles have been produced for three days now and the quality has been fine."

"Thank you for your hard work, Master Pan."

Li Hongying, on behalf of the neighborhood committee, expressed her gratitude and then asked, "Master Pan, are there any difficulties in producing canning jars?"

Master Pan said, "This machine can produce all kinds of common bottles. As long as you have the mold, you can just replace the mold used to produce saline bottles. It's a very simple thing."

After Master Pan said that, He Yuzhu and the others felt relieved.

The biggest concern is production issues; if there are difficulties, the project becomes very difficult to operate.

"How do we make the mold?" He Yuzhu asked.

Master Pan said, "The parts need to be made by lathe operators according to the size of the canning jars. They machine the parts on a lathe."

"So, specifically, do you know how to do it?"

Master Pan spread his hands and said, "I've never done this before. I only know how to blow it with my mouth."

He Yuzhu understood immediately: Master Pan was familiar with manual production methods and had never worked with molds.

We need to find someone else to make this mold.

Tian Zao suddenly asked, "Zhu Zi, I remember there's a master in your No. 95 courtyard, and his level isn't low either."

Are you talking about Yi Zhonghai?

"Yes, it's him, his name is Hai. Let's invite him over to see if he can make molds."

"Alright, I'll go back and try to find him."

He Yuzhu dislikes Yi Zhonghai, but it's okay to ask him to come and see this matter. If he doesn't want to do it, asking Liu Haizhong is also an alternative.