Chapter 15 Diesel Engine

After getting off work at eight o'clock in the morning, Xu Qiang returned to the dormitory, took off his coat, soaked in the washbasin, changed into a set of clean clothes, and then went to the cafeteria to have breakfast.

On the first day of work, although he carried more than six tons of raw materials, Xu Qiang did not feel tired. This was something he could not even imagine in his previous life. Fortunately, he has a good body now. This is also the thing he is most satisfied with after traveling through time.

After dinner, Xu Qiang put the lunch box in the dormitory and walked directly towards the village.

The First Brigade and the factory area are basically connected, and there is no wall to separate them. However, there are militia patrols from the factory security department, and outsiders are usually not allowed to enter the factory area.

However, as a local villager working in the factory, as long as you show your work ID, you can go directly back to the village, which is very convenient.

Compared with the work in the factory, Xu Qiang's most attention is still on the peat factory, which is the focus of his future career development.

Today is Monday, which is the time Xu Qiang and Director Wang agreed to pick up the goods.

You know, the list Xu Qiang gave to Director Wang this time was quite a lot of things. In addition to some things like alcohol lamps and beakers for testing, there were also some other chemicals commonly used in the chemical industry, including sodium hydroxide, also known as caustic soda, which is necessary for the extraction of humic acid, as well as hydrochloric acid and other chemicals. It would be difficult for one person to transport them back on a bicycle.

In fact, if we really want to build an entire laboratory, there are still many things needed, but under the current circumstances, we can only solve the immediate needs first.

Fortunately, there were horse-drawn carriages, which made the matter much simpler. Especially in such remote mountain valleys, the importance of transportation was self-evident.

At the entrance of the village, Xu Qiang saw Liu Jun and his carriage.

"Erhu was working the night shift at the peat field yesterday. The two of us can go there."

"Let's go." Xu Qiang sat down on the carriage, and the two of them left the village.

Now Erhu and Liu Jun are taking turns to work at night at the peat field. The mud house has not dried up yet, so it's a bit damp inside, but fortunately they are strong enough to endure it.

Yesterday, Erhu brought a local dog from his home here, obviously intending to stay here for a long time.

An hour later, when the two arrived at the town supply and marketing cooperative, Wang Zhong was already waiting at the gate.

After Xu Qiang and Wang Zhong exchanged a few brief greetings, the three of them came to the warehouse behind the town supply and marketing cooperative.

"These are the things you want to buy, a total of 230 yuan, and here is the invoice..." In the warehouse in the backyard of the supply and marketing cooperative, Wang Zhong pointed at the goods in the warehouse and said to Xu Qiang.

"So expensive!" Liu Jun on the side couldn't help but exclaimed.

"In total, there are five bags of caustic soda, weighing 98 kilograms. Our supply and marketing cooperative has some in stock, and it's only yuan. Four barrels of nitric acid, weighing kilograms, cost more than yuan. As for the chemical experimental tools you bought, they cost more than yuan. The most expensive one is the balance, which is from Shanghai, plus a full set of weights, which cost yuan. There are also beakers, alcohol, test tubes..." Wang Zhong had a very good memory, and began to tell Xu Qiang in detail the specific prices of each item.

"Thank you for your hard work." Upon hearing this, Xu Qiang took out a stack of big unity coins from his pocket without saying a word, counted them twice in front of him, and handed them to Wang Zhong.

"If you want to do business now, don't be afraid to invest. The bolder you are, the more productive the land will be." Wang Zhong took the money and counted it again before putting it in his pocket. He then continued, "More and more people are coming to us to buy fertilizers recently. Six tons of nitrogen fertilizers just arrived last night, and they were sold out this morning. People who couldn't buy them are complaining. Many people have come to me privately, but the problem is that I don't produce fertilizers. The higher-ups only gave me a small amount of goods. What can I do..."

"Director Wang, don't worry. I will make the fertilizer as soon as possible." Xu Qiang said quickly.

In fact, Xu Qiang could also hear that the household contract responsibility system had begun to be promoted on a large scale throughout the country, and the era of production teams was about to become history. Because of this, farmers' demand for fertilizers was increasing. Faced with such a huge business opportunity, Wang Zhong naturally wanted to take advantage of it.

A few years ago, Wang Zhong had no such idea at all, but now it is different. With the reform and opening up, most of the stores in the grassroots cooperatives are still operated by large collectives, and the supply and marketing cooperative in their town is also the same. The grassroots supply and marketing cooperatives organize the "joint purchase and distribution" of industrial products and the "separate purchase and joint sales" of agricultural and sideline products and waste materials. In terms of business management, they have gradually introduced excess reward systems, floating wages, bonus systems, etc. to stimulate the enthusiasm of store operations.

Therefore, the higher the profit of the town supply and marketing cooperative, the higher his bonus will naturally be. It is also for this reason that fertilizer, as the best-selling agricultural product with the highest profit, has become a sought-after commodity for many supply and marketing cooperatives, including the town supply and marketing cooperative.

Wang Zhong asked Xu Qiang to increase investment. Ultimately, it was also for his own sake. After all, only large investments can lead to large outputs, and only then will he have the opportunity to profit more from it.

"We need to speed up. The autumn rice is about to be planted, and this is the time when the demand for fertilizers is the strongest. Even fertilizers of unknown brands are selling well. You must seize this opportunity." Wang Zhong said seriously.

"Thank you Director Wang for reminding me." When Xu Qiang heard Wang Zhong talking about the autumn rice, he suddenly had an idea and asked, "Director Wang, do you have a diesel water pump here?"

"You want to buy a diesel engine?" Wang Zhong was stunned.

"Yes, it is mainly used to pump water. I need a water pump to produce humic acid, but there is no electricity there, so I can only use a diesel engine." Xu Qiang added.

"We do have one in our warehouse. Come with me." Wang Zhong said as he led Xu Qiang into the warehouse.

In a corner of the warehouse, Xu Qiang saw a small water pump covered with dust. Judging from its appearance and color, it should be a new product that has never been used.

"This is an 8-horsepower 195-model Yongkang diesel engine produced in Zhejiang. It can be equipped with a three-inch water pump, which is enough for irrigating farmland," Wang Zhong introduced.

"This is good!" Xu Qiang nodded with satisfaction when he saw the diesel engine. It was not big and one person should be able to lift it.

"This thing is not cheap..."

"Director Wang, you have to give me a discount. After all, we are friends now." Xu Qiang said with an apologetic smile on his face.

"I'm sure you'll sell it at a low price. It doesn't matter if I make less money, but you can't let me lose money, right?" Wang Zhong smiled and continued, "If you really want it, take it for 1200 yuan."

"1200 yuan!?" Erhu, who was following behind Xu Qiang, couldn't help but exclaimed when he heard this.

You have to know that a 14-inch black-and-white TV set only cost yuan in those days, and in the entire Gaoshan Town, it was rare for farmers to have a TV set at home. The "three major items" for marriage were still just bicycles, sewing machines and watches, and televisions were still "exclusive" to those with an annual income of yuan.

"Can it be any cheaper?" This price obviously surprised Xu Qiang. He had previously thought that it would only cost a few hundred yuan.

In fact, electromechanical products these days are quite expensive. It is difficult for domestic manufacturers to reduce costs, and these things are not originally sold to ordinary families.

"Xiao Xu, you say that because you don't trust me. This is really the lowest price. If I could have gotten a discount, I would have given it to you a long time ago."

"Then I'll go back and think about it again." Xu Qiang said with gritted teeth.

"Okay, go back and think about it. It's up to you whether you buy it or not." Wang Zhong said straightforwardly.

In fact, Wang Zhong also knew that Xu Qiang couldn't afford this thing. Generally, this kind of product is sold to units or production teams, and only a few individuals can afford it.

Afterwards, Xu Qiang and Wang Zhong chatted for a while before loading their purchases onto the carriage and leaving the supply and marketing cooperative warehouse.

(End of this chapter)