Chapter 48: The Factory Director Helps Out
Zhu Shun'ao listened and fell into a brief contemplation. He had to admit that Cheng Baokun's proposal was indeed excellent. In fact, it was the best possible layout for the current situation. In the countryside, no one yet built independent bathrooms; people generally used public toilets. If the layout was well-planned, their home would undoubtedly be much more comfortable. However, this approach would pose a financial challenge. "To be honest, Director Cheng, my wife and I have a little over two hundred yuan between us. With this layout, I'm afraid the cost won't come in under five hundred."
Cheng Baokun smiled. "Let me break it down for you. For this layout, you'll need about two thousand bricks and roughly five to seven hundred roof tiles. Let's say eight hundred to be safe. For lime, let's set it at half a ton. For cement, about ten bags. For the foundation stones, a hundred should suffice. Based on current prices, bricks are one cent each, so two thousand bricks cost one hundred yuan. Eight hundred tiles at three cents each come to twenty-four yuan. Lime is one hundred yuan per ton, so half a ton is fifty yuan. Cement is seven yuan per bag, so ten bags are seventy yuan. Foundation stones are five cents each, so a hundred stones cost fifty yuan. Adding it all up, that's just over three hundred ninety yuan—nearly four hundred."
"That's right, and that doesn't even include labor costs or food. If you factor those in, it really will run over five hundred." Zhu Shun'ao was genuinely worried. This was more than double his initial estimate. "I recall that before the New Year, the Supply and Marketing Cooperative did some repairs and replaced some tiles. I wonder if they still have them. I was hoping to ask if they'd sell them to me at a discount."
Cheng Baokun laughed. "I'll make a phone call about that later. You don't need to pay for them. The Cooperative still owes me for a vat of soybean paste from before the New Year, so I'll offset the cost. You just go pick up the tiles when the time comes. As for the bricks, I've thought about it too. Go to the Qingshan Brick Kiln. Last time, they ran out of coal and borrowed two truckloads from me without paying. I'll call them and use that debt to cover the bricks. That should be enough. You don't need to worry about the lime and cement either. Didn't our food factory renovate its workshops the year before last? We have surplus materials. The cement is stacked in the back storage room, and the lime is drying out in the back. It's just taking up space, so you can take it. For the foundation stones, I suggest you go to the Qingshan Stone Quarry yourself. They discard a lot of uneven, small stones every year. Just ask them for a discount. I've calculated that if you use the smaller stones instead of standard ones, they usually sell them at a clearance price of three cents per jin. About two hundred jin should be enough for your site. That way, it'll only cost a few yuan. The only thing left is finding the builders yourself, but don't skimp on their wages."
"Director Cheng, you've thought of everything so thoroughly. How could I possibly shortchange the workers?" Zhu Shun'ao's eyes lit up. With this arrangement, he could build his house with almost no out-of-pocket expense.
Cheng Baokun smiled. "Shun'ao, you're a good man. Our factory needs talent as we develop. You're a bit stubborn, but you're smart. I'm thinking of sending you to learn electrical work next year. Master Chen will mentor you for a while. When he retires, you can take over. What do you think?"
"No problem at all." Zhu Shun'ao was overjoyed. He had always been interested in machinery and electrical work. Now that Cheng Baokun was willing to train him, he was naturally eager to learn. As for his gratitude toward Cheng Baokun, he kept it in his heart, content to simply remember it.