Chapter 242

And the workers from the handicraft group also brought back a warehouse full of reeds, which were drying in the courtyard.

It looked like Red Star Lake couldn't be visited in the near future.

As for why, no one knew.

On the road, Lu Qiao ran into Sun Datian and Xiao Tao.

The two of them looked like they wanted to come forward but were too embarrassed.

Lu Qiao remembered what she had promised them,

which was that when they were hiring, she would definitely save a spot for them.

Lu Qiao said with a smile: "Brother Sun, Brother Xiao Tao, I'm so glad to see you've come. If you hadn't come, I would have found time to go to your house to find you."

Sun Datian and Xiao Tao looked at each other.

In fact, since the hospital, they hadn't seen Lu Qiao again.

She was still at the neighborhood office, just very, very busy.

A few days ago, the handicraft group was hiring, but they didn't dare to come; their hands were clumsier than their feet, so coming would have been useless.

But now that they heard the food factory was also hiring, they couldn't stay put anymore.

So they thought about asking Lu Qiao if she still remembered what she said that day.

Upon seeing Lu Qiao, for some reason, they didn't dare to come forward again.

They didn't expect Lu Qiao to call out to them kindly.

Sun Datian and Xiao Tao hurriedly ran over.

Lu Qiao didn't wait for them to speak and took the initiative to say: "A few days ago, the craft factory was hiring, but at the time it was for foreign trade orders, so they were hiring experienced masters, so I didn't mention your matter. However, the food factory is hiring soon; are you two interested?"

Sun Datian didn't even ask what they were hiring for and nodded vigorously: "Yes, yes, yes, very interested. As long as we can get into the factory, we'll do anything."

Lu Qiao smiled: "Then I'm relieved. How about you two come and familiarize yourselves with the environment now, and then I'll give you two a task, how about that?"

Sun Datian's eyes immediately lit up.

He really didn't expect this little girl Lu Qiao to keep her word.

Actually, even if she didn't keep her word, what could you do to her?

Xiao Tao was afraid that Sun Datian would say something stupid, so he immediately agreed: "Okay, okay, Factory Manager Lu, we'll do whatever you say."

Sun Datian also nodded along.

Lu Qiao had told Director Hu in advance, and Director Hu naturally agreed wholeheartedly.

So she led them straight into the food factory.

The infrastructure department was clearing the site, and a call came from above saying that the machinery and equipment would soon be transported to Jiangcheng.

The task of renovating the factory building was handed over to the infrastructure department.

Sun Datian didn't expect that the former dilapidated pickle factory would feel like it had been turned upside down after entering the main gate.

Lu Qiao said to the two of them: "I'll take you to find Deputy Factory Manager Meng first."

Meng Qingshan was now the deputy factory manager of the food factory.

It was the kind that had already been documented.

Then Hu Ze was in charge of finance; he was currently learning from the accountant in the neighborhood office's finance room.

This was in preparation for the food factory's financial independence.

Of course, it was still affiliated with the neighborhood office, so complete independence was impossible.

It just meant having 80% autonomy, and reporting accounts to the factory once a month was enough.

Meng Qingshan also knew Sun Datian and Xiao Tao, and upon seeing the two of them, he greeted them with a face full of smiles.

No need to think about it, these two names were definitely among the newly hired workers.

Meng Qingshan led them around for a circle.

Sun Datian and Xiao Tao both felt flattered.

Lu Qiao pointed to the factory building being built by the infrastructure department and said to the two of them: "... soon a set of food equipment will land, and then we will need a lot of auxiliary ingredients. Of course, we also need to develop other products. How about this, you two come with me to the Guzi Tun Brigade, we'll go talk to Brigade Leader Lin about something."

Lu Qiao was prepared to hand over the task of purchasing mushrooms to Sun Datian and Xiao Tao.

Now was the time when porcini mushrooms were being produced.

Now the south was the main place for exports.

And most of these porcini mushrooms went to Japan.

They loved eating this kind of mushroom very much.

Some northerners liked them, while others wouldn't even look at them.

Many places didn't even know these were delicious porcini mushrooms, because there was a layer of faint mucus on them, so they liked to call them "sticky dumplings."

Lu Qiao was prepared to purchase these mushrooms in large quantities.

But other mushrooms were also fine.

She had to go to the Canton Fair this autumn; she had to adapt to local conditions, use the least amount of money, and do the biggest things.

So she had to purchase and reserve them in advance.

Old Hu knew she wanted to purchase porcini mushrooms and was just curious and asked for a long time. After knowing they were "sticky dumplings," he let out an "ah" and suddenly realized.

The words he didn't ask were: things even dogs don't eat can be exchanged for foreign exchange?

But he didn't dampen Lu Qiao's enthusiasm. After all, the purchase price wasn't high, and they were all dried mushrooms, which were easy to store. Even if they were backlogged, it didn't matter; just consider it gaining experience.

There was another kind of mushroom called matsutake, which was also a popular fungus for export in the 1970s.

And the ones in the north were the best.

It's just that this wasn't easy to pick, and there weren't many.

Moreover, this thing really didn't have a bumper harvest every year.

The old folk saying was a small harvest every three years and a big harvest every five years.

According to the time Brigade Leader Lin said, this year was exactly the fifth year, and it was also the year of the mushroom harvest.

When Lu Qiao and Qin Hengzhi went to find the old gold mine, they saw many mushrooms, but unfortunately, there was nowhere to put them after picking them.

They could only pass by with regret.

Actually, Lu Qiao felt that picking mushrooms was more like hunting; finding mushrooms was like finding prey, and these were all picked for free, so whoever picked them was happy.

It's just that people nowadays didn't really like eating mushrooms; they preferred eating meat.

It's the same principle as wild vegetables and mushrooms being more expensive than meat later on.

However, the night before last, Brigade Leader Lin sent over a basket of cleaned mushrooms.

The ones that couldn't be eaten were dried by Meng Xia.

There weren't many matsutake inside, there were porcini mushrooms, and more of them were the small yellow mushrooms that the locals liked to eat the most. Even without meat, stir-frying a plate with cabbage leaves and chili peppers was extremely fragrant.

Lu Qiao pondered this harvest season and decisively took the two of them with an introduction letter and a deposit out of the city.

They went to Guzi Tun again and also looked for Brigade Leader Lin.

She had told Brigade Leader Lin in advance, mainly about these two kinds of mushrooms, but others were also fine.

But there must absolutely be no poisonous mushrooms.

If someone got sick from eating them, they would have to pay, so Brigade Leader Lin let his wife be the gatekeeper.

Better to have nothing than to have something bad.

They couldn't sell a few coins and end up poisoning people instead.

There was a lot drying in the courtyard.

Each one was cleaned very cleanly.

Lu Qiao didn't recognize every kind of mushroom.

But she recognized porcini mushrooms and matsutake.

Brigade Leader Lin said: "These were all checked one by one by us, and they were also cleaned and dried. Don't worry, I guarantee there's no problem."

They were all picked by experienced people, and they were all good mushrooms.

Sun Datian and Xiao Tao were completely clueless.

Lu Qiao asked them to learn to identify mushrooms with Brigade Leader Lin's son, Lin Liang.

Lin Liang was twenty-one years old this year, a shy young man who didn't talk much but was very capable.

No matter what he said, he was very reasonable.

I heard he was a junior high school graduate.

Even higher than Lu Qiao's education level.

Lu Qiao's heart stirred, and she asked what Lin Liang was doing now.

Brigade Leader Lin looked at Lu Qiao with shining eyes, his voice trembling: "My Liangzi... is honest. Last year, the machinery factory was hiring, and Liangzi passed the exam, but the other party insisted that my Liangzi was nearsighted and not suitable, so they sent him back. But in fact, he isn't nearsighted; he was replaced by someone else, and then he has been farming with me at home."

Lu Qiao wasn't surprised.

Nowadays, there were many replacements, and it was all a case of the people not complaining and the officials not investigating.

Even after the college entrance examination was restored, there were many who replaced others to go to college.

Lu Qiao knew Brigade Leader Lin's thoughts; this person wanted his son to have a chance to enter the military factory.

But he was too embarrassed to say it.

If she didn't expose it, she guessed Brigade Leader Lin wouldn't dare to mention it for the rest of his life.