Chapter Sixteen: Transforming Karma

  Su Cheng fell silent and lost his smile: "Except for your repair shop, most people in the residential area are not welders, right? Think about it, shrink what we did today with the shower by two or three times, and the material cost of 60-70 yuan would be enough. You sell it for 120 yuan, including installation, and many people would be willing to buy it."

  "What about the heating rod?"

  "Heating rod is an upgraded version, at least 150 yuan, or 180 yuan is also acceptable."

  Shulan burst out laughing with a snort.

  Shu Hao was tongue-tied for a moment before saying, "I need to think about it some more."

  In state-owned large factories, many workers do private work. At that time, people not only did not despise workers who did private work but also subconsciously thought that workers who could make money by doing private work were capable.

  However, at this time, most of the private work is going to small collective enterprises and tertiary companies to work, and very few are taking on their own projects.

  Sometimes, even if everyone knows they can make money, they will still give up because of their pride.

  Changing someone's personality and fate is the work of great men and neurotics, Su Cheng didn't have his heart in this, pointing out this path to Shu Hao was just repaying a favor, calling out a greeting, he left.

  The great hero Shu Hao stayed behind, with a worried and bitter face, deep in thought.

  In a small shop outside the Oil Field Command Family Courtyard, Su Cheng bought two bottles of wine and handed a cigarette to the gatekeeper, smiling and asking: "Lin Yonggui, are you living inside?"

  "Director Lin?"

  "It should be." Su Cheng found Lin Yonggui, who was the friend introduced by Liu Shouzhang that day. The Victory Oil Field Battle Command is a deputy ministerial setup, and Secretary Lin should be Deputy Secretary Lin, also at the level of a regular hall.

  The gate guard carefully sized up Su Cheng for a moment, then checked his work permit before letting him in.

  When Su Cheng knocked on Lin Yonggui's door, she was inevitably checked by Xiaobao again.

  Locally, it's equivalent to a deputy director level, which is even more impressive than Beijing's vice-ministerial level.

  Lin Yonggui is a native of Shandong, tall and strong, with long legs. He heard that Su Cheng was introduced by Liu Si Chang, and immediately burst out laughing: "You're the Beida student Liu Er talked about..."

  Su Cheng smiled and placed two bottles of wine at the door.

  "You've already arrived, why are you still carrying things? Take them away later, got it?"

  "It's just a small token of respect for my elders." Su Cheng sat comfortably on the sofa. When he first arrived at the oil field, he didn't come to visit Lin Yonggui because their connection was only through Liu, who wasn't very familiar with him, and the other party might have given him an easy job, but it would have been a waste of this opportunity.

  Now that Su Cheng's work is settled, he comes to see Lin Yonggui purely in the name of courtesy, which will only add to their emotional debt.

  As expected, after a couple of pleasantries, Lin Yonggui smiled and asked: "Where does Little Su work?"

  "I'm in the No. 3 Oil Extraction Plant's Oil Extraction Team 2, now working as a maintenance worker, everything is going smoothly." The last sentence was added on purpose by him.

  Mrs. Lin, who was arranging apples, looked over in surprise.

  Lin Yonggui seemed to understand a bit and smiled: "Is it because the staff made a mistake when assigning tasks? Alright, I'll ask around, how can college students be assigned to do repair work..."

  "Uncle Lin, I'm doing quite well in the oil extraction team and don't want to switch jobs for now."

  "Oh?" This time it was Lin Yonggui's turn to be surprised. If a newly graduated university student said this, it could still be understood as being inexperienced, but Su Cheng had clearly worked for a period of time and yet still spoke like this, which made him even more clueless.

  "I actually have a bit of a rough idea, I'd like to report it to Uncle Lin." Su Cheng seized the opportunity and smiled: "When I was in the oil extraction team, I felt that our oil extraction team workers were really hardworking. Three days on day shift, three days on night shift, three days off, it sounds like the working hours are the same, but unlike logistics personnel, oil workers spend 20 days a month in the team and can't go home or enjoy city life. The toilets are old and small, there's no shower room, and at night, apart from playing cards and sleeping, it's hard to find a book."

  "The conditions were indeed harsh." Lin Yonggui nodded slightly. Cadres of his generation had all come through struggles, and except for a few lucky ones, they had to go to either factories or farms, so they understood the lives of frontline workers relatively well.

  Su Cheng didn't think it was a bother and continued, "The oil extraction team members have been at the well site for so long, the oil field should provide them with their basic needs. I think there should be at least five facilities."

  "Oh? Which five?"

  "Small toilet, small bathroom, small gym, small medicine cabinet and small book station." Su Cheng transplanted the basic five small ones over and said: "Among them, the small book station can be mobile, exchanging with other stations at intervals, leaving 4 fixed constructions."

  Lin Yonggui took a deep look at Su Cheng and said, "Your idea is not bad. However, building these five things will cost tens of thousands of yuan. With 180 oil extraction teams in the oil field, it's hundreds of thousands of yuan. The workers below will say we're wasting money."

  "It's certain that spending money is a must, but it doesn't have to be that much. I installed a shower today and spent 120 yuan, which I can afford personally. With such a large oil field, how could there not be enough money?"

  The oil fields of the 1980s were the main force for the country's foreign exchange earnings, and there was no shortage of foreign exchange, so there was even more RMB.

  Lin Yonggui was shocked and said: "You used your own money to buy a shower for Ji Dui?"

  "It's also for myself, every day I use a bucket to take a bath, it's really inconvenient." Su Cheng smiled foolishly.

  Lin Yonggui shook his head and said, "It's a public matter, how can we let individuals pay for it? Alright, you go to the command center tomorrow and find my secretary, he'll reimburse you. However, about the five pieces of equipment you mentioned, that needs to be discussed at the meeting..."

  Su Cheng naturally didn't expect one "home visit" could decide such a big matter.

  The next day, he first went to the machinery factory to see Shu Hao and asked him to make two more shower sets. He also asked the financial department of the machinery factory to open a ticket and rushed to the command center to report before noon.

  Lin Yonggui's secretary handed him 360 yuan, smiled and handed him a piece of paper, saying: "This is the office phone number. Secretary Lin said that if you have anything, you can call this number."

  "Thank you." Su Cheng stuffed the note into his shirt pocket and went to the finance department to collect his money.

  As soon as he stepped out of the headquarters' gate, Su Cheng took a deep breath.

  This was the first time he consciously wanted to do something, and fortunately, it succeeded. Three sets of shower heads may not be considered anything in later generations, but for Oil Extraction Team 2, they can greatly improve their lives.

  For Su Cheng, this is a meaningful thing, regardless of size or importance.

  That day at Huijing Station, Su Cheng found a truck and loaded three sets of shower equipment into it. Shu Hao also came along for the ride.

  Two people set up a shed at the well station, installed a shower head, boiled hot water, and filled an iron box to the brim.

  Three shower heads, flashing with a silver light, dazzling like Transformers.

  ……