Chapter 3 Mouse Catching Bamboo Tube
“Okay, I have a saw at home, wait for me.” Although Zhao Liming didn’t know what to do, he still agreed.
After a while, the two prepared the cutting tools.
In the dormitories, many walls and furniture are made of scrap wooden boards. Basically, there are some tools for disposing of wooden boards at home.
Soon, the two of them arrived at the back mountain.
Among all kinds of construction debris all over the mountains and plains, the two quickly found piles of bamboo.
"What are you going to do with so many broken bamboos? You can't sell them for money, otherwise it won't be our turn." Zhao Liming asked in confusion.
Yang Wendong said with a smile: "Broken bamboo is not valuable, but we can make it into valuable things."
"Valuable things?" Zhao Liming was a little curious.
Yang Wendong opened his hands and said: "First saw such a long bamboo, and I will make some small things. When I make them later, you will know what they are for."
After checking the dimensions, Zhao Liming began to work, and Yang Wendong also started doing his own thing.
About 10 minutes later, when their things were completed, Yang Wendong moved the ax again, made two holes on the surface of the bamboo, and then stuffed the bamboo strips he had cut into them to take them from Su Yiyi. A rope that connects everything.
"Is this? To catch mice?" Zhao Liming guessed as he looked at the switch after seeing the finished product.
Yang Wendong nodded and said: "Yes, this is a rat-catching bamboo tube. In the mainland, where there are many bamboos, mice are caught in this way.
Only inside the bamboo tube, Just put some food in it. After the mouse enters and touches the mechanism, it will be directly stuck by the bamboo slices and cannot move. It will eventually die because it is squeezed and unable to breathe.”
"Is it so powerful?" Zhao Liming saw this structure for the first time.
Yang Wendong smiled and said: "Of course, but we have to go back and try it out tonight."
"Yes." Zhao Liming nodded and asked: "Are you planning to sell this to make money? ”
Yang Wendong said: "Yes, the rat problem is quite serious here in Hong Kong now. As long as we can prove that this thing can catch rats, then someone will definitely buy it."
Zhao Liming asked again: "The ability of this bamboo tube to catch rats Is it strong? ”
"It can't be said to be very strong." Yang Wendong said with a smile: "Not bad, not bad."
"Huh?" Zhao Liming was a little puzzled and asked: "Then how to sell it?"
Yang Wendong smiled and said: "What methods are there on the market now to kill rats?"
Zhao Liming thought for a while and said: "There are rat poisons, rat cages or rat traps. Others, I don’t care much about it.”
“Well, these are basically the mainstream ones,” Yang Wendong nodded and said, “But these three have their own shortcomings:
Mouse traps can easily hurt people or other animals, not to mention rat poison. People who accidentally eat even a little bit may die.
The mouse cage is a good thing and has high efficiency in catching mice, but it is too expensive, costing four or five yuan each. "
"So, your bamboo mousetrap is cheap? "Zhao Liming is also very smart and understood quickly.
Yang Wendong nodded and said: "Yes, it is cheap, and the raw materials are abundant here, endless. ”
Bamboo has special uses in Hong Kong.
In the construction industry, steel pipes are used as scaffolding in many places around the world, but in Hong Kong, only bamboo can be used.
Because Hong Kong does not have a local steel industry, steel pipes are too expensive if they need to be imported, and because they are close to the sea, steel pipes are prone to rust.
Bamboo itself also has a service life. It has been used in the construction industry for a few years and is no longer strong enough, so it is naturally thrown away. If it can be used as a mouse trap, there is no problem.
Similarly, because iron is expensive, mousetraps and mousetraps are also very expensive.
"That's true, we two will never be able to use up this bamboo even if we are exhausted." Zhao Liming also said with a smile. Yang Wendong said: "So as long as it is cheap enough and can really catch mice, someone should buy it."
Zhao Liming asked again: "But who are you selling it to? The squatters probably won't buy it. They can also make it themselves."
Yang Wendong shook his head and said: "Of course not to sell it to They, will you spend money to catch mice? What if you catch them? There are so many squatters everywhere.
If you want to sell them, they will naturally sell them to families with normal houses. They are a little bit. Money, and the house is closed, and there are not many rats. If you catch them, they may be gone, or at least less."
After hearing this, Zhao Liming immediately frowned and said, "Then you are prepared. Go to a stall to sell? ”
"Yes, that's the only way." Yang Wendong nodded.
Stalls are similar to those children in later TV series of the Republic of China, with baskets hanging on their bodies, walking around and selling things.
But in fact, many adults sell things in this way. At most, they sell things on a pole because they cannot afford the stall fee.
Zhao Liming said worriedly: "It's not easy to be a street vendor."
"Life is never easy." Yang Wendong said calmly: "Let's see if we can catch mice first. Let’s think about the future.”
Today's Hong Kong, in terms of social management, can be described as "extremely dark". People who do small jobs and small businesses are all bullied in various ways without exception
After returning home, Yang Wendong took the Su Yiyi informed Su Yiyi of the purpose of the mousetrap. Then, she found some chicken soup for lunch, mixed it with a little rice porridge, and put it into the tail of the mousetrap.
At night again, Guo Xiuyun returned home dragging his tired figure.
"Ama? How do you feel?" Su Yiyi said worriedly. Several people didn't sleep last night, but today, she was the only one who needed to go to work during the day.
Aunt Guo smiled and said, "It's okay, I'll take a break at noon."
Su Yiyi also quickly brought the prepared meals. When Guo Xiuyun saw the chicken, she said, "Didn't I tell you to give it to Dongzi?"
"I'm full." Yang Wendong said After finishing, he quickly changed the topic and asked: "Aunt Guo, I made a mouse-catching thing."
Then he took out his product and expressed his thoughts.
Guo Xiuyun glanced at the mousetrap, then thought about it and said, "It's okay to start a small business. It's hard to even feed and clothe yourself just by doing things for others.
But, It’s actually more difficult to start a small business. Yiyi’s father also tried it and suffered a big loss. Later, he had no choice but to work at the dock.”
"Yes, I understand." Yang Wendong nodded. This is true in any era. Doing small business is actually much more tiring than working, and it also has risks.
In today's Hong Kong without legal control, it will only be darker.
Following up, Guo Xiuyun was also persuaded by Yang Wendong and ate all the remaining chicken nuggets.
After working hard, everyone was very sleepy. After placing the mouse traps, the three of them returned to their wooden rooms and went to bed early.
Although he was woken up by the cold several times in the middle of the night, Yang Wendong still had the best night's sleep.
The next day, Yang Wendong was woken up by Su Yiyi: "Brother Dong, we caught a mouse."
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I have actually found the price of mouse traps, generally 3-5 yuan. Prices in Hong Kong in the 1950s were very high. Simple iron products could be worth a few days' wages of poor people (containers in that era It is also not popular, and the transportation cost of imported goods is very high).
You can refer to the current slums in Mumbai, India (it will only get worse). Ordinary people work hard every day without enough food, and many people even have no job.
Most of the information about Hong Kong in the 1950s on Baidu is from Hong Kong Island, because the slums are not worthy of being photographed...
< br>(End of this chapter)