Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 814 Better to Stay Still than to Move

Another week has passed in the blink of an eye.

Monday, April 12th.

Today is the third snowfall since the beginning of winter. Snowflakes are falling gently and gently, blending into the calm Xinghu Lake.

Chen Fan, wearing a straw hat and a raincoat, sat upright at the bow of the boat, fishing with a fishing rod.

He also held a gourd of Shaoxing wine in his other hand, taking sips from time to time, looking very content.

They were so content that even He Qingsheng was envious.

He stared through the window for a long time, but couldn't resist any longer. He put on a thick cotton coat, pushed open the door, and stepped into the snowstorm, crunching through the snowflakes.

Without turning his head, Chen Fan recognized his voice and immediately said, "Slow down, or you'll scare all the fish away."

As soon as he finished speaking, he picked up a half-pound wild crucian carp, wrapped it in a thick cloth to keep his hands clean, and threw it into the fish basket with the hook.

He Qingsheng didn't get on the boat. He wiped the snow off the railing, leaned over it, and looked down at him, saying, "Isn't today Monday? Didn't you go to school?"

Chen Fan rebaited the fish, cast the hook into the water, and waited for the float to stabilize before slowly saying, "Anyway, I don't have many classes. Last week, I coordinated with a few other teachers and swapped a few classes to finish all my courses."

Once the final exams are over and the papers are graded, the semester will be finished.

After saying that, he suddenly turned to look at He Qingsheng and said, "Hey, aren't you usually so busy? Why are you so free today? You're not even going to work, just watching me fish?"

He Qingsheng took out a cigarette, lit it, and snorted twice, "I've been busy all year, can't I even take a few days off?"

Chen Fan chuckled, turned around, picked up his fishing rod, and caught another small river catfish. As he took the fish out, he said, "That's really rare. You still have time to rest. I think you're just worrying about your work plans for next year."

He Qingsheng smacked his lips and exhaled a puff of smoke. "You're not cute at all. You see everything clearly and never hide your shortcomings."

Chen Fan laughed without turning his head, "Am I not hiding my talents enough? Since September, I haven't asked about the Writers' Association. Do whatever you want, it has nothing to do with me anyway."

By the way, Xiao Bian told me the day before yesterday that he wanted to transfer his work assignment to Jiangxi Film Studio, and I agreed.

He Qingsheng was slightly taken aback. "Transferred to Jiangying Studio? Why?"

Chen Fan exhaled a long breath, put his old wine gourd aside, put down his fishing rod, pulled out his pipe from his waist, and while stuffing it with tobacco, said, "Why? Isn't it because the situation in the Writers' Association is too complicated? The young girl hasn't seen much of the world and can't handle it."

He Qingsheng was silent for a few seconds, took a few puffs of his cigarette, then shook his head and said, "The situation in the Writers' Association is a bit complicated, but it depends on who you compare it to. Compared to most public institutions, enterprises, and factories, it's already much better."

She wanted a workplace with simpler relationships, but such workplaces are hard to find. The fact that she ended up at Jiangying Film Studio was only because the studio had been struggling for twenty years, and there wasn't much to fight for within it.

"Just wait and see. It won't be long, within two or three years, once Jiang Film Studio produces a few well-known films, they'll inevitably start vying for fame and fortune again."

He flicked the ash from his cigarette, took the last puff of the butt, then flicked it into the water, humming twice, "Maybe it won't even be as good as the Writers' Association in the end."

Chen Fan smiled, exhaled a puff of smoke, and said, "What's the point of talking about that? Before, there was nothing to fight over, so naturally I was calm and collected. But once I have something, I can't stay quiet."

He paused for a moment, then said, "But isn't that how the world is? All she wants is temporary peace of mind. If things get chaotic later, she can just move to another place."

Or perhaps, by then she'd matured and might even have come to enjoy the rivalry; people change, after all.

He Qingsheng chuckled and said, "You seem to see things very clearly. So what are you thinking? Are you belligerent or not?"

Chen Fan raised his forehead slightly and said calmly, "I have never been fond of fighting, but I am fond of resolving conflicts."

Upon hearing this, He Qingsheng burst into laughter. "Do you think you're Lu Bu, always trying to resolve conflicts? Let me ask you, if one day the infighting within our unit gets too out of hand, how do you plan to resolve it?"

Chen Fan snorted twice, "Isn't that simple? All they're fighting over is that little thing. Just flip the table and throw everything away, then see if they'll still fight!"

Upon hearing this, He Qingsheng frowned deeply. "Flip the table? But what if we can't flip this table?"

Chen Fan glanced back at him and smiled meaningfully, "There's no table in this world that can't be overturned. If you can't overturn it, it's because you haven't found the right method."

He Qingsheng raised an eyebrow and looked at him, saying, "I still don't believe it. The literary correspondence center that you built up is a huge operation. How can it be overturned so easily?"
There's also international literary exchange and publishing. Both Takahashi Publishing House and your cousin's Qianfan Publishing House are thriving, and things are looking great. Unless another major storm hits, I can't imagine how either of these ventures will ever get off the ground.

Chen Fan didn't answer directly, but slowly packed his things, and said with a smile, "Who can say for sure what will happen in this world? It's like, sometimes what defeats you is not your opponent, but a passing cow."

He joked with He Qingsheng, but he was thinking about his own things.

Bian Huifang's desire to transfer to another position also served as a small reminder to him.

Don't be fooled by the harmonious atmosphere he creates wherever he goes at work; that's because Vice Chairman Chen has a lot of influence and a powerful background, so no one dares to disrespect him.

However, in reality, ever since the correspondence center and the international publishing exchange projects started to show results, there had already been a great deal of turmoil within the organization.

Those below might be a little better off, but almost every single leader above, except for the most laid-back Tan Yong and the least ambitious He Qingsheng, probably has their own calculations, even Xu Qizhen.

Otherwise, there would have been no reaction within the Writers' Association to his sudden departure from his unit to teach part-time at a university.

Isn't that ridiculous?!
Coupled with his previous speculations about being called to teach by the teacher, he had already made up his mind.

The position in the Writers' Association can be held, or it can be left unheld, since I'm not going back to that organization anyway.

After a while, I'll go directly to He Qingsheng and talk to him about starting my own magazine.

If it's appropriate, I'll affiliate this magazine to the Jiangnan Writers Association, and become the magazine's director, with a rank parallel to "Jiangnan Literature and Art," so my own rank won't be lowered.

Then pay a small management fee, and bear all profits and losses yourself.

From now on, I'll just stay in my own little corner of the world, and nobody can bother me. I believe everyone can accept this outcome.

Actually, it was only because Chen Fanzhi wasn't there that he wanted to go back to his workplace; otherwise, even He Qingsheng couldn't have stopped him.

Alternatively, they could simply affiliate the magazine to the General Association, making it on par with "People's Literature," which the General Association might also agree to.

He just didn't want it.

Since you didn't intend to get involved in this mess, don't go too deep. Your current position is just right—not too high, not too low, no one can bully you, and you're not too conspicuous.

He Qingsheng also understood Chen Fan's meaning to some extent at this point, and knew that he was thinking of leaving the company.

Deep down, he definitely wanted Chen Fan to stay. Such a capable young man is one of a kind in the whole country. Wouldn't it be a huge loss to let him go for nothing?

But forcing him to stay would be unfair to Chen Fan.

The most concrete example right now is that among so many literary and art associations across the country, which vice chairman or vice president would abandon their work to go out and teach or make movies?
To say that it's a waste of time or energy is perfectly fine.

But he had no choice. If he calculated the time, Vice Chairman Chen was still a little over a month away from turning 20, but his rank had already reached this level. If he continued to cause trouble in the unit, how would he be arranged for the future?

Right now, we can neither leave nor stay.

If they leave directly, all the groundwork laid before will be wasted. If they stay, there's no suitable room for development, which would only hinder their progress.

Therefore, if a better opportunity were to come, he would be willing to let Chen Fan leave.

I just don't know which company he'll go to or what kind of work he'll do.
These thoughts swirled in He Qingsheng's mind for a moment before being quickly forgotten.

It's not the right time to talk about this; let's wait for Chen Fan to bring it up himself.

Coming to his senses, He Qingsheng watched him pack his things and go ashore, and couldn't help but smile and say, "Hey, you're also a leader in your unit, so give me some advice on next year's work."

Most of them are leaving soon, so if they don't hurry up and take advantage of the deals before they go, when will they?!
Chen Fan walked back carrying the fish basket, glanced at him, and smiled, "Ask me? My opinion is that it's better to stay still than to do anything."

Before He Qingsheng could ask a question, he continued, "You saw it when the National Congress of Literary and Art Workers was held before. Many other associations across the country haven't even restored their basic functions. Currently, only the Jiangnan branch has restored its functions and made some innovations."

You can't get fat overnight. What we have right now is enough for the company to sustain itself for several years, so there's no need to go for any more innovation or reform.

First, stabilize the current undertaking, truly digest it, and make it a strength of the Jiangnan Writers Association and even the Jiangnan Federation of Literary and Art Circles. That would be enough.

Moreover, this digestion process will take at least five years.

As he spoke, he turned his head, looked at He Qingsheng, and smiled, "Within five years, we'll proceed step by step. If there's any innovation, we'll talk about it after five years. By then, the Jiangnan Writers Association, and even the Jiangnan Federation of Literary and Art Circles, will definitely be strong and well-equipped. No matter how much we try, we won't be afraid of messing things up."

After listening, He Qingsheng nodded in deep agreement, "Yes, that's what I think too."

Chen Fan was speechless for a moment, then turned and went into the courtyard.

He first took off his straw hat and raincoat and hung them on the wall. Then he took the fish basket to the kitchen, poured all the fish into a bucket, washed his hands and face briefly, and turned to go into the main room.

The kang (heated brick bed) in the main room was burning brightly, making the room warm and cozy.

He Qingsheng followed him in, immediately took off his cotton-padded coat, pulled out a chair without any ceremony, sat down opposite the desk, and said in a serious tone, "Don't you believe me? That's really what I think."

Chen Fan sat at his desk, took two cigarettes from a sandalwood cigarette case, tossed one in front of him, and lit the other himself. "Mmm, I believe you, I believe you."

He Qingsheng picked up a cigarette and lit it. Looking at him like this, he didn't even want to talk to him.

After several seconds, he asked, "What's the status of your movie and the TV series produced by Jiangying Studio? We were all waiting for the official screening after the last test screening, but there's been no news since?"

Chen Fan smiled and said, "The matter of movies is not that simple. All movies released nationwide must be distributed through China Film Group Corporation. Director Wu is personally handling this matter."

I discussed it with him, and it's already mid-December. If we go for New Year's Day, it's too rushed. So my suggestion is to wait until February 16th next year, which is the Lunar New Year of the Monkey, a time for family reunions. Students and workers are also on holiday, so the whole family can happily go to the cinema to watch a movie. That would be wonderful.

He Qingsheng thought for a moment and nodded slightly, "Yes, the Spring Festival is a good time. Now that you mention it, I'm thinking of taking some people to see a play."

He then asked, "What about TV dramas? They won't have to wait until Chinese New Year either, will they?"

Chen Fan shook his head and said, "The TV series definitely can't wait that long, but they also want to choose an auspicious date, so they plan to broadcast it on New Year's Day."

He paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "I heard that Jiang Film Studio, in conjunction with the TV station, has invited newspapers such as Jiangnan Daily and the Provincial Capital Daily to promote this TV series. It will be quite a lively event."

Upon hearing this, He Qingsheng immediately laughed, "This definitely wasn't your idea; it was Director Kuang and the others who came up with it themselves?"

Chen Fan picked up his teacup, took a sip, looked at him curiously, and asked, "How did you guess that?"

He Qingsheng laughed and said, "What's so hard to guess? This approach is completely unnecessary. There are only so many households with televisions right now, and the Jiangnan Daily has regular TV program schedules in its corners. People with televisions and who watch television will take the initiative to pay attention to them, so why bother inviting any newspaper to do publicity?"
So this method is definitely not what you're thinking.

After a pause, he continued, "Back then, when you organized that correspondence course in literature, you invited newspapers such as Jiangnan Daily and Wenhui Daily to report on it, which caused quite a stir. Later, when the Yunqi Factory's cars rolled off the production line, they used the same propaganda verbatim."

I guess Director Kuang and the others saw that and then thought about learning it too, right?

Chen Fan laughed and was about to speak when the phone on the table suddenly rang.

He glanced at the telephone, slowly put down his teacup, stubbed out his cigarette, and then picked up the receiver to his ear. "Hello, who is this?"

Zhou Yali's voice came through the microphone, "Little brother, Christmas break is coming soon, I'm coming to visit you guys."

Chen Fan's face fell. How could there be so many fake schools in America?
I was planning to go to Shanghai for a date once the snow stopped and I could fly again.

(End of this chapter)