Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 833 Good
Around 3 p.m., just as Chen Fan finished his preparations, his three masters arrived.

Liu Juan went outside to open the door. Despite having only one leg, Zhang Xuansong was the first to enter. Even before he entered the yard, he shouted, "You brat, where's your movie? And where are the people who made it? Several old guys went to Jiangnan and haven't come back yet. Are they holding them there?"

Zhou Yali took a hot bath, changed into a fur coat, and was comfortably listening to a record on a gramophone in the living room. Hearing the sound outside, she immediately went to the door to greet them and obediently called out, "Third Master, First Master, Second Master."

She greeted people in order of arrival, and Lin Yuanxiang was the last one to be greeted, so naturally he was the last to be greeted.

Looking at the pink-clad little girl wrapped in fur, Zhang Xuansong's expression changed instantly, and he grinned, "Oh, it's Yali! You came with your cousin?"

Zhou Yali leaned over to help him to the tea table and sat down. She smiled and said, "Our company's industrial park in Shenzhen is about to open, so I asked my younger brother to come with me to attend the opening ceremony. After that, we came to Beijing together."

Then he pulled out chairs and served Li Shangde and Lin Yuanxiang to sit down. Seeing that Ma Lan had already brewed three cups of tea and brought them over, he sat down to the side.

At this moment, Chen Fan came out of the kitchen, shaking his hands as he washed them, and said loudly, "Yali, change to that record of revolutionary songs. The masters don't like this decadent music."

Zhou Yali was about to get up to change when Zhang Xuansong stopped her, chuckling, "It's okay, just listen to this. You young people like it."

Seeing this, Chen Fan's old face fell. Isn't your favoritism a little too obvious?
Zhang Xuansong didn't care what he thought. He turned his face away, his smile vanishing instantly. "Where's my movie? And where's the person who introduced you to making the movie?"

Chen Fan walked over to Lin Yuanxiang, pulled out a chair and sat down, saying, "The movie is finished filming, and we're currently going through the formalities and procedures. It's expected to be released on the first day of the Lunar New Year."

Although many new films have been released this year, with dozens of productions from studios across the country, there is no concept of a Lunar New Year film season. In addition, there is still more than a month until the Spring Festival, and no one is competing with him for the Spring Festival slot. Director Wu has also reached an agreement with cinemas in various provinces to release the films on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

This can be considered a precedent set during the Spring Festival film season.

He took the hot tea that Ma Lan brought him, blew on it to cool it down, took a sip, and then continued, "After Master Yang and the others made movies, they all fell in love with this industry. Now, apart from those who have jobs, everyone else has stayed at Jiangxi Film Studio and become its full-time employees, working alongside the film crew every day."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuanxiang's eyes widened, and he said, "That old guy Yang Zhenlong is older than me, how can he still be a full-time employee?"

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "Those who are over the age limit are considered rehired."

Upon hearing this, the three masters couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Li Shangde looked at Zhang Xuansong and laughed, "Letting Lao Yang play your grandmaster is not only a good deal, but it also lets him shine again. There's going to be a lot of fun to watch."

Zhang Xuansong was overjoyed, saying, "Judging from their attitude, they might even want to become movie stars and appear in 'Popular Cinema' magazine."

Chen Fan immediately beamed with excitement, "Oh, so the masters are reading 'Popular Cinema' magazine?"

Nowadays, "Popular Cinema" magazine is frequently "crossing the line," and many people are writing letters to criticize it. However, most young people like it. Are these three old folks really that trendy?
Upon hearing Chen Fan's words, Li Shangde quickly said, "It's your third master. Ever since you made the movie 'Monk Comes Down the Mountain,' he has started buying 'Popular Cinema' magazine, just waiting to see news about your movie in it."

Lin Yuanxiang added, "Yes, yes, it was your third master who was watching; we weren't watching."

That was close; he almost ruined his reputation in his later years.

Their eagerness to distance themselves only infuriated Zhang Xuansong. "What do you mean you didn't read it? I clearly put the magazine away properly, and I moved it several times. If it wasn't you who read it, did the mice read it?"

Lin Yuanxiang glared angrily, "You cripple, you dare to subtly insult us as rats? I bet you don't want your other leg either..."

He rolled up his sleeves, ready to get to work.

Zhang Xuansong raised his cane, "Who's afraid of who? Come on!"

Chen Fan and Zhou Yali quickly pulled one of them away, saying, "Calm down, calm down. You're all so old, why are you resorting to violence?"

"That's right, and Mr. Huo will be here soon. It wouldn't look good if someone saw us."

After gesturing for a while, the two took advantage of the offered opportunity to get off the donkey.

"I'll let it slide for Brother Huo's sake."

"Don't read my magazine anymore!"

Only Li Shangde sat there calmly, squinting his eyes, drinking hot tea, as if nothing had happened.

However, Chen Fan was also curious: could his master read magazines with only one eye and poor eyesight?
After chatting for a while, once Lin Yuanxiang and Zhang Xuansong had calmed down, Li Shangde turned to Chen Fan and asked, "Why are you in such a hurry to see Brother Huo? Is there something important?"

Chen Fan nodded, "Mhm."

He then pointed to Zhou Yali and said, "Her company plans to build a five-star hotel in Shenzhen. They have already reached an agreement with provincial and municipal leaders. However, considering that dealing with the company's manager is quite troublesome and they lack experience in this area, they plan to invite two more shareholders to join."

One is the China Merchants Group, which is under the Ministry of Transport and headquartered in Hong Kong. I have already spoken with one of their vice chairman, and I don't think there will be any major problems.

As for the other shareholder, I recommended Mr. Huo. He has invested in a five-star hotel in Guangzhou and is very experienced in this field. Inviting him to invest would make many things much simpler.

Upon hearing that it was a business matter, none of the three masters showed any interest.

Only Zhang Xuansong asked curiously, "What is a five-star hotel?"

Zhou Yali immediately smiled and said, "Third Master, five-star hotels are the highest international standard in the hotel industry, that is, the most luxurious and high-end hotels. I am very optimistic about the development of Shenzhen, which is why I have the idea of ​​investing in a five-star hotel in Shenzhen."

There are no platinum five-star, seven-star, eight-star, or nine-star ratings yet; those are all things that came later. So, the current five-star rating is the highest standard.

As for Chen Fan being a shareholder of the company, only the Zhou family and Chen Fan himself knew about it. In front of others, Zhou Yali always spoke on his behalf.

It wasn't that Chen Fan didn't trust his masters, but rather that this matter had nothing to do with them, and there was absolutely no need to tell them; in fact, telling them would only cause some trouble.

Upon hearing Zhou Yali mention that it was a high-end hotel, the three of them lost even more interest.

They had little demand for material things. They slept on a bed no bigger than three feet wide and ate no more than three large bowls of rice. As long as they had enough to eat and wear and a roof over their heads, that was enough for them. They didn't need anything else.

At this moment, Chen Fan suddenly stood up, walked to Li Shangde's side, and said softly, "Master, let me take a look at your eyes."

Li Shangde was taken aback by his words and turned to look at him. "My eyes have been like this for many years. What's there to see?"

Chen Fan smiled and didn't say anything. He simply reached out and gently pried open the eyelids while pressing lightly to test the eyeballs' reaction.

Seeing that he had taken the initiative, Li Shangde stopped talking and let him do as he pleased.

After a while, Chen Fan straightened up and said, "That eye is beyond saving. The veins and blood vessels inside have atrophied, and even an eyeball replacement is not an option. But the one that can still see can be improved somewhat with a minor surgery and some ointment."

Upon hearing this, Li Shangde suddenly trembled, grabbed his arm, and asked in a deep voice, "Can my eyes be cured?" Chen Fan smiled and nodded, "Yes, they can be cured."

He paused for a moment, then added, "I think only I can cure it."

He used a combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine. He removed the foreign object from the eye socket through Western surgery, then stimulated the meridians near the eye socket with acupuncture, and finally treated it with his own prepared ointment. This was only possible after his Taoist skills and medical skills were upgraded. Otherwise, it would not have been delayed until now.

In particular, acupuncture stimulation of the meridians requires the subtle control of Daoist energy.

After all, internal strength is not the same as internal energy. It can only produce a subtle sensation of energy through acupuncture to achieve a therapeutic effect. If it is not precise enough, it can easily cause damage.

Li Shangde showed no reaction to his self-praise, but continued to ask, "If I can cure it, can the old marshal's?"

Chen Fan had already guessed that he would ask this question, and immediately replied, "Like you, it cannot be completely cured, but it can be improved."

Upon hearing this, not only Li Shangde, but also Zhang Xuansong and Lin Yuanxiang stood up. Li Shangde even pulled him to leave, saying, "Then let's go to the old marshal's place first."

Chen Fan quickly pulled him aside and said, "It's no use going now. We still need to prepare some medicinal herbs. It's not too late to go after I've prepared them."

Before his three masters could ask any questions, he explained, "I only made some progress in my Taoist practice a few days ago, which is why I was able to do this. It concerns the old marshal's health, so I wouldn't deliberately delay, would I?"

Besides, it would be best to cure the master first. Only after establishing a precedent will the higher-ups allow me to treat the old general. Otherwise, this kind of treatment isn't a recipe; how can they let me perform it directly?"

Hearing this, the three of them quieted down.

After a few seconds, Lin Yuanxiang asked, "Then how many days do you need to prepare?"

Chen Fan replied without hesitation, "It will take about a week. I need to get the medicine myself, and with preparation time, it will take about a week."

He then added, "Also, I said it can improve, not cure. Just like the diet I gave the old general before, don't have too high hopes."

Zhang Xuansong leaned on his cane and sat down in the chair, sighing as he said, "It would be good if it could improve things, or at least alleviate the discomfort a little."

After this incident, the three of them lost their appetite for chatting and joking, and sat in their seats lost in thought.

Chen Fan pursed his lips, gave Zhou Yali a look, signaling her to stay with him, while he went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

More than an hour later, all the dishes were prepared and placed in a steamer to keep them warm.

After waiting a while, the doorbell rang, and Chen Fan immediately perked up and strode out.

Upon opening the door, standing outside was Mr. Huo, whom we hadn't seen in a long time.

The driver who brought him here, after confirming that he hadn't gone to the wrong place, said goodbye and left, promising to come back to pick him up in two hours.

Chen Fan closed the door, waved away Xiao Hei who had come to join the fun, and made an inviting gesture, "Mr. Huo, please come in."

Mr. Huo laughed and said, "We're all old friends, no need to be so polite."

He paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Every time I come to Beijing, everything else is great, but it's a bit awkward to speak Mandarin. Luckily, your Cantonese is very good, so I enjoy chatting with you."

Chen Fan led him inside and said with a smile, "Then you'll be disappointed. We can only speak Cantonese when we're chatting alone. With three masters here, we'll have to speak Mandarin."

Mr. Huo nodded repeatedly, "Of course, of course."

Upon entering the room, all three masters had already stood up. Mr. Huo quickly stepped forward, extended his hands, and laughed heartily, "My three brothers, it's been a long time."

After they finished exchanging pleasantries, Chen Fan pointed to Zhou Yali standing to the side and said, "This is my cousin, the chairwoman of the American Qianfan Group and Wanmuchun Group. We invited you here today because of her."

Zhou Yali looked at the person in front of her with curiosity. He was not tall, only about 1.6 meters, and his skin was a bit dark. He looked ordinary and did not look like a rich man at all.

Is this the famous Mr. Fok from Hong Kong?
After Chen Fan finished his introduction, she immediately nodded and smiled, "It's really impolite of me to trouble Mr. Huo to make this trip."

Mr. Huo looked at her in surprise, "So you are the chairman of the famous Qianfan Group and Wanmuchun Group? Truly, heroes emerge from among the young. The 'Legend of the Dragon Knight' and 'Saint Seiya' published by Qianfan Group are truly popular in Europe and America and are famous all over the world. They are also very famous in Hong Kong."

Wanmuchun Company's Chinese computers and Chinese character cards are also outstanding products, filling the gap in Chinese-language computers. In particular, your provision of program-controlled exchanges to the domestic market with installment payments has made a significant contribution to the domestic communications industry.

Unexpectedly, the chairpersons of these two world-class companies were actually young women, and Mr. Chen's cousin.

Hearing Mr. Huo's praise, Zhou Yali smiled shyly, glanced at Chen Fan, and seeing him nod slightly, she smiled at Mr. Huo and said, "Mr. Huo, you flatter me. Actually, all of this is thanks to my cousin. 'Legend of the Dragon Knight' and 'Saint Seiya' are both his works."

Many of Wan Muchun's company's products also originated from his ideas; I simply organized the workforce to turn his ideas into products.

Many people knew about these things, so Chen Fan didn't intend to keep it a secret. As long as people didn't know that half of these two companies belonged to him, the rest didn't matter.

Upon hearing her words, Mr. Huo was stunned. He turned to look at Chen Fan, speechless.

He simply couldn't connect the Blue Lotus painting with "Saint Seiya," yet these two completely unrelated works were both created by the same person.
Chen Fan laughed and said, "Don't stand there talking, sit down and chat."

Since the dishes were already prepared and were still warming in the steamer, there was no rush to eat.

Besides, it's not reasonable for guests to sit at the table as soon as they arrive.

Pulling out a chair for Mr. Huo to sit down, everyone else also took their seats.

Lin Yuanxiang smiled at Mr. Huo and said, "I invited you here today because there is a business matter between us."

After speaking, he looked at Chen Fan, indicating that he should speak for himself.

Chen Fan immediately said, "Nothing much, it's just that my cousin lamented the inconvenience of hotel accommodations in the mainland and is planning to invest in a five-star hotel in Shenzhen. She has already reached an agreement with provincial and municipal leaders, and the China Merchants Group is also interested in taking a stake."

However, I'm aware that Mr. Huo is currently investing in the White Swan Hotel and has some experience in this area, so I would like to invite you to invest.

He held up a hand, saying, "5 million US dollars, 10% of the shares, I wonder..."

Before he could finish speaking, Mr. Huo nodded and said, "Okay."

(End of this chapter)