Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 856 A good atmosphere is enough
Offerings were made, paper money was burned, incense was lit, and lamps were lit. Each person kowtowed several times.

Finally, light a string of firecrackers, and the New Year's Eve celebration is complete.

I drove home, and the next step was to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner.

The old house always kept plenty of food supplies, and there was a large fish tank in the backyard. However, due to the heavy snow these past few days, the ice in the tank was more than ten centimeters thick. Chen Fan poked it open and saw that it was empty underneath, so it must have been moved away.

No problem, I brought some vegetables and fresh fish with me yesterday, enough for a New Year's Eve dinner.

At Yunhu's New Year's Eve dinner, there are a few indispensable dishes. First is the New Year's fish, symbolizing abundance year after year; this is only for display and not for eating. Second is tofu, representing a person's integrity and honesty. As for the other dishes, there are no special rules.

Today, Jiang Lili is still the head chef, with Jiang Tiantian assisting. As darkness fell, a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner was ready.

Zhou Zhengdong sat in the main seat, with Zhao Wanru and Zhou Yali on his right, and Chen Fan and the other two on his left.

Chen Fan looked at him and smiled, "Uncle, can you say a few words?"

Zhou Zhengdong didn't stand on ceremony. He looked around and said with emotion, "From childhood to adulthood, every year during the Spring Festival, we had to set up so many tables that there weren't enough seats..."

He turned to look at Chen Fan, his expression changing. "However, if we only consider blood relatives, today's meal has the largest number of people in decades. Everyone here is family; there isn't a single outsider."

Without saying much about sadness, he suddenly waved his hand, raised his wine glass, and said with a smile, "I wish the Zhou and Chen families prosperity and longevity."

Everyone else raised their glasses to drink together. After finishing her soda, Zhou Yali didn't forget to feed her little brother a mouthful of milk from the bottle.

Jiang Tiantian sat at the end of the table. She was a little nervous about attending such a formal family gathering, but she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her uncle didn't treat her like an outsider.

But then I thought about it again and it didn't feel right.

The implication of what he just said was that he considered her part of the Chen family as well, so... what does that mean?
My heart, which had just settled down, suddenly jumped again.

She glanced at her uncle again, only to see him looking perfectly normal, clinking glasses with Chen Fan without any apparent change in expression. She realized she had been overthinking things. When Jiang Lili approached her to speak, she dismissed her thoughts and stopped thinking about it.

Not long after they started eating, Zhou Yali suddenly ran to the side, turned on the TV, and shouted at Chen Fan, "Brother, is there a variety show today? Which TV station is it?"

Chen Fan grunted twice, then looked up and shouted, "CCTV, I don't know if other channels will broadcast it, find one with better clarity first."

No matter how capable or wealthy Chen Fan is, his family's television can only receive three channels: CCTV, Jiangnan TV, and Yunhu TV. Unlike Shanghai, where other channels can be received, even though Shanghai TV receives the signal and then rebroadcasts it, he can still receive them.

Yunhu TV isn't that great. It's considered good if it can receive signals from CCTV and Jiangnan TV. Their own TV station, apart from a 15-minute news program every day, broadcasts content from those two stations during the rest of the time. Jiangnan TV's operation isn't much different. Although it has more self-produced programs than Yunhu TV, it's still limited.

Therefore, he suspected that the program would be the same no matter which channel it was broadcast on.

"Then let's go with Yunhu Terrace."

Zhou Yali immediately transferred to Yunhu TV station to watch the gala.

At this time, the TV was still showing the news, which was full of stories about leaders being very busy and spending the New Year everywhere. Chen Fan and his companions didn't pay any attention and continued eating and waiting.

Finally, at 7:20, the news broadcast ended, the TV screen was blank for a few seconds, and then a video appeared.

Watching the scene on TV—a northern landscape, with people bundled up against the cold, carrying shopping baskets and buying things in stores—Zhou Yali was stunned. "Huh? Isn't this a gala?"

Zhou Zhengdong and Zhao Wanru didn't care much; what kind of parties hadn't they seen? What really captivated them were the vivid scenes of life in the North on the screen.

He immediately put down his wine glass and stared intently at the television. "This one is pretty good too."

Zhou Yali pouted, "But my younger brother will be performing at the party."

Chen Fan waved his hand casually and laughed, "No rush, this should just be the prelude to the party. Just relax and watch."

Regular television programs don't focus on the lives of ordinary people. In such a short time, why would they focus on ordinary people if they don't prioritize reporting on the important affairs of leaders?
Such scenes are only filmed during holidays and festivals to demonstrate how stable and prosperous society is.

Look at the footage: the streets are bustling with people, the shops are filled with a dazzling array of goods, all of which are festive items. The bicycles in the shop windows are neatly arranged, and the clothes are stylish and trendy, as if they belong to a completely different world from what people on the street are wearing.

The counter was piled high with candies and pastries, and the sales clerks, wearing white hats, white coats, and masks, had enthusiastic smiles on their faces as they skillfully packed up the items for customers... This part was a bit unbearable; the staged nature of the photos was too obvious.

Even Chen Fan had never encountered such an enthusiastic salesperson when shopping at the mall. What kind of smile couldn't be hidden even by a mask?!
After filming in the north, the camera pans to Shanghai.

Even Zhou Yali realized at this point that this must be a special program for New Year's Eve, and it was definitely going to be a gala.

Everyone quieted down, their eyes glued to the television, and no one spoke.

On TV, the streets of Shanghai looked very clean, as it hadn't snowed recently. The streets were bustling with people, making it seem particularly lively.

As usual, I filmed a few shops, but suddenly the scene changed. It turned out to be a photo studio, where an experienced photographer was taking pictures of a newlywed couple.

The old man held the camera's pneumatic shutter release cable in his hand, smiling as if the newlyweds taking the photos were his son and daughter-in-law, even happier than the newlyweds themselves.

(The air hose in the old master's hand is the air shutter release cable for a camera, also called a blow-up balloon.)
The newlyweds were quite fashionable; the bride wore a white wedding dress, and the groom wore a suit, exactly the same as the billboard in front of the photo studio Chen Fan had seen before.

It seems that wearing suits and wedding dresses for wedding photos is now a popular trend in Shanghai.

Zhou Yali suddenly turned to Chen Fan and asked, "Brother, you were talking about taking wedding photos?"

Chen Fan looked at her and said, "I took pictures of you too. I've just been too busy these past few days, and there's no darkroom in Lujiawan, so the photos haven't been developed yet. I'll show them to you when they're ready."

Zhou Yali was a little dizzy. How was this filmed? I didn't see it.
Zhou Zhengdong was also a little curious, "When did you take this? I didn't see it?"

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "The camera is in my pocket. I take it out and take a few pictures whenever I see an interesting scene."

Then, looking at Jiang Lili, he said, "As for the photos of Lili and me, they were taken separately."

Jiang Lili blushed and lowered her head, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Jiang Tiantian next to her was even more embarrassed than her, because she was also there when taking pictures. She not only took pictures with Chen Fan alone, but also took several group photos of the three of them. At the time, it didn't seem like a big deal, but now that she thinks about it, she really blushes.

When Zhou Zhengdong saw that he had taken the photos, he didn't say anything more. Anyway, he had taken the photos himself and felt they were pretty good. He would keep them for himself when they were developed.

On TV, the camera gave the newlyweds a few seconds of close-up, then switched to the hair salon.

The barbershop was packed, with many people waiting nearby. Even their hairstyles were uniform—a standard three-seven part. The barbers were even thoughtfully using hairdryers to style their hair, though it was unclear how long that would last. Even more popular than the men's barbershop was the "women's exclusive" perm area, where barbers were diligently working on the women's heads, wrapping their hair with curling irons, seemingly unfazed by the effort.

Then they showed a few clips of exquisite goods in shop windows, which, apart from making people marvel at how amazing Shanghai is, served no other purpose.

Because those things can't be bought anywhere else except in Shanghai and Beijing.

Unlike in later generations, when a product becomes a hit and sells out globally in an instant.

Then came scenes of children at amusement parks and youth centers. A long "behind-the-scenes" segment followed... well, actually, it wasn't very long, less than ten minutes in total.

If you've never been to Beijing or Shanghai, you'll probably enjoy this part; it's like you've indirectly broadened your horizons.

But for Chen Fan and Zhou Yali, it was a bit boring.

But the main event hadn't started yet; instead, it introduced the neon-lit Shanghai cinemas and Shanghai filmmakers.

It's normal for this to be included in a gala event that's a collaboration with Shanghai filmmakers.

As soon as the grand house at 395 Wukang Road came into view, Chen Fan immediately said, "Let's begin."

The others glanced at him, then at the television. Jiang Lili asked curiously, "Where is this? Shanghai TV?"

Because she was busy with final exams and preparing for her wedding after returning, she hadn't asked Chen Fan about the party yet. She only knew that he had recorded a program in Shanghai, and nothing else.

Chen Fan immediately laughed and said, "That's the Shanghai Film Actors Troupe's residence. This gala was recorded there. The format wasn't very formal; it was more like a tea party. There were no audience members; all the audience members were also actors who would go on stage to perform."

Zhou Zhengdong nodded slowly, "Then it's like an internal party for the arts and culture community. It might be a little less exciting than a formal performance, but the atmosphere should be better and more suitable for a family reunion like New Year's Eve."

Chen Fan nodded without saying anything, just watching the television.

On the television, the actors began to enter, accompanied by the background music of "Jiangnan Hao".

The clothes they were wearing were everyday clothes, unlike in later generations, where people of all ages and genders would dress up for any event that would be on camera.

However, compared to the clothing worn by ordinary people in the previous scenes, the costumes worn by these actors were a level higher.

If we were to rank fashion in order, it would be roughly as follows: those in rural areas are smaller than those in cities, those in cities are smaller than those in Beijing and Shanghai, then ordinary people are smaller than those on camera, and those on camera are smaller than these actors.

Only families in Lujiawan who owned their own clothing factory and were wealthier than most city dwellers could afford to wear the beautiful clothes produced by their factory and compete with these actors.

The meaning of "to compete" is that one's appearance and temperament are not as good as these actors, but one's clothes are slightly better.

Who could blame them when all the clothes produced by the Lujiawan Garment Factory, from down jackets to cotton-padded coats, from overcoats to trousers, were designed by Jiang Lili?

With the sense of style personally cultivated by Chen Fan, Jiang Lili's designs are far superior to even the most aesthetically pleasing products of the current era.

What's more, some actors are just too careless. The one who just walked past the camera, I'm talking about you, was wearing a military overcoat that wasn't even half new, and he just wobbled past.

It can only be said that older comrades these days really don't care about appearances.

Upon arriving at the party venue, people didn't stand on ceremony and gathered in small groups to sit down.

Then, the party began.

Seeing that the actors were still being introduced, Jiang Lili glanced at the leftover food on the table, quickly got up, went into the room and brought out several bags. These were sunflower seeds and peanuts that she had prepared in advance, as well as pine nuts that she had bought by contacting the Jilin Hunting Team.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Tiantian didn't sit idle either. She immediately gathered the bowls and plates on the table, took a rag, and circled the table a few times to clean it up.

Zhou Yali had just handed her younger brother to her mother, rolled up her sleeves to help, and then stood there dumbfounded, wondering, "What can I do?"

Zhou Zhengdong glanced at her, then curled his lip in disdain, "You can eat a lot."

Zhou Yali's face fell. "Dad, it's the New Year, can you please say less?"

Zhou Zhengdong was silent for two seconds, then said, "If you were more perceptive, I would say less."

Zhou Yali couldn't help but grit her teeth, and sat down angrily, heading to get the bag that Jiang Lili had placed on the table.

At this moment, Jiang Lili brought over two platters of dried fruit and quickly said, "Sister Yali, use these to hold the dried fruit."

Chen Fan covered his face and laughed wildly, "As expected, you have no sense of propriety."

Zhou Yali narrowed her eyes, grabbed a peanut, and threw it at him, saying, "Serves you right for talking too much."

Amidst laughter, Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian had already prepared the fruit platter and poured several cups of tea before sitting down again to watch TV quietly.

On TV, people sang, talked, and those who could play two instruments all took to the stage, each showing off their unique talents.

Zhou Zhengdong and his group were watching with great curiosity, while Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian were ordinary people of this era with little entertainment, so they were naturally engrossed in watching as well.

Only Chen Fan, who had experienced the bombardment of entertainment in later generations and personally experienced the baptism of art in this life, found it utterly boring.

He propped his chin up with one hand, leaned against the table, and idly cracked sunflower seeds.

It's not that these actors' performances were bad; from a professional point of view, they were quite good, and basically all of them were up to the standard for performing on stage.

But, how should I put it, there are no masters, you understand?

Now, Chen Fan is a true master of musical instruments. When he watches these actors' performances, it's like a professional mentor judging them on a talent show.

The young talents this year are quite average.

Oh, and there's someone doing a sword dance, why is he laughing?
Zhou Zhengdong and his group seemed to enjoy it quite a bit, and Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian were laughing from ear to ear. It wasn't very professional or exciting, but the atmosphere was great, and that was enough.

The programs went by one by one, and then suddenly the camera flashed, and Chen Fan's figure appeared on the TV.

The family immediately sat up straight. Zhou Yali stood up and pointed at the TV, shouting, "Brother, brother, brother's out!"

(End of this chapter)