Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 860 is quite a topic!
Today's airplane meal was pretty good; it wasn't skimped on just because it's Chinese New Year. It was an aluminum lunchbox with luncheon meat, hot dry noodles, and a boiled egg.

Chen Fan was quite satisfied with the airplane food, but unfortunately some foreigners didn't like it and insisted on eating bread. As a result, the bread was rejected by his superiors because some places didn't make it authentic, and people would eat one bite and then drop two.

So, Maxim's Hong Kong should be negotiating with mainland companies about setting up a joint venture airline food factory right now?
It's quite pitiful, really. Beijing Airlines wanted to open international routes, but foreign airlines made demands that they provide in-flight meals that meet their standards. If the standards weren't met, the international routes wouldn't be opened.

Yes, this refers to direct flights between China and the United States.

Although the first real direct flight route between China and the United States will not be opened until January next year, how can such an ultra-long-distance route not be arranged for trial flights in advance?
That's why this international route has become so troublesome.

Adhering to the bottom line of not backing down on matters of principle while satisfying minor issues, the Civil Aviation Administration naturally agreed to the US demands.

And to be honest, their demands are not unreasonable. International civil aviation has its own rules, and if you want to join, you have to follow their requirements.

At that time, there were foreign airlines entering the domestic market. For example, Benjamin Airlines, which flew to the UK, and Swiss International Air Lines, which flew to Europe, were among the best and most likely to cooperate successfully.

Based on the principle of choosing the nearest option rather than the far one, the Civil Aviation Administration first approached Xiaoben Airlines.

However, the condition proposed by the Japanese was that, under any circumstances, the Japanese planes must be given priority for take-off and landing at domestic airports.

The Civil Aviation Administration officials got up and left without saying a word, leaving only two words: "No discussion."

They then approached Swiss International Air Lines, but the terms offered by Swiss International Air Lines weren't much better.

Building an airline food station would cost approximately $400 million, which they could provide, but at a high interest rate.

In addition, they want half of the food company's profits!
How could the Civil Aviation Administration possibly agree to such stringent conditions?

Otherwise, wouldn't that be like being ripped off and working for someone else for nothing?

Neither one nor two options worked, and after much back and forth, people from various departments were trying to find a solution for the airline food factory.

At this time, Wang Kuang, the director of Xinhua News Agency in Hong Kong, thought of someone: Wu Zhande, the owner of Maxim's Company in Hong Kong.

Old Wu is a talented and dedicated person. Plus, Maxim's is a leading company in Hong Kong's food industry and is no stranger to airline food. You can't go wrong by contacting them.

It turned out that they had indeed made the right choice.

After a period of negotiations, Maxim's Group, disregarding short-term gains and losses, successfully obtained the joint venture qualification for Beijing Aviation Food Factory.

This led to the establishment of the first joint venture in China, "Beijing Air Catering Company".

Chen Fan ate luncheon meat and hot dry noodles, took a sip of Moutai, and also found a few pieces of roasted smoked sausage and cured meat from the gifts given by his fellow book lovers on the same flight. He enjoyed a delicious meal.

While enjoying the delicious airplane meal, Chen Fan was thinking that at this point in time, the first joint venture should be established soon.

Zhou Zhengdong was unaware that another record was about to be set. He finished eating the noodles in his lunchbox, wiped his mouth, and said, "China and the United States are negotiating direct flights. The plan is for Pan Am to operate the first direct flight on May 1 this year."

For such a long distance, there will definitely be airplane food, and it will be a substantial meal. I just wonder if it will be Western or Chinese food?

After taking the last sip of wine, Chen Fan poured the remaining half-bottle of Moutai into his small wine flask, smirked, and said, "Given the Americans' sense of superiority, it will definitely be Western food. I guarantee there won't be any surprises."

Zhou Zhengdong clicked his tongue and nodded, saying, "That's actually quite possible."

He then shook his head and sighed, "Unfortunately, my influence only has some effect in the trade field; the aviation field has absolutely nothing to do with me."

Chen Fan put down the small wine flask and the remaining empty Moutai bottles. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I heard that the Civil Aviation Administration is negotiating with the US to build an airline catering center in Beijing. The Americans trust the quality of US airlines. If the US doesn't lose its mind, it might actually be possible to build it."

Zhou Zhengdong was a little puzzled. "If it's built, it's built. Little Ben Airlines is currently the airline with the highest customer satisfaction in the world. Cooperating with them won't be a loss for the mainland. But this matter has nothing to do with us, right?"

The Zhou family has no business in the food industry. If one has to say what they are related to, it is that they own a food factory in Lujiawan.

However, the requirements for airline food are very high.

Putting aside other things, take the luncheon meat with hot dry noodles and a boiled egg that I just ate as an example. Although it tastes good, it does not actually meet international airline meal standards.

The primary standard for airline meals is hygiene and safety. So, does the sesame paste in those hot dry noodles have a certificate of conformity? And what about those noodles that are all stuck together? Should I stir them or not?

The cooked food produced by the Lujiawan Food Factory might be acceptable for domestic routes, but it would probably be far from adequate for international routes.

Anyway, they still haven't received the sanitary permit to export to the United States.

Zhou Zhengdong stated that it wasn't that his law firm was ineffective, but rather that the US side was too inefficient and had too many concerns about cooked food from the mainland.

He could only say that it was unknown when he would receive it.

They don't even have export qualifications, let alone be able to board international flights.

So why did my nephew bring this up?
Chen Fan glanced at him, hummed twice, and muttered, "Uncle, if this is true, whether it's a joint venture with a small airline or some other company, don't you think the first joint venture in China will be established soon?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengdong's eyes lit up, and he immediately slapped his thigh, "Young people are so smart. I'll call the Beijing office as soon as I get off the plane."

I wasn't in the first joint venture, but surely there's hope for the tenth, the hundredth, right?!

Chen Fan grinned and chuckled, "Then don't worry, there will definitely be an opportunity."

He glanced around and whispered, "The first one is usually special, but once there's a precedent, it's easier to follow. However, there aren't many companies that are optimistic about the mainland and dare to invest directly there these days."

Just like the negotiations with the civil aviation food factory this time, I suspect that small airlines will seize this opportunity to propose some outrageous conditions.

Because they lack confidence in the mainland, they don't have a positive outlook on the project itself; they only think about using the project to make some profits from the mainland.

Similarly, there certainly won't be many companies interested in joint ventures with mainland companies at the beginning. Are you even talking about the tenth or the hundredth?

Believe it or not, if you act quickly enough, the second and third companies might just be yours.

By the way, does anyone know what the second joint venture was after the reform and opening up?

Anyway, Chen Fan had never heard of it. Now there is hope. Is it Shenglongchang, or something else?
In Zhou Zhengdong's vision, the plane arrived at Shenyang Dongta Airport on time, and landed smoothly with a whoosh.

Once the plane came to a complete stop, the boarding stairs connected to the cabin door, and the flight attendant opened the door to bid farewell to the passengers. Chen Fan and his group, who were sitting in the first row, were among the first to leave.

He carried the bag containing the gifts everyone had given him, turned around and waved, "Happy Chinese New Year, comrades! We'll meet again someday."

Dozens of people waved goodbye to him, saying, "Happy New Year, Writer Chen."

"Writer Chen wishes you a Happy New Year and good health to your family."

"See you again if fate allows, see you again if fate allows."

……

Actually, Writer Chen is quite willing to interact with these fans, but the time is too short, and it's all on a plane. He doesn't have any need for it right now, otherwise, he would have already put it in the "VIP Book Club" in some corner of a bookshelf, where there would probably be dozens more messages.

Let's leave it at that for now. Let's just be friends peacefully. If we're destined to meet again, we'll meet again in the world of martial arts. If not, let's forget each other in the world of martial arts.

Chen Fan handed the bag to Jiang Lili, while he carried the cage containing two gyrfalcons. The others behind him also got off the plane with bags and packages.

As soon as they landed on the ground, they walked a short distance before several people approached. Judging from their clothes and their spirits, anyone could guess that they were officials.

Chen Fan turned to look at Zhou Zhengdong, who happened to be looking over as well. The two exchanged a smile before looking at the group of people.

The man at the front was about forty years old, wearing a thick dark blue cotton coat. He smiled even before he got close, and when he got a little closer, he said loudly, "Hello Mr. Zhou, hello Writer Chen, I am Sun Ruihe from the Provincial United Front Work Department, and I am in charge of receiving overseas compatriots."

I received the news before the Lunar New Year that Mr. Zhou was going to take his whole family back to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors. Our unit leaders attached great importance to this and specially assigned me to be in charge of receiving them.

In the past year or two, Zhou Zhengdong has spent quite a bit of time in China, so he's long been used to this kind of scene. He immediately extended his right hand to shake hands and said with a smile, "Thank you, Comrade Sun and the other comrades, for coming to pick me up at the airport. I'll be troubling you all for the next few days."

Chen Fan was carrying two cages, so it wasn't convenient to shake hands. He just smiled and nodded.

At this moment, another middle-aged comrade stepped forward and smiled at Chen Fan, "Hello, Vice Chairman Chen, I am Ye Yanshan from the Municipal Federation of Literary and Art Circles. I was sent by the leadership to pick you up at the airport."

The leaders are currently waiting at the office. If it's convenient for you, they will come to visit in person later.

Without waiting for Chen Fan to speak, he pointed to the small jeep next to him and said, "I see that it's inconvenient for you to have luggage. Why don't you get in the car first? We can talk about it when we get to the hotel."

Chen Fan and Zhou Zhengdong had no problem with each other. After exchanging a few polite words, they put their luggage away and got into the car with the help of other staff members.

There was a little hiccup here; neither of the two gyrfalcons wanted to stay in the cage any longer and started chirping and trying to negotiate with Chen Fan.

Since they had already gotten off the plane, Chen Fan granted their small request, opened the cage, and under everyone's watchful eyes, the two birds waddled out, then spread their wings and soared into the sky.

The two cages couldn't be thrown away, so they entrusted a staff member to store them at the airport before everyone got into their cars and headed to the Liaoning Hotel.

It's been almost two years since I last visited, but this century-old establishment remains the best hotel in Shenyang.

After settling into the hotel, several relevant provincial leaders arrived upon hearing the news.

Several people from the United Front Work Department and the Commerce Department met with Zhou Zhendong and Zhao Wanru in a conference room.

The leaders from the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the Writers Association, and the Musicians Association, along with the leaders from the provincial and municipal armed forces departments, found another meeting room and had a long chat with Chen Fan.

The main focus, of course, is "The Bloodstained Glory".

However, when Chen Fan told them that Shanghai Film Studio had signed Jiang Tiantian's work "Where the Flowers Bloom" and would make it into a movie within the year, and that this song was the theme song of the movie, they immediately became interested.

Although this is Shenyang, not Changchun, and the Liaoning Film Studio isn't as prestigious as the Changchun Film Studio, they still have a desire to improve.

Who doesn't envy Jiangying Film Studio now that it has turned its fortunes around?

If Jiangxi Film Studio can take off, why can't Liaoning Film Studio? Besides, does Jiangxi Film Studio have the money, manpower, and equipment that Liaoning Film Studio does?
However, the timing wasn't right, and some things were difficult to say. The leaders of the Federation of Literary and Art Circles exchanged glances and reached a tacit understanding.

This is something to talk about!
But let's talk about writer Chen first.

After the two sides finished their discussions, these organizations joined together in the afternoon to host a welcome banquet at the hotel, fully demonstrating the hospitality of the people of Northeast China.

To be honest, some people who go to Northeast China after the new century may not be able to experience the warmth of the people there. But before the 80s, the people in Northeast China were incredibly warm and welcoming. Sometimes, if you met a stranger on the street and had a good chat, you could take them to a restaurant for a few drinks.

Actually, there's nothing to it; the economic base determines the superstructure. Back then, Northeast China was incredibly wealthy!

The food, drinks, and entertainment options here are comparable to, if not more abundant than, those in Beijing and Shanghai.

With plenty of money in their pockets, they have more confidence, so it's no wonder they're hospitable.

So, in front of so many hospitable Northeasterners, even with Chen Fan's great skills, he was completely drunk.

Zhou Zhengdong had originally planned to go through the ancestral worship ceremony today to see if there were any oversights, but that plan also fell through.

Alright, another day wasted. I'll deal with it tomorrow.

……

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, I traveled from Yunhu to the provincial capital, flew to Shenyang on the third day, and the next day was the fourth day of the Lunar New Year.

The day for the ancestral worship ceremony was set for the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. Zhou Zhengdong woke up in the morning, calculated the date, and became anxious.

He quickly washed his face and brushed his teeth, skipping breakfast, before picking up the phone and dialing Chen Fan's room. "Hey, are you up yet?"

Chen Fan not only got up, but also washed his face and brushed his teeth. He exercised in his room for half an hour before going to the restaurant for breakfast.

Unfortunately, the two sisters were pulled away by Zhou Yali to discuss what hairstyles to wear.

In Northeast China, don't people always wear hats in winter? What's the point of having a nice hairstyle?

(End of this chapter)