Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 877 Very Few
When I got home from the Writers' Association, it was already dark. Jiang Tiantian had also returned with the groceries and had just finished cleaning up and was preparing to cook dinner.

Seeing Chen Fan return on his bicycle, she quickly went over, took his coat from him, turned around to pour tea, and asked, "It's almost dark, where have you been?"

Chen Fan took the teacup she handed him, took a sip, and casually said, "I went to Ba Jin's place and also recruited a group of young writers for the publishing house. I'll give them some of the creative material I've collected and organized so they can write novels. That should be enough to keep the magazine afloat for more than half a year."

Jiang Tiantian was stunned. "Huh? You gave them the material to write?"

The next second, she couldn't help but feel anxious, "Those are all the hard work you put into collecting, how could you...?"

Chen Fan smiled and waved his hand, "It's not that bad."

He turned and walked to the sofa by the fireplace, picked up the phone on the small table next to him, dialed a few numbers, and said, "Of course I won't give out valuable material. What I give out is basically 'common material' that's not hard to find out, mainly stories about the three wars, and some observations about the current southwestern war."

These stories are valuable, and if written down, they would likely be quite popular.

However, its literary value is somewhat lacking.

The call connected, and Chen Fan gestured, holding the receiver as he said, "Hello, sister-in-law? Is Lao An there?"

On the other end of the line, Yu Keying said into the phone, "He's not back yet, he'll be here in a bit. Have you arrived in Shanghai yet?"

Chen Fan: "Yes, we arrived today. By the way, do you have any guests? It's the Lunar New Year, so you must have a lot of people visiting to offer New Year's greetings, right?"

Yu Keying said, "Don't you even know what day it is today? It's already the tenth day of the first lunar month. Who would come to our door now? Haven't you had dinner yet? You don't need to cook, just come over. I'm cooking anyway, I can just add a dish."

Chen Fan, "Really no one else?"

Yu Keying said, “Don’t even mention others, we don’t even have any family. It’s just the three of us. Even my mother-in-law went to her older brother’s house. Old Sister-in-law An is pregnant again, so I went to take care of her.”

Chen Fan: "Wow, the An family is thriving. Alright, in that case, we'll come over."

Yu Keying: "Come on, come on. How about it be just the three of you, Lili and Tiantian?"

Chen Fan: "Yes, three people."

Yu Keying: "Okay, then I'll cook more rice. I'll be waiting for you guys."

Chen Fan hung up the phone and smiled at Jiang Tiantian, "No need to cook today. Tell Lili to come down, let's go to Lao An's house for a meal."

Jiang Tiantian's eyes widened. "Going to their house at this time?"

Then he looked around and said, "I'll prepare some gifts."

Chen Fan waved his hand and said matter-of-factly, "No need. He came here safely without bringing anything, so why should he get to eat and drink for free while I get to benefit from it?"

Jiang Tiantian said irritably, "You two may be close, but it's Chinese New Year now, you can't be so inconsiderate. Anyway, don't worry about this, I'll handle it."

He then turned and went upstairs to call Jiang Lili down, and also to change his clothes.

A short while later, the two sisters came downstairs looking refreshed, each carrying a bag.

Jiang Lili held up the bag and shook it, then laughed, "I brought two pieces of clothing that I made myself for Sister Keying, and a small quilt. I originally planned to use it for afternoon naps in the summer, but it's also perfect for a child."

Chen Fan's face fell. "What a huge loss!"

Jiang Lili was stunned for a moment, "Huh?"

Jiang Tiantian said irritably, "Ignore him."

He then patted his sister's arm and said, "It's getting late, hurry up and change your shoes and let's go."

Chen Fan picked up his coat and put it on, muttering, "Why does he come to my place empty-handed, but I have to give so much when I go to his? I was supposed to be receiving gifts, but now I have to give them. I should have just not gone."

Then, looking at the two little monkeys staring at him expectantly, and the two raccoons dozing in front of the fireplace, he said, "Let's go, let's go over there and eat them out of house and home!"

Under the strange gazes of the two sisters, the monkeys and cats happily darted out, disappearing from the house in a flash.

Anquan's home is also located on Julu Road, on the same road as the Writers' Association. In comparison, it's even closer to the Writers' Association than Chen Fan's home. It's only 3 kilometers from his home, which isn't far at all.

Chen Fan drove and arrived at the destination in no time.

Before we even got close, we saw a van slowly driving into the yard.

He immediately honked the horn twice.

As Anquan was driving into the yard, he heard the horn and instinctively turned his head. He saw a familiar face, grinned, and shouted, "When did you get here?"

Chen Fan ignored him and gestured, "Hurry up and get to work."

Safety smirked, made a gesture, and quickly drove the car into the yard, making sure to drive it all the way to the back to leave plenty of space.

Chen Fan drove into the courtyard, got out of the car, and said to the security guard who had already come out, "Let me tell you, before the Lunar New Year, around the time of the Little New Year, my buddy got married. Hurry up and prepare a wedding gift."

As she spoke, she pointed to the bags that Jiang Tiantian and Jiang Lili were carrying, "They can't be less valuable than these things."

Then he pointed to two little monkeys and two raccoon dogs, "Otherwise, I'll eat your family out of business."

This threat has no deterrent effect whatsoever, and security is naturally ignored.

He stared blankly at Chen Fan, then at Jiang Lili, and pointed at the two of them with a look of astonishment, "You two are married?"

Jiang Lili blushed and nodded gently, greeting him with a smile, "Happy New Year, Brother An."

He then looked at Chen Fan, turned back and said, "It was a happy occasion before the New Year. Xiao Fan said he was afraid you would go back and travel a long distance, which would be too tiring, so he didn't inform you in advance."

Anquan glared at him and said, "What do you mean you're afraid I'll have to travel a long distance? He's the one who forgot!"

Chen Fan coughed twice, "Why can't you appreciate kindness?"

Watching the two of them undermine each other, the two sisters couldn't stop laughing.

Just then, the second-floor window was pushed open, and Yu Keying leaned out halfway. "I heard voices and guessed it was you guys. Come on up, what are you doing standing in the yard?"

Without even going inside, An Quan raised his head and pointed at Chen Fan, saying, "That bastard got married without even saying hello, and now he's asking for a wedding gift! How can anyone do that?!"

Chen Fan turned and walked into the house, saying, "Curse all you want, but you can't skimp on the gifts. If you don't give them to me, you'll have to move them yourself."

Going up the stairs from the first floor to the second floor, you reach the living room. The spacious living room is cluttered with various children's items, clearly indicating it was hastily tidied up. Against the wall, a small baby sits in a wooden walker, staring blankly at the stranger who enters.

(Old-fashioned wooden stroller/baby walker)
Chen Fan first ran to the kitchen to wash his hands, then came out and picked up the little girl, pinching her cheeks. "What's your name?"

The little girl didn't cry while being held; she just stared blankly at Chen Fan, "Ee-ya?"

Yu Keying was stunned. "Hey, Xiao Guai isn't crying?!"

At this moment, Anquan also came up and took the bags from the two sisters and put them aside. Seeing this, he immediately said, "I knew you were good with girls. My little darling never lets strangers touch her, she cries whenever anyone touches her, but you are the first stranger to hold her and she didn't cry."

Chen Fan picked up the little girl, walked to the sofa, sat down, and poked her little cheek. "Your name is Xiao Guai, can you talk yet?"

Little Guai didn't even blink, and reached out to grab his nose, making a "ee-ya" sound.

Yu Keying poured a few cups of tea and brought them over, saying with a smile, "She's only a little over a year old. She's just learned to say 'daddy' and 'mommy', but she can't say anything else yet."

Chen Fan let the little girl pinch his nose and said in a muffled voice, "If you can call me Dad and Mom, then you'll be able to speak soon."

Then, looking at the two sisters next to him, whose eyes were practically sparkling with hearts, he handed the little girl to them.

He then looked at the living room furnishings, clicked his tongue, and said, "An imported Panasonic TV and a Hitachi double-door refrigerator. Old An, you're living a good life."

Anquan walked over and sat down next to him, deliberately crossing his legs smugly and shaking them proudly. He looked around and said, "It's alright. We're only one step ahead of having an apartment building, electric lights, and a telephone."

As he spoke, he glanced at someone and said, "Compared to some corrupt officials, they're still slightly inferior. After all..."

He suddenly dusted off his trouser leg, sighed, and said, "We've made quite a bit, but some people have made even more, and it's foreign exchange, no less! They can buy any scarce commodity they want without restraint. Where can we even begin to reason with them?!"

Chen Fan glanced at him sideways, "A person should know their own limitations. Don't compare yourself to others in everything. Comparison is fine, but the key is to choose the right people. If you choose the wrong people, you're just asking for trouble, so why bother?!"

Anquan looked at him and suddenly let out a long sigh, "Long time no see, still as narcissistic as ever."

Chen Fan raised his eyebrows smugly, "It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature, and it's hard to give up natural beauty. There's nothing I can do about it."

The two looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Anquan took out a cigarette from his pocket, pointed to the balcony outside, and said, "Come on, let's go outside for a smoke."

Chen Fan glanced at the kitchen. "That works too. We can have a smoke and then eat."

He then got up, pushed open the door, and went out.

The living room balcony opens onto the street, and there's a staircase leading directly to the street. If they hadn't driven here, they would have entered from here.

This layout was designed and built by the British who lived here during the Republic of China era. No one knows why it was built this way.
Anquan lay on the balcony, lit a lighter, lit one for Chen Fan first, then lit one for himself, took a puff of smoke and said, "In this house now, we strictly follow the family hygiene rules you set. Everyone who smokes has to go outside, and we never let the children smell the smoke. Every time my dad comes to see his granddaughter, my mom makes him take a shower and change into clean clothes before he comes, just in case the smell of smoke on him bothers Xiaoguai."

Chen Fan nodded. "That's right."

Then he looked at him and said, "Smoking isn't a good thing either. If you can quit, you'd better quit. It'll give you at least a couple more years to live."

Anquan immediately replied, "That's impossible. Smoking damages your lungs, and not smoking damages your heart. I might have a heart attack as soon as I start quitting. Besides..."

He turned to look at Chen Fan, "Why don't you quit yourself?"

Chen Fan shrugged. "I'm a doctor. Doctors are the ones who advise patients to quit smoking and drinking, but they themselves resolutely refuse to quit."

Anquan was speechless and could only give him a thumbs up.

The two laughed. Chen Fan flicked his cigarette ash, looked at him, and said, "You'll graduate in two more years, right? I'm afraid you can only keep this career going for a little over a year at most?"

Anquan clicked his tongue and nodded, saying, "At most a year and a half, but I plan to let go after another year."

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow, looked at him without saying anything, and waited for him to continue.

Anquan let out a long breath and shook his head. "As the scope of our business expands, the waters here become increasingly murky."

He turned to look at Chen Fan, gestured towards the living room with his eyes, and laughed, "You saw it just now, this house, and the high-end appliances inside, are just the tip of the iceberg that I've shown you."

He patted his pocket and whispered, "There's much, much more hidden away. It'll scare you to death if I told you."

He silently took a drag of his cigarette, sighed, and said, "I've tried to take as little as possible, distributing the vast majority of the profits to agents at all levels, and the remainder goes mostly to those above me. Even so..."

He held out a hand, looking at Chen Fan, but there was no smile in his eyes. "A minimum of 50,000 yuan a month, and in the month before the Lunar New Year, I received more than 200,000 yuan."

"Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad. I'm truly living in constant fear now, afraid something bad will happen one day."

Chen Fan grunted twice, exhaled a long breath, looked down at the street with only a few scattered pedestrians, and chuckled softly, "Not many at all."

Anquan stared at him wide-eyed. "Isn't that enough?"

He quickly looked back and then lowered his voice, "I didn't dare tell Keying the truth. I only told her that I could earn several thousand yuan a month, and that scared her half to death."

Do you know how much a worker earns in a month? 50 yuan is considered a senior worker, many newcomers only earn 30 yuan a month, and there are many more educated youth who have returned to the city and have no income, waiting to be assigned to work.

But I have over 700,000 yuan in cash hidden in my possession. Do you think I'm scared?!

Chen Fan looked at him, reached out and patted his shoulder, took a puff of his cigarette, and said with a smile, "Don't you even know what kind of business your work-study alliance is doing? Now, not to mention the whole of Shanghai, half of the defective products from Shanghai's major light industrial factories are sold through your hands, right?"

Seeing that Anquan nodded, Chen Fan continued, "How big is this operation? Even if only a little oil leaks from it, it will be a huge problem."

"After working for over a year, you've only managed to hide a little over 700,000 yuan. That's a very small amount; I thought you had a million or two."

Hearing this, An Quan was speechless. "Dare I?!"

He then hummed twice and said in a low voice, "Only a rich man like you would think that seven hundred thousand is a very small amount. Anyway, I'm terrified."

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "It's not a question of whether you dare to or not, but rather that some people will think that way because you hold such a huge net in your hands."

Anquan pursed his lips, let out a long sigh, gazed at the end of the street, and chuckled, "So I'm walking on thin ice right now, but I can't just let go right away..."

He paused for a moment, then sighed and said, "Now I just hope that the next year can be a smooth transition, and then I can find a way to get out of here unscathed without affecting the income of the students who are participating in the work-study program."

(End of this chapter)