Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 879 Sharing
After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, and taking the opportunity to smoke, they chatted with An Quan about the details of An Quan's retreat from the limelight and his subsequent withdrawal from the limelight. It wasn't until the moon was high in the sky that Chen Fan, carrying the large suitcase given to him by Yu Keying, left with Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian.

Back home, Jiang Lili didn't even bother to wash up. She took off her coat and tossed it on the sofa, immediately opening the suitcase. Her eyes lit up, and she knelt down to touch it, exclaiming, "Wow, what a beautiful wedding quilt!"

Chen Fan handed the cotton coat to Jiang Tiantian, walked over and took a look, and couldn't help but laugh, "Heh, so it's Suzhou embroidery, they're quite generous."

Jiang Lili lifted up a quilt and unfolded it. On the red cloth, there were embroidered little babies with different expressions. Among them were dragons and phoenixes, as well as several people of all ages, men, women and children. It looked like a family taking care of the little babies, which looked very festive.

(Suzhou embroidery, One Hundred Children design)
Jiang Tiantian hung up the clothes and walked over. She looked at the wedding quilt that Jiang Lili was carrying and her eyes were full of smiles. "This is to encourage childbirth. The 'Hundred Children' picture is a good omen."

Jiang Lili blushed slightly, didn't respond to the topic, put down the wedding quilt, and picked up another one.

Chen Fan walked closer and looked at them, saying, "These traditional patterns such as 'double happiness' and 'lotus intertwining' are all made using the seed stitch technique in Suzhou embroidery. Each pattern node is made by hand by the embroiderer by wrapping three loops of silk thread, which can ensure that the threads will not come loose even after ten years of washing."

He then shook his head, "However, these kinds of wedding quilts are usually kept at the bottom of a trunk and are rarely taken out for use, let alone washed and ruined."

He picked up the "Hundred Children and Auspiciousness" quilt again and examined it. "The 'Hundred Children and Auspiciousness' quilt originated from a princess's dowry during the Southern Song Dynasty. It was later passed down to the common people and has always been one of the traditional embroidery patterns in Jiangnan. It represents reproduction and the continuation of the family, as well as the beautiful wishes for the peace, good fortune, and longevity of the descendants."

They really put their heart into it.

These exquisite Suzhou embroidery wedding quilts have always been sought-after items exclusively for export. It's rare that they were able to purchase a complete set and were even willing to give it as a gift.

Anquan and Yu Keying had already gotten married back in the Nanhu Commune. At that time, conditions were limited, so it was impossible to buy such a wedding quilt, and it was unlikely that it was a gift from their family. The environment at that time was not right; people valued frugality and simplicity and would not give their family such "luxurious" things.

As for those who had children last year, they wouldn't give such gifts; they would only give children's items like "tiger head blankets."

This wedding quilt was something they managed to buy, and they were saving it to give as a gift to an "important person".

Such a gift has both high practical and artistic value. It is presentable to anyone, whether in the present or in the future, and is considered one of the best items for building connections.

I'll ask him where he bought this set another day, and I'll buy two sets for myself as backup.

Well, it seems we don't need to go through all that trouble. Just call my uncle and place an order with the Wuxian Suzhou Embroidery Factory under the name of his trading company. Not to mention this kind of wedding quilt, we can even buy the legendary kesi (silk tapestry) in bulk.

And you don't even have to spend your own money!
Just do it.

Jiang Tiantian watched for a while, then went to make him some tea. Just as she was bringing the teacup over, she heard this and couldn't help but laugh, "You came to their door so aggressively asking for a gift, they had no choice but to bring out their best."

Chen Fan chuckled and didn't respond to her comment.

That's how it is between men; once the relationship is established, all formalities are set aside.

Of course, you have to be clear about what you can and cannot do. For example, when someone is single, it's okay to just barge into their bed, pull off the covers, or pull down their underwear. But once they're married, you can't just barge into their bedroom anymore. That's not just impolite, that's outrageous.

However, going to someone's door to ask for a gift is nothing unusual, especially with close friends; it's perfectly normal.

The security personnel can't be stingy with the supplies they provide. If they just throw in something like a wedding basin or a thermos to get by, then they don't know how to behave properly.

If he didn't have the means, Chen Fan wouldn't have complained if he used a wedding basin or a thermos as a gift. But since he had the ability, he had to bring out something good to show his sincerity.

Chen Fan was very satisfied with this gift. It was precious, showed his thoughtfulness, and did not disappoint their brotherhood over the years.

Jiang Lili flipped through it once, and together with her sister, they folded the wedding quilt again and put it in the box, to be washed and stored away when the weather was fine.

It was already late at night, so the three of them quickly washed up and studied for a while before finally resting in the middle of the night.

The next morning, Jiang Lili stayed home to continue reviewing her textbooks, while Chen Fan took Jiang Tiantian to the Shanghai Film Studio.

It was here that he met director Xie Jin for the first time.

Perhaps because Ba Jin had given advance notice yesterday, Director Xie was not surprised by Chen Fan's arrival. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he pulled Chen Fan aside to ask him about the situation in the Southwest.

Director Xie asked very detailed questions. If you haven't been there in person and paid attention to your surroundings, you're very likely to not be able to answer many of them.

However, none of these problems could stump Chen Fan.

The local customs and natural environment, the details of our army's operations, the enemy's treachery and cunning... and so on, as Chen Fan narrated, Director Xie felt as if he were there, and he took notes in most of his notebook.

As a result, Jiang Tiantian, the original author, could only listen from the sidelines, but she still learned a lot from it.

After figuring out the basic background information, Director Xie seemed to have just remembered the original author, and took out the thick script to discuss the details with Jiang Tiantian.

Chen Fan automatically disappeared and sat to the side smoking and drinking tea.

He would only chime in with a word or two when Jiang Tiantian was struggling to cope.

But every word he said was the finishing touch, which Director Xie deeply appreciated.

So, as they chatted, Jiang Tiantian involuntarily disappeared again.

Director Xie pulled Chen Fan aside and discussed everything from the script to the details of filming, even the character development, the appropriateness of the wording in certain lines, and the reasonableness of the actors' responses in certain scenes...

Chen Fan originally planned to stay here for half a day to discuss the script with Director Xie, answer some of his questions, and then go to find Ba Jin to get the list of young writers in the afternoon.

As a result, Director Xie kept them there, even having lunch and dinner at the office. They chatted until late at night, and only after all their questions were resolved did Director Xie let them leave.

Watching Chen Fan drive out of the factory gate, Director Xie sighed to the person beside him, "What a pity, he is ultimately a writer. If he could have focused on film work, he would undoubtedly be the next leading figure in my country's film industry."

The others exchanged glances, thinking to themselves, "Even without you saying it, just looking at the still-popular 'Monk Comes Down the Mountain' movie, it's clear that Director Chen's future achievements are limitless."

……

It took an extra day for Chen Fan to finally get the list of young writers from Ba Jin on the twelfth day of the first lunar month and February 27th.

Without further ado, Jiang Tiantian personally made a phone call and invited these people to the manor villa located on Huashan Road.

Zhou Zhengdong had already decided to give the house to Jiang Lili as a wedding gift for his eldest nephew, and even changed the name on the deed. Buying the house cost 500,000 yuan, and decorating it cost another 200,000 to 300,000 yuan—equivalent to the money Anquan had painstakingly saved for two years, even while living in fear, was simply given away for free.

Therefore, the magazine is currently using Jiang Lili's property.

Jiang Tiantian felt exceptionally confident working here.

Upon entering the manor gate, you will see a beautiful garden. The manor covers a total area of ​​18 acres. The main building is a Western-style house with an area of ​​more than 500 square meters. Its style is similar to the "Eros Garden" of the Shanghai Writers Association. It is mainly Western in style, but it is full of mythological atmosphere.

The villa is four stories high with a large rooftop terrace, and has a total floor area of ​​over 2000 square meters. It overlooks gardens in the front and back. To the rear of the main building, there are two annex buildings, which were originally the residences of bodyguards and servants. They have been restored to their original state and can be used as dormitories.

In addition, the large swimming pool in the front garden has been cleaned and all the facilities have been replaced. If it were summer now, you could turn on the sluice gate to fill the pool with water and then jump in for a few laps.

This is the scene that the dozen or so young writers saw at that moment.

Under Jiang Tiantian's personal guidance, after touring the "unit environment", they were taken to a conference room on the first floor of the main building.

This four-story main building is so large that most of the space is empty, and even the first floor is not fully occupied.

Several senior colleagues shared a spacious office. To make work easier, Jiang Tiantian abandoned the office that had been specially prepared for her and placed her own desk here instead.

So, does this magazine really only need one office?
Oh, and there's also the finance office, which is managed by a retired accountant recommended by Buffett. She was given a separate room, and she generally doesn't appear in other places unless necessary.

Chen Fan strolled around for a bit and bumped into Jiang Tiantian, who was walking briskly. He immediately looked up and said, "Why are you in such a hurry?"

Jiang Tiantian walked over quickly, glanced back, and seeing no one else, whispered, "What? I was looking for you. I've already shown them around, and now I've taken them all to the conference room."

Several veteran members of the editorial department have already gone there; they're just waiting for you.

Chen Fan pointed and said, "Then let's go."

"and many more."

Jiang Tiantian stopped him and whispered, "We registered two entities, one is a publishing house, and the other is a magazine. The magazine is under the publishing house, and then it's affiliated with the Shanghai Writers Association under the publishing house's name."

The problem now is that when I asked someone to help me register the organization, they directly used the names 'Shanghai Writers Association Affiliated First Publishing House' and 'Shanghai Writers Association New Magazine.' I've asked, and the names can be changed, but you have to give me the original names first."

Chen Fan blinked and looked at her, saying, "Haven't I already handed everything over to you? You can decide on the name yourself."

Jiang Tiantian pursed her lips, stared at him with wide eyes, and said, "I can handle things, but you expect me to come up with a name too?"

Chen Fan patted her shoulder and smiled, "I believe in you, you can definitely do it!"

Jiang Tiantian sighed, "Okay, okay, I'll try to think of something good."

She then pouted, looked up at him, and said, "If it doesn't sound good, don't blame me."

Chen Fan put his arm around her shoulder and walked forward, laughing, "Why are you blaming me? It's just a name. You can call it Cat or Dog. As long as the content is good and readers like it, Cat or Dog will sound quite natural when the magazine becomes famous."

Jiang Tiantian burst out laughing, "You're the one who's a cat or a dog."

She paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Okay, I'll think about it carefully and let you know when I've made up my mind."

Neither of them spoke after that, and soon they arrived at the conference room.

As soon as Chen Fan entered, before Jiang Tiantian could even introduce him, more than a dozen young writers stood up excitedly and spontaneously applauded. In an instant, the conference room erupted in applause.

Even the senior editors sitting in the back were inspired and stood up to applaud.

Chen Fan quickly raised his hands, pressed them down, and said loudly, "Thank you, thank you everyone for your kindness. I don't deserve it, I really don't deserve it."

A female writer clapped and shouted, "Writer Chen, you are a representative of our young people and a leader of the young literary force. This respect is well deserved."

As soon as he finished speaking, the applause grew even louder.

Chen Fan made a few more gestures and said modestly, "No, no, my achievements are all thanks to everyone's support. We are all part of the great garden of literature, let's work together."

After the applause finally subsided, he walked up to the podium and said, "Chief Editor Jiang has already explained the purpose of inviting everyone here today, hasn't he?"

Seeing that everyone nodded, Chen Fan continued, "Okay, then I won't waste any more time. Young people should be direct. Let's get straight to the point."

After a soft laugh, everyone below stared at him intently.

Chen Fan looked at them and said seriously, "The day before yesterday at the Shanghai Writers Association, I happened to see the members of the Young Writers Symposium taking a group photo. When I was talking to Mr. Ba about work, we talked about this."

Ba Jin repeatedly emphasized that literature and art belong to the younger generation, and we must prioritize the discovery and cultivation of young writers. On the one hand, we must adhere to high standards and requirements in literary works; on the other hand, we must also attach importance to supporting young writers.

He paused for a moment, then softened his tone and smiled, “I am also a young writer. I’m lucky to have gotten ahead of others and achieved a little success.”

This caused a slight commotion below.

However, everyone was very self-disciplined and no one spoke, waiting for him to continue.

Chen Fan smiled and said, "Master Ba asked me to share my experience in creative writing. I initially declined, after all, I'm not that old, and everyone here is older than me..."

Upon hearing this, the female writer who had spoken earlier couldn't help but exclaim loudly, "Ambition knows no age; a hundred years is wasted without ambition. Those who are accomplished are our teachers, and you are more than qualified to be our teacher."

The others nodded in agreement.

Chen Fan smiled and expressed his gratitude. After everyone quieted down, he continued, "Today I'd like to share some of my creative experiences with you, hoping they will be helpful."

(End of this chapter)