Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 913 Debt Settlement with Goods

The selection results haven't been announced yet, and there hasn't been an award ceremony, but I already have the certificate in my hand. This is definitely an insider's privilege.

Chen Fan didn't stand on ceremony and put the certificate into his bag. Just as he buttoned it up, he suddenly remembered something, looked up at Chen Huangmei, and asked with wide eyes, "Old Chen, is there only one certificate?"

Chen Huangmei nodded and said, "How about I reward you with another big trophy?"

As the words fell, a large enamel mug was slammed onto the table.

Everyone else looked at Chen Fan with smiles on their faces.

Chen Fan blinked and pushed the enamel mug back with a look of disdain.

Then he rushed over to his side, pulled out a chair and sat down, asking, "Wait a minute, my suggestion was to make it a 'grand affair,' with not only certificates, but also trophies or medals, prizes or bonuses, and preferably a grand award ceremony."

He turned his head and looked around, "Why is there nothing here?"

This literary prize, which was established eight years earlier than its predecessor in history, was awarded seventeen years earlier, so the circumstances were naturally quite different from those in later periods.

When the selection rules were set two years ago, He Qingsheng asked Chen Fan for advice. Chen Fan then referred to the mature selection mechanisms of later generations and wrote a suggestion for him.

He wrote very clearly at the time that the selection would be held every two years, and the categories included nine major categories: novels, novellas, short stories, reportage, poetry, essays, theoretical criticism, literary translation, and drama scripts.

The judging committee members are selected each year, and in principle, at least half of the members on the list must not be the same as those in the previous year. For example, He Qingsheng was on the judging committee in the previous year, but not this year.

Members who join the judging committee will automatically withdraw from the selection process.

In other words, you can't award yourself.

It must be said that some members of the Writers' Association in later generations were indeed very confident, acting as both judges and contestants, and even winning awards...

To this end, Chen Fan proposed the establishment of a "Disciplinary Committee." The list of members would be randomly selected from the council of the Writers Association. Before the committee was established, no one would know the list, and the selection process would be kept confidential. Only after the selection was completed and the Disciplinary Committee issued a report on the validity of the selection would the list of members be announced.

As for the responsibilities of the Disciplinary Committee, it goes without saying that its main task is to supervise the selection process and has the power to correct any disputes, in order to eliminate "favoritism votes" to the greatest extent possible and avoid disputes.

Once the list of nominees is released, it will be valid only if the Disciplinary Committee and the Writers' Association Council issue stamped certificates to confirm its validity.

According to Chen Fan's understanding, the first selection process was basically carried out according to the set of rules he suggested.

However, his work was not included in the first edition, and I was too busy with work at the time, so I didn't pay much attention. I only heard that there was an awards ceremony, and I assumed that everything that followed was copied.

In other words, it involves holding an awards ceremony, presenting the winners with certificates, trophies or medals, and prizes, along with a few performances, and afterwards having a meal together so everyone can have some fun.

After the award ceremony, the selection results will be published in publications under the China Writers Association, such as "People's Literature," "Poetry Journal," and "Literary Gazette," as well as in the publications of various provincial associations, to demonstrate the fairness and authority of the award to the greatest extent possible.

This whole process, while not completely eliminating some underhanded tactics, can still prevent some minor issues from arising.

Especially as time goes on, there will be more and more people engaging in underhanded tactics, but by perfecting the system as much as possible, we can minimize the occurrence of such tactics or postpone the event.

But... this time, I only received an award certificate and that was it. What about the rest?

Seeing Chen Fan's puzzled expression, Chen Huangmei picked up his teacup, took a sip of water, and smiled at him, "Your suggestion is excellent and captures the essence of propaganda work. If you weren't so young and not an employee of the organization, I would really recommend you for a position in the propaganda department."

Chen Fan cupped his hands in thanks, "Thank you for your mercy, leader."

He then asked, puzzled, "You know it has a great positive publicity effect, so why not hold an awards ceremony?"

Chen Huangmei smiled and said meaningfully, "It's not that we can't hold it. There will still be an awards ceremony, but there won't be a cultural performance or the TV recording you mentioned that will be broadcast on TV."

He turned to look at the smiling, silent Elder Mao, then at the others, before turning back to Chen Fan and saying, "For a long time to come, our working principle will be to be solid and steady. Do you understand?"

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly. "To put it bluntly, I don't do things that show off."

Chen Huangmei nodded deeply, "That's exactly the point."

At this moment, Mao Lao coughed and looked at him, saying, "Literary and artistic work has a guiding nature, which determines that when we work, we must consider things carefully and repeatedly, and pay special attention to starting from the overall perspective."

The country is not yet wealthy, and there is a severe shortage of funds and materials in all aspects. Every move or action in the arts and culture sector can easily attract the attention of all sectors of society, and may even be imitated.

If our Writers' Association were to hold a celebratory banquet, organize cultural events, and lavishly commend outstanding individuals at this time, it would surely be imitated by many other organizations, and would easily lead to extravagance and waste, which would be detrimental to national development.

So...

Old Mao chuckled, took out a cigarette, tossed it to Chen Fan, and said with a smile, "It's not too late for us to adopt the second half of your suggestion when society develops, resources become abundant, and the people become wealthy."

Chen Fan blinked, reached for the cigarette, paused for two seconds, and couldn't help but grin, "After all, he's still the leader. He has such foresight. I admire him."

……

Chen Fan treated everyone to dinner at the magazine's canteen. However, since the leaders had brought their own food coupons, he only paid with cash, spending a little over ten yuan in total – quite extravagant. Well, there was no waste, because everyone strictly adhered to the "Clean Plate Campaign," leaving nothing behind.

After a satisfying meal, Chen Fan drove his minivan, made a few turns on the sparsely populated streets, and arrived at his home in Houhai.

By this time it was already dark, and the lights in the courtyard could be seen from outside the door.

According to their normal work schedule, Liu Juan and Ma Lan had already finished get off work and returned to their jobs.

Yes, I finish get off work at the Taoist temple and then come back to work in the Western-style courtyard.

They both receive two salaries, and if they do well, they get bonuses. Together, their monthly salary is over a hundred yuan, which is the highest in their family.

Yesterday, Chen Fan overheard Zhang Xuansong nagging, saying that both of their families were looking for suitable partners for them, but neither of them liked any of them, and they didn't know when they would be able to get married.

Chen Fan was so worried that he frowned, thinking that if they got married, where would he find suitable housekeepers?

Fortunately, when he asked them that evening, both of them firmly stated that they had not considered marriage in the past few years, which put Chen Fan at ease a little.

After all, it's not easy to find a domestic worker who is hardworking and trustworthy. In later generations, such high-quality nannies never circulate in the market. Once they find a homeowner, they will not let the nanny go unless the homeowner can't afford it. Most of them work for one family until they die, taking care of their sons and grandchildren, and they practically become one family.

Although people can be found and trained again after they leave, he didn't want to train a few and then have them run away; it was exhausting. Just as his thoughts were wandering, Liu Juan came out to open the door. As Chen Fan drove the car in, he said, "I'll ask Director Shen of the Yunhu Machinery Factory's Beijing office later if they have any automatic door equipment here. If they do, get a set over here; if not, have them send one from the head office."

The front doors at my home in Shanghai have already been renovated, but here we still have to open them manually. It's so outdated, it has to be changed.

Liu Juan responded with an "Oh".

She closed the door first, then said, "Brother Chen, Uncle Zhou is here."

Uncle Zhou?
Chen Fan's eyes darted around slightly. "You mean, Zhou Yali's father?"

Liu Juan nodded immediately, "Yes, he flew in from Guangzhou this morning. He first stopped at their company next door, then found the temple and met with Grandpa Zhang and the others. Grandpa Zhang then brought him here."

Chen Fan closed the car door, looked through the gate and walked inside, asking, "Are the three masters here too?"

Liu Juan nodded and followed, "They're all here. We prepared dinner at the temple and brought it back to eat. Since you said you wouldn't be coming back for dinner, they've already eaten and are now drinking tea and chatting."

In the time it takes to say a few words, Chen Fan is already standing at the door. He pushes the door open and goes in. The living room is half dark and half bright, with only the light on the tea table being on. The rest of the room is dim.

Chen Fan immediately pressed the switch, and all the lights in the living room came on.

The villa was already large, and he deliberately designed the first floor as a large open space without partitions. When the lights were on, it appeared even more spacious. With few decorations, it was empty and resembled a library lobby.

The group of people who were chatting all turned to look at him.

Zhang Xuansong yelled, "Why are you turning on so many lights? It's a waste of electricity."

Chen Fan put his backpack on the table, changed into a pair of slippers, walked over to the tea table, and said with a smile, "I only stay here for a few days a year, so it's not right for me to waste a little electricity."

Then she waved to Zhou Zhengdong and said, "Uncle, Jia said you were in Guangzhou for the Canton Fair. Are you done with your work there?"

As he spoke, he pulled out a chair and sat down. Just then, Ma Lan brought over a freshly brewed tea and placed it in front of him. "Brother Chen, this is freshly brewed, be careful it's hot."

The teaware and tableware used at home are all made of 7501 porcelain. Even if it is filled with freshly boiled water, it does not feel hot to the touch, but it is extremely hot to the taste. That is why she specifically gave this instruction.

Chen Fan smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

I just drank a lot of alcohol, and I'm not thirsty anyway, so I'll let it cool down a bit before drinking more.

After they finished speaking, Zhou Zhengdong smiled and said, "I'm almost done with the work. The rest can be handled by my subordinates. I heard you came to Beijing, so I came here to visit."

Chen Fan looked at him and smiled, "You seem to be in a good mood. Did you make a lot of money this time?"

Zhou Zhengdong chuckled and said, "Making a lot of money is a given. The most important thing is that through this Canton Fair, we've connected with relevant departments in the mainland. Once these deals are finalized, the profits will be endless."

Chen Fan couldn't help but feel a little strange. "Most of the products exported from the mainland now are primary products. Although these products are quite popular abroad and the profits are not bad, the biggest drawback is the low production volume. Even if we establish connections in the future, it's not worth you being so happy, is it?"

"You don't know this."

Zhou Zhengdong laughed again and said, "Actually, my participation in the Canton Fair this time was just a formality; many things were arranged in advance."

Hearing this, Chen Fan first frowned, somewhat puzzled. Then, a sudden thought flashed through his mind, and he said, "Settle the debt with goods?"

Zhou Zhengdong was slightly taken aback, looking at him in surprise, "How did you know?"

If she didn't tell him, her daughter didn't know, and neither did Ma Jiajia, then no one had told him. She only mentioned it was pre-arranged; how could he possibly guess?
"Is it true?"

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "You mentioned settling debts with goods. Right now, all those who owe you money are the provincial post and telecommunications bureaus or telephone bureaus, and going a little deeper, they are the provincial governments."

As far as I know, there is a severe shortage of foreign exchange across the country, especially for purchasing advanced equipment from abroad. Some places have even signed loan contracts with high interest rates.

The financing cost you provided for installment payments may seem high, but compared to current bank interest rates in Europe and America, it is actually quite low. Even the loan interest rates at smaller banks are higher than yours.

Therefore, instead of relying on foreign exchange earnings to repay debts, it would be better to use those earnings to import relevant goods. As for the money owed to you, it can be offset by the increased production. This way, at least we won't incur more foreign exchange interest.

Zhou Zhengdong nodded slightly and smiled, "Not bad, not bad, the analysis is very accurate. That's exactly the case. The places that asked me to pay in installments for the purchase of program-controlled switches have all adopted the same story this year, telling me they don't have the money to pay and asking if they can settle the debt with goods."

When I heard about settling debts in kind, I thought it was a good idea. Although the heavy industrial products in the mainland are not very good, the light industrial products, primary mineral products, and primary agricultural products are all very good and have a good reputation in the international market. Not only are they of good quality, but most importantly, they are not expensive.

Anyway, we have a trading company. It's easy to get these supplies and ship them out. We can also make a profit by reselling them, which is much more profitable than simply collecting money. Of course, I was happy to agree, so I agreed to their request without saying a word.

However, the mainland implements a foreign trade monopoly system, so even if the debt is settled in kind, the transaction process still has to go through the foreign trade company. This situation, where more than a dozen provinces are collectively exporting to a single customer, is something we have never encountered before.

After several rounds of consultations, everyone finally agreed to conduct the event within the framework of the Canton Fair, whose scale makes it easier to resolve such frequent large-scale trade issues.

For this reason, I rushed to Guangzhou in April and processed hundreds of procurement contracts. In the end, the total amount even exceeded the total accounts receivable for the year.

Their debts were all settled, and they even made a little extra money in dollars. I can earn even more by bringing the goods back to the United States, so it's a win-win situation for everyone.

After saying a lot, he picked up his teacup, took a sip, looked up, grinned, and said, "After I finished my work, I remembered what Ma Jiajia told me, so I came to find you."

What, besides PBX systems, you plan to continue your deep involvement in the communications field? Are you that optimistic about the pager business in mainland China?

Chen Fan smiled and was about to speak when Lin Yuanxiang, who was sitting next to him, asked curiously, "What is a pager? What is it used for?"

Even the usually composed Master Li Shangde raised his head, frowned, and muttered to himself, "Paging? Patrol? Is it for calling or for patrolling?"

Zhang Xuansong looked completely bewildered, glancing between Zhou Zhengdong and his beloved apprentice, his mind filled with questions.

Seeing the puzzled looks on the three old men's faces, Zhou Zhengdong laughed and looked at Chen Fan, saying, "Shall you explain or should I?"

Chen Fan smiled and said, "Let me do it."

He turned to look at Li Shangde and the other two, and said, "The pager is..."

After explaining, seeing that the three masters all seemed to understand, he turned to Zhou Zhengdong and said seriously, "We're going to make pagers and mobile phones too. You've come all this way here, are you planning to join in?"

(End of this chapter)