Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 931 Find something to do
July 1st, Tuesday, the 7th day of the fifth lunar month.

These days, temperatures haven't soared yet. Even in July, the temperature isn't high, especially in the mornings. People who are sensitive to the cold might need to wear a jacket.

However, Master Chen doesn't need to worry about that. He is immune to both heat and cold, so as long as the weather isn't too cold, wearing less clothing won't attract attention.

He woke up in his first-class bed before the Dongfanghong ship even docked.

Theoretically, he wasn't qualified to stay in first class, but since Writer Chen was a celebrity, he didn't even need to show his ID. Just by showing his face, the captain immediately made arrangements for an upgrade—an upgrade was a must!
Then he slept soundly in the rarely occupied first-class cabin.

After getting up, I first went to a place to wash up, then went to the restaurant for breakfast, and also greeted the captain and the others.

After returning and packing my luggage, I waited to disembark.

This time, he didn't drive himself back to the provincial capital; instead, he took a passenger ship. He boarded the ship in the evening, ate something, took a shower, and then went to bed. The ship arrived at the provincial capital's dock early the next morning, just in time.

I'm always in a rush, always having something to do here or there. Wherever I go, I either fly or drive myself, all for the sake of speed.

As a result, I stayed in Lujiawan for more than a week and seemed to have become a bit lazier.

I don't even want to drive anymore. How can driving myself be as comfortable as sleeping?

There's no doubt about it; you have to travel by boat while lying down.

Of course, the car wasn't stolen. A day in advance, we asked the transportation department of Yunqi Factory for help, and they transported the car along with a batch of new cars to the provincial capital's freight terminal by cargo ship.

Yunqi Factory sells cars, and customers have two ways to pick up their vehicles.

One common method, and one used by all car manufacturers, is door-to-door pickup.

Yes, that's right. These days, people who buy cars usually have their companies arrange for drivers to go on business trips and drive the cars back from the factory themselves. There are no dealerships or authorized dealerships anymore.

Only a very small number of manufacturers have set up temporary warehouses in a few major cities. In fact, they only do so because they are assigned tasks by higher authorities, and they mainly provide services to a few "big customers".

Given that transportation in the Yunhu area is not very convenient, and also to improve customer satisfaction, Yunqi Factory, at Chen Fan's suggestion, created an alternative vehicle pickup method: "pick up the vehicle at the warehouse".

Customers can choose to pay a small amount extra, which can be considered as additional freight, and then pick up their truck from any of the four warehouses in Beijing, the provincial capital, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

In the early stages, things were fine. The Yunqi factory had insufficient production capacity. As soon as a car rolled off the production line, customers would rush to snatch it up. They couldn't see the advantages of this kind of warehouse, so they didn't build a warehouse.

Once the expanded production capacity of Yunqi Factory is fully released this year, it will purchase land or existing warehouses in four pre-selected major cities and build self-pickup warehouses. The advantages of this type of warehouse will then become apparent.

Yunqi Factory directly broke the traditional sales model of the automobile market, which was dominated by regional powers, and successfully sold its products nationwide, even surpassing the competition from local automobile factories.

It's a seller's market right now. As long as the car isn't too bad, you're basically not worried about selling it. And if all else fails, there's always the "planned allocation" system.

Your company wants cars? Sure, the higher-ups will approve a few cars produced by a local factory for you. You can pick them up from the factory yourself.

Therefore, other small factories are not worried about orders either, and the booming sales of Yunqi Factory have not affected their happy lives.

Otherwise, someone would have gone to the ministry to complain.

However, with reforms being emphasized everywhere these days, it's hard to say whether filing a complaint will be effective.

Chen Fan disembarked from the ship with his bag on his back, exited the passenger terminal, boarded a long-unused bus, and after three stops, arrived at the cargo terminal.

In a warehouse of more than 2,000 square meters across the dike at the cargo terminal, Chen Fan found his jeep.

As he opened the door with the key and was about to get into the car, the warehouse manager who had been accompanying him said, "Consultant Chen, our factory manager said that if your car breaks down or you want to get a new one, you can come here anytime, or to any other warehouse. You can drive away whichever one you like."

If you don't have time, just give me a call and I'll bring it to you.

Chen Fan turned to look at him, about to speak, when he suddenly realized the man looked familiar. "Have we met before?"

The director immediately grinned and said, "Oh my, I didn't expect you to remember me. It's my great honor. I used to be in charge of the warehouse at the machinery factory. Later, the machinery factory was restructured and split into three. I chose the automobile factory. We met once when I went to Director Yang's office to deliver reports."

Chen Fan laughed heartily, "I knew it."

He then pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed it to her, laughing, "Then I won't stand on ceremony with you. Call me if anything comes up."

The director accepted the cigarette with both hands without any hesitation. "Thank you, consultant. Please come again when you have time. We have a simple auto repair shop here where you can have your car serviced. You won't have to go to other people's shops and waste your time."

Chen Fan chuckled, patted his arm, got into the driver's seat, waved, closed the door, and drove away.

We sped along in the car, and by the time the sun rose in the east, we had driven into the Wenyi New Village.

At this moment, the literary and artistic village has awakened from the silence of the night. There are elderly people taking their children for a stroll, actors practicing their singing by the lake, and many more employees rushing to work.

Chen Fan drove carefully through the crowd, greeting people he knew and didn't know, until he turned onto the road to the island in the lake and then picked up speed.

As the car pulled up to the gate of his own yard, he got out and opened the gate, and saw He Qingsheng walking out of the gate with a water ladle in one hand and a toothbrush in the other.

Seeing him open the door, He Qingsheng said loudly, "Hey, you've finally decided to come back! The film crew from Jiangxi Film Studio has been back for over a week, working non-stop. I went to ask, and well, I heard you went home for vacation."

Chen Fan snorted twice, first pushing open the courtyard gate, then getting into the car and driving inside, while replying, "The way you talk makes it sound like I'm lazy. You didn't see me working non-stop."

After parking the car, I got out with my backpack, walked to the fence, and said to him, "I haven't had much rest since the New Year. I've been busy with this and that every day, and I have to go to meetings in other places every few days. I finally finished filming the movie and got a few days of free time. Can't I even rest for a few days?"

He spoke with such confidence, as if he wasn't the one who hid in the library writing papers in March and April.

But it seems like writing is also a job?
That's definitely quite busy.

He Qingsheng had worked with him for two years, how could he not understand him?
He immediately looked unconvinced and said, "I'd believe you if you said you were busy, but if you said you were tired? Hmph, I don't believe it. You're a master at shirking your responsibilities. You can dump one task on three or four people, and while others don't seem to mind, you're quite carefree."

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly, and he raised his head to say, "Is there something wrong? If not, I'll come inside."

He Qingsheng tapped the water ladle with his toothbrush and said seriously, "Just one thing, the approval for that promotional video you made has been granted. You already knew about this, didn't you?"

Two questions: First, when will filming begin? Second, when will filming begin in the provincial capital?

Chen Fan clicked his tongue and said irritably, "What does this have to do with you? Or are you asking on behalf of the provincial government again?"

He Qingsheng sighed and said, "Kid, don't be fooled by how powerful the Writers' Association is outside. People give them face wherever they go. Like the first time you came to the Provincial Writers' Association for a meeting, you went to the department store on your way back and bought more than a thousand yuan worth of goods, but you didn't pay for any receipts. The association paid for them for you later."

These are all about saving face.

If someone gives you face, you should reciprocate in kind. It's a two-way street, don't you think?

Chen Fan hummed in agreement, glancing at him. "You're subtly implying something. You were the one who said to just buy whatever you wanted, and if you didn't have tickets, to call the Writers' Association. Now you're trying to get back at me."

He Qingsheng looked at him expressionlessly. "Don't evade the question. Please answer directly. I still have to go back and report." Chen Fan nodded. "Understood. If the scripts for the customs of each region can be provided to me in time, then we tentatively set the start date for filming at the end of August or the beginning of September. We'll start with Shanghai first, then proceed upstream, filming in sequence. In principle, we won't cut in line."

He Qingsheng nodded immediately, "I understand, that means it's okay to cut in line."

Chen Fan looked at him helplessly, "That's really not possible."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Right after the approval was issued, Uncle Yang came to me, but I didn't agree to anything he asked."

He then repeated his explanation from before, and concluded by saying, "I plan to make this series a big one, not just a scenic promotional film."

At this point, he lowered his voice and said softly, "Uncle He, think about it, what a great opportunity this is! The film industry, the cultural industry, the tourism industry, and local governments all have to follow my ideas. Wouldn't it be a waste to just make a promotional video?"

He Qingsheng frowned slightly, looking at him thoughtfully, "You mean...?"

Chen Fan smiled and nodded gently, "I want to seriously make a cultural series and write a book at the same time. Uncle He, think about it, from Shanghai to the source of the Yangtze River, how many articles can be written about the people and scenery along this route?"

He Qingsheng suddenly slapped his thigh, followed by a wail, "My toothpaste!"

Well, he hasn't even brushed his teeth yet.

But at this moment he couldn't care less about anything else, and waved to Chen Fan, "You go ahead and do your thing, I'll talk to you later after I've sorted things out."

Watching He Qingsheng rush into the house, Chen Fan sighed softly, "If I don't give you something to do, you'll keep bothering me."

Then he shook his hair and thought, "Hmm, time for a haircut."

No wonder movie directors are either bald or have long hair; they really don't have time to take care of their hair and have to make do.

He pulled his hair back, took out his keys to open the door, glanced around casually, and prepared to ask the property management to arrange for someone to clean the house.

But the next second he froze.

Looking around, the house was spotless, clearly having been cleaned.

Who did it?
Chen Fan frowned slightly. Only he, Lili, and Tiantian had the keys; no one else had them. The property management and He Qingsheng couldn't get in either, and besides, they didn't know when he would be back.

and so……

Chen Fan concentrated and gently twitched his ears, and faintly heard two soft breathing sounds coming from the master bedroom.

His eyes lit up instantly. He turned around, closed the door, tossed his backpack onto a chair, rubbed his hands together, and pushed the door open to go inside.

He turned around, saw something, and immediately backed out, closing the door behind him.

He gripped the doorknob, his face slightly dazed.

Why is she here?

Shaking his head, he thought back and made sure he hadn't misread it. Then he took a deep breath and knocked on the door loudly, "Get up! Get up! If you don't get up, the sun will be shining on your butt!"

Inside the room, Jiang Lili and Zhou Yali, who were sleeping soundly on the kang (a heated brick bed), opened their eyes almost simultaneously.

Jiang Lili stared at the ceiling and murmured, "I think I heard Xiao Fan's voice. Am I dreaming?"

Zhou Yali yawned. "I think I heard that too. Could it be that we were dreaming?"

The next second, the two looked at each other and then simultaneously turned to look at the door.

The knocking was still there, and so was the voice: "Get up! Get up! If you don't get up soon, the sun will be shining on your butt!"

The two shouted at the same time, "Hey, it's Xiao Fan/Brother!"

Jiang Lili jumped up in a flash and ran to open the door.

Zhou Yali also sat up, put on her slippers, and ran out.

The door was opened, and Jiang Lili's eyes lit up instantly when she saw the person standing outside. She jumped up and clung to him, hugging his neck. "Xiao Fan, when did you get back?"

Chen Fan lifted her up and hugged her, kissed her first, and then said with a smile, "We just arrived this morning. When did you get here?"

Zhou Yali appeared at the door, grinning and laughing, "We flew to the provincial capital last night, and we were planning to go to Yunhu this morning to surprise you. I didn't expect you to come back."

Chen Fan turned to look at her, sizing her up and down. "Comrade Zhou Yali, don't you look a little unattractive with your disheveled appearance?"

Zhou Yali scratched her hair and chuckled sheepishly, "You're my little brother, not an outsider. Do you expect me to put on makeup before seeing you?"

She had barely finished speaking when she suddenly realized, "What did you say about me? Disheveled and unkempt?"

She pointed at someone and walked out of the room, saying, "Explain yourself, what do you mean by 'disheveled'?"

Chen Fan grabbed his wife and ran off, saying, "Let's get her all clean and beautiful first, so she'll be thrilled."

Jiang Lili then remembered that her cousin was still at home, and immediately buried her face in her husband's neck, not daring to raise her head to see anyone.

After making a fuss for a while, the two women washed up and changed their clothes, and the three of them finally sat down again.

On the daybed, Chen Fan and Jiang Lili sat on one side, and Zhou Yali sat on the other. Jiang Lili was fiddling with the tea set and brewing Kung Fu tea.

Zhou Yali lay on the bedside table and said to Chen Fan, "Actually, I went back to the mainland on the 25th. I stayed in Shenzhen for two days first, and then went to Shanghai. I waited until yesterday, when Lili finished her final exams, before I flew back from Shanghai with her."

He shook his head as he spoke, "Unfortunately, Tian Tian is busy with publishing matters. I told her to take a break and come back to play for a couple of days, but she couldn't find the time."

Chen Fan asked, somewhat puzzled, "Are there any flights tonight?"

Zhou Yali waved her hand, "It's not a flight, it's a private jet. Anyway, my mom has been busy in Hong Kong setting up a branch office, so she doesn't need the plane. I just requisitioned it."

Chen Fan blinked. "Then your dad doesn't need it?"

Zhou Yali looked up at him with an innocent expression. "Didn't I tell you? My dad's plane belongs to his own company. This plane was bought by our Qianfan Company, and there's another one that was bought by Wanmuchun Company. Dr. Engelbart uses it more often."

Jiang Lili brought the tea she had poured to Chen Fan and said with a smile, "When I first heard my cousin say this, I found it incredible. I never imagined that even private individuals in the United States could buy airplanes, let alone three."

However, my cousin said that these small planes are quite common in the United States; besides companies, many families even own them, which is really amazing.

(End of this chapter)