Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 951 Mutual Comfort
Chen Fan has been busy all year... well, whether he's busy or not, he doesn't have the habit of reading newspapers.

Back in Lujiawan, he used to enjoy reading newspapers and listening to the radio, but that was mainly to stay informed about the outside world. Now that he has the means, he doesn't care about small things, but he's very clear about big things, so he's gradually stopped liking to read newspapers.

So he really didn't know about the newspaper reports about "Mingxuan".

It was last night that Zhou Yali told him that the floor tiles in the royal mansion in Beijing had been replaced. He then had someone find the old newspaper from that day and learned the details.

I won't go into the background details.

To put it simply, in May, the Metropolitan Museum of Art opened the "Mingxuan" exhibition to the public. The old men and women from the families that were affiliated with the Zhou family went to join in the fun and feasted their eyes. Afterwards, they came back and told Zhou Zhengdong about it.

Zhou Zhengdong also took the opportunity to go and take a look. After looking around, he chatted with a few workers who hadn't left yet and learned that this place was a replica of the Dianchun Pavilion (yí, referring to a small room next to a pavilion, usually used as a study) in the Master of the Nets Garden in Suzhou. The wood used was Sichuan nanmu, and each piece was straight and smooth without any obvious scars. The stone processing was also at the best level in China. The square bricks used were all fired in the Lu Mu Imperial Kiln in Suzhou. From the rough blank to the finished product, they underwent at least four inspections and selections, and were completely free of impurities. They were "without holes when broken and made a sound when struck." The gold bricks used in the Forbidden City were of this kind.

In addition, there were components, paint, and so on, which made Zhou Zhengdong very eager to try them out.

At that moment, he remembered that his daughter had a "Ningjun Prince's Mansion" in the capital that was under renovation. He didn't remember much else, but one thing was very clear: the floor tiles used to repair the various halls and pavilions of the mansion were just ordinary large blue bricks, the same bricks used in the original mansion, and definitely not the kind of gold bricks used exclusively by the emperor.

Thinking about this, he felt indignant.

If an American museum can use gold bricks in its exhibition hall, why can't my royal palace?

He immediately asked the administrator if there were any of these gold bricks still available for sale.

If he has them, he can buy a batch. He can pay whatever price the Metropolitan Museum of Art offers, and he won't even need to ship them to the United States. He can just ship them directly to Beijing and replace the current batch of large blue bricks.

Upon hearing this, the administrator was stunned and immediately sent a telegram back home. ... Zhou Zhengdong's program-controlled exchange had only sold one unit in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, and it hadn't even reached Suzhou yet. Sending a telegram was much faster than making a phone call.

After a few rounds of this, Boss Zhou generously allocated an additional $100,000 to the Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Construction, replacing all the floor tiles with gold bricks and furnishing the place with various high-end furniture made of nanmu and huanghuali wood.

In other words, the pillars and beams of the Prince's Mansion were originally made of Phoebe zhennan wood; otherwise, he could have demanded that they all be replaced, and the construction period would likely have been delayed by another six months.

When Zhou Yali told Chen Fan, her mind was on the restoration of the Prince's Mansion. She was thinking about going there when she had time to see what it looked like and whether it was as nice as the Forbidden City she had visited.
Chen Fan's attention was focused on another aspect. He repeatedly asked her to confirm whether the "Mingxuan" was as popular in the United States as she had said.

Zhou Yali retorted directly, "We're fully booked every day. Newspapers and TV stations have reported on it several times. How much more popular do you want to be?"
Hearing this, Chen Fan understood.

At the beginning of last year, the former political commissar took a trip there, and the enthusiasm was truly phenomenal. Many Americans developed a considerable interest in China because of this, and it even sparked several small-scale "China fevers" across the United States.

It's estimated that "Mingxuan" also benefited a little from this.

If I were to include a segment like this in my film about the scenery of the Yangtze River in Suzhou, it would easily evoke memories for Americans who know about this story, thus bridging the psychological gap between us.

This undoubtedly makes it more "tourism-attractive".

So after returning to the provincial capital, Chen Fan asked Jiang Lili to leave a message for the He family, inviting He Qingsheng to come over for drinks after get off work.

The main purpose was to ask him if the script materials from various places had been sent over.

Unexpectedly, He Qingsheng didn't even have time to visit his own room. Seeing that the door was open, he came straight over without even being invited.

Chen Fan flicked his cigarette ash, pointed to the file box, and said, "That's the situation. Uncle He, tell me, when you write articles, do you not consider the audience?"
Our film is made for foreigners. To put it more directly, the main audience is Americans, and maybe Europeans as well as Japanese. Filming things they already know might help bridge the gap and increase their interest.
When you're writing the script for the provincial capital, do you leave out those "international architectural complexes" built by foreigners decades ago?...

He Qingsheng's expression changed slightly, and he immediately coughed twice. "It is definitely necessary to mention it, but sometimes oversights are inevitable."

Chen Fan glanced at him, paused for two seconds, and asked in a low voice, "The provincial capital's information... it can't really be missing, right?"

He Qingsheng smiled awkwardly and said, "What you're saying is ridiculous. You only said you wanted folk customs and traditions, not that it had to be related to foreigners. So we naturally looked in the traditional direction."

Besides, we're not foreigners, how would we know what foreigners like? That doesn't make sense, right?

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly. "Alright, it seems all the data needs a major overhaul."

He Qingsheng quickly raised his hand, "No need, at least not for the provincial capital. I'll have someone add the original content from the concession area later, so it won't delay your work."

Chen Fan, “…!”

Then I watched as he picked up the document box and skipped away.

……

The next morning, Chen Fan got up, washed up, and took Jiang Lili and Zhou Yali for a morning workout.

It was a very proper morning exercise, the kind where they practiced Tai Chi in the yard. Even He Qingsheng felt younger watching it, because he didn't need to practice Tai Chi at all!
After performing a set of authentic, secret Yang-style Tai Chi, which was learned from Yang Zhenlong, it included secret techniques such as "the sparrow doesn't fly away," "the millstone turns but the mind doesn't turn," and "it can't be knocked down."

It just so happened that the little Baguazhang I had taught them had reached its limit, so it was time to teach them something real. Therefore, I taught them this set of Yang-style Tai Chi secrets.

If you practice every morning, even if you don't become an expert, you can still achieve a well-proportioned figure, strong bones and muscles, and a beautiful complexion.

After casually greeting He Qingsheng, the three of them practiced for another half hour before ending their morning exercise.

Just then, the porridge was ready, and the three of them ate ten baskets of steamed buns with the porridge... Zhou Yali and Jiang Lili each ate one basket, while Chen Zhenren ate eight baskets.

Therefore, if he didn't have foreign exchange certificates that allowed him to buy things without restrictions, he really wouldn't dare to practice his skills so freely.

Energy is conserved, so if you want to improve quickly, you have to eat a lot. It has to be said that practicing martial arts is too expensive.

After Jiang Lili finished cleaning up the dishes, the three of them went out, got into the car, and headed to the Jiangying Film Studio.

As Chen Fan drove, he watched the throngs of bicycles on the road and kept his speed just a little faster than the bicycles... The main problem was that some young people were too cocky. They felt like they were riding a white dragon horse, thinking they were princes galloping in the middle of the road.

He kept glancing at the bicycles that suddenly appeared and said, "Yali, after you sign the contract with Jiangying Studio, are you going back to Hong Kong?"

Zhou Yali was chatting happily with Jiang Lili when she suddenly heard these words. She was stunned and turned around to look at him abruptly. "Brother, how could you say such cold words?"

Jiang Lili, whose eyes had been shining just moments before, dimmed again upon hearing Zhou Yali's words.

When is my cousin going back?

Chen Fan glanced at the rearview mirror. "Well, starting today, I'll be doing post-production on 'Monk Comes Down the Mountain 2,' which I expect to finish by the end of the month. Then I'll go to Shanghai to start filming the Yangtze River scenery."

Although your uncle said you should learn from me, you can't exactly learn how to make movies from me, can you?

Zhou Yali immediately shook her head, "Filming a movie? Forget it, I'm not interested." Before Chen Fan could even smile, she continued, "But I love traveling. You're going to travel up the Yangtze River from Shanghai, and film in many scenic and residential areas. How could I pass up such a great travel opportunity?"

After saying that, he turned to look at Jiang Lili and asked, "Can you let her go?"

A hint of anticipation flickered in Jiang Lili's eyes, but the next second, she remembered that she was still a student and would be starting school in September, so her face fell. "I don't know."

Zhou Yali's eyes widened. "How could you not know?"

Jiang Lili pouted, "Even if I wanted to stay with you, I could only stay for these two months. I have to go back to school in September, so I won't be able to go then."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yali looked at her with a face full of sympathy. "Sigh, that's true. I used to have to go back to the United States often because of my studies, and it was really tough."

She paused for a moment, then rallied her spirits, took Jiang Lili's arm, and comforted her, "Don't worry, I'll take you, and oh, and Tian Tian too, I'll take both of you together to enjoy the scenery of the Yangtze River!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lili almost burst into tears. "Thank you."

Zhou Yali grinned and said, "Don't be so polite, we're best friends."

Chen Fan shook his head, saying, "You'd be better off not offering any comfort at all."

Wait, that's not the point.

He immediately rallied his spirits and said again, "But Yali, the Hong Kong company is just opening, and your aunt is about to return to the United States. Are you really going to entrust the company to that Nansun Shi and Chen Shufen without worrying that they'll cause trouble?"

Zhou Yali immediately said, "Don't worry. Our CFO has arrived and will take full control of the Hong Kong branch's finance department. In addition, Sister Yufeng, Sister Xiaoying, and Brother Yadong will also frequently go over to check on things, ensuring they have no chance to cause trouble in secret."

He paused for a moment, thought for a moment, and then said, "Moreover, Uncle Hongchang is also working on setting up a market research department in Hong Kong. This department will be open to the public, but it will also conduct internal monitoring to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

Chen Fan snorted twice, "The work is arranged quite well, but how can you grow if you delegate everything to others?"

Zhou Yali immediately said, "I'll let you teach me."

She pouted as she spoke, "My dad said that Sister Yufeng and Uncle Hongchang's management methods are more based on experience, and that experience is more suitable for the United States, but not for the mainland, and not necessarily for Hong Kong."

She added, "Brother, although you're young, you move freely between various units in Yunhu and command respect from everyone from workers to management. Every opinion and suggestion you offer receives their support. That's why I should learn from you, not from Sister Yufeng and the others."

"That's it."

Chen Fan exhaled a long breath, thought for a moment, and said, "But some skills are innate; that's called talent. What can you do if you can't teach them?"

Zhou Yali frowned slightly, thought for a while, turned to look at Jiang Lili, and asked in a low voice, "Little brother, are you saying I'm stupid?"

Jiang Lili pursed her lips, suppressing a laugh, and said in a crisp voice, "I don't know."

Zhou Yali's face fell. "That's it."

Before the other person could explode, Chen Fan immediately said, "Hey, hey, that's not what I meant. If you were stupid, how could you have gotten into NYU? Right? So, you're not only not stupid, you're actually very smart."

Zhou Yali's expression softened slightly, and she raised her head, saying, "That's more like it."

Chen Fan glanced at the rearview mirror again. "Well then, smart Yali, how about I write you a plan and you try to implement it?"

Zhou Yali raised her head, a hint of disdain on her lips. "Tch, you said I'm smart, how could I not see through your trick of luring the tiger away from the mountain? No way!"

After she finished speaking, she stretched and lay back in her chair, saying lazily, "Don't even think about coaxing me away so you can have your own little world."

Upon hearing this, the two of them looked at her simultaneously.

Hey, so you knew that yourself?
Zhou Yali shrugged. "Don't look at me like that. Little brother, cherish this time when your older sister is clinging to you. When your older sister grows up, graduates successfully, and starts to take full control of the two large multinational companies, Qianfan Group and Wanmuchun Group, it will be difficult for you to even see me."

Chen Fan blinked. This sudden emotional outburst felt a little strange.

Jiang Lili frowned, her features almost scrunched up, and after thinking for a while, she said softly, "How could that be? You were busy then, but Xiao Fan wasn't. Unless he finds something to do himself, he has plenty of time."

Now that you have a private jet, if we miss you, you can just fly over, or we can fly over to find you, right?

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yali's expression froze. After several seconds, she turned to look at Jiang Lili and sighed, "You're really good at comforting people, thank you."

Jiang Lili hooked her arm around hers and laughed, "No need, you just comforted me, it's only right."

Zhou Yali's face froze again. She stared blankly at Jiang Lili, somewhat confused as to whether she had done it intentionally or unintentionally.

Chen Fan couldn't help but laugh out loud as he listened to them stabbing each other in the back.

Jiang Lili felt a little embarrassed by his laughter, so she tilted her head and leaned on Zhou Yali's shoulder, laughing incessantly as well.

Zhou Yali shook her head helplessly and sighed, "Sure enough, there isn't a single idiot among those who can fight their way through the competition and get into university. I almost got fooled by you."

Chen Fan exhaled a long breath, barely managing to stop laughing, and said, "Alright, since you want to play for another two years, then I'll let you come along."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yali immediately raised her hands, her eyes shining, and exclaimed, "Long live my brother!"

Chen Fan: "Don't say that, you can't talk about that now."

He paused for a moment, then added, "We still need to agree on three rules."

Zhou Yali immediately raised her head and said, "Go on."

As long as she's not forced to go back to work, everything is negotiable.

Chen Fan smiled and said, "It's very simple. When there's a work requirement, you just have to step up."

Zhou Yali's face froze for a moment. "Ah, I still have to work."

Jiang Lili, "Hahahaha..."

……

(End of this chapter)