Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 279 First Bestseller

Chen Fan had already erected a half-meter-high wooden frame along the fence in the backyard to prevent moisture and water damage, specifically for storing cement and steel bars. With the help of safety personnel and the driver, the truckload of goods was quickly unloaded.

I gave my master two packs of Peony cigarettes and a bag of pottery I had made myself, and happily saw him off.

This was only because of Teacher Chen and Anquan's influence; it was just a small gift. Otherwise, they would have probably treated us to a meal and drinks.

There's no way around it; drivers these days are just that powerful. Even a tractor driver gets treated differently. If it were a mule-drawn cart "driver," two packs of economy cigarettes or a pack of Peony cigarettes would suffice.

Of course, shipping costs are separate.

This morning, Master Lu had just told him that people are divided into different classes, but actually there's no need to divide them into classes; distinctions exist everywhere.

As the sound of the tractor faded into the distance, Anquan dusted off his hands, took the cigarette Chen Fan offered, lit it with a lighter, and looked at the wooden frame, saying, "Even if this is half a meter off the ground, it can't be left for too long. From now until the double harvest, not to mention anything else, just the rainy season alone will likely cause this cement to get damp."

Chen Fan took out a cigarette and lit it. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I'll set up a shed later and borrow a tarpaulin from the brigade headquarters to cover it. That should last for a while."

Anquan looked at him and said, "Let me tell you, don't be fooled by how much cement I brought you at once. If you want more, there won't be any left. This stuff is very hard to get. It's a planned resource. Ordinary people have to beg and plead to buy it, and they're lucky if they can get three or five bags. You want to build a house, so I brought you twenty bags at once, but not a single bag more. Even if you're a great writer, it won't work."

He paused for a moment, then suddenly chuckled, "Unless you can gain the favor of the county leaders, that's another story."

Chen Fan shrugged. "I don't know a single person in this county. I'd be better off relying on your appreciation."

Anquan laughed heartily, "Then let's appreciate each other."

Chen Fan smiled, looked at the pile of things, and said softly, "To be honest, I actually have a lot of things to build, so I don't know if this cement will be enough."

Upon hearing this, An Quan's expression changed.

Chen Fan laughed and said, "Don't worry, I didn't ask you to help me buy any more."

Safety rolled his eyes. "There's nothing more."

Chen Fan laughed and said, "The general ratio of concrete is 1 part cement, 2 parts sand, and 3 parts crushed stone. These 20 bags will be very useful."

He paused for a moment, then added, "However, I still want to prepare more of this special clay cement. On the one hand, it will be used for plastering the walls, and on the other hand, if there isn't enough cement, we can use the clay cement as a makeshift solution."

Safety grunted twice, "So what if it's just 'plain cement'? What the hell is this 'specially made plain cement'?"

Chen Fan gestured, "Go to the front and talk."

Entering the yard through the back door, Chen Fan looked at the two round piglets in the pigpen, as well as the two lambs whose wool had been shed. He then patted the head of the foal that was sticking out and touched the nose of the mare before walking straight ahead.

Passing by the bamboo cages where rabbits are being raised, Anquan suddenly asked, "When can your rabbits be released from their cages?"

Chen Fan glanced at the several large, fat rabbits in the cage and said without turning his head, "I was just talking to Captain Ye a few days ago, and I estimate it will take about another half month."

Anquan nodded. "Before transplanting the rice seedlings, I also went to several production teams with Lao Ye and contacted several other cadres stationed there. We reached cooperation agreements with them. I estimate that after the rice seedlings are transplanted, a large number of chicken, duck, goose and pig seedlings will be delivered. In addition, there will be a small number of horses, donkeys and sheep. Once this batch of seedlings arrives, I estimate we will be very busy."

Chen Fan understood what he meant. "I understand. I'll make sure to deliver the seedlings at different times."

He turned around and smiled, "Anyway, the rabbit seedlings are all here. I can come and pick them up whenever I have time."

Anquan smiled without saying anything, walking and looking at the rabbits. He saw the big and small rabbits jumping around restlessly in their cages and couldn't help but nod in approval.

Thinking to himself, "No wonder he's the man that Station Chief Zhou insisted on getting into the veterinary profession. He's even good at raising rabbits. I guess this breeding plan shouldn't have too many setbacks."

When they arrived at the front yard, Yang Ju and the other two had already gone to work. When Jiang Lili saw them coming, she took the initiative to go back to her room to study and gave the general office to them.

Chen Fan picked up a cup and asked, "Would you like a can of herbal tea, or the green tea that Team 9 made themselves?"

Safety was taken aback. "You have a green tea from Team 9?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he realized, "That's right, you're a celebrity in Lujiawan now, it's only right that Old Zhong gives you some green tea."

Then he gestured, "Let's have green tea then. It's been years since I've had this."

Chen Fan took out the bamboo tube of green tea that Lao Peng had given him from the cabinet, scooped some into a cup with a bamboo skewer, put the bamboo tube back, turned around and smiled, "Next year, Team 9 won't need to send any more. I asked for the few tea trees that Captain Yang used to dig up from Team 9, and planted them in the medicinal herb garden. If you take good care of them for a year, you should be able to harvest a lot of tea next year. I'll give you a jar then."

Anquan nodded with a smile, "Okay, I'll wait."

Chen Fan poured himself a jar and a can of cold tea from a large teapot, sat down on the other side of the table, turned to look at him, and said, "I've been reading the book 'Architectural Technology' these past two days. There's a section that specifically introduces several types of soil that were used as cement in ancient times, such as rammed earth made with glutinous rice juice for building city walls, and fermented soil that can be waterproofed and moisture-proofed and used to coat exterior walls."

Hearing this, An Quan understood, "It's the special clay cement you were talking about earlier?"

Chen Fan nodded, pursed his lips, and said, "We can't afford to use glutinous rice juice to ram the soil. It would require at least several hundred kilograms of glutinous rice. Not to mention we don't have that much glutinous rice to buy, even if we did, we wouldn't dare to use it."

The security guard said, half-jokingly, "If you dare to use it, I'll be the first to report you."

Chen Fan chuckled and continued, "So we can only use fermented soil. According to the data in the book, this kind of special soil cement is actually no worse than cement, and even surpasses it in terms of heat insulation, heat preservation, moisture resistance, and crack resistance. The reason it hasn't become widespread is because the production process is very complicated and time-consuming."

He chuckled as he spoke, then turned to look at Anquan. “Perfect timing. I don’t have much else, but I do have time. After the rice planting is finished, I’ll ask Captain Yang to help me find a few people to build a simple cellar for making fermented soil.”

An Quan asked curiously, "What's so special about this fermented soil?"

Chen Fan explained, “Fermented soil is somewhat similar to the soil cement used in rural areas. It is also made by mixing clay, fine sand, lime, and wood ash. The difference is that several fresh herbs are added to the mixed soil, and the ingredients of these herbs are used to ferment the soil together.”

He pointed outside and laughed, “Now is the perfect time for herbs to grow. I can harvest enough by myself in two or three days. After chopping them up, I mix them with the soil and then pile them up in the cellar to ferment. The fermentation time is about half a month to 20 days, and then we get a kind of black soil that looks very soft. When we need to use it, we just mix it with water and it can be used like concrete.”

Anquan was astonished. "I was thinking it was some amazing product, even better than regular cement, and I was even considering promoting it in rural areas. But it sounds so complicated to you."

He shook his head repeatedly, "Let's forget about it."

Rural areas already have soil and cement. All the materials are mixed together, and a water buffalo pulls a stone roller to plow it a few times, and it can be used directly. Why bother adding herbs or fermentation?

Just for better results? Isn't that too much trouble?! Besides, wouldn't it be better to dry those herbs and sell them at a traditional Chinese medicine shop for money?
He glanced at Chen Fan, shook his head and sighed, "I'm afraid only someone as rich and free as you would not mind the trouble."

Chen Fan immediately denied it, saying, "I have no money!"

He paused for a moment, then said, "Actually, this kind of fermented soil exists in many places, including Lujiawan, but you just don't know it."

Anquan looked at him in surprise, "There's one in Lujiawan? Has anyone used it?"

Chen Fan pointed in the direction of Team 5, "The walls of the Lu Family Compound are made of fermented soil, and many of the brick walls inside the houses are also made of fermented soil as a bonding material."

Anquan rolled his eyes slightly. "That's not right. You just said the fermented soil is black, but the walls of the Lu family compound are yellow. It's obviously just ordinary yellow mud that's been smeared on."

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "Look how many repair marks there are on the outside of that courtyard wall?"

Anquan frowned and thought for a moment, then gently shook his head. "I didn't notice."

Chen Fan laughed and said, "I looked closely. Apart from a few cracks, there are almost no signs of repair. How can ordinary yellow mud remain intact after so many years?"

Anquan opened his mouth and said, "So, this kind of fermented soil used to be quite common?"

Chen Fan shrugged. "It's very common geographically, but only landlords and rich people can afford it."

City dwellers don't build mud-walled houses, and ordinary farmers in the countryside can't afford this kind of fermented soil. It's only landlords and rich people who use it.

He suddenly chuckled, “If we don’t have enough cement, I’ll play the landlord and build a house with fermented soil. Then I’ll put another layer of fermented soil on the brick walls. After it dries, it will be a layer of yellow mud. From the outside, it will look like a mud-walled house!”

Safety scoffed, "Give me a break, where would a mud-walled house have two stories?"

Without saying a word, Chen Fan went back into the house, retrieved the book "Architectural Technology," flipped through it, looked around, and then handed it to him, saying, "Take a look, is it a two-story mud-brick house?"

Anquan held up the book, his eyes practically bulging out, "There really are two-story mud-walled houses?!"

Chen Fan rubbed his hands together and smiled at him, "If you can build a rammed earth city wall that's over ten meters high, why can't you build a mud-walled house that's five or six meters high?"

He paused for a moment, then took the book that Anquan handed back to him and chuckled softly, “I’ve thought about it too. Building a two-story brick house in this place is indeed a bit too flashy. One should be more low-key.”

"I'll use this fermented soil to plaster the exterior walls later, and I won't even bother with the roof tiles; I'll just thatch it. Even though it needs repairs every year, thickening it a bit will save a lot of trouble, and compared to brick roofs, thatched roofs are warmer in winter and cooler in summer, making them more comfortable to live in." Anquan pointed at him, and after a long pause, finally managed to say, "You're being too cautious. As long as you don't make any mistakes, even if you build a huge villa here, who can do anything to you?"

Chen Fan shook his head. "Better safe than sorry. Avoid trouble whenever possible. Going with the flow is the true way of life."

Security scoffed, "Tch, you're even bringing up life philosophy now, look how capable you are."

Then, looking at him, she said, "I don't care how you build your house, just bring your mouth to eat. By the way, how's my belt?"

Chen Fan: "Oh."

He was about to give an update on the progress when he suddenly stopped, turned to look at Bao An, and asked in a deep voice, "Where are the hides I ordered?"

His expression was no different from that of a criminal transaction.

Unfortunately, Anquan didn't understand his joke and waved his hand, saying, "Don't worry, I won't keep your skin. I'll send it to you tomorrow."

Chen Fan clicked his tongue, "Your belt is ready now, but there are still two things missing."

Safety, "What two things?"

Chen Fan: "One is a belt buckle, but I'll get it done in the next couple of days. The other is a rivet."

Before Anquan could even process the surprise of Chen Fan actually taking care of the belt buckle, he was shocked by Chen Fan's next question: "Rivets? What do they have to do with the belt?"

Chen Fan said, "Using rivets to fasten the belt can better secure it and also makes it look more aesthetically pleasing."

He paused for a moment, then looked at the safety department. "I asked the supply and marketing cooperative's store, and they said that only the electronics store in the county town sells rivets. If you know anyone, ask them to bring back a lot; I need them to make saddles. If you don't have any connections, then I'll just have to wait until I'm done with this busy period and go to the county town to buy them myself."

Without hesitation, Anquan immediately asked, "What kind of rivets do you need?"

Chen Fan smiled slightly, "I knew you had a way."

He then gestured and said, "I need the largest size. I'm making a belt and a saddle, so anything too small won't do."

Safety nodded. "Okay, wait."

After saying that, he stood up and left.

Chen Fan quickly stood up and followed behind, "Don't go, let's eat here today."

Without turning his head, Anquan waved his hand and said, "I'm not eating anymore. I have to go down to the fields to keep an eye on things. I'll save it for next time."

As soon as he finished speaking, he left the courtyard and strode towards the paddy field.

Chen Fan smiled as he watched his retreating figure, then turned and went into the courtyard.

Jiang Lili came out of the room and asked softly, "Has Cadre An left?"

Chen Fan nodded. "I'm going down to the ground."

Jiang Lili pursed her lips and said, "I finished reading all the magazines this morning. I'll help you copy your second novel manuscript."

Chen Fan looked at her and suddenly smiled, "I have a feeling you want to see the next episode."

Jiang Lili blushed slightly and chuckled awkwardly, "It's mainly about copying."

"Row."

Chen Fan didn't say much. He quickly went to the room, put the book away, took out his own draft, turned around and handed it to her, saying, "It's all here."

Jiang Lili quickly took the manuscript with both hands, opened it, and smiled so much that her eyes curved into crescent moons.

Chen Fan smiled and shook his head, "You can copy it slowly, I'm going to work at the brigade headquarters."

As he said that, he was about to leave.

Jiang Lili suddenly called out to him, "Xiao Fan."

Chen Fan stopped in his tracks and looked back at her. "What's wrong?"

Jiang Lili glanced at the manuscript in her hand, then at him, and a flattering smile appeared on her face. "May I ask you a question?"

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow slightly. "Speak."

Jiang Lili held up the manuscript in her hand and asked curiously, "I want to ask you, how do you practice calligraphy? It seems that your calligraphy has improved very quickly recently."

calligraphy?

Chen Fan glanced at the manuscript in her hand and smiled, "Oh, it's probably because I've been practicing calligraphy lately, and my handwriting has improved a bit, which has also helped my penmanship improve."

"Pen calligraphy?"

Jiang Lili murmured a sentence, then looked up at Chen Fan and said softly, "Hard-pen calligraphy is the same as fountain pen writing, right?"

Chen Fan's eyes darted around slightly, and he nodded inexplicably, "Yeah."

Jiang Lili pursed her lips and gently bit her tongue, clearly wanting to say something but hesitating.

Chen Fan immediately put his hands on his hips and smiled at her, "Just say what you want to say. With our relationship, what can't we talk about?"

Hearing this, Jiang Lili blushed slightly and finally mustered up her courage to say, "I want to learn calligraphy from you, is that alright?"

"Want to learn calligraphy with me?"

Chen Fan first said with a wry smile, and was about to say that instead of learning from him, he should buy a calligraphy book and practice on his own.

Just then, his mind went blank, and he felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

Seeing his sudden change in expression, Jiang Lili's eyes darted around a couple of times before she looked at him and asked softly, "What's wrong? Is it not allowed?"

Chen Fan suddenly laughed, opened his arms and hugged her, then smiled at her after letting go, "Sure, of course you can."

Jiang Lili stood there dumbfounded, completely at a loss.

what's the situation?
Chen Fan, however, was so happy that he kept spinning around in place, muttering to himself, "Calligraphy, calligraphy copybook, I'm rich, I'm rich...!!!"

Question: What was the number one best-selling book in China during the 1980s and 1990s?
Parentheses: Except for "Maozi".

This "bestseller" is judged solely on its sales figures.

A: Pang Zhonghua's Calligraphy Workbook!
It's true! Throughout the 1980s, Pang Zhonghua's booklet "Talking about Learning to Write with a Fountain Pen" sold over ten million copies.

Wang Shuo, who was known as the most eccentric writer in the literary world at the time, had only sold a few hundred thousand copies of a novel, yet he was already wildly popular and his arrogance was boundless. Pang Zhonghua's calligraphy copybooks, on the other hand, far surpassed his work.

Moreover, from the 1980s to the 1990s and then to the 2010s, over a period of 30 years, the official sales of "Pang Zhonghua's Calligraphy Workbook" exceeded 150 million copies, the vast majority of which were sold in the first 15 years. If pirated sales are included, the number is incalculable, but it can be conservatively estimated to be over 450 million copies.

Which student of that era hadn't practiced calligraphy using the "Pang Zhonghua Calligraphy Copybook"?

Therefore, if Chen Fan wants to make money through writing, whether he writes martial arts novels, stories about trauma, or any other random stuff, when it comes to making money, "teaching calligraphy" is the number one priority!

Thinking of this, how could Chen Fan not be overjoyed?

Jiang Lili's words were like opening a vast treasure trove for him. This kind of book didn't involve plagiarism; Mr. Pang wrote his, Chen Fan wrote his, and students could choose their preferred font. It was just free competition, and he felt no guilt whatsoever.

If he remembers correctly, the first edition of "Talking about Learning to Write with a Fountain Pen" was published in 80. If he could be the first to publish his own book, "A Brief Discussion on Pen Calligraphy," he could seize the initiative, or at least capture half of the market.

After a little more effort, it all boils down to two words: "Making a killing!"
(End of this chapter)