Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 303 No Trouble Allowed
The three of them stood on the curb, looking up at the building across the street.

The four-story building is about 40 or 50 meters long. The walls of the bottom two floors facing the road are full of windows, clearly indicating that it is a commercial building. The third and fourth floors are ordinary, and it is not clear whether it is the same company as the department store.

However, logically speaking, it should belong to the department store's premises. This building would be worth a fortune decades from now.

Zhang Wenliang's mouth dropped open. "Little Chen, have you been to the prefectural committee before?"

Chen Fan rolled his eyes slightly, pursed his lips, and said, "I don't know, I forgot."

The two Zhang brothers turned to look at him together, and simultaneously pursed their lips. It was unclear whether they believed him or not, but judging from their expressions, they probably didn't.

Zhang Wenliang pointed to the building across the street, "You must have been here before. Your building was built to resemble a department store, with lots of windows and large spaces, with entire walls made of windows, exactly the same as here."

Chen Fan stubbornly replied, "That's not necessarily true. Maybe all department stores across the country are like this. If you don't believe me, let's go back and see if the department stores in the county are like this."

Zhang Wenliang opened his mouth, but then remained silent.

He had never actually seen a department store anywhere else.

Zhang Juemin looked around, then started walking forward, saying, "Okay, there are no more cars, let's go."

Chen Fan quickly grabbed him and pointed to the pedestrian crossing not far away, "Go that way."

After saying that, he walked forward.

Zhang Wenliang and Zhang Juemin followed behind, still somewhat puzzled, "Why go in a circle?"

Chen Fan didn't even turn his head. "That's a pedestrian crossing, specifically for pedestrians to cross the road."

The Zhang brothers, though puzzled, thought to themselves that the city had many rules.

After crossing the road at the pedestrian crossing, Chen Fan arrived at the entrance of the department store and admired with great interest the facade of Yunhu City's "high-end shopping venue" from the 70s.

A row of five steps leads up to six double wooden doors with glass panels, with a total length of over 10 meters. All the doors are open to the inside and secured with bolts in the ground, welcoming guests from all directions.

As Chen Fan was about to walk inside, he turned around and saw Zhang Wenliang and Zhang Juemin standing at the bottom of the steps, their mouths agape as they looked up at the building.

Looking at the shiny terrazzo floor, the neat and orderly glass counters, the dazzling array of goods, and the sales clerks chatting while leaning on the counters, the two seemed a little hesitant to go inside.

Chen Fan tilted his head and smiled helplessly, then walked back and said to them, "Why aren't you leaving?"

Zhang Wenliang swallowed hard, looked at him, and whispered, "Is the stuff in here very expensive?"

Zhang Juemin smiled awkwardly, "How about we wait for you here?"

Chen Fan squeezed between the two, grabbing one in each hand. He first said to Zhang Wenliang, "The price is set by the government, and it's only a few cents more expensive at most. Do you think he would dare to ask for an exorbitant price?"

Then he looked at Zhang Juemin and said, "Since you're already here, why not go in and take a look? Even if you don't buy anything, it's fine to just look. Otherwise, when you go back to the village, people will ask, 'Dr. Zhang, what did you see when you went to the prefectural committee?' And you'll tell them, 'I didn't see anything, I just stood in front of the department store.' Wouldn't that be embarrassing?"

Zhang Juemin swallowed hard and nodded. "Shameful."

He then steeled himself and stepped inside.

Even he was going in, so Zhang Wenliang naturally wasn't going to be left behind. He strode up the steps, swung his arms, and stormed into the gate.

Before they could go inside, a security guard wearing a red armband suddenly appeared and stood in front of them, his gaze as if he had spotted criminals. "What are you doing?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the sales clerks at several nearby counters immediately turned their attention to this location, and people in the distance continued to approach in this direction.

Zhang Wenliang's heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to speak, Chen Fan ran over quickly, smiling, and said, "Hello comrade, we'd like to buy some clothes. Could you tell me where the ready-made wardrobe section is?"

The security guard glanced at him, then at the Zhang brothers who were chuckling awkwardly, and casually pointed to the side, "The textile area is to the east."

He paused for a moment, then warned, "No trouble allowed."

His eyes, as big as copper bells, stared at Zhang Wenliang like the Black Cat Sheriff, and it was obvious who he was referring to.

As the militia company commander, Zhang Wenliang had heard that the security guards of these large units were armed. He didn't want to have a gunfight with the security guards to see who had better marksmanship, so he didn't dare to utter a sound and silently followed behind Chen Fan.

At first he was a little indignant, but less than 3 seconds later, he didn't know where to look, and he had long forgotten about the warning.

While both are places that sell goods, this place is far more upscale than the Nanhu Supply and Marketing Cooperative's branch!
No, it's incomparable.

At a glance, the area here is at least a thousand square meters. The counters form a large frame in the shape of a square, and each frame contains a type of item. Along the wall, except for the side facing the road, the other three sides are also a large frame, which is also filled with a wide variety of goods.

This is where daily necessities are sold. Hot water bottles, enamelware, chemical (plastic) products, and other items are neatly arranged, and the glass counters are bright and inviting.

On the other side were tobacco, alcohol, and food products. Various high-end liquors and cigarettes were neatly stacked on the back shelves, and there were also complete samples in the counter.

There are also daily chemical products such as face cream, shampoo, soap, and toilet water, and on the other side are various beautifully packaged food products, including biscuits, malted milk powder, and various candies.

Zhang Wenliang felt that he couldn't see everything with his two eyes.

Just then, a voice suddenly came from ahead, "Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me! Thank you!"

Chen Fan quickly stopped, nearly bumping into Zhang Juemin and Zhang Wenliang behind him.

Then I saw a staircase in front of me, with two women on it holding out their hands as if they were trying to catch something, but there was nothing in their hands, and they were shouting something.

As they nervously waddled down, two more figures appeared above them.

Two men carefully carried a television set case down the stairs, stopping frequently as they went. Once at the bottom, a woman quickly pulled a bed sheet from her bag and spread it out on the floor. The men gently placed the television on the sheet, wrapped it tightly, and then carried it back out.

Chen Fan wasn't shocked before, but now he was so surprised he couldn't close his mouth. Did they buy a TV?

Then I turned to look upstairs, and there was another floor above?
After a moment's hesitation, he looked back and exchanged glances with Zhang Juemin and Zhang Wenliang. The three of them nodded in unison and then turned to climb upstairs.

After climbing a winding staircase to the second floor, the three of them were immediately stunned.

The second-floor space is so large that, apart from the load-bearing columns, there is only a row of counters along the wall, and the rest of the space is flat, filled with goods arranged in different areas.

Right next to the stairwell were rows of bicycles, one side for men and one side for women, one row for 26-inch bikes and another for 28-inch bikes. The bikes looked like a car show, making it hard to look away.

Just then, a few people were choosing bicycles. A rather fashionable girl frowned, seemingly dissatisfied, "How can such a big bike be put on the second floor? I'll have to carry it down after buying it, it'll be so tiring."

If the sales clerk were a man, he might have had to say a few words to appease her. Unfortunately, the person who served her was a middle-aged woman who couldn't stand this kind of "gaudy" young man. She immediately snorted and said, "What are you saying? You think it's easy for someone to steal if it's left on the first floor? I'm worried you can't even afford to compensate me if you dare to guarantee it."

Chen Fan blinked. What an arrogant salesperson! He's practically a villainous salesman from a novel!
The girl, unaccustomed to such treatment, immediately flung her arms around the sales clerk and yelled, "How dare you talk like that? Is that how you talk to someone? What's your name? Call your manager over here. I'm going to have to ask him how he taught you!"

The sales clerk rolled her eyes and said, "Heh, who do you think you are? You think you can just let me see the boss whenever you want? You should take a good look at yourself."

She then turned and left, saying, "What kind of thing is this? I'm not going to serve you anymore."

She also raised her hand and shouted loudly, "Anyone who dares to issue her a receipt is messing with me."

The sales clerks around her didn't say anything, but instead crossed their arms and laughed, which made the little girl so angry that she jumped up and down. Her parents, who had come with her, also shouted and started arguing with the sales clerks.

Chen Fan and his two companions stood at the top of the stairs, dumbfounded.

After a two-second pause, he finally reacted, grabbed Zhang Wenliang and Zhang Juemin, and said, "Cherish life, stay away from trouble, let's go take a look over there." Ignoring the verbal battle in the bicycle area, Chen Fan quickly moved in the opposite direction.

Zhang Wenliang had originally intended to watch the excitement, but when his gaze fell upon a row of bicycle-like objects, he couldn't look away. "My God, there are black crows here!"

He rushed over in a flash, grabbed the handlebars with both hands, and looked at the bike from left to right, up to down, and liked it more and more the more he looked at it.

The sales clerk in charge of this area walked over, swinging his arms, and said, "Hey, hey, hey, do you have money to buy it? Don't just touch it like that."

Zhang Wenliang was stunned for a moment, turned his head to look, stood up awkwardly, then coughed and pretended to be rich, pointing at the black crow, "How much is one?"

When the sales clerk saw him asking about the price, she assumed he really wanted to buy it, and her expression softened slightly. "720 yuan."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wenliang nearly fainted.

He'll save up 720 yuan for ten years!
Chen Fan then saw clearly what it was: the "Qingqi 15A" model light motorcycle from Jinan Qingqi Factory.

It's called a motorcycle, but it's really just a bicycle frame with a fuel tank and a booster attached; it's more like a motorized bicycle.

(Black Crow)

These days, there are only two types of motorcycles commonly seen. One is the Changjiang 750 produced by Hongdu Motorcycle Factory, especially the sidecar motorcycle with a sidecar trim, which was once the coolest motorcycle on the street. The other is the Xingfu 125 and Xingfu 250 produced by Shanghai Motorcycle Factory.

Although Happiness brand motorcycles are touted as "civilian vehicles," they have only been sold to organizations to date, with post offices being the largest customer. Many postmen who travel to mountainous areas ride Happiness motorcycles.

However, the "Qingqi 15A," which was also developed for civilian use and was known in the industry as "Black Crow," "Black Ant," and "Black Dragonfly," was finally opened to the civilian market in 64 after a period of being exclusively supplied to certain units. This made it a motorcycle that ordinary people could actually buy.

Chen Fan learned about motorcycles from a teacher who was a motorcycle enthusiast when he was studying mechanical engineering in college. The teacher's first motorcycle was a Black Crow.

Recalling these events, he overheard the salesperson quoting prices and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Excuse me, sir, I have a friend who bought one for 672 yuan. Why is it so much more expensive here?"

The sales clerk was taken aback when she heard his words. She looked him over carefully. Although his clothes were very ordinary and had some wrinkles from a long bus ride, the leather bag he was carrying was very eye-catching. She had never seen this style of bag before.

His arrogance subsided somewhat, and he said with a smile, "Your friend is quite impressive. The 672 was the price from several years ago, I think it was about 10 years ago. When it was first put on the market, that was the price. Back then, Black Crows were very rare, with only two or three thousand produced a year. Many high-ranking officials couldn't buy one, but he was able to. He must be quite something."

He paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "Look, that was 10 years ago. Since then, the supply of black crows has always been insufficient, and the price has been increased year by year. 720 yuan is the latest price this year."

"The price is set by the government; no matter how many units I sell, I won't get a single penny out of profit. It's certainly not like the capitalists of yesteryear who could just wildly inflate prices."

Chen Fan suddenly realized, "Oh, I see, thank you."

As he spoke, he took out a peony cigarette and handed it to her.

The sales clerk took the cigarette, casually took out a lighter, lit it, and said with a smile, "I think your bag is quite unique. Where did you buy it?"

Chen Fan blurted out, "Oh, this is what my friend brought back for me from Shanghai. He didn't say which store he bought it from, and it doesn't even have a brand name."

Upon hearing that there was no brand, the salesperson couldn't help but show some disappointment, but he still wouldn't give up, "Could you ask your friend to inquire again?"

Chen Fan readily agreed, "Sure, I'll ask him for you when he comes back from Shanghai."

The sales clerk was overjoyed upon hearing this, "That would be very kind of you!"

Then, looking at Zhang Wenliang, who was standing there in a daze, he said in a kind tone, "Comrade, have you made your choice? If you want to buy, you should hurry up. This batch of cars just arrived today, and it will probably be sold out in a couple of days. Who knows when the next batch will be available."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wenliang was stunned. How could he possibly afford it? Zhang Juemin was so embarrassed that he wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground.

Chen Fan chuckled inwardly, then said to the sales clerk, "Comrade, I'm sorry to have troubled you. We did bring the money, but unfortunately we don't have any receipts."

He glanced at the car with regret, saying, "If I had known there were black crows here, I would have definitely tried to get a ticket."

The sales clerk was skeptical of Chen Fan's words, but he didn't say much. He just smiled and said, "It really depends on luck. Even our internal staff don't know when we'll get black crows. It's normal that we didn't get them today."

However, if you really want to buy one, you'd better be fully prepared. To buy a black crow, besides the special ticket, you also need 70 industrial coupons. You must bring all the coupons to make the purchase.

Chen Fan nodded seriously, "Okay, next time I'll bring all the tickets and coupons from home before I go shopping."

After waving goodbye to the sales clerk, Chen Fan glanced at the room and then regretfully turned and went downstairs.

Zhang Wenliang quickly walked to his side and asked in a low voice, "Where did you get this Shanghai friend from? And you even bought a black Crow?"

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "What Shanghai friend? There are so many newspapers piled up in the archives, some from more than ten years ago. I read them there all the time, and I don't even know what I've read. This is what I saw in the newspaper. I just didn't pay attention to when it was."

Zhang Juemin shook his head and sighed, "You're really calm, you can make a lie sound like the truth."

Zhang Wenliang gave Chen Fan a strange look, wanting to ask if his amnesia was also a lie.

But after thinking about it, who cares? If he hadn't lost his memory, he might not have stayed in Lujiawan. Isn't it good as it is now? He's contributing to Lujiawan. Forget about amnesia, losing his virginity... that's still unacceptable.

Zhang Juemin turned his head and glanced at the goods on the second floor. In addition to bicycles and black crows, there were also various electrical appliances such as televisions, tape recorders, radios, and electric fans. The other two of the four major items, sewing machines and watches, were also on display here.

Watches, bicycles, sewing machines, and radios are the legendary "three turns and one sound" four major items.

However, nowadays, families with the means have upgraded their "one sound" to a television.

Involution is everywhere!
As Chen Fan approached the stairwell, the family who had bought the bicycles were still arguing with the salesperson, puffing away but not actually fighting, which made him shake his head.

He was about to go downstairs when he saw Zhang Juemin's expression and couldn't help but laugh, "Brother Dahu, no matter how good the food here is, we don't have tickets, so we can't afford it!"

At this moment, Zhang Wenliang asked curiously, "Do you really have enough money to buy the black crow?"

Chen Fan turned to look at him, "You actually believe that?"

Zhang Wenliang's lips twitched slightly. He glanced at the merchandise again, then let out a long sigh and went downstairs, saying as he did so, "When we get back to Lujiawan, I can brag about what happened here for a year!"

Zhang Juemin nodded in deep agreement, "That way no one will say I came to the prefectural committee for nothing."

Chen Fan suppressed a laugh and followed behind. When they got to the first floor, he went straight to the clothing counter.

Zhang Wenliang and Zhang Juemin, however, continued to observe.

Wow, sunglasses? They cost 5.6 yuan! That's expensive!

"Even a glasses case costs 67 cents, that's definitely expensive. Look at that backpack, it's much worse than what you're wearing, and it costs 5.8 yuan, that's really expensive."

"You said that handbag cost 8.3 yuan, but it should hold a lot of stuff. Hey, here's a leather coat. Let me check the price... uh... 104 yuan? That's insane! I might as well just get some leather cut and have someone make one for me!"

"Hey, there's corduroy fabric here. Do you have any fabric coupons, brother?"

"I brought it, but it's from Gufeng County. I don't know if it will be effective here."

"That definitely won't work. Hey, where's Xiao Chen?"

The two turned to look and saw that Chen Fan had already walked to the counter and was pointing to a shirt, asking, "Comrade, how much is this shirt?"

The middle-aged woman was about to retort impatiently, "Isn't there a price tag on it?" But when she turned around and saw Chen Fan's handsome face, she immediately smiled kindly and said, "Hello, young comrade, this is a cloth shirt, it's only 3.26 yuan."

(Shirt counter in a department store)
(End of this chapter)