Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 304 The Benefits of Publicity

布衬衫要3块2毛6，丙纶衬衫是5块4，腈纶衬衫2块8毛6，汗衫1块5毛2，涤卡两用衫那就贵了，足足15块2毛，还要两张工业券。

God knows why we needed cloth coupons and industrial vouchers. Was polyester tarpaulin so powerful?

Then Chen Fan bought one.

A two-way shirt is an outer garment with a closed collar, no back seam, and a straight waist. It is mainly long-sleeved, with 4 or 5 buttons on the front placket. The style is simple and it is mostly made of blended wool, medium-length fiber, polyester, and other fabrics. It is somewhat like a small suit jacket without a waist or shoulder pads, with only a few pleats at the shoulders, which can be considered a small fashion sense.

Since the 50s, women's reversible shirts have been the main attire for most women. Some people say that clothing used to be black, gray, and blue regardless of gender, and that it was not until the 80s that clothing colors became more varied, but that is not the case.

The monotonous colors are just because you don't have money. If you could spend a dozen yuan like Chen Fan to buy a piece of clothing, you would have a variety of colors such as red, yellow, blue, green and white to choose from.

In addition, women's shirts come in a wide variety of colors, with patterns mainly consisting of plaid, paired with different colors such as bright red, dark blue, light purple, and orange, making them one of the most popular garments for urban women.

Of course, this only applies to women's clothing. Men's clothing still mainly follows the three major color schemes of black, gray, and blue. Shirts and vests are predominantly white, but with some subtle design touches, such as checks and stripes. For example, sailor shirts are a favorite summer garment for many men.

By the 60s, the reversible shirt, after some modifications, also became a popular style among men. Wearing it out, while not necessarily making them look good, and not as flashy as the "four-pocket" style, was at least not embarrassing in any situation.

If you make sure the appearance is perfect, the substance can be a little less so.

Chen Fan abandoned the acrylic fiber shirts that cost a little over two yuan and the polypropylene fiber shirts that cost a little over five yuan, and bought two cloth shirts that were in the middle price range.

Zhang Juemin and Zhang Wenliang nodded secretly to each other, thinking to themselves that they had learned something.

Don't buy the expensive ones, don't buy the cheap ones, just buy the middle-priced ones, then you definitely won't lose money! Or you won't lose much.

Chen Fan didn't think that much about it. It wasn't that he was trying to save money, but he knew that this kind of synthetic fabric was prone to static electricity and would definitely not be as comfortable to wear as a shirt made of natural cotton and linen blend.

The outer garment is for others to see, while the inner garment is for yourself; comfort should be the primary consideration.

He then bought two pairs of cotton-polyester blend pants, which were not cheap, costing 12 yuan each.

So expensive!

If it's polyester, it will cost an extra 3 yuan. It just goes to show that chemical products are expensive these days. Once the production plan is relaxed in a few years, a large number of factories will increase their production capacity on their own, and the price will immediately come down.

Finally, I spent another 10.6 yuan to buy a pair of leather shoes, and my "outfit" was complete.

The sales clerk, seeing that Chen Fan was good-looking and well-behaved, enthusiastically recommended, "If you wore sunglasses, you would look even better."

Chen Fan politely declined, saying, "I'm too young, and my family won't allow it."

The saleswoman wouldn't give up, saying, "Then buy another pen, it'll only cost a few dollars. You look like a cultured person, and what cultured person doesn't carry a pen?!"

Yes, it's "戴" (dài), not "带" (dài).

These days, if you go out and see someone with a fountain pen in their shirt pocket, they're basically either an intellectual or a cadre. Generally speaking, clerks wear one fountain pen, cadres wear two, and those who wear three or more are pen repairmen.

The older woman recommended he buy a fountain pen, certainly not to promote it—she wouldn't get a bonus for selling more. She just thought it would be a shame for such a handsome young man not to own a couple of fountain pens.

Chen Fan thought that the fountain pens issued by the brigade headquarters often leaked ink, and since he needed to write, he really needed a good fountain pen, so he readily agreed and went to the stationery counter on the other side.

This corner of the department store is a direct competitor of Xinhua Bookstore. Besides various stationery items, there are also various promotional posters, and... "guns"?
Oh, this is the stationery and sports goods section.

Looking at the dozens of air rifles, shotguns, and pistols on the counter, Zhang Wenliang felt a little fortunate. Luckily, he hadn't clashed with the security guards earlier. Otherwise, his opponents would have multiplied from one to dozens in no time. Even if he brought a whole squad, let alone just three people, they wouldn't have been able to hold them off.

Chen Fan walked past the sports and cultural products section, carefully examined the items, and then revealed an arrogant expression.

Hmph, the hunting rifles here aren't as good as his own, and the pistols aren't as good as his own either. Unless they put out rifles and submachine guns, he wouldn't even bother to look at them.

After taking a couple more glances, we finally arrived at the counter selling fountain pens.

Now Chen Fan knows that all the goods in the glass display case have price tags. If you can afford them, you can check the goods directly; if you can't afford them, don't bother asking.

Chen Fan leaned on the counter, looking at the neatly arranged fountain pens inside.

The cheaper ones are just a row of loose goods, pens side by side, held together by a tray with slots. There aren't many brands, but Hero, Venus, and Yong Sheng are all established brands, and they are "top-quality" goods from Beijing and Shanghai.

Fewer people may know about "Yongsheng," but it is actually an old factory in Shanghai, founded in the 30s. It once competed with "Hero," but unfortunately, it was out of luck. "Hero" fountain pens became popular all over the country with a movie, and "Yongsheng" never won again.

As for Jinxing, it was originally born in Shanghai, but later established a branch factory in Beijing and became the brand of Beijing Pen Factory. At that time, it was known as "Jinxing in the North and Hero in the South".

Meanwhile, the former Shanghai Jin Xing Pen Factory, instead of focusing on its core business, went into manufacturing television sets. That's right, the later "Jin Xing" brand televisions were all the rage in the Yangtze River Delta region back then, daring to compete with the "Panda" televisions from Huijing Electronics Factory.

Since they were all established brands, Chen Fan didn't need to worry about quality. He skipped the loose pens that cost two or three yuan each and the ones with boxes that cost 5.4 yuan each, and bought a Golden Star iridium nib fountain pen for 12.8 yuan.

Actually, he wanted to buy a more expensive gold pen, with a nib made of real gold, which would give him a luxurious feeling.

However, Zhang Juemin and Zhang Wenliang, who were following him, were already furious. In order not to provoke them further, Chen Fan decided to keep a low profile and not be too hated.

(Venus fountain pen)
As they came out of the department store carrying a bag, Zhang Juemin couldn't hold back any longer. "You're just buying things, why did you have to buy a bag specifically?"

As she spoke, she gestured to her canvas bag, saying, "I can put it here too, why waste money?"

Zhang Wenliang nodded and said, "That's right, that's right. I saw that there are many kinds of fabrics in the fabric counter, including corduroy. You only need to buy one set of clothes, and you can use the money for the other set of clothes to buy fabric, which can save you more than ten yuan."

Chen Fan swung the small travel bag he bought for 6.4 yuan and said, "It wasn't a waste of money. We don't know how many days we'll be here. Two sets of clothes are just enough for changing, not even one more. When we go back, I'll need to buy some fabric and some souvenirs. I'm worried this bag won't be big enough."

"You still want to buy?"

Zhang Wenliang's eyes widened. "Are there enough cloth coupons?"

He originally wanted to buy two more pieces of cloth, but seeing that Chen Fan bought so much at once, and remembering that he only had 20 feet of cloth coupons, he was too embarrassed to ask.

Chen Fan looked around, leaned closer, lowered his voice, and chuckled, "What are we here for? To help the health department! I don't want their salary. After we're done, we'll ask them to help us exchange some vouchers. Do you think they'll refuse a penny?!" Zhang Wenliang and Zhang Juemin were taken aback at first, then gave him a thumbs up together, "Great plan!"

Seeing that Chen Fan had his own plans, the two of them stopped talking.

After buying all the things, the next step is to find a place to stay.

Without asking anyone, they looked ahead and saw a guesthouse sign in the distance, so the three of them headed straight for it.

Zhang Wenliang, walking to Chen Fan's left, suddenly thought of a question, "You just bought two sets of clothes and a pen, it must have cost you a lot of money, right?"

Chen Fan nodded, "Two shirts cost 6.52 yuan, two pairs of pants cost 24 yuan, leather shoes cost 10.6 yuan, a pen cost 12.8 yuan, and a handbag cost 6.4 yuan. The total is..."

He counted on his fingers.

Zhang Juemin, standing nearby, said quietly, "It's 60 yuan and 3 mao in total."

60 yuan and 3 mao! That's about all the dividends a strong laborer would have received last year. This kid spent it all in half an hour. Even a spendthrift like him can't spend money!

Chen Fan turned his head and looked at him in surprise, "Wow, you calculated that fast?"

Zhang Juemin: "You name one, I'll count them all, of course it'll be fast."

She looked at him and asked, puzzled, "Didn't you say you used all the money to build a house? Old Ye only approved 50 yuan for you. Where did you get so much money?"

Chen Fan remained calm and composed, saying, "Oh, I'll take your share of the money too."

Zhang Wenliang and Zhang Juemin were struck dumb, staring at him blankly from either side. "Huh?"

Chen Fan smiled slightly, "Calm down, don't panic. It's only 150 yuan, you only spent a little over 60 yuan. You won't be sleeping on the streets."

Zhang Wenliang felt a little down. "I was wondering how we're going to report the expenses when we get back?"

With one hand holding his bag and the other in his pocket, Chen Fan said confidently, "Don't worry, I'll only reimburse you for food, lodging, and transportation when we get back. The things I buy are my own. As for the money, I'll just deduct it from the rabbit's allowance."

Zhang Wenliang breathed a sigh of relief, "I almost forgot about the rabbits."

Zhang Juemin quickly pulled out three train tickets from his pocket. "Reimburse me for the tickets first."

Chen Fan stared blankly at him, then looked around mysteriously and whispered, "Don't flaunt your wealth. It's not appropriate to be on the street. Let's go to a hotel first."

Without saying much, Zhang Juemin immediately put the ticket back in his pocket.

A short while later, the three of them arrived at the entrance of the guesthouse.

It's a four-story building, not as grand as a department store, but its width of over ten meters is not small either.

Chen Fan pushed open the door and went in, took out a letter of introduction and handed it over, "Hello comrade, we need to stay at the hotel."

The waitress was a woman in her early twenties. Her attitude wasn't particularly enthusiastic, but it wasn't rude either. She took the letter of introduction, looked at it, then glanced at them, her gaze lingering on Chen Fan's face for a couple more seconds. "Would you prefer a dormitory room or a triple room?"

Zhang Juemin was intimidated by Chen Fan's extravagant spending and quickly asked, "What's the price for a dormitory room? What's the price for a triple room?"

Waiter: "A dormitory room is 5 cents per person, and a triple room is 3 yuan."

(Accommodation fees are fixed, but the standards vary from place to place. In cities and counties, it's generally 5 cents, in provincial capitals it's generally 7 cents, and Shanghai is the most expensive, with dormitory rooms starting at 1 yuan. Some places don't charge per room, but rather per bed regardless of the room type.)
After a pause, the waiter added, "Single rooms are 2 yuan, and executive rooms are 3 yuan. They only have one bed, but it's a double bed. The other rooms all have single beds. Besides the dormitory-style rooms and triple rooms, there are also double rooms, which cost 1.4 yuan."

Hearing that a triple room would only cost two yuan, Zhang Juemin wasn't stingy. He turned to look at the two of them, and after confirming, said, "Then please have a triple room."

While registering the information, the waiter casually asked, "You're going to the Health Department on official business, why don't you stay at the Health Department's guesthouse?"

Zhang Juemin chuckled and said, "I just arrived and wanted to wash up a bit before going to report for duty."

The waiter looked up at him, smiled slightly, and said, "I didn't realize you were so particular."

Then, he casually asked, "What brings you here?"

This question was quite significant. Zhang Wenliang immediately beamed and exclaimed excitedly, "This is Teacher Chen from our production team. He was invited by the health department leaders to come and teach first aid and write a book..."

Chen Fan had already lowered his head and covered his face with one hand, so embarrassed that he could dig a three-bedroom, two-living-room house out of the ground.

The waiter, however, found it increasingly incredible. He looked at Chen Fan with surprise and seemed somewhat doubtful, but then he thought that they had no reason to lie to him. The letter of introduction did indeed state that he was going to the Municipal Health Department to assist in the work. Could it be true?

Whether it was true or not, the waiter's attitude improved a lot. After registering them, he picked up the key and led them to the room with great enthusiasm. "The room I booked for you is on the second floor, towards the back. It's convenient to go up and down the stairs and it's relatively quiet. The water room and toilet are at the end of the corridor. There is hot water in the water room for showering, which is available until 9 pm. The hot water is on the first floor. I'll bring you two kettles of hot water later. Hey, are two kettles of water enough to drink?"

Zhang Juemin quickly nodded, "That's enough, thank you."

Zhang Wenliang was smug, thinking that he knew that promoting Teacher Chen's exemplary deeds would definitely bring him benefits.

Chen Fan could only manage an awkward smile, wondering if he should resolutely go out alone from now on!
Led by the waiter, we entered the room. The furnishings were simple. There was a long table near the entrance with three cups on it. Further in were three beds placed side by side, each with a bedside table. Outside the window was a small garden, where flowers in the bushes were in full bloom, and a few people were strolling around.

In the corner of the room near the window, there was a clothes rack, and a ceiling fan was hanging from the ceiling.

Chen Fan pushed open the window and looked at the wire racks sticking out below. He knew this was where clothes were dried, and nodded in satisfaction. As long as it was a place to dry clothes, that was fine.

Zhang Wenliang and Zhang Juemin clutched their bags tightly, their eyes darting around the room, momentarily at a loss.

Chen Fan looked back at them and said with a smile, "Let's put our things down first, go out to get something to eat, then come back to take a shower and go to sleep. Let's get a good night's rest and report to the health department tomorrow morning."

Zhang Juemin and the other man snapped out of their daze and nodded in unison, "Okay."

(End of this chapter)