Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 336 A Book and a Pound of Oil
As soon as Zhang Wenliang entered the room, he saw Captain Yang and Chen Fan sitting on the sofa, smoking and chatting.

He walked over carrying the things and said loudly, "Good news! Good news! I've brought you some good news!"

He placed the two items on the coffee table, then sat down in another armchair, patting the armrest, "Your furniture here is really nice."

Chen Fan pulled out a magnolia branch and handed it over, smiling, "When you get married, I'll give you a set of this sofa."

Zhang Wenliang shuddered, shoved the cigarette into his mouth, and shook his head repeatedly, saying, "Marry? I don't even have a girlfriend, what kind of marriage is that? Are you dizzy?"

Chen Fan and Captain Yang exchanged a glance and couldn't help but chuckle.

Zhang Wenliang lit the fire, looked at them with a puzzled expression, and asked, "Wait, what are you laughing at?"

Captain Yang immediately pointed at Chen Fan, "I'll laugh if he laughs."

Chen Fan's expression stiffened slightly as he glanced over. "I didn't expect you to be this kind of captain!"

He then coughed lightly and chuckled at Zhang Wenliang, "I'm laughing. Fate is unpredictable; it can come at any time. Maybe your special someone is right beside you, you just haven't noticed them yet!"

Upon hearing this, Captain Yang burst into laughter again.

That's pretty obvious, I just don't know if Company Commander Zhang can figure it out.

Zhang Wenliang, however, turned away, saying, "It's the same as saying nothing at all."

Then, pointing to the package on the coffee table, he said, "Hurry up and open it to see what kind of book we've compiled."

Captain Yang looked at him. "Ah? The book you guys edited? You were involved too?"

Zhang Wenliang leaned back with a smug look on his face. "Labor has no distinction of rank. I worked so hard to give the demonstration. Even if my name isn't in the book, you can't say that I didn't make a contribution."

Upon hearing this, Captain Yang nodded slightly and gave him a thumbs up, "That makes sense!"

Chen Fan moved the package over, unpacking it while his eyes were fixed on the large jar. "What is this?"

"Oh,"

Zhang Wenliang leaned forward, flicked some ash from his cigarette into the ceramic ashtray, and said with a smile, "Didn't you publish a book? This is a reward from the team. We just finished pressing rapeseed oil these past few days, so we got you 10 jin of oil to bring over."

Chen Fan's eyes lit up immediately. "Freshly pressed rapeseed oil! Perfect, we're almost out of oil at home, this will help us replenish it."

Hearing this, Captain Yang was furious. "You're wasting oil like this! The average person in the city only gets 4 liang (200 grams) of rapeseed oil a month. You've only used 11 jin (5 catties) of rapeseed oil for half a year, and it's almost gone?"

Chen Fan carefully tore off the cardboard seal, revealing 10 books and an envelope inside. He picked up two books and placed them in front of Zhang Wenliang and Captain Yang respectively, while smiling.

"There are still three or four pounds left. Isn't this just being prepared? Although it's only for half a year, it just happens to coincide with the Chinese New Year, so we use more oil for frying New Year's goods. The ration in the city will increase during the Chinese New Year. Besides, there were a few more people later, so we used more oil."

Then, turning to look at Zhang Wenliang, who was reading a book, he chuckled and said, "Now that I've published a book, isn't 10 jin of oil a bit too little?"

Captain Yang, standing nearby, remained silent. Among the many people was his own daughter. When Yang Ju moved in, apart from bringing her own food rations, everything else was provided by Chen Fan. Although Chen Fan voluntarily and proactively provided the vegetables and oil, he still benefited from it, so naturally he couldn't say much.

Upon hearing Chen Fan's words, Zhang Wenliang turned to look at him, "Ten catties of oil is not enough? One catty of oil is 8 mao, ten catties is 8 yuan, do you want more?"

He paused for a moment, then pointed to the books on the coffee table and said, "Alright, I'll make the decision. One pound of oil per book."

Without saying a word, Chen Fan took the book back from Captain Yang's hand and, along with the book in his own hand and the books on the table, pushed them all in front of Zhang Wenliang, saying, "It's a deal!"

Zhang Wenliang glanced at the book in front of him, then looked up at him. "So decisive?"

Chen Fan nodded, "Ah, you're right, one book costs one pound of oil, so why wouldn't I trade it?!"

He just looked at it. The book is priced at 0.26 yuan, while the price of oil is 8 yuan. People with urban household registration use food ration coupons, and those who exceed their ration need oil coupons.

Even a fool would know which to choose: a book that costs 6 cents and an oil that costs 8 cents!

At worst, I'll just wait for the book to be published and then buy it myself from Xinhua Bookstore!
The result was that Zhang Wenliang was completely baffled. Did he really not care about his own published work?!
After pausing for a couple of seconds, he came to his senses and immediately slammed his hand on the pile of books. "Fine, it's a deal!"

When he came over, Secretary Yang's task for him was to get as many sample copies as possible. For example, last time when "Jiangnan Literature" sent sample copies, the brigade headquarters only received one copy, which was not even convenient to show off.

Therefore, we must take more books this time, at least 6. Besides keeping one for ourselves, we must give one to the commune and one to each of the other 4 production teams.

Well, now that we've exceeded our target, maybe we can send a couple of copies to the health center and other "friendly units" as well!
Captain Yang looked at the two of them with a wry smile, "This is clearly a joyous occasion, but you've made it sound like a business deal. I haven't even read that book yet."

He said this as he got up, picked up a book, sat down, and continued reading.

The first thing you notice is the cover, and the most eye-catching thing is the title, "Common Sudden Injuries and Illnesses First Aid Manual," which is printed in two lines on the cover.

At the very bottom are the words "Compiled by the Health Department of Yunhu District, Jiangnan Province".

Chen Fan also took a book in his hand and first went to find the list of editorial board members.

However, it was not found.

It was only then that he remembered that in this era, the collective was prioritized. Even if the work was done by an individual, it would generally not be reflected in the publication information; only the institution to which the person worked would be listed.

Thinking of this, Chen Fan couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly.

Well, he had been worried that having his name on it would make him too famous, attracting "study groups" from all over the country to come to Lujiawan to study, or inviting him to give lectures.

After all, this kind of thing is perfectly normal in this day and age. Don't you see that if a commune member raises pigs well, he can be invited to other communes to give guidance? If his name is really in the book, it would be strange if no one invited him.

But now there's no need to worry. People only know "Yunhu Health Department," and no one will know about this little Chen Fan.

However, this secret cannot be kept within the healthcare system.

Any medical innovation will surely cause a sensation in the industry. As long as professional medical staff learn the "respiratory tract foreign body removal method", they will definitely know about Chen Fan.

Being famous within the system and being famous outside the system are two different concepts. The latter means going beyond one's circle and becoming a celebrity in the whole society, while the former represents being a "big shot in the industry".

This also has its advantages: it ensures that he remains well-known only within the healthcare system, limiting his fame to the system itself and preventing it from disrupting his life by "going beyond the circle."

perfect!

He thought it was perfect, but Zhang Wenliang felt embarrassed, "Oh dear, why did you take pictures? This is so inappropriate."

Chen Fan turned to look at him and couldn't help but blink.

Could the smug look on your face be any more obvious?!
Captain Yang also saw it at this moment, and looked at Zhang Wenliang with a surprised expression. "Wow, you really have a share in this book!" Chen Fan rolled his eyes, opened the book in his hand, and immediately recognized the pictures of Zhang Wenliang and Zhang Juemin demonstrating the actions.

This photo was probably taken by a photographer hired by the health department when they were providing teaching guidance at a certain unit.

He immediately became interested, picked up the book, looked at the photos for a while, then at Zhang Wenliang, and grinned, "Not bad, not bad, this photographer should be given a bonus, he took a really handsome picture of our Company Commander Zhang."

Zhang Wenliang tried hard to control his expression, but he couldn't stop laughing. "Don't say that, don't say that. Whether I'm handsome or not is secondary. The key is that I can make a small contribution to the country's health cause, and I'll be satisfied with that."

Chen Fan couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Unexpectedly, he didn't become famous himself, but Zhang Wenliang might have a chance to become famous in the future. When he goes out into the world, people might point at him and speculate whether he is so-and-so from that book.

It's interesting just to think about it.

After a quick glance, Zhang Wenliang put the book away, picked it up, and said, "I'll take the book back to the brigade headquarters."

Chen Fan quickly stood up. "What's the rush? We can go back after we eat. Anyway, your home is in Team 5, so it won't cause any problems."

Zhang Wenliang shook his head and walked out, saying, "This is a great event for our Lujiawan; we must go back and report as soon as possible."

He turned to Chen Fan and smiled, "I'll definitely have to eat this meal. I'll be back as soon as I deliver the books. After all, it was just our speculation before. Secretary Yang and the others are still waiting at the brigade headquarters for confirmation."

Captain Yang was about to say, "Why don't you just go to his house and call the brigade headquarters?"

As a result, Zhang Wenliang had already run out in a long stride, seemingly not wanting to waste a single second.

He turned to look at Chen Fan, and the two couldn't help but smile at each other, both guessing Zhang Wenliang's thoughts.

They can't wait to go back and show off, can they?

Before Zhang Wenliang could return, the loudspeaker, which was broadcasting the county news, suddenly blared with noise, followed by Zhang Cuie's broadcasting voice: "Attention, comrades! Attention, comrades! We are interrupting our broadcast with a news announcement! Great news! Great news! The 'First Aid Manual for Common Sudden Injuries and Illnesses,' compiled by our team member, teacher Chen Fan, has been officially published by Yunhu Health Publishing House..."

Zhang Cuie's voice echoed over Lujiawan, and almost everyone looked up at the loudspeaker, listening intently.

A message was played three times in a row.

As soon as the broadcast ended, the entire Lujiawan area erupted in excitement.

"Teacher Chen has published another book! Last time it was an article he wrote, and this time it's a book about his pioneering medical techniques. That's incredible!"

“When he went to the prefectural committee last time, I said that Teacher Chen is a literary star incarnate. Look, he has published another book.”

"But this time it's a medical book, what does it have to do with the God of Literature?"

"How can it not be related? They're all books! As long as they're books, they're related!"

"You can't say that. There's a difference between medical books and articles. If you ask me, it's because Professor Chen is willing to learn and work hard. I heard that he published a medical book in less than half a year of studying medicine. What does that say?"

"what?"

"That shows that Teacher Chen is smart!"

"Pah, do you have to tell me that?!"

……

Just as everyone in Lujiawan was discussing and praising the event, Secretary Yang and Captain Zhang rode their bicycles straight to the commune government.

The two of them had lived in Nanhu for decades and were the leaders of Lujiawan. In addition, Lujiawan had made quite a splash in the past six months, so naturally they had many acquaintances who would greet them when they saw them.

"Where is Secretary Yang busy with?"

Secretary Yang was already riding slowly, and when he heard someone greet him, he immediately stopped, put one leg on the ground, and laughed, "Isn't this the book that Teacher Chen went to the prefectural committee's health department to guide the editing of? I'm going to deliver a sample copy to Secretary Qian of the commune."

Team Leader Zhang, not to be outdone, laughed and said, "Teacher Chen was in charge of overall coordination, and Zhang Juemin and Zhang Wenliang from our team also helped out a little. In the end, they even got the photographer from the health department to take pictures and print them in the book. Look at the mess this has made. Teacher Chen didn't even get his name on the book, but they got their names on it. They got a free ride."

A crowd immediately surged over.

"Oh dear, the book that Teacher Chen taught them to compile at the prefectural committee last time has come out! Where is it? Can I take a look?"

"And photos of your team members? Didn't you get a lot of photos taken for free?"

Secretary Yang naturally wouldn't miss such a good opportunity to show off. He immediately took out a sample book, opened it, and held it up to show everyone. "See? These two are Zhang Juemin and Zhang Wenliang from our team. They were just there to do odd jobs."

“I know, I know. They went together at the time, and I watched them get on the train at the station.”

"Is what this book says true? If you have something stuck in your throat, just hold me and shake me a few times and it will be fine?"

Upon hearing someone questioning this, someone nearby immediately said, "Haven't you heard? Teacher Chen saved people using this method. If it didn't work, would the prefectural health department have invited Teacher Chen to come and guide the writing of his book?"

The man chuckled awkwardly, "I'm not doubting it, I just think it's too simple."

Then he quickly added, "But since it's been published as a book, it must be true."

Some people tried to reach for the book, but Secretary Yang quickly put it away and stuffed it into his bag. Then he waved his hand to shoo them away, saying, "You can't touch this. This is a sample copy, meant to be given to Secretary Qian as a souvenir. If you want to see it, go to the bookstore and buy it yourself."

After saying that, he immediately rode off on his bicycle, with Captain Zhang following closely behind, heading straight for the commune government compound.

People behind were discussing, "Are they sold in bookstores now?"

"The sample copies were just delivered, it shouldn't be that fast, right?"

"Who cares? We'll just go to the bookstore and see. If they don't have it, we'll give them our suggestions and ask them to stock it."

"Yes, I definitely need to buy a copy of this book."

"I just took a look at it too. It talks about first aid methods for some common emergencies. No one can guarantee that they will be safe and sound all their life. It's good to know some first aid knowledge."

"That's right, that's right, let's go together."

As they walked, the group of people walked toward Xinhua Bookstore. The further they went, the more people there were. The news of Teacher Chen's book publication quickly spread throughout Nanhu Town.

(End of this chapter)