Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 356 Not giving face
Zhang Wenliang and his team didn't come to the county town empty-handed. Since they were there to sell goods, how could they not bring samples?

He and Zhang Juemin each carried a basket containing the "samples" they had prepared in advance.

It was actually just chickens, ducks, and geese, and I also picked out some freshly harvested rice, intending to "give them as a gift."

These things, if left for more than ten years, I'm afraid they won't be able to be given away at all.

Which cadre back then couldn't withstand such a test?!
But now, even a bag of candy is a good thing, let alone fragrant chicken, duck and goose.

Of course, we don't do anything illegal or disorderly.

However, sending it to the organization as a sample for "evaluation" is a different story. It's perfectly legitimate, and no one can find fault with it.

The samples waiting to be evaluated are huddled in the basket, each one craning its neck to watch someone put on a show.

Chen Fan wore a straw hat, rolled up his sleeves high, put one hand on his hip and the other on the carrying pole, and stared resolutely into the distance.

Behind him was a backdrop of golden rice paddies and verdant distant mountains...

Click.

With a flash of light, the photographer excitedly waved his hand, "Great, excellent!"

Then he straightened up and said to Chen Fan, "Young comrade, let's change the background and take another one."

Chen Fan looked somewhat troubled. "But I've already taken three photos, which cost me almost three yuan. I'm out of money."

The photographer was stunned, his face full of regret. How come he had no money?
Just now, Xiao Lin, the receptionist downstairs, brought a group of five people upstairs to take photos, plus two others carrying loads on a shoulder pole. He initially thought it would just be a typical "country bumpkins in the city" photo shoot, so he casually found a few backdrops and figured he could just get rid of them.

The first four customers were indeed quite ordinary. Two chose Tiananmen Square, one chose the sea, and the round-faced, chubby man who looked like a village cadre (safe) had the best eye and chose a background of the Bund in Shanghai, which is rarely chosen.

Chen Fan muttered to himself, "A Shanghainese person comes here and takes a picture with a Shanghai background. He must be a little crazy."

When it was his turn, he decisively asked the photographer, "Do you have any backdrops depicting a rural harvest?"

The person who had just finished taking the photos immediately complained, "You came all the way from the countryside to the county town to take photos against a rural backdrop. I'm afraid you're a little bit crazy."

Chen Fan immediately retorted vehemently, "If you're going to take pictures in the countryside, then find me a camera!"

Safety was instantly compromised.

Then, the photographer, full of complaints, rummaged around and finally found a few backdrops with rural images for Chen Fan.

This rural-themed backdrop was specially purchased by the photo studio's management to emulate Dazhai; otherwise, with rural scenes everywhere, only a madman would buy such a backdrop.

Sure enough, it had been gathering dust at the bottom of a box ever since I bought it, and no one was willing to take pictures of it. Today it finally saw the light of day again.

First, take a registration photo, then take a "landscape" photo.

Once the curtain was hung up, Chen Fan stood in front of it, rolled up his sleeves and trouser legs high, and struck a pose as if he were doing farm work, which drew extreme disgust from Ye Shubao and the other three.

You can't do farm work, so you're just pretending, right?

But I must say, he actually did a pretty good job of it. Even the photographer's eyes lit up, and he snapped three pictures of him, shouting "Great!"

Learning from Dazhai, learning from Dazhai! After taking so many photos, I finally met someone who truly embodies the spirit of learning from Dazhai. The photos are so beautiful; this year's model learner of Dazhai must be a shoo-in!
The master craftsman was very happy, but Chen Fan himself was not satisfied.

He looked at his fair arms and legs, then decisively put on his straw hat and picked up the load that Zhang Wenliang had placed in the corner.

This time, without Chen Fan's instructions, the photographer directed his two apprentices to change the background image and take three more photos in a row.

Perfect, beyond limits!
When he takes photos of others, he usually uses only two rolls of film at most, and normally he takes one shot, meaning he only uses one film. But when he took a photo of Chen Fan, he took three shots in a row.

Three photos, then three more, and then three more in the blink of an eye—nine negatives were produced, more than the four people next to them combined. Their eyes were red with envy.

The photographer still wasn't satisfied.

When he heard Chen Fan say that he had no money, he hesitated for two seconds, then decisively waved his hand and said, "Disciple, bring out the film that your master has treasured."

I'm going to take as many photos as I want today!

The two apprentices beside him were immediately dumbfounded. "Master, are you going to pay me to join you?!"

……

After taking the photos, Chen Fan was the first to leave the photo studio, still sighing, "It cost 38 cents to take one set of 1-inch registration photos, and then I took 3 more photos, which cost me 3.23 yuan. That's really extravagant."

The person next to him had a gloomy face. "Hmph, I don't want to talk to you."

The thought that she had only taken one photo while Chen Fan had taken dozens of photos in a row without spending any money made her feel uncomfortable.

It's like comparing people is torture, comparing goods is just asking for trouble.

Ye Shubao walked out with his hands behind his back, looked around, and said, "If you ask me, I shouldn't have come to take a picture. It costs 95 cents to take a picture, it's useless, and it just wastes time."

Then she looked at Zhang Wenliang and said, "It's all your fault. Why didn't you remember the way to their workplace? Otherwise, you would have just left instead of coming to the photo studio."

Zhang Wenliang was speechless. Good grief, how could this be my fault?

However, regardless of age, seniority, position, or any other factor, he could only endure being scolded by Ye Shubao.

Then, pretending not to hear, he hunched over and looked around. A few seconds later, his eyes lit up, and he pointed to two tricycles not far away and said, "Uncle Ye, why don't we take a taxi? Last time we came here, a manager from a company said that these are taxis and anyone can ride in them."

The group looked in the direction he was pointing and saw two tightly wrapped tricycles driving towards them. The noise was so loud that it could probably be heard even in Lujiawan.

(A "turtle shell" three-wheeled taxi produced in Shanghai in the 70s)

When An Quan saw the two vehicles, his eyes lit up immediately. "Hey, isn't this our 'Wuju Ke' from Shanghai? They're even selling in Gufeng County now?!"

Chen Fan and the other three turned to look at him together, "What 'Wuju shell'?"

At the same time, Chen Fan was also amazed. In May, when he was at the prefectural committee, he was riding in a human-powered tricycle, but in Gufeng County he was riding in a motorized tricycle. Was it because he didn't encounter one in Yunhu or something?
Hearing the questions from the crowd, Anquan grinned and said, "Wujuke is just a tortoise shell. I haven't seen this car in person, but a classmate mentioned it in a letter and even provided photos. It looks exactly like this. Not only is it used in Shanghai, but many other big cities like Guangzhou, Beijing, Nanjing, Wuhan, Hangzhou, Xi'an, and Chengdu have bought it to use as taxis. It's very efficient."

He paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "You all know about Xingfu motorcycles, right? This motorcycle has the same engine as the Xingfu 250. Don't be fooled by its speed of only 40 kilometers per hour; it can carry a lot of things. The rear cargo box can be folded flat, so you can fit a lot of stuff in it."

As he spoke, he walked forward, saying, "I've never ridden a Wujuke before, I'm going to have some fun today."

Chen Fan and the other three looked at each other and quickly followed.

Just as the two cars were about to arrive, Zhang Wenliang, who had said he wanted to take a taxi, suddenly fell silent and stood to the side without saying a word.

Even Anquan, who is extremely proud of products from his hometown, looked conflicted, as if he was wondering how to hail a taxi.

As for Ye Shubao and Zhang Juemin?
Forget it, just don’t mention it.

Finally, Chen Fan sighed softly and raised his hand to wave at the two cars.

Two tricycles slowly came to a stop in front of them.

The driver in the first car slowly rolled down the window, gave Chen Fan a critical look, then glanced at the others, and casually asked, "Where to?"

Chen Fan quickly asked, "Water transport company, how much?" The driver replied, "The water transport company isn't far, it's 3 cents. Buy your ticket first, then get on the bus."

At this moment, Ye Shubao asked cautiously, "Is it 3 cents for one car, or 3 cents for two cars?"

The driver chuckled, "Of course it's 3 cents per car. Two cars? You're dreaming."

Ye Shubao blushed deeply, pulled out a cigarette box wallet...the kind you use as a wallet from an empty cigarette box, and took out 6 cents to pay the bill.

The driver waved his hand and said, "We don't charge money, we only take a ticket. Put your things away, get in first, and buy the ticket at the taxi stand up ahead."

The group busied themselves again. Although the driver was unpleasant to talk to, he was quick to act. He helped open the trunk, and the board was laid horizontally. Zhang Wenliang loaded the two baskets onto the truck, with most of one basket inside and a small part outside, while the other was completely pressed onto the trunk board, with a small part hanging in the air. Then he secured them with ropes.

As for everyone's luggage, they carried it all themselves.

After loading both vehicles, Zhang Wenliang, Zhang Juemin, and Chen Fan squeezed into one vehicle, while Ye Shubao and Anquan rode in another. Once on board, the tricycle sputtered forward and soon arrived at the taxi stand.

It's actually just a guard post at the entrance of the bus station. You buy your ticket here and then head to the water transport company.

……

Soon after arriving at the water transport company, I gave my name at the gate and someone quickly came out to greet me.

When Zhang Wenliang saw a middle-aged man in his forties come out, he immediately hurried to greet him, "Manager Zhao, why did you come out in person?!"

Manager Zhao laughed heartily, "Of course we should come out to greet our distinguished guests."

He reached out to shake hands with Zhang Wenliang, but his gaze was fixed on Chen Fan and the others, finally settling on Chen Fan's face. He said to himself, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming? I could have sent a car to pick you up."

Zhang Wenliang felt that he had never felt more honored in his life than he did at this moment.

He looked around with a gleam in his eyes. "See? The office manager of the prestigious water transport company came out to greet us personally. Aren't we impressive?"
The others also shook hands and greeted Manager Zhao one by one.

When Chen Fan shook hands with Manager Zhao, he clearly saw the critical look in Manager Zhao's eyes, and his heart skipped a beat.

Oops.

I'm afraid I'll run into someone petty.

Previously, various units in the county sent official letters to Lujiawan, inviting him to give lectures. To avoid trouble, he made excuses and kept putting it off. In the end, the Zhang brothers, Juemin and Wenliang, stepped in and managed to get all the units to come.

Although the mission was successfully completed, Chen Fan himself probably wouldn't believe that these units had no complaints about him.

See, karma has come back to bite you.

Chen Fan shook hands with Manager Zhao, and Zhang Wenliang happily introduced, "Manager Zhao, let me introduce you to Mr. Chen Fan from Lujiawan. He was the one who led the compilation of that first aid manual, and he also has articles in the recent issues of the 'Jiangnan Literature and Art' magazine."

Moreover, the Yunhu Daily, published by the prefectural committee, carried six of Teacher Chen's articles about the double harvest within a single month—a feat unparalleled in our Nanhu Commune!

Upon hearing this, Manager Zhao was immediately overjoyed and grasped Chen Fan's right hand tightly with both hands. "So it's Teacher Chen in person! I've heard so much about you! Meeting you today, you are indeed extraordinary. You are a man of great talent and ability!"

He was polite, but Chen Fan was even more polite.

He immediately added his left hand, then put his hands together and said respectfully, "Manager Zhao, you're too kind. I'm just an ordinary employee from a small town, and I've never seen anything like this before. I don't deserve your praise."

The implication was that I was young and inexperienced, and hoped for forgiveness if I had offended anyone in any way.

Manager Zhao held on with both hands, remaining polite on the surface, and said with a hearty laugh, "Teacher Chen, you are too modest. Putting aside your trip to the prefectural committee to impart urgently needed knowledge, on the one hand, you are contributing to the people of the whole country and saving countless lives, and on the other hand, you are bringing honor to our Gufeng County. It is a great honor for our Gufeng County to have a talent like you."

You published several articles in the "Jiangnan Literature and Art" magazine and the Prefectural Party Committee Daily, which made our Gufeng County famous throughout the province. That is a great achievement.

You, a person of high status, are always busy and travel to many places. If you are considered unsophisticated, then we insignificant people who have accomplished nothing are even more ashamed to show our faces!

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan immediately became extremely alert.

He said I'm too busy to accept an apology?

This guy's a seasoned veteran; I'm afraid he won't get through this today.

The people standing nearby, except for Anquan who seemed thoughtful and whose smiles had faded a bit, couldn't help but smile happily when they saw Chen Fan and Manager Zhao "chatting happily".

After exchanging pleasantries, Manager Zhao invited everyone to the company's reception room, where he served hot tea and turned on the electric fan, demonstrating his hospitality and making everyone feel at home.

But when he heard Zhang Wenliang explain his intentions, a look of difficulty appeared on his face.

Ye Shubao and An Quan exchanged a glance, sensing that the atmosphere had changed rather quickly.

Is there any difficulty in buying chickens, ducks and geese from Lujiawan?
After a brief silence, Ye Shubao coughed lightly, turned to face Manager Zhao, and said with a smile, "Manager Zhao, your water transport company is one of the top companies in the county. We thought your company had good benefits. In addition to the employee canteen, you also give some benefits to the employees during holidays."

Our Lujiawan production team also responded to the call of the higher authorities to "learn from Dazhai" and actively developed sideline businesses to strive for the construction of a "new countryside," which is why we raised so many chickens, ducks, and geese.

However, the sideline economy in rural areas was neither part of the production tasks set by the commune nor on the food station's purchase order. Even the supply and marketing cooperative's purchasing station only accepted scattered domestic chickens, ducks and geese. They were powerless to handle such a large number of poultry.

Therefore, we can only produce and sell our own products, and find our own sales channels.

I came here today hoping to build a relationship with your shipping company and see if we could supply you, even just a few dozen a day for our canteen. That would be a huge help to our production team.

After Ye Shubao finished speaking, Manager Zhao still looked somewhat embarrassed. After pausing for two seconds, he smiled, raised his hand and said, "Come, come, have some tea."

Why would I drink tea at a time like this?

Ye Shubao grew increasingly agitated, but An Quan remained calm. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and laughed, "As expected of a large organization, your tea here is truly excellent. Is this high-mountain green tea?"

Manager Zhao laughed heartily, "Director An also knows about tea. This tea was picked from the tea garden at the reservoir on Gufeng Mountain. Although it's not from a high mountain, it's still considered mountain tea. I wouldn't normally be willing to take it out for anyone else."

Anquan, holding his teacup, smiled and said, "Then we've benefited from this today."

Chen Fan sat to the side, seemingly an introverted young man who wasn't good at speaking, just smiling and drinking tea with him.

Manager Zhao smiled and waved his hand, "Hey, you are all distinguished guests, how can you say you're benefiting from this?"

He paused for a moment before turning to look at Ye Shubao. His expression changed slightly, and he said with a hint of difficulty, "Captain Ye, I understand what you mean. You hope that the water transport company can purchase chickens, ducks, and geese from you, and that you can deliver them to my door every day. Is that what you mean?"

Ye Shubao nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, that's exactly what I mean."

Manager Zhao clasped his hands tightly, his eyes full of apology. "I'll just tell the truth."

Seeing his expression, Ye Shubao's heart sank. "Please speak."

Manager Zhao glanced at the group, his gaze finally settling on his face. He said seriously, "This isn't a big deal; it's just a few dozen chickens, ducks, and geese a day. Our canteen buys a lot of meat and vegetables every day, and we do need this meat. But..."

Right now, the last thing Ye Shubao wants to hear is "but".

But Manager Zhao insisted on adding, "However, our work process has strict procedures. Regarding procurement, we have an agreement with the vegetable market company; all the meat and vegetables are provided by the market. We just need to arrange for a truck to pick them up every day. With that, adding a few dozen more chickens, ducks, and geese simply wouldn't be enough!"

Upon hearing the explicit rejection, Ye Shubao's face was filled with disappointment.

Before he came out, he was full of confidence. After all, he had Chen Fan accompanying him and protecting him, and Zhang Juemin and Zhang Wenliang who had traveled to more than 20 units in the county to teach first aid knowledge. He thought, "Is it just selling some chickens, ducks and geese? They won't even give me this much face?"
In order to get off to a good start, Zhang Wenliang specially chose the largest water transport company, but he didn't expect that they would not give him any face.

What do we do now?
(End of this chapter)