Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 364 Widespread Fame
Teacher He waited a few seconds and, seeing that Chen Fan didn't speak, smiled and said, "It's okay, you can take your time to think about it, or you can take the books back first, flip through them yourself, and choose the subjects that you think are easy to grasp. Then just call me and let me know."

Teacher Guo leaned against her desk, took a sip of water, and smiled at Chen Fan, "But don't be too late. It's best to do it before September 1st. We need to register your student status then, and we'll need to register the subjects you'll be taking this semester."

Chen Fan hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Can I take a look at what textbooks are available first?"

Teacher He laughed heartily, "Of course."

He then went to the filing cabinet at the back and rummaged around in it, bringing out a tall stack of books and placing them in front of Chen Fan.

Chen Fan glanced through it and had a better understanding of the situation.

University courses back then were much fewer than they were later. He remembered that there were 29 professional courses in Chinese Language and Literature, plus general education courses such as Politics, English, Mathematics, and Computer Basics, as well as other elective courses, totaling more than 30 courses.

All the courses combined now only amount to 20.

Most importantly, he had already seen most of them.

Among the textbooks I packed up from the warehouse of the local waste recycling company last time were some for literature majors, which highly overlapped with the correspondence course textbooks of Jiangnan University.

The only difference is that the previous one was for a vocational college, while this one is for a bachelor's degree, so there are a few more books. Nowadays, textbooks for both vocational and bachelor's degrees are interchangeable, unlike in later generations where even textbooks differ. This means that Chen Fan has already completed most of the courses.

So Chen Fan raised his head and smiled innocently, "Teacher Guo, Teacher He, is there a limit to the number of students who can sign up for this exam course?"

Teacher Guo shook his head and smiled, "There is no limit to the number of courses. However, it is common to take 3 to 5 courses. Those with less talent take 3 courses, and those with more talent take 5 courses. This way, it takes about 3 years to pass all the exams and get a graduation certificate."

He then looked at Chen Fan and said, "If you think you have a strong learning ability, you can take one or two more courses, it doesn't matter."

Chen Fan grinned and chuckled, "Then, I'd like to sign up for all of them?"

"what?"

"The entire report?"

Teacher Guo and Teacher He exchanged glances, then looked at him together. "You're not kidding?"

Jiang Tiantian stared blankly at Chen Fan, her lips slightly parted, unable to utter a word.

Chen Fan smiled, divided the stack of books in front of him into two piles, placed one hand on the taller pile, and said, "I've read all of these books, and I remember most of the contents."

With his other hand on the lower pile of books, he said, "These are the few books I haven't read yet, so I only need to read these few."

This left the two teachers speechless.

Teacher Guo picked up the basic information form filled out by Chen Fan, on which his birth date was clearly written: the first day of the twelfth lunar month in 1960.

She's not even 17 yet.

What, are all young people these days so incredibly talented?

Teacher He rubbed his face and said absentmindedly, "Since you've already studied so far on your own, then register according to your own pace."

After a pause, he continued earnestly, "However, I still want to advise you that you should take even the textbooks you've already studied seriously. Passing the exams is one thing, but most importantly, you can't waste your talent; you must master the knowledge firmly."

Chen Fan nodded immediately, "Thank you for your concern, Teacher He. I will keep it in mind."

Now, there's nothing else going on.

The tuition fee for the first year is 10 yuan, and the exam registration fee is 1 cents per subject, for a total of 20 subjects, totaling 12 yuan.

In return for the money, I received an admission notice for the Chinese Language and Literature major from the Correspondence Department of Jiangnan University, as well as a blank piece of paper with my mailing address on it.

If Chen Fan encounters any difficulties during his studies, he can write to this address for help.

The school would assign different teachers to answer the questions asked. Many well-known scholars in universities at that time had experience answering questions for correspondence students.

In addition, the correspondence learning centers also hold three or four intensive courses each year, each lasting about 10 days to half a month.

These measures are all aimed at ensuring the quality of correspondence education.

However, it's likely that Chen Fan won't be attending.

……

When I came out of the Education Department, everyone in the other departments had already left work, and there was hardly anyone around.

As Chen Fan exited the gate, he offered the old gatekeeper a cigarette before leisurely walking out with his textbooks, which were tied together with rope.

Standing by the roadside, Jiang Tiantian seemed still in a daze, looking at him in surprise, "Are you really going to pass all the subjects in one go?"

Chen Fan turned to look at her and smiled, "Didn't I pass all the special recruitment exams on my first try?"

Jiang Tiantian's eyes were filled with amazement, "I don't even know what words to use to describe you, you are really amazing!"

Chen Fan laughed and said, "Actually, it's not that magical. I work as a coordinator in the countryside, so I have a lot of free time. When I have nothing to do, I just pick up a book and read it. These books aren't difficult; they're all about things that require memorization. You learn them by reading them."

Jiang Tiantian raised her hand to cover her forehead. "Uh, everyone around me has always said I'm smart, but compared to you, I feel like a complete idiot."

Chen Fan coughed lightly and said seriously, "Don't say that. You're still better than a fool."

Jiang Tiantian was speechless.

Seeing her expression, Chen Fan couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Jiang Tiantian wasn't angry. After a two-second pause, she chuckled.

After a while, when the laughter subsided, Chen Fan pointed to the other side and said, "Let's go, let's go to the other side of the road, find a place to eat something first, and then I'll take you back."

Jiang Tiantian followed him and said with a smile, "You treated me to lunch, so it's my turn tonight. Also, you don't need to see me off. After we finish eating, I'll find you a place to stay, and I can take the bus back by myself."

Chen Fan shook his head repeatedly, "If it were daytime, I definitely wouldn't deliver it. It's better to be careful at night. Like I said, be careful and safety first."

Jiang Tiantian pursed her lips and smiled, no longer refusing.

There are many workplaces and restaurants here, so the two of them randomly found a small restaurant, ordered two simple dishes, and ate dinner quickly without drinking any alcohol. Chen Fan then took the bus to send Jiang Tiantian home, and only after watching her enter the alley did he turn around and take a bus back to the city center, where he went to the health department's guesthouse.

……

At that moment, there were two groups of people waiting in the guesthouse. Chen Fan originally wanted to wait in line until the two groups in front of him checked in before going over. However, the staff at the guesthouse all recognized him and greeted him, "Teacher Chen is here! Are you here to stay? We still have the room you stayed in last time. The key is here, so you can just go up."

Chen Fan looked slightly embarrassed and chuckled, "I can't afford to live in the cadre's quarters."

A regular single room costs only two yuan, but the cadre room at the health department's guesthouse costs five yuan a day, which is two yuan more expensive than the cadre room at the regular guesthouse. Even if he has money, he shouldn't waste it like this. It would be fine to just book a single room for two yuan.

As a result, the duty manager of the guesthouse quickly walked over, picked up the key and handed it to him. "The director had instructed us before that if you come again, we must treat you well. It's just a room, we can afford to accommodate you. Go up and rest first, and I'll have someone bring you hot water in a bit."

Seeing the keys being stuffed into his hand, Chen Fan could only happily accept, "Thank you."

He then waved and walked briskly towards the stairwell.

The two people checking in at the counter glanced curiously at Chen Fan's back before continuing their check-in process. "Hello comrade, could you please provide a cadre room and an extra bed?"

The receptionist casually picked up the letter of introduction, glanced at it, and tossed it onto the counter. "Not high enough rank. You can only get a single room at most." The clerk was slightly taken aback. "Sir, last time we came..."

The receptionist looked up and glared at her. "What do you mean by last time or not? We only have single rooms available. Do you want one or not?"

The clerk was immediately furious, and stepped aside to reveal the middle-aged man behind him, saying, "This is our county..."

Before he could finish speaking, the middle-aged man grabbed him and smiled politely at the receptionist, "It's alright, it's alright, then we'll take a single room."

As he spoke, he took out a cigarette and offered it to him.

The receptionist glanced at the Zhonghua cigarette box, her expression softening slightly. She took the cigarette, tucked it behind her ear, and began processing their registration.

The middle-aged man glanced at the shift leader's retreating figure, and only after he disappeared did he ask in a low voice, "Comrade, can I ask you something?"

The receptionist looked up at him, a half-smile on her face, and said, "Want to know who that young man was? And why is he high-ranking enough to stay in the cadre's quarters?"

The middle-aged man immediately nodded and chuckled, "You are wise."

The receptionist chuckled twice and said, "Don't say I didn't remind you, you're also part of our health system. You must have heard of Chen Fan from Gufeng County, right?!"

The middle-aged man's expression immediately changed. "He's Chen Fan?"

The clerk next to him also changed his expression at this moment.

If it were Chen Fan, they wouldn't be surprised at all if he went straight to stay in the cadre's quarters, or even stayed there for free.

Since the publication of "Common Sudden Injuries and Illnesses First Aid Manual", it has sold out across the country in just two months. The first edition of 80 copies sold out in half a month, and the second edition of 120 million copies was printed. Even with a total of 200 million copies, it was still not enough to meet demand. Countless orders from bookstores and organizations all over the country were sent to the health departments of the local party committees. The third edition of 80 copies is currently being printed at the Yunhu Hongxing Printing Factory with everyone working overtime.

Putting everything else aside, this one book alone brought in more than 20 yuan in revenue for Yunhu Health Department.

Not to mention, hospitals, mines, factories, and other organizations from all over the country sent invitations to the prefectural health department, inviting them to share their advanced first aid experience. In particular, the airway obstruction removal method, which had been identified by experts from the Ministry of Health in the capital and named the Yunhu First Aid Method, was immediately promoted to health systems across the country, bringing pride to all health workers in Yunhu.

In this situation, the Health Department of the Prefectural Committee also formed three lecture teams and ten small teams of three people each, led by the director, the department head and Hao Liyang, respectively, to go to various parts of the country to impart first aid experience.

As the outreach teams and smaller groups traveled across the country, various organizations inquired about how this first aid method was developed. It was against this backdrop that the name "Chen Fan from Lujiawan, Gufeng County" began to circulate widely among various organizations.

However, according to the health department's propaganda team, Chen Fan himself requested to stay rooted in the countryside, not seeking fame or recognition, but only to make silent contributions. Therefore, the media at all levels did not mention his name in their reports, but instead focused on promoting the Yunhu Health Department and its three leaders.

Nevertheless, this event also brought some unexpected surprises, mainly two.

One is that people from the Yunhu health system are highly regarded when they go out. The other is that suddenly many units from other provinces have been sending money and letters to the "Jiangnan Literature and Art" magazine, requesting to purchase the magazine for the past four months and to subscribe to future issues.

The purpose, needless to say, was to see what Chen Fan wrote as a writer.

As a result, "Jiangnan Literature" successfully broke through geographical limitations and obtained the qualification to be distributed nationwide, opening up a large part of the market outside the province.

However, Chen Fan was holed up in the small town of Lujiawan, and he himself was completely unaware of these things.

However, as the leader of the county health bureau under the Yunhu area, the middle-aged man naturally knew everything.

Hearing from the receptionist that the young man was Chen Fan, any doubts I had instantly vanished, and I dared not utter another word.

Besides the two of them, the other three people waiting to check in also exchanged glances silently, clearly having taken the receptionist's words to heart.

……

Chen Fan took the key and entered the cadre's room with familiarity. He put down his luggage, then turned on the electric fan, took a cold shower, changed his clothes, sat on the sofa, turned on the TV, and watched the model opera on the small screen, but his mind was thinking about how to promote it tomorrow.

After a while, there was a knock on the door.

He glanced at the door, thinking it was the guesthouse manager coming to see him, so he got up and went to open the door.

But when they opened the door, they found two strangers.

A man in his forties, dressed and with the demeanor of an official, was most likely an official. Behind him was a young man in his twenties, also dressed in official attire, but looking more like a clerk, probably a secretary or staff member, carrying two gift boxes.

It's unlikely that a driver would do that. These days, drivers earn more than cadres. Even a driver's assistant starts at level 6 with a salary of 33 yuan, while regular employees start at 48 yuan. A level 1 driver earns more than 80 yuan a month. They wouldn't be so eager to serve others.

Besides, that middle-aged man didn't seem like someone qualified to be a driver.

Chen Fan could see most of what was going on between the two at a glance, but he remained calm and asked with a puzzled look, "Who are you?"

The middle-aged man immediately said respectfully, "Hello, Teacher Chen, I am Zhu Xuegang from Shuanghe County Health Bureau."

He paused for a moment, and the young man behind him immediately added, "He's also the deputy director of our bureau."

Chen Fan immediately extended both hands, "Hello, Director Zhu."

After shaking hands, he looked at them with a puzzled expression, "What brings you two here...?"

Zhu Xuegang laughed and said, "Teacher Chen, is it convenient for us to go in and talk?"

Chen Fan suddenly seemed to realize something, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry for neglecting you."

Then he stepped aside to invite the two into the house, closed the door, and asked them to sit down in the reception area. He poured them two cups of tea, then asked with a smile, "I wonder if there's anything I can do for Director Zhu?"

Director Zhu quickly waved his hands and laughed, "No, no, we just happened to find out that Teacher Chen was here, so we wanted to come and visit."

After a pause, he launched into a tirade of praise for Chen Fan, saying how amazing and powerful he was, how his single book had made the Yunhu health system famous nationwide, bringing pride to all of them. He added that Chen Fan was highly regarded and trusted by the director, department heads, and other leaders, and that as grassroots health workers, it was only natural for them to come and pay their respects and express their gratitude.

After listening to him ramble on for a while, Chen Fan roughly understood what he was saying.

If he wasn't mistaken, the "Common Sudden Injuries and Illnesses First Aid Manual" must have been a bestseller. The leaders of the health department were also invited to give lectures all over the country, partly to teach first aid methods and partly to praise how hard the health workers in Yunhu worked.

Look, even a barefoot doctor in Lujiawan can create a completely new first aid method and summarize and optimize existing first aid methods.

The leaders of the Health Department also recognized this talent and immediately discovered this strength. They gathered all the expert doctors and, under the command of the department's leaders, completed the compilation of the first professional non-professional "First Aid Manual" in the country in just 12 days.

Meanwhile, the Provincial Health Department also acted swiftly. After the book was published, it quickly organized a team of experts to launch a more professional compilation of categorized First Aid Manuals. It is expected that several First Aid Manuals for different scenarios will be published this year.

In conclusion, the health system of Jiangnan Province, especially the Yunhu Health Department, has made a great impression on its counterparts across the country.

As a result of the propaganda team's activities, Chen Fan, the "instigator," became known to people from many organizations across the country and his reputation spread far and wide.

It was only because of the "obstruction" by the propaganda team that it was not published in the newspaper and became known to the whole society.

Regardless of the circumstances, Chen Fan was already considered "favored by the emperor" in the eyes of the leaders of the Health Department and the Health Bureau.

So, as the deputy leader of a grassroots health management agency, upon learning that Teacher Chen, a prominent figure, was staying at the same guesthouse, wouldn't it be only natural for him to pay a visit?
After understanding the situation, Chen Fan looked at Deputy Director Zhu, who was sitting upright, and the young clerk, and a knowing smile appeared on his face.

It's quite a coincidence that, from Lujiawan to Yunhu city center, if you travel by water, you first travel along a river for about 45 kilometers, then turn onto the Yangtze River and travel about 5 kilometers to reach the destination.

Why do I say it's a clever trick?

The county seat of Shuanghe County is located at the confluence of that river and the Yangtze River. The county has two rivers that flow directly into the Yangtze River, hence the name Shuanghe County.

Therefore, if the Lujiawan transport team were to deliver goods to the prefectural committee and Gufeng County by waterway, they would inevitably pass through the county seat of Shuanghe County.

Would Chen Fan let this opportunity slip by?!
If I don't sell him a few hundred chickens, ducks and geese today, I'll consider myself incompetent!
(End of this chapter)