Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 410 Let Me Analyze
October 23, 11:40 AM.

After some commotion, everyone arrived at the photo studio near the Prefectural Party Committee's Education Department.

Chen Fan walked at the front and immediately noticed the long queue outside the photo studio.

It wasn't until I looked twice that I noticed the sign for "Glory Photo Studio".

Secretary Yang was initially quite spirited, thinking about what poses he would use for the photos, but when he saw the long line outside the photo studio, he was dumbfounded. "Why are there so many people?"

As she spoke, she looked at Chen Fan.

Chen Fan looked slightly embarrassed. "Great minds think alike, everyone thought the same thing as me."

He was hoping to finish filming early so there would be fewer people, but who knew so many would show up today.

But it can't be too late either; you have to wait until there are fewer people before you come to take the picture, otherwise the registration might have already ended.

Captain Zhang, his brow furrowed, bit his pipe. "What do we do then?"

Chen Fan coughed twice. "Since we're here, let's make the best of it and get in line."

Anquan wiped away a cold sweat and quickly directed everyone to line up at the back of the queue to secure a spot.

Regardless of anything else, let's grab a spot first. If Chen Fan's call from the day before yesterday works, we can give up here anytime. But if it doesn't work, we'll still have to wait in line!

The former educated youth from other places were quite considerate; they let the students from Lujiawan line up in front, while they themselves stood in the back.

With their addition, the length of the line immediately increased by one-fifth.

Chen Fan looked around, asked Secretary Yang for a letter of introduction, put it in his pocket, and then walked forward with his head held high and chest puffed out.

I had only taken a few steps when I heard someone shout, "Hey young man, why don't you follow the rules? If you want to take a picture, go to the back of the line."

Chen Fan looked in the direction of the voice and saw a little girl staring at him with her big eyes.

He brazenly flashed a bright, ever-reliable smile and said, "Sorry, classmate, I don't take photos. I had an appointment with the photo studio beforehand, and I have official business to attend to."

The little girl was indeed struck by the smile, her face flushing slightly. "Oh, I made a mistake."

Chen Fan smiled, waved his hand, and continued walking forward.

Then, every time he walked a short distance, he would be scolded. He smiled and explained repeatedly, marveling at how strong people's sense of justice was at that time. Finally, he entered the photo studio.

Before the photo studio staff could ask any questions, Chen Fan had already spotted a young woman, stepped forward, took out his letter of introduction, and handed it over, saying in a low voice, "Hello comrade, I am from the Lujiawan Production Team of Nanhu Commune. The day before yesterday afternoon, I asked Teacher Guo from the Jiangnan University Correspondence Station of the Education Commission to help me make an appointment with you for a photo."

The young woman took the letter of introduction, then looked at Chen Fan's face, and inexplicably blushed. "Oh, our director told me beforehand that you should come with me."

Chen Fan ignored the strange looks from the side and quietly followed behind her.

After passing through a half-closed curtain and entering the photography studio, I saw a photographer in a blue overalls taking pictures.

A girl in a plaid shirt sat upright on a stool. She had just opened her eyes and hadn't even had time to pose when the photographer snapped a picture with a flash and shouted, "Okay, next one!"

The girl was dumbfounded. Was that all?
The next person quickly walked over and whispered, "Are you done taking pictures?"

Hearing the sound, she hurriedly walked outside.

Chen Fan found it a bit strange; this process was different from when he took photos in the county town.

He then asked the young woman in a low voice, "Excuse me, do I need to get a receipt?"

The young lady was very patient with him. "They registered before taking the photos. They can come back in 5 days, give their number, and have their names checked before they can pick up their photos."

Chen Fan's eyes darted around slightly. Five days?
However, thinking of the long queue outside, and that it was almost midnight, he couldn't help but smack his lips slightly.

With more people, the time will inevitably be longer.

While Chen Fan was asking questions, the photographer dealt with two more people. He finally didn't call on the next one, turned around and asked, "What's going on?"

The young woman immediately stepped forward and said, "It's the people from the Lujiawan Production Team in Gufeng County who the director instructed us to come and take registration photos, just like the ones from the day before yesterday."

"Oh."

The photographer nodded, "Then..."

He had only said two words when he suddenly looked at Chen Fan, "Lujiawan? Which team is Chen Fan on?"

Chen Fan immediately bowed slightly in a humble manner, "Hello, Master, I am Chen Fan."

"Oh my!"

The photographer's eyes lit up immediately. He even forgot about his camera and walked over with outstretched hands. "So it's Writer Chen in person! I've heard so much about you!"

Chen Fan chuckled and shook hands with him, "No, no, thank you for your help. Our team members are here to take registration photos today, thank you for your trouble."

The photographer said, "No trouble at all, it's just my job. Um..."

He turned to the young woman and said, "Since the director has given instructions and Writer Chen is here in person, let them take pictures first."

The young lady was about to leave when Chen Fan stopped her.

He did intend to cut in line before entering the studio. Since he had an appointment, it was essentially a business-to-business arrangement, so he wasn't afraid of anyone checking and it didn't constitute breaking the rules.

These days, it's considered against the rules if you don't have some "privileges".

But after entering the room and seeing the nervous and even somewhat bewildered "candidates," he suddenly didn't want to cut in line anymore.

He smiled at the young lady and the photographer and said, "It's okay, it's okay. These students have been queuing for most of the day, let them go first. Anyway, we're not far behind in line."

The photographer glanced at him in surprise, and seeing his serious expression, couldn't help but give him a thumbs up, "Writer Chen, well done."

He then walked up to the camera and shouted, "Next!"

The girl waiting outside was already feeling uneasy.

These days, when you're queuing to do something, the worst thing is when someone suddenly walks in. If it's a staff member, that's fine, but what if it's someone who got in through connections... Oh my god, I can't live like this!

When will we get there today?!
Fortunately, after only a few minutes, she heard the photographer shouting from inside. She immediately prepared to go in, but as soon as she lifted the curtain, she saw another woman say, "Don't bring anything in."

She was immediately in a dilemma. She had brought all her most valuable possessions with her. What if she lost them?
At this moment, a girl behind her said, "Just leave it here, I'll watch it for you."

Without thinking twice, she bent down, said thank you, put the package aside, and ran inside to sit up straight.

Sitting on the stool, the bright light in the room made it hard for her to see clearly, but this was a photo shoot for the college entrance examination, and she dared not slack off in the slightest, so she could only try her best to keep her eyes wide open.

With a click, the photographer shouted, "Next!"

It wasn't until she left the photo studio and retrieved her bag that she seemed to wake from a dream, glanced back, and slowly walked away.

Chen Fan's gaze followed her, and he asked curiously, "She must have come from down below, right?"

You can tell that she doesn't wear that dress often; the creases are still there, and the dress is too thin for this season.

The young woman nodded, her eyes filled with complex emotions. "She was a sent-down youth from Jiangsu, working in a certain brigade. It's a little closer to the city than the county town, and the bus ticket is 1 cents cheaper, so she came here to take photos. And I heard that to save money, she walked all the way from the bus station."

Chen Fan didn't hear clearly which production team it was, but that didn't matter anyway.

He watched the girl walk out of the photo studio, and couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

If things are already this difficult in the Yunhu area, imagine how much more difficult it would be in places like Inner Mongolia and Guizhou, which are sparsely populated and have inconvenient transportation. You'd probably have to run yourself ragged.

Moreover, it's almost November, and it might already be snowing heavily in the north. Just thinking about having to walk dozens of kilometers in the freezing cold to take the exam, and then there's the registration, filling out the application, picking up the admission notice, and so on... running back and forth so many times, Chen Fan felt his legs tremble just thinking about it.

In contrast, candidates from inland areas are indeed much luckier.

The photographers were very fast, taking photos almost every 10 seconds. In less than half an hour, it was finally the turn of the people from Lujiawan to enter.

Secretary Yang and Captain Zhang personally escorted them, Zhang Wenliang helped with the registration, and Chen Fan stayed in the photography studio with them the whole time.

Even the photographer unconsciously slowed down, leaning his head behind the camera to aim, "Come on, tilt your head to the left a little, raise your forehead a little higher, don't blink, smile, okay... that's it."

Click...

The difference in attitude between them and the others was striking. After everyone had finished taking photos, Secretary Yang and Captain Zhang joined in the fun, asking the photographer to unfurl a backdrop of Tiananmen Square so they could each have their picture taken.

It was past 12:30. After everyone came out of the photo studio, Secretary Yang looked around and said to Chen Fan, "Is there anything else?"

Chen Fan spread his hands, "That's all."

He then looked at the students and said with a smile, "They've come all this way to the prefectural committee, so let's see if they want to take a look around."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lü Yanan waved her hands repeatedly, "I'm not going to shop anymore. You guys go ahead and shop. I'll just go back to the ship and wait."

As she spoke, she pulled out a stack of handwritten notebooks and smiled, "I brought some review materials, so I can study a little longer."

The other dozen or so former educated youth also pulled out their handwritten copies, saying in unison, "I brought one too." "I brought one too."...

Huang Ying and the others stared at them in disbelief.

Bringing study materials along for a photo shoot? Are they really that dedicated?

The other students had already lowered their heads in shame. While they were queuing, some of them noticed that the older educated youth behind them were reviewing with their materials, while their own hands were empty.

Seeing this, Secretary Yang's initial idea of ​​showing the students around the city and inspiring their ambition vanished instantly. He immediately waved his hand and said, "That's it, let's go home!"

Zhang Wenliang's hopeful eyes instantly dimmed, and he muttered, "It's already noon, can't we eat something before going back?"

Captain Zhang's eyes widened. "Want some food at home? Let's go!"

So the group of people rushed back without stopping.

It wasn't until they were boarding the ship that Chen Fan pulled Secretary Yang aside and whispered, "Uncle Yang, Uncle Zhang, Jiang Lili and I need to ask for leave. You go back first, and we'll be there shortly."

Ok?
The two men looked at them strangely, their gazes shifting back and forth between them.

What do you mean?
Chen Fan quickly said, "Xiao Jiang's family works for the prefectural committee. She hasn't been back for almost four years. Since she's here at the prefectural committee, she thought she'd take the opportunity to go home and see her parents."

Upon hearing this, a hint of relief flashed in Secretary Yang's eyes.

He hesitated for two seconds, then said to Jiang Lili, "It's rare for you to come all this way, so go back and take a look. If you're not in a hurry, you can go back to the production team in a few days."

Jiang Lili quickly said, "Thank you, Secretary. I... I don't need to stay too long. I'll just meet you and then go back."

This was something she and Chen Fan had discussed before they left.

Given her family's special circumstances, going back to see her parents would inevitably cause some unnecessary trouble. However, she felt uneasy about going back to Yunhu without seeing them, so she decided to just see them once and leave immediately.

Seeing her say that, Secretary Yang didn't say anything more. He turned to Chen Fan and said, "Anyway, you know the prefectural committee better than we do, so I won't say much. You can stay as long as you want. If you need anything, just have the transport team deliver the goods and pass on the message. Just one thing: bring the person back safely."

Completely intact?

Chen Fan glanced at him, "Old man, are you implying something?"

As a result, Secretary Yang rolled his eyes, put his hands behind his back, and walked towards the river.

Captain Zhang didn't say much, but as he passed by him, he coughed twice and gave him a look, letting him figure it out himself.

The large ship slowly sailed away from the dock. Huang Ying, Yang Ju, and Liu Dan stood together at the bow, whispering to each other. No one knew what they were talking about, but the worry on their faces was impossible to hide. They almost wished they could stay and keep them company.

Chen Fan twitched his lips, turned to Jiang Lili and said, "Do you want to buy something for your parents and sister?"

With no outsiders present, Jiang Lili exhaled a long breath, raised her head and smiled, "No need, I've prepared gifts for them all."

As he spoke, he gently patted the canvas bag he was carrying.

At this moment, she was already quite impatient.

Chen Fan smiled and said, "Let's go then."

With that, he turned and walked downstairs.

Jiang Lili followed closely behind him, "Where are we going?"

Chen Fan: "Let's take the boat to your sister's place. Her workplace isn't far from the riverbank, so it'll be faster by boat."

The meeting place was arranged to be by the river not far from Jiang Tiantian's workplace, so that it would be convenient for her parents to go there, and also convenient for Jiang Lili to go there, without worrying about being seen by acquaintances.

Jiang Lili: "Oh."

The two boarded the yacht, and the small boat cut through the waves and headed upstream.

Then, quite awkwardly, they caught up with the large ship, Lujiawan No. 2.

Chen Fan calmly waved to the villagers on the boat, then suddenly pushed the accelerator to the floor. The yacht immediately roared and the bow rose high, like a frog hopping on the water, leaving the large wooden boat far behind.

On the large boat, Zhang Wenliang stared in disbelief, "Can a small boat go this fast?"

Anquan calmly picked up the fallen cigarette, dusted off the ash, and said, "Hmph, what's this? If this boat weren't so fat, the speed could be increased by another half. Let me tell you, you know what a speedboat is, right? The machinery on his little boat was originally installed on a speedboat..."

Secretary Yang stood in the corridor in front of the driver's cab, leaning forward against the railing, squinting at the frogs in the distance.

Captain Zhang looked at him and asked, "What do you think?"

Secretary Yang didn't even turn his head. "Look with your eyes."

Captain Zhang curled his lip. "That's not very interesting. Don't you want Xiao Chen to stay in Lujiawan?"

"I do want to, but what's the use of wanting to?"

He glanced back at Captain Zhang, clicked his tongue, and said, "Yang Chuanfu not only used the honey trap, but also brought out his own daughters. Counting the girls from the Huang and Liu families of their 6th team, and then counting your Zhang family's Xiao'e, aren't they all top-notch beauties?"

But Xiao Chen just doesn't like her. What can you do? Tie him up with a rope, then just randomly pick someone like it's a marriage by chance, force them into the bridal chamber, and that's it?

Captain Zhang couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Pah, what nonsense are you talking about?"

He paused for a moment, then sighed, "I'd like to, but Xiao Chen's personality... Don't let his cheerful demeanor fool you, I've never met anyone more stubborn than him."

You talk to him nicely, and he nods and agrees, but the moment he turns around, he does the same thing again, without changing at all.

Secretary Yang suddenly burst out laughing.

Captain Zhang looked at him with a strange expression. What's wrong? Is he possessed?
After finally stopping laughing, Secretary Yang said, "In Xiao Chen's words, it's called humbly accepting criticism but stubbornly refusing to change one's ways."

Upon hearing this, Captain Zhang grinned and laughed.

After a while, Secretary Yang took a puff of his cigarette and said with emotion, "You, me, Lao Xiao, Lao Ye, and most of the people in Lujiawan, who doesn't want to keep Xiao Chen here?"

Ideally, one should find a wife from Lujiawan and have ten or eight children to truly settle down here.

But Xiao Chen has his own ideas. He's made so many contributions to our Lujiawan area; he's already repaid Yang Chuanfu tenfold, a hundredfold, for the small favor Yang Chuanfu saved him. What can we offer to keep him here?"

After pausing for a few seconds and silently taking a few puffs of his cigarette, he said again, "Trying to retain people by force will only lead to enmity in the end."

Anyway, I have only one thing to say: whether it's a letter of introduction, a political background check certificate, or anything else, if he needs it, we'll give it to him. If our Lujiawan is fortunate enough to have this literary star settle down here, it will naturally be a blessing from heaven.

Even if we can't keep them, at least we produced one such person here, and nurtured a whole bunch of talented people, turning this place into a prosperous place. We've made enough money already.

Captain Zhang nodded silently to the side.

After a brief silence, he suddenly said, "Hey, Lao Yang, have you thought about this problem?"

Secretary Yang turned to look at him. "What's the problem?"

Captain Zhang pointed mysteriously in the direction Chen Fan had disappeared and whispered, "Do you think it's possible that he didn't actually have romantic feelings for Xiao Jiang?"

Secretary Yang raised an eyebrow, immediately perking up. "What do you mean?"

Captain Zhang, as if possessed by Zhuge Liang, analyzed, "Let me explain. If he really likes Xiao Jiang, shouldn't he try to keep her here?"

Secretary Yang blinked. "I don't understand."

Captain Zhang glared at him irritably. "Are you stupid? Didn't you hear Yang Chuanfu say that his wife, Yang Ju, told him that Xiao Chen was going to send Xiao Jiang to study in another city, which sounds quite far away? And he himself is planning to apply for graduate school at Jiangnan University. If they have an affair, shouldn't they be together? Why are they separating?"

(End of this chapter)