Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 468 Give Some Funds
The next morning, Chen Fan went to the machinery factory and handed over the high-end car design drawings he had completed over the past few days to Director Yang.

I also loaded five 20-liter gasoline cans into the car.

These days, when cars travel long distances, there aren't many gas stations to refuel. Almost all vehicles have to carry their own fuel cans. Small cars carry small fuel cans, either 10 liters, 20 liters, or 30 liters. If they feel the weight is too small, they can carry several. Large trucks almost always carry 50-liter fuel cans, and they usually carry several at a time, enough to last a long distance.

These oil drums are almost entirely copied from the design used during the German Blitzkrieg. No matter how the two sides adjusted their strategies, they remained fundamentally the same and the overall structure remained unchanged.

Nothing special, its main focus is practicality. In fact, if you change anything, it won't be as good as it was before.

(The oil drum with three handles is the original design.)
Chen Fan has a severe "fear of insufficient reserves", so in addition to the 5 barrels of oil, he went to Deputy Director Li's office and asked for 200 liters of gasoline coupons.

Factory Director Yang was very happy because he had obtained the design blueprints for a high-end sedan.

Deputy Factory Director Li was very upset because he had been extorted for 100 liters of gasoline and 200 liters of gasoline vouchers.

This was his hard-earned savings. It was easy for the machinery factory to get diesel, but gasoline was very difficult. If it weren't for the fact that the factory had a small fleet of vehicles and that he had a good relationship with the transportation management bureau, he could get a little more gasoline each time it was approved.

In addition, I usually save money as much as possible, otherwise I wouldn't have so many gas coupons left.

But what you can take are new tickets from January 1978!

(New tickets from January 1978)
Then he muttered, "You have such a good relationship with the long-distance bus company, why don't you go talk to them?"

Chen Fan was slightly taken aback. Right, the machinery factory had plenty of diesel, but if they needed gasoline, they would have to go to the passenger transport company.

But thinking of Xia Yuping, I decided to forget about it.

He hesitated for two seconds, then said, "I'm mainly afraid of owing people favors!"

The main reason is that I'm afraid of owing Xia Yuping a favor!

As for the favors owed in the past, they were already repaid through those two sets of books.

Upon hearing his words, Deputy Factory Director Li instantly became happy.

He's afraid of owing favors to the passenger transport company, but not to the machinery factory. This shows he considers the machinery factory one of his own. What more can be said about that?

He immediately took out another handful of bills from the drawer and handed them to him, saying, "Be prepared for a difficult journey, take more with you."

Chen Fan quickly grabbed it, saying, "Oh dear, how could I do this?"

I glanced at it and saw another 100-liter gasoline coupon, plus a number of national grain coupons. Not bad at all.

Factory Director Yang was still staring intently at the car design drawings, muttering to himself, "This car...it's really beautiful!"

Chen Fan glanced at him from the side. The Hongqi Guoya's appearance was alright.

With the current level of technology, let alone machinery factories, even FAW (First Automobile Works) would probably have a hard time achieving mass production.

However, it is still possible to make it by hand.

Of course, it's just a shell; the contents can't compare to the real Guoya.

It's all show and no substance!

Deputy Factory Director Li glanced at him from the side, then his eyes darted around slightly. He coughed lightly and said seriously, "Old Yang, Xiao Fan is going to the provincial capital this afternoon. Aren't you going to say a few words?"

"what?"

Factory Director Yang looked up, glanced at him first, then at Chen Fan, and asked, "By the way, you still haven't said what you're going to the provincial capital for? The health department wants you to go on a business trip?"

Deputy Factory Director Li kept his eyes glued to the design drawings, but unfortunately, Factory Director Yang held on tightly, leaving no opening for him to make a move.

Then Chen Fan said, "It's not about the health department. The provincial writers' association is being rebuilt. I'm going to attend the meeting, and I might be recommended for membership."

Provincial Writers Association?
Factory Director Yang and Deputy Factory Director Li exchanged a glance and finally remembered their original intention in bringing Chen Fan into the factory!
The next second, the two acted simultaneously.

Factory Director Yang threw away the design drawings, pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket, and counted it—only a dozen or so yuan. ...For ordinary people in that era, this was a "huge sum," equivalent to carrying tens of thousands of yuan in cash in later generations.

It's not like we're doing business. Who carries that much cash around all the time?
Except for Chen Fan!

He feels severely insecure if he doesn't have a few dozen yuan in his pocket.

Don't ask, the answer is "fear of insufficient reserves".

Moreover, he carried money in several different places on his body during his trip to the provincial capital, ranging from 50 to 200 yuan, just in case he lost the money and was left without any.

Factory Director Yang thought the same thing. He held up his dozen or so yuan and looked at Deputy Factory Director Li, asking, "How much do you have?"

Deputy Factory Director Li didn't take the money. Instead, he quickly wrote a note and handed it to him, saying, "What good is your little bit? Sign it quickly, and I'll go to the finance department to get 200 yuan for his travel expenses."

Then, looking at Chen Fan, she asked, "How many days will you be gone? Is 200 yuan enough?"

Chen Fan hesitated. The letter said that travel expenses would be reimbursed and food and lodging would be provided. He shouldn't have to spend his own money, right?
Then I heard Director Yang say, “Don’t be afraid of wasting money. If you become a member of the Provincial Writers Association, the machinery factory will also be proud. This is a subsidy, and you don’t need to claim it. Use it with confidence.”

Chen Fan coughed lightly, "Actually, you don't need that much..."

Before he could finish speaking, Director Yang quickly signed the document. Deputy Director Li immediately called his secretary and ordered someone to go to the finance department to retrieve the money.

As he turned around, he saw the design drawings on the table and quickly grabbed them. The next second, his eyes widened in amazement. This car... is so beautiful!

Chen Fan was also a little confused. He was just going to the provincial capital for a meeting and would stay for two or three days at most. But he didn't expect that Director Yang and Deputy Director Li would approve half a year's worth of funding and vouchers for him, and he didn't have to worry about the reimbursement receipts.

Who cares? Might as well take advantage of it.

……

They drove to the health department with gasoline, picked up Sister Zhou, then went to the education department, and took Sister Zuo and the Jiang sisters to the Gongnong Restaurant for dinner.

Sitting in the loft private room of the Gongnong Restaurant, Sister Zhou glared at him irritably, "If you had said you wanted to eat here, I definitely wouldn't have come. I would have just found a place to eat anywhere. Why did you have to pick this place?"

Chen Fan laughed and pointed to Jiang Tiantian and Jiang Lili sitting next to him, "It wasn't me who chose this place, it was them."

Sister Zhou glanced at the two sisters and immediately realized, "You two are also quitting your jobs?"

After the first batch of admission notices arrived, several people from various units of the prefectural committee resigned and went home to prepare for school, so the two sisters' choice was understandable.

Seeing that the two sisters nodded shyly in agreement, Sister Zhou also nodded and said, "It's good to resign. Anyway, it was a special situation at the time. Now that all the problems have been resolved, you should just resign and go home to prepare for school."

The two sisters exchanged a glance and then simultaneously raised their wine glasses.

Jiang Tiantian said to Sister Zhou and Sister Zuo, "Thank you, Sister Zhou and Sister Zuo. We really don't know what we would have done without your help."

Sister Zhou smiled, glanced at Zuo Qiuping, and then said with a smile, "No need for polite words. If you want to say thank you, you should go home and thank Xiao Fan."

Upon hearing this, both sisters glanced at Chen Fan. Jiang Tiantian turned back and said seriously, "Xiao Fan definitely needs to thank you, but without Sister Zhou and Sister Zuo's help, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly." Zuo Qiuping picked up her wine glass, looked at Sister Zhou, and said to the two sisters, "You two are too polite. Look at Xiao Fan, he never says thank you."

Chen Fan, who was eating, looked up and laughed, "Sister Zuo, just say I'm rude."

Sister Zuo glared at him, "You're such a social butterfly."

As soon as he said that, the room erupted in laughter.

After taking a sip of her drink, Sister Zuo put down her glass and said to Sister Zhou, "Do you know why he invited us to lunch today?"

Sister Zhou looked at her with a puzzled expression, then at Chen Fan, "Isn't it about Xiao Jiang and the others wanting to resign?"

Sister Zuo, "If it's just for this, we could have done it in the evening. We could have gone home after dinner and even ridden in his car. Wouldn't that have been great!"

Speaking of cars, Sister Zhou couldn't help but feel a little envious. As the head of the health department, she wasn't even qualified to have a car. She never expected that Xiao Chen, who had worked as a consultant at the machinery factory, would get a car.

As expected of Yunhu's top-ranked unit, factories generally offer better benefits than government agencies, let alone such a large unit. They've really hit the jackpot.

Coming to her senses, she looked at Zuo Qiuping and laughed, "Stop keeping me in suspense. If you don't tell me, I'll just ask Xiaofan directly."

Zuo Qiuping glared at her, "You're not cooperating at all."

She turned to Chen Fan and said with a smile, "Xiao Fan, you have to go to the provincial capital for a meeting after dinner. He's about to become a member of the provincial writers' association!"

Sister Zhou was immediately startled and looked at Chen Fan in surprise, "Really? When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me?"

This is a big deal! With the re-establishment of the Provincial Writers Association, the literary and artistic front will definitely rise again, and the prestige of literary and artistic workers will become higher and higher. As Chen Fan's main unit, the Health Department is a shining example of cultural propaganda with him as a member of the Provincial Writers Association!
Coincidentally, she was the leader in charge of cultural publicity. If Chen Fan could really become a member of the Provincial Writers Association, she could give him a big commendation within the unit, creating momentum for Chen Fan and herself.

At the year-end summary and commendation meeting, her name will definitely be on the list of leaders, and she might even be able to seize the opportunity to get the title of deputy director!
Seeing how excited Sister Zhou was, Chen Fan didn't seem to care. "I only received the invitation last night. It was urgent, and I didn't think it was related to my work, so I didn't notify you."

That's not how it works!

Sister Zhou said seriously, "Individual honor is also collective honor, how can you say it's unrelated?"

She paused for a moment, then frowned slightly and thought for a while. "Here's what we'll do: after we finish eating, you take me back to the health department, and I'll discuss it with the director and the others to get some funding approved for you."

More funding?

Chen Fan dared not take any more and immediately said, "No need, no need. The letter I received said that they would arrange my food and lodging, and the machinery factory just approved some funding for me..."

Before he could finish speaking, Sister Zhou glared at him and said, "Are you a cadre from the machinery factory or the health department? You've taken all the machinery factory's funds, but you don't want the ones from your own unit? What are you thinking?"

Chen Fan immediately swallowed the rest of his sentence. "Can't I just not take the money?"

The two sisters beside him were also exchanging glances and whispers.

Jiang Tiantian, "Tell Dad?"

Jiang Lili: "I'm leaving right away."

Jiang Tiantian: "It's too late."

She paused for a moment, then smiled again, "I can give you a bonus!"

Yesterday, Chen Fan wasn't the cotton mill's hygiene consultant, so it wasn't appropriate to give him funding directly.

However, by the time Chen Fan "returns with honors," the employment procedures should have been completed, and it would be perfectly reasonable to award him a bonus at that time.

As the leading enterprise in the light industry sector of Yunhu area, the cotton mill has never lacked money; what it lacks is something to enhance its prestige, and Chen Fan happens to have just that!
If we don't give them some bonus, how can we live up to the title of "big brother"?!
The two sisters were already secretly thinking about how to talk to their father and ask him to set the bonus higher.

Jiang Lili suddenly remembered what happened last night, and a blush rose on her face again.

From now on, this money should stay in our own home; we can't skimp on it.

Seeing how agitated Sister Zhou was, Chen Fan secretly reflected on whether he had made a mistake by not being greedy for money.

At this moment, Sister Zhou seemed to have made up her mind. She picked up her chopsticks and said, "Eat quickly, and then go back to take care of your business."

Zuo Qiuping suppressed a laugh, giving her best friend a mocking look. Unfortunately, Sister Zhou remained unmoved; she was still scheming how to maximize her profits.

Seeing that her best friend didn't react, Zuo Qiuping also gave up and focused on eating. But she was secretly envious. Compared to the health department, the education department should be more closely related to the profession of writer. Why is there not a single outstanding writer in her unit?

The planned thank-you banquet ended hastily under Sister Zhou's urging. After leaving the Gongnong Restaurant, the group got into their car and headed back.

Once in the car, Sister Zhou said while thinking, "I'll give you a letter of introduction from your work unit later. Also, bring your work ID. When we get to the provincial capital, check out the environment first. If it's suitable, stay there. If not, just go to the Health Department's guesthouse. With your rank, you can stay in the cadre's room."

Chen Fan, with his hands on the steering wheel, smiled and said, "Isn't that a bit too much trouble?"

Sister Zhou glanced at him and said, "Listen to me."

Chen Fan could only respond with a smile.

Anyway, I have my own legs, so I can just go to the Jiangnan Literature and Art Magazine office to report for duty.

Well, if the conditions are really bad, you can stay at the Health Department's guesthouse for two days.

Better rest leads to better work performance.

At this moment, Zuo Qiuping, who was sitting in the back row, suddenly said, "By the way, Xiao Fan, you enrolled in the correspondence course at Jiangnan University, right?"

Chen Fan glanced at the rearview mirror and nodded. "Yes, but I heard the exams have been postponed this year."

Zuo Qiuping smiled and said, "I was just about to tell you about this. I received news this morning that this year's correspondence exam has been postponed to January 20th, which is exactly one week away. Don't waste too much time there."

After a pause, she added, "If you really can't make it back in time, just give me a call, and I'll go to the correspondence department of Jiangnan University and ask them to postpone your exam."

She smiled as she spoke, "Even without my influence, given your relationship with them, they would probably help with this small favor."

This year, Chen Fan sent seven students to Jiangnan University. He had a good relationship with Professor Guo and Professor He when they were in school. In addition, correspondence exams are not very formal. As long as there are proctors on site to supervise and prove that the exam is valid, a slight delay of a few days is really nothing to them.

At worst, we can just submit the results a few days later.

Chen Fan calculated the time and felt he had enough time, but he didn't refuse Zuo Qiuping's kindness, so he nodded and smiled, "Thank you, Sister Zuo."

He first took Zuo Qiuping to the Education Department, and the Jiang sisters also got off the bus.

Although the boss agreed to my resignation, the formalities haven't been completed yet; I can only leave after the formalities are finished.

Then they drove to the health department. As soon as Sister Zhou got out of the car, she rushed into the office, shouting, "Old Yan, something big has happened..."

(End of this chapter)