Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 473 Going out
The next day, at 6 a.m., Chen Fan woke up on time without needing an alarm clock.

My dream used to be to sleep until the afternoon and then have dinner, but now that I have the means, I can't fall asleep.

However, it does prove the saying "sleep until you naturally wake up" true; I just wonder when I'll be able to count money until my hands cramp up.

After getting up, I didn't rush to wash up. Instead, I went to a slightly more spacious place and did a set of morning exercises, and then practiced several sets of qigong.

Half an hour later, Chen Fan slowly finished his practice and stood still, but his body was trembling almost imperceptibly. Soon, his whole body was steaming with heat, just like he had practiced the Nine Yang Divine Skill.

It's simply a matter of body temperature rising and evaporating sweat from the skin's surface, while low ambient temperature causes steam to form.

Just like how steam naturally rises from your palms after washing your hands in winter.

This phenomenon is unlikely to be seen in the summer.

After finishing his kung fu practice, Chen Fan washed his face, brushed his teeth, changed his clothes, and went to the cafeteria.

The guesthouse canteen was located in the bungalow in front, with the main gate opening into the courtyard. It wasn't yet 7 a.m. when breakfast was served, so naturally there was no one inside.

He wasn't in a hurry. He sat down on the bench closest to the window with his hands in his pockets and chatted with the people inside through the counter, "Master, what are you having for breakfast today?"

The craftsmen working inside couldn't help but turn to look at him.

He sat upright with his back straight, wearing a blue liberation cap, a dark blue wool coat over a royal blue Zhongshan suit, and shiny black leather shoes.

Hey, what a handsome young man.

A woman in her forties or fifties suddenly perked up, picked up a rice bucket, poured the rice porridge into a bowl soaking in hot water, then threw the rice bucket aside and shouted at Chen Fan, "Young man, which unit do you work for?"

Another slightly younger woman placed a basket of fried dough sticks aside. "Judging from your accent, you're not from the provincial capital, are you? The guesthouse isn't accepting outsiders these days. Are you here for a writers' association meeting?"

Chen Fan nodded with a smile, "Big sister, you are right. I'm from Yunhu. I'm here for a meeting and only arrived last night."

Before he could finish speaking, a burst of laughter erupted from the kitchen.

The older woman carrying the rice bucket slapped the woman holding the fried dough sticks on the shoulder and laughed loudly, "Hahaha, he called you 'big sister'!"

The younger man blushed slightly and said, "Young man, you have a sweet tongue. I'm almost 50, probably older than your mother. You should call me 'Auntie'."

Chen Fan sat on the stool and chuckled, his gaze sweeping across the windowsill. So, is he having fried dough sticks and rice porridge for breakfast this morning?

No, it also smells like steamed buns and mantou.

This food is pretty good.

The younger woman spoke up again, "Young man, you're not married yet, are you? Would you like me to introduce you to someone?"

An older man from the kitchen carried over several tall steamers, put them down, and turned to say, "Sister Liu, are you looking for a son-in-law again?"

He shook his head as he spoke, "I don't think it will work."

Upon hearing this, Sister Liu immediately became furious, "Why not?"

The older man chuckled and said, "Your family is well-off; out of five people in your family, three are working, and the remaining two haven't even graduated yet. But they're not doing badly either."

He turned to look at Chen Fan and said, "Look at this, a wool coat, a Zhongshan suit made of silk-cotton blend fabric. It's obviously not the work of an ordinary tailor. It's at least a high-end ready-made garment sold in a department store. This outfit alone could be exchanged for a Forever bicycle, do you believe it?!"

Chen Fan looked down at his clothes. Were they really that expensive?
This outfit was a gift from the machinery factory, part of the batch that came with the color TVs and air conditioners. He hadn't seen the same style and fabric at Yunhu Department Store, so he didn't know its value.

However, nowadays, even a regular Dacron shirt in a department store costs more than ten yuan. This outfit would probably cost at least two hundred yuan, which is enough to buy a bicycle and even have some left over.

Of course, bicycle tickets are not included, otherwise it wouldn't be enough.

Upon hearing the uncle's words, the two remaining chefs in the kitchen looked at Chen Fan in surprise.

Wearing clothes that cost only two hundred yuan? What kind of family does that mean?

Seeing the surprised looks on everyone's faces, the uncle said smugly, "That's not all, Sister Liu. Don't forget who's staying at the guesthouse right now? Besides the leaders from the cultural, propaganda, and magazine departments, there are only the writers' representatives attending the conference."

Although there are 197 writers in the province, only two representatives are selected from each region, totaling 22 representatives across 11 regions.

He turned to look at Chen Fan, grinned, and said, "This representative, you just said you were from Yunhu, so you must be a representative of Yunhu, right?"

Chen Fan was surprised; it turned out that not all writers were attending the meeting.

Hearing the uncle's question, he gently shook his head and smiled, "I'm a new author, not a representative."

The uncle was even more surprised, scrutinizing Chen Fan from head to toe. "I heard that only one new author was invited to this meeting, so... you are Chen Fan from Luwan?"

Chen Fan looked at him with a face full of surprise. How could you guess so accurately? Are you blind?

What's with inviting only one new author?

No wonder He Qingsheng was so confident last night; it turns out he didn't invite anyone else at all.

Seeing that he didn't deny it, the middle-aged man couldn't help but say, "You're really Chen Fan? You're so young!"

The others in the kitchen, forgetting their own work, gathered around the window to watch the commotion, whispering loudly among themselves.

"Oh my, so this is Chen Fan from Luwan? He's so young?"

"Last time, Director Wang said that Chen Fan must be at least in his thirties, but he looks like he's not even 20 yet, right?"

"He's incredibly handsome; I've never seen anyone better looking than him. Sigh, Xiao Liu, you'd better hurry up and make a move."

"She's good-looking, earns a high income, and is a writer. Especially her demeanor—she's clearly a cultured person. Xiao Liu, don't blame me for being blunt, but your daughter probably isn't good enough for her."

Surprisingly, Sister Liu nodded in deep agreement, "Yes, I also think she's not good enough for me."

Chen Fan maintained a slight smile, and after a while, when they finally stopped talking, he stood up and walked over, "Masters, it's 7 o'clock, can we get our food now?"

Only then did the chefs realize what was happening, and after a flurry of activity, they quickly moved all the food to the windowsill and placed it there.

The woman, Sister Liu, stopped talking about introducing potential partners and instead warmly greeted everyone, saying, "All of you delegates attending this meeting don't need tickets; food and lodging are free. What would you like to eat? I'll get it for you."

She then busied herself introducing, "The thin options are porridge and soy milk, while the dry options include fried dough sticks, steamed buns, and mantou. There are also pickled radishes and kimchi. You can eat as much as you want, but you can't waste any."

Chen Fan was delighted to hear this. "Okay, then two fried dough sticks, three steamed buns, and some pickled radish and kimchi for me, just put them on a plate, and then make me a bowl of porridge."

As Sister Liu helped him get bowls and plates to serve him rice, she looked at him in surprise, "Can you finish all this?"

The fried dough sticks and steamed buns of today are quite different from those of decades later. The fried dough sticks are thicker than some girls' arms and about the same length. One steamed bun can fill a bowl. A normal person would be satisfied with one fried dough stick and one large steamed bun, but he wanted two fried dough sticks, three steamed buns, and a large bowl of porridge!
Chen Fan chuckled and picked up the full plate. "That's about right. Start eating, and we'll add more if you're still hungry."

He didn't go far, just sat at the nearest table, and without caring about the five people standing in a row in the kitchen watching, he devoured the food in a whirlwind.

In the end, I took a steamed bun, waved goodbye to the chefs, and ate it as I walked out.

When he returned to his room, he hadn't seen anyone else go to eat breakfast.

Chen Fan thought for a moment, since the meeting wasn't until tomorrow anyway, he might as well go out for a stroll today.

He took the money and tickets, remembering to bring his identification and letter of introduction, then locked the door and went to the front hall.

Behind the front desk, Xiao Peng was dozing off, his chin propped up by one hand, but his eyes remained half-open; he wasn't truly asleep.

Seeing Chen Fan approach, she immediately opened her eyes and stood up. "Writer Chen, you're up so early? Have you had breakfast?"

Chen Fan smiled and said, "I'm used to getting up early in the countryside, so I've already had breakfast."

He then looked at her and asked, "Aren't you off work yet?"

Xiao Peng laughed and said, "I have to hand over the shift at 8 o'clock, so I can have breakfast and then go back to rest."

"Oh."

Chen Fan responded and then said, "Editor-in-Chief He told me yesterday that the meeting would be held tomorrow. I wonder if there are any plans for today?"

Xiao Peng immediately shook his head, "My schedule is not arranged here. Apart from receiving the representatives who are checking in, there is nothing else."

Only then did she notice Chen Fan's attire, and asked with slight surprise, "Writer Chen, are you going out?"

Chen Fan laughed and said, "Don't always call me Writer Chen, it sounds weird. Just call me by my name."

He paused for a moment, then said, "If I'm free today, I'd like to go out for a walk. Hey, do you know of a wild game restaurant in the provincial capital?"

Xiao Peng immediately laughed, "It's a wild game restaurant, right? Of course I know it. It's the most famous restaurant in the provincial capital. Even when the Yangtze River Hotel has VIP guests, they have to ask them for help, to send wild game and chefs over to help cook." Chen Fan was a little confused. He remembered that Lao Peng clearly said it was a wild game restaurant.

But judging from Xiao Peng's explanation, it seems to be that company.

Seeing Chen Fan's thoughtful expression, Xiao Peng explained, "The Wild Game Restaurant used to be called Wild Game Restaurant, but back then it was just a small shop with only two storefronts. It didn't sell many dishes. The most famous dishes were wild game braised noodles and fried sparrows. It was very famous in the provincial capital before liberation, and it was even reported in newspapers."

Later, with the public-private partnership, the scale expanded and a new location was acquired, so it was renamed Wild Game Restaurant.

In our provincial capital, the size of restaurants is clearly categorized. Based on the number of tables and the size of the restaurant, they are divided into small restaurants, medium restaurants, and large restaurants, with large restaurants being the largest.

The current wild game restaurant has more than 80 employees, as well as its own hunting team, boat fleet, and vehicle fleet.

Their current restaurant is a two-story building. The first floor is a large hall that can accommodate hundreds of tables at the same time, while the second floor has ten private rooms specifically for foreign guests and VIPs.

"When you're traveling in the provincial capital, a wild game restaurant is definitely a must-visit. Even just having a bowl of wild game noodles will make the trip worthwhile."

After she finished speaking, Chen Fan couldn't help but laugh and say, "You seem to know that place very well. Do you eat there often?"

Xiao Peng pouted and shook his head repeatedly, "Can't afford it, can't afford it!"

He paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "Even the cheapest wild game noodles at the Wild Game Restaurant are much more expensive than outside, costing 1 yuan a bowl. It's only because most people can afford it that so many people go there. When I go there, I only eat noodles. I wouldn't even dare to think about other wild game dishes."

She gestured as she spoke, her eyes widening, "A roasted pheasant costs 12 yuan! Can you believe it?!"

Chen Fan blinked. A roasted pheasant for 12 yuan didn't seem too expensive.

The roast duck at Quanjude costs 8 to 10 yuan a piece, and that's for takeout. If you eat it in their restaurant, it starts at 12 yuan a piece, and even then, the demand still exceeds the supply.

But thinking about it again, a fat chicken only costs three yuan, and a whole chicken hot pot in a restaurant costs less than 10 yuan. The wild chicken has neither oil nor much meat, it's just for the freshness, so 12 yuan is indeed quite a lot.

And that wild game braised noodles, it actually costs 1 yuan a bowl. Other places sell noodles by the "jiao" (cent), but his is already "yuan" (yuan).

Needless to say, it's an absolutely high-end consumption venue.

Fortunately, with Chen Fan's income, he can still occasionally afford to go there for a meal.

Just as he was pondering to himself, Xiao Peng rummaged through the drawer and handed him two tickets. "Here you go."

Chen Fan looked at the ticket in her hand and couldn't help but ask curiously, "What's this?"

Xiao Peng laughed and said, "Although wild game braised noodles are expensive, there are still many people who love to eat them, so the finance and trade office in their district specially printed out vouchers for braised noodles."

He then handed it forward a little further, saying, "Without this ticket, you can't buy braised noodles."

Chen Fan took the ticket with a strange look on his face and asked, "Is it only for braised noodles that you need a ticket?"

The reason for asking this question is that the ticket really does say "One bowl of braised noodles at Wild Game Restaurant".

Xiao Peng nodded. "The most popular thing to buy is braised noodles, so you need a ticket to buy them. But there are also cheap foods on the first floor, such as their fried sparrows, which are quite good, only 3 cents each, and sparrow noodles, but the taste is not as good as wild game braised noodles, so few people would go out of their way to eat that."

As for the local delicacies on the second floor, since there weren't as many customers, no coupons were needed—no meat coupons, no grain coupons, just money.

Chen Fan looked at the ticket in his hand and chuckled, "That sounds pretty interesting."

But I was wondering to myself, braised noodles for 1 yuan? And sparrows are only 3 cents each?
The little sparrow is really lacking in prestige.

He thought for a moment, then looked at Xiao Peng and waved the ticket in his hand, "If you give me the ticket, then you'll lose it yourself, won't you?"

Before Xiao Peng could speak, he added with a smile, "How about I ask you to be my guide, and I'll treat you to a wild game restaurant for dinner while I'm at it?"

Xiao Peng was indeed tempted; it was a wild game restaurant, something he hadn't had in a long time.

After thinking for a couple of seconds, he shook his head. "No need to be so polite, it's just two tickets. Besides, I just finished a night shift and I really don't have the energy to go out."

She picked up a pen and paper from the table and wrote down an address. "This is the address of the Wild Game Restaurant. It's right on the main road, so it's very convenient for you to drive there. However,"

She glanced at the wall clock and chuckled, "It's only 7:30. They only serve breakfast, and you've already had breakfast. Why don't we go explore other places first and then have lunch there?"

Chen Fan nodded and smiled, "That works too."

After saying goodbye to Xiao Peng, I went out, got into the car, and slowly drove out of the yard.

I arrived at night yesterday, and I couldn't see many things clearly. Now that I'm looking at the provincial capital, it's indeed... just so-so.

How good could a city be in the 70s?

Even in the capital of Jiangnan Province, there are very few buildings with more than 5 floors.

Compared to Yunhu, which is also an ancient city with a history of thousands of years, some parts of the provincial capital are even slightly inferior.

However, one thing is true: the roads in the provincial capital are indeed much wider than those in Yunhu, and the entire urban area is two to three times larger.

Besides these, it seems there's nothing else.

No wonder they later decided to dismantle the Yunhu area; having such a subordinate under it makes the provincial capital lose face.

After leaving the alley and entering the main road, most of the buildings along the road were two or three stories high. The first floor was a storefront, and it was unclear whether the second or third floor was a residence or an office.

Not long after we got onto the main road, we saw the cultural square, which we had circled several times last night and which was about half the size of a football field.

At the north end of the cultural square is an auditorium-style building, which is the Workers' Cultural Palace.

The road was bustling with people, most of whom were riding bicycles to work.

There were hardly any bike lanes at that time; almost everyone rode openly in the middle of the main road. Even buses packed with passengers could only huff and puff behind, not daring to honk their horns at all.

As a result, Chen Fan's jeep, mixed in with the bicycle team, naturally couldn't go fast.

Just as the convoy of bicycles was finally entering each workplace in batches, more bicycles joined the queue.

Chen Fan wasn't in a hurry; he drove slowly, observing the street scenes along the way.

Like Yunhu Lake, the provincial capital is also hilly, with countless uphill and downhill sections along the way.

Then, going uphill, the buildings here suddenly become taller.

Chen Fan looked out the window in surprise, surveying the rows of "skyscrapers" that were at least eight or nine stories high. Because they were a bit far away, he couldn't see the plaques hanging at the entrances of the buildings, so he didn't know what kind of organization was so prestigious.

After driving a while longer, the road gradually narrowed, and the tall buildings disappeared, replaced by rows of low-rise residential houses.

These houses vary in height, with the lower ones being single-story and the higher ones only two stories high. They are also very close together, appearing densely packed from a distance, much like the urban villages of decades later.

This should be the old residential area of ​​the provincial capital.

Since he had nothing better to do, he parked his car on the side of the road and plunged into the alley.

Less than ten minutes later, he crawled out again, looking rather unlucky.

The living conditions here are absolutely terrible.

As soon as he entered the alley, he could smell a stench. In this old residential area, there wasn't even a sewer, and sewage was flowing everywhere.

Every so often, there was a dry toilet that was obviously dug later. When Chen Fan passed by, there were still quite a few people queuing up to empty their chamber pots.

The smell forced him into another alley.

This alley is slightly better; it's wider than the previous one and can even accommodate a light truck.

Then he saw a light truck carrying water tankers slowly move in, drive a few dozen meters further in, and stop. A man got out of the cab, pulled up a thick water pipe, and aimed it at a pool less than two meters high to release water.

Almost instantly, several figures appeared beside the pool, which had been empty just moments before. In less than a minute, the crowd had surrounded the pool, with people queuing behind each person.

Chen Fan went over and saw that he was filling a bucket with water.

So there's still no running water here?

After watching for less than a minute, Chen Fan couldn't help but turn back.

This is supposed to be the provincial capital?
However, I seem to recall that this is the case in some residential areas of Shanghai as well, but I don't know if it's true.

Yes, I definitely want to go see it when I go to Shanghai in a while!
(End of this chapter)