Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 503 Shopping
That evening, in the backyard of the Health Bureau's guesthouse.

The area, originally used by the small canteen for processing live poultry, was partially used by Chen Fan and his group.

Zhang Wenliang happily counted his harvest: "30 pairs of white rabbits, 15 broiler chickens, 15 laying hens, 3 pairs of Hu sheep, 15 kinds of fruit tree seedlings, 60 jin of rice seeds, and more than a dozen packets of flower seeds. Pretty good, pretty good."

Chen Fan quickly added, "The seeds and fruit tree seedlings are all mine."

He also wants to turn his country villa into a garden.

As for the rice seeds, they are high-quality local rice varieties from Shanghai, namely Songjiang rice, Chongming rice, and Qingpu thin rice. The yield is not very high, but the biggest feature is that they are very soft when cooked, which is very suitable for people like Chen Fan who like to eat soft rice.

If it weren't for the inconvenience of carrying it, he would have liked to buy 300 jin (150 catties) to take home.

Zhang Wenliang rolled his eyes. "What do you mean 'yours' and 'mine'? Do you know how to farm? In the end, our team will do the work for you. Anyway, you'll get your share in the end. Why are you fussing over such a small thing? You're such a stingy old man."

He didn't mention that the money was also part of the team's public funds, specifically for growing shrimp and pig hearts.

As expected, Chen Fan was furious. "Me, a stingy old man?"

Hmph, it's just farming. I'll go back and read some farming books. I don't believe I can't improve my planting skills!
Thinking about this, he felt a little discouraged. He had clearly followed the knowledge in the book and successfully planted those tea trees, so why hadn't he activated the planting skill?

Do we really have to turn the soil ourselves? And dig the hole ourselves?

He pulled out his pipe in frustration, angrily pinched a large ball of tobacco into the bowl, lit it, and said, "When are you planning to go back? You've come all this way to Shanghai, you should stay a few more days to explore."

The implication was that he agreed with Zhang Wenliang's words. By the time he returned, it would probably be the end of March or even the beginning of April, and the team would really have to help him plant the flowers and fruit tree seedlings.

Anquan had been sitting and watching the show for a while when he heard Chen Fan's words. He immediately nodded and said, "That's right, that's right. I'll go shopping with you tomorrow and the day after, and then you can go shopping with me. Finally, I'll take you onto the ship."

Zhang Wenliang turned to look at him, "What do you want to buy?"

While smoking, Anquan said matter-of-factly, "Buying a house? How can I borrow money if you're not around?"

Zhang Wenliang: "...Your honesty leaves me speechless."

He took the cigarette that Anquan threw to him, paused for two seconds, lit it, and said, "I'll leave you two thousand later. If that's not enough, go ask him for more."

She pointed at Chen Fan and said, "Have him go with you when you buy a house. He knows about architecture and can tell at a glance what kind of house is good and what kind is bad. If you want to renovate, he can also give you renovation plans and draw renderings..."

Before he could finish speaking, An Quan looked at Chen Fan in surprise, "Aren't you going back with them?"

Chen Fan shrugged. "Lili and her sister are coming to school in a few days. I'll stay a few more days to help them settle in before I leave."

Anquan blinked rapidly, unsure of what expression to make.

In the end, all I could do was give a thumbs up and say, "I think Xiao Jiang is going to be completely under your thumb for the rest of his life."

Unlike later generations, in this era, it is taken for granted that women serve men, which is largely due to the fact that men are the pillars of the family.

This pillar of the family is not just about making money, but also about supporting the family, preventing family members from being bullied by others, and being able to stand tall and have face wherever they go.

This is something that women find very difficult to do.

Therefore, since men are the pillars of society, women naturally have to take good care of the pillars of society and the home.

If a man is both capable and considerate towards women, as long as the woman is not heartless, he can absolutely have her completely under his control, and she will never be able to escape him for the rest of her life.

Well, under normal circumstances, people have no need to or even want to escape.

Chen Fan clicked his tongue, ignoring the safety issue, and turned to look at Zhang Wenliang.

Before he could even speak, Zhang Wenliang, seeing his gaze, said directly, "I'm not going to shop anymore. It would be best if we left first thing tomorrow morning."

He then pointed to the things in front of him, "The flower seeds and rice seeds are fine, but these saplings need to be planted in the soil as soon as possible, and they need to be placed in a greenhouse so that as many as possible can survive. They can be transplanted outdoors after spring."

He then pointed to the poultry and livestock, saying, "Keeping these in cages isn't a good idea. Two of the sheep are pregnant, and the laying hens are laying eggs. We can't let anything go unattended."

Ye Anguo and the other two nodded repeatedly.

Although they also wanted to see the hustle and bustle of the big port (metropolis), they always remembered to prioritize work.

Moreover, this year's dividends have already excited them greatly. And this was before the rabbits even started to grow. Now they've bought even higher quality rabbits and broiler chickens, as well as new mutton sheep. Won't next year's dividends be even more anticipated?!
Compared to piles of cash, this little thing is nothing!
Seeing that they were all determined, Chen Fan thought for a moment and said, "Tomorrow morning is too rushed. Luckily, I know a captain who is not returning until tomorrow, but he will set sail at 5 pm. You can take his ship back."

Zhang Wenliang glanced at the pile of things and immediately nodded, "Okay, it's good to have someone to say hello. It'll be easier to bring these things on the ship. Otherwise, if we run into a difficult person, it will be hard to handle."

Speaking of this, he has to give Chen Fan a huge thumbs up.

The captain of the ship they traveled on this time was not one of his readers.

As it turned out, Chen Fan used another captain as an excuse to build a relationship with him, and he actually succeeded. No one knows how he chatted with him after that, but for the next four days on the ship, except for the first meal, they were treated to delicious food and drinks without spending a penny!
When they disembarked, the captain almost pulled him into a sworn brotherhood ceremony, but ultimately he was too embarrassed to say it. After all, the captain's son was older than Chen Fan, and he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

However, given this relationship, arranging these things for them was just a side job and not worth mentioning at all.

With the itinerary arranged, safety was no longer a concern. "Alright, in that case, I'll take you to buy some souvenirs tomorrow morning. You've come all this way to Shanghai; you can't go back empty-handed."

Zhang Wenliang pointed at the pile of things and laughed, "How can you say you're empty-handed? Aren't these all there?"

Anquan rolled his eyes. "I'm not kidding you. Come with me tomorrow morning, and I'll show you country bumpkins the glamour of Shanghai!"

Zhang Wenliang hesitated for two seconds, then said, "I'm just a country bumpkin with no experience. I just want to ask if there are any dishes in Shanghai that don't use sugar?"

Anquan's lips twitched slightly. He stood up and waved his hand, "Come on, I'll treat you to a meal."

After washing their hands, everyone followed him into the adjacent cafeteria. Anquan leaned over the window and handed over two packs of cigarettes, grinning obsequiously, "Master, please make a few dishes, but without sugar."

The chef casually took the cigarette, glanced at Chen Fan and his group behind him, and laughed, "From out of town?"

Anquan nodded and pointed at Chen Fan, "The young man is shy. He's had a few meals with the leader, but he still can't get used to sweet food. He's too embarrassed to say so. Thank you for your help."

This was a skillful way of putting it; it pointed out Chen Fan's identity without implying that he was a superior, and instead carried a hint of self-deprecation.

The head chef felt very pleased upon hearing this. He glanced at Chen Fan in surprise and said, "Oh, so this is Dr. Chen. I heard that the leaders of the bureau were hosting a dinner, but I've never met him in person. He's so young."

He then waved his hand and said, "Alright, watch me."

He thought for a moment and asked, "Can Yunhu eat spicy food?"

Seeing that Anquan nodded, he said confidently, "Wait here, I'll make you some inauthentic Sichuan dishes."

A dozen minutes later, Zhang Wenliang and his group finally had a full meal.

Although it's said to be inauthentic, it's actually very authentic. The dishes, such as camphor tea duck, twice-cooked pork, Kung Pao chicken, steamed river catfish, and salted braised pork belly, are all genuine non-spicy Sichuan dishes that whetted everyone's appetite.

Chen Fan could tell from the taste that this person was definitely a master of Sichuan cuisine. The reason for not adding chili peppers was probably because there were no suitable chili peppers in the kitchen, so he only made non-spicy Sichuan dishes. However, every dish was perfectly seasoned and tender.

After finishing his meal, Zhang Wenliang wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, patted Anquan's shoulder, and said, "You did a good job. I'm very satisfied."

He then took out two wads of money from his cotton-padded coat pocket and tossed them to Anquan, saying, "Here's a tip for you."

As a result, Anquan didn't even look at it, and said with a sneer, "Forget it, what use is this little bit of money? I might as well just borrow from Writer Chen directly, so I don't have to borrow from two different people."

He never thought of borrowing money from Zhang Wenliang. He wouldn't be working in Lujiawan anymore, so he wouldn't have any work points. He only had 19.5 yuan a month for school. How could he repay the loan?
Anyway, I still have more than 1600 yuan in my hands, plus the 1800 yuan dividend I received the day before yesterday, totaling more than 3400 yuan, which is barely enough to buy a house that can accommodate a small family.

If it's really not enough, my parents should be able to help out a little, so there's no need to borrow from others.

Zhang Wenliang glanced at him and immediately understood his thoughts. Without saying anything more, he nodded and said, "That's fine. Anyway, Old Chen is generous, so it's the same if he gives it to me."

He then pulled out four ten-yuan bills and handed them over, saying, "We weren't there for your housewarming party, so this is a gift from the four of us. You can ask Old Chen for his." This time, An Quan didn't refuse; his eyes crinkled into slits with laughter as he accepted the money with both hands, saying, "Thank you, thank you."

Although in the past, the amount given as a gift was no more than one yuan, now that Zhang the landlord has become rich, he naturally won't be polite.

Chen Fan smoked a cigarette to the side, glancing at Zhang Wenliang.

Zhang Wenliang glared at him. "What, do you expect me to give you yours too?"

Chen Fan removed his pipe. "I mean, when did I go from being Little Chen to Old Chen?"

"That's it?"

As Zhang Wenliang put the money in his pocket, he said, "You didn't even have a girlfriend before, so of course you were Xiao Chen. Now that you have a girlfriend, you'll probably get married soon, so it's definitely not appropriate to call you Xiao Chen anymore."

Chen Fan nodded in realization, "I see."

He turned to check on his safety, then said, "Give him two bills back."

Anquan was about to put the money in his pocket when he heard this and was taken aback. "Why?"

Chen Fan shrugged. "He married Sister Xiu, and they'll probably move into their new house around January."

Upon hearing this, Anquan immediately looked at Zhang Wenliang and said, "Hey, you've kept your mouth shut. You haven't said a word these past few days."

He immediately took out the money, counted out three bills and handed them over, "One for the wedding, one for the new house, and one for my nephew."

Zhang Wenliang happily accepted it back, saying, "Thank you for your kind words."

Well, a few bills have been transferred around.

However, the security guard still kept one, so it wasn't a complete waste.

……

February 18, the 12th day of the first lunar month.

Looking for shopping in Shanghai? Head to Nanjing Road!
At the No. 1 Department Store, Anquan finally saw the expressions of a country bumpkin on the faces of Zhang Wenliang, Yang Jiamin, Xiao Huaqiang, and Ye Anguo.

Zhang Wenliang bent down and leaned close to the shop window, his nose almost touching the glass. After a while, he asked in a low voice, "Aren't you afraid of your clothes being stolen if you put them here?"

(A women's cardigan dress in a Shanghai department store window in the 70s)

Anquan proudly shook his head, "Don't worry, there are no thieves in Shanghai."

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly as he explained from the side, "This was originally the 'Daxin Company' building, which was completed in 36. It was designed by Jintai Engineering Company and constructed by Fuji Construction Company. It was the only building among the four major companies on Nanjing Road that was designed by Chinese people. It has one basement level and nine floors above ground."

The building's basement to third floors house a shopping mall, with the basement being Shanghai's earliest underground shopping mall; the fourth floor contains offices, merchandise showrooms, art galleries, and a tea room; the fifth floor features a dance hall, ice rink, and restaurant; the sixth floor and above house an amusement park and rooftop garden, with eight theaters showing movies and hosting performances such as drama, storytelling, acrobatics, and magic; there are also sixteen scenic spots on the rooftop, including Xima Terrace, Cangchunwu, Yinhe Bridge, Wanhua Shed, Lingyun Pavilion, Chuihong Path, and Wufu Pavilion.

The first to third floors are equipped with Otis belt escalators, a first in Asia.

Back in the era of the Daxin Company, the most famous Wing On Company used its own display windows, which they simply copied. Later, in 1953, the Shanghai Department Store leased the basement to the fifth floor, plus the ninth floor rooftop, and acquired Daxin Company's inventory, renaming it 'Shanghai Municipal Department Store No. 1 Store'.

After saying that, he pointed to the building and said, "This is it. There are only a few shopping malls in the country that can compare with this one. It has a complete range of goods and a wide variety of products. You only have half a day and you still need to go back to the guesthouse to get your things. It's the best time for you to come here to shop."

Anquan looked at him in surprise, "How do you know so much?"

There are many things that even he, a local, doesn't know. I really don't know where Chen Fan learned them from.

Chen Fan shrugged. "I read it in a book."

Anquan looked speechless; his act deserves full marks.

He then said to Zhang Wenliang, "Besides what Old Chen said, there's another reason I brought you here: to make it easier for tourists from other places and countries. Some items here don't require tickets, although the prices are higher. But since you all have money, it doesn't matter."

Zhang Wenliang felt his pockets were bulging, so he didn't really care and swaggered inside.

They had only been inside the gate for a short time when they were dazzled by the wide variety of goods and couldn't tear themselves away.

Until Ye Anguo saw that elevator.

Chen Fan also found it amazing. This was an elevator from the 30s, and not only was it still in normal use, but it had even hosted many foreign dignitaries. It was truly incredible.

(An elevator from the 30s)
So the group of people stopped looking at the merchandise and went straight to check out the elevator.

Chen Fan chimed in from the side, "Don't just watch, go up and try it!"

Zhang Wenliang was also a bold man. He immediately squeezed into the crowd and followed the crowd onto the elevator, with Ye Anguo and the other two following closely behind.

Then, unable to find a way down, he stood on the second floor waving at them, asking, "How do I get down?"

A group of locals nearby laughed at them, and an older woman said, "You just came from the Shiliupu Wharf, right?"

This phrase was a common way for Shanghainese to mock country bumpkins at the time. Whether they were local villagers or tourists from other places, they all disembarked at the Shiliupu Wharf. Saying that someone had just come from Shiliupu Wharf meant that they had never been to the city or seen the sights of the outside world.

However, Zhang Wenliang had no idea, so he nodded seriously, "Yes, yes, we just arrived the day before yesterday, and we only had time to come out and buy some things today."

Seeing his serious answer, the older woman felt embarrassed and enthusiastically pointed in a direction, saying, "The elevator that goes down is over there. You'll see it when you walk over there."

Below the elevator, Chen Fan and An Quan exchanged a smile and walked up together.

Zhang Wenliang happened to see this, so he gave the older woman a gesture of thanks, saying, "Thank you. My friends are coming up; we'll wait for them to go together."

When Chen Fan and An Quan came up, Zhang Wenliang was full of excitement. "As expected of a major port, it's really high-class. We can even go upstairs without walking."

He turned to Chen Fan and said, "Old Chen, aren't you the consultant for the machinery factory? Let them build elevators like these and install them in our department stores too!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan thought it was a really good suggestion, so he nodded and smiled, "Okay, I'll make the suggestion when we get back."

The group then strolled around and made purchases. Zhang Wenliang thought everything looked good, but when he asked about the prices, he felt it was unnecessary!

He clutched his pocket and muttered under his breath, "There's a lot of stuff here, but it's too expensive. A plastic bag costs 10 yuan, which is worse than robbery!"

Anquan chuckled from the side, "Look at what you're saying. Didn't I tell you when we came in that some things here don't require tickets, so the prices are a bit higher? Besides, plastic products are expensive to begin with, especially thick, soft plastic. A chemical basin costs 5 yuan, and a soft plastic bag only costs 10 yuan. That's already very fair, okay?"

(A plastic product window display at Shanghai No. 1 Department Store in the 1970s, showing baskets, washbasins, ladles and bags together, with plastic bags being more expensive than leather bags.)

Zhang Wenliang thought about it and agreed.

Another thing is that he walked around without buying anything, and if he didn't buy anything soon, he would be too late, so he gritted his teeth and bought a plastic bag.

Needless to say, this is definitely something I'll take back to my wife.

Then I brought gifts for my parents, my mother-in-law and father-in-law, and a whole bunch of relatives and friends.

Ye Anguo and the other two were also keeping busy, following behind him and buying things.

It wasn't until after 2 p.m. that they left the mall carrying large bags and small packages.

These days, there are still few taxis in Shanghai, and they mainly stop at places like docks, bus stations, and train stations. If they want to go back to their guesthouse, they can only find a pedicab.

The fare was two cents per vehicle. After returning to the guesthouse, they hurriedly packed their things. Then, Zhang Wenliang and the other three, each carrying a basket, took a tricycle to the Shiliupu Wharf, accompanied by Chen Fan and An Quan.

(End of this chapter)