Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 518 Never Flying Again

The second time I visited Mr. Ba's home, everything was the same.

There's just one more person in the living room.

Upon seeing Chen Fan enter, he and Old Ba turned their heads together.

Chen Fan glanced at him casually. He had a thin face, wore black-rimmed glasses, and his hair was neatly combed back. He was wearing a slightly old-fashioned wool coat over a black wool sweater. He was dressed in a neat and tidy manner and looked like a sophisticated "old Shanghainese".

Old Ba waved to Chen Fan, a happy smile on his face, "Little Chen, come here quickly, let me introduce you to a senior."

Upon hearing this, the man grinned silently, his gaze fixed on Chen Fan.

Chen Fan walked over quickly and greeted them respectfully, "Hello, Mr. Ba, hello, sir."

She then pulled up a chair and sat down at the coffee table, pretending to complain, "If you're going to introduce me to this senior, you should at least tell me beforehand. Look at me, I haven't washed my face or brushed my teeth, I rushed over here without bringing a gift, I'm so embarrassed."

Old Ba choked on his tea and pointed at him irritably, "You little rascal, you never do anything right."

The gentleman finally burst out laughing.

Ba Jin turned to him and said, "It was this little rascal who stole the fountain pen I brought back from the northern battlefield, as well as Feng Mian's painting tube."

Upon hearing this, the gentleman laughed even more heartily, "You've finally met your match!"

After the laughter subsided, Mr. Ba finally introduced, "His name is Xia Yan. Have you heard of him?"

Chen Fan's eyes widened instantly, and he quickly stood up to greet him again, "Hello, Mr. Xia."

If Ba Jin was a literary giant, then Xia Yan was one of the key figures in the theater world. (Note: Theater includes film.)

In the era before television sets became widespread and TV dramas emerged, the concept of "film and television industry" did not exist. Now, audiences are talking about movies and dramas, with dramas mainly referring to stage plays.

As for Peking Opera and local operas, they are called traditional operas, or "old operas" in folk parlance.

Xia Yan was a playwright, one of the initiators, founders and leaders of left-wing drama, and an important member of the China Writers Association, holding a high position within the association.

Unfortunately, he was unlucky and, as one of the "four men," was implicated twice.

I only returned to Shanghai a few months ago.

He and Buffett have been friends for many years, and they often visit each other.

However, Chen Fan had some doubts. Why did Ba Lao call him here just to introduce Xia Lao?
My face isn't that big, is it?!

Thoughts are long, but time is short.

Chen Fan had just finished greeting everyone when Ba Jin said, "I called you here today because Lao Xia has taken a liking to your 'The Ferryman' and wants to adapt it into a screenplay for the Shanghai Film Studio to make into a movie. What do you think?"

Chen Fan chuckled, "I don't think so."

But he said, "It's my honor. Feel free to change it, change it however you like!"

This is Xia Yan; if he says he wants to film it, it can be considered an order. ... "Heroes and Daughters" was directed by him after he read Ba Jin's "Reunion," which was written after he led a team to the northern battlefield to collect materials.

Now that his name has been mentioned, it's almost certain that "The Ferryman" will be made into a movie.

I just don't know if it will be released this year or next year.

But besides being happy, he also felt a little apprehensive.

why?
As is well known, the 1980s was the period when "literary style" was most relaxed, and many sharp articles could be published openly in newspapers and magazines.

Isn't it strange that during this period, the highly respected Elder Xia didn't produce any articles?
Because his articles were so sharp that even newspapers at the time dared not publish them, he was so angry that he could only shut himself in and read, and it wasn't until the 90s that he published a few memoirs.

Now Chen Fan just hopes that Xia Lao can be more calm and collected when it comes to "art" and not add anything to the script, otherwise his little heart can't take it!
Seeing Chen Fan's decisiveness, Old Xia was pleased, even though he had expected it. He immediately took out a pen from his pocket and handed it to him, saying with a smile, "I heard you have good calligraphy. This pen is for you. I wish you even greater success."

Chen Fan had just accepted the calligraphy with both hands, and before he could even speak, Old Ba said impatiently, "His calligraphy is already slightly better than Qi Gong's, and even a step above. Do you expect him to fly to the heavens?!"

Elder Xia was immediately taken aback and turned to look at Chen Fan, "He actually has such skill?"

After pausing for two seconds, he said, "Since you said you didn't bring a gift and were sorry, then give me a few calligraphy pieces, and you won't have to feel bad about it."

Chen Fan's gaze gradually became blank. Are all the big shots so averse to politeness?

However, since the other party had already paid him a "writing fee," he was generous with his writing.

Using Ba Jin's brush, ink, paper, and inkstone as usual, he wrote two large characters in no time.

Old Xia was preoccupied with adapting the script. He took the freshly dried ink, swiped it into one of Old Ba's painting tubes, tucked it under his arm, and hurriedly left, satisfied.

Standing at the door, watching Elder Xia walk away, Elder Ba closed the door, patted Chen Fan's arm, and walked back.

After Chen Fan closed the door and caught up with him in a few steps, he said with emotion, "After Duanxian (Xia Yan is a pen name, his real name is Shen Naixi, courtesy name Duanxian) returned to Shanghai, he was depressed every day and locked himself at home to read. He didn't see anyone, which was very different from his attitude when his door was always open and even young children could come and go as they pleased."

I was still thinking of ways to help him feel better, but this morning he suddenly came to see me and said he wanted to adapt "The Ferryman" into a screenplay.

Mr. Ba smiled as he spoke, “He hasn’t written a screenplay in a long time. Your novel must have touched him in some way, which is quite rare.”

After exchanging a few words, they returned to the living room. Chen Fan helped Old Ba sit down, refilled his teacup, and said with a smile, "That's my honor."

It is indeed an honor. Xia Yan rarely writes adapted screenplays, but he has adapted Mao Dun's "Lin Family Shop" and "Spring Silkworms", "Eternal Life in Flames" adapted from "Red Crag", and Lu Xun's "Blessing", among others. Let's talk about a few of them.

He never expected that one day his article would catch his eye. This was the treatment of a big shot. He didn't need to wait for the movie to be released. As long as the news spread, the people in the National Writers Association would look at him with more respect!
After chatting with Mr. Ba for a while, Chen Fan said, "Actually, even if you hadn't sent anyone to find me today, I would have come to see you anyway."

After pausing for two seconds, he met Ba Jin's questioning gaze and smiled, "I bought a plane ticket to the capital for tomorrow. In a few days, I will accompany Chairman He to attend the Writers Association's reconstruction discussion meeting, so I have to come and say goodbye to you."

Mr. Ba nodded in realization, "So that's what it is."

He smiled and said, "I'll be there in a few days, and we can meet again in the capital. Yanbing will be very happy to see you."

Chen Fan shrank back, "Please don't say that, I'll get arrogant."

Shen Dehong, courtesy name Yanbing, pen name Mao Dun.

Yes, he is the most influential figure in the literary world today, even surpassing Ba Jin.

Old Ba chuckled, waved his hand, and said, "No need for farewells, we'll meet again someday. Go on, go on."

Chen Fan laughed heartily; the old man was indeed carefree.

He then grabbed the purple clay teapot from the coffee table and ran off, which made Ba Jin jump up and yell, "You little brat, you're not allowed to come into my house again!"

Well, my local accent is showing.

……

Chen Fan first rode his motorcycle home, carefully placed the Gu Jingzhou purple clay teapot, and then went upstairs to take a look. The room was empty, so it seemed that Jiang Lili had already gone to school.

He didn't linger; he rode his bike to her school, not to find her, but to say goodbye to Teacher Hu.

Jiang Lili is going to stay here for another four years, so how can she be used in public and then hidden away?
After chatting with Teacher Hu for a while, leaving behind a few small ornaments he had carved himself, Chen Fan said goodbye and left.

After Jiang Lili finished school at noon, I had lunch with her at the school and took the opportunity to assert my ownership of her. In the afternoon, I went to Fudan University again to go through the process once more.

Although Buffett had given him instructions, he himself still needed to be sensible in order to ensure the relationship would last.

Instead of having dinner with Jiang Tiantian, he took her home to meet up with Lili, and then went to An Quan's house for a private housewarming party.

During dinner, Jiang Tiantian overheard An Quan enthusiastically discussing with Chen Fan how to start a side business club and magazine at school, and she immediately became interested. After returning home, Jiang Tiantian asked, "Xiao Fan, can I start a school newspaper or magazine?"

Chen Fan sat on the sofa, waiting for Jiang Lili to bring him hot water. He immediately kicked off his slippers to soak his feet, let out a long, comfortable breath, and then looked at her and smiled, "Of course he can. He can only do it at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Unless he has permission and cooperation from other schools, he can't leave the campus."

Even if you can sell to other schools, it won't affect your ability to publish a magazine at your own school.

He paused for a moment, then realized that Jiang Tiantian still had something on her mind. If she could keep herself busy with work, her mind would be less troubled. So he smiled and said, "If you want to start a magazine, your department will definitely support you."

Besides, didn't Mr. Ba ask you to spend your weekends studying at the editorial office of "Shanghai Literature and Art"? You can ask them for advice later.

In that sense, your conditions for running the magazine are much better than Brother An's. Furthermore, Brother An does all this to make money, while you are different. Therefore, you shouldn't be like him, focusing your main energy on business operations—that's the job of the newspaper's editor-in-chief and manager. You should position yourself as the editor-in-chief and be responsible for the quality of the newspaper…

Chen Fan talked on and on, sharing many ideas about how to run a newspaper, and Jiang Tiantian listened attentively the whole time.

After pouring out the foot bath water, Jiang Lili stayed by Chen Fan's side, as if guarding some precious treasure.

However, she didn't think too much about it, because Chen Fan had told her last time that keeping her sister busy would prevent her from thinking too much, and she thought it was a good idea.

Well, it's always better to be safe than sorry, so it's still good to keep a close eye on things.

Jiang Tiantian was preoccupied with how to run the newspaper well and didn't notice her at all.

Then, when it was time to go to bed, Chen Fan realized that he had done something wrong.

After bringing Jiang Tiantian back, my wife refused to sleep in the same room and insisted on sleeping in her own room.

Hmph, what a fool you are.

So the night passed without incident, and everyone slept soundly.

The next morning, Chen Fan said goodbye to the two sisters, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for Hongqiao Airport.

(Airfare in August 1979, ticket price 64 yuan)
Chen Fan entered the airport carrying his oversized suitcase. While he was still looking for the security checkpoint, a staff member enthusiastically led him to the boarding counter to exchange for his boarding pass, and then he boarded the plane without any problems.

He was still in a daze even after he boarded the old Trident plane.

As a pretty flight attendant walked by, he quickly asked in a low voice, "Excuse me, is there no security check required to board the plane?"

The flight attendant looked at him in surprise, "Security check? Security check? Why do we need a security check?"

Chen Fan wiped his face, cold sweat beading on his forehead. "I... I'm afraid bad guys might board the plane."

The young woman immediately smiled and reassured him, "Don't worry, there are police officers on board the plane as well. They will definitely ensure the safety of all passengers."

He was secretly trying not to laugh. Security checks to get on a plane? Ha, what about getting on a ship or a car?

I never expected this handsome young man to be such a coward.

Thinking of this, the flight attendant turned and went into the work area. A moment later, she pushed out a small cart, presented it to Chen Fan, and said with a smile, "Comrade, is this your first time flying?"

Before Chen Fan could nod, she took out a small pack of Zhonghua cigarettes and placed it on the tray in front of him, smiling, "If you're nervous, you can have a cigarette."

Chen Fan broke out in a cold sweat.

Smoking on a plane?
He suddenly felt a softness under his feet, yes, it was really soft, because there was a carpet on the ground!
What if a cigarette butt falls onto the carpet...? Right now, all he wants to know is whether there are parachutes on the plane?

I wiggled my foot under the seat, but it didn't seem to be there?
Then he saw the flight attendant take out a wine glass and a bottle of wine, pour him a glass, and hand it to him, saying, "Here, have some wine, take a nap later, and we'll be in the capital soon."

(Drinking Moutai on the plane)
Chen Fan held a bottle of Moutai in one hand and a bottle of Huazi cigarettes in the other, with a fruit platter on the tray in front of him, silently waiting for the plane to take off.

The Hua Zi comes in a small package of five sticks, and there's only one box. However, you can get refills of Moutai, and there's also a small folding fan as a souvenir.

I have to say, the experience of flying these days is quite good.

Besides safety!

He desperately needs security right now.

Fortunately, a few hours later, the plane landed safely at the Capital Airport.

Chen Fan fled the plane as if he were escaping. He vowed that he would never set foot on the plane again until smoking was prohibited on board!
Nobody had told him this before!

Only when he stood on the tarmac did he finally exhale a long breath, and only then did he have time to take in the capital city of 78 years.

My first reaction was, "So many foreigners!"

(Beijing Capital Airport in the 70s)
There are no boarding bridges; everyone carries their luggage, walks from the waiting area, and then boards the plane via the vehicle-mounted stairs.

Chen Fan stood on the tarmac, looking around curiously. Although he had been back in this era for more than a year, the scene before him still felt very novel to him.

Actually, I saw quite a few foreigners at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport earlier. These days, Shanghai is the main connecting point for flights between China and other countries, and many foreign tourists enter the country starting from Hongqiao Airport.

However, he was led onto the plane by enthusiastic ground staff back then. Perhaps it was the wrong time, because there weren't many people on the tarmac, so there was nothing to see. Now it's quite interesting to watch.

Many people might assume that foreign tourists visiting China these days are from wealthy families. However, judging from their clothing, Chen Fan felt that the vast majority of them were from "ordinary" families.

There were no fancy clothes, no elaborate makeup, and even the luggage and suitcases were ordinary items.

Judging from their appearance, they don't seem to be from Europe or America; most of them are probably from Eastern Europe and South America, and of course, there are also some African Americans.

Chen Fan carried his suitcase and strolled slowly out of the airport before heading towards the taxi stand.

Unlike in Shanghai where you can hail a taxi anywhere, taxis in the capital are very disciplined. They will not stop as soon as you wave them down, but will only stop at designated taxi stands, drop you off at your destination, and then return to the nearest taxi stand.

In case of an emergency, the taxi company also uses taxi stations throughout the city to deliver the message.

As the capital airport, it naturally also has a taxi stand.

Just like you need to buy a ticket to take a bus at the bus station, you also need to buy a ticket to take a taxi.

(Taxi ticket from the 70s in the capital, which could be used to book a taxi by phone)

Chen Fan asked his way to the taxi stand, then leaned out the window and asked, "Excuse me, sir, I need to go to Qianmen. How much will it cost?"

Thank goodness, the person in the pavilion was a woman. When she saw Chen Fan's face, her previously nonchalant attitude immediately turned warm. "Are you going to Qianmen? Visiting relatives?"

Chen Fan chuckled dryly, "Ah."

The ticket seller flipped through a map, saying, "It's about 35 kilometers from here to Qianmen. If you take Shouqi's bus, it's 25 cents per kilometer. If you take BAIC's bus, it's 20 cents per kilometer."

Chen Fan blinked. "Is there a difference?"

The ticket seller chuckled and said, "There's a big difference. BAIC's cars are all made in Eastern Europe, like Lada and Volga, which aren't very comfortable to sit in. Shouqi's cars, on the other hand, are imported from the West, like Toyota, Ford, and Buick, which are much more comfortable to sit in. They're usually used to pick up foreign guests or leaders."

Is it so magical?

Chen Fan blinked and immediately asked, "Do you have any Shouqi cars?"

I'm a leader too, how can I lose face?!

Ticket seller: "Wow, looks like you're not short of money. Your company has really good benefits."

She tore up the ticket as she spoke, "Including the starting price, it's 8.5 yuan in total."

Chen Fan paid the money cleanly and efficiently, then took the receipt and, guided by the staff, ran towards a Buick.

(End of this chapter)