Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 545 Taking Advantage

Small yachts sped along the Liuhua River, while on the small hills of Qingshan Commune on the southeast bank, rapeseed flowers bloomed in abundance.

Saying it's all over the mountains and fields isn't quite right either.

Because the Yunhu area is a hilly region with almost no mountains, there are only a few places that can be considered "mountains" within a radius of several hundred miles. The "mountains" of Qingshan Commune, like the villages where the various teams of Lujiawan live, are small mounds of earth only a dozen to thirty meters high.

In some places, it's only a dozen meters high, and in the highest places, it doesn't exceed 40 meters, which is about the height of a 10-story building. In a real mountainous area, it's at most a small stepping stone.

However, in this area, the densely packed hills became the so-called "mountainous area," from which Qingshan Commune got its name. Due to the abundance of mountains and scarcity of land, they also acquired the status of "semi-farmers," mainly responsible for rapeseed planting in Gufeng County. Their grain production and sales were entirely self-sufficient, and the difference between them and professional farmers was that they were responsible for their own grain production and had no additional grain quotas.

This alone greatly reduced their burden.

Moreover, oil is much more expensive than grain. Soybean oil retails for 80 cents a pound, while rapeseed oil can sell for 2.2 yuan.

即便是直接交油菜籽，收购价也是2毛3分2厘一斤，与粮食的收购价格比达到3.5：1。

Moreover, the yield per mu of rapeseed is not low. Thanks to the efforts of rapeseed breeding experts represented by Fu Tingdong, the yield of rapeseed has increased from less than 100 jin per mu per year in the 1950s to an average annual yield of 255 jin per mu.

Another point is that rapeseed can be grown in any type of land, and the planting area is much larger than that of paddy fields.

So life in Qingshan Commune used to be pretty good. Like Bailanghu Brigade in Nanhu Commune, which specialized in raising and selling fish, several rapeseed planting production teams also became secondary places that girls in the surrounding rural areas longed for.

The first priority, of course, was to marry a worker in town and get a food ration certificate.

Of course, whether it is "primary" or "secondary," it cannot compare to the present-day Lujiawan.

Nowadays, the bachelors in Lujiawan are very picky. They prefer to find wives in their own brigade. Only if there are no suitable women in their own brigade will they consider girls from the town. The other agricultural brigades have been relegated to third place.

There was no way around it; the dividends from Lujiawan last year were phenomenal. Any member's income was several times that of the town's workers, and the income of able-bodied laborers was ten times that of ordinary workers.

This only includes dividends, not the food rations, pork, rapeseed oil, etc. that are distributed to individuals.

Anyone with eyes can see that as long as there isn't another round of tail-cutting, things will definitely get better and better in Lujiawan.

What goes around comes around.

It was the Qingming Festival, the time when rapeseed flowers were in full bloom. Chen Fan was driving his boat, admiring the undulating rapeseed fields. He was thinking that after he returned, he would take some time to visit the fields, take some photos and send them to Jiang Lili. Then he saw that there was a group of tourists in the rapeseed fields.
Tourist?

Chen Fan almost spun the boat ashore when he saw the group of people taking pictures in the rapeseed flowers.

There were more than a dozen people, both men and women. Where did these energetic young people come from?
Is there really someone like me who, having just solved the problem of survival, is already pursuing spiritual enjoyment?
However, he had other things to do now, and it wasn't the time to pursue the truth. He shook his head, turned the speed up to the maximum, and the small yacht bounced and hopped forward on the water.

Once I receive the royalties, I'll buy the latest model of boat handling equipment.

I need the fastest speed!

A little over an hour later, the small yacht docked at the cargo pier. Chen Fan greeted the manager familiarly, left two packs of cigarettes, found his GAZ truck that he had parked there the day before, and left.

He went to the cotton mill first. Since it was a weekday, no one from the Jiang family was home, so he drove directly to the cotton mill's office building.

When Chen Fan came over, Jiang Heng and Shen Xueyi were both extremely busy, but when they saw him, they still put down their work and warmly welcomed him.

Jiang Heng first saw his colleague out, then closed the door behind him. Without even calling his secretary, he personally poured the tea.

Shen Xueyi sat down next to Chen Fan, smiling and asking with concern, "You've been gone for almost two months. You must be exhausted. When are you coming back?"

Chen Fan laughed and said, "It's alright, since there's a long time, it's not too rushed, so I'm not too tired."

Jiang Heng placed a cup of tea in front of him, turned around and sat on the other side, smiling as she said, "No matter what, business trips are never as comfortable as home."

Shen Xueyi looked quite indignant. "Didn't you train so many veterinarians for the production team? Why do you have to go there personally to buy seedlings?"

She now treats Chen Fan directly as her son-in-law, implying that we are all family, and naturally she is somewhat dissatisfied with the production team that is "making trouble" for her son-in-law.

Chen Fan chuckled, "Actually, it's mainly because Lili and the others are going to school, and I also have to go to Beijing in March, so I simply went a few days earlier with the people from Lujiawan to prepare for Lili and the others."

Shen Xueyi's expression had already changed, and she couldn't stop smiling. "They're not children, so why would you need to go and make arrangements beforehand? But you're very thoughtful, it's just too much work for you."

Chen Fan: "It's alright, I'm young and strong."

Jiang Heng smiled and nodded gently. After they finished speaking, he asked softly, "So how did the work go? Did everything go smoothly?"

Chen Fan turned around to face him. "Everything went smoothly. I came back the day before yesterday. It wasn't convenient to visit that day, so I went back to Lujiawan first, and then came over today."

He picked up the gift bag and placed it on the coffee table, saying, "These are some things I brought back for your uncle and aunt to try."

He then unwrapped the package. "These are wild animal meats wrapped in oil paper. I've already cooked them; they're ready to eat, but it's best to heat them up first. Also, as the weather is getting warmer, it's best to eat them as soon as possible, but don't eat too much at once. This is toad oil, this is dried forest frog, this is ginseng..."

Jiang Heng looked at the contents of the package with surprise in his eyes. "These are all specialties from Northeast China, right? I heard that the machinery factory has a partnership with FAW, so you went to Changchun?"

Chen Fan smiled and nodded, "I stayed there for a few days, but it was mainly Factory Director Yang and the others who were discussing work. I just managed to get some local specialties."

Shen Xueyi looked at him with increasing satisfaction and said with a smile, "That's not what I heard. If it weren't for you, they wouldn't have been able to go to Beijing, let alone negotiate a cooperation with FAW."

Then she looked at the bundle full of things and said, "You child, you brought back so much stuff from such a long journey. You're too thoughtful. We're all family, there's no need for this."

Chen Fan chuckled but remained silent.

Shen Xueyi added, "Auntie knows you're busy, but we absolutely have to have a meal here today. No matter how busy you are, you can't miss out on eating, right?"

Chen Fan quickly said, "That really won't work. I have to rush to the provincial capital now."

Jiang Heng and his wife exchanged a glance, looking at him in surprise. "Going to the provincial capital now?"

Chen Fan nodded, turned to look at Jiang Heng, lowered his voice and briefly explained what had happened, finally saying, "So I need to rush to the provincial capital to get approval as soon as possible so that we can sign the contract and the other party can make the payment."

Hearing this, Jiang Heng was both surprised and delighted. He was surprised that his son-in-law had such a good opportunity to earn foreign exchange through his writing.

Whatever the reason, the fact remains that the article was sold to small magazines and foreign exchange was earned.

The good news was naturally the unexpected inflow of foreign exchange.

Since he resumed work, he has applied to his superiors to import several advanced foreign machines, partly to replace some of the old ones, and partly to cooperate with a machinery factory to see if they could replicate them.

But this requires foreign exchange, and it's not a small amount.

But now there is a glimmer of hope.

If I do some work before the foreign exchange arrives, then even if it's not approved for everything, could I at least buy one or two machines?
Or, to take it a step further, if I don't want the machines, could you at least buy me some foreign technical information on textiles?
Thinking of this, Jiang Heng didn't dare to delay and immediately stood up and said, "Earning foreign exchange is a big deal, so you should set off as soon as possible so that you can arrive sooner. But you must be careful on the road. Safety comes first no matter what."

Chen Fan didn't stand on ceremony, stood up and smiled, "Don't worry, I'll be careful."

He then said goodbye to the two of them, "Goodbye, Uncle and Aunt."

Shen Xueyi saw him to the door, saying, "When you come back safely, Auntie will cook you something delicious again."

Chen Fan smiled and waved, "Okay. Goodbye."

……

After leaving the cotton mill, Chen Fan drove onto the provincial highway and headed towards the provincial capital.

We rushed as fast as we could, without even having dinner, and finally arrived at the Cultural Palace Guesthouse while there was still a sliver of light on the horizon.

This is the place where the provincial writers' association held its last meeting.

Upon seeing Chen Fan, Xiao Peng, who happened to be on duty that day, was quite surprised, yet also delighted. "It's Writer Chen! What brings you here?"

She paused for a moment, then realized her words were a bit ambiguous, and quickly said, "I mean, your Writers' Association no longer works here, but it's not too far away, exactly three bus stops from here. There's a small red building there, that's it."

Chen Fan leaned against the service counter, looked at her and smiled, "Do they have a guesthouse?"

Xiao Peng shook his head, "No, that's not the case."

He then chuckled foolishly, "You need to stay somewhere, right? Then I'll take care of the paperwork for you."

As he spoke, he bent down to take out a booklet to register, "You are now the director of the European and American branch of the Writers Association's External Liaison Department, a deputy division-level cadre. You can stay in a room by yourself. I will book you a cadre room."

Then he looked up and asked, "Have you eaten? The chefs at the guesthouse canteen have all gone home, but there are still ingredients left. However, I'm not very good at cooking; I can only make noodles." Chen Fan replied, "Thank you. Then could you please cook me a bowl of noodles?"

Xiao Peng smiled and said, "Okay, I'll add an egg for you."

After saying that, he took out a key and placed it on the counter. "Room number 302, you can go up directly. I'll cook the noodles and bring them up to you later."

"Thank you."

Chen Fan held the keys but showed no sign of leaving. "Can I call the Writers' Association from here?"

Xiao Peng nodded immediately, "We have dedicated lines; we can call anyone from the cultural system, and we can also call the Writers' Association. Who do you want to contact? Chairman He?"

As she spoke, she had already placed her hand on the phone. Seeing Chen Fan nod in confirmation, she immediately picked up the receiver and, once the other end answered, said, "This is the Cultural Palace Guesthouse. Please connect me to Chairman He of the Writers Association. Their External Relations Department Director Chen Fan wants to see him."

The dedicated line is fast; the call was connected in less than a minute.

Taking the microphone from Xiao Peng, Chen Fan put it to his ear and said, "Chairman He, this is Chen Fan."

He Qingsheng was still at work when he received the call and was a little confused. "You're at the Cultural Palace Guesthouse? What are you doing in the provincial capital again?"

Chen Fan turned his head and looked around, then said softly, "It must be something important. Come here first, I'm in 302, we'll talk when we meet."

He Qingsheng was puzzled, but he didn't say much. Even if this kid wasn't favored by the two senior writers Ba Jin and Mao Dun, he was still one of the juniors he valued most. Besides, he knew that Chen Fan wasn't the kind of person who didn't know his place. So he hung up the phone, tidied himself up quickly, and rode his bicycle to the appointment.

When He Qingsheng knocked on the door, Chen Fan was eating noodles with gusto.

There was also a package of venison on the table.

There was nothing he could do; he had already prepared himself for the possibility of missing dinner. Even with this bowl of egg noodles, it wouldn't be enough to fill his stomach, so he would have to eat something else.

He Qingsheng walked into the room, put his briefcase aside, and frowned as he looked at the bowl on the table. "You haven't eaten yet?"

Chen Fan sat down in the chair and handed over the whole pack of cigarettes. "This can't be a midnight snack, can it?"

He Qingsheng took the cigarette and sat down on the sofa by the window, glaring at him irritably. "You're such a pushover. Once you get to know someone, you can't speak properly anymore."

Chen Fan finished the noodles in a few bites, even drinking the soup in the bowl. Then, he took the venison as a snack, walked to the sofa, sat down, and said, "No way. Look, even though I've become familiar with Old Ba, I still speak to him politely."

He Qingsheng rolled her eyes and glanced at his hand. "What is this?"

Chen Fan handed it over, saying, "Venus meat, have a taste."

He Qingsheng pinched a piece and popped it into his mouth. "Where did you get this? This stuff is hard to find."

Chen Fan: "I typed it myself."

He ate another piece, and seeing He Qingsheng's disdainful expression, he smiled and said, "After the meeting last time, didn't a few people come to see me? They were from Yunhu Machinery Factory. The situation at the time was..."

After giving a brief explanation, Chen Fan smiled and said, "Mr. Qu Bo also knows about this. You can ask him and he will find out."

He Qingsheng's eyes widened in astonishment. "You really hit that yourself?"

Even Qu Bo has been brought up, along with the First Ministry of Machine Building and FAW. It seems this matter really can't be faked.

Before Chen Fan could answer, he quickly asked, "Didn't you bring me any?"

Chen Fan looked at him with a guilty expression, then picked up another piece of venison and popped it into his mouth. "I didn't expect we'd meet so soon. How can I bring you something? Next time, next time for sure."

He Qingsheng's face immediately darkened, then he glanced down and snatched the half-pack of venison from Chen Fan's hand, saying, "Don't do it next time, this pack is mine."

Chen Fan looked at his empty palm, then at him, swallowed the venison in his mouth, and gently raised his thumb, "You're really something!"

He then wiped his hands with a towel, lit a cigarette, leaned back on the sofa, and said, "Here's why I came today."

He Qingsheng chewed the venison with difficulty, his small eyes looking blank as he listened.

"You saved a little notebook?"

"His great-grandfather came looking for us; he's a capitalist who's in the publishing business?"

"We want to sign a contract with you and publish your book in a small bookstore?"

"Approval? What kind of approval?"

After Chen Fan finished speaking, he got up and ran outside.

Chen Fan quickly asked, "Where are you going?"

He Qingsheng turned around, holding the doorknob, and said, "Go get the approval documents for you!"

Chen Fan: "You don't even know what articles are in store yet."

He Qingsheng opened the door and walked out, saying, "I've read all your articles. Take them back and fill them in yourself."

Then, with a bang, he slammed the door shut from the outside.

Chen Fan shrugged, sat down, and looked at the empty oil paper package, and couldn't help but be stunned.

Have I been talking for a long time?

You ate such a big piece of meat?

Hmm, I heard venison is very nutritious, I hope he won't get a nosebleed.
Having completed the task, and with He Qingsheng's attitude as Chen Fan had expected, Chen Fan relaxed, turned on the radio, filled his teacup, grabbed a newspaper, and sat on the sofa to wait quietly.

The wait was over an hour.

He Qingsheng didn't return until after 8 p.m., his face beaming with excitement.

Following behind him were Secretary-General Xu Qizhen and a leader from the Department of Culture whom he had met at the last meeting.

Since they were all acquaintances, there was no need for a special introduction. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, He Qingsheng plopped down and slapped two pieces of paper in front of him. "Approval documents. Look, I've left you more space in the 'Works' section, as well as the foreign business information. You'll have to fill that out yourself later. But, don't fill it out carelessly, or I'll punish you."

Xu Qizhen grinned broadly, and after he finished speaking, she looked at Chen Fan and said with a smile, "Director Chen,..."

Chen Fan quickly waved his hand, "Sister Xu, didn't I say last time that I'll call you sister, and you can call me Xiao Fan, Xiao Chen, or Chen Fan? The word 'director' sounds awkward."

Xu Qizhen laughed heartily, "Alright, alright, it was my fault. Cough cough..."

She coughed twice and continued, "Xiao Fan, can I talk to you about something?"

Chen Fan nodded. "Go ahead."

Xu Qizhen exchanged a glance with the leaders of the Cultural Bureau and He Qingsheng, and said softly, "It's like this, I heard from Lao He that you can speak Japanese and translate on your own, but you have quite a lot of works to publish. If you do it all by yourself, it will probably take a long time to finish, which would be a waste of time."

Chen Fan's eyes darted around. "So what do you mean?"

Xu Qizhen smiled and said, "Here's what I'm thinking: there are several very good translators in the Writers' Association, some of whom are very knowledgeable about Japanese and have translated works before. So I was thinking, could we entrust the translation task to them?"

Chen Fan blinked, still trying to guess the meaning behind her words, when He Qingsheng, who had just lit a cigarette, said directly, "Let me tell you straight, it's because you made too much foreign exchange this time, and everyone wants a share. If it weren't for this, I would have come back long ago."

what?
Chen Fan turned to look at him, "Shall we share a cup?"

Are you trying to rip me off?
He Qingsheng, unaware of his thoughts, said calmly, "In short, it's about allowing the translators to earn some foreign exchange. But don't worry, it won't affect your royalties. Their translation fees will be paid separately by their own organizations, and your royalties will remain yours, unaffected."

Chen Fan nodded in realization. "So, the institutions of those translators are paying them to translate my articles and submit them? So I don't have to pay their royalties?"

Is there such a good thing?
Xu Qizhen laughed from the side, "They're the ones who benefited from this, so how could you possibly suffer a loss?"

Chen Fan blinked, a little puzzled. Had they gotten a good deal?

He then asked, "So they just want a reputation?"

At this point, the official from the Department of Culture laughed and said, "Of course, it's not just about reputation. You can't keep your foreign exchange earnings, but their work unit can."

Chen Fan blinked repeatedly. So it was still about foreign exchange. But, was this really acceptable?

(End of this chapter)