Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 547 A Glorious and Arduous Mission
The next day, Chen Fan wrote down all the key points, including the management regulations for the correspondence course on literary creation, the methods for selecting literary awards, and especially the need to vigorously promote and publicize the "advanced works" after the winning works were selected. He then went to the provincial writers' association and handed the document to He Qingsheng.

He Qingsheng took the two manuscripts and immediately buried himself in reading them.

He didn't forget to keep his promise, and casually pointed to the corner of the wall, "The cigarettes are in that cabinet, take them yourself."

Chen Fan glanced over, silently stacked a case of Platinum Dragon liquor and a case of Flying Fairy Moutai together in a low cabinet in the corner, picked them up, and rushed out with his head down.

He Qingsheng only felt a dark shadow rush out. He looked up in surprise, saw the empty doorway, and couldn't help but curl his lips. "This kid, he left without even saying goodbye. Does he think I'll change my mind?!"

He shook his head and smiled, preparing to continue reading the manuscript, but then habitually glanced back at the low cabinet.

The cabinet doors were wide open, and the inside was completely empty.
The next second, He Qingsheng came to his senses, jumped up and rushed to the window, just in time to see Chen Fan put two boxes into the trunk. He was so angry that he jumped up and down and cursed, "You brat, you leave them here! They're all useful! Hey, hey, hey, you're still pretending? If you're so capable, then steal them! If you're so capable, then don't come back!"

In the government compound, Chen Fan smiled and waved to the startled crowd, saying as he got into his car, "Hello everyone, are you all busy? Well, see you later."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the car sped off, followed by a shout of curses and a burst of laughter.

……

Chen Fan drove back without stopping at the prefectural committee, went straight to the cargo terminal, changed into a small yacht, and returned to Lujiawan.

In the brigade headquarters, he sat on a bench by the window in just a single layer of clothing, without even an overcoat, looking as if he had died and hadn't been buried, to show how tired he had been from running around for the past two days.

It's a pity that no one paid attention to him.

Everyone was gathered around the desk, looking at the approval form.

Secretary Yang grabbed Zhang Wenliang's arm and asked hopefully, "With this, we can sign a contract and earn foreign exchange?"

Zhang Wenliang seemed to understand, but didn't quite grasp it. "I guess so?"

He looked around, "By the way, where's Old Chen?"

Then he saw Chen Fan pretending to be dead on the bench, and immediately picked up a pack of cigarettes and threw it at him, saying, "Get up now."

Chen Fan grabbed the cigarette, pulled one out and put it in his mouth, then took out a lighter and lit it. "What?"

He didn't even open his eyes from beginning to end.

Zhang Wenliang: "Go find that little booklet and sign the contract! Otherwise, what's the point of you going all the way to the provincial capital to get this thing?!"

Chen Fan didn't budge. "Can't you see I'm completely exhausted? Brother, this is a long trip to the provincial capital, it's tiring..."

Xiao Liewen interrupted him directly, "Tired my ass! You're more skilled than several of your masters now, especially after learning Old Zhang's Taoist arts. You can practice that stuff for three days and three nights without sleeping and you won't be that tired. You just want the benefits, right? Just wait."

After saying that, he strode out.

Chen Fan opened one eye to look around, then turned his eyeball and saw four pairs of eyes staring at him, so he quickly closed it again.

Perhaps feeling uncomfortable being stared at, he finally opened his eyes the next second, shifted his body to sit up straight, and coughed lightly, "Um, has no one poured me a glass of water?"

Zhang Wenliang turned around, took an enamel cup from the cabinet, poured in some tea leaves, and then poured water from the kettle. He smiled broadly and said, "Take your time. Before signing the contract, I'll serve you whatever you want. We'll settle the score after the contract is signed."

Chen Fan's face hardened, clearly displeased. "Comrade Zhang, your attitude is unacceptable. Are you serving me? No, you're serving a writer who has contributed $23 to the country's foreign exchange earnings! You must correct your attitude..."

Secretary Yang pulled out a chair and sat down, grinning broadly as if watching a peculiar spectacle. Captain Zhang and Deputy Captain Ye weren't much better off, each with a cigarette in one hand and tea in the other, practically as if they had a plate of melon seeds in front of them.

Zhang Wenliang had not read many books in the end. He served as the militia company commander and security director in Lujiawan for a long time. When he encountered quarrels, he would just scold them a couple of times and that would be the end of it. He had never argued with anyone.
Sure enough, after just two sentences, he was speechless and could only stare at the ceiling, laughing incessantly. Finally, he blurted out, "I have never seen such a shameless person!"

At that moment, Captain Xiao walked in carrying a holster. "Who are you calling shameless? Little Chen? Never mind then."

He then tossed the holster to Chen Fan, saying, "Here, get this over with quickly."

Chen Fan grabbed the gun, deftly removed the holster, gripped the handle, and drew the pistol, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Hey, it's a Smith & Wesson Victory revolver produced during World War II, and it's a relatively rare 152mm long-barrel model.

He held the gun in his hand and played with it for a while, then put it away, wrapped it around his waist along with the holster, and covered it with his clothes.

Zhang Wenliang's eyes were filled with sourness. "I've been begging for this gun for so long, but Master Xiao wouldn't give it to me. I never expected you to get it for free."

Then a thought struck him: "Hey, you have two long guns and three short guns now, can you give me back my Mauser pistol?"

Chen Fan replied without hesitation, "Sure."

Zhang Wenliang's eyes widened. "Really?"

Chen Fan: "Let's have another match. If you win, it's yours."

That gun was won by him in a jungle duel with Zhang Wenliang. He won it through his own skill, so why should he return it?!
Zhang Wenliang, his face dark, followed the others out, muttering to himself, "That kid is dishonest."

……

The group left the brigade headquarters. Some rode bicycles, some rode horses, and only Chen Fan rode a horse, because he only needed to sit and didn't have to move.

Riding on horseback and looking down at the lush green rice paddies on both sides, Chen Fan felt a sense of exhilaration and asked with a smile, "Does that little notebook go to Old Gao's house every day?"

Zhang Wenliang pressed the pedal, not wanting to speak, but everyone here was an elder except him. If he didn't speak, who would?
Then they heard Secretary Yang sigh deeply, "Oh dear, this is going to be difficult."

He rode his bicycle without looking back, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, and said with emotion, "I've heard some things about Xiaobenzi from Cadre Zhao. He lost his wife and children and is all alone at home, practically a widower."

Then, they built a huge family fortune, only to find no one to inherit it. So, they came here to find their relatives to carry on the family line; their intentions are quite sincere.

He'd been staying at Lao Gao's house for the past couple of days. Lao Gao had almost forgotten everything he'd written in his notebook, but his wife could still manage a few words. They'd chatted haltingly about some old stories from years ago.

Chen Fan nodded thoughtfully. "So his wife is probably considering going back with them?"

He then remembered Xiao Gao rolling on the ground and turned to ask, "Where's Xiao Gao? Has his attitude changed?"

Secretary Yang pursed his lips and shook his head. "That kid is incredibly stubborn. If it weren't for school during the day, Xiaobenzi wouldn't dare go to his house. I heard from Cadre Zhao that they always leave as soon as they hear the school bell. If Xiao Gao sees them, he'll beat Xiaobenzi with a kitchen knife."

Chen Fan's eyes and mouth twitched. If Takahashi Hideo really got stabbed by Koga, it would be a real tragedy.

Captain Zhang continued, picking up where Secretary Yang left off, saying, "You guessed a bit about Lao Gao's wife's attitude. Anyone with eyes can see she's a little tempted, but the key is she can't make decisions at home."

As for Lao Gao, his attitude was neither distant nor close. He went to work normally during the day, and when he returned home and saw his uncle, he would greet him and say a few words, but he just wouldn't budge.

If this continues, I don't know how long it will drag on.

Chen Fan looked at them. "Doesn't the brigade headquarters have any objections?"

Secretary Yang snorted, "What opinions could we possibly have? Should we stop them from reuniting as a family, or should we encourage Lao Gao to join the clique?"

Chen Fan sat expressionless on his horse. Well, you've said both the truth and the sarcasm, what else can I say?
There's still some distance between team 5 and team 10. Even riding my bike as fast as I can, it takes about half an hour to get there.

It was only because Hideo Takahashi and his group brought a car that they were able to meet every day; otherwise, it would have been a real hassle.

Finally arriving at Lao Gao's house in Team 10, Zhao Junhui was the first to rush over when he saw Chen Fan return, looking up at Chen Fan and asking, "Did you get it done?"

Chen Fan pointed at Secretary Yang, "It's been taken care of, it's in his bag."

Zhao Junhui quickly appeared next to Secretary Yang. Secretary Yang parked his bicycle, took out the approval document, and handed it to him. "Can we sign the contract today?"

"can!"

He left a single word and then flashed back to Hideo Takahashi's side.

Hideo Takahashi was talking to his wife, who, after two days of practice, could now speak some everyday language fluently. After all, she was already 16 when she was captured, almost an adult, and it was impossible for her to forget her mother tongue.

Old Gao, on the other hand, was about ten years old at the time. Logically, he shouldn't have forgotten his mother tongue so quickly, so Chen Fan suspected that he just didn't want to speak it.

When you don't want to speak, you really can't.

Hideo Takahashi and Junhui Zhao had a brief exchange, and after glancing at the official documents he brought over, he realized he couldn't understand them and didn't care.

He then had his assistant bring out several contracts and handed them to Chen Fan with both hands, saying, "Mr. Chen, this is the publishing agreement. Please take a look."

Chen Fan took it and read it carefully.

Needless to say, it was just a regular publishing agreement. Apart from the conditions that Takahashi had mentioned before, it only specified that the publisher only had the right to publish the Japanese version and that the distribution scope was limited to regions where small-format books were sold. Compared to the contracts he had seen when writing books on online platforms back then, it was a million times more conscientious.

He immediately took the pen from Zhang Wenliang and quickly signed his name.

This is not enough.

Contracts in small notebooks usually require the use of a "seal," that is, a personal seal. Some people there even have more than a dozen different seals, each used for different occasions. I don't know what they're thinking.

If there is no seal, you will have to press your handprint.

Chen Fan didn't want to put his fingerprint on it, and since he had already registered his seal at the police station, he took his Tianhuang stone seal and stamped it on the surface.

Even Hideo Takahashi, who has a net worth of hundreds of millions of yen, was stunned. The quality of this Tianhuang stone was such that it could easily fetch 5 million yen, or more than 20,000 US dollars.

Moreover, this top-grade Tianhuang stone is perfectly capable of being auctioned, and if it encounters a wealthy collector who appreciates it, it might fetch $50,000 or even higher.

Such an expensive item, and you just carry it around as a personal seal?

He was a little unsure for a moment—were all the writers here so wealthy?

If Chen Fan knew his thoughts, he would definitely say that although Rongbaozhai in Beijing does not have Tianhuang stones of this quality, ordinary quality ones are on display and sold for only about 30 yuan per gram. Welcome to visit.

In 1986, Rongbaozhai acquired a "King of Tianhuang Stones" from the Tianhuang stone producing area of ​​Shoushan Township, Fuzhou, for a high price of 135,000 yuan. Weighing 4275 grams, the stone was rhomboid in shape, loquat yellow in color, crystal clear, and warm and lustrous like jade. Converted to a unit price, this amounted to 31.5 yuan per gram. This was the acquisition price; if it were to be sold, it would generally be 40 yuan per gram.

But they wouldn't sell it; they kept it in the store as its prized possession.

Compared to the prices back then, Tianhuang stone isn't as expensive now as it will be a few years later, but it's not much cheaper either. After all, this thing has always been "more expensive than gold," so it's impossible to sell it cheaply.

Moreover, the seal in Chen Fan's hand is made of top-grade pure yellow translucent stone, which is of much higher quality than that "King of Tianhuang". Not to mention in the future, even now, this seal, which weighs about 188 grams, would cost at least 20,000 yuan in China.

Therefore, Hideo Takahashi's valuation is not significantly different.

However, the "actual exchange rate" was not calculated.

According to black market prices, this Fangtian yellow stone is definitely worth over 20 yuan.

Chen Fan only understood the value of his seal after visiting Rongbaozhai. Of course, he had no intention of selling it; he just wanted to use it to show off in front of others later.

Yeah, last time at Rongbaozhai, I used this to get a stamp and really showed off, especially Manager Hou from Rongbaozhai, he was so envious.

Under Hideo Takahashi's eager gaze, Chen Fan slowly placed the seal into the small wooden box, put it in the small leather pouch he had made, and then put it in his pocket. He said leisurely, "Mr. Takahashi, please forgive my directness, but after signing the contract, when can I make the payment?"

Hideo Takahashi snapped out of his daze and immediately said seriously, "I sent a telegram to Japan yesterday to arrange the payment. I'll go to the post office to send the telegram and the payment information. The payment can be made as early as tomorrow."

However, the exact time it will arrive depends on the processing speed of the bank and your company.

Chen Fan glanced at Zhao Junhui, and seeing him nod slightly, he smiled with satisfaction, "Thank you, thank you. I believe this cooperation will be the beginning of our long-term partnership."

It's unclear what Hideo Takahashi was thinking, but he had a broad smile on his face and bowed slightly, saying, "That's how it should be."

He then arranged for his assistant to send a telegram back home, and Zhao Junhui naturally went along as well, leaving the two of them behind.

Seeing that the contract was signed, Secretary Yang and his team decisively withdrew without even calling out to Chen Fan.

Just as Chen Fan was about to reach for the horse, Takahashi Hideo stepped forward, bowed apologetically, and whispered, "Mr. Chen, I'm very sorry to be so forward, but I would like to ask you for a favor."

Chen Fan turned around and looked at him, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

This person knows how to behave. Before signing the contract and arranging payment, they didn't ask for favors. Instead, they waited until after the matter was settled before making a personal request. This avoided being misunderstood as an exchange or even blackmail.

Seeing that Chen Fan remained silent, Hideo Takahashi seemed a little uneasy, but he still took a deep breath and continued, "I know it's very presumptuous, but I really have no other choice right now. Yoichi, oh, I mean Takayoshi, although he's not too resistant, he still refuses to have any communication with me."

And the founding of the nation…

When it came to his grandnephew's name, Hideo Takahashi felt it was a bit of a mouthful, but he knew that the name was very common in China, so he didn't think much of it.

She continued, "And then there's Jian Guo, who won't even let me see him. But they are, after all, my only family in this world. I know my brother has made an unforgivable mistake, but please believe me, he didn't personally harm anyone..."

Chen Fan waved his hand, "No need for all that, it's not worth it. Just tell me directly, do you want me to persuade that father and son to go back to your small business with you?"

Hideo Takahashi lowered his head even further. "I dare not make such a presumptuous request. I only hope that Mr. Chen can mediate and allow them to sit down and listen to me peacefully for a few words. I would be extremely grateful for that."

Chen Fan looked at him in surprise, not expecting him to be someone who knew when to advance and retreat.

That makes sense, though. Without a bit of self-awareness, one couldn't turn a small paper mill into a publishing group.

This request is indeed not unreasonable.

Chen Fan nodded. "Okay, I agree."

Hideo Takahashi was overjoyed and bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, saying, "Thank you very much."

……

Old Gao is still at work, and Chen Fan doesn't want to wait. Even though the team will be finishing work soon, he still asked his neighbor aunt for help to call Old Gao back.

Furthermore, he didn't want to directly help Hideo Takahashi; he wanted to ask Takahashi's opinion first.

If Lao Gao has any thoughts of returning to his small business, even if it's just to take a look, Chen Fan wouldn't mind giving him a push.

If there's absolutely nothing to it, then he doesn't want to help with the reconciliation at all. He'll just let Lao Gao explain things clearly and put an end to Takahashi Hideo's hopes.

……

When Lao Gao returned, Chen Fan said directly, "It's not a solution for them to stay here all the time. Can't you see people pointing fingers behind your back? If you don't make a decision in a day, many people in the team will think you're going to go to a small business."

Old Gao, who had been looking down, immediately looked up and said, "Then I won't go. I'll tell them all to leave."

The words were spoken quite loudly, and Takahashi Hideo's expression changed drastically. The villagers watching the commotion in the distance also heard it clearly and couldn't help but look over, whispering among themselves.

Chen Fan grabbed Lao Gao, who was about to leave, and looked at him, asking, "I know you don't want to go, but don't you really have any curiosity about your hometown?"

Old Gao's lips moved a few times, but he finally lowered his head and said softly, "I left my hometown when I was 5 years old, and my memories are very blurry. I only remember my maternal grandparents' small courtyard and my uncle who played with me. Now I can't even remember their faces anymore, so when my uncle came looking for me, I really wanted to go back and take a look."

My uncle said that my maternal grandparents have passed away, and I want to go back to pay my respects to them and see the little house where our family used to live.

At this point, Lao Gao sighed deeply, "But the small country won't go."

Before his uncle came looking for him, he had no elders or relatives, only one son, who was his lifeblood. Even if he wanted to go back, he would not disappoint his son.

Chen Fan frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and said, "If the small country has no objections, are you planning to settle down in Japan?"

Old Gao looked up and smiled, a rare occurrence for him. "No, because I know that place isn't suitable for me."

He slowly raised his head and glanced around. “I came to China when I was 5 years old and have been here ever since I was 8. If you ask me to leave here and settle down in a small country, not to mention anything else, I just can’t adapt to the way people speak.”

He turned to look at Chen Fan, a smile appearing on his face. "I've forgotten how to speak Japanese. I only speak Yunhu dialect. Can I still settle down in Japan?"

Chen Fan nodded slightly, took a deep breath, and then said, "I admire your choice, but there's a practical problem..."

Before he could finish speaking, Old Gao nodded and said, "I know. There's no one else in my uncle's family. He wants Xiaoguo to inherit the Takahashi family. If I want to come back, he won't stop me, but he will definitely try his best to keep Xiaoguo in Japan."

He looked up at Chen Fan as he spoke, "But that's even more impossible, because the small country simply won't agree, and he won't even go there."

Chen Fan looked him up and down in surprise and laughed, "Captain Su and the others said you're a bit simple-minded, but I don't think you're simple-minded at all. On the contrary, you're quite smart."

Old Gao smiled, then lowered his head again without saying a word.

If he had acted very cleverly, would the villagers still affectionately call him Lao Gao?
To protect herself, the wife, who is a clean freak, gets covered in mud every day, perhaps even forgetting how clean she used to be.

When you're far from home and living under someone else's roof, if you don't show weakness, are you just waiting to be ostracized?

Only in front of Teacher Chen, who is "fair, generous, and kind" and who saved Xiaoguo, can he reveal some of his true feelings; in front of others, he truly dares not.

Chen Fan naturally guessed his intention, but simply shook his head slightly without saying anything else.

Old Gao's life was certainly not easy, but how easy was it for those ordinary people who died tragically?
It's not like I invited him.

He simply couldn't bring himself to offer words of comfort.

After a few seconds, Chen Fan changed the subject, "Is it true that you'd be willing to go to Little Ben with your uncle if you just get Little Ben's approval?"

Old Gao thought for a moment, then nodded slightly, "Yes."

Then he quickly added, "But I will come back."

Chen Fan waved his hand, "If your uncle insists that Xiaoguo stay there, would you agree or disagree?"

This time, Lao Gao's face was full of struggle. After a long time, he sighed and said, "Emotionally speaking, I don't want to agree, but Xiao Ben's living and educational conditions are indeed better, and his uncle is a capitalist with enough resources to support his studies. For the sake of the country's future... so I don't know what to do."

After hearing his words, Chen Fan understood his thoughts. He paused for two seconds, then waved his hand and said, "Go to the school and bring Xiao Guo back. I want to say a few words to him."

Old Gao paused for a moment, looked at him in surprise, but didn't say anything, and turned to walk towards the school at the top of the slope.

A few minutes later, he returned holding his son's hand.

When Gao Jianguo saw Chen Fan, his face was full of smiles, and he happily ran over, "Hello, Teacher Chen."

When he ran closer, Chen Fan squatted down to look at him, then waved for Lao Gao to leave.

Looking around again, there was no one nearby. The onlookers were all at a distance, and even the nearest person, Lao Gao, was more than ten meters away. So he whispered to Gao Jianguo, "Gao Jianguo, have you seen The Shining Red Star?"

Ten-year-old Gao Jianguo's expression changed. He didn't understand why Teacher Chen was asking this, but he still obediently nodded, "I've seen it."

Chen Fan smiled and continued, "Have you heard of Wang Erxiao, Zhang Gazi, and Pan Dongzi? Do you know the story of the underground organization?"

Gao Jianguo nodded solemnly, "I've heard of them. I know their stories, and I've also read a lot about underground organizations. They are all heroes."

Chen Fan put one hand on his shoulder and said seriously, "That's right, they are all heroes."

Now, you have a mission to complete. If you accept it, you must keep it a secret from everyone until the mission is accomplished. Then you will be a hero.

Are you willing to accept this task?

Gao Jianguo's eyes widened instantly, his gaze blazing with light, and he nodded repeatedly, "I'm willing!"

Chen Fan smiled with satisfaction, "Alright, I'm going to give you a glorious but arduous task now, listen carefully..."

(End of this chapter)