Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 549 Win More
Lujiawan Village Primary School.

Chen Fan's second public lecture has finally begun.

Besides the students and teachers at the school, there were also several team leaders who came after hearing the news, as well as sixteen educated youth.

This was Chen Fan's second meeting with them.

The first time was in a rapeseed field. Chen Fan was driving his small yacht by when he saw the group of "tourists"—these were the people he saw.

Some people even brought cameras; these educated youths were definitely not simple.

Chen Fan ignored them and paced back and forth with his hands behind his back before starting his lecture in class, "A big thing happened in our production team these past few days. Xiao Gao's great-grandfather came to ask him to come back. Have any of you seen Xiao Gao's great-grandfather?"

A group of children nodded or shook their heads, looking bewildered.

"seen it already."

"did not see it."

"I saw a car."

Chen Fan smiled and gestured for the classroom to fall silent instantly.

He placed his hands on the podium and asked with a smile, "Then let me ask the students who have seen him, what were you thinking when you saw him?"

No one answered this time.

Chen Fan glanced around and prompted, "Su Yong, you just said you saw him. What were you thinking when you saw the clothes he was wearing and the car he was riding in?"

A child of about ten years old stood up, his eyes darting around nervously. "Hmm, his clothes are very nice, and he looks very cool riding in his toy car."

Chen Fan gestured for him to sit down. "Hmm, nice clothes, looks impressive in the car. Good, that's one kind of impression."

Then he asked, "So when you see him wearing nice clothes and riding in a car, how would you guess what the other notebooks look like?"

Su Yong rolled his eyes a few times. "About the same as him."

Chen Fan looked at Su Yujun and asked, "Captain Su, what are your thoughts?"

Su Yujun was taken aback when asked the question, then gave an awkward laugh and said, "Well, that's about right."

Chen Fan nodded, glanced at the entire room again, and said seriously, "Look, this is how you associate one person's image with a group. But the nice clothes and the prestige of riding in a car that you see are just appearances."

As Mr. Li said, one has no right to speak without investigation, and specific issues must be analyzed specifically.

Many people might assume that all notebooks look like that because Xiao Gao's great-grandfather wears nice clothes and rides in a car. But is that really the case? Not necessarily.

Another point we need to consider is: who made these clothes? And how are cars manufactured?
This can be divided into two parts. First, what level of technology have they reached to produce such attractive fabrics and comfortable cars? Can our country do the same? If so, in what aspects? If not, where does the gap lie?
Secondly, can the workers involved in the production process enjoy the benefits that come with value creation? Going further back, can the farmers who till the land and the miners who work in the mines wear clothes like Grandpa Gao and ride in cars with such prestige?

As soon as he finished speaking, a buzz of discussion immediately filled the classroom.

"Teacher Chen is right. Just because one person is good doesn't mean everyone is good."

"If you ask me, it's definitely different. The value created by farmers and workers is all taken by capitalists. Otherwise, what gives capitalists their power?"

“I said yesterday that Lao Gao’s uncle is a capitalist, so he must be living a good life, while most ordinary people are suffering.”

His words implied that "I share the same views as Teacher Chen."

These discussions were naturally among adults like Principal Xiao and Captain Su, while a dozen or so educated youth students were also quietly discussing it at the back of the classroom.

The students who were listening to the lecture were mostly confused and didn't understand what they were talking about.

However, I could also glean some meaning from Chen Fan's words.

Xiao Gao's great-grandfather seems to be living a good life, but that doesn't mean all the little notebooks are doing well; they might be suffering right now.

Therefore, we must remember Mr. Li's teachings: Liberate all mankind!

Then I suddenly felt excited.

This is also the significance of Chen Fan using Hideo Takahashi as an example.

A few years later, many people will rush abroad. When they go abroad and see skyscrapers and bustling traffic, the psychological impact will be something that young people two thousand years from now cannot even imagine.

This led to many people envying and yearning for studying abroad, including a large number of government-sponsored students.

Chen Fan can't do much right now, but he can plant a seed and give the students in Lujiawan a heads-up.

This is also one of the reasons why he gave these public lectures.

As for how effective it will be?

It's better than saying nothing at all. Even if only one person, after going abroad, doesn't blindly follow his words and thinks more deeply, then his efforts won't have been in vain.

Chen Fan rambled on and on, then looked at the time. A class had already passed... Don't even think about the bell ringing; Principal Xiao was holding that piece of metal right now, and he was so engrossed in listening that he forgot all about ringing the bell.

He could only wave his hand and announce the end of get out of class.

Then, pointing to the last group of educated youth, he said, "Educated youth, please stay here for a moment."

Amidst many curious gazes, the sixteen educated youths sat obediently in place, looking at Chen Fan with trepidation.

The educated youth who came here only knew that Teacher Chen was very capable.

He is skilled in medicine and writing, and is an official of the Provincial Writers Association. Yet he is willing to take root in the countryside, leading Lujiawan to develop and become prosperous and build a new rural area. On the other hand, he can also cultivate talents and train rural students with weak foundations to become college students.

That's why their families tried every means to send them to the countryside.

Whether it's learning from Teacher Chen, getting into a good university, or establishing a relationship with Teacher Chen, just like some of his students, they will have some influence in any workplace, and thus gain great benefits.

Unexpectedly, when they arrived at Lujiawan, they didn't even get to see Teacher Chen, and hardly anyone was willing to talk to them.

There was only one small study room in the educated youth compound, where they were allowed to look at the materials on their own.

Which of these people didn't come from a cadre family? When have they ever suffered such injustice?

Many people backed out at that time and wrote letters home.

However, the replies from home all urged them to settle down, take root in the countryside, take Teacher Chen as an example, work honestly, and study diligently.

Several parents even came in person to give them advice.

Sure enough, ginger is still spicy.

Following their parents' advice, they worked hard during the day and studied diligently at night, quickly gaining the approval of their fellow villagers.

Following that, three of Teacher Chen's students who were admitted to key universities also agreed to come and tutor them.

When they saw that the three girls, who were even younger than them, could easily answer all their questions, they realized for the first time the gap between themselves and the outstanding students who were admitted to key universities.

It turns out that they were able to get into top universities because of their real abilities, while the ones who didn't get in were indeed because their foundation was too weak.

As a result, they felt even more awe and interest in Teacher Chen, whom Yang Ju and the other two praised so highly.

At the same time, I worked harder and studied more diligently.

This is the first time I've met Teacher Chen.

Unexpectedly, I was kept after school. I wonder what Teacher Chen wanted to say to me?
Amidst sixteen pairs of anxious gazes, Chen Fan walked straight to the back of the classroom, casually pulled up a stool, sat down, glanced at them, and smiled, "Went on a spring outing the other day?"

The sixteen people looked at each other in bewilderment.

Finally, the eldest sister smiled sheepishly and said in a low voice, "That afternoon, Captain Yang announced that we didn't have to work, so we took a boat to play in the rapeseed fields of Qingshan Commune for a while."

Then she asked in a low voice, "You...you saw it?"

Chen Fan laughed and waved his hand, saying, "No need for that. It's a spring outing. The Qingming Festival is the perfect time to admire rapeseed flowers. If I weren't so busy with work, I would definitely go and see them."

Before the educated youths' expressions could improve, he changed his tone and said seriously, "However, you are different from ordinary tourists. Tourists have fun and that's all that matters. You are students preparing for the college entrance examination..."

He paused for two seconds, then looked at everyone meaningfully. "Don't tell me you're not planning to take this year's college entrance exam?"

The educated youth looked at each other, chuckled awkwardly, and dared not utter a sound.

Chen Fan smiled and said, "I understand, it's all for the sake of ideals. However, since it's for the sake of ideals, we can't relax easily. So, I'll give you a challenge."

You went to the rapeseed fields and saw the rapeseed flowers; each of you should write an essay on that topic.

He pointed at everyone and said, "Everyone write your own. No discussion, and absolutely no plagiarism or borrowing. There are no restrictions on the subject matter; you can write whatever you want. But you must write seriously. The word count must be no less than 500 words and no more than 600 words. Any questions?"

The educated youth answered with a forced smile, "No problem!"

Writing an essay is easy, but writing one about rapeseed flowers in a way that satisfies Teacher Chen is quite challenging.

Chen Fan smiled and nodded, "Okay, give it to Yang Mei before 6 p.m. tomorrow."

After saying that, he waved his hand, got up and left.

As I left, I glanced back at him.

Hmph, I let you guys go have fun, and you're having so much fun.

You have to do your homework after playing. Let's see if you dare to go out and play again!

Watching Chen Fan's departing figure, the educated youth unconsciously let out a long sigh, and then began to whisper among themselves.

"Write about rapeseed flowers? How do you even do that?" "Hey, don't talk about that. Teacher Chen just said there's no room for discussion."

"He doesn't know."

"No. Whether he knows or not, we know it ourselves, so it's best to be honest."

Then, lowering his voice, he said, "This village is full of Teacher Chen's spies; don't even think about hiding it from us."

"Yes, didn't you hear what Yang Mei and the others said? Teacher Chen's greatest strength isn't the amount of knowledge he has, but his teaching ability. Do you think you can fool him with your little tricks?"

"Okay, okay, let's not talk about this anymore... But I still don't know how to write it?!"

"Think about it slowly, oh dear, my head hurts."

"Sigh, who suggested going on a spring outing that day?"

"Me! What's wrong? Didn't you have a lot of fun that day too?"

"Uh... I mean, this is a good thing. Yes, it's a good thing. Think about it, when Teacher Chen assigns us homework, isn't it because he's preparing to teach us something?"

"Oh, that makes sense."

"So, Teacher Chen has accepted us?"

"Yes, that's probably right, that's what I think too."

"What are you thinking about? You should be thinking about how to write your essay."

"Ugh... my head hurts."

……

Today is April 14th. Chen Fan returned home and packed his luggage, preparing to leave early tomorrow morning.

Because the day after tomorrow is April 16th, he will be going to Jiangnan University to register, and then he will find out who his supervisor is.

what?
Are the educated youth required to hand in their essays tomorrow night?
What does that have to do with him going to university to register?
He simply asked the educated youth to submit their essays by tomorrow night, without mentioning when he would review them, so it wouldn't cause any delays at all.

At this moment, he was preoccupied with wondering which one of his mentors was.
Based on the current list of professors at Jiangnan University, he has three candidates in mind.

This speculation is not without basis, but is the result of considering various factors.

First of all, he himself is not an ordinary person. Whether it is his status as a "well-known writer" or his position as a deputy director-level cadre of the provincial writers' association, it is certain that the person who can be his teacher is not an ordinary person.

Secondly, his knowledge is undeniable. Nowadays, most professors are proud, and there are probably very few who would consider themselves capable of teaching him.

Finally, the identity that made He Qingsheng keep silent must be quite extraordinary.

All things considered, the most respected and suitable candidates in the Chinese Department of Jiangnan University are undoubtedly the "Three Elders of Chinese Studies" (a fictional group).

These three were all born in the late Qing Dynasty. The oldest is nearly 90 years old, and the youngest is over 80. Although they did not come from wealthy families, they were from well-off families, otherwise they could not have afforded their education.

Throughout their academic careers, they each studied under renowned teachers, and even during times of war, they diligently studied and researched their own culture, achieving early fame in the field of Chinese studies.

Especially in the 1950s, these three almost shouldered the heavy responsibility of literature in the Jiangnan region and became prominent in the national academic circles.

If we were to make an analogy, each of them could easily outshine Professor Ji from Peking University.

It's not that Professor Ji was incapable, but rather that his main research areas were Sanskrit, Tocharian, ancient Central Asian languages, Indian literature and Indology, and Buddhist languages.

Although he has considerable knowledge of traditional Chinese culture, he cannot be considered a true master.

The three senior scholars of Chinese studies at Jiangnan University are all experts in Chinese history and literature, and are virtually unparalleled in the field.

Even their academic methods are exactly the same as those of ancient Confucian scholars, such as specializing in a book like the Book of Rites or the Spring and Autumn Annals, and being able to re-annotate such classics.

It is only because his academic achievements and publications are too specialized, and he does not have any "celebrity students," that he is not well-known outside the academic circle.

In fact, there are quite a few such professional scholars, almost in every academic field, but they are "known to everyone in the field, but unknown to everyone outside the field".

Currently, the only people at Jiangnan University who can openly guide Chen Fan are probably these three. Even the top professors from Peking University or Fudan University's Chinese departments are at most comparable to them, and would never dare to say they surpass them.

I just don't know which one it is.
……

The next day, filled with doubts, Chen Fan shouldered his backpack and embarked on his journey of seeking knowledge (and making money).

But their first stop was the prefectural committee.

Yunhu Cotton Mill, Factory Director's Office.

Jiang Heng looked at Chen Fan and said with emotion, "You're really exhausted. You came to see me a few days ago, and you were already going to the provincial capital. It's only been a few days, and you're already saying you're going to the provincial capital again. How many trips have you made?"

Chen Fan sipped his tea, looked up and smiled, "It wasn't many trips, just the second one."

He paused for a moment, then explained, “The search for Xiaobenzi’s relatives is over. All that’s left is to wait for the foreign exchange to arrive. I heard from Section Chief Zhao of the Provincial Propaganda Department that he monitors foreign exchange trends every day. The money has already arrived at the Bank of China in Hong Kong. The rest is waiting for the State Administration of Foreign Exchange and the Provincial Foreign Trade Company to verify the relevant information and complete the procedures before they can send over the remittance slip.”

However, the foreign exchange has already been intercepted, and the remittance slip I received is only in RMB. If you want to apply for foreign exchange, you need to hurry.

Shen Xueyi, who was standing next to him, poured him more water from the teapot and said with a smile, "We have reported this matter to the Light Industry Department and the Provincial Department. If it is a small foreign exchange requirement, the Provincial Department can approve it. If it is a large foreign exchange requirement, it needs to be approved by the Ministry of Textile Industry."

She looked at Jiang Heng and then turned to Chen Fan. “The problem now is that we are still sorting out the work of the cotton mill. Fortunately, the strong winds of the past few years did not affect production, so there are not many problems that need to be corrected. However, problems such as aging machinery and a shortage of senior technicians and senior mechanics are becoming more and more serious.”

If no changes are made, it will have a significant negative impact on the production of cotton mills.

Furthermore, cotton mills now handle a large portion of the cotton spinning tasks, so we want to apply for foreign exchange to purchase a batch of modern production lines.

She suddenly chuckled a few times, "But in that case, the foreign exchange you've earned won't be enough. This can't be rushed; we need to plan this out carefully."

Chen Fan nodded slowly and smiled, "The foreign exchange I earn is just a bonus. It's only small units that are envious and think they can get a share to buy some foreign data or small equipment. For large factories like cotton mills and machinery factories, it's almost useless. I haven't even mentioned this to the machinery factory."

Jiang Heng smiled and said, "It's not that it's useless, it's still somewhat useful. I also reported and applied to the higher authorities, and when they heard that it was foreign exchange you earned, they agreed to approve $5000 for our factory to purchase foreign books and materials."

The technical staff were overjoyed when they heard the news; they were even clamoring to treat you to a meal.

Chen Fan laughed and said, "No need for meals. If they can learn more new technologies, then this foreign exchange won't be wasted."

After chatting for a while, Chen Fan asked again, "Uncle Jiang, the cotton mill wants to import advanced production lines from abroad. Have you decided what kind of products you want to make?"

Without hesitation, Jiang Heng said, "Cotton mills bear the responsibility of the nation's textile task, and cotton is of paramount importance, so we are still thinking about cotton textiles."

Chen Fan pondered for two seconds and said, "If it's cotton textiles, my country's cotton textile technology is not much behind that of foreign countries. Lili is studying at the textile institute now, so she should know this better."

Jiang Heng's heart stirred slightly, and he looked at him and asked, "From what you're saying, it seems you have other suggestions?"

Now that Yunhu Automobile Factory has been officially established, the news that Chen Fan designed two cars for the machinery factory has spread throughout the local industrial circles.

He hoped to hear some different advice from Chen Fan.

However, does this prospective son-in-law even know anything about textiles?

Looking at Jiang Heng, Chen Fan smiled and said, "It's not really a suggestion, just a thought."

He paused for a moment, then changed the subject, asking, "Uncle Jiang, do you know anything about down jackets?"

"down jacket?"

Jiang Heng turned to look at Shen Xueyi, then back at him, and gently shook his head. "I've heard of her, but I don't know much about her."

At this moment, Shen Xueyi suddenly said, "I know a little bit."

Chen Fan and Jiang Heng immediately turned their attention to her.

As Shen Xueyi thought for a moment, she said, "The characteristics of down jackets are lightness, softness, and warmth. The fabric is 'coated nylon,' which is waterproof, breathable, and has a high density."

The interior is filled with natural biological materials such as goose down and duck down, and then nylon fabric is used as the lining to seal the down. Other fabrics can then be used as the lining.

However, even with such a high fabric density, it's still quite difficult to completely prevent pilling. Therefore, two or even multiple layers of fabric are usually used, with up to six layers reportedly being the most common.

As Jiang Heng listened and pondered, she immediately asked when Jiang Heng reached this point, "What are the obvious advantages of this kind of clothing compared to traditional cotton-padded clothes?"

Shen Xueyi immediately said, "The information I read said that 200 grams of down is equivalent to 400 grams of silk floss or 600 grams of cotton. The larger the garment, the more obvious the advantage. Moreover, down fabric is waterproof and windproof, as well as lightweight and breathable, making it very suitable for ice athletes, and it is also a good choice for mountaineers."

At this point, she suddenly remembered something, "Oh, in May 1975, female mountaineer Pando and her group of nine climbed Mount Everest from the north face wearing down jackets."

The mountaineering equipment for them was developed by the Yanji Garment Factory in Shanghai. The equipment for the mountaineering team members was produced by the down jacket fabric production line developed by their factory.

In addition, Jiangxi's "Yaya" company has also been producing down jackets since 72. Initially, the fabric was imported from abroad, but the exact details are unclear. However, they began exporting down jackets to earn foreign exchange as early as 72, and their production was primarily geared towards overseas markets, with relatively little domestic production. Therefore, their down jackets have always been in high demand in department stores.

After listening, Jiang Heng couldn't help but scratch his head and said with a wry smile, "After running boilers for three or four years, I'm almost out of touch with these 'cutting-edge' technologies. If Xiao Fan hadn't brought it up today, I really wouldn't know much about them."

Shen Xueyi smiled and comforted her, "You're an expert in cotton textiles, which is completely different from down fabrics, so it's normal that you don't know about them. What I'm saying is what I found while going through old documents these past few days."

She turned to look at Chen Fan, "If Xiao Fan had come two months earlier, I would have been completely clueless too."

Chen Fan was full of curiosity. He had only thought of suggesting that the cotton mill introduce a down jacket fabric production line, but he did not expect that it already existed in China. He just did not know if it was for sale in Shanghai.

Jiang Heng turned to look at him and asked, "Do you want the cotton mill to make down jacket fabric?"

Chen Fan nodded and smiled, "Auntie explained it very well just now. Down jackets have a great advantage over cotton-padded coats. The reason why down jackets have become a hot commodity is that the production capacity of relevant manufacturers is insufficient."

Here's what I'm thinking: if the cotton mill could introduce a down jacket fabric production line, Lujiawan could open a down garment factory, given its abundant chicken, duck, and goose down resources.

In this way, the cotton mill expanded its business channels, Lujiawan gained another source of income, and the people had more products to choose from—wasn't that a win-win situation?!

(End of this chapter)