Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 562 The Azure Lotus Daoist
He Qingsheng complained, saying things like "killing three birds with one stone" and "being schemed against," but his actions were very decisive.

That same day, he took Xu Qizhen with him to submit the application and complete the necessary procedures.

The higher-level unit was also very decisive.

Just as Huang Tianzhi said, as long as they submitted their applications, the higher-ups would approve them, as if they were afraid that the applicants would change their minds.

So, with both parties' consent, all the procedures were completed in just two days.

The land was in the area that Chen Fan had personally inspected. The difference was that He Qingsheng was even more ruthless. He directly chose a location that was only separated from the north gate of Jiangda University by a road as the starting point, and then pushed north along the shoreline until he included that small peninsula. Then he expanded westward using this line as a standard.

In the end, a plot of land with a paper area of ​​20 mu (approximately 3.3 hectares) was fenced off, but the actual area was unknown.

20 mu is the maximum area they can apply for. There's no other way. Although this area is in the suburbs, their organization has too few people: 48 people in the Writers' Association, 112 people in the Jiangnan Literature and Art Publishing House, and 1 person in the Literary Creation Correspondence Center!
Yes, there is only one correspondence center, and that is Bian Huifang. Chen Fan belongs to the Writers Association and works part-time at the correspondence center. He does his work voluntarily without pay, only receiving bonuses.

In any case, the three units together only have 161 people, which is less than the number of people in a single workshop in a large factory.

With such a small population, even if everyone were allocated housing, each person would still have 82.8 square meters of land. Moreover, many of them are dual-income families, and the buildings are multi-story. 20 mu of land is more than enough. If they were given more, the higher authorities would not be able to justify it.

However, when Chen Fan went to take a look with the surveyors, he found that the fenced-off area was much larger than 20 acres.

Although it includes that small island of four or five acres, the winding line along the lake shore should definitely not be included. Instead, a straight line was taken, and it seems that a two-way lane was left out.
The driveway, designated as public land, will connect to the ring road and will not occupy the approved area.

This guy hasn't had enough of taking advantage of people.

The news that the company was going to build a dormitory building was so important that it spread like wildfire and even other companies were talking about it.

Due to the scarcity of land in urban areas, the only entities that can currently build dormitory buildings are those that have long ago acquired large tracts of land and have vacant spaces within the premises.

For example, clearing away the woods in a corner of the factory area would allow us to build two buildings, and also solve the problem of some timber shortages.

Besides, almost all entities that need to apply for new land are waiting.

Now that they've heard the Writers' Association has actually requested a location in the suburbs, they're all getting interested and waiting to see how the staff reacts.

However, the situation within the Writers' Association is a little different. To be honest, the staff of the Writers' Association hardly lack housing, so the demand for housing is not very high. At most, the houses are a bit old, and when there are many people, they can squeeze in, but they can still live there.

Even the new employees assigned this year all come from well-off families, like Bian Huifang. There are almost no people who wait for the work unit to allocate them housing.

So when the company acquired land in the suburbs to build houses, all the employees and cadres, from top to bottom, watched with wide eyes and complained that the leaders wanted land in the suburbs, but not a single one did.

Besides, everyone has already found out that the dormitory area is located at the north gate of Jiangnan University. Although it is said to be in the suburbs, it is not far from the workplace.

Some impatient people even went twice, once by bicycle and once by bus, and shared their experiences with others afterward: it was acceptable, and even much closer than some people who live in the old town by the river or on the other side of the city.

Now everyone understands that building new houses won't make them worse, it will only make them better.

Secondly, it is said that the houses to be built this time include 3 buildings with a total of 24 three-bedroom units of 80 square meters, one single dormitory building with a bathroom and kitchen with a total of 48 rooms, and the rest are all small two-bedroom units of 50 square meters.

If this is true, which organization in the entire province has this capability?

In addition, a staff cultural activity center will be built on that small island that juts into the lake, with facilities for basketball, table tennis, badminton, and more... so that both cultural and sports activities can flourish.

Of course, a library, a small cinema, and an internal supply and marketing outlet are also indispensable.

It would be even more perfect if we could set up a small clinic. I heard that Director Chen used to work in a health unit. I wonder if he could find a way to set up this small clinic.
Chen Fan sat in the mailroom at the entrance of his workplace, smoking and chatting with the old gatekeeper. "It's quite difficult, really. After all, apart from Xiyuan, I've never heard of any other dormitory area having a small clinic. Most workplaces are built in factory areas, and services for the dormitories are just an afterthought."

It's actually quite simple, depending on how you implement it. But I can't do it alone; we need the joint efforts of all staff to build our "Artistic New Village" into an even better place.

Upon hearing this, the old man's mind immediately started working. "What do you mean?"

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "Jiangnan University has a clinic. It's small, with only about a dozen officially employed staff, but the doctors are all experts and professors from Jiangnan University's medical school, and the assistants are all senior students..."

The old man instantly understood, "You've set your sights on them?"

Chen Fan waved his hand, "To be precise, it should be a win-win cooperation!"

Seeing that the old man still didn't understand, Chen Fan explained in a low voice, "Jiangnan University is the best key university in our province, yet it only has a small infirmary. Isn't it a waste to leave such a good resource as the medical school unused?"
Fortunately, this matter doesn't need to be reported to their direct superior, the Ministry of Education. If Jiangda can apply to the Provincial Health Department to upgrade the clinic to a university hospital, they won't need to look for doctors outside, as there are plenty on campus, and students will also have more places to practice.

As for the hospital's location, let's not put it on campus. There's so much open space outside the north gate; how difficult could it be to get a plot of land approved?

The old man's eyes lit up. "Let's find a piece of land next to the Wenyi New Village to build a hospital. Once it's built, it will belong to everyone!"

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow slightly. "Not only that, what kind of place is that? The suburbs! There are production teams not far away. When the hospital is built, it will also be open to those production teams. Just think about it, wouldn't that be a model of close unity between workers, peasants, and students?!"

The old man clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Great idea!"

Chen Fan handed him a cigarette and laughed, "That's where the difficulty comes in. This project requires Jiangda University to take the lead, the Health Department to agree, and the Municipal Construction Commission to cooperate; otherwise, it's hopeless!"

He patted his bottom and stood up. "I'm not talking to you anymore, I'm going to work."

After saying that, he turned around and left.

The old man didn't pay any attention. Instead, he stroked his chin and silently pondered who was related to Jiangda and who was from the Health Department.
……

Chen Fan returned to his office and began drawing design sketches on a desk that had been modified from a regular office desk.

A calligraphy and painting table is actually just a piece of plywood used in construction, only it's thick and large enough. Once you bring it back and put it on your desk, it becomes a decent calligraphy and painting table.

As for the design drawings, they are certainly not for the dormitory building.

These buildings don't even need design; the Urban Construction Commission's design institute has plenty of design drawings. Although most of them are a bit outdated, they are more than enough. He's too lazy to try anything different.

On the contrary, we need to pay special attention to the design of Chaoyang Temple, because if the design is not good, Master Zhang will get angry.

In fact, Taoism does not have a unified standard for architecture. As long as the most basic order of the divine hierarchy is followed and the deity being worshipped is highlighted, it is considered to be in accordance with the regulations.

In terms of architectural style and form, it also largely follows the traditional Chinese palace and temple system, that is, the buildings are mainly halls and pavilions, arranged symmetrically along the central axis.

Chen Fan had been reading a lot of books on ancient architecture these past few days, and he had a plan in mind.

The huge blueprints were laid out on the wooden board. Instead of using a special drawing pencil, he took a brush and drew on the blueprints.

The 2,000-square-meter area is divided into four sections, starting from the south gate archway, with a screen wall, a gate, a front courtyard, a middle courtyard, and a rear courtyard in sequence. The main halls of the three courtyards enshrine the Three Pure Ones, the Five Patriarchs of Quanzhen Taoism, and the Jade Yangzi Wang Ancestor, respectively. The side halls on both sides of the main halls each have their own deities to worship, and the wing rooms in the rear courtyard are the living quarters of the Taoist priests.

However, this courtyard is really too small, only 2,000 square meters. Compared with Baiyun Temple, you can see how tiny it is.

The Baiyun Temple covers an area of ​​nearly 100 acres, with a building area of ​​13,000 square meters, and has nineteen halls and more than 100 rooms of various functions.

No wonder Master Zhang insisted on finding another place to build the Chaoyang Temple.

We're all fellow disciples, so why does Master Qiu get to occupy such a large area, while Master Wang doesn't even get a fraction of it?

Of course they wouldn't accept that.

But thinking about Master Zhang's wealth, I couldn't help but shake my head.

With just over 30,000 yuan, if he hadn't met me, he probably wouldn't have been able to build even this small Taoist temple of 2,000 square meters, let alone compare with Baiyun Temple.

Chen Fan sighed, realizing that he really couldn't do without him.

Meanwhile, with his hands still moving, a three-and-a-half-courtyard house leaps off the page.

The reason it is considered a "half-entrance" is that the south wall of the courtyard is moved inward by a few meters, and there is another courtyard without any buildings after entering the gate, so it can only be considered a "half-entrance".

Looking at the painting on the table, Chen Fan frowned as he picked up the brush. Why did it become a courtyard house?

Then it dawned on me that I couldn't blame myself; the only problem was that the space was too small, which limited my creativity. If I could create a new-style garden like Baiyun Temple, I would definitely be the center of attention!
Carefully placing the completed drawings on the open space behind, I took out another sheet of paper and unfolded it, ready to draw detailed sketches. Why do religious buildings often take several years to build?

It's not just because of its large area and many buildings, but because it requires meticulous attention to detail!

For example, there are specific rules regarding the type of carvings used on the roof of a palace or the patterns painted on the walls. These rules largely apply to this aspect.

He dipped his brush in ink and was about to put pen to paper when there was a knock on the office door.

Chen Fan turned his head and glanced at him. "Come in."

Then he continued drawing.

He planned to draw them from south to north, and the first one he would naturally draw was the archway.

Just as He Qingsheng finished drawing a straight line, the office door was pushed open. He entered and closed the door behind him, asking curiously, "What did you say to Grandpa Xiang at the gatehouse?"

Chen Fan looked up, somewhat puzzled, "What's wrong?"

"What else is wrong?"

He Qingsheng stared wide-eyed and said, "He was on the phone the whole time, and he got all his old comrades who had fought alongside him in the war to come out and say that the Jiangnan University clinic was too small and that it was a very bad waste to leave so many famous doctors in the medical school unused."

Secretary Jiang Daji just called me. He was caught between laughter and tears, saying that the older comrades had grievances against Jiang Da, and yet they were still advocating for benefits for Jiang Da, claiming it was for Jiang Da's own good. But this was practically tantamount to pointing fingers and cursing at the leaders of Jiang Da.

He said a couple of words, took out a cigarette and threw one to Chen Fan, and continued in an annoyed tone, "Do you think Jiangda doesn't want to build a school hospital? Secretary Ji and the others are green with envy when they see other key universities with their own school hospitals."

But what can they do? Building a hospital costs money, where are they going to get the money?
The tuition fees students pay aren't even enough to cover a month's worth of welfare for them. Besides the school hospital, should we replace or add experimental equipment? Should we buy the latest scientific and technological materials and social science books? Some student and faculty dormitories are nearing the point of being unsafe; should they be repaired and reinforced? Where will the money come from?

He took out his lighter and lit it, just about to continue speaking, when Chen Fan pushed him to Bian Huifang's desk, pulled over a chair and asked him to sit down, "I'm drawing something there. If you drop some ash on it, I'll have to start over. Just sit here, don't go over there!"

He Qingsheng stared at him, "I'm talking to you about serious matters, and you're talking to me about drawing?"

Chen Fan turned around and walked back. "My Master Zhang ordered me to finish drawing the Taoist temple design and send it to him within this month. If I don't make it in time, I'll blame you."

He Qingsheng shuddered in fright, quickly got up, pulled a chair to sit against the wall, and said, "Then I'll stay away from you."

Chen Fan dragged a chair over and said with a smile, "You don't need to stay far away from me, just stay a little away from my painting."

After sitting down and lighting a cigarette, he looked up at He Qingsheng and said, "That's perfect. Uncle Xiang is pushing this through and has resolved all the procedural issues. As for the funding for building the new hospital, that's easy to discuss."

He then recounted his casual conversation with Grandpa Xiang, chuckling incessantly, "I was just chatting with him, but who knew the old man was so capable that he actually did it."

But it's good that it's done. If it really works out, putting the school hospital next to the "Artistic New Village" would be a great thing for all of us, the staff and employees.

Since it's a good thing, we can't just take advantage of it for nothing. In my opinion, our unit can contribute some funds, and perhaps we could also ask Xinghu Commune, where the hospital is located, to provide some support as well. After all, the hospital is located on their land, so they would also benefit from it.

Finally, Jiangda University could complain a bit, ask higher authorities for some money, and piece together enough to build a decent hospital, right?

He Qingsheng frowned slightly, then nodded gently as he listened, "That makes sense!"

He paused for a moment, then looked up at Chen Fan, “But that’s not how things are done. We definitely need to inform Jiangda first. Look, now the leadership of Jiangda is caught off guard.”

Chen Fan took a drag of his cigarette and said innocently, "How was I supposed to know that a gatekeeper had such great abilities? He just bragged a little, and it actually turned out to be true."

He Qingsheng was speechless upon hearing this. He stood there for several seconds, then could only wave his hand and say, "Anyway, let me tell you, never brag in front of the older comrades. If they take it seriously, they might actually do it."

Chen Fan nodded, "Definitely, definitely."

Then, out of curiosity, he asked, "How did Grandpa Xiang come up with the idea of ​​promoting the construction of a hospital?"

He Qingsheng pursed his lips and shook his head, saying softly, "This old man is also a man with a hard life. When he came down from the battlefield, there were still a few pieces of shrapnel in his body. Because of this, he has had many relapses, and they are the kind that happen without warning. Otherwise, he would not be here as a doorman who does not have to do any physical labor."

Furthermore, his son and daughter-in-law, who were both working in the factory, were killed by enemy agents while protecting public property, leaving behind an eldest grandson. However, the child suffered from malnutrition in his early years and was very weak, frequently needing to visit the hospital.

"Our company is building new dormitories, and the old man has always been very responsive to the company's call. Since the dormitories are in the suburbs, some people might have concerns and be reluctant to move. I reckon he'll definitely insist on being the first to move there, handing over his old, nice apartment in the city."

Hearing this, Chen Fan nodded in understanding. "I understand. It's very convenient to go to the hospital in the city, but it's more troublesome to go to the hospital after we move to the new dormitory. I also told him that building this hospital would benefit students and people in the nearby commune. It's a win-win situation, and it will also be convenient for us. He will definitely find a way to make it happen."

He Qingsheng nodded, then shook his head slightly. "He's really worried sick about his eldest grandson."

After a two-second silence, he suddenly looked up at Chen Fan and asked, "Has Old Hou contacted you?"

Chen Fan was thinking about the old man when he heard this and was taken aback. "Huh?"

Who is Lao Hou?

He Qingsheng: "Manager Hou, from Rongbaozhai."

Chen Fan blinked. "Oh, I remember now."

He then frowned slightly, "Why did he contact me?"

He Qingsheng didn't know what was going on; before he could even speak, he burst out laughing, "Hahahaha..."

After laughing for a while, he finally chuckled, panting, "Hey, do you know you're famous now?"

Chen Fan felt bewildered. "I'm already quite famous. I'm a nationally renowned young writer, idolized by countless young literature enthusiasts. What's wrong with that?"

Even He Qingsheng, a man of great experience, was shocked by his shamelessness. "How could you say something like that?"

Chen Fan said seriously, "Based on the facts, what's wrong with what I said?"

He Qingsheng wiped his face and sighed, "Now I know how you developed such a thick skin. You really have no modesty at all!"

Chen Fan: "You're too kind. I'm just being honest."

He Qingsheng waved his hand, "When I say famous, I don't mean your identity as an author, but your identity as a painter!"

Before Chen Fan, who was full of questions, could ask, he continued, "The blue lotus painting you left at Rongbaozhai has been coveted by countless customers who want to buy it. Even though the painting is marked 'Not for Sale' in large characters next to it, many foreign guests still inquire about the price through official channels. The highest bidder was a Hong Kong businessman who offered HK$20 directly."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan immediately stood up and looked around.

He Qingsheng looked at him and asked, "What are you going to do?"

Chen Fan didn't even turn his head. "Isn't it HK$20? I'll paint it right now!"

He Qingsheng was stunned. Was this the legendary greed for money?
When he saw Chen Fan actually tear off a piece of Xuan paper, intending to paint, he snapped out of his daze and quickly said, "Oh no, they're not buying it anymore."

Chen Fan looked up, his face full of astonishment. "Why?"

He Qingsheng stood up and said, "Because Lao Hou explained to him that this was painted by a Taoist master. This Taoist master did not seek fame or fortune, but only devoted himself to studying, so he did not even sign his name."

People didn't believe it at first, but when they saw the extraordinary lotus in the painting, as if it were a celestial lotus, and since it was indeed unsigned, they believed Old Hou's nonsense and stopped mentioning buying it.

Then he asked Lao Hou about your Taoist name. Lao Hou made an excuse not to answer him. After he left, he hurriedly went to find your Master Zhang, and your master gave you the Taoist name 'Qinglian'.

Therefore, the name "Qinglian Daoist" is now almost universally known in the art world; both those who know you and those who don't know you are familiar with this Daoist title.

He then suddenly cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and said in a serious tone, "Nowadays, many businessmen in the literary circles of the capital and Hong Kong know about the noble qualities of Daoist Qinglian: 'pure character and indifference to fame and fortune.' Congratulations, Daoist Qinglian, you've become famous!"

Chen Fan gasped, stunned for several seconds before letting out a long sigh, "So, should I thank Manager Hou?!"

(End of this chapter)