Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 580 The Bourgeoisie
When Chen Fan led his uncle's family upstairs for a tour, the two Jiang sisters peeked out from the kitchen doorway to make sure they were all on the second floor before letting out a long sigh of relief.

Upon hearing the voice, the two sisters exchanged a glance and then smiled together.

Jiang Lili cupped her face in her hands and whispered, "How embarrassing! We met so suddenly, I wasn't prepared at all."

Jiang Tiantian wrinkled her nose, walked to the sink to wash her hands, and said, "From what Xiao Fan said earlier, they came suddenly, and he wasn't prepared. Maybe that's why he didn't know how to tell you. Don't blame him."

Jiang Lili walked in and sat on a stool, continuing to pick vegetables, shaking her head with a smile, "No, it's just a little awkward."

She then blushed and lowered her head, saying, "I don't know if they have a good impression of me."

Jiang Tiantian shook her hands a few times, walked over and said, "I think they have a pretty good impression of you, especially that cousin. She kept looking at you, and there was no dissatisfaction on her face or in her eyes."

As she spoke, she squatted down, took the small box out of her shirt pocket, and handed it to Jiang Lili, "Here, this gift is for you..."

Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Lili glared at her irritably, "If you're so capable, give it back yourself, don't give it to me."

Jiang Tiantian's face stiffened slightly, and she glared back, "Your skin's too tight, huh? How about I loosen it for you?"

Unfortunately, her younger sister completely ignored her.

Jiang Tiantian sighed almost imperceptibly, staring blankly at the small box in her hand. After a moment, she opened the box and her eyes lit up immediately. "So beautiful."

Jiang Lili looked up and saw that she was holding a gold and silver chain with a golden butterfly on it. She was a little surprised. "It's pretty, but isn't this necklace too short?"

Jiang Tiantian held the chain up to her eyes, pondered for a moment, and said, "This should be a bracelet."

In fact, apart from simple hair accessories, there haven't been many people wearing gold and silver jewelry in China for over a decade. As a result, many people are unaware of other types of jewelry besides the usual rings, bracelets, and necklaces.

Jewelry only regained popularity after the release of the movie "Romance on Lushan Mountain," in which the female lead showcased various types of jewelry, and later in the airing of other films and television dramas.

Jiang Lili had never heard of it before, and when her sister mentioned the bracelet, she couldn't help but ask curiously, "Is it something you wear on your wrist?"

Jiang Tiantian pursed her lips, rolled her eyes, and pulled her sister's hand to put it on, saying, "You'll know once you try it on."

They clumsily fastened the zipper, the bracelet complementing Jiang Lili's fair wrist perfectly, especially the golden butterfly that seemed ready to take flight, which captivated both sisters for a moment.

When she came to her senses, Jiang Lili was not to be outdone. She got up, washed her hands, wrung them out, and took out a small box from her pocket. When she opened it, she found a necklace with a silver base, several gold threads wrapped around it, and a pendant shaped like a small bird.

She picked up the necklace and playfully put it on her sister, saying, "It looks so pretty."

The two sisters looked at each other, and after a while, they both burst out laughing.

The next second, the two quickly covered their mouths, secretly glanced at the kitchen door, and when they heard no movement, they both breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at each other.

Then Jiang Lili handed her hand to her sister, saying, "Quickly help me take this off, I can't do any work while wearing this."

Jiang Tiantian smiled as she unzipped the clasp and put it back in the small box. She then asked her younger sister to help her untie the necklace, and said with a smile, "We're just not destined to enjoy life. Wearing jewelry is uncomfortable for us."

Jiang Lili put the necklace away, stuffed the box back into her pocket, and grinned, "It's fine not to wear it. I'm not used to wearing it."

But in her heart she wondered if she could show it to Xiao Fan when it was just the two of them.
As the saying goes, a woman dresses up for the man she loves. She hadn't thought of this before, but seeing her cousin Zhou's appearance today, she realized that girls could dress up like this.

Beautiful clothes, hats, and exquisite jewelry.

Although it looks a bit bourgeois, it's really beautiful.

Just then, I heard my sister's voice, "Don't think about looking pretty now, hurry up and prepare the ingredients and cook."

Jiang Lili blushed instantly, pulled out a chair and sat down, continuing to pick vegetables with her head down. "No way."

Jiang Tiantian snorted and looked at her teasingly, "You dare say you weren't trying to wear it for Xiao Fan to see just now?"

Jiang Lili lowered her head even further, but her spirit remained undiminished. "No way."

Jiang Tiantian poked her forehead with one finger, "You're so stubborn."

……

The two sisters worked together and prepared a large table of dishes in less than an hour.

Chen Fan and the others came downstairs following the aroma and helped serve the dishes.

Zhou Zhengdong was the eldest among the family members and a relative, so he wasn't considered a guest and was invited to sit in the main seat.

He looked at the table full of delicious food, then at Jiang Lili who was carrying the last bowl of soup, and laughed, "I thought Xiao Fan's cooking skills were pretty good, but I didn't expect your skills to be just as good as his."

Zhou Yali then pulled Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian to sit down, one on her left and the other on his right. She took advantage of the situation and then grinned at Chen Fan, "Little brother, you don't mind, do you?"

Chen Fan ignored her and smiled at the two sisters, saying, "You two can keep my aunt company for me."

He deliberately avoided mentioning Zhou Yali.

Zhou Yali pouted at him to express her dissatisfaction, then happily pulled Jiang Tiantian to chat.

Only then did Jiang Lili have a chance to speak. Her face flushed, she turned to Zhou Zhengdong and Zhao Wanru and said, "Uncle, you flatter me. I learned my cooking skills from Xiaofan, which took almost a year, but I still can't compare to him."

Zhao Wanru took Jiang Lili's hand, her face full of gentle smiles. "Xiao Fan was hiding it from you before, he must have been shy. Tell your aunt how you met, whether he was good to you, and whether he bullied you. If so, tell your aunt and I will stand up for you."

Chen Fan came over with a bottle of wine and a few soft drinks, sat down next to Zhou Zhengdong, and overheard this conversation. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Back then, she was like a little white rabbit, she didn't even dare to speak loudly, how could I bully her?"

Zhou Yali's eyes flashed with a sharp light, but her gaze was full of interest. "You're too busy feeling pain to even think about it, aren't you?!"

Chen Fan's face darkened, and he handed over the drink, saying, "Drink your soda."

Then he placed a soft drink in front of each of them before pouring wine for Zhou Zhengdong.

At the dinner table, Zhou Yali was chatting happily with Jiang Tiantian, and Zhao Wanru was chatting happily with Jiang Lili.

Chen Fan and Zhou Zhengdong continued their conversation while drinking.

"If you really want to buy a house, I suggest you ask about the situation later and see if you can buy it. If you can, then do it as soon as possible."

I know you don't care about these small amounts, but you should save where you can. There's no need to delay doing it knowing that housing prices are going to rise.

If it doesn't work out, there's nothing we can do but wait. We'll wait for the window to open and the policies to be introduced, then you can cooperate with mainland residential companies to develop the project yourselves.

I estimate that wholly foreign-owned enterprises are unlikely to work for the time being. Land is a very sensitive issue, unlike other assets. Land is the foundation, and the general public in China currently has no concept of the real estate industry. If land is handed over to foreign investors for development, many people will definitely not understand. Opening up the market will take time; it cannot be rushed or chaotic.

However, cooperative development is different. State-owned enterprises still dominate, only foreign investment is utilized, which is easy to understand. Nevertheless, it's not without its benefits. Making a profit is the most basic thing; understanding the domestic real estate development process is secondary. The most crucial thing is to see if you can secure the right to dispose of the commercial housing.

"If possible, then it's almost no different from you developing it yourself..." After a long speech, the topic shifted from real estate to other industries, and even extended to business in the United States.

Chen Fan wasn't drunk, so he naturally knew what he could say and what he couldn't.

There are also many books imported from abroad in China. Although most of them are works from the 60s, they can still provide a lot of reference.

By utilizing these theories, combined with domestic theoretical works, and considering the operational situation of the domestic supply and marketing system, Chen Fan began his discussion.

"No matter what industry it is, whether it is agriculture, real estate, wholesale and retail, or even culture and entertainment, etc., it cannot escape the circle of supply and demand."

So, when considering customer needs, besides things specific to our industry, shouldn't we try to consider customer needs as comprehensively as possible? ...

He didn't say much about what would come after him.

For example, he did not mention the model of shopping malls, apartments, and office buildings, which is now almost universally known as "urban complexes".

One problem is the timing; another is that even the closest uncle isn't a biological father, especially since he's a fake. Presenting something slightly ahead of its time, which could be attributed to one's own research, wouldn't arouse suspicion and would be worthy of the enthusiasm and effort of Zhou Zhengdong's family.

That's enough.

I'll save the big money-making opportunities for later. If my uncle's family is still this close to me then, I can help them get rich too. For now, I'll leave it at that.

Zhou Zhengdong was also very interested in what his nephew had said.

There are no specific suggestions or solutions here, but this is a universally applicable approach that is more valuable than any specific solution.

Based on the current state of the Zhou family's businesses and combined with the ideas proposed by Chen Fan, he quickly came up with many business reform plans.

Then they presented these proposals and discussed them with Chen Fan.

After finishing the wine, they continued drinking tea.

From the dinner table to the tea table, the discussion progressed until 2 p.m. before we knew it.

It wasn't until the doorbell rang that he remembered he still needed to visit that old friend of the Zhou family.

Jiang Lili ran out to open the door and invited the three accompanying cadres in to sit down, where Chen Fan chatted with them.

Zhou Zhengdong went to wash up, changed his clothes in his room, and then left with them.

As for Zhao Wanru and Zhou Yali, they were each holding a cat and petting them while sitting on a chaise lounge.

Half a catty and eight ounces looked at their master sitting not far away, cruelly abandoning them, and were too lazy to struggle anymore.

The main reason is that their old owner is still around; how could they dare to do that?

After Zhou Zhengdong and the others left, Chen Fan stood up, stretched, and said to the four of them, "I'm going to the Writers' Association to see Mr. Ba. Who's going?"

Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian's eyes lit up immediately, but after glancing at the mother and daughter who were still petting the cat, they didn't say anything.

The opportunity is rare.

Even Jiang Tiantian, who frequently studied at *Shanghai Literature and Art* and *Wenhui Daily*, didn't see Ba ​​Jin very often. The old man had so many things to do; he wouldn't spend all his time in the editorial department. So she wanted to go with him.

As for Jiang Lili, she had never even met Ba Jin, only heard about their meeting from Chen Fan. Besides, her sister had gone with him to meet him, so how could she not go?

However, now that we have guests at home, there's no reason for us to leave them behind and go out on our own.

The two sisters remained where they were, without uttering a sound.

Zhao Wanru and Zhou Yali were both curious, and they asked in unison, "Who is Ba Lao?"

Chen Fan smiled and explained, "It's Mr. Ba Jin."

"Ba Jin?"

Zhao Wanru's eyes lit up. "You know Ba Jin?"

Ba Jin was a famous writer during the Republic of China era, whose works circulated overseas, and the Zhou family's publishing company even published his books.

Cough cough, it's just that they didn't pay royalties.

The main problem is that they can't get in touch with anyone; otherwise, the Zhou family wouldn't be so reluctant to part with such a small amount of money.

Because the publisher initially targeted the Chinese market, but the Chinese community is a small group in New York, the print run was not large, usually only one or two thousand copies each time, which was about enough to saturate the market.

Besides Ba Jin, other great writers such as Mao Dun were also "targets" for publishing houses. Although the number of publications was not large, they were very profitable and there was no worry about sales.

Other writers wouldn't do.

Memories flashed through Zhao Wanru's mind. She immediately stood up, put the half-pound of liquor aside, and said, "Perfect timing. I need to see Elder Ba about something. I'll go with you."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan couldn't help but feel curious, "What do you want with him?"

Zhao Wanru smiled and said, "The publishing house used to print Mr. Ba Jin's works, but they never paid royalties. It just so happens that we sent them over today."

Chen Fan couldn't help but chuckle, "Then Mr. Ba must be very happy, it's like a windfall."

This was obviously a joke. Ba Jin's royalties were substantial, and he hadn't taken a salary since the 50s, living entirely off his writing income. Even when royalties were suspended due to the pandemic, he still never received a salary, so he certainly wasn't a money-grubbing person like Writer Chen.

How many books can the Zhou family print overseas? At most, a few thousand would be a lot. Even with a 20% royalty rate, the royalties would be a few thousand dollars at most. Not to mention Buffett, even Chen Fan wouldn't care about that amount of money.

But then again, it's really not about the money.

Attitude is very important!
Since Zhao Wanru decided to go, Zhou Yali naturally followed.

The two Jiang sisters were overjoyed when they saw this and went upstairs together to change their clothes.

A short while later, the two of them came down, both dressed in white shirts, blue trousers, and black low-heeled leather shoes. Their hair was styled in two braids, jet black and shiny. By today's standards, they were incredibly fashionable!
But when Zhao Wanru and Zhou Yali came out, the two sisters were stunned.

With a touch of makeup, their complexions were enhanced, and each wore a long dress, adorned with hats and jewelry, making them look like bourgeois ladies and young women straight out of a movie, or even more beautiful than those in the film.

The two sisters looked at each other, feeling somewhat discouraged.

Chen Fan glanced at them with amusement, then stood up and said with a smile, "Ready? Let's go."

(End of this chapter)