Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 635 A Reminder

Since he had come all this way and had nothing else to do, Chen Fan naturally wouldn't leave right away.

So after spending half a month of leisurely life in Lujiawan, he moved to another place to continue his leisurely life.

As usual, Chen Fan saw Jiang Lili, who had secretly slipped back that morning to learn martial arts from him, off. Ignoring the chilly weather, he wore only a modified version of a sleeveless short-sleeved shirt he had made himself, a pair of shorts, and slippers, and slowly went up to the third floor.

First, I poured a glass of red wine from the wine cabinet, then took out some treasured Laba garlic from the top of the cabinet, put it in a small dish to go with the wine, placed the wine glass and dish on the piano, opened the piano lid, sat on the piano bench, took a deep breath, and slowly played a short piece of the "Roman Carnival Overture".

In the past, this kind of piece would definitely not be played casually.

However, this symphony is one of the pieces that Seiji Ozawa collaborated on with the China National Philharmonic Orchestra.

It's been performed publicly on TV, so I can't play it?!
Chen Fan not only played, but he played with great enthusiasm. After finishing this piece, he played the Symphony No. 2 in D major, the Blue Danube Dance, and the Ninth Symphony.

There are many sheet music pieces on the bookshelf, most of which were found in secondhand bookstores, and a few were new ones bought from bookstores. Whether the sheet music is new or old, once he plays it once, it is imprinted in his mind, and he never needs to practice again.

That year, almost every aspect of society was changing.

Things I didn't dare to do before, I dare to do now; things I didn't dare to say before, I dare to say now.

People have started playing drinking games in restaurants, and in parks, besides elderly people practicing Tai Chi, there are now many young people dancing and bobbing their heads in broad daylight.

When disco first entered China, it became popular among these young people. Since there were no dance halls, they would set up a tape recorder in the park and dance. Since they couldn't buy bell-bottoms or jeans, they would grow their hair long, which cost no money.

His hair was unkempt and frizzy, making him look like a monster when he swung it around. Coupled with his wailing and loud foreign rock music, he attracted frequent stares from the crowd. Parents with young children could only helplessly pull their children, who were too weak to walk, to take a detour.

Naturally, concerned citizens also went to the neighborhood committee or even the police station to report the case, but when the police came, they only dispersed the crowd, which was very different from last year.

Many arts and cultural organizations, after being reinstated, have also frequently noticed this phenomenon, wanting to say something but hesitant to do so.

Forget it, I'd better just focus on protecting my own little corner of the world for now.

And then again, if such a phenomenon can occur openly and honestly, doesn't that just show that people's minds are open?!
If even they are allowed to "perform" in public, what problems could possibly arise in our own little career?
So the slight aversion in my heart vanished, and I even looked forward to those dancers being there every day.

Ultimately, only a minority of people dance; most are people who love learning and are eager to improve.

The library is getting busier with people reading. Many young people are willing to fight each other to get a good spot by the window. When they return, the good spots have already been taken. In the end, both the winners and losers can only sigh at their bad luck and quietly find a corner to squat in and read.

On the street, Sony's large advertisement on Nanjing East Road has surprisingly become a popular spot for people to take photos.

(A street advertisement from 78)

Some older gentlemen stood in front of the advertisements, and regardless of whether they knew the people around them, they proudly recounted old stories, "Back in the Republic of China era, all kinds of advertisements were everywhere, and this one didn't even rank among the top..."

Many young people had nothing else to do, so they gathered around to listen to him boast.

Then a voice came from the back of the crowd, "You naughty old man, are you nostalgic for the Republic of China era?"

The old man was so frightened that his liver and gallbladder trembled and his face turned ashen. He immediately turned around and ran away.

After taking a few walks around outside a couple of days to experience the changes in Shanghai in "early spring," Chen Fan became too lazy to go out again. He spent his days either playing the piano or reading, and when he was bored, he would type a few words on the computer. He had finally achieved the life of lying down that he had dreamed of before he transmigrated.

I had a little bit of anticipation in my heart, wondering how much money my first commercial work would make.

It won't do if there's less; otherwise, I won't have the motivation to keep writing.

Considering the high hopes I have for myself, I should at least become a millionaire.

The unit of measurement must, of course, be US dollars!
My thoughts were wandering, but that didn't stop my fingers from dancing lightly on the keyboard. I finally stopped after playing "Für Elise" for a while.

He picked up his glass of red wine, took a sip, then popped a clove of Laba garlic into his mouth. He stood up, wiped his hands with a towel, and turned to pick up his violin from the shelf.

As he was about to leave, he saw a small suona horn playing on the other side.

Hmm, I'm in a good mood today, this is the one.

After putting the violin back, Chen Fan picked up the suona and went out onto the terrace.

As the saying goes, "The sun rises in the east, and the suona reigns supreme." Facing the sun at around 9 a.m., Chen Fan swallowed the Laba garlic in his mouth and gently bit the mouthpiece of his whistle.

The next second, the high-pitched sound of the suona resounded throughout the heavens and earth.

Just 30 seconds into the "Little Knife Society Overture," cheers such as "Yaoxi," "Watt," and "Sanna" could be faintly heard from afar.

As a first-class Shanghainese speaker, Chen Fan could only sigh, take his suona into the house, and mutter, "He has absolutely no musical talent."

He finished a glass of wine with some Laba garlic, and was about to take it to the bathroom to wash it off when he suddenly turned to look at the door.

Light footsteps echoed in the stairwell, and a few seconds later, Jiang Tiantian walked in with a smile on her face. "You were playing so well just now, why did you stop?"

Chen Fan remained unfazed. "Since they didn't pay, I'm not going to brag to them."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "Why did you suddenly come back today? Is something wrong?"

Jiang Tiantian glanced at the wine glass and saucer on the piano, walked over and picked them up, then turned and headed towards the bathroom, saying, "Today at the publishing house, I ran into Mr. Ba, who was inspecting our work. He asked what you were doing, and I told him you came to Shanghai a couple of days ago..."

After washing the cups and plates, I wiped them clean with a dry cloth, then came out and said, "Old Ba said he needed to talk to you, so he asked me to let you know. It's slow to call, and the distance isn't far, so I came over to get you."

After setting the cups and saucers down, Jiang Tiantian turned to look at him and smiled, "Luckily you didn't go out today, otherwise we would have had to wait until tomorrow."

Chen Fan pursed his lips, "There's not much to do by yourself."

He then asked, "What did Mr. Ba say?"

Jiang Tiantian shook her head. "No, but judging from his expression, it doesn't seem to be anything important. If it were, he would have come to me already."

Chen Fan snapped his fingers and walked downstairs, saying, "I'll change my clothes and then I'll go over."

A few minutes later, she changed from the short-sleeved top to long-sleeved shirt and trousers, and added a thin cardigan over it to make it less conspicuous.

Then he drove to the Writers' Association with Jiang Tiantian in tow.

As she got out of the car, Chen Fan looked at her and asked, "Do you want to come along?" Jiang Tiantian thought for a moment and gently shook her head, "I'd better not. Old Ba wants to see you, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to go."

Chen Fan didn't pay any attention and said as he walked towards the office building, "Last time Lao An said he wanted to learn to drive, do you know if he did?"

Jiang Tiantian followed beside him and shook her head, "Sister Ying and Lili usually talk more, so Lili probably knows, but I'm not sure."

They had all stayed in Lujiawan. Yu Keying and An Quan even stayed at Chen Fan's house for two months, so they were naturally more familiar with Jiang Lili. They didn't really have much to say to Jiang Tiantian, so they were just not strangers.

After hearing this, Chen Fan remained silent.

He was still thinking that if the safety department had the means, he could ask them for help to send both sisters to learn to drive. Since he didn't know, he decided to leave it at that.

Besides, Buffett has something to ask him now. If he needs him to do something, it would be a good option to find an opportunity here.

Upon entering the office building, Jiang Tiantian went straight to the Literature and Art Publishing House to continue learning how to run a magazine.

Chen Fan went straight upstairs.

Upon arriving at Mr. Ba's office, he knocked gently on the door. A voice inside said "Come in," and he then pushed the door open and entered.

Old Ba was working when he looked up and saw him enter. He immediately put the documents aside, stood up, pointed to the sofa next to him, and said, "I've figured it out. You never come here unless you have something important to say. You've been in Shanghai for over a week and haven't come to visit this old man once."

Chen Fan picked up the kettle, poured himself some water, and filled Ba Lao's cup as well. He smiled and said, "I know you're busy, working from morning till night every day, without even a Sunday. How could I dare to come and take up your time?"

Old Ba sat down on the sofa, tossed a pack of cigarettes onto the coffee table, and said, "Help yourself."

He then picked up his pipe, lit it, and looked at him, saying, "I've heard Old He say that you're like a donkey; you won't move if you're led, and you'll back down if you're whipped. You only work hard if you're given a carrot."

"So, now that you've achieved great success, with 'Cloud Lake Romance' and 'Shanghai Spy Shadow' selling 7 to 80 copies domestically combined, and receiving hefty royalties from Japanese publishers overseas, you're just planning to rest on your laurels?"

He'd heard the phrase "lying flat" from Chen Fan and found it very apt, so he used it naturally now. He even planned to use it in his own writing.

There are several other similar words, such as involution, handsome, backpacker... They basically don't need explanation, everyone understands them immediately, which makes him marvel at how quick-witted young people are, that they can even create new words.

Chen Fan took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. Before he could even light it, he complained and cried out, "What do you mean? Creating is very difficult, okay? You know that many writers spend more than ten years writing a book, and even the shortest ones take two or three years. Every work is carefully polished."

Look at me, how many books have I written this year? Is this what you call "lying down"? There's no one more diligent than me!

He paused for a moment, took out a lighter and lit a cigarette, and continued, "Didn't I tell you last time that the previous stock has been used up, so I will stop contributing to most magazines, except for Jiangnan Literature and Art and Shanghai Literature and Art. I will only submit one article to the others every few months."

Even so, I still have a headache. I really don't have that much to write, and I can't just make things up..."

Old Ba leaned back on the sofa, glancing at him with his eyes, "Keep making things up, keep making things up."

Chen Fan was speechless. "How could you make that up?"

Old Ba grunted twice, stood up, walked behind his desk, pulled out a newspaper from a pile of documents, threw it in front of him, and then sat back down on the sofa. "Don't tell me you didn't write this novel."

Chen Fan picked it up and saw that it was the New York Times published a few days ago.

While mainland China doesn't distribute overseas newspapers and periodicals, there are people outside who collect influential and authoritative publications and regularly ship them back via Hong Kong. These are not publicly available, but circulated only within a small circle, serving as a window into the outside world.

This kind of thing never stopped, even during torrential rain.

We need to understand the world.

Buffett looked at him and said, "Last time you showed me an outline, and just a few days later your book was published in the United States. Don't try to deny it, you acted first and informed me later."

Let me tell you, nobody's going to criticize you for writing some light reading, but don't stray from the right path. Does your teacher know that you haven't written any serious literature in a long time because of your focus on light reading?

If we count the time, aside from the short stories he wrote to get things done, his most recent novel is "Shanghai Spy Shadow," which is also considered a popular novel. So he hasn't written a long, serious literary work for almost half a year.

No wonder Buffett called him over.

However, if that's all there is to it, it doesn't need to be this strict, does it?
Chen Fan glanced at him, then looked at the newspaper report.

Many people are probably familiar with the new book "The Legend of the Dragon Knight" (the name has been changed to avoid misunderstanding, although "Dragon Knight" is also easy to misunderstand). Although it has only been on the market for a week, its sales are breaking records every day.

From the initial enthusiastic recommendations of dozens of bookstore owners on Fourth Avenue in Manhattan to word-of-mouth recommendations from readers, the book sold over 30 copies in just one week.

From the first day of its release, what limited this book was never publicity or anything else, but the printing speed of the printing plant.

Some experts predict that, given that 99% of readers have expressed a desire to collect the book, which will significantly reduce the speed and rate of circulation, its sales are very likely to set a new record.

Meanwhile, the previously unknown author, Augustus Versailles, became a media darling. Numerous newspapers and television stations extended invitations to the previously obscure American-Chinese Publishing House, but all were rejected, and Augustus's identity remained a mystery…

Seeing the sales figure of 30 sets, Chen Fan couldn't help but grin from ear to ear.

I glanced at the next few lines quickly, and then I basically didn't need to look at anything else.

He rolled up the newspaper and stuffed it into his pocket under Old Man Ba's angry glare. "I'll take it back and study it. I'll have Tian Tian bring it back to you tomorrow."

He then coughed lightly and asked curiously, "My name isn't on this report, how do you know I wrote it?"

Old Ba's face darkened. "Your uncle's publishing house, and the story's plot are exactly the same as the outline you wrote before. If I still can't guess such an obvious problem, do you think I'm stupid?"

Chen Fan shifted his position closer to him and chuckled, "Anyone who dares to call you stupid is truly stupid."

He paused for a moment, then said, "But, Mr. Ba, this matter isn't a big problem, is it? Why do you seem so serious?"

Old Ba stared at him intently, then suddenly chuckled, "You little rascal, you're really not going to be scared."

Chen Fan patted his chest, looking scared, "So you were just trying to scare me? You can scare people to death."

Old Ba smiled and waved his hand, "Young Chen, I called you here today to give you a heads-up. Your work has had such a huge impact in the United States, your identity will be exposed sooner or later, it can't be hidden anymore."

You need to be mentally prepared that you will definitely need to participate in some international exchange activities in the future. Don't be like before, making excuses and procrastinating. You need to change your lazy ways and take on the responsibilities that are yours to shoulder.

(End of this chapter)