Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 641 Successful Research and Development
If you were to ask who was the happiest after Anquan moved to his new home, Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian would definitely be two of them.

Because Chen Fan will have to stay at least one more day.

Inviting you to your housewarming party is perfectly timed.

The next day was Sunday, and school was on holiday, so Chen Fan brought his two sisters to visit.

These small villas are relatively concentrated in Shanghai, mainly distributed along both sides of Huaihai Road. Chen Fan's new home is not far from his home, located on Julu Road, only 3 kilometers away.

It's a pseudo-three-story English-style house with a yard. The main entrance faces the street and you have to go up a flight of stairs to get there. Next to the stairs is the yard gate. Although the yard isn't very big, it can still accommodate a few cars.

(That's roughly it)

Although this small Western-style house is not considered grand among the Western-style houses of the Republic of China era, it is worlds apart from the Shikumen house he used to live in.

It has light coming in from at least four sides and also has a yard where you can park.

Even without a car, the yard is still a great space for activities.

Although the house wasn't very new, it was very clean and didn't look old at all. It was clear that the couple was very satisfied with the house and had put a lot of thought into it.

Upon hearing the doorbell, Yu Keying waved and greeted everyone at the door. She then asked Anquan to go into the yard, open the gate from the inside, and let them drive the car in. She herself quickly went downstairs as well.

When the car pulled up and came to a stop, she was surprised to see that it was Jiang Tiantian driving. "When did you become a driver?" she asked.

Jiang Tiantian got out of the car and said with a smile, "I just got my driver's license last Sunday, and it took me a week to get a little better."

He then handed over two thermos flasks, saying, "Sister Ying, congratulations on your housewarming."

"Thank you."

Yu Keying took the gift and handed it to An Quan, "Old An, when are you going to get your marriage certificate?"

Safety, carrying a thermos in each hand, looked dejected. "I'm still memorizing traffic regulations, and I haven't even finished learning mechanical theory."

The implication is that it's still a long way off.

Yu Keying glanced at him with disdain, then grabbed Jiang Lili's hand as she walked over and asked in a low voice, "How long have you been learning?"

Jiang Lili looked to the safety officer and asked, "Brother An, can I tell you?"

Anquan's face darkened, and he decisively turned and went inside, not wanting to say a word.

Jiang Lili chuckled softly, "Sister Ying, my sister and I are different. We were taught directly by Xiao Fan. You know how good he is at teaching people."

Moreover, we had already learned to drive a van before entering the driving school, and after familiarizing ourselves with their test vehicles, we passed the test quickly.

Yu Keying suddenly realized, "So it was Xiao Fan who taught you, no wonder."

She had heard Chen Fan lecture before when she was studying in Lujiawan. He was indeed easy to understand and had an extraordinary teaching ability.

However, she didn't mention asking Chen Fan for safety advice. She already owed him enough favors, and she didn't want to bother him with such a small matter.

Even with a thick skin, he didn't mention such things. Instead, he exaggeratedly boasted, "How's my house? I haven't renovated it since I bought it. The house itself is very well maintained. I only did cleaning and bought some furniture, and I can move in right away. It saved me a lot of money on renovations."

Chen Fan looked around and nodded slightly. "Hmm, not bad, not bad, bigger than my house."

In terms of building area, this house is indeed larger than his villa. If you include the attic, it should be considered as four stories.

However, the actual building only has two floors.

The first floor has a low ceiling and a layout somewhat like a garage. It is currently used as a kitchen and storage room, as well as two maid's rooms.

This house was built in the 30s, so it's normal for it to have servants' quarters.

The living room and dining room are on the second floor, as is another bedroom. The main entrance facing the street also leads directly to the second floor.

The third floor has a layout of three bedrooms and one living room, with the master bedroom also located here.

Above that is the attic, with a very thick roof and insulation, and plenty of windows, making it perfectly suitable for conversion into a bedroom.

It's just a bit hot in the summer.

However, given the current housing conditions in Shanghai, I wonder how many families are crammed into attics. Having a house is the most important thing, so why care which floor you live on?
Of course, they don't need the security features. The attic will eventually become a study, a storage room, or, after the child is born, a children's playground.

Anquan led Chen Fan on a tour, his face beaming with joy. "The house is a bit big, but the yard is too small. Unlike your place, where the yard alone is bigger than my entire plot of land."

Chen Fan nodded in deep agreement, "That's true. In August, I accompanied my cousin to look for a house. There were indeed very few houses with large yards. In the end, there were only a few, so we bought the two with the largest yards."

Anquan was quite surprised, "Is that so?"

He paused for a moment, then asked, "How big is it?"

Chen Fan thought for a moment, "One set is similar to mine, and the other is slightly larger, totaling less than 20 acres."

Safety instantly widened its eyes; less than 20 acres?
Not "enough" yet?
How big do you want?
In an instant, Anquan didn't want to talk to him anymore and went to the kitchen to cook.

We had a very lavish dinner at Anquan's house, though the cooking wasn't great, and it was quite lively, which was enough to celebrate.

The formal housewarming party is scheduled for next Sunday.

Anquan knew that Chen Fan didn't like too much noise, so he invited him alone, just like when they moved into the Shikumen last time.

After visiting Anquan's home, Chen Fan postponed his return journey by one day.

……

The next day, October 9th, Monday.

Jiang Lili looked at Chen Fan with reluctance, "Are you sure you don't want us to see you off?"

Chen Fan tossed his luggage onto the sofa, then lay down on it as well. He looked at the two of them and laughed, "I'll be here in two or three months at most. Don't bother sending me back and forth. Hurry up and get to school. When it's time, I'll take a taxi to the airport."

The two sisters exchanged a glance, could only wave goodbye, and went out together.

Once they were in the courtyard, Jiang Lili suddenly said, "Sister, you can use the bike. I used it to practice riding a few days ago, and now I'm quite proficient. It's just a short walk to school, so I can just ride my bike."

Jiang Tiantian thought for a moment, "How about I take you to the school gate?"

Jiang Lili shook her hand and laughed, "Really, there's no need. You can take me there, but I'll have to walk in. Riding a bike is faster, and it'll be more convenient to come back after school."

Jiang Tiantian thought about it and realized that it made sense. Without Chen Fan delivering the car, it was indeed less convenient than a bicycle, so she stopped insisting. "Okay, then be careful."

After her sister opened the iron gate, she drove away.

Jiang Lili glanced back into the house, pushed her bicycle out, and hurried towards the school.

Chen Fan sat on the sofa, flipping through a book and glancing at the clock in the corner every now and then. Less than ten minutes later, he heard the sound of a lock being opened outside, and a smile appeared on his lips.

A moment later, Jiang Lili appeared at the door. She didn't even have time to change her shoes. She took them off, wore only socks, and ran over to him, throwing herself into his arms. She chuckled and said, "I took half a day off to spend some more time with you."

Chen Fan threw down the book, picked her up, and said, "Then I'll teach you a whole new version of martial arts. Do you want to learn the Dragon-Capturing Hand or the Spider Silk Leg?"

Jiang Lili blushed and said, "Anything is fine."

The new martial art was indeed difficult to learn; it took me more than three hours to master it.

After washing up, it was almost noon. The two came downstairs hand in hand, and before they knew it, Jiang Lili was pouting again.

Chen Fan slung his backpack over his shoulder, pinched the tip of her nose, and laughed, "Study hard, and I'll wear your design for my new clothes this Chinese New Year."

Jiang Lili forced a smile, "Don't worry, I've always been number one in my class, otherwise the teacher wouldn't have let me take leave so easily."

Chen Fan smiled and ruffled her hair before turning and walking out.

Jiang Lili silently followed behind him, locked the gate, pushed her bicycle, and then saw Chen Fan open the small iron gate. Outside, a postman was standing and preparing to put a mail into the small mailbox at the door.

Upon seeing someone come out, the postman handed over the telegram slip in his hand, saying, "Perfect timing, your telegram is from the United States."

Chen Fan took it, took out a cigarette and offered it to him, saying, "Thanks."

The postman took the cigarette, glanced at it, and his expression immediately softened. He then tucked the cigarette behind his ear and said with a smile, "You're too kind."

After saying that, he picked up the heavy bicycle, turned it around, and rode off to the next house.

Jiang Lili parked her bicycle and approached Chen Fan. "Is this your cousin?"

The telegram from the United States must have come from my cousin.

She usually makes phone calls, so why is she sending a telegram this time?
Chen Fan had already read the contents of the telegram, handed it to her, and said with a smile, "It's a telegram from Ya Li, addressed to you. She said she couldn't get through by phone and asked you to tell me that the Chinese character processing software has been successfully developed. She sent over a few computers and asked us to keep an eye out for them."

Jiang Lili's face lit up with surprise and delight. "The research and development was successful! Does that mean we can type on a computer now?"

During this time, Chen Fan was writing a novel. Because it was in Chinese, he ended up going back to the days of writing with a pen. Compared to typing on a computer, it was not only slower, but he also had to refill the ink frequently.

If there were computers with Chinese characters, it would be much more convenient for him.

After a pause, Jiang Lili thought of another question, looked up at Chen Fan, and asked softly, "My cousin said she sent a computer, so you...?"

Chen Fan glanced at the telegram and smiled at her, "The telegram was sent the day before yesterday, so the computer was also sent the day before yesterday. It should arrive in four or five days. I might as well wait until I receive the computer before I leave."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lili's face lit up with joy. Forgetting that the door was still open, she hugged his arm tightly, laughing and chuckling without saying a word.

Chen Fan shrugged, ruffled her hair, closed the door, and pulled her inside, saying, "Hurry up and cook, I'm starving."

Jiang Lili held onto his hand tightly and didn't let go. "Okay."

……

Jiang Lili was busy in the kitchen, while Chen Fan tried to make a phone call to the United States in the living room.

It was amazing today! I only waited for a little over half an hour, and the call actually went through!

A middle-aged woman's voice rang in my ears, "Hello, this is the Zhou residence. Who are you looking for?"

She was speaking in English, of course.

Chen Fan guessed that it was probably his uncle's housekeeper, and without thinking much about it, he said, "Hello, I am Chen Fan, Mr. Zhou's nephew. Is Zhou Yali here? Or you can look for my uncle."

Liu Xiulan immediately realized that this was the young master. She said, "Hello, young master. It's midnight here. The master and young lady are already asleep. Please wait a moment while I go and call the young lady to answer the phone."

Chen Fan: "Okay, thank you."

Not long after, Zhou Yali's voice came through the receiver, "Brother, it's the middle of the night, why are you calling at this hour?"

Chen Fan replied confidently, "It's noon here, what's the problem?"

Zhou Yali was speechless.

Just then, Jiang Lili came out of the kitchen with the food. When she saw Chen Fan making a phone call, she immediately turned around, took the food back, covered it with a bowl, and then ran out lightly to snuggle up to Chen Fan.

Chen Fan was on the phone when he saw her coming over, so he turned the receiver around so she could listen in too.

Through the microphone, Zhou Yali was talking non-stop about recent events, "Brother, you're famous, you're a sensation, you know that! 'Legend of the Dragon Knight' is almost the best-selling book every day. We don't need to do any marketing at all. Readers, bookstores, even TV, radio, and newspapers, everyone is talking about this book..."

Chen Fan snorted twice, "I only care about how many were sold."

Zhou Yali: "...You money-grubber, don't you have any sense of honor?"

Chen Fan: "Comrade Yali, do you want honor or US dollars?"

Zhou Yali: "Of course, it's in US dollars. Okay, actually you can ask for both. I was very excited when I first found out about the sales volume, but now I'm completely numb to it."

Currently, your book has sold 85 copies. This is not because we can only sell 85 copies, but because the printing company we cooperate with can only print 85 copies. This is already the result of our efforts to increase printing partners; otherwise, we would still be hovering around 40 copies.

As for income, the price of a single book is $4, and two books together are $8. Your royalty is 20%, so your total income is…

There was a two-second pause on the other end of the line. "Wait, let me find a calculator."

Chen Fan silently calculated in his mind, "136 million US dollars."

"Well,……"

Zhou Yali didn't believe him and continued pressing the calculator a few more times. "Yes, $136 million. Of course, this is the pre-tax figure. You will also need to pay a tax, which my mom will arrange for someone to take care of. You just need to wait to receive the money."

Chen Fan hesitated for two seconds, then said, "Wait a minute, there's no rush."

Zhou Yali was taken aback for a moment, "Huh?"

Chen Fan said, "The company needs money, so use it first, and we'll talk about it later."

Zhou Yali's eyes flickered slightly, and she quickly understood what he meant.

Back in China, she had heard Jiang Lili and others say that Chen Fan's foreign exchange royalties were also subject to regulation. Once the foreign exchange entered a domestic bank account, it was intercepted and then converted into RMB at the official exchange rate before being paid to the recipient.

So if I transfer this money to my younger brother now, it will become a sum of RMB lying in his account.

Given the current domestic environment, people have money but nowhere to spend it. My brother still has 7 or 8 yuan, and he has 38 yuan deposited with his third master. What does he need so much money for?!
It would be better to keep it in the US for now and use it as development funds for their partnership.

After figuring this out, Zhou Yali smiled and said, "I understand. Our company has just successfully developed a Chinese character input method software and needs a large sum of money for promotion, so I'll keep it for myself."

(End of this chapter)