Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 661 When it's time to be reckless, then be reckless.
What do you think?
Of course, you should sit down and look with your eyes!

When Chen Fan heard Yang Kangnian talk about recognizing words with the ears, he silently estimated the timeline and knew that the kung fu craze that had lasted for nearly twenty years was about to begin.

This incident could very well be the trigger.

At the height of their popularity, recognizing words with one's ears was nothing. Teleportation, telepathy, object transport... all sorts of "supernatural abilities" were on display.

Some people can even use their powers to contact aliens, which is quite absurd.

The key point is that there wasn't even a basic demonstration, yet so many people still believed it.

In 91, someone even made a TV series called "Superman Zhang Baosheng," which tells the story of this "top-tier superman." And I must say, the values ​​portrayed were quite positive.

After the TV broadcast, it caused a ratings frenzy. Zhang Baosheng became famous. People everywhere invited him to perform and he even went on TV to record programs.

The more he performed, the more flaws he revealed. Over the years, he caused numerous major performance accidents, but because they were small-scale performances, he managed to cover them up with excuses each time.

Even if you can't fool them, it's no big deal. Communication wasn't as advanced back then as it is today. If something happens in one place, the whole world will know about it in less than a day. At worst, you can just move to another place and continue.

It wasn't until 95, when he performed on Beijing TV, that he was exposed on the spot. This incident had a huge impact, and he was quickly identified as a fraudster, after which he disappeared without a trace.

After this bucket of cold water was poured on them, within just one or two years, not many people mentioned special abilities anymore.

Finally, Mu Zili added fuel to the fire, and no one mentioned it anymore.

This farce, which lasted for nearly 20 years, has finally come to an end.

After thinking it over for a while, Chen Fan sighed silently and decided not to get involved in this mess.

Because it's too dangerous!

One leader wanted to stop it from the very beginning.

However, before the document was even sent out, a series of phone calls came to his office.

Behind each of those phone calls were retired veterans, any one of whom could send chills down your spine. Even someone who had just joined the team and was a seasoned veteran couldn't handle so many people.

In the end, having no other choice, they could only respond passively, which was tantamount to giving in.

Chen Fan didn't think he was tougher than that leader and could stand up to the old leader.

Moreover, he himself practices, and by the standards of ordinary people, he is also a "miracle worker," truly capable of splitting rocks with his palm, punching tigers, hitting his target with every arrow, and jumping ten feet high.

If he takes the lead, wouldn't that be him opposing himself?

Therefore, his attitude is to never express his opinions publicly, but rather to let the matter rest with a few lighthearted words.

The key is to be able to survive when necessary.

……

After the party ended, everyone went their separate ways, but Chen Fan pulled Yang Kangnian back to the car factory.

Once inside the office, Yang Kangnian, having recovered from the alcohol, lay down on the sofa and said to Chen Fan, "Should we go home and rest for a while, or take a walk around the factory?"

Chen Fan tore two sheets of draft paper from his desk, first ripping off the headings, then slowly walked over and said with a smile, "No rush, I'll perform a magic trick for you."

Yang Kangnian was slightly taken aback, "Magic?"

His eyes darted around, and then he glanced at the paper in the man's hand, a guess forming in his mind. "You mean... you can read with your ears?"

Chen Fan waved the manuscript paper in his hand, placed it in front of him, and smiled, "Write a few words, fold it up, and give it to me."

After saying that, he turned around, indicating that he wouldn't look.

A thoughtful look, along with a hint of interest, flashed in Yang Kangnian's eyes. He then took out a pen from his pocket, wrote a few words, folded it, and handed it to Chen Fan, saying, "Done."

Chen Fan turned back, took it with his left hand, first held it in front of his eyes for a while, then put it to his nose to smell it, and held it in both hands, turning it over and over to look at it, but did not open it.

Finally, place it to your ear and tilt your head to listen.

After a moment, he looked at Yang Kangnian and chuckled, "You wrote Yunhu Automobile Factory, and the ink is black."

Yang Kangnian stared wide-eyed at the unopened origami in his hand. "How did you know?"

Chen Fan smiled and extended his right hand in front of him, revealing another piece of paper unfolded in his palm.

Chen Fan tossed both pieces of paper onto the coffee table, turned around and sat down, lit a cigarette, and said softly, "This kind of trick of switching the paper is very simple. The key is speed. Take the manuscript paper just now, for example. I actually tore off two pieces. I gave one to you and kept the other one for myself."

After you finish writing, while I'm folding paper, I'll be folding paper too. Once the paper you wrote on is in my hands, it will be easy to switch with it.

Then I'll use various small gestures and words to attract your attention, while simultaneously finding an opportunity to open the paper with writing on it, so you can see clearly what's written on it and what color ink it's made of.

Yang Kangnian suddenly realized, "So this is the truth about recognizing words with the ears?"

Chen Fan smiled and shook his head. "Folk magic tricks come in all shapes and sizes, and they may not all use the same technique as mine. But they all boil down to the same thing: they are just tricks, not some kind of special ability."

Yang Kangnian nodded in realization, then paused, and suddenly looked up, asking in confusion, "Then just now...?"

"Why don't you explain it clearly?"

Chen Fan smiled at him, exhaled a puff of smoke, and said, "Now that this has spread, the local authorities will definitely verify it. As long as there aren't too many people at the scene, even if it's verified a hundred times, I can pass it a hundred times. I estimate that person is about the same."

In other words, as long as the child is proficient in magic tricks, fooling those people will be no problem at all. As the saying goes, "every profession has its own secrets," and those people probably don't understand magic tricks at all; they can't even understand them, so how could they possibly see through them?

Once you pass their test, it will likely be widely reported, and once this trend takes hold, other people who know magic tricks will surely follow suit.

Most people believe what they see with their own eyes. What if those in higher positions, or those retired but ubiquitous old comrades, saw it…?

He stopped abruptly at this point, simply pointing to the ceiling before falling silent.

Yang Kangnian, who had also fallen into the valley and climbed back up, instantly understood Chen Fan's meaning.

If the higher-ups see this, they will most likely believe it. If they find out that Chen Fan has publicly questioned him, what if he runs into someone with a bad temper...? In fact, most of those people are veterans who have fought on the battlefield. How many of them have particularly good tempers?
If they met, it would be strange if he didn't start cursing at Chen Fan.

Even if Chen Fan has powerful backers and nothing bad will happen to him, being scolded for no reason by people he can't touch or criticize is just asking for trouble!

Having figured this out, Yang Kangnian let out a long breath, took out a cigarette and lit it. After a while, he sighed, "If this trend starts, it'll cause a big commotion."

Looking back, even a seasoned veteran like him was skeptical. What would happen to ordinary people who might never have traveled more than ten miles from home in their entire lives?
However, he didn't care too much.

Compared to the previous typhoon, this little thing is really nothing, at least it didn't directly harm anyone, right?

At most, you'll just get scammed out of some money. But if you do anything really outrageous, the relevant authorities won't take it lying down.

Yang Kangnian quickly made a decision and said softly, "I understand this matter. I won't say anything recklessly, and it has nothing to do with you."

He paused for a moment, then turned to look at Chen Fan with a complicated expression. He smiled and said, "If your father and I had your wisdom back then, we wouldn't have ended up in that situation."

Chen Fan pursed his lips, shook his head and said, "It's different. Back then, you went against others to protect the public interest, but now that it doesn't concern you, of course you can stay out of it."

He then turned to Yang Kangnian and smiled, "I'm just reminding you not to be fooled and get involved with people like that. Otherwise, when the scam is exposed later, it might affect your future."

Yang Kangnian is only in his early forties, not yet 50, and is in the prime of his life. However, due to his experiences in recent years, he looks somewhat weathered.

At this age, with the foundation of the car factory and the machinery factory, he is just waiting for the right opportunity to rise to prominence. Who knows where he will be when the qigong craze fades away?

But if this kind of thing gets involved, what could have been a step forward might end up as giving a young person an opportunity, which would be embarrassing.

Therefore, Chen Fan would only privately remind those he was close to. As for the others, it was actually quite good to let them suffer some losses and learn more.

After finishing his cigarette, Chen Fan patted his thigh, stood up, and said with a smile, "Uncle Yang, I won't disturb your work any longer. I'll go check out the machinery factory first, and then I'll leave tomorrow."

Yang Kangnian stood up, nodded and smiled, "If you have something to do, I won't keep you. Come over and visit more often when you have time. The technical department is really looking forward to seeing you."

Chen Fan smiled, then suddenly remembered something. He took out two keys from his bag and handed them over. "Uncle Yang, these are the keys to the courtyard gate and the main gate of my house. The doors inside the house aren't locked. I'd like to trouble you to find someone to come and clean two or three times a week."

After Yang Kangnian took it, he explained with a smile, "It used to be my three apprentices doing this, but they all started working at the brigade headquarters recently. They have a lot of work to do every day, and the commute takes up a lot of time..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yang Kangnian took the keys, nodded knowingly, and said, "It's no big deal. Don't worry, I'll definitely find you someone who is both honest and hardworking."

Chen Fan smiled, "Thank you, Uncle Yang. Her salary..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yang Kangnian interrupted him, "You don't need to worry about your salary. You're our factory's consultant. You don't need to pay for cleaning the house. Just pick someone from the factory later. The logistics department will take care of everything perfectly."

He paused for a moment, then said, "You should have brought this up a long time ago. Those girls come here often, and I often see them. They travel such a long way just to clean your house. You're really something as a master."

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "It's alright, it's alright."

Yang Kangnian's face fell. "Do you think I'm praising you?"

Chen Fan laughed awkwardly and turned to leave.

……

After leaving the car factory, he first went to the machinery factory in front of it, where, under the guidance of Deputy Director Xue, he took a look at the industrial sewing machines that were to be shipped out the next day.

In summary, although it looks a bit bulky and clunky, it has all the basic functions you need: straight stitch, zigzag stitch, overlock, buttonhole, handwheel, speed adjustment, stitch length rotation, return stitch, presser foot... No wonder it's several times more expensive than a household sewing machine. Besides the motor, it has several times more functions. The more functions a machine has, the more complex its internal structure becomes. Given the current industrial conditions, this price is probably the result of government regulation; otherwise, it could be sold for even more.

After inspecting the industrial sewing machines, Chen Fan ordered two more sets of cutting machines, ironing machines, gluing machines, packing machines, needle detectors, embroidery machines, and printing machines.

Don't worry about Lujiawan not having the money to pay; the real problem is that the machinery factory can't build these machines.

Faced with the list Chen Fan gave him, Deputy Factory Director Xue scratched his head. "Why didn't you give it to me before?"

Chen Fan said matter-of-factly, "I don't even know if you can produce industrial sewing machines. What if I give them all to you and you don't take the orders?"

Deputy Factory Director Xue was speechless. "If you have the technology, then nothing else matters. If you don't have the technology, then giving you everything one by one won't help."

Chen Fan chuckled and offered him a cigarette. "So, does that machinery factory actually exist?"

Deputy Factory Director Xue pondered for two seconds, then took out a pen and ticked on the paper, “Cut machine, ironing machine, gluing machine, packaging machine, these are all fine. Anyway, you don’t need much, and we’ll deliver them by next month at the latest.”

However, this needle detector, embroidery machine, and printing machine require specialized equipment, which I suspect will be difficult to obtain…

Before he could finish speaking, he paused for two seconds, then said to Chen Fan, "How about I buy it for you through the machinery factory? I doubt a production team in Lujiawan could find such a way."

Although Lujiawan has now tied Nanhu Commune to its cause, and some equipment can be applied for through Nanhu Commune, there is no guarantee that it can be purchased.

Now that Deputy Factory Director Xue was willing to step in, Chen Fan was naturally happy to be relieved of the trouble of running around trying to pull strings. He immediately smiled and said, "Then thank you very much, Uncle Xue."

Deputy Factory Director Xue was both amused and exasperated. Pointing at him, he said, "You're always calling me Uncle Xue when there's trouble, and Deputy Factory Director Xue when there's nothing to do."

Chen Fan replied seriously, "That's not the case. It depends on the occasion. For official business, it's Deputy Factory Director Xue; for personal matters, it's Uncle Xue."

Comrade Xue snorted twice, "I believe your nonsense."

Chen Fan stood aside, chuckling.

The machine factory is a treasure trove; all the equipment the garment factory needs can be found here.

As for the things needed by the food factory, the hygiene requirements are relatively high, and there are certain restrictions on the materials. The machinery factory may be willing but unable to meet these requirements, and can only apply through normal channels.

Secretary Yang had already submitted a report, but there had been no progress. Now the commune is also helping to push things forward, and there should be a result by New Year's Day at the latest.

If all else fails, Chen Fan will have to use his financial resources to ask Zhou Zhengdong to purchase the items in the United States and send them back.

What? Foreign exchange controls?

Cough cough, what bad intentions could an uncle possibly have when giving his nephew a few small toys?!
As for the money to buy equipment, it can be put in the production team's account first, and then converted into shares when the system is restructured later. Isn't that a good idea?

……

After finishing all that, it wasn't even four o'clock in the afternoon. Chen Fan thought for a moment and then drove to the vegetable market.

The market was unusually quiet in the afternoon. Most of the stalls were empty, with only a few vegetable stalls having some rotten vegetables left. A few female sales clerks had set up a table behind their stalls and were playing cards.
Chen Fan was a little dizzy. In that wretched place of Lujiawan, people still played mahjong secretly behind closed doors. Has Yunhu City really opened up to this much?

He lingered in front of the vegetable stall for a few steps. The other comrades were engrossed in their card game and couldn't see his handsome face, so naturally no one greeted him.

In the end, Chen Fan could only leave silently.

On the other side of the market, several meat stalls had been cleaned up, with only a fish stall remaining in a corner.

Chen Fan glanced at it from afar. He decided to forget about the fish; he already had a tank of them at home.

Although he has been staying in Lujiawan this month, he did not take the meat and fish that Liu Lu and the others had left in the old house.

The cured meat wouldn't spoil anyway, and there were no rats in the house, so I just left it there. I fed the fish in the big water tank every few days, just throwing in some random food.

Actually, it's fine not to feed them. Just put some rocks and aquatic plants at the bottom of the tank, and plankton and algae will naturally grow in the water. They'll eat and grow as they go, so why bother feeding them?

As for vegetables, we actually planted some in the backyard as well.

He came to the market today mainly to see if there was any fresh meat or vegetables that weren't available in his garden.

Looks like I'm going to be disappointed.

Chen Fan walked out of the market listlessly. Just as he was about to get into his car and leave, a voice rang out from not far away, "Uncle Wang is here, hurry up, hurry up."

Who is Wang Diao?

He stopped and looked in the direction of the sound. He saw many people coming out of the house, and they were all heading in the same direction. It was an old man pulling a cart.

Chen Fan sniffed, then his eyes lit up. It was tofu?

And it's piping hot, freshly cooked tofu!
He immediately walked towards the tofu stall without hesitation.

The tofu vendor, surnamed Wang, chuckled and called out, "Make way, make way, make way! You need to park in the right spot. If you park in the wrong spot, you'll get scolded."

A woman yelled at the top of her lungs, "Anyone who dares to criticize you, I'll have Old Ma beat him up!"

You don't need to ask who Lao Ma is; you can tell he has a story to tell just by listening to him.

Despite saying that, the crowd still made way for Grandpa Wang to continue forward, and then stopped right in front of Chen Fan.

The old man put down the cart, straightened up and took a breath before turning around and uncovering the thick gauze covering the tofu.

As the cloth was lifted, a rich aroma of soybeans immediately wafted out.

Without further ado, let's get started.

It was only then that Chen Fan realized that the old man hadn't come alone; a little girl was following behind him. The little girl collected the money, while the old man used a small shovel to scoop tofu and put it into the bowls held by the customers.

Not everyone held the bowl; some people took it with their hands, opened their mouths wide, and took a bite while it was still steaming hot.

Chen Fan stared, his mouth slightly agape, his eyes wide and unblinking. Tofu could be eaten like that?
But thinking about it, it makes sense. It's just solidified tofu pudding, it just needs a few toppings, so of course you can eat it directly.

By the time he came to his senses, most of the tofu on the stall had disappeared.

Fortunately, the customers who had been starving just moments before also disappeared.

Seeing that there was no one else around, Chen Fan said, "Grandpa, give me two pieces of tofu."

He had barely finished speaking when he suddenly realized that he hadn't brought a bowl.

How to do it?

Seeing that he had nothing in his hands and looked a little lost, the old man wasn't in a hurry. Instead, he slowly took out two withered lotus leaves from under the tofu stall, scooped out two pieces of tofu, stacked them on the lotus leaves, wrapped them up, and gently tied them with a hemp rope. He then handed them to Chen Fan, holding them in one hand and supporting them with the other. "Young comrade, you can carry it like this. Walk slowly, it won't fall apart. It's just that the lotus leaves and the thin hemp rope will cost an extra penny, making it 7 cents in total."

Chen Fan paid first, then took the tofu, grinning and saying, "Your skills are pretty good."

Grandpa Wang smiled憨厚ly, "You flatter me. I make a living from this stuff, so I wouldn't dare to do anything reckless."

Chen Fan carried the tofu into the car, gently placed it on the seat next to him, and drove home.

Then he caught two fish from the backyard, picked some vegetables, dug up a few potatoes, took out a piece of cured meat, put everything in a basket, and carried it out the door.

The place we visited this time was the cadre dormitory area of ​​the cotton mill, specifically the Jiang family's small building.

I've been to and from the prefectural committee many times this year, but I haven't eaten at the Jiang family's house many times. Each visit was rushed, which was indeed a bit impolite.

Previously, Chen Fan was used to living alone and rarely had the concept of visiting relatives and friends. Now, he is finally slowly changing his mindset.

Besides, Jiang Lili has already followed him, and they will become family when they reach a certain age. These two are unavoidable, so it's time for them to get used to it in advance.

He took advantage of the free time today to personally go and cook a meal, just to express his gratitude.

I borrowed a phone at the gatehouse to say hello to Jiang Heng so that he and his wife wouldn't have to go to the cafeteria for dinner. Then I got a spare key from the gatekeeper and went inside to get busy.

When Jiang Heng and Shen Xueyi returned from get off work, it was just the right time to start dinner.

The meal was a pleasant one for both host and guests. After the meal, Chen Fan even tried calling Jiang Lili.

I was lucky today; the phone was answered before I even finished my cigarette.

The two sisters were at home when they received Chen Fan's call. They were overjoyed to hear that he was at their parents' house. Even Jiang Tiantian, who is usually quiet, talked to her parents on the phone for a long time.

Jiang Lili, needless to say, was overjoyed when her husband took the initiative to visit her parents and even cooked for her. She was so happy that her face was frozen and she couldn't stop smiling.

After chatting for a while, the phone returned to Chen Fan's hands. At this moment, Jiang Lili blushed, looked at her sister next to her, pursed her lips gently, and asked softly, "Xiao Fan, when are you coming over next time?"

These days, microphones aren't very good at blocking sound, so even though she spoke very softly, everyone could still hear her.

Jiang Heng gave Shen Xueyi a wink, and the two got up and left.

Chen Fan glanced at their retreating figures, smiled, and said softly, "There's been a lot going on in Lujiawan lately. After I've settled things here and reported back to the school, I'll head over there."

Jiang Lili's eyes sparkled with delight.

At this moment, Jiang Tiantian suddenly remembered something and said from the side, "Xiao Fan, the Shanghai Writers Association is holding a general meeting of all members next month. Doesn't the Jiangnan Writers Association need to hold a meeting?"

Chen Fan was stunned. Oh right, he seemed to remember Chairman He saying that there would be a meeting at the end of the year, and Vice Chairman Tan also said that he would promote him to a higher position. It's already the end of November, why hasn't anyone notified me?
(End of this chapter)