Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 665 Tailor-made
With plenty of time before school ended, Chen Fan wasn't going to just wait around, so he drove to the back gate to check on the construction progress of the literary and artistic new village.

Just outside the back gate of Jiangnan University, you can see three rows of buildings built on a small island extending into the lake, arranged in terms of height, medium height, and low height.

The highest part is long and narrow, and from a distance it seems to be a whole, but I don't know what's inside.

On the hillside and at the bottom of the slope are two separate courtyards with single-story houses, each with blue tiles and white walls.

Even across the lake, hundreds of meters away, Chen Fan could still see his small courtyard, as well as the fishing platform outside the courtyard gate and at the corner of the small island.

Huang Tianzhi wasn't lying; he really did get a small awning boat moored there, and there was also a small boat outside each of the other small platforms.

Chen Fan no longer needs to worry about anyone stealing his ship.

He drove slowly forward.

At the entrance of the residential area, there is a granite slab engraved with "Artistic New Village". It is unclear whether it is a single piece or pieced together. It looks very imposing, yet not ostentatious.

Further in through the road into the residential area are buildings that have already been topped out.

Even the road surface has been paved, and it's a low-noise asphalt road. All the building materials in other places have been cleaned up, so at least from the outside, it looks neat and orderly. There are even flower beds, and it's just waiting for people to move in.

Unfortunately, the flower bed is empty; it's estimated that greenery will be added after spring.

Chen Fan drove in and took a look around. There were only a few workers putting the finishing touches on the work, and they were all inside the house, so it was probably renovation work.

These days, there's no reason to hand over unfinished houses. All houses are uniformly decorated and completed, with only differences in size and layout.

Of course, don't expect the decoration to be exquisite.

Through the open window, you can see inside. The cement floor is smooth and dusty, and the walls are painted with a layer of whitewash. Even the bathroom wall paint that was common in the 80s, which was one meter off the ground, is not there.

(Sanitary wall paint, that green part on the wall)
All the windows were fitted with glass, and there was a layer of dust on the window frames waiting for the owner to clean them when they moved in.

There's no way around it. Not to mention that such large-scale real estate projects can't be done too meticulously, and move-in ready services aren't the style these days.

If you want to decorate your house more beautifully, you need to do some secondary soft furnishing yourself. For example, you can buy a beautiful high-end product that integrates ceiling fans and lights, or paint the walls and make a set of fashionable furniture.

Regardless, a suite with a kitchen and bathroom like this is enough to drive most people crazy. What more could you ask for?!
After a brief visit outside, Chen Fan drove enthusiastically to his own courtyard.

The courtyard wasn't surrounded by a high wall, but by a simple yet well-made wooden fence about 1.5 meters high. The fence was only painted with a layer of clear varnish. The gate to the courtyard was also made of two lattice doors, which were not only shorter than the fence, but also much shorter, only about 1 meter high.

This thing is really just for show; it barely defines a boundary, but it doesn't stop you from chatting with your neighbor eight meters away.

The gate was open at the moment. The courtyard was not yet made of dirt; it was paved with bluestone slabs that connected the courtyard to the asphalt road outside.

Chen Fan drove the car directly into the yard, got out of the car, and carefully looked around his small yard.

Like the Chen family's old house in Yunhu, it is a three-bay house with a total area of ​​120 square meters, but it lacks a large backyard and a kitchen in the yard.

Upon entering, the layout was slightly different.

Upon entering, you'll find the living room, behind which is the bathroom. To the east are two bedrooms, and to the west, facing the lake, is a study that also serves as the master bedroom, separated by a perforated bookshelf. The master bedroom also contains a small bathroom.

The small half-room next to the small bathroom, which is against the mountain, is the kitchen.

Going out of the corridor opposite the kitchen, living room, and bathroom, you reach the backyard. It's actually just a small clearing separated from the mountain; five or six meters away is a slope, and up the slope are the road and houses on the mountainside.

Further up are the public buildings on the mountaintop.

The layout is fairly standard, and the decoration is similar to that of other apartment buildings.

With cement floors and whitewashed walls, Chen Fan wondered if he should apply some paint, like a coat of hygienic wall paint, to create a new style for the interior design!

Perhaps because the area is already completed, there were hardly any people in the entire neighborhood, making it exceptionally quiet.

There was nowhere to sit inside, so Chen Fan didn't stay long. He drove out, glanced at the small boats hanging outside the waterfront platform, and then drove off again.

As soon as I left the island, I saw someone standing by the roadside, seemingly watching me.

Chen Fan thought for a moment, and realized that he seemed to recognize the face. He had seen it when he came here last time.

He parked his car in front of him, took out a cigarette and offered it to him, "Sir, is everything finished here?"

The experienced worker took the cigarette, grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and said with a smile, "Yes, yes, it was just finished last week. We've cleaned up all the trash these past few days, and there are just a few houses left to repair. Once we finish today, we'll be handing them over tomorrow."

Is the house being handed over tomorrow?

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow. "Tomorrow, the apartments will be handed over? To everyone?"

"that is not."

The experienced craftsman quickly explained, "It was handed over to several receiving organizations, namely the Writers Association, the Artists Association, the Musicians Association, the Dramatists Association, and the Department of Culture."

He paused for a moment, then said with a hint of doubt, "When you came last time, Director Huang mentioned that it was from the Writers' Association, right? You didn't know?"

Chen Fan chuckled. "Oh, I was on a business trip a while ago and only got back today. Besides, this matter is handled by our Secretary-General Xu, so it's normal that I don't know about it."

"Oh, I see."

The old man nodded in realization, then said mysteriously, "Then you need to hurry back to your unit and go find your Secretary Xu to choose a house. I heard that apart from one house that was reserved from the beginning, all the other houses are allocated by lottery. If you go too late, you might not be able to choose a good house."

Chen Fan blinked, puzzled, and asked, "If we've already drawn lots, how do we choose?"

The old master was stunned for several seconds, his face turning bright red. He tried to save face and said, "If you have a good relationship with the boss, you can go to your boss first and catch him a few more times. If you don't catch him the first time, you can catch him again and pick the best one."

Chen Fan said "Oh," and then added, "I see."

He then offered her a cigarette, saying, "Thanks."

Seeing that the young man driving the car was quite savvy, the experienced driver smiled and said, "Judging from your car, you must be a driver for the leaders of the Writers' Association, right? Drivers get close to the leaders, so you're sure to be able to get a nice house."

Chen Fan nodded in deep agreement, "Yes, I think so too."

He then smiled and waved, "You go ahead with your work, I'll be going now."

The experienced driver quickly waved his hand and took two steps back, saying, "Alright, alright, you can go now."

He also added, "Go find the leader now, or it will be too late."

Chen Fan stepped on the gas, "I'm going right now." The car drove out of the residential area, and Chen Fan turned the steering wheel to the right and continued driving forward.

He had never seen this side before, but now that he looked at it, it was almost completely built.

Next to the western wall of the residential area is the "Jiangnan University Affiliated Hospital," which Chen Fan built with considerable effort.

There is a large courtyard at the entrance, and the outpatient building is further inside.

Chen Fan didn't go in, but continued driving slowly forward. Suddenly, a road leading inland appeared.

This area used to be wasteland with rugged terrain, not even suitable for cultivation and farming, so this road must have been built later.

And it certainly looks like a new path.

He stopped at the intersection and looked around. Further ahead was another residential area, with the walls not yet built. Various old construction machines were scattered around, each performing its own function.

Construction workers could be seen moving around the site from time to time, creating a bustling and vibrant scene.

The newly built roadsides are similar to those in the Wenyi New Village, with newly built houses standing there, looking particularly desolate.
Chen Fan shook his head. Why did he feel so desolate?

There was no need to go to the construction site. He turned the steering wheel and drove along the road next to the hospital.

To the west of the highway is a long row of two-story buildings.

Although the wooden doors were all closed and there were no signs above the doors, it was obvious without asking that this place was for various retail stores.

Given the nature and size of the units here, it's quite possible that several separate public service departments will be established. For example, police stations, post offices, and banks are all possible.

The unit behind the hospital surprised Chen Fan.

There's even a school here?

And they even hung up a sign.

Right next to the hospital is the Affiliated High School of Jiangnan University?
Moving north, the next two are Wenyi Xincun Kindergarten and Jiangnan University Affiliated Primary School.
Chen Fan scratched his head. So this place has been taken over by Jiangnan University?

If that's the case, then it's quite normal that there are Jiangnan University dormitories in the several newly built residential areas nearby, right?

So once it's fully occupied, this will become a mature residential area?
Chen Fan shook his head, preparing to turn around and drive back, when he saw a large open space in front of him.

Since we're already here, why not take a look around?

He stepped on the gas again, and the car quickly drove to the open space.

Only then did he realize that this was actually a bus station?
In front of the bus station, there was actually a park?!
This time he was really shocked. They even arranged for the bus terminal and the park to be included. Who had such a big budget?
It shouldn't be Grandpa Xiang and his group, right?

He scratched his head, got out of the car, and walked to the bus stop to take a look.

Goodness, there's more than one bus route. One route starts from here and connects Jiangnan University and several arts-related institutions, while another route connects many other institutions, including cinemas, department stores, and youth centers in the city center.

Seeing this, Chen Fan was truly impressed.

This is tailor-made!

But this has nothing to do with him. He just wanted to buy a quiet little courtyard and hoped not to be disturbed. Who knew that it would turn into a large, established community?

Chen Fan scratched his head, quickly got into the car, and drove off.

He worried that if he stayed here any longer, he might become arrogant.

This energy is enormous. It's not like the real estate boom of decades from now. As long as you're willing to invest, once you reach a certain level, you can do everything from schools and hospitals to even reroute subway lines.

But now? Hmph, I don't even want to think about it.

……

I returned to Jiangda University shortly after, waited for a while, and finally got out of school in the afternoon.

Chen Fan kept his word. After Lin Liwen and Xia Yuping came out, he drove away.

The two sat hand in hand in the back seat. Feeling Chen Fan's driving skills, Xia Yuping seemed very proud. "Xiao Fan, you drive very steadily. I remember you only got your driver's license a little over a year ago. If it were someone else, they probably wouldn't dare to drive alone."

Chen Fan glanced at the rearview mirror and laughed, "That's all thanks to you. If you hadn't spoken up for me, the experienced drivers wouldn't have given me my official driver's license so easily."

Xia Yuping was even happier to hear this, grinning from ear to ear, "It has nothing to do with me, it's just that you're a skilled driver with a high level of expertise. The experienced drivers all told my dad that you're the best driver they've ever seen. You can drive any car, and you drive it very well. Even they can't compare to you."

Lin Liwen rolled her eyes discreetly beside him, cursing under her breath. After she finished speaking, she coughed and looked at Chen Fan with a smile, "Xiao Fan, I heard from my dad that Luwan Delicatessen has opened new stores at many wharves, covering all the wharves in the Yunhu area, and there are a lot of customers. Life in Lujiawan must be very good now."

Chen Fan glanced at the rearview mirror again and chuckled dryly a few times. "It's pretty good, pretty good. Speaking of which, I really have to thank your dad. If he hadn't agreed to let me open a shop at the dock, Lujiawan wouldn't have developed so quickly. Your dad has been a great help."

He saw them both turn their heads away in the rearview mirror and guessed they were probably rolling their eyes, so he quickly changed the subject, "Hey, you guys have been in the provincial capital for almost a year now, have you found any particularly good places to eat?"

Under normal circumstances, once ordinary students enter university, they will study day and night, getting up to read before dawn and going to bed after the lights are turned off at night.

Some students even bought flashlights specifically so they could read a little longer after the school lights were turned off.

They studied with incredible speed and efficiency.

The phenomenon of eating one's way through an entire school street and exploring an entire city, which was common in later generations, is now rarely seen.

However, not all students are that hardworking.

Or rather, not everyone enters university with the mindset of changing their destiny.

At least these two are not.

Their family backgrounds are good enough to ensure they will live a life of comfort and security, and even if they don't get into this university, they won't have a bad life.

Therefore, they did not have the same sense of urgency as most of their classmates.

If Chen Fan's prediction is correct, they have probably already explored the entire provincial capital.

Surprisingly, the two looked at each other, shook their heads in unison, and said innocently, "No, we don't usually go out much. We just study at school, so we don't know anything."

Chen Fan looked up at them. Were they so in sync?

You never go out and know nothing? I don't believe it!
(End of this chapter)