Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 670 Promotion and Moving
That being said, Chen Fan had never been a leader in either of his two lifetimes.

The leaders of this era, in particular, were very different from those of later generations.

For example, there are still many senior colleagues sitting in their positions, many of whom have just returned to work. Some of them are very meticulous and thorough in their work and conduct.

Some people hold leadership positions, but their family members are just ordinary employees, working in the same workshop tightening screws, or even those who haven't found jobs and can only rely on their parents at home.

Describing it as heartless wouldn't be an exaggeration.

However, they aren't truly unreasonable; it depends on how you approach them. The same issue, if explained directly, won't be resolved easily by changing your angle and clearly articulating the interests of the people.

He Qingsheng has a lot to say on this matter, and even Xu Qizhen has a lot of experience.

One of them represented the "old" and the other the "middle," and together they taught a young person how to deal with people at all levels.

It's one thing to deal with the leaders above, but quite another to the young people who have just started working, the hard-working veterans who have been there for decades, or the seasoned veterans.

People of all kinds have their own ideas. Once you become a leader, where should you set your bottom line, and how should you handle different situations flexibly? These are all things that require skill.

He Qingsheng and Xu Qizhen truly treated him like one of their own, sharing with Chen Fan a great deal of their own experiences, lessons learned, and mistakes.

While it may not be all of it, it's all practical information, which is quite good.

Whether it was useful or not, Chen Fan memorized it all without even trying.

In the end, when he was completely disoriented, He Qingsheng smuggled half a pack of cigarettes away.

Before he could react, the door slammed shut, leaving only the words, "Don't be late for the meeting tomorrow."

Only then did Chen Fan come to his senses, standing there with his hands outstretched, puzzled. "I don't manage people or things, so why should I learn these things?"

……

Thursday, December 7th, heavy snow.

Before dawn, snowflakes began to fall, and the north wind howled. Chen Fan stayed huddled in his blankets, not wanting to get out of bed at all.

What can relieve worries? Only retirement!
He no longer does his usual morning exercise routine, let alone in this weather that's perfect for sleeping.
Speaking of morning exercise, Chen Fan couldn't help but exclaim, "The museum has so many wonderful things!"
While browsing through ancient books in the museum, he found many rare and out-of-print Taoist scriptures, including two cultivation notes written by unknown cultivators. The scriptures contained several Qi cultivation techniques.

To others, this is merely the imagination of the ancients, but to those who have mastered Qi cultivation, it is a rare and genuine transmission.

Chen Fan was naturally able to understand it. He discovered that it contained a technique similar to the Hidden Dragon Sleeping Elixir Technique passed down by the patriarch Chen Tuan. It was a technique that could be practiced while sitting, lying down, or walking.

Isn't that a coincidence? The Yushan School Taoist scriptures he obtained from Master Zhang also emphasize the combination of movement and stillness, and the cultivation of both mind and body.

Then, with these mutual confirmations, he realized that he no longer needed to train seriously starting the day before yesterday.

Stretching can loosen muscles and bones, and rhythmic breathing is breathing exercises. Especially after having a special sleeping exercise, you can basically say goodbye to meditation and breathing exercises. After a good night's sleep, you will feel refreshed and energetic.

Practicing this kind of Taoist art doesn't grant supernatural powers; it simply strengthens muscles and bones, prolongs life, and increases dexterity and strength by a little.

He originally thought that he could finally become a lazy bum from now on, but he didn't expect that he would have to get up early for a meeting as soon as the training ended and before he could even rest for a day.

Can't we just start the meeting at 10 a.m., like some other meetings do?!
When he finished washing up, got dressed, and went to the cafeteria for breakfast, he realized that it really didn't work.

Because there's a leader there!

The provincial leaders in charge of publicity and culture arrived and were sitting at a table with He Qingsheng, Tan Yong, Xu Qizhen, and several other leaders, eating and chatting. Almost all the bigwigs from the publicity department and the cultural department were also present.

As soon as Chen Fan entered the room, Xu Qizhen noticed him and beckoned him over.

Oh right, now we're also qualified to sit at the head table.

The leader looked at Chen Fan with a very kind gaze and took the initiative to chat for quite a while.

However, this is a busy canteen, not even a private room, so we decided to stop here.

However, under the watchful eyes of everyone, his attitude was made very clear.

As for the reason, Chen Fan didn't need to guess to know.

Setting aside the backgrounds of his three mentors, which are almost publicly known, his own contributions to the arts and literature circles in Jiangnan are considerable.

Although the development of arts and culture in the Jiangnan region was not bad in the past, it could not compare with places like Beijing and Shanghai, and it was far inferior to the famous Shanxi Yam School.

But ever since Chen Fan emerged from Yunhu, not to mention the old school, there hasn't been a single new generation of literati who can compare to him. This alone is enough to make the leaders very happy.

Not to mention, after Chen Fan transferred to the Writers Association, he accomplished several major tasks.

He first established a literary correspondence center, which made the literary circles of Jiangnan Province famous. Later, he founded the magazine "Literary Youth" and then started the trend of "literary foreign exchange earnings".

These are all real, tangible benefits.

With someone like that in front of you, which leader wouldn't like him?
The leaders' attitude was naturally noticed by everyone. Considering what He Qingsheng had told everyone yesterday about electing the council and the new Writers Association presidium, almost everyone knew that someone was likely to take over at the meetings in the next two days.

……

Meetings are actually quite boring.

At least that's how it is for Chen Fan.

The entire morning was spent by He Qingsheng and Xu Qizhen giving work reports.

Well, Chen Fan wasn't spared either.

If you want to rise to the top, how can you do it without showing some results?
Although his achievements are almost universally known, even if it's just a formality, we still have to go through the motions.

So Chen Fan sat at the end of the table, casually recounted the work he had done, and finally gave a scathing evaluation of all his colleagues and the brother units that had provided assistance in the relevant work.

Yes, this line of dialogue uses the little trick He Qingsheng taught me last night.

The result was, of course, ideal. The leadership was satisfied, and the colleagues approved.

Therefore, in the afternoon election, Comrade Chen Fan, who had just turned eighteen on his household registration, was elected as the vice chairman of the third council of the Jiangnan Provincial Writers Association and the vice chairman of the third presidium, mainly responsible for foreign cultural exchanges.

The writers attending the meeting were selected from 12 special districts, totaling 36 people. In addition, representatives from the Provincial Writers Association, the "Jiangnan Literature and Art" magazine, the "Literary Youth" magazine, the literary correspondence center, and other units were also present, bringing the total number of attendees to 56.

The meeting elected seven members to the council, five members to the presidium, and one secretary-general.

He Qingsheng was re-elected as chairman of the presidium and chairman of the council, Xu Qizhen was re-elected as secretary-general, and Tan Yong remained vice chairman and vice chairman, but did not hold any position on the council, meaning he was not involved in any affairs and was merely a figurehead, which made Chen Fan extremely envious.

Besides the addition of several veteran comrades to take charge of the work, the only young person to rise to a position is Chen Fan, who serves as vice chairman and vice president.

He also served as the director of the External Relations Department, managing the entire department.

As for the literary correspondence center and the "Literary Youth" magazine, which he founded, they were taken over by three veteran comrades respectively. Two people managed the correspondence center, and one person was in charge of the magazine.

They were none other than the three members of the council besides He Qingsheng, Tan Yong, Xu Qizhen, and Chen Fan.

Further down the line, the cadres in each department also have their own arrangements.

In short, the pie was divided clearly and fairly, everyone ate their fill, and everyone was happy.

The meeting ended at 5 p.m., and at 5:7 p.m., seven tables were set up in the canteen. During the meal, each participant was given a Yunhu brand kettle as a souvenir, and the meeting came to a successful conclusion.

Although there is another meeting to be held tomorrow, it will no longer be related to the representatives from other places, but will be an internal working meeting of the council.

Unfortunately, Chen Fan still has to participate.

……

After the dinner, Chen Fan waved goodbye to those he knew and those he had just met, then picked up the kettle and headed out.

The luggage, computer, and printer were already loaded into the car by noon.

Xu Qizhen had given him the key to the new house beforehand.

Inside the new house, in addition to the furniture already in place, even the bedding had been bought and placed in the house by Deputy Factory Director Li, just waiting for him to return and use it.

He doesn't need to worry about anything; he can just go back and check in.

Just as he opened the car door and was about to get in, He Qingsheng, Tan Yong, and Xu Qizhen jogged up from behind.

Xu Qizhen shouted, "Wait, wait, give us a ride!"

Chen Fan stood there, watching them open the car door and get in themselves, and couldn't help but be a little surprised, "Doesn't the company have a car?"

He bought several vans for his company before, so why is he leaving them unused and coming here to hitch a ride?
Xu Qizhen grabbed the passenger seat, shivered as she sat down, and turned to him, saying, "Hurry up and get in the car, close the door, it's freezing."

Watching Chen Fan get in and close the car door, she continued, "Many of them are locals, and they don't have cars. There aren't enough rooms here, so let the drivers take them back. Since we're all going to Wenyi New Village anyway, we might as well hitch a ride with you." Tan Yong, sitting in the back, was getting a little tipsy and threatened with his eyes closed, "If you don't drive, I won't be responsible if you throw up in the car."

Chen Fan's face darkened, and he started the car and drove off.

After driving a short distance, he said, "Weren't those small appliances supposed to be for employee benefits? Why are they being given out as souvenirs?"

With the car's heater on, Xu Qizhen felt much more comfortable. She lazily leaned back and said with a smile, "What are you saying? A set of small appliances has more than a dozen kinds. Who gives out so many welfare items at once?"

Chen Fan glanced at her. "According to you, that stuff... it's not a year's worth, is it?"

Before Xu Qizhen could speak, He Qingsheng, who was lying behind her, spoke up, "What are you saying? A year's worth isn't enough? Look at other companies, which one gives as many employee benefits as our company in a year?!"

As he spoke, he rolled down the window a crack, took out a cigarette, lit it, and continued, "Small appliances from Yunhu Factory are in high demand these days. Thanks to you, our company bought two hundred sets, but we can't keep them all to ourselves."

Tan Yong took the cigarette from He Qingsheng's hand, tossed one onto the control panel in front of him, took out another one for himself, put it in his mouth, nodded, and said, "Yeah, eating alone is easy to overeat."

Xu Qizhen relayed the message, explaining the whereabouts of the small appliances: "We only kept a small portion of the high-power appliances like induction cookers, microwave ovens, and electric ovens; the rest were distributed to leaders of various departments within the cultural system."

The rest, like hair dryers and rice cookers—more common items—will be given as holiday gifts, and some can be awarded to outstanding employees. ..."

At this point, she suddenly turned to look at Chen Fan, her eyes full of curiosity, "I was so busy preparing for the meeting that I didn't have time to ask you, what exactly is your relationship with that Yunhu factory? You can take shortcuts to buy a car, and you can even take shortcuts to buy these small appliances?"

Upon hearing this, He Qingsheng and Tan Yong also opened their eyes wide and looked at Chen Fan.

They could understand the car purchase, since they had heard that the car was designed by Chen Fan. Although it was an improvement on the design drafts left by his father, it was still a remarkable achievement.

Yunhu Automobile Factory received such a huge benefit, of course they have to give them face. Besides, it's not like they won't pay; it's just cutting in line, what's the big deal?
But this small appliance is different. It seems like it's not even part of the same system. Moreover, people with connections are trying to get their hands on it. Many leaders haven't been able to buy it, but he wants two hundred sets at once, and he can make the decision himself without having to contact them in advance.

Xu Qizhen then recalled that later, a deputy factory director personally arranged for the delivery to be made. He even heard that Chen Fan had a new home, so he took the initiative to provide everything for his home, including bedding and other miscellaneous items.

Can this be considered a normal relationship?

Faced with three pairs of curious gazes, Chen Fan simply shrugged. "It turns out that the car factory and the machinery factory were one company. They haven't completely separated yet, but they will be separated after the New Year. The car factory will officially become independent, and the small appliance production line will also be separated."

Regarding small household appliances, it was my suggestion that they research and produce them. Deputy Factory Director Li will be the future head of Yunhu Small Household Appliances Company, serving as both Party Secretary and Factory Director.

Upon hearing this, the three of them suddenly understood.

Xu Qizhen exclaimed repeatedly, "So, this Factory Director Li—no, Secretary Li—really has to thank you. If it weren't for you, he probably wouldn't know when he would have been promoted."

He Qingsheng and Tan Yong also admired Deputy Factory Director Li's good luck.

These days, getting promoted isn't easy. So many people return to their jobs, but if their original positions aren't occupied by those who made mistakes, it's incredibly difficult to actually get back to work.

Not to mention it's rising.

Chen Fan is indeed a lucky man. From Lujiawan to the Health Department, from Yunhu Machinery Factory to their Provincial Writers Association, he seems to benefit wherever he goes.

Even with their unwavering faith, they couldn't help but wonder, "This kid is proficient in everything—agriculture, sanitation, machinery, literature—is he perhaps blessed?"
Fortunately, they didn't say it aloud; if Chen Fan had heard it, he would have definitely retaliated.

A short while later, the car drove past the road next to Jiangnan University and arrived at Xinghu Lake.

The once dark and gloomy arts village is now ablaze with lights from every home.

Judging from the lights shining through the windows, the occupancy rate here is a staggering 100%!
Well, not all the houses have their lights on. In one corner of the island in the lake, there is a house that is completely dark.

Chen Fan was lamenting that no one was home when he suddenly realized something and turned to look at the three of them. "Don't you all have homes? Why did you move in here too?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Qizhen scoffed, "What are you saying? Who would choose to live in an old house that's almost a dilapidated building instead of a new one?"

Chen Fan's eyes widened. "You? A dilapidated building?"
Then I heard He Qingsheng say from behind, “My big family, about ten people, is getting more and more cramped, so I decided to bring my wife here to live. It’s much quieter here.”

Tan Yong nodded and said, "Yes, I'm the same as Lao He. Besides, there are all kinds of shops here, as well as kindergartens and schools, so I brought my grandsons here to live with me. It will be more convenient for them to go to school in the future."

Xu Qizhen chuckled and said, "I remember your eldest granddaughter is in the third grade of elementary school, and so is my youngest son. They might even be classmates."

Chen Fan felt a bit dizzy. Had he stumbled into the boss's den? He couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you say you didn't want to move in when the house was being built?"

Xu Qizhen turned to look at him and smiled, "What you're saying is true. We didn't expect the house to be built so well either."

He Qingsheng nodded repeatedly, "That's right, and the supporting facilities are so complete. Hospitals, schools, farmers' markets, supply and marketing cooperative branches, bookstores, post offices... all right at my doorstep. It's much more convenient than my old house."

Tan Yong, “It’s just…”

So, amidst their endless boasting, Chen Fan listlessly drove the car into the residential area, then stopped and turned to ask, "Which building and number do you live in? Are you getting off here, or going further in?"

Xu Qizhen chuckled and said, "Let's keep driving forward."

As she spoke, she pointed to He Qingsheng, "Old He lives next door to you."

Then, pointing to Tan Yong, he said, "Old Tan lives next door to Old He."

Finally, pointing to himself, he said, "I live in the room above yours, just a few steps up the stairs. We're all together."

Chen Fan, “…???!!!”

They restarted the car and, under the streetlights, drove along the black asphalt road to the island in the middle of the lake, stopping at the innermost part. The three of them got out of the car.

Chen Fan leaned against the window and watched as Tan Yong entered the third-to-last courtyard and He Qingsheng entered the one next to his.

As for Xu Qizhen, she walked from the open space between her and He Qingsheng's houses, followed a narrow cobblestone path, went up a few steps, and then walked directly into the courtyard.

I finally gave up completely.

Won't they keep dragging me into talking about work until the wee hours of the morning?
With a long sigh, Chen Fan drove the car into the yard.

It snowed heavily today, and there was a lot of snow piled up on the roadside when I came here. Now the yard is almost the same. I don't know which kind person helped, but the snow was all shoveled to the fence and piled up. There is only a thin layer of snow in the yard.

I got out of the car, closed the door behind me, walked through the snow to the door, took out my keys to open it, and turned on the light. The orange light pierced the darkness, but it didn't bring much warmth to the room.

That's how lakeside houses are; if you want the coolness of summer and the ambiance of having your door open to the water, you have to accept the cold of winter and the high humidity.

Unlike the last time I came, all the furniture in the house was in place, and a portrait of Mr. Li was hanging on the main wall of the main room.

Although the old man is no longer here, many rural families still hang his portrait in later generations, not to mention now, the sound of his footsteps has not yet faded away.

Below the portrait is not the traditional eight-immortal table, but a large daybed.

Chen Fan originally ordered three large beds, one for the master bedroom and two for the guest rooms. However, since the master bedroom had been converted into a heated kang bed, the original bed was moved to the guest room, and then a daybed from the guest room was moved to the living room, resulting in the current arrangement.

As for the two sides of the main room, there are rows of rosewood chairs and tea tables, giving the room a slightly retro feel.

Yes, all the furniture in the house is made of rosewood; otherwise, it wouldn't have cost so much money. In Chen Fan's words, the lakeside is damp, and rosewood is durable.

Turning left, you enter the master bedroom. The first half is a study, with a full-length bookshelf on the west wall. The bedroom is separated from the study by another full-length bookshelf. Further in is the bedroom itself.

Looking at the heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove) that occupied most of the bedroom, Chen Fan felt very satisfied.

I went over and touched it, and wow... it's so cold!

And there was a little bit of dust.

There's no one here to help him with housework, so he'll have to do it himself from now on. It'll be good to give his housework skills, which haven't been used in a long time, a chance to improve his experience.
Enough talk, let's get to work!
First, go to the kitchen. The eight-immortal table that was originally prepared for the living room has been placed here. If there aren't many people, this place can be used as a dining room, since the kitchen is quite large.

Next to the bedroom, a stove was built on the wall. Beside the stove was a pile of firewood and charcoal. Under the north window, there was another stove with a gas stove on it and a gas cylinder below it.

There was a small booklet on the stove. Chen Fan picked it up and saw that it was a gas refill booklet. With this booklet, he could go to the designated place to refill the gas.

He put down the notebook, turned around and started burning firewood, while also boiling a pot of bathwater.

Once the fire was burning brightly, he busied himself cleaning up.

You don't need to do everything. Just clean the kang (heated brick bed) and wash the basins and buckets you'll be using later.

Vice Chairman Chen couldn't help but sigh, "Even after being promoted, you still have to do the work yourself; it's exhausting."

After a flurry of activity, the kang (heated brick bed) was finally heated up, and the room was warm and cozy, especially the master bedroom, which was almost like a heated room, without a trace of smoke.

After quickly washing up, I laid out the bedding and crawled inside.

Turning off the lights and listening to the mournful howling of the north wind outside, along with the faintly visible snowflakes, a sense of satisfaction welled up within me.

That's life.

(End of this chapter)