Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 676 Borrowing without having to repay

Chen Fan and Zhou Zhengdong smoked and drank tea, chatting slowly, while Zhou Yali chattered incessantly on the side.

However, all that we've said so far has only covered the reasons for their return to China.

However, matters related to industry have not yet been mentioned.

Chen Fan was initially curious as to why Zhou Yali, who was usually so outspoken, was so patient.
When he saw Zhou Yali hesitate several times, looking eager but also very uncomfortable, he blinked and finally understood what she was worried about.

This is because they're worried about being listened to in the room.

As for the fact that Chen Fan is the author of the novel "Legend of the Dragon Knight," it might be possible to keep it from ordinary people, but for the high-level officials of both countries, it's practically an open secret. If they're willing to investigate, it's impossible to hide it. Since it can't be prevented anyway, let's just talk about it.

At this moment, Chen Fan suddenly understood some things.

Zhou Zhengdong's smooth entry into the trade office was probably not as simple as he claimed.

Or rather, it wasn't that the trade representative needed him to do anything, but rather that he wanted to express a friendly attitude to us through my uncle.

Similarly, the fact that I was able to become the vice chairman of the branch with the tacit approval of the higher-ups at the age of just 18 probably reflects the same considerations from above.

Having figured this out, Chen Fan couldn't help but take out another cigarette and light it.

It turns out that the entire "big picture" is made up of countless "small details".

Carter agreed to our request to send students abroad without hesitation, and this is also why he and Zhou Zhengdong were able to rise to power smoothly.

It doesn't matter who Chen Fan and Zhou Zhengdong are; what matters is that they happen to be connected and have come to the attention of the higher-ups on both sides.

When both sides are striving to move in the same direction, even the smallest gesture will be scrutinized by the other. Therefore, these two individuals become tools for both sides to express their attitudes.

Both sides are adhering to their principles, repeatedly testing the waters on what constitutes a bottom line. Yet, they are also expressing goodwill through numerous trivial issues, hoping to quickly bridge their differences and reach an agreement as soon as possible.

For me and Lao Zhou, this was a complete stroke of good luck!

Chen Fan scratched his head and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.

My intelligence has definitely increased for no reason; I've become smarter!
After figuring this out, Chen Fan couldn't help but chuckle.

Regardless of the tools or not, the fact remains that I benefited.

However, this kind of good thing will probably only happen once, and there won't be another one.

Zhou Yali was holding back her words, feeling frustrated by not being able to say what she wanted to say, when she saw him suddenly laugh and couldn't help but ask, "What are you laughing at?"

Chen Fan chuckled twice more, glancing around the house. "I think this place should be relatively clean."

Zhou Yali wasn't stupid. She was stunned for a moment, but then she remembered what her father had told her and immediately understood what he meant. She then turned to look at her father.

Zhou Zhengdong's eyes showed a thoughtful look, and he slowly nodded, "Hmm, that's possible."

He then gave a wry smile, "But the team leader made the request, so we had no choice but to comply."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Zhou Yali and said, "We can talk about personal matters."

If the intention is to express goodwill, then at such a crucial moment, one would certainly not do something that would hurt feelings, such as placing a small hidden button in the room.

Besides, the negotiation team wasn't without cats, who are experts at finding things. They had even checked this room before, being cautious in their words and actions, just in case.

Zhou Yali's eyes darted around, and she was about to speak when the phone in the room rang.

She could only shut up, get up, and go to answer the call.

After she hung up the phone, Chen Fan raised an eyebrow and said to Zhou Zhengdong, "Since you want to gather, I can only come when I have time."

The phone call he just received was to ask Zhou Zhengdong and his companion to meet in the conference room. Since they had official business to attend to, he had no choice but to leave.

Zhou Yali walked over with a pout, "Another meeting."

Then he looked at Chen Fan and said, "Why don't you just book a room here and stay?"

Chen Fan looked at her and said helplessly, "What am I supposed to do living here? I'd be bored to death."

He then turned to Zhou Zhengdong and said, "Business is important. Anyway, I'll be staying in Beijing for the time being, and I'll come over whenever I have time."

Zhou Zhengdong nodded, smiled, and said, "Since it's called a meeting, it means there's progress. Hopefully, it's good news."

He tossed away his cigarette butt, stood up, and smiled, "Okay, you go back first. I'll call you if anything comes up."

There are no telephones at home here; you can only make calls to nearby shops, which were the most common public telephones back then. Each incoming call cost 5 cents, and each three minutes of outgoing calls cost 10 cents. This price was set in the 1950s and has been used ever since, so it was a bit expensive.

The money you get for answering the call isn't for the phone itself, but rather a "call fee" for the person who manages the phone. They come to your house and ask you to answer the phone, so you have to pay them a service fee.
Making a phone call is the same; it costs one cent for three minutes, that's the phone fee, and you have to pay an extra three cents, which is also for the caretaker.

Thinking about how troublesome it was to call his nephew, Zhou Zhengdong suddenly had a brilliant idea: once the negotiations were successful, could he ask the other party's staff to help install a telephone in his nephew's house? After all, it wasn't like they wouldn't pay, so it should be possible, right?
However, there's no rush to tell my nephew about this; we can talk about it after it's all settled.

Chen Fan straightened his clothes and prepared to leave.

At that moment, Zhou Yali suddenly ran into the room and brought out a box of cigarettes, saying, "Take this back with you."

Chen Fan shuddered. "No way, I can't carry it. I'll take it with me next time I drive over."

After putting on his coat, Zhou Zhengdong couldn't help but ask curiously, "Have you bought a car? Are you allowed to buy cars now?"

Chen Fan quickly waved his hand and explained with a smile, "It's not a private car, it's a car from the Beijing office of Yunhu Automobile Factory. I borrowed it from them."

"Oh."

Zhou Zhengdong nodded in realization, a hint of regret in his eyes. "So that's how it is. I was thinking that if individuals were allowed to buy cars, I would give you a few."

Chen Fan laughed and said, "It's alright. After the negotiations are over, you can open an office in Beijing and buy a car in the name of the office. Just leave one for me to use."

Zhou Zhengdong smiled and nodded, "Okay, it's settled then."

Zhou Yali took the cigarettes back, then took a few more packs and stuffed them into her younger brother's pocket. Only then did she grab a cotton-padded coat from the wardrobe by the door and follow him out the door.

Next, one elevator went up and the other went down, parting ways.

……

As Chen Fan walked out of the Beijing Hotel, he glanced back and muttered to himself.

If I remember correctly, it seems that both sides agreed on a time, December 16th, with one side releasing the announcement in the morning and the other in the evening, simultaneously.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Zhengdong also joined in this time, becoming an insignificant little figure.

In fact, this qualification is not very useful in the United States.

Even this negotiation was conducted privately at Old Kaspersky's behest, bypassing Congress.

Then, through the coordination of Leonard Woodcock, the head of the Beijing office, an agreement was finally reached. He later became the first ambassador, but left the position two years later and returned to the United States. He did not return to politics and instead became a university professor.

His second marriage was held in Beijing this April, and many leaders in the diplomatic corps sent gifts. After his death, condolences were also sent from China, so he can be considered an "old friend".

Chen Fan guessed that Zhou Zhengdong was suddenly called to a meeting just now, most likely because Zhang Shifu's old political commissar had agreed to meet with Woodcock tomorrow.

This meeting is to discuss the final details.

Yes, the results will be out soon, so it won't be long.

……

Chen Fan turned around with a smile on his face, walked to the taxi stand, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for the Beijing office of Yunqi Factory.

When the First Ministry of Machine Building was first established, it was located at No. 16 Fuxingmenwai Street. Later, it moved to No. 10 Courtyard. So when Deputy Director Li was looking for an office location, he found a courtyard nearby, bought it, and renovated it into the current office.

When I came back, everything was the same as before. The wide gate was wide open, and inside was a courtyard of more than 100 square meters, with several cars parked inside. There were three buildings surrounding the courtyard, without any distinction between main buildings and side rooms. Like old-fashioned offices, they were all standard rooms of about 20 square meters.

There is also a courtyard at the back.

The layout is basically this: offices in the front yard and living quarters in the back yard.

As soon as Chen Fan entered the courtyard, before he could utter a sound, two figures emerged from the main house directly opposite, one after the other. The one in front was none other than Deputy Factory Director Li, and the one behind him was Director Shen from the Beijing Liaison Office.

Upon seeing Chen Fan, Deputy Factory Director Li was pleasantly surprised. "Xiao Fan, when did you arrive in Beijing?"

As she spoke, she grabbed his arm and pulled him inside, saying, "You're not allowed to leave today. Uncle Li will have a few drinks with you later, and you can stay here tonight. There are plenty of rooms in the back."

As he spoke, he was still thinking to himself, "This is truly unbelievable."

The 18-year-old boy was promoted three levels in one year. At the beginning of the year, he was a section chief, but after a trip to the provincial capital, he became a deputy director, the same level as himself.

As the year drew to a close, things got even more outrageous. Yesterday I received news that he'd actually been promoted to deputy director-general level?!

There's nowhere to seek justice.

However, Deputy Director Li was not jealous. Based on what Chen Fan had done, if he had wanted to, he probably would have been transferred to the Ministry of Health last year, and his rank would certainly not have been low.

However, he was still a little puzzled. Reaching the division level or above was like climbing a mountain step by step, let alone being promoted two levels in a row and jumping up like that.

Even though he accomplished a lot in the provincial branch, the national headquarters just watched and agreed to his promotion.

Judging from his own experience, Deputy Factory Director Li guessed that it must have been Chen Fan's mentors who had put in the effort, otherwise it would have been impossible!

Chen Fan was pulled into the house and said with a smile, "It's no problem for me to have lunch with you, but I have to leave after I finish eating."

He sat down on the sofa following Director Shen's gesture, took the teacup from a young clerk, and continued, "I arrived yesterday evening and haven't visited my three masters yet. If I don't go this afternoon, I'm afraid I'll get a beating."

Hearing this, Deputy Factory Director Li laughed heartily, feeling a pang of sadness in his heart, but his smile only grew wider. "Since you're going to see your mentors, I can't stop you. Here's what we'll do: stay here for lunch, and afterwards I'll prepare some things for you to take to your mentors. It's a small token of our company's appreciation."

This time, Chen Fan didn't refuse. He laughed and said, "Sure, I'd definitely be happy to do something like this."

After the laughter subsided, Director Shen looked at Chen Fan and asked, "Vice Chairman Chen, are you here by car?"

Chen Fan was drinking water when he heard this and quickly said, "Don't call me Vice Chairman Chen, just call me by my name, or Little Chen or Old Chen, it's fine."

Hearing people call him "Vice Chairman" made Chen Fan feel like an old man, incredibly awkward. Even just calling him by his name would sound better.

Director Shen's smile froze slightly. After a couple of seconds of hesitation, he said, "Then I'll call you Consultant Chen."

Chen Fan smiled and said, "This one will do too."

After all, he was the health consultant for the machinery factory, so this title was quite appropriate.

He paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "Director Shen guessed right, I really did come to borrow the car."

Then he turned to Deputy Factory Director Li and said, “It’s easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. I can’t even walk without a car now, and I need a car to go anywhere.”

Deputy Factory Director Li grunted in agreement and immediately said to Director Shen in a serious tone, "Then arrange a car for Consultant Chen. He doesn't need to return it; he can just keep it. If the office doesn't have enough, have the factory transfer two more."

Only car manufacturers can be so wealthy and powerful. Other organizations, even local government offices in Beijing, wouldn't be so extravagant.

They couldn't even get a motorcycle, let alone a car; they were lucky to have a few bicycles.

Cars? Dream on, you can have anything in your dreams.

As soon as Director Shen nodded, Chen Fan quickly said, "No need for a sedan, a minivan will do. We need to keep a low profile!"

As for the frequent borrowing, he didn't mention it at all.

Anyway, he's a consultant at the machinery factory, so it's normal for him to need a car!

Seeing that Deputy Factory Director Li nodded, Director Shen smiled and said, "Okay, then the van will do."

Without wasting any time, he immediately took out a set of keys from the drawer, turned around and handed them to Chen Fan, "The keys are all here. You can use the car. If you run out of gas coupons, just come and get more. There's plenty!"

Chen Fan didn't stand on ceremony, took it and put it in his pocket, saying, "Thank you."

He then looked at Deputy Factory Director Li and smiled, "Uncle Li, I heard from Uncle Xue that you're getting promoted and will be in charge of the small appliance company from now on?"

Upon hearing this, Deputy Factory Director Li was overjoyed. "Yes, yes, that's right. However, some things haven't been sorted out yet, and there are still procedures to go through. It's estimated that it won't be finalized until after New Year's Day."

Chen Fan: "That's pretty good too."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "Why aren't you at your unit handling the handover? Why did you come all the way to Beijing?"

Deputy Factory Director Li laughed and said, "I set up the small appliance company myself, so what's there to hand over? As for coming to Beijing, it's naturally because our small appliance company also wants to set up a Beijing office."

He suddenly seemed to remember something and immediately pulled out a cigarette from his pocket. "I'd completely forgotten about this."

He was about to offer her a cigarette.

Chen Fan was quick to act, taking out the cigarettes he had just taken from Zhou Zhengdong's room, pushing out two and handing them over, chuckling, "Try these, American cigarettes."

Deputy Factory Director Li paused, staring in surprise at the cigarette in Chen Fan's hand. After a couple of seconds of thought, he decisively put away his own cigarette, grabbed one, and lit it. "Today I'll try something new and taste the flavor of American cigarettes."

Chen Fan turned his head and glanced around. The clerk who had poured the tea was no longer in the office. There were only the three of them in the room. He took out a cigarette and threw it on the coffee table.

After lighting three cigarettes, Deputy Factory Director Li smacked his lips and said, "These American cigarettes are pretty good, but they're about the same as domestic cigarettes."

Director Shen nodded slightly in agreement.

Chen Fan smiled but didn't say anything.

Deputy Factory Director Li took a couple of puffs and continued, "Beijing has the Ministry of Light Industry and many department stores. It's very convenient to get policies and find buyers. It's a must-win market for manufacturers like ours."

Chen Fan understood what he meant. The Beijing office established by the small appliance company was more like a sales branch than a true Beijing office; the most important task, "running errands," had become secondary.

There are many department stores across the country. Although their supervisory unit is the same as that of the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives, they are actually managed by their respective local authorities. They are also responsible for their own procurement, which is somewhat similar to the later State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commissions at various levels.

They are both subordinate to each other and independent, with the difference lying in the procurement rights.

Among all department stores nationwide, Wangfujing Department Store in Beijing has the greatest purchasing power. The completeness of their merchandise can be described as "supplying the whole country to one company".

At Wangfujing Department Store, you can buy the most comprehensive selection of goods in the country. Moreover, factories that supply goods to Wangfujing Department Store are highly regarded by other department stores.

Although Yunhu Small Appliances Company is directly under the Jiangnan Provincial Department of Industry, and its product tasks and supply are subject to the arrangements of the Provincial Department of Commerce, it does not mean that the factory has no autonomy.

Just like how this company was created by Yunhu Machinery Factory itself, as long as you can find enough raw materials, you can arrange the production of this part of the products yourself.

With Director Yang firmly in control of Yunhu Automobile Factory, Deputy Director Li has no hope for the factory. He is now focusing all his energy on the small appliance company, hoping to break through conventions and take Yunhu small appliances to the national and even international markets, so that people can see that Yunhu has a small appliance company in addition to automobiles.

Then it's easy to understand why he set up a Beijing office for a small appliance company and established a relationship with the Jiangnan Provincial Import and Export Company.

Chen Fan naturally wished him good luck.

Deputy Factory Director Li is good at networking. This Beijing office has its own kitchen, and with cars and small appliances paving the way, there is no shortage of various supplies, including a lot of wild game and seafood.

This meal was naturally exceptionally lavish.

In addition to Deputy Director Li and Director Shen, two other cadres from the Beijing Office accompanied them. Together with Director Shen, the three of them represented the three units that Yunhu Machinery Factory was about to split up: the automobile factory, the small appliance company, and the machinery factory that was originally retained.

Chen Fan wondered if the machinery factory would open its own Beijing office once it developed the incubator and improved the industrial sewing machine and other related equipment.

The meal was enjoyable for both host and guests. Apart from the chef's skills needing improvement, everything else was quite good.

Chen Fan intentionally controlled his alcohol intake and didn't drink much. After finishing the meal, he drove away in his van.

(End of this chapter)