Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 709 I'm not going, I'm not going
Chen Fan nestled on the sofa. A little while later, the two sisters changed their clothes and came downstairs. Jiang Tiantian brewed a cup of tea and brought it over, placing it in front of him.

Jiang Lili went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

It was already past 4 o'clock, almost time for dinner.

Jiang Tiantian didn't go to help; instead, she was busy tidying up the house.

The three of them performed their duties with great tacit understanding.

Chen Fan picked up his teacup and took a sip, listening to He Qingsheng's shouts over the phone, "Where is your uncle now? Can you contact him?"
I heard that the most favorable payment plan he finalized with the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications involved installing the equipment first, with the first payment due one year after installation, and the remaining payments made in five installments. After six years, only a small annual maintenance fee would be required. Is this true?

Chen Fan held his teacup without moving, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "Six years to pay in full, with no prepayment, and the first payment is only received a year after installation?"

He Qingsheng: "Yes, but with this payment method, the price is slightly higher, starting at $500 million. But with this method, it only costs $100 million a year."

Although $1 million is a lot, it can still solve the problem by giving the import and export company more responsibilities and organizing more goods to participate in the Canton Fair. At least it can solve 70-80% of the problem.

Furthermore, there's the literary foreign exchange earnings program that our Writers Association is currently promoting. I dare not say how much, but three to five hundred thousand US dollars a year should be no problem. After all, with you here, you can handle half of that by yourself, so a foreign exchange quota of one million US dollars is not difficult.

Conversely, if this payment method can be utilized effectively, it could allow Jiangnan Province to advance into the era of modern communications ahead of schedule. Even if it only involves one provincial capital, it would still be very meaningful!

Hearing this, Chen Fan felt a little embarrassed. Did using a program-controlled exchange mean we had entered the era of modern communications?

However, when you think about the ideal life that ordinary people envision now, which is "upstairs and downstairs, electric lights and telephones," it seems quite reasonable.

After He Qingsheng finished speaking, Chen Fan put down his teacup and said softly, "Uncle He, please don't get excited. I don't know exactly where my uncle is right now, but I guess he's busy with equipment matters."

"In that case, I can't guarantee anything else, but I can assure you that the quota for Jiangnan Province will be second only to Beijing and Shanghai. Is that alright?"

Unless the local government finds a way to fund the solution itself, if all purchases are made in this way, Beijing would undoubtedly be the first choice. Shanghai, which was once the largest city in Asia in the first half of this century, has extraordinary economic significance. Before the concept of "special economic zones" was proposed, it was also a place that needed to be considered first.

Only after these two cities are satisfied will other cities be considered.

Chen Fan's promise was enough to put He Qingsheng at ease.

Sure enough, a burst of laughter immediately came through the microphone, "It's settled then!"

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "Okay, it's settled then."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "You called me today just about this?"

The next second, a "smack" was heard, probably He Qingsheng slapping his forehead again.

Then I heard him say, "You distracted me and I forgot about the important matter."

Chen Fan: ? ? ?
He Qingsheng, "I'm asking you, did you perform at the Shanghai literary and artistic circles' New Year's Day celebration?"

Chen Fan waved to Jiang Tiantian, who had come to clean, then pointed to the cigarettes placed not far away and said, "Did you hear about it from someone, or did you see it on TV?"

In addition to rebroadcasting CCTV every day, the provincial capital's television station in Jiangnan sometimes rebroadcasts programs from other stations. Yes, other stations do the same. These days, television programs are limited, and if you rely on your own production, you simply can't guarantee that there will be programs airing every day, not even for a few hours a day.

Therefore, rebroadcasting programs from other TV stations has become a way to exchange resources.

Even CCTV occasionally selects some excellent TV programs from local stations for broadcast, which is quite normal.

Seeing Chen Fan's gesture, Jiang Tiantian immediately put down the mop, took the cigarette, and seeing that he was busy making a phone call, she took out another one and handed it to him. She then lit it with a lighter, put it away, and continued doing her own thing.

Chen Fan was taken aback by her thoughtfulness and stared at her with a strange look in his eyes.

At this moment, He Qingsheng's voice came through the microphone, "I've heard about it and seen it. My colleagues at work all said the program was good, the songs were good, and the singing was good. But there's one problem: this program wasn't performed at our Jiangnan Arts and Literature Gala."

Chen Fan snapped out of his daze. "So?"

He Qingsheng chuckled and said, "There's no reason or not. Everyone can understand. After all, you're in Shanghai, and you're out there with a mission to promote our Jiangnan literary works to the world. You can't blame anyone else."

Chen Fan chuckled and was about to speak when He Qingsheng's voice came through the microphone again.

"However, after all, you are an outstanding representative of our Jiangnan literary scene and a rising star in the Jiangnan literary and artistic circles. Looking at the new generation of the entire Jiangnan literary and artistic circles, who can be more representative than you?"
As a result, the representatives of the new generation of literary and artistic circles in Jiangnan went to participate in performances by the literary and artistic circles in Shanghai. Isn't this just making us a laughing stock in the eyes of outsiders?!

Therefore, on behalf of the Jiangnan Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Jiangnan Provincial Branch of the Writers Association, I hereby formally inform you that you must return to the provincial capital on January 20th to participate in the Jiangnan Literary and Art Circles' Spring Festival Gala Performance on January 21st.

Chen Fan scratched his head and sighed softly, "I knew there would be a 'therefore' to it."

He calculated the time and found that January 21st was the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, which was also the Little New Year in the north. Most areas in Jiangnan Province celebrated the Little New Year in the south and held a Spring Festival party the day before the Little New Year, which was close to his prediction.

The two sisters' final exams start on the 15th, so there's enough time.

Without saying much, he said, "Okay, I'll be back on January 20th."

He Qingsheng was taken aback by his quick agreement. "You agreed just like that?"

Chen Fan: "...So, I'm saying no?"

He Qingsheng quickly said, "We can't say no, it's settled then!"

Chen Fan's eye twitched slightly, feeling rather speechless. After pausing for two seconds, he said, "Is there anything else? If not, I'll hang up now, to save the company some phone bills."

He Qingsheng said, "What's the rush? You don't have to pay for the phone calls. You made quite a few phone calls when you were staying at the Cultural Palace Guesthouse!"

Hearing him mention this, Chen Fan suddenly remembered something, "Uncle He, when will telephones be installed in Wenyi New Village?"

When he first encouraged the construction of the Arts and Culture New Village, he went to great lengths to ensure that the basic amenities were complete. However, he neglected to include "value-added services" like telephones. In any case, there was no telephone installed in the house when we took possession of it.

He Qingsheng: "The telephone was installed a few days ago. As I just mentioned, my son works at the telephone exchange, and he even got me a small domestic exchange that can handle a hundred telephone lines. As long as there aren't a hundred people making calls at the same time, it won't be affected. If there are more than that, we have to wait for the line."

Chen Fan clicked his tongue, "Our neighborhood probably doesn't even have a hundred telephones, right?" Telephones aren't installed just anywhere. Usually, you need to reach a certain level, and your workplace has to issue a note to the telephone company to come and install the phone... Chen Fan is an exception.

Although the Arts and Literature Village encompasses the major arts and literature organizations in the provincial capital, firstly, not all leaders have moved in, and secondly, even if all leaders were included, the number would not reach one hundred households. Using a 100-line switch as the communication control hub of the community should be more than enough.

Unfortunately, this type of switch is a domestically produced cross-type switch and cannot be considered a true programmable digital device, so its efficiency is still somewhat low.

Just as he was lost in thought, he heard He Qingsheng hum twice, "Even if there aren't a hundred households, we can't let this hundred-line switch go to waste, otherwise it would just benefit the neighboring community."
So we held a meeting, first looking at work performance, then at seniority and experience, and selected a group of veteran employees to make up 100 telephone lines.

Chen Fan pursed his lips, unsure of what to say.

After thinking for a while, he said, "Yes, that's good. They are all comrades in the arts and literature field. We can't just look after the leaders. We also need to be flexible and take appropriate care of the ordinary workers."

He Qingsheng clicked his tongue and said, "Hey, that's exactly the kind of thinking you need. Some people always think we're selfish and taking advantage of others, but I think they're the ones who don't care about the needs of the masses. Next time someone says that, that's how I'll reply to them."

Chen Fan chuckled dryly. He was just thinking about the Agricultural Bureau community in Beijing, where several hundred-line switches were installed, and dozens of households in the community were ordinary workers.

Yeah, they should be about the same.

After chatting for a few more minutes, we finally hung up the phone.

Jiang Tiantian had finished her work and washed her hands before coming over to get him some hot tea. At the same time, she asked, "Is this Chairman He? I think I heard you say you're going back on January 20th?"

Chen Fan waved his hand, indicating that the tea did not need to be changed, and then said, "Yes, the Jiangnan Federation of Literary and Art Circles plans to hold a Spring Festival gala on January 21. Uncle He said that since I participated in the one in Shanghai, I can't miss the one in my province and must go back."

Jiang Tiantian sat down on the sofa next to her, thought for a moment, and said, "The exams should have been finished by the 20th, so there shouldn't be any problem."

Chen Fan nodded slowly, took a drag of his cigarette, threw the butt into the ashtray, clapped his hands, and suddenly reached into his pocket, pulled out a small item, and handed it over, saying, "Here, this is for you."

Jiang Tiantian was stunned, her eyes filled with confusion. She took it with both hands, looked at the object in her hands—it was white, delicate, and warm to the touch—and couldn't help but ask, "What is this?"

Chen Fan grinned and said, "I carved it myself. It's a little sheep, a birthday present for you."

Jiang Tiantian held the jade lamb in her palm, her face full of surprise, "How did you know it was my birthday today?"

Chen Fan laughed twice. "Back then, I was the one who processed your student records, so I wrote them down. You were born on the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, and Lili was born on the seventeenth. You live very close by, so it's perfect for preparing gifts together."

As he spoke, he pulled out another small dog, also carved from mutton fat jade, from his pocket. It was adorable and particularly cute.

Turning his head to glance in the direction of the kitchen, Chen Fan lowered his voice and said, "Don't tell her yet."

Jiang Tiantian pursed her lips, nodded, and smiled, "I won't let it slip."

She then held up the little sheep in her hand, looked at him intently, and said, "Thank you."

Chen Fan put the puppy back in his pocket and said with a smile, "It was my birthday a few days ago, and you guys gave me a gift too, but I didn't say thank you."

Jiang Tiantian held the little lamb tightly in her hand, looked at him and smiled, "It was mainly Lili who knitted the sweaters and scarves; I just helped out a bit."

Chen Fan shook his head and laughed, "Your skills are all different, but I can still recognize you."

He paused for a moment, then said, “I originally wanted to prepare clothes and shoes for you, but then I thought you wouldn’t be lacking in those things. I happened to buy a few pieces of mutton fat jade from Rongbaozhai when I was in the capital, so I found two pieces of similar size and carved them into a small animal as a gift.”

He pointed to the little sheep in Jiang Tiantian's hand, "You were born in the Year of the Sheep, so I carved a little sheep. Lili was born in the Year of the Dog, so I carved a little dog."

He scratched his head and sighed, "I have no idea what to give as a gift next year."

Then he looked at her and said, "Why don't you two suggest it yourselves?"

Jiang Tiantian couldn't help but grin and say, "Who asks for a birthday present?"

After saying that, he took a deep breath and lowered his head. "Actually, there's no need to give gifts. As long as everyone is safe and sound, that's enough."

Chen Fan leaned back on the sofa and let out a long breath. "Life is something you live yourself. I want to live it like a poem. Even if I'm tired from work and study every day, I can still add some color to my life."

Therefore, life is more beautiful when it has a little ritual.

He then coughed lightly and laughed, "It doesn't matter what the gift is or how expensive it is. Even if it's just a scarf every year, it's still a token of my affection and enough to bring a little surprise to life."

Jiang Tiantian rolled her eyes slightly, pursed her lips, shook her head, and after a few seconds, smiled and looked up at him, "I think you are not only a writer, but also a poet, and a poet of life."

Just then, Jiang Lili came out of the kitchen and said from afar, "What poet? Has anyone written a poem?"

Jiang Tiantian looked up, and only after she got closer did she repeat what Chen Fan had just said with a smile, then said with a smile, "Do you think his attitude towards life counts as that of a poet of life?"

Jiang Lili sat down next to her sister and nodded in deep agreement, "You're absolutely right. Do you know what my impression of him was when I first met him?"

Jiang Tiantian's eyes darted around as she recalled the letter her sister had written to her, and she couldn't help but laugh, "A natural optimist?"

Jiang Lili nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes, yes, back then he only had one set of thermal underwear, and he didn't even remember where he lived, but he was happy every day. I really admire him to death!"

Chen Fan laughed and was about to speak.

Just then, the phone next to me suddenly rang.

He swallowed the words he was about to say, picked up the phone and put it to his ear, "Hello, where is this?"

He was slightly taken aback. "What? CCTV is going to put on a Spring Festival Gala and they want me to perform?"

He immediately shook his head without hesitation, "Why would I perform during the New Year? No way."

(End of this chapter)