Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 710 Another Good Thing
After hanging up the phone, Chen Fan explained, "It was Mr. Ba who called. CCTV contacted him and wanted to invite me to record the Spring Festival Gala, which would be broadcast on New Year's Eve as a special treat for the people on their reunion night. But I declined."

He picked up his teacup and took a sip. “If it were recorded before the Lunar New Year, like the Jiangnan arts scene, I could join in the fun. But their recording time is the 27th of the twelfth lunar month, which is almost the New Year. It doesn’t matter if they have local actors in Beijing, but I’m in Jiangnan Province. Even if I take a plane, it will take two days to go there and perform.”

As we all know, the first CCTV Spring Festival Gala was in 1983. Strictly speaking, it can't be considered the "first" one. If we have to categorize it, we must add the qualifier "live broadcast" before it!
The 1983 Spring Festival Gala was the first to be broadcast live on television.

The first television Spring Festival Gala was held during the Spring Festival of 1979.

Going a step further, when was the first Spring Festival Gala?
A: The Spring Festival Gala in 1956.

That year's Spring Festival Gala was the earliest Spring Festival Gala in China.

This year's Spring Festival Gala was organized by second-rate newspapers and Xinhua News Agency, and recorded by the Newsreel and Documentary Film Studio—the same organization that records major national events. It was then broadcast on New Year's Eve through what was then Beijing Television.

The guests included Lao She, Ba Jin, Zhou Libo, Mei Lanfang, Qian Xuesen, Hua Luogeng, and dozens of other well-known figures from various fields.

To be honest, given Chen Fan's current status and achievements, whether he can even get a seat inside is a very real question!

At that time, there was no such thing as a host; they were all called reporters. Among them, the male reporter was Guo Zhenqing, who was well-known to the older generation. His role as "Li Xiangyang with Double Guns" in the Pingyuan Guerrilla was extremely popular, even more so than Nezha is today.

Who are the performers?

Mei Lanfang, Zhou Xinfang, Guo Lanying, Xu Yulan, Wang Wenjuan, Fan Ruijuan, Lü Ruiying, Xin Fengxia, Bai Yang, Zhao Dan... they were all performing artists.

Hou Baolin and Guo Qiru performed crosstalk inside, but they were not particularly noticeable.

The combat hero appeared on the Spring Festival Gala that year.

However, when this grand gala was broadcast on New Year's Eve, very few families across the country owned televisions, and even fewer owned radios.

As a result, most people still "listen" to the show through the radio.

Therefore, this first Spring Festival Gala of the People's Republic of China was also known as the Spring Festival Gala in the "talking box".

Then, more than twenty years later, in 1979, came this gala.

The gala that year was also very grand, called the "Spring Festival Gala". The directors were Deng Zaijun and Yang Jie, yes, the same woman who later filmed Journey to the West.

The photographer was Wang Chongqiu, who was also Yang Jie's husband.

Before the Spring Festival Gala's prestige declined, every subsequent Spring Festival Gala featured a song that became a huge hit, and this trend started with that particular Gala.

The song that became popular was "Toast Song" sung by Li Guangxi.

In 1979, this song was played at almost every celebration. ...Absurdly, it was also played at funerals in many rural areas, without any explanation of what it was supposed to be a toast to.

Chen Fan recalled the Spring Festival Gala and thought that two songs must have become hits this year.

Then Jiang Lili said, "You refused Mr. Ba's invitation?"

Although it was Buffett relaying CCTV's wishes, he personally called, so what's the difference between that and an invitation from him personally?
Chen Fan looked up and saw that both sisters had wide eyes and terrified expressions.

He couldn't help but chuckle, "Old Ba isn't going to eat people, why can't he refuse?"

The two sisters exchanged a glance, their fear not gone, but rather replaced by a sense of speechlessness.

Xiao Fan wasn't this unreasonable person before, was he?

That's Old Man Buffett!
Seeing their expressions, Chen Fan couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore. I just told Mr. Ba that I had to go home for the Chinese New Year and there wasn't enough time, and Mr. Ba understood. He also suggested that I authorize CCTV to ask the China Musicians Association to arrange for singers to perform, and I agreed. He won't have any objections."

Hearing this, the two sisters breathed a long sigh of relief. Jiang Lili pouted and glared at Chen Fan for the first time, saying, "Why didn't you say so earlier? You scared me to death."

Chen Fan understood their feelings quite well. It had nothing to do with whether or not there would be retaliation; Buffett wasn't that kind of person. How to put it? It was somewhat similar to a die-hard fan suddenly offending their idol. Regardless of the idol's attitude, the fan would be extremely worried.

After confirming that everything was alright, the two sisters went to the kitchen to get busy again.

Chen Fan picked up his teacup, took a sip, leaned back on the sofa, crossed his legs, and squinted, wondering whether CCTV would promote a newcomer or hand the song over to an established singer.
……

Time passed day by day, and a week went by in the blink of an eye. Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian were about to start their final exams.

January 15th, Monday, the 1th day of the twelfth lunar month.

That day, Chen Fan got up very early and personally went out to buy breakfast.

The two sisters had already gotten up, lit the fireplace in the living room, and were engrossed in reading their books.

Chen Fan came in carrying a basket of breakfast. Seeing their appearance, he couldn't help but be speechless. "Did you dawdle at the last minute?"

Jiang Lili put down her book, immediately got up and went over to help, and said with a smile, "It's alright, I've memorized all the knowledge points in the textbook, I'm just a little nervous, I want to review them again."

Jiang Tiantian followed closely behind, and after her younger sister took the basket and placed it on the dining table, they took out the breakfast together.

Chen Fan plopped down in a chair, took a sip of hot water, and then laughed, "You can eat anything else today, but everyone has to finish one fried dough stick and two eggs."

Jiang Tiantian sat down opposite him, her face a mixture of speechlessness and amusement. "Do you think we're elementary school students?"

Jiang Lili peeled an egg and handed it to her, giggling, "So, do you want some or not?"

Jiang Tiantian took it, took a small bite, and said, "Eat."

Chen Fan looked at the two laughing sisters, then at Jiang Lili who placed a bowl of spicy beef noodles and glutinous rice cake in front of him, and smiled at her, "Do you remember what day it is today?"

Jiang Lili was holding a fried dough stick, about to take a bite, when she heard this and immediately stopped, blinking at him, "What day is it?"

Chen Fan took out a jade carving of a small dog with a red string tied around it from his pocket, but instead of opening it, he held it in his hand and extended it to her, saying, "Open your hand."

Jiang Lili looked at him, then turned to look at her sister, and suddenly realized what was happening. She exclaimed excitedly, "Oh, today is my birthday!"

She then placed her palm under Chen Fan's fist, asking, "Is this my birthday present?"

Chen Fan smiled and released his hand. The jade carving landed in his palm, and its color was surprisingly similar to that of his hand.

Jiang Lili carefully cradled the puppy and brought it close to her face, her eyes sparkling. "What a beautiful puppy."

Seeing this, Chen Fan was very satisfied.

This is what a 19-year-old girl should be like! Look at her usually, she's either buried in her studies or bent over doing chores, she doesn't even go shopping. Only now does she show some girlishness. Jiang Lili watched for a while until she heard her sister say, "We've got the gifts, we can look at them slowly later. Breakfast will get cold if we don't eat it soon."

She then realized what was happening, carefully picked up the red rope, put it around her neck, tucked it into her thermal underwear, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as she picked up the fried dough stick and was about to take a bite, she suddenly remembered something and turned sharply to look at her sister. "Sis, wasn't last week your birthday?"

She wrinkled her nose as she spoke, "Sorry, sis, I forgot."

Jiang Tiantian deliberately wrinkled her nose at her, "You only remember Xiaofan's birthday. Don't even mention mine, you almost forgot your parents' birthdays too."

Chen Fan chuckled, "She didn't even remember her own birthday just now."

Jiang Lili turned her head, about to speak, but when she saw Chen Fan's smiling face, her eyes suddenly lit up, "You didn't forget my sister's birthday, did you?"

Before Chen Fan could speak, Jiang Tiantian took out her little lamb, gently shook it, and smiled, "It's the same as yours."

Jiang Lili immediately giggled, "If Xiao Fan gave it to me, it's the same as if I gave it to him, so sis, you can't say I forgot, okay?"

Jiang Tiantian glared at her helplessly, "That's all you're good for."

After laughing and joking through breakfast, Chen Fan drove them to school.

Then the car turned around and headed to the No. 1 Department Store.

We're running low on raw materials at home, so we need to go and buy some.

However, there's no need to buy too much. Once they finish their final exams, they can leave school for winter break and fly directly back to Jiangnan Province.

I'll be staying in the provincial capital for two more days, but that's okay, it'll be a good opportunity for them to see my new dorm.

Chen Fan strolled around the No. 1 Department Store, loaded his bags into his car, and returned home.

It hasn't snowed in Shanghai lately; in fact, the weather has been quite nice. The previous snow has melted, and I had a smooth journey home.

Before the car even reached the gate, two people were standing at the entrance of the yard, with several suitcases beside them.

Chen Fan took a closer look, raised an eyebrow, and sped up to drive over.

Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Zhou Yali pulled down her scarf to reveal her face and shouted at him, "Where have you been, bro? You weren't staying home all the time, you're not a homebody at all!"

She even coined the term "otaku" because Chen Fan said that when she went to Shanghai, she didn't go out shopping. Except for visiting Ba Jin, she stayed at home all day long, making her a true otaku.

Then Zhou Yali countered that he was a homebody.

Chen Fan parked the car directly in front of the gate, without getting out, and handed over the keys, saying, "Open the gate quickly."

Zhou Yali pouted but didn't say anything. She took the key and went to open the door.

Chen Fan turned to Zhou Zhengdong, who was chuckling to himself, and asked, "Uncle, where did you come from? And why are you here at this hour?"

It's neither too early nor too late, it's exactly 10 a.m. If you're coming from Beijing, it would be either noon or afternoon, the timing doesn't match up.

Zhou Zhengdong adjusted his scarf and said, "I flew from Hong Kong to Guangzhou last night, and then from Guangzhou to Shanghai early this morning."

As she spoke, she stamped her foot, "Shanghai is much colder than Guangzhou and Hong Kong."

Chen Fan laughed heartily, "Shanghai is at a high latitude and is by the sea, so it must be very cold. How can you compare the temperature with that of the south?"

Not to mention the South, in terms of perceived temperature, the Yangtze River Delta region is not as warm as inland areas at the same latitude. This is also the earliest region in the "South" to spontaneously build community heating.

At this moment, Zhou Yali had already unlocked the door. As she pushed the door open, she said, "Brother, this door is too heavy. And every time I drive back, I have to get out of the car to open it. It's so inconvenient."

Chen Fan lightly pressed the clutch, walked past her, and asked, "So what do you suggest we do?"

Zhou Yali, her breath steaming in the air, picked up a suitcase in each hand and followed them inside, saying, "Let's install an automatic door. The US had electrified automatic doors back in the 60s. I'll have Mom send one over later."

Chen Fan parked the car, picked up the things he had just bought, and hurried to open the gate. Hearing her words, he couldn't help but say, "It's just an automatic door, it's not that complicated. I'll have Yunhu Machinery Factory make one later, there's no need to send it from the United States."

I couldn't help but think to myself, this girl is no wonder she comes from a rich family, she really doesn't treat US dollars like money.

However, this did remind him.

Automatic doors are a great thing. Convenience is secondary; the most important thing is that with the reform and opening up, more and more organizations have begun to pay attention to appearances. A door that can open and close automatically can make ordinary people who haven't seen much of the world look up to it.

Moreover, the technology behind this is indeed very simple. It doesn't require remote control; you just need to install a control button in the guardhouse. Of course, having a remote control would be more sophisticated. Infrared remote control technology was invented as early as 1936 and is very common abroad. Chen Fan doesn't know exactly when it was introduced to China.

However, this won't have a big impact; we can just ask Zhou Yali to keep an eye on it later.

At this moment, Chen Fan was marveling at the good fortune of Yunhu Machinery Factory.

If they hadn't chosen that set of files and gotten involved with Yunhu Machinery Factory, they wouldn't have been able to reap so many benefits. Yunhu Automobile Factory alone would make many of their peers envious, not to mention Yunhu Home Appliances Company and the original Yunhu Machinery Factory.

All sorts of products, and they're all incredibly profitable!

This happened after 93, when a wave of state-owned enterprise shareholding reforms swept the country, and it wouldn't be right not to give yourself a few percent of the shares!
How many points will there be specifically?

Chen Fan was a little excited.

Carrying her things inside, Zhou Yali immediately dropped her suitcase and ran towards the two little monkeys who were warming themselves by the fireplace. "Ah, my little darlings, I missed you so much!"

The two little golden monkeys were caught innocently and put in a different position.

Chen Fan had no choice but to leave the things he had bought aside and pick up her suitcase to go upstairs.

A short while later, Zhou Zhengdong had put his luggage in the first-floor guest room, changed his clothes, made a cup of tea, and sat in the rocking chair by the fireplace, humming comfortably.

Chen Fan looked at the father and daughter and felt that they were completely different from his impression of them when they first met.

Back then they were social elites and ladies from prominent families, but what are they now?

He mentally grumbled to himself, pulled up a chair, sat down, and asked, "Did you finish all the preparations over there when you came back from Hong Kong?"

(End of this chapter)