Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 714 One is enough
After leaving the school, Chen Fan bought some vegetables at the small market next to Wenyi New Village and then drove home.

Inside the house, things were just as they had been when he left: the front door was tightly shut, and three girls were sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) drinking tea and chatting.

No, there are changes.

Chen Fan went inside and put down the groceries he had bought. Just then, Jiang Lili and the others opened the door and came out. The first thing he saw was a black rotary dial telephone on the table.

After glancing at the three of them, Chen Fan quickly waved his hand, "You came out without even putting on your coats, go inside, go inside."

The three readily agreed and immediately turned around and went inside.

Although the temperature in the living room is much higher than outside, it is still lower than inside the room.

Chen Fan went inside and closed the door behind him. Before he could speak, Jiang Lili said, "Just now, Team Leader Wan from the security department brought two people over and installed a telephone in the house. They said that all the unit leaders have one, and they didn't charge us any money."

Chen Fan knew this too; He Qingsheng had discussed it with him a few days ago when he called. He didn't expect that someone would come to install it as soon as he got home. This response speed was not representative of the times at all.

After her sister finished speaking, Jiang Tiantian added, "I took a few packs of cigarettes from you and gave them two packs each."

Chen Fan gave her a thumbs up and nodded with a smile, "Well done."

Zhou Yali now has a better understanding of the mainland, especially in the field of communications. She knows that families who can afford to install telephones are not ordinary. At this moment, she couldn't help but say, "Your unit has very good benefits. I heard from Team Leader Wan that all the cadres have telephones installed in their homes. That's really generous."

Chen Fan said with a smile, "This is nothing special. Installing a 10,000-line program-controlled exchange is a real feat."

He then waved his hand, "Go sit on the kang (heated brick bed)."

The three of them immediately turned around and climbed onto the kang (heated brick bed). Feeling the warmth of the kang, Zhou Yali shivered slightly and chuckled, "This kind of kang is really comfortable. You don't even need to wear a coat in winter."

Chen Fan sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), just as Jiang Lili poured him a cup of tea, which he picked up and took a sip.

Before she could even put the phone down, Jiang Tiantian continued, "Shortly after the phone was installed, it rang again. It was Chairman He from your unit. He said that Vice Chairman Tan and Secretary-General Xu would be coming over after get off work..."

At this point, she seemed to remember something and covered her mouth to chuckle, then said, "Chairman He said he wants you to cook a meal, the same kind of Jiangtuan we had at the last meeting."

Chen Fan's face darkened, and he put down his teacup. He said irritably, "These old comrades don't know how to care for new comrades at all. I finally got to go on a business trip for a month, and when I came back, instead of treating me to a meal, they wanted to eat at my place. What's worse, they even ordered the food. It's outrageous!"

Jiang Lili blinked, looked at him, and asked softly, "Then, shall I do it?"

Chen Fan waved his hand, "Never mind, I'll do it."

He paused for a moment, then looked at the three of them and said with a smile, "I just bought some groceries. It's not much. I was planning to go fishing, but I guess I just happened to run into them."

After saying that, he took another sip of water, put down his teacup, and got up to leave.

The three of them got off the kang (a heated brick bed), but Jiang Lili said, "My sister and I are going to prepare the dishes."

Zhou Yali, however, said, "Brother, I'm going fishing."

Just like my cousin.

Since they weren't going out, the two sisters wore only a mink vest, which kept them warm without hindering their work.

Zhou Yali wrapped herself in a bearskin coat, and Chen Fan put a fur hat on her head, making her look all fluffy. She also carried a small shoulder bag containing a camera and followed her younger brother, who was carrying a fishing rod, as they swayed out the door.

Reaching the lakeside, Chen Fan untied the mooring rope, boarded the boat himself first, then helped Zhou Yali onto the boat. After she was settled in the cabin, he walked along the gunwale to the stern, set up the oars, and headed towards the center of the lake.

The lake was rippling with blue waves, and flocks of water birds roamed around it. One of the two people was taking pictures at the bow of the boat and having a great time, while the other was fishing at the stern. They did not disturb each other.

Half an hour later, seeing that it was almost time, Chen Fan rowed the boat back.

At home, the two sisters had already prepared the groceries Chen Fan had bought, and Jiang Lili had done a lot of preparation work, just waiting for Chen Fan to come and cook.

Chen Fan busied himself in the kitchen until the neighborhood became noticeably lively, and the two pots were ready.

A pot was placed on the kang table; it was prepared for Zhou Yali and the other two.

Since He Qingsheng and his group were not familiar with each other, it was inconvenient for them to sit at the same table. Moreover, they were not familiar with each other, so they felt a bit awkward sitting together for a meal.

The other table, intended for entertaining guests, was set up in the main room.

They moved an eight-immortal table out of the kitchen, set up four chairs, and added a steaming stove. Just as everything was ready, there was a commotion outside.

First, a car stopped outside the gate, followed by the sound of footsteps.

Chen Fan walked over and opened the door, just in time to see He Qingsheng and the other two appear at the door.

He Qingsheng was startled when the door opened without him knocking. When he saw that it was Chen Fan, he breathed a sigh of relief and his first words were a complaint: "You're having a good time out here, while we old folks almost broke our bones."

As he spoke, he walked inside.

Tan Yong followed closely behind, saying, "Hehe, I just came here to freeload a meal."

Xu Qizhen was the last to enter. "Vice Chairman Chen, it's been a month, but you still look as radiant as ever."

Chen Fan didn't listen to what they were saying at all. He just stared at what they were holding, sniffed, and then nodded with satisfaction. "Wild game restaurant's braised beef, roast pigeon, plus four bottles of Moutai, that's pretty good."

The three of them placed the food on the table, and He Qingsheng consciously sat down in the host's seat, looking at him and saying, "So, we've been talking for so long, and all you've been doing is eating?"

Chen Fan: "What else?!"

At this moment, Zhou Yali and the other two came out of the room, and Chen Fan quickly introduced them, "This is Chairman He of the Jiangnan Provincial Branch of the Writers Association, this is Vice Chairman Tan, and this is Secretary-General Xu. This is my cousin who came back from the United States, named Zhou Yali. This is my fiancée, Jiang Lili, and this is Lili's older sister, Jiang Tiantian."

It wasn't official business; I was just visiting family, so it wasn't anything formal.

After exchanging greetings, Zhou Yali apologized and prepared to go inside.

He Qingsheng looked at Xu Qizhen, who quickly said, "You should all come and eat too."

Since the family members were all girls, it was inconvenient for He Qingsheng and Tan Yong to appear in person at this time, so Xu Qizhen naturally took the lead in dealing with them.

Seeing Xu Qizhen's politeness, Zhou Yali's refined demeanor, cultivated since childhood, instantly came into play. She immediately smiled and said, "You're too kind. Xiao Fan often mentions you at home, which means you're not outsiders."

However, since several leaders have come together today, they must have important matters to discuss. If we were also there, it would be somewhat inconvenient. Anyway, Xiao Fan has arranged a separate table for us inside, so it won't be a problem. It would be rather impolite of us not to join them.”

Xu Qizhen handled this situation with ease. After Zhou Yali finished speaking, she smiled and said, "You just said that we are all family, so there's no question of being impolite."

After a few rounds of polite exchanges, which were considered a formality, Zhou Yali and the other two returned to their room. Chen Fan took the seat of honor without hesitation, first letting out a long sigh and remarking how tiring this kind of politeness was.

However, it's never wrong to be overly polite, especially when meeting someone for the first time; such formalities are truly essential.

He picked up the Moutai that He Qingsheng had brought, opened it, and filled all four cups.

As he was pouring the wine, He Qingsheng couldn't wait to lean closer and whisper, "Your uncle didn't come?"

Chen Fan glanced at him and smiled, “My uncle set up an office in Shanghai a few days ago and reached an agreement with the telephone exchange there to install two 10,000-line program-controlled exchanges. Today, as we returned to the provincial capital, he flew to Beijing. The work is the same: first, to set up an office, and second, to finalize the previous purchase intentions.”

After pouring the wine, he put down the bottle, looked around at the three people who were listening intently, and smiled, "If nothing unexpected happens, there should also be two in the capital."

After he finished speaking, He Qingsheng frowned, gasped, and said with a worried look, "Four units have been sent out at once. At the minimum of $420 million, that's $1680 million! Can your uncle's company really cover that much money?"

The implication is that we shouldn't give all the programmable machines to Beijing and Shanghai, leaving the Jiangnan province with nothing.

Chen Fan shook his head and smiled, "I'm not too sure about that, and I don't know much about business. However, before we came here, my uncle told my cousin that as long as there are no problems on our side, we are sure we need the program-controlled exchange, and the government provides a guarantee to ensure that we can receive payment on time, then there will be no problem."

Under the financial model, of course, it wouldn't require upfront investment as He Qingsheng claimed; a few hundred thousand US dollars would suffice to get started. It would simply require a portion of the profits to be used to pay interest.

Hearing his words, He Qingsheng finally breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "If that's the case, then there's no problem."

His concern was that the demand for equipment from Beijing and Shanghai might be too high, potentially taking up a larger share of the provincial capital's needs, which would be disastrous.

Chen Fan smiled and said, "My cousin will go to the provincial telephone bureau tomorrow to finalize this matter. There shouldn't be any problems."

He picked up his wine glass, clinked it with all three of them, took a small sip, put down the glass, picked up a piece of fish, put it in his mouth, and savored it.

My uncle played this move very well.

The original price of a single piece of equipment was between $300 million and $500 million, but after securing the distribution rights, we realized just how large the profit margin was.

The cheapest Fujitsu brand saw its purchase price drop from 300 million to 260 million, and this was the purchase price Wanmuchun Company could obtain while ensuring the manufacturer's profit margin.

For domestic suppliers, the price is $300 million if the full amount is paid upfront. This means that, including operating costs, the profit per unit is approximately 15%.

However, by using seller's credit, the price jumped to 420 million.

Is it high?

That's indeed very high, $120 million more than the original price, with a profit margin of over 60%, which seems unusually high no matter how you look at it.

But upon closer examination, it makes perfect sense.

First, it's zero down payment; you can get the product without spending a single penny. Second, according to the financing plan, it takes six years to pay off the loan, and the total interest over those six years is only 40%.

Consider the various loan interest rates of later generations; even the lowest commercial loan rates were above 5% per year, and rates exceeding 10% were not uncommon. Do you still think that's high now?

Moreover, this price includes equipment maintenance over the six years, making it a very reasonable price.

There are also financiers in mainland China. The Bank of China in Hong Kong is responsible for connecting my country with the international banking industry. If they don't understand financial tools, how can they connect with the outside world?
Moreover, superiors aren't fools; they can calculate whether a deal is worthwhile or not.

At first, Chen Fan didn't think much of it, but after learning the price, he thought his uncle had gone a bit too far.

After calculating the costs, he could only sigh, no wonder He Qingsheng's son who worked at the provincial telephone bureau, Zhang Bin in Shanghai, and the Beijing telephone bureau were all so enthusiastic when they heard the news.

Because it's beneficial!

The benefits are quite significant.

Otherwise, they wouldn't be so eager to sell their goods; they would at least have to negotiate for several rounds and spend half a year or a year discussing the price.

He Qingsheng downed half a glass of wine in one gulp, then turned to Chen Fan and said, "My son's workplace is a bit anxious. Could you talk to your cousin? Their boss is coming over tonight to discuss things, and we can sign the contract tomorrow."

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly. He picked up the wine bottle and filled his glass, saying, "Uncle He, it's no big deal if it's just half a day. My older brother has the time and isn't tired, but my cousin is exhausted. She spent half the morning on a plane, and after arriving home, she cleaned the house and even came with me to go fishing and cook dinner for you. If she hadn't been hungry and hadn't eaten, she probably would have gone to bed long ago. She wouldn't have had the energy to talk about work."

Hearing this, He Qingsheng and the other two felt somewhat embarrassed.

They wouldn't be polite to Chen Fan and his group, but they would be more reluctant if other people were involved.

Tan Yong quickly drank to cover up his embarrassment, saying, "You, it's just fishing, why did you let your cousin go?"

Xu Qizhen quickly added, "How about this, don't cook at your house tomorrow, just come to my house for dinner."

He Qingsheng nodded, "Tomorrow is Sunday,..."

He had barely started speaking when he turned to look at Xu Qizhen and said, "Wait a minute, Cousin Xiaofan is going to the telephone exchange tomorrow, so the telephone exchange will definitely cover her meals. Otherwise, where would they put their faces?"

Just as Xu Qizhen was about to speak, Chen Fan waved his hand and laughed, "We can't go anywhere tomorrow."

He turned to look at He Qingsheng, "You forgot, you signed me up for a program for the Federation of Literary and Art Circles' Spring Festival Gala tomorrow."

He Qingsheng patted his head, "I really forgot about that. We'll just have to do it another day."

He lowered his hand, turned to look at Chen Fan, and asked, "What song are we singing tomorrow?"

Without hesitation, Chen Fan replied, "Young friends come to meet."

He thought to himself, "I'm neither a singer nor a musician. One song is enough for me to perform on stage. Why should I make several more and wait to release an album?"

He planned to rely on this one song to make a living for the rest of his life!
Upon hearing from Chen Fan that it was this program, He Qingsheng nodded in satisfaction, "This song is enough."

Sometimes the conversation would drift off-topic, or rather, the purchase of a program-controlled exchange was pretty much settled. He Qingsheng had set up a platform for his son, and the communication conditions in the provincial capital would be greatly improved in the future, so it was a win-win situation.

Thus, the problem was considered solved and was put aside.

After a round of eating and drinking, and chatting about this and that, the conversation unknowingly turned to matters concerning the Writers' Association.

He Qingsheng wiped his face, dried the fine sweat, and looked at Chen Fan, saying, "Didn't I ask Ba Lao to tell you before that there would be an exchange meeting with the Japanese, and he even reserved a spot for you, but you didn't go?"

If you don't go, someone else will be eager to go. Just last week, the first delegation to exchange ideas with the Japanese went there and stayed for three or four days. I heard it went quite well.

Then, the day before yesterday, they returned in triumph; it was quite a spectacle.

(End of this chapter)