Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 731 New Year's New Arrangements

The university starts on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month. If you're going to travel by boat like everyone else, today would be the perfect time to leave.

But nowadays, when Chen Fan travels long distances, airplanes are the standard mode of transport, so he has plenty of time.

So when I arrived in the provincial capital today, I didn't immediately transfer flights, but instead stayed here for a few days to adjust.

After all, celebrating the New Year is quite tiring, so we need to take a good rest.

We arrived in the provincial capital around noon, had lunch at a wild game restaurant, and then returned to Wenyi New Village. After cleaning up a bit, we had some free time.

The weather is quite nice today, with bright sunshine and a decent temperature.

Chen Fan walked to the lakeside and felt the breeze. The sun was shining comfortably, so he turned back into the house and said to the two sisters who were reading inside, "Want to go boating?"

"boating?"

Jiang Lili immediately got up and walked to the window, pointing to the awning boat on the lake and asking, "Is that the boat?"

Chen Fan nodded. "There are small tables and tea sets on the boat, so you can drink tea and enjoy the scenery. If you get hungry, there are also cooking utensils on the boat, so you can cook fish soup."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lili's eyes lit up, and she nodded repeatedly, saying, "Okay, okay."

Jiang Tiantian, who already had a bit of an artsy vibe, was also somewhat tempted. "Okay."

Since they all agreed, without further ado, the three of them boarded the ship.

Chen Fan rowed slowly toward the center of the lake.

When they reached the center of Xinghu Lake, the two women were captivated by the scenery.

In summer, the Yangtze River and the lake are connected, and the water is somewhat turbid. But now, in winter, the clear lake water is crystal clear, reminiscent of the popular glass-like water features of later generations.

Fish swam slowly by in the water from time to time, and flocks of water birds floated on the surface in the distance. In an instant, the two sisters felt relaxed and refreshed, and the fatigue of the Spring Festival was washed away.

Chen Fan moved the small table from the cabin to the bow of the boat, then took out a few stools and a teapot. He lit a small stove and boiled clean lake water directly from the center of the lake. Soon, a rich aroma of tea spread around the small boat.

Jiang Tiantian held the teacup, took a deep breath, and her eyes were full of contentment. "What fragrant tea."

Chen Fan took a sip of tea and smiled, “This is wild tea from Lujiawan, a type of Maojian. I also planted a few tea trees in front of my house. They were transplanted from the entrance of Team 6. Unfortunately, the quality hasn’t been very good these past two years because of the transplant. But Captain Yang said that the quality should be good this year. If I don’t go back, Yang Mei and the others will pick the tea leaves and make them into finished products.”

Jiang Lili turned to look at him, "So, we can drink our own new tea this year?"

Chen Fan nodded gently, his eyes full of smiles as he looked at her. "It's just that there isn't much tea, only a few tea trees, so I can't drink it for very long."

Jiang Lili's eyes crinkled into two crescent moons as she smiled, "It would be great if we could have one."

Looking at her, Chen Fan couldn't help but purse his lips.

This girl is becoming more and more mature. If I didn't have good self-control, I would probably be easily tempted.

If Jiang Lili knew what he was thinking, she would definitely spit in his face. What business is it of hers if he's lustful?

Coming to his senses, Chen Fan turned to look at Jiang Tiantian, who was staring blankly into the distance, and said softly, "Tiantian, it's the beginning of the year. Do you have any plans for this year?"

Jiang Tiantian turned around and looked at him with wide eyes. "I guess it's the same as last year. Besides studying hard, you'll learn more about editing at the Shanghai Literature and Art Magazine."

As soon as she finished speaking, even with her calm demeanor, she couldn't help but give Chen Fan a subtle glare.

She was now absolutely certain that Chen Fan was very familiar with the magazine's work processes, even more so than she had seen at the Shanghai Literature and Art Magazine. So, when he asked her to help him before, he really just wanted her to fill in for him so he could slack off.

If it weren't for the fact that my family owed him so much, and that I genuinely love literature, I would have really had a serious talk with him.

Chen Fan didn't have mind-reading abilities, but his eyesight was amazing. He could see her facial expressions clearly and guess her general thoughts just from the slightest changes in her expression.

However, besides his amazing eyesight, Chen's skin is also quite remarkable. After years of hard work, it is so thick that even cowhide can't compare, and perhaps only wild boar skin can rival it.

So, his face remained unchanged. He casually took a sip of his tea and said to her, "On windy days, other industries are less affected, but the literary industry is the most affected. It's no exaggeration to say that there's no way to get in."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Tiantian couldn't help but nod gently.

While she was studying at school, she often discussed with her classmates and teachers that, although there were a few outstanding literary works in the last ten years or so, the vast majority of them were far inferior to earlier literary works.

The 5s and 60s, in particular, were a period of great growth for modern literature, producing many excellent works and giving rise to a number of new literary masters.

But then it abruptly stopped.

Jiang Tiantian still remembers that Master Jiang Tianshu of the school once commented on Chen Fan in front of her.

It is said that his initial articles were not particularly outstanding; they were merely mediocre and acceptable for publication.

However, since established authors were not active at the time, and there were very few new authors whose works were worthy of attention, Chen Fan's works seemed particularly good. In reality, it was simply a case of choosing the best among the worst, and the difference was just due to comparison.

Chen Fan made rapid progress later, especially after becoming Xu Lao's apprentice. Both the quality and depth of his works improved significantly. When he published that paper in People's Literature and Historical Research, he could be called a "master".

Jiang Tiantian deeply understands what Master Jiang said.

She worked in the editorial department of a publication under the Shanghai Writers Association, and the most common comment she heard was "utterly worthless."

According to veterans in the editorial department, this phrase was also Ba Jin's favorite saying. As a result, Ba Jin rarely reviewed submissions from new authors. He would either read manuscripts from established authors or simply leave the reviewing work to the editorial staff and go off to write, saying he needed to clear his head.

Jiang Tiantian also went to see the submissions that were rated as "utterly worthless," and she was truly left speechless with a mixture of laughter and tears.

Most poets write doggerel, and those who write articles can't even grasp the theme they want to write about.

At the end of last year, a classmate of hers named Lu Xinhua wrote an article, which was first posted on the school's bulletin board. Later, it caught the eye of an editor from the Shanghai Literature and Art Magazine. After repeated revisions with his help, it was finally published. As soon as the article was published, it sparked countless imitations.

Without Chen Fan's guidance, Jiang Tiantian might have become a follower.

However, after several positive guidance sessions from Chen Fan, she also felt that these kinds of articles were too narrow in scope, always emphasizing pain while ignoring the significance of effort and struggle.

Even so, these articles are among the best submissions currently being received.

Such is reality, what can be done?!

Just as Jiang Tiantian was lost in thought, Chen Fan continued, "Normally, after a strong wind, there will be a sunny day. This is also true in reality, as evidenced by the prosperity of literary correspondence courses across the country, led by the Jiangnan Writers Association."

Whether they are literature majors in universities or amateur students in literature correspondence courses, they are all seeds for promoting the healthy development of literature.

The seeds have now been sown, and many have already sprouted and are growing vigorously. Therefore, it is foreseeable that the spring of literature is just around the corner.

He turned to look at Jiang Tiantian and smiled, "I plan to send you to the United States after this semester ends so you can study at Qianfan Publishing House for two months. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Tiantian was stunned. "Me? Go to America?"

Chen Fan continued with a smile, “There is an ‘International Writing Program’ in the United States, which was co-founded by a Chinese-American woman and her American husband. The Jiangnan Writers Association has contacted them and obtained three places to study at the University of Iowa for six months, with their sponsorship, while also exchanging ideas with young writers from around the world.”

This project has already attracted the attention of the Writers' Association. If all goes well, it will be taken over by the Association in the future, and writers from all over the country will have the opportunity to participate. In that case, going to the United States for further studies will not be a big deal.

Moreover, just recently, more than 50 of our scholars went to the United States to study. These were all arranged by our superiors, so you can rest assured that going to the US will not cause any trouble.

After he finished speaking, Jiang Tiantian quickly shook her head and said with her head down, "It's not that I'm afraid of trouble."

She was certainly aware of the government's program to send students to study in the United States on government scholarships.

Actually, before the winter break even started, there was a discussion about this matter at school, with both supporters and opponents.

However, generally speaking, those in favor were students from the class of '77 who had taken the college entrance examination, while those against were mostly students from previous classes who were recommended for admission.

Most of the people around her approve of or even envy her ability to study abroad.

She didn't know why, but the opportunity to study abroad, which her classmates considered a rare and coveted chance, was now right in front of her, yet she felt somewhat uneasy.

Chen Fan looked at her and sensed that her reaction was a bit off, so he asked softly, "Do you have some concerns, or do you not want to go?"

After a pause, seeing that she still didn't speak, he smiled and said, "If you don't want to go, that's fine too. I'll have Yali compile a work process report for Qianfan Publishing House for your reference."

Anyway, you'll eventually come back to prepare and manage our own publishing house. Our roots are still in China. We should selectively learn from foreign practices, but we don't necessarily have to copy them verbatim.

Jiang Lili leaned against the table, glancing at Chen Fan and then at her sister, her eyes darting around as she twirled a teacup in her hand, lost in thought.

Seeing that Chen Fan wasn't forcing her at all, Jiang Tiantian's feelings suddenly became complicated.

After a few seconds, she gently raised her head, a smile appearing on her face, and said softly, "No, it's just that you suddenly told me this, I wasn't prepared at all. Since you asked me to go, then I'll go. I'm also very curious about how foreign publishing houses operate, so I can compare them with Shanghai Literature and Art Magazine."

Chen Fan stared intently at her. "Really not forcing me?"

Jiang Tiantian shook her head gently and smiled, "Last month, the news of international students going abroad made many classmates envious. Now that I have the opportunity to study abroad, if they knew, they would definitely envy me too. There's no need to force it."

Chen Fan looked at her intently for a few moments, nodded gently, and said, "Don't worry, you're not an outsider. Ya Li will definitely take good care of you. You don't need to worry about any expenses after you go to America. You know I'm very wealthy."

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Tiantian had a chance to reply when Jiang Lili laughed and said, "Sister, you mustn't try to save him money. You know how much money he has. He has millions of dollars in American banks. I'm afraid you couldn't spend it all in several lifetimes."

Jiang Tiantian glared at her, annoyed. "No matter how much money there is, it belongs to Xiaofan. Besides, does having money mean you can waste it?"

He then turned to Chen Fan and smiled, "Although I won't waste money, I won't deliberately try to save you money either."

This is what I really think. Xiao Fan wants to run his own private magazine, but he's too lazy to manage it himself. If she were to manage it for him, it would be no different from being a shopkeeper in the old society.

I'm doing all the hard work and saving him money.

No such thing!

Chen Fan chuckled at her, "It's good that you know. Also, some places in the US have bad security. If you go out, be sure to tell the people Yali has arranged for you. Don't go out alone."

Jiang Tiantian reached out and patted the pistol at her waist, laughing, "See? It's the gun Master gave me. I always carry it with me."

Then he stretched out his arm and pulled a short stick from his sleeve. "And this telescopic baton, we brought those too. You said it yourself, better safe than sorry, I won't be careless."

Chen Fan smiled and nodded, saying, "I had forgotten that the first time I met you at the prefectural committee, you were carrying a sharpened screwdriver. You're definitely not a naive young girl."

Hearing this, Jiang Tiantian blushed slightly, surprised that he still remembered this.

Jiang Lili's expression changed, and she looked somewhat distressed. She grabbed her sister's hand and softly called out, "Sister."

She knew her sister wasn't having an easy time in the city, otherwise she wouldn't only visit her once a year on Chinese New Year. But she never imagined that her sister had to carry a weapon for self-defense at all times. She really didn't know how her sister had gotten through those years.

Jiang Tiantian took her sister's hand in return, shook her head with a smile, and said, "It's all in the past, and I was just doing it in case, don't overthink it."

Jiang Lili pursed her lips, nodded slightly, and said nothing more.

Chen Fan took out a handkerchief and handed it to her. After she wiped her face and calmed down a bit, he said to her, "Your sister is going to study in America, so don't relax. I talked a lot with Uncle Jiang when I came out today. My uncle will find someone to buy a batch of American bedding and send it over later."

I'll have him buy a batch of clothes then, specifically for you as a reference. You're going to study fashion design, right? How can you design clothes that are in line with international standards if you don't see the outside world?"

Jiang Lili composed herself, turned to look at him, and smiled sweetly, "Okay."

(End of this chapter)