Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 749 Taking the Opportunity for Recommendation
The moon sets and the sun rises; it's a new day.

Before the sun had risen and the sky was just beginning to lighten, the early birds were already eagerly searching for insects to eat on the branches.

If the gyrfalcons were here, they would never be so happy.

Chen Fan didn't bring anything with him this time. The two little golden monkeys and three gyrfalcons were left in Lujiawan. Only the two sisters returned with their respective pet raccoon dogs.

However, the two birds, Banjin and Balang, weren't interested in the birds in the tree; they were playing a game of chase in the yard.

Listening to the birdsong, Jiang Tiantian woke up on time as usual, influenced by her biological clock.

She had just started to get up when she felt herself being held in someone's arms, unable to move.

Enduring the slight pain, I slowly opened my eyes and saw a pair of eyes looking at me with a smile. My heart tightened immediately, and I quickly closed them again.

Chen Fan chuckled twice, pulled her closer to him, and said softly, "Take the day off today, don't go."

Jiang Tiantian, suppressing her embarrassment, quickly shook her head and whispered, "No, I've taken too much leave recently, I can't just take leave again. And...and..."

At this point, his voice gradually became barely audible, "This little injury is nothing."

Just then, a rustling sound came from outside. It was Jiang Lili who had gotten up and was washing up.

Jiang Tiantian, no longer caring about being shy, took someone's arm and gently pushed them away, saying, "You really need to get up."

"Ok."

Chen Fan didn't tease her any further. He straightened his back and helped her sit up, but instead of letting go immediately, he pulled her into his arms, kissed her, and then smiled and said, "Get up."

After a moment of adjustment, Jiang Tiantian blushed and, with someone's interference, got dressed. Turning around, she saw that he hadn't put on his shirt yet, so she quickly picked up his clothes and helped him put them on. Only then did she touch her burning cheeks and go to open the door.

The door opened, startling her. "What are you doing?"

Jiang Lili shrank back a little and said with an awkward smile, "Let's see if you guys are up yet."

Looking at Chen Fan again, she saw him looking at her with a half-smile, and she couldn't help but blush, lowering her head and muttering to herself, unable to speak.

In this situation, Jiang Tiantian didn't dare to stay any longer. She quickly slipped into the bathroom across the street and slammed the door shut.

Chen Fan hummed twice and walked forward. He looked at Jiang Lili, who had her head down, gently touched her head, and said nothing. Then he hugged her in his arms.

Holding her beloved, Jiang Lili's anxious heart finally calmed down after a whole night of trepidation. She hugged Chen Fan tightly around the waist, a slight smile playing on her lips.

It's so good that Xiaofan and her sister will always be by my side from now on.

……

Time flies, and it's already the end of April.

Chen Fan didn't do anything else during this time. Every day, besides picking up and dropping off his two sisters at school, he leisurely wrote at home.

The trip in February was rushed because he was worried that if something happened to happen in the southwest and he couldn't come back, he would have to explain to everyone involved.

He even left a will in his dormitory in the provincial capital, so that if something really happened, they would definitely find it when they sorted through his belongings.

Although he had a cheat code, he was still no more than a human being. In the age of firearms, with the roar of artillery on the battlefield, you never know when a shell might land next to you and end it all.

So he was truly prepared for a heroic journey before he resolutely went. Since he had already traveled through time and gained new abilities, he couldn't get past the mental hurdle of going through it.

Leaving a will before going to war is a tradition in the military. Although he was not a soldier, he would naturally abide by this rule since he was going to the battlefield.

But of course, that's not necessary now. Next time I go back to the provincial capital, I'll burn that will. ...Or I don't have to burn it. Anyway, the will states that all the inheritance is left to Jiang Lili. Hmm, now I can add Jiang Tiantian's name to it. That's all.

He first sent out all the manuscripts he had written, the thesis to his teacher, and "Legend of the Dragon Knight" on a floppy disk to be picked up by Zhou Yali when she returned. He also sent the other novels to several magazines.

Now that there's no sense of urgency or task left, and all that's left is "Stories of a Small Town," which is due in the second half of the year, I've suddenly relaxed again.

On good days, I can write up to 8000 words; on bad days, I can just write a short essay of one or two thousand words and consider it a task completed.

At other times, he would lie at home drinking tea and listening to audiobooks.

Unfortunately, at this point in time, Mr. Shan Tianfang had not yet returned to the storytelling scene, and we could only listen to some old crosstalk routines recorded in the 5s and 60s.

But it's soon.

On May 1st of this year, Shan Tianfang broadcast his first storytelling performance, "Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties," on Anshan People's Broadcasting Station. After that, he was unstoppable, recording and broadcasting thirty-nine more storytelling performances, which became popular on dozens of radio stations across the country.

In particular, the storytelling program "A Century of Turmoil" in collaboration with Anshan Radio in 1986, which consisted of 202 episodes, covering everything from the Opium War to the Xinhai Revolution, was captivating and epic in style. It was broadcast on more than 100 radio stations across the country, sparking a wave of enthusiasm for studying modern history.

Moreover, this old man is no ordinary person. In his early years, in order to supplement the family income, he and his wife went out to perform. Yes, he was an old artist who started performing in the 6s and 70s, mainly in Inner Mongolia.

At that time, the couple's household registration was still with the Anshan Quyi Troupe. When they went to perform in other places, there was no rationing, so they could only buy expensive grain. The money spent on grain alone each month could crush an ordinary family.

Even so, they can still save several hundred yuan a month, earn several thousand yuan a year, and buy a big house in less than a year.

Even the Anshan Quyi Troupe could only try every means to force him to return to the unit, such as making him hand over a portion of his profits. However, the money he earned outside couldn't cover his expenses, so they forced him to come back on his own. This shows how formidable this old man was.

Oh, he can't be called an old man yet; he was only 45 years old at this time.

However, this is not the key point.

The important thing is that the TV series "Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties" will premiere on May 1st. Does that mean I can publish "The Taoist Priest Comes Down the Mountain" now?
This "Monk Comes Down the Mountain" is different from the movie by the great poet. It was created by Chen Fan based on the real-life story of his third master, Zhang Xuansong, but with a lot of dramatic adaptations, making it more story-driven.

In the few days since he returned, he has already written the first volume.

The content is somewhat similar to a martial arts novel. It tells the story of a small Taoist temple on a mountain in Shandong, where a dozen or so Taoist priests live a peaceful and carefree life, practicing their faith every day.

One day, the flames of war suddenly reached the foot of the mountain. Seeing the people below being slaughtered, the Taoist priests were filled with righteous indignation. They returned to the Taoist temple to burn incense and pray. After paying homage to their ancestors, they resolutely went down the mountain to kill the enemy and save people.

Chen Fan plans to write a long novel, ending with the reopening of Chaoyang Temple in the capital.

Not only that, he also hoped it would be made into a TV series.

The promotional effect of TV dramas is much stronger than that of novels or even movies. Hmm, in this era, perhaps we should also add radio dramas? That is, the radio storytelling like Mr. Shan Tianfang.

With these thoughts in mind, Chen Fan quickly packed his things and finally went out on business for the first time since arriving in Shanghai.

I drove my minivan and leisurely arrived at the Shanghai Writers Association.

The old gatekeeper was somewhat surprised to see him coming. "Writer Chen hasn't been here for a while."

Chen Fan didn't get out of the car. He rolled down the window, tossed over a pack of Phoenix cigarettes, a popular brand in Shanghai, and laughed, "Sir, you really think of me as one of your own? My own workplace is in Jiangnan, so I can't come here often."

The old man, quick as a flash, grabbed the cigarette, chuckled, and opened the door for him, saying, "I've heard that you wrote the song 'Young Friends Come to Meet,' and you even represented our company in a performance at the Shanghai Arts Festival. Who wouldn't agree that you're from our company?"

"have to."

Chen Fan waved his hand, stepped on the clutch and drove in, laughing loudly, "Then wait until my transfer is completed, and we'll see each other every day."

The old man waved his hand, "Then I'll wait."

After rambling for a bit, Chen Fan drove the car into the yard and parked it steadily next to several vans.

They greeted each other along the way and arrived at Mr. Ba's office.

There was someone in the office, none other than Li Xiaolin, one of the editors of Harvest magazine and the future editor-in-chief of the magazine, and Ba Jin's daughter.

In January of this year, Harvest magazine officially resumed publication, which can be regarded as a major event in Shanghai's literary scene.

Chen Fan was also invited to write an article.

It's decent, not bad quality, but not particularly outstanding either.

Among the most outstanding works are "The Ferryman," which is currently showing, and "Love in the Clouds and Lakes," which is about to be released. Both of these works are recognized as masterpieces in literary circles.

In contrast, the recently completed filming of "Shanghai Spy Shadow" received slightly lower ratings, but it was the most popular among readers. This is because its writing style and story are more accessible to a wider audience.

Of course, once he finishes writing "Small Town Story", the first two books will have to take a backseat.

He still has that much confidence.

After knocking on the door and entering, Chen Fan waved and greeted everyone, "Hello, Mr. Ba, hello, Editor Li."

Editor Li immediately stood up to greet him and said with a smile, "Comrade Chen, it's been a long time. I wonder if you've produced any excellent works recently?"

Chen Fan looked at her helplessly, "Sister Li, who asks for a manuscript the moment they meet?"

Editor Li laughed and said, "No, I already told them beforehand."

Chen Fan turned to look at Ba Jin, only to find Ba Jin leaning back in his chair, laughing heartily, seemingly quite pleased to see him suffer a setback.

Pulling up a chair and sitting down, Chen Fan took out a box of tea from his bag, placed it on the table, and said to Elder Ba, "Let me tell you, this tea is no ordinary tea. It's extremely rare and was blessed at the opening ceremony of Chaoyang Temple. I specially reserved it for you."

Then he turned to Editor Li and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't know Sister Li was here. I didn't bring her this time, but I'll definitely bring her next time."

Editor Li smiled and said, "I don't care about gifts. I'd be happy if you gave me a new manuscript."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "I heard you have a novel you're currently writing, a realistic work at that. How far along are you, and when will it be finished?"

Chen Fan's face fell, and he said helplessly, "Sister Li, Chairman He and several editors-in-chief of Beijing Literature and People's Literature have said the same thing, but this is my graduation project, and I can only submit it to Jiangnan Literature Publishing."

Upon hearing this, Editor Li's eyes widened. "My God, you still need a graduation project? Everyone knows that your thesis last year caused a sensation in both the literary and historical circles. Everyone acknowledges that you are Professor Xu's successor..."

Before she could finish speaking, Chen Fan quickly waved his hand, "No, no, no, don't say that. I'm still far from good enough. I still need to learn a lot from my teacher. The idea of ​​being a successor is just a joke from outsiders. The key point is that I haven't graduated yet."

Editor Li curled his lip and said, "Tsk tsk, excessive modesty is just hypocrisy."

Then he spread his hands and said, "I don't care. It's rare for me to run into you today. It wouldn't be right not to give you an article."

Chen Fan chuckled helplessly, "Sister Li, I sent out so many articles all at once before, I really emptied my inventory. Where am I supposed to find suitable articles now?"
Harvest magazine is not like ordinary literary journals; its requirements for submissions are exceptionally high. I can't just write a few words to appease you.

Editor Li raised an eyebrow and smiled, "As long as it's your writing, and you dare to publish it, I dare to accept it!"

Then, pointing to his father, he said, "See? The editor-in-chief is right here. He personally oversees the process."

Chen Fan turned to look at Old Ba, "Aren't you going to do anything about it?"

Ba Jin laughed heartily and lit a pipe. "Editor Li is doing his job by soliciting articles for the magazine. Why should we interfere?"

Chen Fan gave a thumbs up, "You're really something!"

Then, looking at Editor Li, he thought for a moment and said, "Well, I really don't have any here for the time being, but Tian Tian has some."

Editor Li narrowed her eyes, looking at him with confusion, "Jiang Tiantian?"

She was naturally very familiar with Jiang Tiantian. This girl would come to the Shanghai Literature and Art magazine and Wenhui Daily almost every weekend to learn how to review and write articles from the editors. She was not only very hardworking, but also made obvious progress.

Most importantly, her earlier poem, "A Generation," was truly stunning.

Could it be that she has written another excellent work?

Chen Fan nodded and smiled, "I went to the southwest to gather material before and collected a lot of material. However, there was too much material for me to write, so I shared a few stories with Tian Tian. After listening to them, she became very interested in one of the stories, and with my support, she tried to create it."

I've now completed the novel outline and written a few chapters, totaling less than 10,000 words.

After reading it, I think it's alright. You can talk to her about it later and ask her to show you what you've written to see if it meets the submission requirements of the magazine.

By the way, could you also give her your feedback and some pointers?

After hearing Chen Fan's explanation, Editor Li immediately smiled and said, "Since you say so, then she must have written very well. Okay, I'll take care of this. I'll go find her next time she comes over."

After saying that, she stood up, greeted her father, and turned to leave.

(End of this chapter)