Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 774 Seeking Truth from Facts
Another week has passed in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Tiantian was extremely satisfied with her life over the past two weeks, feeling that it was the most comfortable time of her life.

Leaving aside what happened before, even after she got into university, she didn't have many hobbies like other students, such as going on long walks in the streets or putting up big characters on campus. Her life outside of class was very rich.

However, she initially tried to cover it up, not wanting to expose the burden her parents were carrying, otherwise it might affect her college entrance exam. Later, with Chen Fan's help, she overturned her parents' case and was finally able to enter the campus with a lighter burden.

After the start of the semester, on the one hand, she was interested in literature, and on the other hand, Chen Fan had high hopes for her, so she could only study day and night.

During my regular studies at school, I learned professional knowledge and, in my spare time, I followed the editors at Wenhui Daily and Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House to learn how to review and revise manuscripts, as well as the organization, editing, and management of magazines.

Fortunately, these organizations were all located within the Shanghai Writers Association compound, which allowed her to navigate them; otherwise, she wouldn't have known which way to go.

A year and a half has passed, and I only have a few days of leisure during the Chinese New Year.

But for the past two weeks, she has been able to easily put aside all her studies and work, without having to think about anything, and simply do what she likes.

Xiao Fan wants to start his own publishing house, but it's not the right time yet, so there's no need to rush.

She had a solid grasp of the school curriculum and had even exceeded the syllabus by a considerable margin. In addition, she had read a lot of reference materials from both domestic and foreign sources, which gave her the confidence to deal with the situation calmly.

Speaking of this, she doesn't know why, but whether it's studying or writing, as long as she's with Chen Fan, she feels her mind works exceptionally well; she learns quickly and writes quickly too.

When he wasn't around, although he progressed faster than his classmates, he wasn't as outstanding.

So much so that no matter what she did, she always liked to stay by Chen Fan's side.

Yes, Jiang Lili is the same way. She sticks to Chen Fan all the time, and even just sitting quietly by his side makes her feel comfortable.

The three of them often get together, each doing their own thing; it has become the norm.

Of course, there will be times when they separate.

For example, it is now.

After the three finished breakfast, Jiang Lili washed the dishes in the kitchen, Jiang Tiantian mopped the floor in the room, and Chen Fan played the piano on the third floor. They all had their own work.

Jiang Tiantian dragged the mop to the kitchen doorway, and stopped when she heard the piano music coming from upstairs. She leaned on the mop and stared at the ceiling, as if she could see someone on the third floor. At the same time, she said softly, "It's been more than a week, and there hasn't been a single letter. Xiao Fan doesn't seem to be in a hurry."

Jiang Lili put down the rice bowl, shook the water droplets off her hands, dried them with a towel, and walked out quickly, saying, "He definitely has his plans. You're more anxious than the emperor."

Jiang Tiantian turned to look at her, "Aren't you in a hurry?"

Jiang Lili immediately coughed, adopted a graceful posture, and imitated the opera voice from the radio, saying in a pretentious manner, "I'm not in a hurry."

Jiang Tiantian threw down the mop and reached out to tickle her, "Fine, you're a concubine or empress, and I'm just a palace maid, right?"

Jiang Lili giggled as her ticklish spot was tickled, "No, sister, you are the empress, you are the empress, I am just a little palace maid."

Seeing that she had given in, Jiang Tiantian stopped there and picked up the mop to mop the floor again. At the same time, she said, "Yesterday, Xiao Fan said that she had been cooped up at home for more than half a month and was afraid that we would get bored. She said she wanted to go out for a walk. Have you thought about where to go?"

Jiang Lili went into the bathroom, took out a mop, and mopped the floor with her. Hearing this, she said, "With Xiao Fan and you by my side, I wouldn't feel bored even if it were a year, let alone half a month."

She paused for a moment, then turned to look at her sister and whispered, "Is Xiaofan feeling bored?"

Jiang Tiantian frowned slightly. "That's possible. He's only gone out once recently, to deliver a manuscript to Ba Jin. He hasn't gone anywhere else."

Then he turned to Jiang Lili and said, "How about we go out for a walk?"

Jiang Lili immediately replied, "I'm fine with anything, as long as you guys are with me."

As I said this, I thought of Zhou Yali staying here for three months at once, and I couldn't help but shudder.

Then, remembering how Xiao Fan called his cousin a "third wheel" behind her back, he couldn't help but chuckle.

The two sisters were perfectly in sync. Seeing her laugh and considering what they had just said, Jiang Tiantian gave her a light glare and chuckled, "Were you thinking of Yali?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lili laughed even louder, and Jiang Tiantian couldn't help but shake her head and laugh as well.

Although such a life is simple, it is exactly what they want.

As for their parents, who were still working hard in Yunhu, they were tacitly ignored.

Just then, the telephone in the living room suddenly rang, startling the two of them.

After glancing at the phone, Jiang Tiantian leaned the mop against the wall, walked quickly over, and said, "I wonder if it's a call from some film studio?"

Jiang Lili had already dropped the mop and jogged over, her eyes still shining. "It must be, it definitely is."

In her heart, Xiao Fan was number one; no filmmaker or playwright could compare to him.

This is based on facts. "The Ferryman" and "Love in the Lake" are the most popular movies this year. They are not only the most popular at the box office, but also the most discussed. Even though "The Ferryman" has been released for more than half a year, you can still see audience reviews in some newspapers.

So this girl was very resentful that Shanghai Film Studio refused to film Chen Fan's novel. She just hoped that some film studio would take the initiative to come to her and film the story well, so that Shanghai Film Studio would regret it!
That is to say, she didn't know the vocabulary of later generations, otherwise "slap in the face" should be used here.

Jiang Lili ran to the phone first, but didn't dare to answer it. Instead, she looked at her sister.

Jiang Tiantian didn't hesitate either. Before she even arrived, she reached out her hand, picked up the phone, and stood still, saying her first words, "Hello, where is this call from?"

He Qingsheng's voice came through the microphone, "Hello, is this Tiantian or Lili? This is He Qingsheng. Is Xiaofan there?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Tiantian felt a little disappointed, but she quickly said, "Hello Chairman He, this is Tiantian. Xiao Fan is here. Please wait a moment, I'll go get him now."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a sound of the microphone hitting the landline, followed by Chen Fan's voice, "I'm here, Uncle He, what's up?"

It turned out he had taken a phone call in his room on the second floor.

Just as Jiang Tiantian was about to put down the microphone, she heard He Qingsheng say, "Did Director Wu from Jiangying Film Studio contact you?" Upon hearing this, she immediately stopped moving, and Jiang Lili next to her also quickly moved closer, pressing her ear to the back of the microphone to eavesdrop.

In the room on the second floor, Chen Fan pulled out a chair and sat down, asking with some surprise, "Director Wu of Jiangnan Film Studio? Is that the Jiangnan Provincial Film Studio?"

He Qingsheng: "That's right, could it be the Jiangnan branch of Shanghai Film Studio? They don't even think much of you, why would they send someone from the branch to look for you? Wouldn't that be redundant?"

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "Heh, the news has already reached you? That's pretty fast."

This isn't the era of social media we'll see in the future, where a single share on social media can spread like wildfire. Now, it's all about word of mouth, and it's normal to receive these kinds of rumors only after a month or two.

This is one of the reasons why Chen Fan is not in a hurry at all.

Another reason is that he's really not in a hurry.

Chaoyang Temple is currently very popular, while other temples and monasteries will not open until the end of the year at the earliest. Chaoyang Temple will have no problem monopolizing the incense offerings this year.

With Beihai Park on one side, Jingshan Park on the other, and the Forbidden City to the south, all three are popular tourist destinations. Given its location here, Chaoyang Temple's popularity is unlikely to decline anytime soon.

So he has plenty of time to slowly tinker with things.

Otherwise, with decades to go, how will we manage if we're in such a rush?!
Upon hearing his words, He Qingsheng immediately snorted twice, "Isn't that obvious? Old Ba spread the news, and since it concerns you, how could we in Jiangnan Province be slow to receive the information?"

He paused for a moment, then continued, “I knew about this a week ago, but the literary and art congress is in a few months, right? Ah, our provincial branch has made a lot of achievements in the past two years, and then the general association asked me to write a document and give a report at the literary and art congress. I was busy with this matter and didn’t have time to react.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan clicked his tongue in disapproval, "Uncle He, it sounds to me like you're showing off."

He Qingsheng burst out laughing. "Hahaha, why are you speaking such obvious truths? No, where am I showing off? This is the truth. Didn't the higher-ups emphasize that we must be realistic?"

In short, which branch has proactively connected with overseas writers' organizations? Which branch has actively promoted its members' works overseas? And which branch…?

Chen Fan suddenly interrupted him, "Uncle He, there's something I'm curious about."

He Qingsheng was slightly taken aback. "What is it?"

Chen Fan asked, "So, how did you write about getting your work published in the United States?"

He Qingsheng immediately coughed and said, "Well, this brings us to the importance of the united front. It was through our persistent united front efforts that we discovered clues about overseas Chinese running publishing houses. Then we dispatched our best personnel, oh, that's you."

When overseas compatriots returned to China, you were arranged to personally meet with them, using blood ties as a bond, and finally moved them to agree to publish the works of our member writers..."

Chen Fan couldn't help but click his tongue and said, "Uncle He, do you think it's possible that many people know that the publishing house owner in America is my cousin?"

He Qingsheng: "That's why it's about blood ties and family affection."

Even Jiang Tiantian and Jiang Lili, who were eavesdropping, couldn't help but nod in agreement when they heard this.

Chen Fan was naturally speechless.

He Qingsheng then said, "Just tell me, is there anything false or wrong in what I said?"

Chen Fan: "...Hmm, there's absolutely nothing wrong with it!"

As expected of someone skilled with words, he has never lost when it comes to logical consistency.

"Haha, right? Everyone says that."

He Qingsheng laughed a few times, then said, "Let's get back to the point. In short, during the few days when the news came, I stayed at the Yangtze River Hotel for a few days to focus on writing my report, so I didn't find out in time."

The provincial film studio received the news immediately, but their people couldn't find me. However, they were anxious, so they split into two groups. Director Wu personally led two people to Shanghai by boat to find you. They have been gone for four days, and I estimate they should arrive in the next day or two.

The other group has been looking for me. Just today, as soon as I got back to work, they cornered me and hurriedly explained the situation to me, asking me to plead with you on their behalf.

"That's perfect! The Shanghai Film Studio doesn't think much of writers from Jiangnan, but that's alright, we still have our own Jiangnan Film Studio. Let me tell you, Secretary Fang of the Jiangnan Film Studio is right here with me. Come on, say hello to Secretary Fang."

Chen Fan's lips twitched. Was this some kind of ritual to bring out the ancestor?
Secretary Fang was one of the founders of Jiangying Film Studio. He was the director of Jiangying Film Studio in 58 and later became the secretary. He has been retired for more than ten years now.

It's really a difficult task for Director Wu these days to personally step forward and act as an intermediary.

However, Chen Fan didn't hesitate and immediately greeted him, "Hello, Secretary Fang."

An aged voice came through the microphone, "Hello, Comrade Chen Fan. I am now a retired employee of Jiangying Film Studio. I am no longer a secretary. You can call me Lao Fang or Engineer Fang."

Chen Fan wiped away a cold sweat. If he dared to call him Lao Fang, the Jiangnan film and theater circles would be buzzing with rumors of his rudeness tonight.

Although Secretary Fang didn't produce even one truly great movie during his tenure, it's not his fault.

The reasons are complex, but to sum it up in one sentence: "Even a skilled cook can't make a meal without rice." The equipment was inadequate, the staff's quality was too low, and the script review was too strict. Otherwise, given Secretary Fang's experience of organizing young actors and students to rehearse anti-Japanese war dramas under the fire of the Japanese invaders, there's no way he could have shaved his head.

When facing senior colleagues, one should still show them the proper courtesy.

Chen Fan immediately said, "I'll still call you Elder Fang. Elder Fang, please feel free to speak to me if you need anything."

Secretary Fang said with a smile, "Chairman He just told you about it. It's nothing special, it's just that the Shanghai Film Studio doesn't care about the story, but our Jiangxi Film Studio is very interested in it."

I know the specific difficulties. It's just that you're thinking about building a Taoist temple. I have a little idea about this. We can refer to the way it was handled in the movie "Dong Cunrui". In the early stages, the soldier was a little mischievous, but after the Party's guidance and the army's training, he eventually grew into a qualified people's soldier.

As for the final decision to build a Taoist temple, there are ways to handle this. We can use the CPPCC meeting at the end of last year as a theoretical basis. We must unite all forces that can be united and combine all forces to jointly build our country.

As long as there are suitable reasons and appropriate evidence, there is no problem with a film script passing the review and being released.

If that doesn't work, I'll take the train to Beijing to find Chen Huangmei; I refuse to believe he won't agree.

In short, just hand the film over to Jiangying Film Studio. They can make it however they want; we'll fully support them!

(End of this chapter)