Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 807 Take it home
He Qingsheng sipped his tea and smoked his cigarette. After several seconds, he said, "Are you sure you're confident? I gave the leaders in the hall a heads-up, and they're all watching with bated breath."

Chen Fan leaned against the bedside table, tapping his fingers, and said softly, "These things can't be rushed. My cousin needs to be prepared before she can buy a movie to test the waters. After all, they are capitalists. Unless it's my own stuff, they're happy to lose money. Otherwise, they're always aiming to make money."

You can't just buy movies from Jiangxi Film Studio without asking any questions, then try to sell them to theaters, only to find that nobody watches them.

Losing money is a minor issue; the real problem is when they refuse to buy mainland films in the future.

He Qingsheng nodded twice, "That makes sense. You can't rush things. We really can't be too hasty."

At this moment, Chen Fan suddenly said, "Actually, if you ask me, you shouldn't always focus on foreign exchange. After the reform and opening up, foreign trade has expanded, and foreign exchange will definitely increase more and more in the future. As long as we are willing to dig deeper, it is very easy to multiply the amount of foreign exchange in such a large province as Jiangnan.

The key point is how to seize the opportunity presented by this National Congress of Literary and Art Circles to revitalize our cultural undertakings. Take Jiangying Film Studio for example; they are collaborating with a television station to produce a TV series, and if successful, its impact may not be inferior to that of a film.

You are the chairman of the Writers' Association and a leader of the Federation of Literary and Art Circles; just don't turn yourself into a businessman.

He Qingsheng glanced at him and couldn't help but sigh, "You make it sound so easy. If I had your ability to earn foreign exchange, I wouldn't be in a hurry either."

His expression immediately turned serious, and he looked at him curiously, asking, "Jiang Film Studio is collaborating with a TV station to produce a TV series? What's going on?"

Chen Fan smiled and said, "What else could it be? In the past, movies were movies and television was television. When there weren't enough movies, the TV stations also produced a few episodes of feature films, which are TV series."

However, our Jiangnan TV station is just like, or even worse than, Jiangnan Film Studio. Apart from broadcasting programs from other TV stations, it only has a few cameras to film important provincial events, which are also for news purposes.

I suggested to Director Wu that we use a camera to shoot movies. This would save money and not use up film. It would also be a good training ground for the Jiangxi Film Studio. The films could be sold to TV stations. If the audience response was good, we could sell them as many times as there were TV stations across the country, making tens of thousands of yuan each time. It might even be more profitable than movies.

So, they prepared for a month, planning to try filming two episodes of a TV series themselves while I was in Beijing for a meeting.

The script and actors were from Jiangying Studio itself, but the cameras were borrowed from the TV station. If the first TV series was well-received, they planned to apply to buy their own cameras and really go all out.

After Chen Fan finished speaking, He Qingsheng frowned and thought for a moment, "You mean the script is from Jiangying Studio?"

"Ah."

Chen Fan took a sip of tea, looked at him and smiled, "I did mention to Director Wu from the beginning that if it didn't work, I would ask you for help, but they wanted to try it themselves first. After trying it, they felt it was okay, so they used their own script first."

He Qingsheng pondered for two seconds and said, "Okay, I understand. It just so happens that Lao Wu is also going to the literary and art congress. I'll have a good talk with him later."

The writers in the Writers Association don't just write novels and essays; they also write screenplays and poems. If Jiangying Studio can really make TV dramas successful, we can look to the creative departments of Beijing Film Studio and Shanghai Film Studio for an example.

Whether it was having playwrights from the Writers' Association write scripts for them or recruiting screenwriters from the Jiangxi Film Studio, these were all within He Qingsheng's scope of work and could not be ignored.

After chatting for a few more minutes and exchanging opinions to reach a consensus, He Qingsheng got up to take his leave.

Chen Fan escorted him to the gate, and after he left the courtyard, he closed the gate.

He then picked up two checks and flicked them, saying, "It would have been better if you had come a day earlier. If you send them now, we can only cash them after the meeting."

He put the check in his wallet, took a cold shower in the bathroom, and went to bed.

The next morning, I drove to the airport and flew directly to Beijing.

It was noon when he arrived in Beijing. Instead of reporting to the guesthouse where the literary and art congress was being held, he went home.

As usual, Liu Juan and Ma Lan both worked at Chaoyang Temple, and no one was home.

Chen Fan was a little confused. Could it be that Jiang Tiantian hadn't come with the group?
On second thought, it was the right decision not to stay here, unless it was Jiang Lili.

After putting away his luggage, taking a shower, and changing his clothes, he thought for a moment and then made a phone call to the Shanghai Writers Association.

The call was quickly connected, and Chen Fan, holding the receiver, asked, "Hello, this is Chen Fan. May I ask where your Shanghai literary and art representatives are staying? Jingxi Hotel? Oh, okay, thank you."

After putting down the microphone, Chen Fan couldn't help but click his tongue. Wow, no wonder it's the Shanghai delegation; even the places they arranged are extraordinary.

The Jingxi Hotel is not well-known, and in its early years it didn't even have a sign, only a door number, but it was the site of many major events.

For example, the discussions before the meeting at the end of last year were held at the Jingxi Hotel. It was also a place where many senior figures sought shelter from the wind on windy days.

I never expected that the Shanghai delegation would be placed here.

Chen Fan quickly packed his things, slung his small shoulder bag over his shoulder, checked the van, and then drove towards the Jingxi Hotel.

Houhai is not far from the Jingxi Hotel, only 12 kilometers away, and it takes less than half an hour to get there.

There was a security guard on duty. Chen Fan showed his work ID and a letter of introduction from his company, and only after registering was he able to enter smoothly.

After parking the car, I walked to the hotel lobby. As soon as I entered the hotel, I saw Mr. Ba, Mr. Xia, Mr. He and others chatting together.

Old Ba was facing the door when he saw Chen Fan come in. He immediately waved and asked, "Why are you here instead of reporting to the Second Enrollment Office?"

Chen Fan walked over, his eyes wide, and said, "I live in my own home, why do I have to stay in a communal guesthouse?"

The Second Guesthouse is not far from here. It was established in 69 and later became the Beijing Second Guesthouse Hotel. It has always been the residence of the Jiangnan delegation when they came to Beijing for meetings.

The Jiangnan Provincial Literary and Art Congress delegation was also arranged to attend this fourth literary and art congress.

Old Xia, whose legs were weak, had been sitting on the sofa. Upon hearing Chen Fan's words, he turned to Old He and said, "Look, this man is quite wealthy. He owns houses in Shanghai, in Jiangnan, and even in Beijing."

Chen Fan pulled up a chair and sat down, saying innocently, "Unlike the leaders, I can't get reimbursed for everything. Since no one reimburses me, I have no choice but to buy my own place to live."

The old gentlemen burst into laughter. Old Ba shook his head, pointed at Chen Fan, and said to an old man he didn't recognize, "This guy is one to not suffer losses. He's been to my house a few times and taken several things. I don't dare let him in now."

The gentleman looked at Chen Fan, a strange glint in his eyes. "Is he Chen Fan, the master of calligraphy, painting, and literature?"

Chen Fan's eyes widened. "Master of calligraphy, painting, and literature? Who gave me this nickname?"

It has absolutely no class.

Old Xia waved his hand, "Don't speak yet. This is Mr. Xuecun. He really likes your calligraphy and paintings. Write a piece of calligraphy as a gift. I guarantee you won't be shortchanged."

Chen Fan suddenly realized and quickly stood up, saying, "So it's Elder Lin. I've heard so much about you."

He then looked around and said, "There's no ink or brush here either." Mr. Xuecun, whose original name was Lin Lie and also known as Lin Mohan, was a veteran revolutionary who had presided over the editing and annotation of the Complete Works of Lu Xun.

He was also one of the members of the first State Council's Education and Culture Committee of the People's Republic of China. Back then, Mr. Li requested that the best educators be gathered to jointly compile textbooks. Later, more than 300 people were gathered, and he was one of them.

Oh, Professor Xu, Chen Fan's teacher, is also among them, so by all accounts, Chen Fan should call him "Uncle-Master".

Since Mr. Xia said that Mr. Lin likes his calligraphy and paintings, he certainly cannot refuse.

Seeing that Chen Fan was so cooperative, Ba Jin laughed and scolded, "You always make excuses when I ask you to paint a few pictures, but you're so willing to do it today."

He then waved to the waiter beside him, "Bring me a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone."

The waiter immediately responded and left.

The people who usually live here are mostly big shots who enjoy writing and painting in their spare time, so they always have writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones readily available.

Chen Fan glanced at the departing waiter and said to Mr. Ba, "You used to ask me to draw dozens of pictures at a time, how could I not make excuses?!"

Upon hearing this, Old Lin couldn't help but laugh out loud, saying to Old Ba, "So it was you who exploited Xiao Chen first, and that's why he sought revenge on you."

The elderly gentlemen then launched into another round of laughter and scathing remarks, showing no trace of their former literary esteem.

Chen Fan watched with a smile, without saying a word.

A short while later, the waiter brought over the food on a tray. He used the long table in the reception area as a table, spread out Xuan paper, ground the ink, and then picked up the brush and wrote a poem in one stroke.

While he was writing, the others had already gathered around, watching and nodding.

After Chen Fan finished writing, Old Lin couldn't help but nod repeatedly, "His brushstrokes are vigorous and unrestrained, powerful and forceful, showing signs of forming his own style, truly the demeanor of a master."

He looked up at Chen Fan, his eyes filled with amazement, "At your age, you can write such beautiful calligraphy. It's truly remarkable."

Chen Fan was about to say a few words of modesty when he saw him shake his head and sigh, "What a pity, what a pity."

Old Ba looked at him, puzzled. "What's a pity?"

Old Lin spread his hands, "It's such a waste that Old Xu got such a good deal on a ready-made apprentice!"

Old Ba was both amused and exasperated, shaking his head and saying, "You think you can compare to Old Xu? It would be such a waste if it really fell into your hands."

Old Lin's eyes widened. "He's an academic, and so am I. Why can't we compare?"

Ba Jin was amused by his words, "Fine, fine, you're the best. You should go to a university and become a first-level professor, and be respectfully called 'Old Lin' by the academic community."

Old Xia ignored their bickering and turned to Chen Fan, asking, "Who are you here to see?"

At this point, Old Ba stopped arguing with Old Lin and immediately said, "Who else can we ask? Of course, we should ask her sister-in-law. Do you think we old geezers would ask us?"

He then waved to Chen Fan, "Go to the service desk and ask her to call room 624 for you. Comrade Xiao Jiang is in that room. After that, take him with you and send him directly to the Great Hall of the People first thing tomorrow morning. Remember not to be late."

The others, though somewhat surprised, remained calm and continued to look at the words Chen Fan had written.

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly, and he could only force an explanation, "Originally, I just wanted to come and take a look. Since Elder Ba said that there is a shortage of rooms here, and since I happen to have a room for her at home, I'll let her stay at my house, which will save some resources for the collective."

Old Buffett waved his hand, "Yes, yes, let's save resources, let's go."

Chen Fan waved to the others with a speechless expression, "Goodbye."

Then he turned around and left.

Watching Chen Fan walk away, Old Lin asked curiously, "Is he already married?"

Mr. Ba explained with a smile, "They are engaged, but they are not old enough to register their marriage yet, but everyone around them knows. His fiancée and sister-in-law are both studying in Shanghai. School beds in Shanghai are in short supply now, and many local students live at home and can only be 'commuters'. Fortunately, Xiao Chen also has a house in Shanghai, so the school agreed to let the two sisters go home to live, which can also save two beds for out-of-town students."

I figured we're not strangers anyway, and the hotel was indeed short-staffed, with many rooms having one or two extra people. Plus, Xiao Chen was also in Beijing, so it would be better to let him stay at his home as usual; everyone would have more space then.”

Old Lin nodded in realization, "Since they're already engaged and there's a precedent in Shanghai, it's fine."

The others, who were unaware of the situation, also nodded in agreement.

Even though Chen Fan was far away, he could hear their conversation clearly. Before he even reached the service counter, he couldn't help but smile.

Buffett knows how to explain things, and what he says makes perfect sense and is completely correct.

They then asked a waiter to help them connect to Jiang Tiantian's room by phone.

Chen Fan held the microphone and first heard an older woman's voice, so he said, "Hello, I'm looking for Jiang Tiantian."

Two seconds later, the person on the phone changed to Jiang Tiantian.

Chen Fan, holding the microphone, smiled and said, "Comrade Jiang Tiantian, I am now formally informing you that, given the large number of attendees and the cramped rooms, Mr. Ba has suggested that those of you whose homes are in Beijing go home and stay in your own rooms. Now, please pack your bags and come home with me."

Upon hearing Chen Fan's voice, Jiang Tiantian's pretty face flushed bright red. She turned away to avoid the gaze of the other people in the room and whispered, "Understood, I'll be right down."

She put down the microphone, took a deep breath to calm her flushed face, and then stood up and said, "Sister Sun, Sister Dong, my brother-in-law came to see me. Mr. Ba said he has a place to stay in Beijing and asked me to stay there. I'll pack my things and leave."

Sister Sun turned around and said with a smile, "Your brother-in-law is Chen Fan, right? I only heard that he was in the Jiangnan Writers Association, I didn't expect that he also had a residence in Beijing. In that case, you should go down quickly."

He glanced at the other woman and said, "This will also make room for me and Xiao Dong."

Sister Dong laughed and said, "Then I'd rather squeeze in and ask Xiao Jiang for some writing tips."

Amidst the teasing of the two seniors, Jiang Tiantian blushed, packed her luggage, and said, "I'm leaving now, see you tomorrow."

The two waved to each other, "See you tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)