Reborn in 1977

Chapter 535: Run Quickly

Inside a small courtyard in the capital.

Zhang Xuansong sat majestically on a Luohan bed covered with an entire tiger skin, picking up a few ginseng roots from a small box opened on the bed table, his eyes full of disdain, "This is wild ginseng? It's too small, isn't it? Has it even started growing?"

Chen Fan was squatting at the doorway processing medicinal herbs. Hearing this, he couldn't help but turn his head, saying with a resentful look, "Master, there's no wild ginseng that can be dug up that's less than thirty years old, because it won't take shape in less than thirty years. These ginseng are all over eighty years old. I wanted to exchange for a hundred-year-old ginseng, but they wouldn't give it to me."

Digging for wild ginseng these days isn't like in later generations, where, in order to make money, even ginseng seedlings can be dug up, processed, and weigh only 3 or 5 grams. They look so small, and who knows how much medicinal effect they have.

Nowadays, ginseng that hasn't grown to a sufficient age, ginseng diggers won't touch it. Whether they're newbies or veterans, they all abide by the rules. People who don't abide by the rules can't survive in the mountains.

These are all genuine wild ginseng, not the kind of artificially planted, naturally grown forest ginseng, let alone the garden ginseng grown like radishes in a medicinal garden.

Garden ginseng can be dug up in as little as four or five years after planting, and forest ginseng can be harvested after planting for more than 10 years.

But real wild ginseng is measured in decades or centuries. It takes 30 years to take shape and 50 years for the medicinal effect to be sufficient. During the growth process, it can even shrink back after growing for a few years, meaning it gets smaller as it grows, and then regrows in the coming year. So, wild ginseng is very difficult to grow.

If you dig up all the ginseng seedlings, what will future generations do?

Also, many people think that ginseng from this era is very cheap, and you can buy a root for a few dollars. Chen Fan says that those cheap goods are either garden ginseng or forest ginseng, definitely not genuine wild ginseng.

Putting aside everything else, the price of wild ginseng in Changchun state-owned pharmacies is several tens of yuan per liang (50 grams). An ordinary 30-year-old ginseng costs more than ten yuan.

And these are really considered cheap.

A slightly larger one is even more incredible. In 1977, in Hong Kong, a hundred-year-old wild ginseng weighing less than one liang was priced at US$23,000 per ounce (28.35 grams), equivalent to more than US$40,000 per liang.

Yes, this is the price in '77. With such a big price difference, it's no wonder the import and export company wouldn't let Chen Fan exchange it, preferring to give him two more 80-year-old wild ginseng.

In 1981, a super-large wild ginseng weighing nine liang and two qian (old scale) was discovered in Fusong County, Jilin. At that time, it was displayed in the Great Hall of the People as a "treasure among treasures," and its price was inestimable.

Hey, no matter how much money is offered, it won't be sold!

So, wild ginseng, no matter when, has never been cheap.

If Chen Fan hadn't hunted half a truckload of prey in three days, including valuable furs such as sable and sika deer, the import and export company wouldn't have exchanged more than a dozen sufficiently aged wild ginseng for him.

But the 80-year-old ginseng is still very small.

So now it's being disliked by Zhang Xuansong.

The day before yesterday, after Chen Fan pulled the prey back to the FAW factory, it happened that Director Yang had also finished dealing with the cooperation matters with FAW. That night, everyone ate a wild game dinner he brought back, and the next day, they took several large boxes and returned by train.

Today, after arriving in the capital, Director Yang and the others went to the First Ministry of Machinery Industry to handle the approval procedures for the Yunhu Automobile Factory. As for Chen Fan, he appeared here again.

Originally, he wanted to use tiger bones and ginseng as the main ingredients to make a jar of wine for each of the three masters, but he didn't expect that as soon as he opened the box, they were targeted by the tiger skin.

After confirming that the ownership of the tiger skin was in Chen Fan's hands and that it had no other purpose, the tiger skin was laid on the Luohan bed.

Chen Fan could only soak the medicinal wine with tears.

After processing everything in a while, he carried the three jars of medicinal wine to their respective rooms, and then went to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Today's main course is "Flying Dragon Soup." As the saying goes, "Dragon meat in the sky, donkey meat on the ground." This dragon meat refers not to a divine dragon, but to this hazel grouse called "Flying Dragon."

High-end ingredients only need the simplest cooking method. A Flying Dragon, plucked and gutted, is simmered in broth, and then a cheap small forest ginseng is thrown in, which is the most delicious tonic.

Tiger meat is a must. Tiger meat is rough and needs to have its fibers broken with steel needles, then marinated in sauce to taste, remove the fishiness and dryness, then cut into small pieces and braised. Finally, throw in a small forest ginseng to simmer.

Roasted Yellow Goat, Braised Roe Deer Leg, Baked Venison, Fried Scaly-sided Merganser.

These few dishes are almost enough, all served in casserole pots, with sufficient portions, and more is easy to waste.

There is also a large pot of wild game braised rice.

Smelling the aroma in the kitchen, Li Shangde leaned on the tiger skin, stepping on the tiger's head with one foot, humming comfortably, but saying obediently, "Hey, I say, isn't it not very good for us to be like this?"

Lin Yuanxiang walked around the room with his hands behind his back, occasionally adjusting the position of a deer head, or changing the place of a wolf head.

Hearing Li Shangde's words, he said without turning his head, "Hmph, if he hadn't brought these things over to show off, could we have intercepted these fun things?!"

Zhang Xuansong lay on the couch, turned his head to look at Li Shangde, and said with a chuckle, "Didn't you hear him say that he hunted half a truckload of prey, and even the ginseng was exchanged for prey? The rest was packed in 5 large boxes and brought back. But how many boxes did he just bring over?"

Li Shangde rolled his eyes and understood what he meant, and couldn't help but scold with a smile, "Stinky boy, teasing us."

Lin Yuanxiang adjusted the angle of a "fan" made of pheasant feathers, turned around, clapped his hands, walked over and smiled, "Isn't it? Otherwise, there would be exactly three wolf skin cushions and three fox fur coats? And those knee pads, shoes, and gloves would all be exactly three sets? How can there be such a coincidence!"

As he said, he squeezed between the two, and kicked Li Shangde's foot away, "Let me, let me, let me also enjoy the majesty of a mountain stronghold bandit!"

The two beside him rolled their eyes in unison, both wanting to stay away from him.

But they were reluctant to part with the tiger skin under their buttocks.

Zhang Xuansong comfortably exhaled a long breath, "Oh, this disciple is well received. Except for spending too much money, everything is good!"

Lin Yuanxiang leaned on the bed table, found a comfortable angle to lie down, closed his eyes and smiled, "Alright, do you think he really cares about those few dollars you have? (Chen Fan: I really do!)

With his ability, he can earn it back in a year. Being able to earn and spend is called ability, being able to earn but not spend is called stingy, being able to spend but not earn is called a spendthrift."

He suddenly opened his eyes, turned his head to look at Zhang Xuansong, "Hey, let's go to Old Commander's place again tomorrow, taking this tiger skin, and pick out a set of leather cushions and knee pads to send over, what do you think?"

Zhang Xuansong "hmph hmph" twice, "Not good."

He turned over and sat up, sighing and said, "Don't you know what Old Commander's personality is like? If you dare to send the tiger skin over, he can beat you to death with a crutch, and then hand over the tiger skin. If you send him wolf skin cushions, he will have to pay you, and when he's done, he won't use them either, and he'll send them to other leaders, do you believe it?"

Lin Yuanxiang let out a long breath, and said wistfully, "Believe it, why wouldn't I believe it."

Saying that, he paused slightly, "The stinky boy only sent 3 sets over, isn't he afraid that Old Commander won't accept it?"

Li Shangde pursed his lips beside him, and said softly, "Old Commander is blind and his health is sometimes good and sometimes bad. He won't want these things. Not to mention these material possessions, he won't even use good medicinal materials for the medicine the doctor prescribes for him. He uses cheap goods, what can we do."

Zhang Xuansong smacked his lips, "The Taoist skills inherited from my family can prolong life, but unfortunately, you have to start practicing from a young age and have a peaceful state of mind to be effective."

He raised his head to look at Chen Fan, who was busy in the kitchen, his eyes full of emotion, "If I had met him 20 years earlier, with his Taoist cultivation, he could have treated Old Commander. Not to mention prolonging life, at least his body could be more comfortable. But 20 years ago, he wasn't even born yet. Now, it's too late."

Lin Yuanxiang and Li Shangde were silent.

They didn't have to worry about medical skills. They didn't believe that Chen Fan could surpass those old famous doctors. The only thing they could do was Qigong.

Taoist skills and martial arts Qigong both belong to the category of Qigong, but there are big differences.

Martial arts Qigong focuses on strengthening oneself and enhancing the strength of fists and feet. It is a thorough technique for killing enemies.

Taoist skills, on the other hand, use the false to cultivate the truth, comprehending the mysteries of the inner and outer world, in order to prolong life, and even immortality. Immortality is of course impossible, but successful Taoist cultivation can prolong life.

They have seen old Taoists in their 60s and 70s who are in better physical condition than young people in their 20s and 30s. Using Qigong massage to save people is also very effective. But they just can't fight with people. Not to mention whether they can fight, the main thing is that once they are injured, it takes a long time to recuperate. It's not the same path as martial arts Qigong.

The reason why Zhang Xuansong has his current abilities is actually because he changed his path. Otherwise, even if he lost a leg, he could have been at least ten years younger, and wouldn't look as old as the two of them.

Only Chen Fan, who has a cheat, can practice two completely different Qigong skills. Otherwise, he can only choose one, or learn from the Taoist sages and hide in the deep mountains and old forests to practice for decades.

Chen Fan was busy in the kitchen and finally made the meal.

First move the tables and chairs, then serve the dishes.

After the three old men were all seated at the table, he brought up the last big pot of braised rice, sat down, and said, "I've left a portion in the cupboard. When you have time, take it to Grandpa Liu. These are all food, not as stimulating as medicinal soup, but gentler. Eating it will be good for his health."

As he spoke, he took out two pieces of paper from his pocket and handed them to Lin Yuanxiang, "This is a recipe I wrote for Grandpa Liu. Except for lard, all the ingredients are common vegetables. Make it for him according to this recipe, rotating every ten days. Although it can't cure the disease, it can nourish his body and reduce the chances of future attacks."

Lin Yuanxiang quickly snatched it over, holding it in his hands like a treasure, "Really?"

Chen Fan grinned and chuckled, "Anyway, after this recipe is sent over, the healthcare doctor will definitely check it. Let him check it to see if there are any problems, and then try eating it for two months, and that's it.

Oh, right, keep a copy for yourselves too. This recipe is very mild and effective for most people. There's no harm in anyone eating it, at most it just won't have any effect on a very small number of people."

The books he obtained from Fourth Master Lu included the 'Dietary Principles for Use in the Kitchen' written by Hu Sihui, the imperial dietitian during the Yuan Dynasty, 'New Book of Old Age and Nourishment' supplemented by Zou Xuan, and 'Zunsheng Bajian,' a dietary therapy work written by Gao Lian of the Ming Dynasty.

In addition to his studies of chemistry, biology, and especially medicine, over the past six months, he had gained a lot of insights into dietary therapy.

However, dietary therapy, like medical skills, should also be tailored to the individual. He had been thinking hard for many days after seeing Commander Liu before he compiled this dietary therapy recipe.

Including today's meal, he carefully selected more than a dozen kinds of game and added various medicinal herbs to make this top-notch therapeutic meal. First, he used this kind of highly nourishing food as a 'medicinal primer,' and then used a mild tonic recipe to regulate their physiques, which should improve their health.

Even if it couldn't prolong their lives, it could at least reduce their illnesses, which could be considered a token of his sincerity.

Watching Lin Yuanxiang carefully hide the recipe like a treasure, Zhang Xuansong's face also blossomed with a smile, "Good, good, good. This thing is good. We'll send it over later."

After a pause, he coughed dryly and said to Chen Fan, "You did a good job with this matter. You must be rewarded."

Chen Fan had a roe deer leg in his mouth and didn't have time to speak, so he looked at him with his eyes, asking what the reward was.

Zhang Xuansong smiled and said, "Your house is finished. Does that count as a reward?"

House?

Chen Fan's eyes widened. The house started construction on March 13th, and today is April 2nd. It's only been 20 days. The house is finished?

He couldn't help but snap the roe deer leg bone, chew it a few times with the meat, and swallow it, "Are you kidding me? Building a two-story brick house in the countryside takes at least half a month. I designed a four-story complex building and a more difficult-to-construct small building, plus a front garden and a two-story small building. It's only been 20 days, and it's all finished?"

Hearing this, Zhang Xuansong and the others exchanged glances, and after two seconds, they couldn't help but look up and laugh.

Chen Fan looked around, wondering what was going on.

After laughing for a while, Zhang Xuansong finally stopped and explained to him, "Here's what happened. At first, Director Li arranged for the No. 2 team of the Municipal Construction Company to do the construction. The entire construction period was estimated to be two to three months.

But as soon as they entered the site, several other construction teams heard the news and ran in, saying they wanted to get a piece of the pie."

Chen Fan was a little dizzy, "How do you divide it?"

He had already paid the money, and the account was on the head of Construction Team No. 2. If other people came over at this time, wouldn't they be helping for free? He had only heard of people fighting for credit, but never heard of people fighting for work.

Lin Yuanxiang laughed from the side, "You don't know. Since the completion of the memorial hall, their construction company hasn't received any major projects. They've all been doing repairs to houses and old houses. It's not easy to get a big business, building two 'big buildings.' How can the other teams not be jealous?"

Li Shangde picked up a piece of tiger meat and chewed it slowly, then said, "We went to the construction site to wander around when we had nothing to do, and we talked to them a lot. People weren't doing it to make money at all. Anyway, they all get paid a salary. Whoever earns it is contributing to the unit. They were just worried that they would get rusty if they didn't do a big project for too long.

Plus, the design drawings you gave them were really good, especially the two-story small building you live in..."

Hearing this, Chen Fan quickly interrupted, "Dormitory, that's a staff dormitory!"

Zhang Xuansong rolled his eyes, "Are you kidding me? Can that be called a dormitory? After the renovation, even the house of a landlord is not as grand as it. Which employee are you giving it to as a dormitory?"

Lin Yuanxiang nodded repeatedly, "Yes, tell us which unit it is, and we old guys will go over to help. We don't want wages, just let us live in that dormitory."

Chen Fan chuckled dryly, "It's easy if you want to live there. Move in today, I'll carry your luggage!"

"Forget it, I'm not used to living in such a big house."

Lin Yuanxiang rolled his eyes and continued, "Anyway, in the end, five construction teams entered the site together. Excavators, cranes, and trucks all entered the site, not to mention cement mixers were moved over. So many people working together, and so many construction machines, the last time I saw it was when the memorial hall was built.

With people, machines, and a guaranteed supply of materials, do you still think it's difficult to build it in 20 days?"

(Fixed concrete mixer in the 1970s)

Chen Fan was numb from listening, his eyes dull and not knowing what to say.

I just wanted to keep a low profile, but you've turned it into a star project for me?

Zhang Xuansong knew what he was thinking at a glance, and immediately smiled, "Don't worry, your master and I will take the blame for you. There really were some ignorant people who complained to the unit. After the leader investigated, I used my own money to buy land and build a house, and the person in charge was the Housing Management Bureau. Everything was legal and compliant, and no one could find fault.

Isn't it just that the house is a little bigger? Some people who were not convinced, I told them to go find the old political commissar, but none of them had the guts, they would only mutter and grumble, not even daring to take half a step."

He turned to look at Lin Yuanxiang, "How did those bastards dare to fight with us back then?"

"Calm down, calm down."

Lin Yuanxiang imitated his apprentice's tone and said, "They are all old rivals. It would be strange if they didn't jump out. It would be the same if he bought a house. Wouldn't you go make a fuss?"

Zhang Xuansong nodded when he heard this, "That's true."

Chen Fan almost spat out a mouthful of meat, and quickly drank a mouthful of wine to wash it down.

Well, so that's what kind of comrades you are?!

Speeding up to eat, under the command of the three masters, Chen Fan carried two food boxes to Grandpa Liu first, and then without lingering, the four of them went to see the new house together.

Beside Shichahai Lake, many men, women, old and young, were dancing ballroom dances and practicing Tai Chi in the park.

(Masses dancing in the Summer Palace in 1979)

Chen Fan walked forward with his head down, not looking sideways, and joined the old men and women practicing Tai Chi in expressing contempt for the dancers, lamenting the decline of morality.

Although the three old men were disabled and missing limbs, their legs and feet were not slow. Even Zhang Xuansong, who was missing a leg, swung his crutches and tapped his toes on the ground faster than a young man.

Before long, the group arrived at the new house.

Zhang Xuansong took out a bunch of keys and threw them to him, "The door lock has been changed. These are the keys."

Chen Fan opened the lock, but then returned the keys, "Keep them. I'm not usually here."

Saying that, he pushed open the door and walked inside.

After they all went in, Lin Yuanxiang closed the door behind him and said unhappily, "Why did you buy such a big piece of land and build a house if you're not here? We should give you a good ideological transformation."

Chen Fan turned a deaf ear and went straight to the small building.

The overall color of the building was cyan-gray, blending in with the surrounding environment, but its shape was very different.

The bottom was a basement, about one meter above the ground, so the door on the first floor was naturally so high, with a curved ramp embracing the stairs at the entrance.

The ramp could accommodate a small car to enter and exit, and outside the stairs was a nearly 500-square-meter open space paved with city bricks.

Chen Fan pushed open the door along the ramp, and the spacious hall appeared before his eyes.

The entire small building occupied 256 square meters, and the hall in front of him was nearly 150 square meters, with round pillars supporting the floor slab. On the left was a set of sofas and tables and chairs, which was obviously the living room, and on the right was a large tea table.

Turning south past a pillar, there was also a large round table and chairs, which was naturally the dining area.

The most striking thing was a ray of light from the sky in the very center of the house, shining on the dark teak floor. The smooth floor reflected the light, making the whole house bright.

It turned out that Chen Fan had designed the roof of the house to be divided into several parts. The middle part, about 16 square meters, was designed in the shape of a pyramid, and installed with architectural glass of the same quality as special marine glass, which could resist storms.

This glass pyramid was slightly shorter than the surrounding roofs, and would not be seen by people outside at all, but the sunlight could shine in without hindrance, bringing bright natural light to the large house.

In addition to transmitting light, there were also four inconspicuous vents on the roof, which could be closed in winter and opened when it was hot, so that the wind blew into the house, and it was not stuffy at all.

The first floor was a living room, tea room, dining room, kitchen, and two bedrooms.

Following the wooden V-shaped stairs illuminated by the sun on the north side of the inner patio to the second floor, the first thing was a circle of corridors embracing the inner patio.

Chen Fan patted the smooth railing of the corridor, a few black lines appearing on his forehead. The design drawings only specified wooden railings, but they ended up using Hainan rosewood for everything. Although this wood is only 3毛 (máo, a unit of Chinese currency) per jin (a Chinese unit of weight, approximately 500g), the quantity is huge. I wonder if I have enough money?

He really didn't have any money now. The manuscript fee hadn't arrived yet, unless he used the last ten thousand that Master Zhang left!

Forget it, the house is already built. Even if I don't have enough money, I'll just owe it first. At worst, I'll write more books to pay off the debt.

Fortunately, the wooden stairs and floors were made of ordinary teak, otherwise, he would really owe a lot of money.

Surrounding the corridor were rooms with various functions. Chen Fan casually pushed open one, and the rosewood furniture inside made his eyelids twitch.

At this moment, Lin Yuanxiang waved at him, "Come over here, the master bedroom is here."

Chen Fan immediately walked over quickly.

This was a room facing due south, and it even used double doors.

Knowing his own design, Chen Fan pushed open the doors with both hands. The first thing that came into view was a row of bright windows. He walked to the window, and the scenery outside was fully visible.

Well, it's just a bit of a mess.

The U-shaped two-story building, pavilion, stone steps, rockery, and covered corridors in the distance were all fine.

It's just that the nearly 1,000 square meter garden was bare everywhere. Flowers, plants, and trees hadn't been arranged yet.

However, the pond was filled with water. Under the action of a small waterwheel, the water flowed along the ditch, forming a cycle of flowing water.

Zhang Xuansong walked to his side and said with a smile, "That's water drawn from Shichahai. There's also a water pipe buried underground, which means that the water here is connected to Shichahai. If Shichahai has water, then there will be water here, and it's still flowing water."

Li Shangde also walked over and said, "He's the designer, does he need you to explain?"

Zhang Xuansong rolled his eyes, not wanting to pay attention to him.

Chen Fan chuckled twice before turning around to look at the room.

This master bedroom was divided into two parts, with a whole screen of hollowed-out patterns as a partition. The space at the entrance also functioned as a small study. A set of golden Phoebe zhennan furniture was placed against the wall, and the bookshelf was filled with books bought from the China Bookstore before the last trip to the Northeast.

The desk was as big as a painting table, enough for him to wield his brush and ink.

In the corner of the painting cylinder, there were dozens of scrolls of calligraphy and paintings, some of which were exchanged with calligraphers and painters such as Qi Gong. The 36 calligraphy and paintings bought from Rongbaozhai were also inside.

Going through the screen to the inside was the bedroom. A golden Phoebe zhennan bed, two meters long and wide, was placed in the middle with its back against the screen. Two bedside tables were placed on the left and right, and a large wardrobe covered the entire north wall.

Chen Fan really suspected that the wood in this house would be more expensive than the house itself in the future?!

Lin Yuanxiang walked over and sighed, "This wood is too expensive. The 5,000 you paid wasn't enough. Later, I added more than 3,000 yuan to it. It was all spent on this wood. Too expensive!"

Chen Fan raised his eyebrows slightly. So that's how it was?!

Immediately, he held his master's hand and said solemnly, "Master, I will definitely take care of you in your old age in the future."

Lin Yuanxiang rolled his eyes, "Get out, the country is taking care of me, why do I need you to take care of me? Tell me, are you calculating my pension?!"

Chen Fan sheepishly let go of his hand, "That's impossible, your pension is only a few bucks."

Lin Yuanxiang glared, "Huh?"

Chen Fan quickly walked forward, "I'll go take a look at the bathroom."

On the east wall near the window, there was also a door. Pushing it open revealed a bathroom.

At this time, you could see the shortcomings of the city bricks. They really took up too much space. Including the mortar and wall plaster, this wall was nearly a foot thick.

However, it was heat-insulating and moisture-proof, so there was no need to worry about the humidity in the bathroom affecting the bedroom.

After accompanying Chen Fan to see the master bedroom, the three old men went down to the tea table to sit. Chen Fan ran up and down by himself.

Including the two rooms downstairs, this building had a total of 8 rooms, six of which were designed as bedrooms, and two as reception rooms or recreation rooms.

Going up from a relatively hidden stairwell at the corner of the second floor was the attic. This was arranged as a study, and the wood for the bookshelves was finally no longer rosewood or Phoebe zhennan, but teak, which was much cheaper.

Rows of tall bookshelves were placed against the wall, leaving a wide space in the middle. Several tables and chairs were placed there for drinking tea and reading.

It's just that there were no books on the bookshelves at this time, waiting for him to purchase them.

Chen Fan casually walked around, then climbed up to the roof along the stairs in the southwest corner.

Standing on the roof and looking into the distance, you could see Shichahai and the courtyard houses in the distance, and the garden nearby.

What a great place to look at the scenery, ... it's just a bit cold.

I don't know if it's the cold air from the Northeast blowing over. It's already the 26th day of the second lunar month, and it still feels like it's going to snow.

Wrapping his clothes tightly, Chen Fan turned and went downstairs, directly down to the basement. Well, it was empty and there was nothing to see, so he went out again.

Coming out of the yard and locking the gate, Zhang Xuansong looked at him and asked, "When are you going to use this house?"

Chen Fan smacked his lips, "Haven't thought about it yet."

Zhang Xuansong looked speechless, "What are you building it for if you haven't thought about it?"

Lin Yuanxiang also pointed to the four-story comprehensive building across the wall, "And that one, didn't you say you were going to make it an office for the machinery factory? It just so happens that they are going to build an automobile factory, and they will definitely have to run to the First Ministry of Machinery Industry often in the future, so it can be used."

Chen Fan nodded with pursed lips, "Yes, yes, that makes sense."

But in his heart, he was thinking, when he goes back, he would instigate Factory Director Yang to buy a courtyard house near the First Ministry of Machinery Industry in the name of the unit. He will thank himself in the future.

He should keep this place for himself. It's already 1978, and some bold people have already started running affiliated companies, although it's just small-scale, but as long as no one stops it, it will soon become widespread, so he can take action at the latest the year after next.

When the time comes, he will start a magazine or publishing house, casually find a unit affiliated with the Writers Association, write books himself and earn money himself, isn't that great?!

Seeing that he was amenable to reason, Lin Yuanxiang and the others didn't say much and went straight home.

...

Chen Fan carried two empty boxes back to the First Ministry of Machinery Industry Guest House to meet with Factory Director Yang and the others.

When Factory Director Yang saw him, he immediately shook the document in his hand excitedly, "Look, the approval has come down. We'll go back today and can immediately start building the automobile factory."

Chen Fan glanced at it, "I won't look."

Then he stretched out his hands and walked towards a middle-aged man in his 50s wearing black-rimmed glasses, "Mr. Qu, hello."

Qu Bo leaned on two crutches and stood up, shaking his hand tightly, and asked curiously, "Do you know me?"

No one introduced him just now.

Chen Fan smiled and said, "Mr. Qu's name has spread all over the country. There aren't many people who don't know you."

His real name is Qu Bo, and his pen name is also Qu Bo. Chief Chen gave him a courtesy name, "Pulu," which means universal law, because his name has both Qu and Bo, which is a universal law.

He wrote a book in the 1950s, "Tracks in the Snowy Forest," yes, that's about the Vulture.

As for why he appeared here, it was naturally because of work.

That's right, he is the vice president of the First Design Institute of the First Ministry of Machinery Industry, and this design institute is doing mechanical design, especially vehicle design, which happens to coincide with Chen Fan.

Qu Bo laughed, "You flatter me, you flatter me. Now your name is going to surpass mine."

Chen Fan quickly shook his head, "Far from it, far from it."

Qu Bo smiled again, "Not far, not far. Not many people have read my new book "Mountain Howls and Sea Roars" that I published last year, but your "Ferryman," "Old Things," and "Reed Marshes" are all excellent novels that have aroused social discussion. This has already surpassed me, not to mention that you are still young, and you will definitely have more and better works published in the future. It is a matter of course to surpass me.

Moreover, I also heard Mr. Mao Dun say that you made a suggestion to the Writers Association to set up an award. This is very good, and I fully support it."

After a pause, he said again, "Look, we are both engaged in writing and mechanical design. Isn't this fate? Why don't you come to the design institute, there will definitely be a good development."

Chen Fan's face stiffened slightly, why is he here again?

He even forgot to respond to his self-deprecation. Quite a few people still read "Mountain Howls and Sea Roars," but its reputation is indeed far inferior to "Tracks in the Snowy Forest."

When Factory Director Yang and the other three saw Qu Bo poaching people again, they were also anxious.

No, they must run quickly!

When Qu Bo saw this, he couldn't help but laugh, "Okay, it seems you are still unwilling, so I won't force you. Let's communicate more in the future, okay?"

Chen Fan quickly nodded, "Definitely, definitely."

Fearing that there would be complications, Factory Director Yang decided to set off immediately.

The three of them, plus Chen Fan, plus two people each from the First Ministry of Machinery Industry and the First Automobile Works, bought eight soft sleeper tickets and boarded the southbound train.

Chen Fan was a little disappointed. He still wanted to fly, but it seems he can only wait for next time.

...

This journey involved trains, cars, and ferries. They left on February 15th, and the day they returned was already April 5th.

What a great day, it's Qingming (Tomb-Sweeping Day).