Reborn in 1977

Chapter 568 Old Friend

May 23rd, Tuesday.

Although it was still the middle of the fourth lunar month, the weather in Jiangnan was gradually starting to turn hot.

Chen Fan drove his car, rolled down the windows, and the cool morning breeze blew into the car, making him feel much more comfortable.

Zhou Yali sat in the passenger seat, curiously looking around, watching the street scenes outside the car, "Younger brother, what's the ranking of this city in the whole country?"

Chen Fan gently blew a breath, and said with a fake smile without turning his head, "Just call me Xiao Fan. Are you talking about the scale of urban construction or economic strength? I don't know the specific ranking of the provincial capital, but as an important town along the Yangtze River, it's not bad here."

Zhou Yali turned her face to look at him, and said with a smile, "You don't seem to like me calling you younger brother? And I haven't heard you call me older sister yet."

Chen Fan squeezed out a fake smile, "Hehe."

Then he didn't say anything.

Zhou Yali pouted, not caring, turned her head to look out of the car, grinned and smiled, "It doesn't matter, anyway, I'm your older sister, you're my younger brother, this fact cannot be changed."

Then she raised her head and laughed, "I have a younger brother too, so good."

Chen Fan helplessly pursed his lips, feeling a bit of a headache.

Facing this talkative cousin, he couldn't wait to expose her.

Sighing, he turned his head and glanced at her, "Doesn't your aunt's side have any peers?"

Zhou Yali shrugged, "Yes, but they are all older than me. My mother is the youngest on that side, and because she went to university and got a graduate degree, she got married very late, so I don't have any younger brothers or sisters, only older brothers and sisters."

As she spoke, she turned her head to look at Chen Fan, smiling so wide that you could see her molars, "But now I do, from now on you are my younger brother. When you have time to come to America to play, I'll cover you there."

Cover?

Chen Fan turned his head and glanced at her, "Who did you learn this from?"

Zhou Yali's face suddenly froze, she smiled awkwardly, and then reacted, looking at him in surprise, "You know what it means?"

Chen Fan hummed twice, "This word should be a slang from Hong Kong, not commonly used in Cantonese, it means to protect and support.

I know that there is a large Chinatown at the southern end of Manhattan, New York, where the residents are mainly Cantonese and Fujianese, and many Hong Kong people have also immigrated and settled there, so you should often go to Manhattan Chinatown, and learn it from people there?"

The largest Chinatown in the Western Hemisphere is still San Francisco Chinatown, but in two years, in the early 1980s, Manhattan Chinatown will replace it and become the largest Chinese community in the Western Hemisphere.

Zhou Yali stared wide-eyed, "You know all this?"

After a pause, she asked curiously, "Isn't it said that the mainland is very closed off, how do you know so much?"

Chen Fan naturally had to argue a bit, "It can't be considered closed off, it's just that the channels for obtaining information are limited."

Then he explained, "Ordinary people don't easily have access to foreign newspapers and periodicals, so they naturally don't know much about the outside world, but I have a way to see these things. My understanding of Manhattan also comes from foreign newspapers."

Whether it's at Jiangda University or the Cultural Affairs Bureau, there are foreign-related newspapers and foreign language materials, and you need to meet certain conditions to be eligible to borrow these things.

But for Chen Fan, it's all easy. As for which one specifically introduced Hong Kong slang and Manhattan Chinatown?

He's read so many, how could he remember? Go find it yourself if you have the ability!

Anyway, now he has his uncle backing him up, as long as it's not a matter of principle, who dares to touch him?

Besides, his cousin wouldn't randomly tell people about this.

Zhou Yali really didn't care, but nodded in realization, "I almost forgot, you are not only a great writer, but also an official of a not small rank."

Then she clapped her hands, and praised, "As expected of my younger brother, so outstanding!"

The corner of Chen Fan's mouth twitched slightly. With his excellence, he didn't even know how to respond.

At this time, Zhou Yali changed the subject and explained, "Yesterday my dad didn't explain clearly, actually, although our family has now moved to the white area because of work needs, the Zhou family's ancestral home is still in Chinatown, which is where grandpa and the others first settled when they arrived in New York.

The reason for settling there, on the one hand, is that there are many Chinese people there, although they are mainly from the south, but they are all Chinese anyway, and it's not like there are no northerners who have settled there, it's just that there are fewer, and living there doesn't feel too lonely."

As she spoke, she turned her head to look at Chen Fan, smiling, "Actually, we almost go back to the old house every week to spend the weekend, just so as not to forget our homeland."

Chen Fan nodded in agreement, "That's good."

Then he asked, "What about the other aspect?"

Zhou Yali shrugged, "The other aspect is education. Back then, only there in all of New York had a Chinese school, using textbooks that were brought from China back then, and there were even teachers sent by the Republic of China. The school taught Chinese, recognized Chinese characters, especially geography and history were the focus of study, just to educate the new generation of Chinese not to forget their roots.

Back then, my dad and aunt studied at that Chinese school, and later I also studied at that school, until high school, when I went to a regular school."

Chen Fan unconsciously nodded, "That's good."

At this moment, he suddenly understood why his mother, uh, Chen Fan's mother, would resolutely return to China.

Giving an example will make it clear.

Overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia all know, but before Mr. Sun, these Chinese were not recognized by the Qing government, and Qianlong even regarded them as "abandoned people of the Celestial Dynasty."

It was this group of "abandoned people" who, under the advocacy of Mr. Sun, reawakened their national consciousness, established "overseas Chinese schools", and inherited Chinese culture.

At that time, someone published a statement in the newspaper, "Abandoning the education of the masters of our own country, and receiving the education of the slaves of other countries, is called going to the land of death! Overseas Chinese who say they are Chinese must receive overseas Chinese education, be proficient in Chinese, recognize Chinese characters, and establish the identity of overseas Chinese."

Before and after the Xinhai Revolution, the number of overseas Chinese schools in Southeast Asia increased from zero to hundreds, and then to everywhere, with 150,000 overseas Chinese students in Malaysia (including Singapore) alone, and more than 50,000 in Indonesia. In the entire Southeast Asian region, there were more than 2,500 overseas Chinese schools.

Through overseas Chinese schools, not only were the children of overseas Chinese cultivated and Chinese culture inherited, but these students also learned where their "roots" were, and then paid attention to the crisis-ridden motherland, and through learning, mastered the skills that could serve the country.

And these can be called "overseas Chinese second generation", "overseas Chinese third generation" and even "overseas Chinese N generation", some of whom have never even set foot on the land of their motherland, let alone their overseas Chinese students, who regard themselves as Chinese, regard their motherland as their hometown, and themselves as descendants of Yan and Huang.

It was against this background that, after the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, overseas Chinese not only donated money and materials, but also actively "donated people."

During the war, a total of more than 40,000 overseas Chinese returned to China to participate in the war, the vast majority of whom were from Southeast Asia, about 40,000, and about 1,000 from the Americas and Australia.

Among them, the "Southeast Asian Chinese Mechanics Service Corps Returning to China" with a total of 3,200 people is a well-known example.

Most of these people had never set foot on the land of their motherland, and did not even know what their motherland looked like, but they heard the call and responded one after another, the youngest of whom was even less than 13 years old.

In December 1935, the anti-Japanese drama "Song of Returning Spring", which premiered in Shanghai, told the story of the active participation of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia in the anti-Japanese national salvation activities during this period.

Among them, the interlude "Farewell to Nanyang", a collaboration between Tian Han and Nie Er, moved countless people to tears.

"Goodbye, Nanyang!

Your sea waves are green,

The sea clouds are long,

You are our second hometown.

The blood and sweat of our nation,

Has been sprinkled on these hundreds of desolate islands.

Goodbye, Nanyang!

Your coconuts are fat,

Your nutmeg is fragrant,

You are blessed with abundant natural resources,

But under the exploitation of imperialism,

millions of oppressed people are suffering from famine.

… …

Farewell, Nanyang!

Don't you see corpses lying across Changbai Mountain,

blood flowing in the Heilong River.

This concerns the survival of the Chinese nation,

Goodbye, our second hometown,

we are going to fight for this glimmer of hope.

… …

Therefore, if the Zhou family's children receive education in overseas Chinese schools from an early age, it is completely reasonable for them to be full of affection for the motherland and return to serve the country.

It's just that they might have returned a little later, or their abilities were slightly lacking, and they didn't catch up with mushroom cultivation, otherwise, there wouldn't have been the later misfortune.

That place is remote, but relatively safe.

But it's hard to say, even if they went there, it wouldn't be without danger, it's just that the types of dangers are different. Another thing is, even if they are still alive, Zhou Zhengdong and the others would have no way to find them.

Chen Fan chatted while driving. Originally, the Yangtze River Hotel was not far from the Writers Association, and with such a chat, time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, they arrived at the office.

Driving into the courtyard, he glanced at the guard room and saw an unknown comrade inside writing at his desk, probably filling in for Uncle Xiang.

He didn't ask any more questions, drove the car straight in and parked it, then took Zhou Yali inside.

As soon as they walked to the office building, good heavens, people were poking their heads out of every office door.

Chen Fan stopped, annoyed, raised his head and shouted, "What's so interesting to see? Although they are foreign guests, aren't they still Chinese?"

Most people instantly shrank back, hiding in the office and whispering.

Although they are all Chinese and look similar, their dress is completely different. They look very good-looking, making people want to take a few more glances.

Not everyone shrank back. There were two people whose ranks were similar to Chen Fan's, and whose skin was several times thicker than his, who actually walked over directly.

"What nonsense, we came out to say hello because we saw your relatives come."

Then they stopped three meters away and waved from a distance, "Hello, little comrade."

Comrade?

Zhou Yali felt very novel and waved with a smile, "Hello, comrade."

Several black lines appeared on Chen Fan's head, "This is Zhong Chengzhe, Director of the Creative Liaison Department, and this is Wang Zibo, Deputy Director of the Creative Research Department. Just call them Director Zhong and Deputy Director Wang."

Wang Zibo asked curiously, "Is this your older sister or younger sister?"

Chen Fan smiled, "Cousin."

After saying that, he left.

Leaving Zhong Chengzhe and Wang Zibo looking at each other, who doesn't know it's a cousin, but is it an older cousin or a younger cousin?

Then they thought about it, it's probably an older cousin, otherwise, why wouldn't he say it? So the two of them chuckled, there will be more fun to tease him with in the future.

Zhou Yali had just finished greeting him when she saw him turn around and go upstairs, so she quickly followed behind and whispered, "The people in your unit are so friendly. What does 'laobiao' mean? Older cousin?"

Chen Fan hummed twice, then said, "Friendliness depends on who it is for. They are pretty good to people in this unit, but it's hard to say about outsiders."

It's not that they are arrogant, the tail of the typhoon is still there, and they haven't developed arrogance so quickly. Instead, they are more cautious in their words and actions, and try not to interact with people as much as possible in order to avoid trouble.

But there was no need to explain these things to Zhou Yali. After taking her into the office, Chen Fan began to pack his things.

Zhou Zhengdong brought his family over, naturally not just to see him. He definitely had to pay respects to his older sister and brother-in-law, and returning to his ancestral home in the Northeast to worship his ancestors was also a matter of course.

This time, he reserved half a month, so there was still plenty of time.

And Chen Fan, as the protagonist of this family search, was naturally the best person to accompany them throughout the entire process.

Even if he wasn't willing, the leaders hoped that he would be willing.

That's why he had to come back to ask for leave, and also take away some of his work to facilitate timely processing.

The most urgent task at hand now was to do acupuncture for the veterans who needed surgery, but after the relevant departments communicated with the Provincial Military Region General Hospital, Director Gong said that there was no need to rush.

These veterans had endured for more than twenty years, and they wouldn't mind waiting another half a month. Moreover, it would take time for them to gather the people together, so it wouldn't be too late for Chen Fan to do it when he came back.

Secondly, there was his studies. Professor Xu approved his leave without saying a word, without even saying many words of exhortation.

The reading list he gave Chen Fan was for a year, but it had only been a little over a month, and Chen Fan had already read almost everything, and mastered it proficiently, so what else was there to exhort?

Now Professor Xu often advises Chen Fan not to work too hard, and to pay attention to exercising while studying, so that he can do his studies better.

After Chen Fan humbly expressed his acceptance, all that was left was the Writers Association's affairs.

Fortunately, the focus of the Writers Association's work was the correspondence course. Now the textbooks and learning materials had been sent out one after another, leaving only the opening of the first face-to-face class.

He had already arranged these tasks properly, and left notes for Bian Huifang. In addition, He Qingsheng was in charge at the unit, so it was the same whether he was there or not.

He came back to the unit today to pick up the design drawings for the Taoist temple.

After a week of hard work, most of the design drawings had been completed. Master Zhang didn't dare to delay, so he simply carried the drawings with him, and would draw a few strokes whenever he had time. Even if time was tight, he should be able to finish them within half a month.

It would be good to give them to his uncle in person in Beijing when he sent his family away.

There are no fixed routes between the mainland and the United States yet. Travel between the two places requires Tokyo as a transit point.

Because on September 29, 1974, a fixed route from Beijing to Tokyo was opened. This route connects the four cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Osaka, and Tokyo into a hook line, that is, the plane departs from Beijing, first lands in Shanghai, then flies to Japan, lands in Osaka in the middle, and finally stops in Tokyo.

And Tokyo naturally has flights to many cities in the United States, which makes it much more convenient.

Before this route was opened, there was only one way to go abroad, and that was to first go to Guangzhou, enter Hong Kong by land, and then transfer through Hong Kong Airport.

In that case, Zhou Zhengdong's vacation would have to be wasted for two more days.

Zhou Yali watched Chen Fan pack his things, walked over and asked, "Do you need any help?"

Chen Fan rolled up the drawings and put them in a drawing tube, and put a lot of white paper in another drawing tube, while shaking his head and saying, "No need, it will be done soon."

Zhou Yali raised her eyebrows, looking around curiously, "Your office is so clean."

Chen Fan looked up and smiled, "Are you saying why there isn't even a bookshelf here?"

Zhou Yali turned her head back, grinning and smiling, "Young writer brother, where are your works? Won't you give me two copies?"

Chen Fan carried the drawing tube on his back, looked at her and said, "Don't tell me you didn't buy my books?"

Zhou Yali, "We bought them, but they aren't signed. Moreover, the books we bought and the books you give are different in meaning, okay."

Chen Fan thought for a while, took out a few sets of 'Yunhu Love' and a few booklets of 'A Brief Discussion on Hard-Pen Calligraphy' from the drawer, pulled out a chair and sat down, then picked up the fountain pen in the pen holder and signed them with a flourish.

Zhou Yali jumped to his side and said excitedly, "Little brother, write a few more words, write 'To the most beautiful older sister'."

Chen Fan rolled his eyes, threw the signed books in front of her, "Take it or leave it."