Reborn in 1977

Chapter 604: Very Reasonable

July 10th, Monday. The Jiang sisters both went to school, and Chen Fan also took Liu Lu out.

He first rode the sidecar motorcycle to the Writers Association. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw five Yunhu-brand vans parked by the side.

He parked the sidecar next to the vans, got out of the car, and looked around, grinning and chuckling.

Soon he could exchange the convertible for a sedan, and he wouldn't have to be exposed to the wind and rain anymore.

He didn't let Liu Lu go up, but left her there to wait, while he hurried into the Writers Association office building alone, waving and greeting people, and went straight to Ba Lao's office.

He knocked on the door and went in. Ba Lao looked up and said the first sentence, "Don't look for me for this kind of thing in the future. I've become the one taking the blame for you. What does a computer have to do with the Writers Association? If the members here hadn't all received your calligraphy, I'm afraid most of them would object."

Chen Fan grinned, pulled out a chair, sat down, took out a cigarette, and handed it over, "Who said computers have nothing to do with the Writers Association?

I heard from my old uncle that the Americans are studying Chinese input methods for computers. This input method is countless times simpler and more convenient than the original mechanical typewriters, and it also uses the Pinyin input method that my country has been implementing for many years. That is to say, as long as you can speak, you can type.

When this input method is developed, you won't need a pen to write in the future. Just tap on the computer keyboard, and the words will appear with a 'click, click' sound, and you can directly modify and copy them on the computer.

Do you think writers can live without computers at that time?"

Ba Lao was holding the cigarette, ready to light it, when he heard Chen Fan's words, he couldn't help but stare blankly, looking at him intently, "Are you serious?"

Chen Fan nodded, took out his lighter, lit it, and helped him light the cigarette.

Ba Lao only quit smoking and drinking in his later years. At this time, he still indulged in both. His nephew, Li Shu, joked that he "smoked and drank without exercising." However, he only smoked "bag-mouth cigarettes," that is, he didn't inhale into his lungs, and he only drank two liang of alcohol, generally not much.

Moreover, his favorite was actually dry tobacco, which gave Chen Fan another reason to smoke dry tobacco, to learn from celebrities.

However, he didn't learn Ba Lao's straightforward personality. Someone wrote a poem and asked Ba Lao for guidance. As a result, Ba Lao frowned after only a few glances and gave an evaluation, "Fucked the dog."

This was something Chen Fan could never learn. He had too many secrets hidden in his heart, and he would keep three points of reservation from everyone. He would not take the initiative to offend people, and chose stability first.

Putting the lighter in his pocket, Chen Fan took a puff of cigarette, moved his butt back, and said with a smile, "Why would I lie to you for no reason? Now in the United States, many families are using computers as office tools. They use computers to write copy and make forms, and there is a trend of popularization.

Anyway, I heard from my old uncle that he estimates that the Chinese input method will be developed this year. As long as there is a Chinese input method, those electronic documents and spreadsheets can be localized, and we can use them like Americans.

When the results are out, he will definitely send me one. When I receive the computer, I will invite you to my house for dinner and show you how to use the computer to write."

Ba Lao took a deep breath, silently took a puff of cigarette, but his eyes were fixed on Chen Fan, and after a while, he said, "I'll go back today and check if I have an uncle in the United States."

Chen Fan grinned and chuckled, "It's not enough to just have an uncle. This uncle must also be rich. A computer equipped with Chinese input method costs at least $1,500. This thing is not cheap."

Ba Lao sighed, "Forget it, I can't count on my uncle. I'll wait for your uncle to help me collect the royalties and then buy me one."

After making a small joke, he flicked the ash, opened the drawer, took out an envelope from it, and threw it in front of Chen Fan, "You saw the car downstairs, right? It arrived only two days earlier than you. The license plate of the one you bought with your own money is 08-12345. Drive it away later."

In this era, license plates did not have Chinese characters, but used numbers to represent regions. For example, 01 was Beijing, 02 was Hebei, 03 was Inner Mongolia, and Shanghai was 08. The license plate numbers behind it only had 5 digits.

It must be said that the license plate number Ba Lao left for him was quite arrogant.

After a pause, Ba Lao pointed at him again, "Leave the sidecar motorcycle for me."

Who would want a sidecar motorcycle when they have a car?!

The envelope was not sealed. Chen Fan happily poured the envelope upside down, and a bunch of keys and a driver's license fell out.

(Driver's license in 1978, but this one is from Beijing)

He opened it and looked at it. The unit column inside was written as Shanghai Writers Association, and there was also the Writers Association's phone number and other information. Turning it over was the inspection page, with the approximate data information of the vehicle. As for the back, it was the inspection record and the change record. Now, of course, they were all blank, and no information was filled in.

Chen Fan put the driver's license and keys in his bag, and whispered, "Has anyone been gossiping?"

Ba Lao looked at him with a smile, "It's really fresh. You dare to buy a small western-style building, install a home phone, and now you have a car to drive. Are you still afraid of someone gossiping behind your back?"

Chen Fan patted his small heart, "I also have to pay attention to my image. Of course I'm afraid."

Ba Lao rolled his eyes at him, "Inconsistent words and deeds."

Chen Fan chuckled, "I can't say that. What I do is mainly to improve the quality of life as much as possible without violating the principles. Besides, I'm still very low-key, right?"

Ba Lao nodded lightly, "Yeah, yeah, low-key, while contributing to more than a dozen magazines, adding up to nearly 300,000 words, writing 10,000 words a day, you are the most low-key."

Chen Fan pursed his lips and blinked, "Does everyone know about this?"

Ba Lao looked up at him, with a smile on his lips, "What do you think?"

Chen Fan's mouth twitched helplessly. Sure enough, the disguise was unreliable. It had only been less than a year, and it was all exposed.

He then coughed lightly and said with a smile, "Uh, I also think it's a bit tiring to contribute to so many magazines at the same time, so I think from this month, I'll reduce the number of magazines I contribute to, and try to keep it to 3 to 5 in the future, so it won't seem too exaggerated."

Hearing this, Ba Lao was stunned, and then frowned slightly, "Reduce so much at once? Which ones do you want to keep?"

Chen Fan certainly understood what he meant, and said with a smile, "Jiangnan Literature and Shanghai Literature are definitely needed, and the frequency of People's Literature will also be higher, but I won't submit every month. As for other magazines, let's take turns."

Ba Lao's brows relaxed and he nodded lightly, "It's time to slow down a bit."

After a pause, he instructed again, "But you also have to explain clearly to the relevant magazine units, and don't offend anyone. You are still young. Having more friends means more paths, and having more opponents means more walls. If necessary, you can come to me. I still have some face and can explain it for you."

Chen Fan smiled and cupped his hands, "Then I'll thank you in advance."

Old Ba chuckled and then said, "Don't worry about using this car. Everyone in the unit knows that you paid for it yourself, it's just registered under the unit's name. And you have to pay for the gasoline yourself every month."

He raised his head, smiled at Chen Fan, and added, "Apart from a few old comrades scolding you for being wasteful, no one else is gossiping. Anyway, with your royalties, an 18,000 yuan car isn't a big deal. No one will secretly report you, otherwise, the colleagues won't forgive him."

It's not that those colleagues particularly care for Chen Fan, but this kind of behavior is a bit of a rule-breaker.

The big storm has just passed. These past two years have been spent patching things up and plugging some old loopholes. Who would want to see them broken open again?

It's not like times are changing again. Who would be stupid enough to do something that doesn't benefit them?!

Old Ba continued, "Besides, who doesn't praise the four cars you helped buy back? They not only carry more people but also haul cargo. Even the quality is comparable to a sedan. They are indebted to you for riding in such cars."

Chen Fan's eyes narrowed into slits with a smile, but he repeatedly waved his hand, "It's not that much, it's not that much."

Old Ba took another puff of his cigarette, tossed the butt into the ashtray, and said softly, "Two units in the city also went to other places to buy this kind of car a few days ago. For the same price, the quality is much worse. They said that when people sit in the car with the doors and windows closed, they can clearly feel the wind leaking in.

It's just that it hasn't rained in Shanghai these days, otherwise, it would be like a Jeep, and you could experience the thrill of getting rained on in the car.

Even so, these cars are not easy to buy, and you have to go around looking for manufacturers that produce them. The hardest to buy is the Yunhu Automobile Factory, after all, the quality is the best."

Speaking of this, he raised his head to look at Chen Fan and smiled, "Tell me, doesn't the unit owe you a favor?"

Cars these days are just a few types, and they are not easy to buy. It's not easy to find a small car that can carry seven people, so naturally, it will be sought after by various units.

Even if the leaders don't ride in it, other cadres in the unit can use it. It's better than not having a car to use often, right?

After hearing Old Ba's words, Chen Fan was quite surprised, "The drawings for the van are at the First Ministry of Machinery Industry. Didn't the Shanghai Automotive Factory ask for them to produce it?"

Old Ba smiled, looking at him with a rather meaningful look, but said nothing.

Chen Fan understood instantly when he saw his eyes.

Understood, they can't let go of their pride.

If FAW hadn't been involved, Shanghai Automotive might have asked for the drawings to produce the car immediately. But with FAW involved, if they stepped in, wouldn't others see it as taking advantage of FAW?

Now, Shanghai Automotive is not much worse than Hongqi cars. Except for not being selected as a ceremonial vehicle, the number of Shanghai-brand sedans in the southern region may be higher than that of Hongqi sedans. It's understandable that they have some self-esteem.

In addition, they may also want to wait and see.

Anyway, it has nothing to do with Chen Fan. He forgot about it after hearing it.

Only then did he mention the main topic, "Old Ba, do you know any Hong-style tailors from old Shanghai? Please introduce me."

Old Ba was startled again, staring at him intently, "What do you want a Hong-style tailor for?"

He looked him up and down, "Could it be that you're planning to make an old Shanghai-style suit? Or make two cheongsams for those two girls?

Let me tell you, other things are fine. Anyway, no one knows the phone is installed at home, and no one will ask if the car you're driving is your own. But you can't wear this kind of clothing out, it will cause trouble. Those were worn by the bureaucrats and celebrities of old Shanghai. An old Shanghainese will know as soon as you wear it!"

Chen Fan quickly waved his hands, explaining, "No, it's like this, I have a disciple in the production team who is learning tailoring from me…"

Before he could finish, Old Ba stood up abruptly, looking at him in surprise, "Learning what? Tailoring?"

Chen Fan raised his head and blinked, paused for several seconds, and then weakly said, "It's reasonable for a small writer who designs cars to know a little tailoring, right?!"

Old Ba curled his lips speechlessly, "Reasonable my ass."

However, when he thought that Chen Fan was famous for his medical skills, and his calligraphy and painting were amazing, he felt that knowing a little tailoring didn't seem like much.

Picking up a cigarette, lighting it, he sat down again and said to Chen Fan, "I know people and can introduce you. But since you know about Hong-style tailors, you should know a little bit about them. They have always followed the old-fashioned apprenticeship system.

If you bring an ordinary person to become an apprentice, there might be some opportunities, but if you bring a disciple, wanting to learn their skills to make a living, the difficulty…"

Before he finished speaking, Chen Fan understood perfectly.

He nodded immediately, "I understand, whether it succeeds or not, I won't have any complaints against the master."

Old Ba nodded lightly, "Well, it's good that you understand."

Then he tore off a piece of paper, wrote an address and name on it, and handed half of it to Chen Fan, "Go and try to find him. He came from Rongchangxiang, which was famous in Shanghai in the early years. Later, many Hong-style tailors branched out from Rongchangxiang, belonging to the most orthodox line of Hong-style tailors.

This person's surname is Wang, and he is also from the Rongchangxiang owner's lineage. Many celebrities asked him to make suits in the early years. I also met him when I asked him to make clothes at that time. After you go, mention my name to him and see if you can get more opportunities."

Chen Fan looked at the note and smiled at Old Ba, "Okay, then I'll go."

Saying that, he stood up to leave.

Old Ba quickly called out again, "Remember to bring gifts. If you don't have any, take two bottles of wine from here. Be polite when you see him, don't be like you are in front of me, with no respect for elders."

Chen Fan made a gesture, then his expression changed, and he bowed slightly to Old Ba solemnly, "Mr. Ba, you are busy, this junior will take his leave first. Next time, when you are free, this junior will visit again and listen to your teachings."

Old Ba waved his hand with a smile, "Get out."

Chen Fan quickly rolled out, walked briskly out of the building, and waved to Liu Lu, who was standing next to the sidecar, "Get in the car here."

Liu Lu hurried over, looking at the van in surprise. Has Teacher upgraded his equipment?

Chen Fan inserted the key, pulled the door open, and got into the car. Seeing that Liu Lu was not moving, he opened the passenger door from the inside and beckoned to her, "Don't stand there like an idiot, get in the car quickly, let's find you a master."

Liu Lu quickly climbed in and sat down, still a little uneasy.

This car seems to be better than Secretary Qian's Jeep in the commune? If it gets damaged, will I have to pay for it?

Chen Fan didn't bother to care what she was thinking, instructed her to fasten her seat belt, and started the car and sped away.