Reborn in 1977

Chapter 689: Buying Some Things

After finishing the discussion, Zhou Zhengdong left with his briefcase.

In his words, during the previous days of negotiations, he had met many people, and he needed to strike while the iron was hot to maintain those relationships, as they might be useful in the future.

Frequent interactions were necessary to solidify relationships and ensure they could be utilized at any time.

Last-minute efforts were not the way to build connections.

However, it wouldn't affect tomorrow's itinerary.

The three of them had decided to depart for Shanghai tomorrow, partly to look at houses and partly for Zhou Zhengdong to establish connections and channels in Shanghai in preparation for setting up an office.

As for the Beijing office, the location had already been decided: the four-story building next door, which combined office space and accommodation, was the most convenient option.

At this time, Zhou Yali, accompanied by Liu Juan and Ma Lan, took the keys and led the two little monkeys and the dog, Xiao Hei, to check out the environment.

Although it was her father's office, she might open a company in the mainland someday, and she could put it here then, anyway, the house was so big that her father wouldn't use it all.

If everything went smoothly, after the Spring Festival, offices would be opened in both Beijing and Shanghai.

These offices were different from business entities, and they didn't need to go through approval to be established.

You just needed to find a few people to act as employees and register with the relevant authorities.

It was somewhat like a "registration system."

After the three of them left, Chen Fan sat for a while, then picked up the phone and dialed a long-distance number.

Then he put down the receiver, smoking and drinking tea while waiting.

The radio next to him was broadcasting news.

The core topic these days was, of course, the meeting, and key content was being released almost every day.

Some of it was new, and some of it confirmed things that had been rumored before.

In short, society was permeated with an atmosphere of impending change, a sense of restlessness, yet also caution and apprehension, mixed with a few beautiful expectations.

This could be roughly divided into two types.

People with regular jobs, or those with decent conditions, especially cooperatives with side businesses, were adopting a wait-and-see attitude, remaining unaffected by the changing situation.

This was somewhat similar to the original Yunhu.

If it weren't for Chen Fan's variable, the Yunhu area would have been among the last to adapt in every social change over the next 20 years.

For example, in 1980, Guanghan, Sichuan, announced the dissolution of the People's Commune, while Nanhai Commune didn't dissolve until 1984, making it one of the last communes to disband.

One should say one of the last, not the very last.

Because a few decades later, there was still a commune in existence: Zhoujiazhuang Township in Jinzhou, Shijiazhuang, which had maintained a collective model from beginning to end, with members still earning work points, and reportedly doing quite well.

Then there was the wave of attracting investment in the 1990s, which Yunhu also missed out on.

It was only after the state-owned and collective enterprises in the city and county couldn't hold on any longer that they belatedly started attracting investment.

Naturally, the results were lackluster, with much fanfare but few companies actually coming.

Even those that came were mostly exploited, with all sorts of demands for bribes and kickbacks.

It wasn't until after the new millennium, when many locals who had gone out to work or do business returned to start factories, that the business environment improved, coupled with the rise of real estate, where foreign companies exchanged investment for land, that the so-called economic development zone began to take shape.

Oh, and there was also migrant work.

The "going to sea and islands" of the late 1980s, the "going south to work" and "speculation" of the early 1990s—most people in Yunhu didn't participate in these major social trends.

It wasn't until after the mid-1990s, when a small number of people who had gone out returned with money, that the vast majority of people woke up as if from a dream and began their belated journey of migrant work.

So, sometimes good natural resources may not necessarily be a good thing.

Being well-fed and clothed easily breeds complacency, while difficult conditions can instead inspire fighting spirit.

The second reaction, besides sitting back and watching the changes, was to "take a gamble."

Those who didn't have jobs, or couldn't even get a spot at a street stall, had to find ways to make a living on their own.

Either a group of people with no background or knowledge would gather together and mess around, only to end up in jail a few years later, or they would try to find a source of goods to set up a stall, fighting a guerrilla war from north to south.

At that time, a term that had existed since the Ming and Qing dynasties would become popular again: "setting up a stall."

The term "setting up a stall" inherently carried a bit of humor and ridicule, emphasizing a carefree attitude.

Wherever a person went, they would simply drop their baggage on the ground, and the stall would be open for business.

The first real individual entrepreneurs were born from among them, and these peddlers who traveled from southeast to northwest for a living were also the cornerstone of the burgeoning private economy in China.

Chen Fan leaned back in his chair, thinking about the things that would happen in the future.

After a moment, the phone next to him suddenly rang.

He suddenly came back to his senses, dropped the cigarette butt, picked up the receiver, and put it to his ear, "Hello."

"This is Qi Yong, is this Writer Chen?"

Chen Fan immediately smiled and said, "Captain Qi, hello, hello, it's me.

It's been a while since we last spoke, how are you?"

He had just called Qi Yong, the deputy captain of the Liaoning Hunting Team.

When he went to FAW before, he went with the hunting team to hunt tigers, and the person in charge at that time was this person.

The day before yesterday, he promised Zhou Zhengdong to get him medicinal materials to make medicinal wine, and Chen Fan himself wanted to get some things, so he thought of directly finding the hunting team to get first-hand supplies, which would not only be cheaper but also allow him to process them himself, which was better than trying his luck at the pharmacy.

Long-distance calls were not cheap, so after a brief greeting, Chen Fan said, "Captain Qi, has the team had any gains recently?"

Qi Yong smiled and said, "There are definitely gains, what's the matter, do you want to buy something?"

Chen Fan smiled and said, "I can't hide it from Captain Qi, I want a few sets of tiger bones, preferably kneecaps, and also deer antlers, ginseng, …"

After listing a string of medicinal materials, Chen Fan added, "Also, if you have large hides, you can get some, small ones don't count, I don't need them, just large ones, tiger skins, bear skins, anything is fine."

Qi Yong listened and took notes, and when Chen Fan finished speaking, he looked at the half-page of paper, a bit embarrassed on his face.

"Writer Chen, since you've come to me, I'll definitely take care of it if I can.

However, you want so many things, not only many types but also a large quantity, our hunting team doesn't have that much stock, we can only go to the provincial import and export company, but they need to earn foreign exchange, …"

As he spoke, Qi Yong himself felt embarrassed, gritted his teeth, "Like this, I'll think of a way, …"

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Fan smiled and said, "It's okay, it's okay, foreign exchange is not a problem, I understand.

Like this, foreign exchange is not a problem, can you help me ask the import and export company if they can directly send the goods to me, I can send the foreign exchange payment first."

Qi Yong was a little confused, "You have foreign exchange?"

Chen Fan smiled and said, "I certainly don't. Even if I could earn foreign exchange, the US dollars wouldn't end up in my hands. But I have a relative in the United States, and he wants most of these things. He'll naturally pay for them."

Qi Yong laughed heartily upon hearing this, "Oh, is that so? Then it's no problem. Don't worry, I'll arrange for your shipment as soon as the money arrives."

Autumn is the peak hunting season. Before the heavy snow falls, hunting teams from various provinces frequently enter the mountains. Plus, the preparation process takes time. Therefore, the provincial import and export company currently has the most abundant supply of goods.

If it were earlier, the warehouse wouldn't have so much stock. And if it were a few days later, these goods would be shipped to Hong Kong, and then sold to various parts of the world through domestic trading companies in Hong Kong.

Chen Fan had timed it precisely to call at this moment. Otherwise, Captain Qi and his team would be back in the mountains, and it wouldn't be so easy to find them.

Subsequently, Qi Yong provided the payment method and recorded the shipping address. Chen Fan then hung up the phone.

Looking at the time, it was around three in the afternoon. Jiang Lili and Jiang Tian Tian were definitely not at home. He would have to wait until evening to call.

However, the evening was peak time for long-distance calls, especially international calls. In the Beijing long-distance telephone bureau building, the lights were on all night almost every night. Hopefully, things would go smoothly.

Chen Fan stretched lazily, deciding to take advantage of the remaining time to buy some antiques.

He had originally planned to buy some antiques before, but then he met Mr. Huo and then painted murals for the Taoist temple. After finally finishing, Zhou Zhengdong and the others had already finished their meeting. As a result, it was delayed until now.

He picked up the car keys to go out and happened to run into Zhou Yali and the other two returning.

Seeing the keys in Chen Fan's hand, Zhou Yali couldn't help but widen her eyes, "Where are you sneaking off to?"

Chen Fan's face fell. "I'm just going out to buy something. Why do you make it sound like I'm doing something illegal?"

Zhou Yali raised her eyebrows slightly, "Buying what? I want to go too."

Chen Fan didn't care, "Then let's all go."

Half an hour later, Zhou Yali widened her eyes, looking at the store plaque, and whispered, "This is what you meant by buying something?"

Liu Juan and Ma Lan were also full of curiosity, looking through the window. So, this is what an antique store looks like?

(Interior of the antique store)

Chen Fan hummed twice and smiled, "Antiques are things too. Last time, you even bought a Prince's mansion."

Zhou Yali blinked, turned to look at him, "Little brother, are you buying this for the Prince's mansion?"

She clapped her hands and said, "Ancient buildings should be paired with antiques. Great!"

Chen Fan glanced at her, "You're thinking too much. If you want them, buy them yourself. I'm buying these for study and collection."

Zhou Yali's eyes flickered, "I can pay for it, and pay for yours too."

Hmph, after paying, I'll just put it on the bill and deduct it from my little brother's account when we get back!

Chen Fan snapped his fingers, "Leave it to me!"

He was about to walk in when he was stopped.

The sales clerk was quite polite, "Sir, are you from out of town? This is an antique store, a foreign exchange earning unit. We only serve foreign guests. If you like this kind of thing, you might as well go to Liulichang to take a look."

This was Wangfujing, and this store was the Wangfujing Antique Store introduced by Manager Hou of Rongbaozhai. It was said to be the largest antique store in Beijing.

Chen Fan was a little surprised, "Aren't all antique stores the same?"

The sales clerk smiled and said, "How can you say that? The customers we serve are different, so there must be differences. Think about it, this is a place to receive foreign guests. If we also receive domestic customers at the same time, and the Wangfujing and Dongfeng Market incident of '72 is repeated, who can take the responsibility?!"

'72?

Zhou Yali blinked and whispered, "What happened, little brother?"

Chen Fan said, "Uh, I don't know."

At this time, Liu Juan came closer, "I know, I know."

The sales clerk was about to explain, but when he saw that someone knew, he stopped talking and stood smiling at the door, like a Maitreya Buddha.

Some people may ask, why are the staff in foreign-related places so good-tempered?

The reason, of course, is that they have been screened.

Previously, there were many cases of foreign guests complaining because of poor service attitude. Some people made rules for the staff in foreign-related places, but others said, why should we use so many messy rules to restrain our own people? Are foreigners superior?

Whether they are superior or not is another matter. At that time, the domestic service standards were really not good. It was not easy to set rules, so some leaders came up with a way: specially select a group of people with good tempers and transfer them to foreign-related places to serve.

It turned out that this method quickly took effect.

These selected employees were not only obedient and strictly followed the service regulations, but also mostly greeted people with smiles, even when dealing with their own people. They were completely different from the staff in ordinary units.

After that, the number of conflicts dropped sharply, and this method was quickly promoted.

If this were in the past, not too long ago, just two or three years ago, if someone like Chen Fan barged in directly, it would be good if they didn't call security to drive him away, let alone patiently explain? You're thinking too much!

Here, Liu Juan made a long story short, "That year, a Romanian tour group visited. They split into several groups and went to several places, some to the Forbidden City, some to the Summer Palace, and some to Dongfeng Market and Wangfujing.

Then, in Dongfeng Market and Wangfujing, there were many of our own people. Some of them regarded them as Soviet revisionists, stopped them, and wanted to argue with them.

Later, nothing major happened, but it is said that from then on, whenever foreign guests visited, they had to be accompanied by our own people."

Chen Fan blinked, feeling a little unbelievable.

Wangfujing Department Store goes without saying. Dongfeng Market is actually Dongan Market. This market was also the most popular market in Beijing at that time. Before the completion of Wangfujing Department Store, it was considered the commercial center of Beijing.

As a result, in this kind of place, they stopped foreigners to argue?

Doesn't it sound a bit magical?

Shaking his head, Chen Fan came back to his senses. Regardless of whether it was magical or not, he would solve the immediate problem first.

Without saying much, he gestured to Zhou Yali, "Passport."

Zhou Yali reacted. Oh right, I'm a foreign guest!

She immediately took out her passport from her bag and handed it to Chen Fan.

Chen Fan held it in his hand, waved it at the sales clerk, and smiled, "This is an American friend. We are her accompanying personnel. She wants to buy antiques today and will pay in US dollars."

The sales clerk looked at the passport, confirmed that there was no problem, and laughed, stepping aside and gesturing, "Please come in!"