Reborn in 1977

Chapter 692: New Ideas

Coming up from the basement, Chen Fan shook his head and didn't fully wake up until he washed his face in the bathroom.

Zhou Zhengdong was sitting by the tea table drinking tea, his briefcase placed beside him, not even taking it back to his room.

Chen Fan rolled up his sleeves, walked over, and sat opposite him, asking, "Have you had dinner yet?"

Adjusting his clothes and looking at his daughter sitting beside him, Zhou Zhengdong smiled and said, "I reek of alcohol; of course, I've eaten."

Zhou Yali washed her face, sat down next to her cousin, made a face at her father, "Wait till Mom gets ahold of you when you get back."

The smile on Zhou Zhengdong's face instantly disappeared; he had spoiled this daughter for nothing.

Chen Fan grinned and said, "Drinking makes you hungry easily; how about having a little something more?"

Zhou Zhengdong didn't argue, pondered for two seconds, then nodded, "Alright, just get me a bowl of clear soup noodles."

After filling up on so much meat and alcohol, a bowl of clear soup noodles would indeed be very comforting.

Before long, Liu Juan and Ma Lan brought the dishes to the table, naturally not forgetting Zhou Zhengdong's clear soup noodles.

Although Liu Juan and Ma Lan were already very familiar with this house, and Chen Fan didn't treat them like outsiders, the two still strictly adhered to the rules their parents had taught them, never eating at the same table with them, always eating quickly in the kitchen with a bowl in their hands.

So, at the table, there were only Zhou Zhengdong, Zhou Yali, and Chen Fan.

Zhou Zhengdong held the bowl of noodles, slurped down two big mouthfuls, then took a sip of the soup, exhaling a long breath, "Comfortable."

Just as he was about to continue, he looked at his daughter, who looked listless, "What's wrong? Are you tired today?"

Zhou Yali pouted and muttered, "It's not good."

Chen Fan glanced at her, "You should be starved for three days; I guarantee you'd think everything tastes good."

Zhou Zhengdong was speechless, unable to resist rolling his eyes, first cautiously glanced at the kitchen, then turned to glare at his daughter, "What's wrong with you? The cooks are still here; who curses the chef while holding a bowl?"

Zhou Yali turned to look at her dad, pouting as she said, "These weren't made by Liu Juan and Ma Lan; we came back late today, didn't have time to cook, so we bought some ready-made dishes at the market, the kind you can just heat up and eat."

Saying that, she poked at them with her chopsticks, "These are them."

(1970s pre-made dishes from the Dongdan Market)

She sighed faintly, then raised her voice and shouted, "Juanzi, help me cook a bowl of clear soup noodles too."

Liu Juan was eating, immediately swallowed the food in her mouth, put down her chopsticks and steamed bun, stood up, and shouted, "I'll cook it right away, it'll be ready soon."

This was also one of the reasons why they didn't like eating with Chen Fan; Chen Fan liked to eat rice, they liked to eat steamed buns, and they couldn't eat from the same bowl.

Zhou Yali, "No rush, I'll eat some vegetables first. You eat yours, and cook it after you're done."

If she didn't say that, Liu Juan would definitely cook noodles for her first.

Continuing to pick and choose with her chopsticks, Chen Fan was too lazy to even look at her.

He neatly finished two large bowls of rice, sweeping away most of the dishes, and didn't even seem rushed, completing the glorious feat of eating without realizing it.

Frankly speaking, the taste of the pre-made dishes at the market was indeed not very good, and they were especially heavy on oil and salt; he even suspected that they were cooked directly with soy sauce, no wonder Zhou Yali couldn't eat them.

It was also Ma Lan who bought these dishes; if he had known that the dishes at the market were like this, he would rather eat later than eat this.

But then again, it seems like people these days like to eat heavily oiled and salted flavors?

When he put down his chopsticks, Ma Lan brought over a bowl of clear soup noodles and placed it in front of Zhou Yali.

Then, she quickly made a cup of tea for Chen Fan and Zhou Zhengdong.

At this time, Zhou Zhengdong also leisurely finished his noodles, wiped his mouth, picked up his teacup, blew on it for a while, slowly sipped it, then looked up at Chen Fan, smiling, "You guys go to Shanghai tomorrow; I have to stay here for a few more days."

Hearing this, Chen Fan and Zhou Yali were first stunned, then spoke in unison.

However, they said different things.

Chen Fan said: "Any gains today?"

Zhou Yali said: "Why?"

Zhou Zhengdong glanced at his daughter helplessly, "If it weren't for Xiao Fan guiding the direction, I wouldn't dare let you run a company yourself."

Zhou Yali turned to look at Chen Fan, looked at him for a full three seconds, then muttered, "Anyway, I have my little brother, I'm not afraid."

Chen Fan was expressionless, just glanced at her. He thought to himself, was he being relied upon?

Zhou Zhengdong sighed a long sigh, secretly deciding in his heart that he must give his daughter more responsibilities after returning to the United States; this couldn't continue.

He took out two cigarettes, handed one to Chen Fan, put one in his mouth, lit it, and exhaled a puff of smoke, looked up at Chen Fan, smiling, "I took a stroll around today, first went to the Beijing Office. The Beijing Office is preparing for the embassy, and they're very busy these days, but Mr. Woodcock still took the time to chat with me for more than half an hour.

Frankly speaking, the White House doesn't have high demands on him; as long as diplomatic relations can be established smoothly, it will be considered a successful completion of the mission.

But Mr. Woodcock, he has his own pursuits. I talked to him, and found that our ideas are quite consistent. That is, it is currently not advisable to have major actions, especially at the official level; it is only necessary to maintain sufficiently smooth communication.

Currently, everything is waiting to be rebuilt, almost all work is starting from scratch, and the differences between the two sides are not few, and the situation is very complicated. If we act rashly, it may cause misunderstandings and create obstacles.

We discussed it and both believe that the key direction for work breakthroughs is in civilian exchanges. Previously, due to historical reasons, whether official or civilian, exchanges were very few. Woodcock hopes to promote as much power as possible to do this part well."

Speaking of this, he pointed to himself, then pointed to Chen Fan, smiling meaningfully, "He hopes that the two of us can play an important role, and he will provide as much convenience as possible."

Chen Fan raised his eyebrows slightly, "Understood."

The two of them, one is an American Chinese; the Zhou family has a certain influence in the New York Chinese community and can promote family visits, tourism, and other exchanges between overseas Chinese and the mainland.

And the other is a well-known domestic writer, whose works have also set off a sales craze in the United States, occupying the top spot on the New York Times bestseller list for a long time.

Chen Fan's "Versailles Augustus" pseudonym cannot be hidden for too long.

If he were just an ordinary small author, even if he hid it for a lifetime, no one would know, but this kind of uniquely popular work, still a pioneering magical masterpiece, how could he hide it?!

Therefore, before long, Chen Fan will be able to become a well-known writer in both China and the United States.

And in international civilian exchanges, cultural exchange has always occupied a core position.

Then the conclusion is already obvious, holding a publishing company and having a certain influence in the New York Chinese community… or also adding San Francisco, Zhou Zhengdong's wife, Zhao Wanru, comes from the Zhao family in San Francisco, and like the Zhou family, is also a highly influential Chinese family.

Using their energy, plus Chen Fan's influence, Woodcock has sufficient reason to believe that as long as the official sides of both countries don't hold back, they can completely create a major event.

Chen Fan silently smoked a cigarette, pondered for two seconds, and then looked at Zhou Zhengdong with a smile, "Originally, when I came to Beijing this time, the leaders of my work unit hoped that I could have a good discussion with you, hoping that the Zhou family's publishing house could select some works by writers from our province and take them to the United States for publication."

As soon as these words came out, before Zhou Zhengdong could react, Zhou Yali, who was eating noodles next to him, suddenly coughed violently.

She picked up her handkerchief to cover her mouth, coughed a few times, and then grabbed Chen Fan's teacup and took two gulps.

Chen Fan, who was sitting next to her, couldn't bear to watch, coughing and drinking noodle soup.

Zhou Yali finally caught her breath, glared and said, "This matter should be discussed with me, what are you talking to my dad about?"

Chen Fan didn't even want to look at her, and said with a pursed mouth, "Then I'll talk to you, do you agree?"

Zhou Yali took a deep breath, "You are the largest shareholder of the company, not only with shares, but also a core writer, with more say than me. Since it was you who proposed it, then I agree."

Chen Fan gave a fake smile, "Thank you, Director Zhou."

Zhou Yali waved her hand heroically, "You're welcome."

Chen Fan flicked the cigarette ash, turned to look at Zhou Zhengdong, and continued, "This matter was originally just a small commercial cooperation event, and half a year ago, the Jiangnan Provincial Writers Association had already reached a cooperation with Takahashi Publishing House of Japan, and several novels have been published. Now, adding another American publishing house is actually nothing."

"However, under the background of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, looking at this cooperation again, there is a lot to be done."

"When the cooperation is reached and results are achieved, my position can be secured, and many people will benefit."

He picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea. When he was about to put it down, he remembered that Zhou Yali had just drunk from it, and couldn't help shaking his head helplessly, and shouted, "Juanzi, help my cousin pour a cup of tea, and change mine too."

Zhou Yali finished the last bite of noodles, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and couldn't help but squint at her cousin when she heard this, "Tch, you're disliking me now."

Chen Fan was too lazy to pay attention to her, and asked Zhou Zhengdong, "I can get benefits from it, but Uncle, what about you?"

Zhou Zhengdong smiled when he heard this, relit a cigarette, and looked at him and said, "This is the second point I want to say. In addition to people-to-people exchanges, we must also promote bilateral economic and trade development, and my interests lie here, which is why I can't go to Shanghai with you for the time being."

He flicked the cigarette ash, his face was already flushed, and he gestured and said, "These days, I have been thinking about what else I can do besides providing consulting services when economic and trade and investment are severely restricted."

"When I was chatting with Woodcock today, I accidentally discovered a very important thing. If I use this as an entry point, I believe the mainland officials will definitely cooperate, and may even be very welcome."

Chen Fan raised his eyebrows slightly, "What is it?"

Zhou Zhengdong held a cigarette in one hand, made a gesture with the other, and gently placed it next to his ear, while the corners of his mouth had already cracked to the roots of his ears, "Communication!"

Chen Fan immediately raised his eyebrows, "What are you planning to do?"

There is no need to explain this. An international long-distance call lasting three days would make anyone collapse.

Zhou Zhengdong grinned and said, "I only have a preliminary idea now, so I need time to do research. It doesn't take too long, just throw out this topic and then negotiate with the officials, and it can be done in a few days."

Chen Fan took a deep breath, thought for a while and said, "What about the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls?"

Zhou Zhengdong waved his hand, "The Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls manages the export of technology and production equipment, mainly including three categories: military weapons and equipment, cutting-edge technology products, and rare materials."

"I am a lawyer, and I know very well what things are within the scope of these three categories and what are not."

As he said that, he pointed to the telephone in the distance, "Take the program-controlled telephone exchange, which is essential for telephone communication, as an example. A 10,000-line program-controlled telephone exchange can actually be exported here!"

Chen Fan widened his eyes, "Really?"

Zhou Zhengdong nodded, "I have checked the information in this regard. As long as it is not the most advanced and cutting-edge technology product, it can be free from the jurisdiction of the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls, just like supercomputers are restricted, but personal computers are not restricted at all."

"The factors that restrict the import of 10,000-line program-controlled telephone exchanges, in addition to the fact that foreign companies do not have a very accurate grasp of this line, so that none of them dare to sell it first, the most important thing is that the mainland's foreign exchange quota is insufficient, and the local postal and telecommunications units lack the funds for procurement."

As he said that, he raised two fingers, "So I need to solve two problems, one is the agency right for communication equipment, and the other is to provide foreign exchange loans to mainland units. This business can be done!"

Chen Fan nodded slowly, his eyes thoughtful.

It must be said that Zhou Zhengdong's thinking has a high degree of feasibility.

The first 10,000-line program-controlled telephone exchange imported by China in later generations was first introduced in Fuzhou in 1982. The equipment came from Fujitsu of Japan, and the model was F-150 10,000-line program-controlled exchange.

The major telecommunications companies in the world that make exchanges are mainly Fujitsu and NEC of Japan, BTM Company of Belgium, Lucent of the United States, Siemens of Germany, Ericsson of Sweden, Nortel of Canada, and Alcatel of France.

With so many companies, and facing a blank market, even if this market may be poor and have no money, it is big enough.

As long as the market is large and the base number increases, you can always find some wealthy customers. Wouldn't they be tempted?

What's more, the whole world is now focusing on here. China and the United States have broken the barriers and started cooperation, and the meeting being held is also letting the world know that it is about to turn to focusing its main energy on development.

If everything goes smoothly, it is almost foreseeable that this will be a very large market in the future.

Yes, investing here at this time will be risky, but what business has no risks? The higher the risk, the greater the return.

If Zhou Zhengdong can really lead the foreign telecommunications giants with one hand and settle the mainland relationship with the other, this business can indeed be done.

After a while, he raised his head and smiled, "This idea does have a high degree of feasibility. However, if you want to do this business, I think you might be able to go a little deeper."

Zhou Zhengdong was slightly startled when he heard this, looked at him intently, and asked, "How do you say that?"

Chen Fan smiled and gestured, "You see, yours is actually the most basic agency model, acting as an agent for products on one side and then selling them to customers on the other side."

"From an industrial point of view, other research and development, production, and after-sales maintenance are not involved. Research and development aside, but production and maintenance can still be tried."

As he said that, he suddenly turned to point at Zhou Yali, "Isn't this a coincidence? Yali happens to have a technology company in her hands. Although network communication and telephone communication are different, but for a company, as it does, it will have it."

Zhou Yali looked at him, then at her dad, and after a few seconds of daze, she suddenly reacted.

She immediately sat up straight, pointed at herself with both hands, and said with a serious face, "Dad, Dad, me, me, me, find me to cooperate. It doesn't matter if I don't have technology, I can recruit people. Let's join hands, start from scratch, become bigger and stronger, and create greater glories!"