Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 581 Self-reliance
The sidecar motorcycle he had borrowed earlier was parked behind the kitchen of the small building. After uncovering the tarpaulin covering it, Chen Fan checked it and found that it started normally, so he slowly drove it out.

The Changjiang 750 motorcycle only has two separate seats, with a raised circular handlebar in the middle, which looks old-fashioned.

Most importantly, unlike the sofa seats on later motorcycles that can accommodate several people, this vehicle can only seat two people, with another person sitting in the sidecar.

As a result, the two Jiang sisters had to ride their bikes by themselves. After Jiang Lili closed the courtyard gate, the five people and three bikes slowly headed towards Julu Road.

Zhou Yali sat behind her cousin, gripping the handrails tightly with both hands. She was initially excited, but after driving less than a kilometer, she couldn't take it anymore and said with a pained expression, "Brother, aren't there any other cars?"

Chen Fan didn't even turn his head. "Then why don't you sit behind Lili?"

Zhou Yali turned her head and glanced at the bicycle Jiang Lili was riding, then stuck out her tongue lightly. "Never mind, I'll just ride this one."

At least a motorcycle seat has some shock absorption, but the bicycle seat is just a metal frame, and she was a little worried that her buttocks would get hurt from the bumps.

(The Yangtze 750 isn't actually that bumpy.)

At this moment, Zhao Wanru, who was sitting in the sidecar, laughed and said, "Xiao Fan, how about I give you a car? Although you have your own car, it's in the provincial capital. Lili and Tiantian will be living here for four more years, so having a car would be more convenient."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian, who were diligently pedaling nearby, quickly shook their heads in fright, "No need, no need..."

Are you kidding me? They're already showing off by riding bicycles every day. If they drove cars, what would that look like?
Besides, they can't drive.

Before they could finish speaking, Chen Fan glanced at the two of them and said with a smile, "I'm already making arrangements. We'll have a car to use in a month or two at most."

The two sisters were stunned and almost lost their balance on the handlebars.

He actually made arrangements?
Zhou Yali's eyes darted around slightly. "Did you design this car yourself?"

Zhao Wanru was also full of surprise, "A car designed this year can be launched this year?"

Don't we need to do any testing?
"Yes, it's a small passenger and cargo vehicle that I designed."

Chen Fan laughed and said, "Unlike overseas, there are not so many car models to test in China. We only need to do a few key safety tests."

Domestic organizations can be very inefficient at times, but also very efficient at others.

These two cars, which have been approved by FAW and the Ministry of Machinery Industry, belong to the category of cars that can be launched at a very high level. If Chen Fan's estimate is correct, they should be able to be launched as early as this month, that is, June, and at the latest no later than July. One or two months is no problem at all.

As for the car license plate, he has already discussed it with Buffett. As long as he can find a car, Buffett will agree to put the license plate on the unit for his use.

Maybe it will even help Yunhu Automobile Factory sell a few cars in the future.

He naturally reserved a minivan for himself; those fancy sedans weren't suitable for him—too high-profile and likely to attract criticism. A minivan was just right; it was fast and could carry a lot.

The distance from home to the Writers' Association is not far, only 3.5 kilometers. If it weren't for the two sisters riding bicycles, they could get there in just a few minutes.

Even so, they arrived at the destination in just over ten minutes.

No. 675 Julu Road is the location of the Shanghai Writers Association.

(Here)

This building was designed by the famous Hungarian architect László Hudec—yes, the same architect who designed the villa across from Chen Fan's house belonging to Sun Dashao. It was originally the former residence of the famous industrialist Liu Jisheng, and was one of the top garden villas in Shanghai at the time. A beautiful marble statue of a goddess stood in the garden. Because this villa was a 40th birthday gift from Liu Jisheng to his wife Chen Dingzhen, it was known as the "Garden of Cupid."

Since 1953, the East China Writers Association, the predecessor of the Shanghai Writers Association, has used this place as its office.

To this day, and "today".

Meanwhile, the editorial offices of well-known magazines such as "Sprout", "Harvest", and "Shanghai Literature" are also located here.

Jiang Tiantian always learns at the editorial department in this very place.

(The interior and main building of the Shanghai Writers Association, which was later restored and opened to the public, is still used as part of the Writers Association compound and some people still work there. It is more impressive and beautiful than Chen Fan's small villa.)

Chen Fan rode his sidecar tricycle and swaggered into the yard, the roar of the machine immediately attracting the attention of many people.

He had been brought here by Ba Jin a few months ago and spent a whole day here, so he was naturally familiar with the place. Immediately, someone greeted him, "Comrade Chen is here."

Chen Fan drove the car into a corner and waved to them, "Long time no see."

He then pulled out the keys, got out of the car, took out a pack of cigarettes and waved them around, asking, "Is Mr. Ba here?"

The person closest to him pointed to the small building, "It's inside. Shall I take you there?"

At the same time, his gaze swept over the four girls behind him. Jiang Tiantian recognized them; the one who looked a lot like her must be her younger sister. Why was her sister standing closer to Chen Fan? Wasn't it because Chen Fan had pulled some strings with Ba Jin that Jiang Tiantian was able to get in to study? Wasn't she Chen Fan's girlfriend?

Ouch, my head's a little itchy.

Looking at the other two women, it goes without saying that they are overseas Chinese who have just returned to China. Although Shanghai women are known for their refinement, it depends on the environment. At least they don't usually wear makeup or gold and silver.

So Xiao Chen also has overseas connections?
Chen Fan glanced at him, "No need, no need."

He then walked inside, with the others following closely behind.

Passing through the front hall, there is a double-height ceiling in the central hall, and if you look up, you can see the staircase to the top floor...

Here is a spiral staircase. Climbing the steps, you will soon arrive at Mr. Buffett's office.

At that moment, Ba Jin was writing at his desk. Hearing the knock on the door, he called out without looking up, "Come in."

Chen Fan pushed open the door and entered. As soon as he entered, he waved and said with a smile, "Old Ba."

Old Ba raised his head, a wide grin spreading across his face. "So it was you."

He capped the pen, stood up while holding onto the table, and looked at the women behind him. "What's going on here?"

Chen Fan quickly introduced, "This is my aunt Zhao Wanru, and this is my cousin Zhou Yali. They have something to discuss with you."

Then, pointing to the two Jiang sisters, he said with a smile, "Sweetie needs no introduction. This is Lili, Sweetie's younger sister, and also my girlfriend. She admires you very much and considers you her idol. When she heard I was coming, she came along."

Buffett paused for a moment, "The younger sister is my boyfriend? Did I guess wrong?"
However, having seen it all before, he snapped out of his reverie when Zhao Wanru and the others greeted him, smiled and nodded, gesturing, "Alright, alright, come, come, sit here." After everyone was seated, he was about to get a cup to pour tea when Chen Fan helped him to sit on the sofa, saying, "Leave this little thing to me."

Mr. Ba chuckled and didn't refuse, turning to look at Zhao Wanru, "Ms. Zhao, is there something you need from me?"

Zhao Wanru immediately took out a check for two thousand US dollars from her bag, placed it on the coffee table with both hands, and gently pushed it in front of Mr. Buffett.

Then, meeting Ba Jin's questioning gaze, and with a hint of apology, he said, "Mr. Ba, hello, it's like this..."

She recounted the whole story, and Mr. Ba couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Hahaha, I never expected to see someone bring me money today."

Just then, Chen Fan brought over some tea and smiled at him, saying, "Would you call this a windfall?"

Chen Fan clicked his tongue and deliberately tossed his head, "This is nothing!"

He pointed at Zhao Wanru and said, “I heard from my aunt that there are quite a few publishers overseas that have published your works without your authorization. If they were to take them all back, there would be more than ten times as many as this.”

Mr. Ba adjusted his glasses and looked at him with amusement, "But I don't know which publishers they are, and I can't get them out or collect payments."

Chen Fan immediately patted his chest and said, "It's no problem. My uncle is a lawyer in America. You can write a power of attorney for him and get him to give you a huge discount. He'll only charge you 10% of the fees. It's a great deal!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wanru's eyes lit up, and she quickly nodded and said, "Yes, yes, I almost forgot."

She smiled at Mr. Buffett and said, "All you need to do is write an authorization letter, entrusting my husband to handle the overseas copyrights, and we guarantee that we can get back all the royalties you are entitled to."

At this point, she glared at Chen Fan again, "Forget about the handling fee, don't take it seriously. Just consider it a small compensation for us publishing your work without your prior consent."

Mr. Ba leaned back in his chair, raised his hand and waved, then laughed and said, "Giving it to you is no problem, but on the one hand, I need to get the consent of my unit to allow these books to be published overseas before I can issue this authorization letter."

on the other hand,……"

He pointed at Chen Fan and said, "Your nephew understands me best. I won't do anything that doesn't require payment. Just follow your industry rules, whatever the price is, that's fair and just, and it's better for both of us."

"this?"

Zhao Wanru looked at Chen Fan, and seeing him nod slightly, she smiled and said, "Okay, then we'll do as you say."

At this moment, Chen Fan suddenly interjected, "Aunt, when you return to China, please compile a list. Let's leave aside those with very small numbers. Besides Mr. Ba, please list which other domestic authors' works have been published overseas without authorization.

He then turned to look at Mr. Buffett and said with a smile, “Mr. Buffett, when the list comes over, please also give Mr. Mao Dun a word and try to get authorization for everyone who can be authorized. That way, it can also be considered as indirectly generating foreign exchange.”

Upon hearing this, Mr. Ba couldn't help but nod. "I hadn't thought of that. Hmm, your idea is good. Every little bit helps."

He laughed and said, "It just so happens that I was thinking of buying a batch of foreign literary works for my unit, and I was worried about where to get foreign exchange funding. With this money, I don't have to ask anyone for help anymore. I guess I can say that I'm self-reliant."

After he finished speaking, he picked up the check from the coffee table, stood up, walked to his desk, and made a phone call.

A short while later, a clerk came in, and Mr. Ba handed over the money. “This is the royalties sent to me by overseas Chinese in the United States. You can hand it over to the finance department first, and I will decide how to handle it after I report to the General Association.”

The clerk took the check with both hands, smiled at Chen Fan as he turned around, and couldn't help but glance at the two overseas Chinese ladies before quickly walking out.

After the door was closed, Ba Jin sat back down on the sofa and smiled at Chen Fan, "Weren't you studying under Mr. Xu at Jiang University? What brings you to Shanghai?"

Chen Fan was somewhat surprised, "You also know Teacher Xu?"

Ba Jin gave him a look and said, “That’s a very novel statement. He is an authority in the field of Chinese studies, a master of Chinese studies who has a very profound understanding of classical literature and the doctrines of Confucianism and Taoism. I think you have a very poor understanding of your own master.”

Chen Fan swallowed hard and chuckled dryly, "Just show respect, we can get to know each other slowly."

Zhao Wanru and the others beside her were full of surprise. Did they not know that Chen Fan's current teacher was so amazing? Even Mr. Ba Jin praised him highly?
Ba Jin looked at Chen Fan and said seriously, "Although Mr. Xu does not have any novels that are famous far and wide, his literary cultivation is very profound, and his works are well known in the industry. For us, he is like serious literature compared to popular novels, or even more different."

You are fortunate to be studying under Mr. Xu; you must study diligently, for one day you may very well become a leading figure in your field.

Chen Fan nodded slightly, "Yes, I'll remember that, I will."

Forget about being a leading authority, but now that I'm learning and doing research under Professor Xu, I'm finding it quite enjoyable.

Now, hearing what Mr. Ba said, it seems that this golden body is even thicker than that of a national member of the Writers Association. In that case, he certainly won't treat it lightly. Getting a title of expert in Chinese studies wouldn't be bad either.

At least he can speak louder, and not many people dare to talk back to him.

Mr. Ba nodded with satisfaction, then asked, "So, did you come to Shanghai this time to accompany relatives?"

Chen Fan smiled and nodded, glancing at Zhao Wanru and the other person. "My aunt and uncle came back to China specifically to see me,"

He gestured as he spoke, "We lost contact before, and have been out of touch for many years."

Mr. Ba said "Oh" and nodded slightly.

Since the end of last year, such incidents have become more and more frequent, and he has heard many people talk about them, but he never expected that such a thing would happen to Chen Fan.

According to the information I have, Chen Fan is still a young man from a production team in an inland area. In contrast, the vast majority of overseas Chinese search for their relatives in coastal areas, with far fewer searching inland.

Of course, it's only relatively rare, not nonexistent. Back then, things were so chaotic that it's understandable if they were to find people in Sichuan and Chongqing, let alone the Jiangnan region.

Chen Fan continued, "After accompanying my uncle and aunt back to their hometown, I went with them to several other places to handle other matters. Shanghai was the last stop. After my uncle finished visiting his old friends, they will return to China tomorrow at noon."

He chuckled again as he spoke, “I wanted to come to Shanghai, and I couldn’t miss visiting you. Then, when my aunt heard that I was coming, she immediately remembered that she hadn’t given you the royalties yet, so she came along to give you the money.”

After he finished speaking, Zhao Wanru immediately added, "At the same time, I also want to meet you. After all, you have a great reputation in the overseas Chinese community and are a literary giant praised by everyone. Now that I am back in China, I naturally want to pay my respects since I have the opportunity."

Old Ba laughed and waved his hand, "You're very kind."

He then smiled at Chen Fan and said, "Since you've come all this way, and it just so happens that 'Shanghai Spy Shadow' is about to be published, why don't we have a simple symposium?"

Chen Fan's expression stiffened slightly. "Holding a symposium is no problem, but please skip the writing. My hands hurt."

(End of this chapter)