Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1264 Director Chen, Who Changed Fate, Offers Advice (Two Chapters Combined)
While the second sister was marveling at the plane ticket, Fang Yan and Lao Hu, at the research institute, announced to the soon-to-be-off-get off work crowd:

"Tomorrow is Saturday, so everyone will have a day off. We'll have dinner at the Yanjing Hotel that evening. Anyone who wants to bring their family is welcome to do so. This is the company's way of celebrating all of our shareholders entering graduate programs."

After he finished speaking in dialect, everyone applauded happily.

Many people received the news today but haven't had a chance to tell their families yet.

Because the school knew they were in a research institute, the admission notice was delivered directly from next door, without going through the post office.

Therefore, they can be said to be the first to know their own results.

People living in the capital could go back to report at night, but most people who came to the capital from other places could only send telegrams.

Giving them a day off will allow them to relax.

This kind of happy news should be shared with others.

Lao Hu added:

"We hope everyone can attend. This is a token of the company's appreciation, and everyone will receive a gift."

As soon as Lao Hu said that, the scene erupted in excitement once again.

Everyone knows the company is generous, but I didn't expect they would receive a reward for getting into graduate school; it was a pleasant surprise.

After the announcement was made, people living in Beijing couldn't wait to rush home to share the good news, which would surely make their families happy.

Others approached Meng Jimin, asking him to use the institute's radio to send telegrams home to share the good news.

After finishing their conversation with Fang Yan and Lao Hu, they took a car home together.

Old Hu is even happier than Fang Yan. All the talents he invested in before have now become graduate students. It's simply an investment miracle.

In this regard, Fang Yan definitely deserves a lot of credit. If he hadn't led everyone to prepare for so long in advance, Lao Hu believes that not many people would have been able to succeed now.

So, his most successful investment was building a good relationship with Fang Yan. He shamelessly became Lu Donghua's apprentice and later started a company with Fang Yan. He has gradually come to where he is today, and now his core business has shifted to traditional Chinese medicine.

Moreover, the transfer can be said to have been quite successful, free from family control, with a strong R&D team and the support of national policies.

Moreover, they have no worries about sales; various channels are urging them to speed up production.

Even the transformation and upgrading of the production line was helped by Fang Yan's father and father-in-law. These two professors who work in the defense industry transformed the Chinese medicine production line, which is now in production. Indeed, the efficiency and output have increased a lot. Now other hot production lines are also planned to be improved in the same way. Moreover, Lao Hu plans to go abroad to apply for a patent for the transformation method and technology, so as to prevent the technology from being stolen.

These spies are quite formidable now, after all, he's also using industrial espionage...

The surveillance work on Tsumura Pharmaceuticals and Kobayashi Pharmaceuticals is now being carried out by his corporate espionage. Professional matters should be handled by professionals; if you pay enough, you can definitely get what you want.

Lao Hu is quite experienced in this area.

……

When Fang Yan and the others returned home, they found that Director Chen had arrived.

The guy said to the dialect with a smug look on his face:

"I can finally go to university!"

Fang Yan paused for a moment, then smiled and cupped his hands in greeting:

Congratulations! Congratulations!

Although this guy took the exam in his previous life, he was still a few points short. He was only admitted because the school expanded its enrollment.

This time, due to some different reasons and driven by various directions, Director Chen successfully passed the exam.

This can be considered one of the butterfly effects brought about by dialects.

Equally happy is Director Chen's wife, Sun Jialin. She is a typical example of someone who hopes her husband will succeed, and admiring the strong is her motto. Now that Director Chen is able to help Fang Yan and others make movies and even get into university, everything is going well. Her attitude towards Director Chen is now vastly different from before.

She used to always seem indifferent to Director Chen, but ever since he became a proper assistant director, she's become very affectionate and submissive in his presence.

When we arrived today, she held Director Chen's hand the whole time, and they looked more affectionate than ever before.

"Hey, don't hold me back! Let me talk to Brother Fang, you go help in the kitchen!" Director Chen said firmly to his wife, Sun Jialin.

Sun Jialin wasn't offended, smiled and nodded, saying:

"Okay, I'll go to the kitchen and see if my older sister needs any help. I brought some local produce with me, and I'd like to show off my skills." With that, she picked up the cloth bag beside her and walked briskly toward the kitchen.

After walking a few steps, she didn't forget to turn back and give Director Chen a gentle look. Her demeanor was completely different from her previous indifferent attitude.

Director Chen watched his wife's retreating figure, then chuckled at Fang Yan and Lao Hu:
"Damn, this woman is much more considerate than before."

Old Hu joked, "That's what you call being in high spirits when good things happen! You got into university and you're also making movies, achieving success in both your career and family life. How could she not be happy?"

Director Chen nodded repeatedly, took out a neatly folded admission notice from his pocket, carefully unfolded it, and handed it to Fang Yan:

"Look! I got into the Directing Department of Beijing Film Academy. This time I passed the exam properly. I feel much more at ease now that I have it in my hands!" His voice was full of relief.

Fang Yan took the admission notice and looked at the bright red seal on it. She was genuinely happy for him: "Great! The directing department of Beijing Film Academy is a place full of hidden talents. You can learn more professional knowledge there and be more confident in making movies in the future."

"That's right!" Director Chen leaned over and said excitedly, "A few days ago, some teachers from that area came to visit our set. When we were chatting, some of them said that after the start of the semester, an experienced director will mentor us. I will definitely study hard then and strive to be able to direct a film independently before graduation. I've already thought of the subject matter. I'll make a film about traditional Chinese medicine and show the charm of traditional Chinese medicine to more people!"

Old Hu chimed in with a laugh, "Great idea! The company will invest in it, and we'll make a great film that promotes traditional Chinese medicine and wins awards!"

As they were talking, the sound of the eldest sister and Sun Jialin talking came from the kitchen.

A moment later, Sun Jialin came out carrying a plate of washed grapes and handed it to everyone:

"My older sister said that we should add an extra dish tonight to celebrate Fang Yan's admission to graduate school and Kai Ge's admission to university. It's a double celebration!"

Fang Yan took a grape and then asked:

"By the way, didn't you go back to share the good news?"

Sun Jialin said:
"Sigh, there's no one at home. My dad's out of town and my mom's taking care of her. Kaige's dad's also out of town doing something for someone..."

"Director! Art direction!" Director Chen said.

Sun Jialin nodded and said:
"That's it!"

Old Hu grabbed several grapes and said as he ate them:
"When will the old man be able to give us some pointers?"

Fang Yan said after hearing this:
"Yes, either of them is fine. One is a famous director, and the other is a professor of architecture. We can't do without each other when it comes to making movies."

As a result, Director Chen said:
"People from Hong Kong are quite good; you can learn a lot from them. Their things are out of touch with international standards."

Fang Yan was both amused and exasperated. It seemed that he didn't think much of his father and father-in-law's abilities.

It's getting a bit over the top!

"I think we should learn the most advanced film technology now!" Director Chen said earnestly, sharing his insights.

Fang Yan had just put a grape in his mouth when he heard Director Chen's words, and he almost burst out laughing. He coughed twice before he calmed down.
"You're not even fully grown yet, and you're already complaining about your old man at home?"

"Have you forgotten that your dad also helped us revise the storyboard, making the original narrative line very clear? All the directors in Hong Kong said it was good?"

Old Hu laughed along, pointing at Director Chen: "And your father-in-law, last time when we were filming on location, we couldn't find a suitable old courtyard. Who pulled some strings to help you get that Qing Dynasty old house in the south of the city? That guy is an architect, his understanding of spatial layout and lighting effects is much better than your half-baked college degree!"

Director Chen blushed at the words, scratched his head, but still insisted, "I... I don't look down on them, I just think that the filming techniques in Hong Kong are more modern, such as the fast editing and the use of light and shadow, which are different from our traditional style. I want to learn some new things."

Fang Yan shook his head and said:
“It’s good to learn new things, but you can’t lose your old skills! Your dad has been making movies all his life. His ability to portray characters’ emotions and control the pacing of the story is a skill honed through decades of practice. Your father-in-law understands architecture and can help you set up the scenes to better fit the story’s background. These are advantages that no one can take away from you. If you can combine new techniques with old experience, the movies you make will be more flavorful.”

Sun Jialin chimed in, "That's right, Kaige. Last time Dad visited the set, he talked to you about camera language, and you understood quite a bit of it. Besides, Brother Fang and the others wanted to ask the two elders for help because they value their skills. Don't be arrogant."

Director Chen, overwhelmed by everyone's comments, had no choice but to raise his hands in surrender: "Okay, okay, I was wrong! I'll have a good talk with my dad and father-in-law later and hear their thoughts, alright?"

Everyone laughed when they saw him give in. Fang Yan picked up a bunch of grapes and handed it to Director Chen:
"That's more like it! We can only make progress by learning from each other's strengths and making up for our own weaknesses."

Next, Fang Yan and the others went into the main hall and waited for their meal.

My older sister spent the entire summer learning cooking techniques in the local dialect. Although she hasn't reached the level of speaking the dialect yet, she has clearly made a lot of progress.

Now, when I cook, there are two pregnant women living in the house, as well as a young child, so all the dishes must be mild in flavor. In addition, there are people from all over the country, so I have to cater to their different tastes.

The food was served shortly afterward.

Tonight's meal was nothing like lunch, but since it was mostly just my family eating, we weren't too particular about it.

While eating, everyone chatted about their future work plans.

Because I'll be pursuing a master's degree in dialect, I'm making some adjustments to my career path.

Fang Yan put down her chopsticks and said, "During my graduate studies, I will focus my main energy on clinical practice and research projects. I plan to hand over the daily research and development work of the institute to Lao He, who will be returning soon, and Zeng Luquan. They are familiar with the extraction process of traditional Chinese medicine and have worked with me on several projects before, so they have enough experience."

"In addition, there are researchers from the Southwest and Northwest research institutes arriving soon. These people are all skilled; I just need to set goals for them and have them work accordingly," Old Hu said.

"I'll take on more responsibility for the company's sales and supply chain. Don't worry, I guarantee that production will not be delayed!"

"My people are still keeping an eye on the movements of Tsumura Pharmaceuticals and Kobayashi Pharmaceuticals. I'll let you know as soon as there's any new information. As for the technology confidentiality issue you were worried about, I've already asked the patent agency to speed things up and register the patents for the production line modification technology in Europe, America, Japan, and South Korea to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the situation."

Fang Yan nodded:

"Thank you for all this hard work!"

"We also need to implement our long-term cooperation with the public security system as soon as possible. After the free clinic, I will meet with Director Qin to finalize the establishment of subsequent health records and regular rounds."

"We will strive to integrate this system with traditional Chinese medicine."

Old Hu nodded...

After discussing that, we talked about my second sister, who was about to embark on a long journey.

She studies in Shanghai. Although Fudan University is good, it's definitely not as convenient as living in Beijing. If anything happens, there's no family to take care of her.

Of course, she's basically used to this kind of life, but her family still needs to care about her.

Her parents were very concerned about her life there. She was sick last semester and no one could help her. She got through it all by herself.

Before leaving, Fang Yan wanted to give her a medical check-up, help her get some treatment, and also bring her some emergency medicine.

Now, we can prepare some medicines for him so that he can have a way to deal with headaches, fevers, or other common illnesses.

My second sister has a constitution prone to liver fire, a characteristic reflected in the year and month of her birth.

Fang Yan had everything prepared for her. Since she was going by plane, and it was a private jet, she could bring as much as she could. Vice Minister Li had already said that Fang Yan didn't need to be polite with him.

It was a little sad to say goodbye, so after dinner, everyone started talking about the free clinic the day after tomorrow. To help these people remember their company, Lao Hu prepared some enamel mugs, candies, and snacks. The mugs and snacks were printed with red paint to indicate which clinic they were participating in and which company had given them to them.

I have to admire Fang Yan. He truly deserves to be called a man who can advertise in Hong Kong three months in advance without selling any products. He has mastered the art of advertising.

……

The next day arrived quickly, and the excitement surrounding the release of college entrance exam results remained undiminished. Newspapers were still filled with headlines about the exam.

After Fang Yan finished her ward rounds early in the morning, Comrade Liang waited for Fang Yan at the nurses' station in the inpatient department.

His strabismus treatment will end in two more days.

Fang Yan immediately began acupuncture on him, while Master Hai Deng observed Fang Yan's needle placement.

This morning, Master Haiteng came here with his nephew, Lao Fan.

The old monk said he came specifically to check on Wang Huiyuan's current condition. Yesterday, a Western medicine scan showed that the brain lesion had not progressed, but it also did not show any signs of shrinking. However, Wang Huiyuan herself felt that the lesion was not progressing, and a traditional Chinese medicine pulse diagnosis also showed that she was much better.

According to Master Hai Deng's assessment, this condition will take at least a year to heal.

This disease is not so easy to cure.

Of course, Lao Tao was more optimistic, believing that he should be able to recover in ten months.

The dialect is similar to what Lao Tao thinks; he believes it should take about six to ten months.

As long as the symptoms don't worsen, everything is fine; a slower treatment is acceptable.

However, this matter was only known to a limited number of people in the Fang family.

To avoid attracting too much attention, Lao Zhang and Zhang Li now come over every night to keep Wang Huiyuan company.

Old Tao even suggested that once she was able to live a normal life, he would arrange for her to be discharged from the hospital, and then he would take his own medicine every day.

This will allow her to resume a normal life sooner.

However, Fang Yan and the others did not accept the proposal. Now, Wang Huiyuan's various physical changes are very important indicators for observation. If they can figure them out, then the treatment can be replicated.

So the daily records were kept up without any slackening. The Ministry of Health continued to pay salaries as usual, and Peking Union Medical College Hospital also treated this as a research project. In short, there was ample funding and resources. They treated this as a difficult project, hoping that if done well, it could save more lives.

After finishing the acupuncture treatment for Comrade Liang, Fang Yan went downstairs with him.

Most people at the research institute are on holiday today, so Fang Yan doesn't need to go to the institute.

Fang Yan went home, while Comrade Liang drove back to his workplace.

Fang Yan was right about Comrade Liang's identity; he was a young cadre promoted by the new minister and a workaholic who regularly worked overtime.

He only got a little better after the dialect requirement was met.

After seeing him off in the parking lot, Fang Yan went straight home.

We had guests at home early this morning. It was Chu Qiaonan, the major shareholder of the company's B shares. He was the first one to arrive to prepare for the party tonight.

The main reason is that many people from their school will be joining the graduate program here, so Lao Hu plans to have him recruit these people as well. Of course, direct shareholding is out of the question, but other methods can be used to bind them together.

I came here today to study this method.

After all, talented people are hard to find.

Upon entering the main hall, they saw Lao Hu chatting with Chu Qiaonan.

"You're back just in time!" Old Hu waved to Fang Yan as soon as he saw him. "Qiao Nan just finished compiling the list of graduate students that their school asked for. We're discussing how to bring these people to the company."

Chu Qiaonan stood up and handed over the list with a smile: "Brother Fang, these are the 12 people in our class who were admitted to the postgraduate program in Traditional Chinese Medicine. They are all among the top students in their major courses. Three of them have worked with their mentors on research projects on the processing of Chinese medicinal herbs, and two of them are skilled in acupuncture. They are all truly talented individuals."

Twelve people?

Considering that there are so many classes, and that doesn't even include classes that were assigned to specific students, the number is still quite astonishing.

Fang Yan took the list and quickly glanced at it. It not only recorded each person's major, but also marked their research results and practical experience. It was clear that Chu Qiaonan had put a lot of effort into it.

“These people are indeed good,” Fang Yan nodded in praise, then said, “However, it’s definitely not good for them to hold shares directly, as it could easily cause controversy. It would be better to use a ‘project cooperation’ approach. The company would provide them with research funding and experimental facilities, and they would participate in our traditional Chinese medicine research and development projects. After the projects are successful, they would receive bonuses and would also have priority in participating in the company’s subsequent cooperation.”

This is actually a copy of something from later generations.

Old Hu's eyes lit up: "That's a great idea! It doesn't violate the regulations and it can retain talent. I've also prepared a 'talent development plan,' which will provide them with a monthly living allowance so they can focus on their research. If they're willing to come to the company after graduation, they'll be offered a mid-level position with excellent benefits."

Chu Qiaonan added, "I can also talk to them and explain the company's development plan and the prospects of traditional Chinese medicine to them. We currently have cooperation with the Air Force General Hospital and the public security system, as well as publicity channels such as free clinics and film production. It is much more promising than them going to ordinary hospitals after graduation."

These things were all discussed and agreed upon by Lao Hu and him earlier.

“Sure!” Fang Yan decided. “When we have the gathering tonight, why don’t you just call all these people over and have a good talk with them, and try to get them all to join our project.”

After he finished speaking, he asked:
"Also, should we ask them to come on the day of the free clinic?"

"Yes, I will." Chu Qiaonan nodded.

Fang Yan nodded. If someone is willing to come to provide free medical services, then they are not someone who is only after profit; they are quite thoughtful in this regard.

Next, Fang Yan and Chu Qiaonan chatted about his grades. This kid was basically close to full marks. Fang Yan secretly sighed, "No wonder he's Zhou Zuoyu's personal disciple and Ni Haixia's senior brother..."

After the discussion, Chu Qiaonan went to contact the people on their side, as they still needed him to win over the people there.

Even if you add up all the students in the dialect class, there are only thirty people. There are still more than 150 students left, so it will be very difficult to recruit all of these graduate students.

However, there's a saying that if you're determined to do something, you'll find a way. Fang Yan has already made some good connections with these people, and I believe that with his continued contact and the support of the foundation, he'll definitely be able to bring in a group of people.

The company develops something new and starts making money, so the employees receive dividends, creating a positive cycle.

……

That noon, the eldest sister took the second sister to buy several ready-made clothes. Shanghai is a fashionable place, and many new things come from there. The second sister is also a young woman who loves to look good. Now that the family has the means, of course we should dress her up.

This is also to express my sister's feelings.

The older sister made her offer, and the younger brother didn't fall behind either, buying a new pair of shoes as well.

Fang Yan was the most direct. He gave two US dollars to his second sister and told her to exchange them at the bank if she wanted to buy something there. He also said that he had already prepared the receipt, using Lao Hu's name. Lao Hu is an overseas Chinese businessman, so he could easily issue such a receipt.

Time quickly passed until afternoon and evening.

The banquet that Fang Yan and his group had arranged should begin soon.

After getting in the car, Fang Yan and Lao Hu headed towards the Yanjing Hotel.

PS: The basic chapter of 6000 words is now complete. There will be an extra chapter later.

(End of this chapter)