Reborn in 1977

The three of them stood on the curb, all looking up at the building across the street.

The four-story building was about forty or fifty meters long. The bottom two floors had windows all along the street-facing walls, clearly the business floors. The third and fourth floors were ordinary, and it was hard to tell if they belonged to the same entity as the department store.

However, logically, they should also be part of the department store's property. If this building were around decades later, it would be worth a fortune.

Zhang Wenliang opened his mouth wide, "Xiao Chen, have you been to the Prefectural Committee before?"

Chen Fan's eyes darted around, and he said with a pout, "I don't know, I forgot."

The Zhang brothers turned their heads to look at him, both pursing their lips. It was hard to tell if they believed him or not, but their expressions suggested they didn't.

Zhang Wenliang pointed at the building across the street, "You must have been here before. Your house was built to look like the department store, with lots of windows and space. The whole wall is windows, just like here."

Chen Fan stubbornly said, "That's not necessarily true. Maybe all department stores in the country look like this. We'll see if the department store in the county looks like this when we get back."

Zhang Wenliang opened his mouth but didn't say anything.

He really hadn't seen department stores in other places.

Zhang Juemin looked left and right and started to move forward, "Okay, no cars are coming, let's go across."

Chen Fan quickly grabbed him and pointed to the pedestrian crossing not far away, "Let's go there."

After speaking, he walked towards it.

Zhang Wenliang and Zhang Juemin followed behind, still puzzled, "Why do we have to go around?"

Chen Fan didn't turn his head, "That's a pedestrian crossing, specifically for pedestrians to cross the road."

The Zhang brothers didn't quite understand but muttered to themselves that the city had so many rules.

After crossing the road at the pedestrian crossing and reaching the entrance of the department store, Chen Fan appreciatively admired the facade of Yunhu City's "high-end shopping venue" in the 1970s.

A row of five steps led up to six double wooden doors with glass insets, the total length definitely exceeding 10 meters. All the doors were open inwards, secured with bolts in the ground, welcoming guests from all directions.

Chen Fan was about to go inside, but when he looked back, Zhang Wenliang and Zhang Juemin were standing at the bottom of the steps, looking up at the building with their mouths open.

Looking at the shiny terrazzo floor, the neat glass counters, the dazzling array of goods, and the shop assistants chatting on the counters, both of them seemed a little afraid to go inside.

Chen Fan tilted his head and smiled helplessly, then walked back to them and said, "Why aren't you going in?"

Zhang Wenliang swallowed and looked at him, saying softly, "Won't the things inside be very expensive?"

Zhang Juemin smiled awkwardly, "Or, or, we can wait for you here."

Chen Fan squeezed between the two, grabbing one of them with each hand. He first said to Zhang Wenliang, "The prices are uniformly set by the government. At most, they'll be a dime or two more expensive. Do you think they'd dare to rip you off?"

Then he looked at Zhang Juemin, "We've already come, let's go in and have a look. It's okay even if we don't buy anything. Otherwise, when we go back to the village, people will ask, 'Dr. Zhang, what did you see when you went to the Prefectural Committee?' And you'll tell them, 'I didn't see anything, I just stood at the entrance of the department store.' Wouldn't that be embarrassing?"

Zhang Juemin swallowed and nodded, "Embarrassing."

Then, he steeled his heart and stepped inside.

Since even he was going in, Zhang Wenliang naturally didn't want to be left behind. He strode up the steps, swinging his arms and walking into the door with a fierce momentum.

But before they could go inside, a security guard wearing a red armband suddenly appeared, standing in front of them with a look as if he had discovered criminals, "What are you doing?"

As soon as he said this, the shop assistants at several nearby counters immediately focused their attention, and more and more people were approaching from a distance.

Zhang Wenliang's heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to speak, Chen Fan quickly ran over and said with a smile, "Hello, comrade, we want to buy some clothes. Where is the ready-made clothing counter?"

The security guard looked at him, then at the Zhang brothers who were chuckling drily, and casually pointed to the side, "The textile area is on the east side."

After a pause, he warned, "No trouble allowed."

His copper-bell-like eyes stared at Zhang Wenliang like a Black Cat Detective. It was clear who he was talking to.

As the militia company commander, Zhang Wenliang had heard that the security guards in these large units were armed. He didn't want to have a shootout with the security guard to see who was the better shot, so he didn't dare to say a word and silently followed behind Chen Fan.

At first, he was a little resentful, but in less than 3 seconds, he didn't know where to look. As for the warning, he had long forgotten it.

It was also a place to sell things, but this place was much more high-end than the Nanhua Supply and Marketing Cooperative branch!

No, there was no comparison at all.

Looking around, the area here was at least a thousand square meters. The counters formed a square frame, with each frame containing a type of item. Along the wall, except for the side facing the road, the other three sides were also a large frame, filled with a dazzling array of goods.

This side sold daily necessities, with thermos bottles, enamel products, and chemical (plastic) products neatly arranged. The glass counters were also bright and clean.

That side was for cigarettes, alcohol, and non-staple foods. Various high-end wines and cigarettes were neatly stacked on the shelves behind, and there were also complete samples in the counters.

There were also daily chemical products such as face cream, shampoo, soap, and cologne. On the other side were various beautifully packaged foods, including biscuits, malted milk, and various candies.

Zhang Wenliang felt like his eyes couldn't take it all in.

Just then, a voice suddenly came from ahead, "Make way, make way, please make way! Thank you!"

Chen Fan quickly stopped, and Zhang Juemin and Zhang Wenliang almost bumped into him from behind.

Then they saw a staircase in front of them. Two women on the stairs were holding their hands up, seemingly to catch something, but they had nothing in their hands. However, they were shouting.

After they nervously and frantically walked down sideways, two more figures appeared above.

They saw two men carefully holding a TV box, taking a step and stopping as they descended the stairs. When they reached the bottom, one of the women quickly took out a bed sheet from her bag, spread it out on the ground with a swish. The men gently placed the TV on the bed sheet, then wrapped the TV tightly and lifted it up again to walk out.

Chen Fan wasn't shocked just now, but now he was so surprised that he couldn't close his mouth. They bought a TV?

Then he looked upstairs. There was another floor above?

After pondering for two seconds, he looked back, and he, Zhang Juemin, and Zhang Wenliang exchanged glances. The three nodded together, turned around, and climbed upstairs.

After going up to the second floor via a winding staircase, the three of them were immediately stunned.

The second floor was so large. Besides the supporting pillars, there were only counters along the walls. The rest of the space was flat, filled with goods arranged in different areas.

Next to the staircase were rows of bicycles, men's on one side and women's on the other, with the 26-inch ones in one row and the 28-inch ones in another. The bicycles were like a car show, making people unable to take their eyes off them.

At this time, several people were choosing bicycles. A girl dressed quite fashionably frowned, seemingly dissatisfied, "Why are such big bicycles placed on the second floor? After buying them, we still have to carry them down. It's so tiring."

If the shop assistant was a man, he might have coaxed her with a few words, but unfortunately, the one who received her was a middle-aged woman who couldn't stand these "seductive" young people the most. She immediately snorted coldly, "Are you saying that we should put them on the first floor so people can steal them? If you dare to guarantee compensation, I'm still worried that you can afford it."

Chen Fan blinked. What an arrogant shop assistant, almost comparable to the villainous salesperson in novels!

The girl couldn't take this, and immediately threw her hands out and shouted at the shop assistant, "How are you talking? Is that how you talk? What's your name? Call your leader over, I have to ask him how he taught you!"

The shop assistant flicked her face, "Heh, who do you think you are? You think you can see the leader just because you want to? Don't you even look at yourself."

Then she turned around and left, "What a thing, I'm not serving her."

She also raised her hand and shouted loudly, "Whoever dares to issue her a receipt is going against me."

The surrounding shop assistants didn't say anything, each with their arms crossed and laughing, making the little girl jump with anger. Her parents who came with her also shouted loudly and started arguing with the shop assistant.

Chen Fan and the other two stood at the staircase, watching in stunned silence.

After a few seconds, he finally reacted, grabbed Zhang Wenliang and Zhang Juemin, and left, "Cherish life, stay away from trouble, let's go look over there."

Ignoring the war of words in the bicycle area, Chen Fan quickly moved in the opposite direction.

Originally, Zhang Wenliang wanted to watch the excitement, but when his eyes landed on a row of things that looked like bicycles, he couldn't look away. "Heavens, they actually have Black Crows here!"

He darted over, grabbing the handlebars with both hands, looking left, right, up, and down, the more he looked, the more he liked it.

The salesperson in charge of that area walked over, waving his hands. "Hey, hey, do you have money to buy it? Don't just touch things randomly!"

Zhang Wenliang was stunned, turned his head to look, stood up awkwardly, and then coughed dryly, pretending to be rich, pointing to the Black Crow, "How much does one cost?"

When the salesperson heard him ask about the price, he thought he was really going to buy it, and his expression improved slightly. "720 yuan."

When Zhang Wenliang heard this, he almost fainted.

720 yuan, he would have to save for ten years!

At this time, Chen Fan also saw clearly what this thing was: a "Qingqi 15A" moped from the Jinan Qingqi Factory.

Although it was called a motorcycle, it was actually just a fuel tank and booster attached to a bicycle frame, so it was considered a power-assisted bicycle.

(Black Crow)

In those days, there were only two common types of motorcycles. One was the Changjiang 750 produced by Hongdu, especially the sidecar version, which was once the coolest thing on the street. The other was the Xingfu 125 and Xingfu 250 produced by the Shanghai Motorcycle Factory.

Although Xingfu brand motorcycles were known as "civilian vehicles," in reality, they were only sold to organizations, such as the post office, which was the largest customer. Many postmen who traveled in mountainous areas rode Xingfu motorcycles.

On the other hand, the "Qingqi 15A," known in the community as "Black Crow," "Black Ant," and "Black Dragonfly," which was also developed for civilian use, was finally opened to the civilian market in '64 after a period of "exclusively for organizations," and was the first motorcycle that ordinary people could actually buy.

Chen Fan also learned about this from a motorcycle-loving teacher when he was studying mechanical courses in college. That teacher's first vehicle was a Black Crow.

Recalling these things, he happened to hear the salesperson's price and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Hello, comrade, I'd like to ask, a friend of mine bought one for 672 yuan. Why is it so much more expensive here?"

When the salesperson heard his words, he was stunned for a moment, looked him up and down carefully. Although the clothes he wore were very ordinary, and even had the wrinkles of someone who had traveled a long distance, the leather bag he carried around his waist was very eye-catching. He had never seen this style of bag before.

The arrogance in his heart subsided a bit, and he said with a smile, "Your friend is very impressive. 672 was the price several years ago, about 10 years ago, I think. That was the price when they were first put on the market. Back then, Black Crows were very rare, only two or three thousand were produced a year, and many high-ranking officials couldn't buy them, but he was able to, so he must not be simple."

After a pause, he smiled again, "You see, that was all 10 years ago. Later, Black Crows were always in short supply, and the price increased year by year. 720 yuan is the latest price this year.

The price is set by the government. I don't get a penny of benefit no matter how much I sell, so I certainly wouldn't shout prices like the capitalists back then, would I?"

Chen Fan suddenly realized, "Oh, so that's how it is. Thank you."

As he spoke, he took out a Mudan cigarette and handed one over.

The salesperson took the cigarette, casually took out a lighter and lit it, and said with a smile, "I see that your bag is quite unique. Where did you buy it?"

Chen Fan blurted out, "Oh, my friend brought this back for me from Shanghai. He didn't say which store he bought it from, and there's no brand on it."

Hearing that there was no brand, the salesperson couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, but he was still unwilling to give up. "Can you ask your friend again?"

Chen Fan naturally had no objections. "Sure, when he comes back from Shanghai again, I'll ask him for you."

The salesperson was overjoyed when he heard this. "That would be great."

Then he looked at Zhang Wenliang, who was stunned on the side, and said kindly, "Comrade, have you made your selection? If you want to buy, you have to hurry. This batch of vehicles just arrived today. In two days, they will probably be sold out, and I don't know when the next batch will arrive."

When Zhang Wenliang heard this, he was numb. How could he afford it? Zhang Juemin was even more embarrassed and wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Chen Fan smiled secretly, and then said to the salesperson, "Comrade, sorry for the embarrassment. We did bring money, but unfortunately, we don't have the coupons."

He looked at the vehicles with regret. "If I had known there were Black Crows here, I would have definitely found a way to get a coupon."

The salesperson was skeptical of Chen Fan's words, but he didn't say much, just smiled and said, "This really depends on luck. Even our internal cadres and employees don't know when the Black Crows will arrive. It's normal that you didn't happen to catch it today.

But if you really want to buy one, you have to be fully prepared. To buy a Black Crow, in addition to the special coupon, you also need 70 industrial coupons. You must bring all the coupons and certificates before you can buy it."

Chen Fan nodded solemnly. "Yes, yes, next time I'll bring all the coupons and certificates from home before I go shopping."

Waving goodbye to the salesperson, Chen Fan glanced around and then turned to go downstairs with regret.

Zhang Wenliang walked quickly to his side and asked in a low voice, "Where did you get a friend from Shanghai? And he bought a Black Crow?"

Chen Fan smiled. "What Shanghai friend? There are so many newspapers piled up in the data room, even those from more than ten years ago are still there. I just read the newspapers there when I have nothing to do. I don't even know what I've read. I saw this in the newspaper. But I didn't pay attention to when it was."

Zhang Juemin shook his head and sighed on the side, "You're really calm enough, you tell lies as if they're true."

Zhang Wenliang gave Chen Fan a strange look, and wanted to ask if his amnesia was also a lie.

But after thinking about it, who cares? If it weren't for his amnesia, he might not have stayed in Lujiawan. Isn't it pretty good now? Shining for Lujiawan, not to mention amnesia, losing my virginity... no, that won't do.

Zhang Juemin turned his head to look at the goods on the second floor. In addition to bicycles and Black Crows, there were also televisions, tape recorders, radios, electric fans, and other electrical appliances. The other two of the four major items, sewing machines and watch counters, were also here.

Watches, bicycles, sewing machines, and radios are the legendary "three rounds and one sound" four major items.

However, families with the means have now upgraded the "one sound" to a television.

Involution is everywhere!

Walking to the stairwell, the family buying a bicycle was still arguing with the salesperson, spitting and frothing but not taking action, which made Chen Fan shake his head.

He was about to go downstairs when he saw Zhang Juemin's expression and couldn't help but smile. "Brother Dahu, no matter how good the things here are, we don't have the coupons and can't afford them!"

At this time, Zhang Wenliang asked curiously, "Did you really bring enough money to buy a Black Crow?"

Chen Fan turned to look at him, "Do you believe that?"

The corners of Zhang Wenliang's mouth twitched, and he looked at the goods again, then let out a long sigh and went downstairs, while still saying, "When I get back to Lujiawan, I can brag about what happened here for a year!"

Zhang Juemin nodded in agreement. "That way, no one will say that I came to the prefectural committee for nothing."

Chen Fan followed behind, stifling a laugh. When they reached the first floor, he went straight to the ready-made clothing counter.

Zhang Wenliang and Zhang Juemin were still constantly observing.

"Wow, sunglasses? They actually cost 5 yuan 6, so expensive!"

"Even a glasses case costs 6 mao 7 fen, of course it's expensive. Look at that backpack, it's much worse than yours, and it still costs 5 yuan 8, so expensive."

"You're still talking, that handbag costs 8 yuan 3, but it should hold a lot of things. Hey, they have corduroy fabric here. Brother, did you bring fabric coupons?"

"I brought them, but they're from Gufeng County. I don't know if they're valid here?"

"Of course they're not valid. Hey, where's Xiao Chen?"

The two turned their heads to look, only to see that Chen Fan had already walked to the ready-made clothing counter, pointing to a shirt and asking, "Comrade, how much does this shirt cost?"

The middle-aged woman was about to impatiently retort, 'Isn't the price tag on it?', but when she turned around and saw Chen Fan's handsome face, she immediately smiled kindly and said, "Hello, young comrade, this is a cloth shirt, it only costs 3 yuan 2 mao 6."

(Department store shirt counter)