Reborn in 1977

Chapter 503: Shopping

That evening, in the backyard of the Health Bureau Guesthouse.

Originally, this was where the small canteen processed live poultry, but Chen Fan and his group borrowed half of it.

Zhang Wenliang happily counted the spoils, "30 pairs of white rabbits, 15 chickens, 15 laying hens, 3 pairs of lake sheep, 15 kinds of fruit tree saplings, 60 pounds of rice seeds, and a dozen packets of flower seeds. Not bad, not bad."

Chen Fan quickly interjected, "The seeds and fruit tree saplings are mine."

He still wanted to turn his country villa into a garden.

As for the rice seeds, they were excellent local Shanghai rice varieties, namely Songjiang rice, Chongming rice, and Qingpu thin rice. The yield wasn't high, but the biggest feature was that it was particularly soft when cooked, perfect for someone like Chen Fan who liked to eat soft rice (be dependent on others).

If it wasn't inconvenient to carry, he would have bought 300 pounds of it to take back.

Zhang Wenliang rolled his eyes, "What's yours and mine? Do you even know how to farm? In the end, our team will be doing the work for you anyway. You'll get your share in the end, so why are you so concerned about these little things? You're such a miser."

He didn't mention that the money was also from the team's public funds, only focusing on Chen Fan's stinginess.

Sure enough, Chen Fan was annoyed. Me, a miser?

Hmph, so what if it's farming? When I get back, I'll read books on farming. I refuse to believe I can't improve my planting skills!

Thinking of this, he felt a little discouraged. He had clearly followed the knowledge in the books and successfully grown those few tea trees, so why hadn't he activated the planting skill?

Did he really have to till the land himself? And dig the holes himself?

He sullenly pulled out his pipe, angrily pinched a large wad of tobacco silk and stuffed it into the pipe bowl, lit it, and said, "When are you planning to go back? It's not easy to come to Shanghai once, you should stay a few more days and look around."

The implication was that he agreed with Zhang Wenliang's words. By the time he went back, it would probably be the end of March, or even the beginning of April. These flowers and fruit tree saplings would really have to rely on the team to help them survive.

An Quan had been sitting on the side watching the show for a long time. Hearing Chen Fan's words, he immediately nodded and said, "Exactly, exactly. How about this, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, I'll accompany you to buy things, then you accompany me to buy things, and finally I'll send you off on the ship."

Zhang Wenliang turned to look at him, "What do you want to buy?"

An Quan puffed on his cigarette and said matter-of-factly, "Buy a house, of course. How can I borrow money if you're not here?"

Zhang Wenliang, "...Your honesty leaves me speechless."

He took the cigarette An Quan threw him, paused for two seconds, lit it, and said, "I'll leave you two thousand later. If that's not enough, go find him."

He pointed at Chen Fan, "Let him accompany you to buy a house. He knows about architecture. He can tell at a glance which houses are good and which are bad. If you want to renovate, he can also give you renovation plans and draw renderings..."

Before he could finish speaking, An Quan looked at Chen Fan in surprise, "You're not going back with them?"

Chen Fan shrugged, "Lili and her sister are coming to study in a few days. I'll stay a few more days to help them settle down before I leave."

An Quan blinked wildly, not knowing what kind of expression to make.

In the end, he could only give a thumbs up, "I think Little Jiang will be completely under your thumb for the rest of her life."

This year is not like later generations. Nowadays, in this era, it is a matter of course for women to serve men. Of course, this is also basically related to the fact that men are the pillars of the family.

This pillar is not just about making money, but also about being able to support the family's household, so that family members are not bullied by others, and can walk out with their heads held high and have some face wherever they go.

This is something that women can hardly do.

Therefore, if a man is the pillar, the woman naturally has to take good care of the pillar and the family.

If a man is both capable and considerate and caring to a woman, as long as the woman is not ungrateful, she will definitely be completely under his thumb and will not be able to escape for the rest of her life.

Well, under normal circumstances, people don't need to and don't want to escape.

Chen Fan smacked his lips, ignored An Quan's words, and turned to look at Zhang Wenliang.

As a result, before he could speak, Zhang Wenliang saw his expression and said directly, "No more shopping. It's best to leave early tomorrow morning."

Then, he pointed to the things in front of him, "The flower seeds and rice seeds are fine, but these saplings need to be planted in the soil as soon as possible, and a warm shed is needed so that as many as possible can survive, and then they can be transplanted outdoors after the spring."

He pointed to the poultry and livestock again, "It's not a good idea to keep these in cages either. Two of the sheep are pregnant with lambs, and the laying hens are also laying eggs, so we can't delay."

Ye Anguo and the other three nodded repeatedly.

Although they also wanted to see the prosperity of the big wharf (metropolis), they always remembered to prioritize work.

What's more, this year's dividends made them all very excited. This was still before the rabbits had exerted their full potential. Now that they had bought better quality rabbits and chickens, as well as new meat sheep, wouldn't next year's dividends be even more worth looking forward to?!

Compared to piles and piles of banknotes, this little thing is nothing!

Seeing that they were all determined, Chen Fan thought for a while and said, "Too early tomorrow morning is too rushed. It just so happens that the captain I know is returning tomorrow, but he's setting sail at 5 pm. You can still take his boat back."

Zhang Wenliang looked at the pile of things and immediately nodded, "Okay, it's good to have an acquaintance to say hello. It'll be easier to get these things on board. Otherwise, if we run into a tricky one, it'll be really difficult to deal with."

Speaking of this, he had to give Chen Fan a big thumbs up.

The captain of the ship they took when they came this time was not his reader.

As a result, Chen Fan used another captain as an excuse to try to build a relationship, and he actually succeeded. Next, he didn't know how he chatted with the person, but during their four days on the ship, except for the first meal, all the subsequent meals were delicious and didn't cost any money!

When disembarking, the captain almost wanted to become sworn brothers with him, but in the end, he was too embarrassed to ask. After all, the captain's son was older than Chen Fan, so it was really impossible to become sworn brothers.

However, with this relationship, arranging these things for them was just a matter of convenience and not worth mentioning at all.

After arranging the itinerary, An Quan didn't say much, "Okay, since that's the case, I'll take you to buy some souvenirs tomorrow morning. It's not easy to come to Shanghai, you can't go back empty-handed, right?"

Zhang Wenliang pointed to the pile of things and laughed, "How can you say empty-handed? Aren't these all souvenirs?"

An Quan rolled his eyes, "I'm not kidding you. Come with me tomorrow morning, I'll take you country bumpkins to see the prosperity of Shanghai!"

Zhang Wenliang pondered for two seconds, "If country bumpkins have no knowledge, I just want to ask if Shanghai has any dishes without sugar?"

The corners of An Quan's mouth twitched. He stood up and waved his hand, "Let's go, I'll treat you to a restaurant."

Everyone washed their hands and followed him into the cafeteria next door. An Quan leaned on the window and handed over two packs of cigarettes, smiling ingratiatingly, "Master, please make a few dishes without sugar."

The master chef naturally took the cigarettes, looked at Chen Fan and the others behind him, and laughed, "Coming from out of town?"

An Quan nodded and pointed to Chen Fan, "The young man is thin-skinned. He's had a few meals with the leaders and still can't get used to the sweet taste, but he's too embarrassed to say it. I'm sorry to trouble you."

These words were skillful, both pointing out Chen Fan's identity and not putting pressure on people with the leader's status, but rather with a bit of self-deprecation.

The master chef felt very comfortable listening to this. He glanced at Chen Fan in surprise, "Oh, so he's Doctor Chen. I've only heard that the leaders in the bureau are treating him, but I haven't seen the real person. He's so young."

Then, he waved his hand, "Okay, leave it to me."

He thought for a while and asked, "Can Yunhu people eat spicy food?"

Seeing An Quan nod, he said confidently, "Wait, I'll make you a few non-authentic Sichuan dishes."

A dozen minutes later, Zhang Wenliang and the others finally had a full meal.

Saying it was not authentic, it was actually very authentic. Camphor tea duck, twice-cooked pork, Kung Pao chicken, steamed river fish, salted braised pork... They were all genuine non-spicy Sichuan dishes, which made everyone's appetite soar.

Chen Fan could tell that this was definitely a Sichuan cuisine master. Not putting chili peppers might only be because there were no suitable chili peppers in the kitchen, so he only made non-spicy Sichuan dishes, but every dish was salty and light, fresh and delicious.

After finishing the meal, Zhang Wenliang wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, patted An Quan on the shoulder, "Good performance, I'm very satisfied."

Then, he took out two stacks of money from his cotton coat pocket and threw them to An Quan, "This is your reward."

As a result, An Quan didn't even look at it, and said with a curled lip, "Forget it, what's the use of this little money? I might as well just borrow from Writer Chen, so I don't have to borrow from two families."

He never thought about borrowing money from Zhang Wenliang. He wouldn't be working in Lujiawan in the future, and he wouldn't have work points. With only 19.5 yuan a month for school, what would he use to repay the loan?

Anyway, I still have more than 1600 yuan on hand, plus the 1800 yuan bonus I received the day before yesterday, for a total of more than 3400 yuan, which is barely enough to buy a house that can accommodate a small family.

If it's really not enough, my parents should be able to subsidize a little, so there's no need to borrow from others.

Zhang Wenliang looked at him and immediately understood his thoughts. Without saying much, he nodded and said, "Okay, anyway, Lao Chen is generous, so it's the same if he gives it."

Then he took out four big unity notes and handed them over, "We won't be there for your housewarming. This is the gift money from the four of us. You can ask Lao Chen for his."

This time, Anquan didn't refuse and his eyes narrowed into slits with laughter. He took it with both hands, "Thank you, thank you."

Although the gift money used to be no more than 1 yuan, Zhang Da Hu is rich now, so he naturally wouldn't be polite.

Chen Fan was smoking a cigarette on the side, his eyes glancing at Zhang Wenliang.

Zhang Wenliang glared at him, "What? Do you want me to give yours too?"

Chen Fan took away the cigarette holder, "I'm saying, when did I get promoted from Little Chen to Old Chen?"

"Is that it?"

Zhang Wenliang put the money in his pocket while saying, "You didn't even have a girlfriend before, so of course you were Little Chen. Now that you have a girlfriend, you'll probably get married soon, so it's definitely not appropriate to call you Little Chen anymore."

Chen Fan nodded suddenly, "I see."

He turned to look at Anquan, "Take out two yuan and give it back to him."

Anquan was about to put the money in his pocket when he heard this and was very surprised, "Why?"

Chen Fan shrugged, "He's getting married to Sister Xiu, and they're probably moving into a new house in January."

As soon as he heard this, Anquan immediately looked at Zhang Wenliang, "Hey, you're keeping your mouth pretty tight. You haven't said anything these past few days."

He immediately took out the money, counted three yuan, and handed it over, "One yuan for the wedding, one for the new house, and one for my great-nephew."

Zhang Wenliang happily took it back, "Thank you for your kind words."

Well, the money is just going back and forth.

But Anquan still kept one yuan in his hand, so it wasn't a complete waste.

… …

February 18th, the twelfth day of the first lunar month.

Where to go shopping in Shanghai? Look to Nanjing East Road!

At the Shanghai No. 1 Department Store, Anquan finally saw the expression of country bumpkins on the faces of Zhang Wenliang, Yang Jiamin, Xiao Huaqiang, and Ye Anguo.

Zhang Wenliang bent over and leaned close to the display window, his nose almost touching the glass. After a while, he whispered, "Aren't you afraid of being stolen by putting the clothes here?"

(The women's open-front dress in the Shanghai department store window in the 1970s)

Anquan shook his head proudly, "Don't be afraid, there are no thieves in Shanghai."

Chen Fan's mouth twitched slightly, and he explained from the side, "This was originally the 'Great New Company' building, completed in 1936. It was designed by Jietai Engineering Company and built by Fuji Construction Factory. It is the only building designed by Chinese among the four major companies on Nanjing Road, with one underground floor and nine floors above ground.

The underground floor to the third floor of the building are shopping malls, and the underground floor is the earliest underground shopping mall in Shanghai; the fourth floor is for offices, commodity display halls, painting halls, and tea rooms; the fifth floor is for dance halls, ice skating rinks, and restaurants; the sixth floor and above are for amusement parks and rooftop gardens, with 8 theaters for screening movies and holding dramas, storytelling, acrobatics, magic and other performances; there are also Ximatai, Cangchunwu, Yinhe Bridge, Wanhua Peng, Lingyun Pavilion, Chuihong Path, Wufu Pavilion and other sixteen scenic spots on the rooftop.

Otis belt-type escalators were installed from the first to the third floors, which was the first in Asia.

During the Dasing Company period, the most famous Wing On Company used external display windows, so they also copied them. Later, in 1953, the Shanghai Department Store leased the underground floor to the fifth floor here, plus the nine-story rooftop, and acquired the Dasing Company's inventory, renaming it 'Shanghai No. 1 Department Store'."

After speaking, he pointed to the building, "This is it. There are only a few shopping malls in the country that can compare with this one. The goods are complete and the varieties are numerous. You only have half a day, and you have to go back to the guest house to get your things, so it is most suitable to come here to shop directly."

Anquan looked at him in surprise, "How do you know so much?"

He, a local, doesn't even know many things, and he really doesn't know where Chen Fan saw it.

Chen Fan shrugged, "I read it in a book."

Anquan was speechless, he had to give full marks for his pretense.

Then he said to Zhang Wenliang, "The reason why I brought you here, in addition to what Lao Chen said, there is another reason, which is to facilitate foreign tourists and foreign tourists. Some of the goods here do not require tickets, of course, the price is also higher. But anyway, you all have money, so it doesn't matter."

Zhang Wenliang felt that his pocket was bulging and he didn't care. He strode inside.

They had only been in the gate for a short time when they were dazzled by the various goods, and they couldn't move their feet.

Until Ye Anguo saw the elevator.

Chen Fan also felt it was amazing. This was an elevator from the 1930s. Not only could it still be used normally, but it had even received many foreign dignitaries, which was amazing.

(Elevator in the 1930s)

So a group of people stopped looking at the goods and ran to see the elevator.

Chen Fan cheered from the side, "Don't just look, go up and try it."

Zhang Wenliang was also a bold person, and immediately squeezed into the crowd and went up the elevator with the crowd, followed by Ye Anguo and the other two.

Then they couldn't find a place to get off, and stood on the second floor waving to them, "How do I get down?"

A group of locals next to them laughed, and an old lady said, "Are you guys just coming from the Shiliupu Wharf?"

This sentence was a common saying in Shanghai at that time to laugh at country bumpkins, because whether it was the local countryside or foreign tourists, they all disembarked at the Shiliupu Wharf, saying that people had just come from the Shiliupu Wharf, meaning that they had not yet entered the city and opened their eyes.

However, Zhang Wenliang didn't know, so he nodded very seriously, "Yes, yes, we just arrived the day before yesterday, and today we finally have time to come out and buy something."

Seeing that he answered so seriously, the elder sister was embarrassed and pointed enthusiastically in one direction and said, "The elevator to go down is over there. You can see it when you walk over."

Below the elevator, Chen Fan and Anquan smiled at each other and walked onto the elevator together.

Zhang Wenliang happened to see it and made a gesture of thanks to the elder sister, "Thank you, my friend is coming up, wait for them to go together."

When Chen Fan and Anquan came up, Zhang Wenliang's face was full of excitement, "It's worthy of being a big wharf, it's so advanced, you can go upstairs without walking."

He turned to look at Chen Fan, "Lao Chen, aren't you a consultant at the machinery factory? Let the machinery factory build such elevators in the future and install them in our department stores!"

When Chen Fan heard this, he felt that his suggestion was really good, so he nodded and smiled, "Okay, I will make a suggestion when I go back."

Then a few people went shopping and buying, Zhang Wenliang felt that everything was good, but when he asked the price, he felt that it was unnecessary!

He covered his pocket and muttered, "There are many things here, but they are too expensive. A plastic bag costs 10 yuan, which is more ruthless than robbing money!"

Anquan smiled and said, "Look at what you said, didn't I just say when I came in that some things here don't need tickets and the price will be higher. What's more, plastic products are already expensive, not to mention thick soft plastic. A chemical washbasin costs 5 yuan, and a soft plastic bag costs only 10 yuan, which is already very fair."

(The plastic product window of Shanghai No. 1 Department Store in the 1970s, washbasins, water ladles and bags are placed together, plastic bags are more expensive than leather bags)

Zhang Wenliang thought about it and agreed.

Also, he has been shopping for a long time and has not bought anything. If he doesn't buy it, it will be too late, so he gritted his teeth and bought a plastic bag.

Needless to say, this must be brought back to his wife.

Then he brought gifts for his parents, parents-in-law, and a lot of relatives and friends.

The other three people, Ye Anguo, didn't stop, and followed him to buy, buy, buy.

It wasn't until more than two o'clock in the afternoon that they came out of the mall with big bags and small bags.

In this era, there are still few taxis in Shanghai, and they are mainly parked at wharfs, passenger stations, and train stations. If they want to go back to the guest house, they can only find rickshaws.

Two cents per car. Back at the guest house, they hurriedly packed their things. Then Zhang Wenliang and four other people, each carrying a bamboo basket, accompanied by Chen Fan and Anquan, took a rickshaw to the Shiliupu Wharf.