Reborn in 1977

Chapter 541: A Visitor Arrives

It is said that there was a true story circulating online in later generations.

It was about a well-behaved student in a school who never fought or cursed. One day, he suddenly chased after three classmates with a chair, crying and yelling for revenge.

Then, the teacher stopped him and asked, "Why are you fighting?"

The good student cried and replied, "They called me a 'Little Japanese.'"

The teacher frowned, "That's a really dirty insult."

The story may or may not be true, but the reality is that most people in this era are even more extreme than that good student.

Growing up watching movies like 'Mine Warfare,' 'Tunnel Warfare,' and 'Little Soldier Zhang Ga,' and reading picture books like 'Chicken Feather Letter,' 'Little Hero Rain,' and 'Plains Guerrillas,' who wouldn't grit their teeth at the mention of 'Little Japanese'?

As Gao Jianguo, who had aspired to fight the 'Little Japanese' since childhood, how could he accept the fact that he himself was a 'Little Japanese'?!

So, when he heard his mother say that the person was his grandfather from 'Little Japan,' and that he himself was also a 'Little Japanese,' he broke down, falling to the ground crying and kicking, refusing to accept it.

Chen Fan stood outside the door, listening to Zhang Wenliang's brief explanation of what happened, and looking at the still wailing Little Gao, he couldn't help but click his tongue, "How pitiful."

Zhang Wenliang also sighed, "Isn't it? Who could accept this if it happened to them?"

Chen Fan glanced inside. The 'Little Japanese' old man with a beard, in his fifties or sixties, was at a loss, wanting to help but not daring to approach. The other three 'Little Japanese' stood aside, looking very troubled as well.

Old Gao sat on a chair, his eyes full of confusion. His wife held her son's hand, trying to pull him up, but was kicked several times, yet she was still reluctant to let go.

Well, it was a complete mess.

At this moment, Zhao Junhui came over, first offering two cigarettes as a bridge, "Excuse me, are you Director Chen?"

Chen Fan and Zhang Wenliang each took a cigarette, exchanged a glance, and Zhang Wenliang quickly introduced him, "This is Comrade Zhao from the United Front Work Department of the province. He's the one who brought people here this time for the family reunion."

Zhao Junhui quickly said, "Don't call me that, just call me Old Zhao."

He was a cadre, that's right. In grassroots units, being called Comrade Zhao was acceptable, but Chen Fan was a deputy division-level leader of the Writers Association, two levels higher than him, so he naturally didn't dare to call himself a cadre.

Well, the story of Chen Fan, a well-known young writer in the province and deputy director of the Foreign Liaison Department of the Jiangnan Provincial Writers Association, giving up the superior conditions of the Provincial Writers Association and willingly taking root in rural areas, had already spread throughout various units in the provincial capital.

He had been thinking about whether he would meet Director Chen on this trip to Lujia Bay. He didn't expect to actually see him, so of course he had to come over and say hello.

Maybe one day he would meet the deputy minister of his own unit, who was also a member of the Writers Association, and he could mention himself!

Chen Fan shook his hand and said first, "Then I'll call you Comrade Zhao."

Then he asked curiously, "Comrade Zhao, I remember that your United Front Work Department has departments for democratic parties, ethnic and religious affairs, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan affairs, the non-public economy, non-party members, and overseas Chinese affairs. Do you also have a department that deals with foreigners?"

A trace of embarrassment flashed across Zhao Junhui's face, "Originally, we didn't, but isn't this a special situation? So, I'm temporarily filling in. The department I'm in is responsible for overseas Chinese affairs, mainly dealing with overseas Chinese in East Asia. I'm relatively familiar with that area, and I've also studied a little Japanese, so I was sent here to assist the 'Little Japanese' in their family reunion."

Chen Fan nodded in realization, "I see."

He glanced back at the house and asked in a low voice, "Is this kind of situation common?"

Zhao Junhui looked inside with a complex expression, sighed slightly, and said in a low voice, "There are all kinds of situations. Some people, when they hear that relatives from 'Little Japan' are looking for them, they quickly pack their things and can't wait to fly over immediately.

Some people know they are 'Little Japanese,' but they can't bear to leave their adoptive parents. They firmly refuse to go with the relatives from over there, and say that their motherland and hometown is China, and they have nothing to do with that side."

He pointed his chin at the house, "Then there's this kind, who are married and have families. The children can't accept it, and the adults don't know what to do. However, in this kind of situation, most of them end up leaving in the end. Of course, there are also those who don't leave, but the proportion is relatively smaller."

Chen Fan clicked his tongue. He really didn't know how to comment on this kind of thing. It depends on the person.

In fact, in 'Little Japan,' there are several settlements of Japanese-Chinese who came from China. These settlements basically formed in the 1980s, and a large part of them were persuaded to go there by their 'relatives' and leaders.

At that time, there was a craze for going abroad, and the authorities were also promoting the search for overseas relations, so many people believed that everything was better outside. It's not surprising that they acted this way.

But when they return to 'Little Japan,' they still speak Chinese and eat Chinese food. They also work in nearby units. Some of them, from youth to old age, have not been able to learn to speak fluent Japanese.

It's a bit like Chinatown in foreign countries.

A Japanese-Chinese city on its own territory?

It's just that, under economically permissible circumstances, they feel like something is missing if they don't return to China once a year. That feeling is about the same as people who work hard away from home wanting to go home for the Spring Festival.

Of course, there are those who are nostalgic, and there are also many who turn their backs and refuse to recognize people, and even more who stubbornly refuse to go.

There are all kinds of people.

Chen Fan took a puff of his cigarette, looked at the house that hadn't calmed down yet, and couldn't help but ask, "Comrade Zhao, how do you usually handle this kind of situation?"

Zhao Junhui immediately shook his head, "I don't know how others do it, but my principle is not to interfere. I won't keep those who want to leave, and I won't help the 'Little Japanese' persuade those who don't want to leave. They handle their internal affairs themselves. Whether they leave or stay is up to them."

Although he also really wanted to make achievements, establish more overseas relations, and facilitate foreign exchange earnings, he couldn't bring himself to persuade people to go to 'Little Japan.'

Chen Fan said "Oh," and nodded. Just as he was about to speak, Old Gao suddenly walked out quickly, approached Chen Fan, and said cautiously, "Teacher Chen, my uncle in 'Little Japan' has come to find me and wants to take me over there. I don't know what to do. Can I ask for your opinion?"

Looking at Old Gao, and then at Zhao Junhui, Chen Fan couldn't help but blink repeatedly.

I just came to watch the show, how did I end up being the one on stage?

Secretary Yang and Captain Zhang, who were watching the fun next to him, exchanged glances and quickly walked over.

Secretary Yang said with a straight face, "Old Gao, this is your own family problem. How can you ask Teacher Chen?"

Captain Zhang also put his hands on his hips and scolded, "That's right, what opinion can you get from Teacher Chen? If he tells you to go, and then you can't get used to living there, are you going to blame him? If he tells you not to go, and then you stay here and continue to be a peasant, not living a good life, are you going to blame him too?"

Captain Ye followed up and said, "This matter still needs to be decided by yourself. No one else has the right to interfere!"

Captain Xiao just glared with his pipe in his mouth, humming without saying a word.

Old Gao's face was flushed, and he waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no, I have absolutely no intention of blaming Teacher Chen."

His face flushed, he said to Secretary Yang and the others, "Teacher Chen saved my family's Xiaoguo, which is equivalent to saving our whole family. No matter what Teacher Chen suggests, how could I blame him?"

Then he looked at Chen Fan, "I just thought that Teacher Chen is a very capable person, who understands much more than I do, so I wanted to hear Teacher Chen's opinion."

After saying that, he lowered his head and sighed, "Secretary Yang, Captain Zhang, you are right, this matter is really not good to ask others about. Teacher Chen, I'm sorry, please pretend I didn't say anything."

Then he turned around and went into the house with his head down.

When Old Gao came out just now, Gaoqiao Yingfu was a little curious and asked Old Gao's wife, "Who is this person?"

Old Gao's wife sat on the ground, holding her son tightly in her arms. Hearing this, she glanced outside the door and immediately said in broken Japanese, "That is Teacher Chen. He is a very accomplished writer and teacher. The students he teaches have been admitted to the best universities in our country. He is also our child's savior. He saved our family."

Gaoqiao Yingfu couldn't help but be stunned when he heard this.

In 'Little Japan,' the words teacher and master are not casually used. Although they have somewhat 'devalued' later, before the 1990s, teachers were the most respected profession, almost without exception.

They usually call middle and elementary school male teachers 'master,' and university teachers professors.

Even the highly respected scientists are cultivated by teachers. Therefore, their tolerance for teachers is almost the highest.

For example: If a celebrity or politician cheats, kill them! If a teacher cheats, ... ah, Mr. So-and-so is so romantic!

Not to mention that this young teacher has also taught students who can be admitted to China's best universities, and they are among the best.

At the same time, writers are also highly respected professions in society. The status of well-known writers far surpasses that of directors and celebrities, almost on par with scientists.

Teacher and writer, plus saving his own grand-nephew, and even his nephew's family, Chen Fan's image instantly reached its peak in Hideo Takahashi's eyes.

When he came back to his senses, he walked out without hesitation, just brushing past Lao Gao.

Just now, Lao Gao ran over to ask for his opinion, but Chen Fan hadn't said anything when he was dismissed by Secretary Yang and the others. Then, in the blink of an eye, that little old Japanese man rushed in front of him, bowed ninety degrees, and rambled on in Japanese.

It gave Chen Fan a bit of a headache.

A slightly younger Japanese man followed in Hideo Takahashi's footsteps and came out, also bowing and translating in unison, "President Takahashi said that he is very grateful to you for saving his nephew's family. He extends his highest respect and gratitude to you."

Chen Fan pursed his lips. His Mandarin is not good, vague and unclear, almost like in the movies.

Zhang Wenliang next to him nudged him with his arm and chuckled softly, "These little devils have a lot of tricks, bowing so low they almost stick their heads in the ground."

Chen Fan glanced at him, "Brother, they have a translator."

Zhang Wenliang quickly coughed dryly, pretending that nothing had happened, and muttered, "He can't hear me anyway."

As a result, he was still kicked by Master Xiao behind him.

Chen Fan reached out to give a light support, "You're too kind. Lao Gao has already treated me to a meal. Let's just let it go. Besides, I'm a doctor, and saving people is a matter of course."

Hearing the translation, Hideo Takahashi's surprise grew by another three points.

He's also a respected doctor?

How many professions do you have?!

At this time, Secretary Yang looked into the room. Xiao Gao had stopped crying and was nestled in her mother's arms, her face full of despair. Lao Gao was sitting in a chair, his expression dazed, sometimes gritting his teeth, sometimes helpless, his face changing faster than a Sichuan opera mask.

Withdrawing his gaze, Secretary Yang said to Zhao Junhui, "Cadre Zhao, tell them that we definitely can't make a decision today. How about this, you find a place for them to settle down first and let them think about it carefully, ah, after all, this is not a small matter. How can you ask someone to leave with you as soon as you arrive? Even raising a dog has feelings."

Let them consider it first, and tell these Japanese friends not to rush, ah, take your time. Anyway, finding the person is a good thing, right? Whether Xiao Gao and the others go with them or not is another matter. Don't rush, and you can't rush it."

Zhao Junhui's mouth twitched slightly, and he nodded repeatedly, saying, "Secretary, what you said makes sense. I'll talk to them."

Then he spoke to the translator, and the translator spoke to Hideo Takahashi.

A few minutes later, after saying a few words to Lao Gao and the others, and bidding farewell to Chen Fan and Secretary Yang, Hideo Takahashi and the others finally reluctantly got into the car. Zhao Junhui and Zhu Gong'an also got into the jeep, leaving slowly one after the other.

As soon as they left, the villagers who had been watching the excitement from a distance swarmed over all at once.

"Lao Gao, who are those people to you?"

"Lao Gao, are you going to leave? Really going to Japan?"

"Lao Gao is going to have a good life. Are you going to treat us to a meal when you leave?"

"What are you talking about? Isn't life good now? If it's not good, you go with Lao Gao."

Lao Gao was used to being careful and cautious in the village. At this time, listening to everyone's discussion, he felt both uncomfortable and unable to get angry.

Fortunately, Secretary Yang and the others were still there, and they immediately began to drive people away, "What nonsense are you talking about? Lao Gao hasn't said whether he's leaving or not. Are you making decisions for him?"

Then he shouted, "Where's Su Yujun? Su Yujun?"

The 10th team leader, Su Yujun, quickly ran over, "Here, here."

"Say something when you're here."

Secretary Yang glared, pointing at the onlookers, "Look, look, what do you look like? Get out of here. Anyone who bothers Xiao Gao again will have work points deducted."

Su Yujun nodded and bowed, "Okay."

Then he turned around and violently output, "Can't you understand human language? Get out of here, or your work points will be deducted."

Before he finished speaking, the crowd dispersed in a rush.

They couldn't stand having their work points deducted before, and they can't stand it even more now. Several yuan a day, who wants to have it deducted?!

Seeing the crowd disperse, Lao Gao finally breathed a sigh of relief and came over to thank Secretary Yang and the others.

Secretary Yang waved his hand, "Go back and think about it carefully. No one can make this decision for you. Anyway, if you want to leave, we'll see you off. If you want to stay, things will remain the same. Do you understand what I mean?"

Lao Gao nodded, "Understood, understood."

After a pause, he said again, "Secretary, it's almost noon now. How about you have a meal here at my place?"

Secretary Yang waved his hand without turning his head, "No, you eat your own."

As he said that, he walked forward, and the others followed.

Su Yujun came closer, "Secretary, since you're all here, and it's lunchtime, how about we have a meal at my house as a team treat?"

Before he finished speaking, Principal Xiao ran over, "What are you going to your house for? Go to the school. Teacher Chen is here to give a lecture today. If we don't even eat, where will I put my face?!"

Su Yujun, "Isn't it the same? The team and the school are both Team 10. What's the difference?"

Principal Xiao, "If there's no difference, then go to the school! The cafeteria is bigger!"

Su Yujun, "...Cafeteria it is. I'll catch two chickens and bring them over."

Secretary Yang, "You guys sure know how to make decisions. Did I agree?"

Su Yujun immediately turned around, "Then Secretary Yang, Team Leader Zhang, Team Leader Xiao, Team Leader Ye, Teacher Chen, and Company Commander Zhang, are we inviting everyone?"

Secretary Yang waved his hand, "Let's go. Hey, I'm telling you, it better be good!"

Principal Xiao, "If it's not good, we'll have more until you're satisfied!"

Chen Fan: If you keep saying it's not good, can I eat here every day?

......

Early the next morning, Yang Mei and the others had already gone to work.

Chen Fan strolled around the courtyard, and after completing the inspection, he moved a chair and sat under the veranda, holding a Japanese book and studying hard.

Among the books left in the old house of the Prefectural Committee, there were many foreign language books, including English, French, German, Japanese, and Italian, all brought back from abroad. It seems that the mother was also a talented woman.

Chen Fan hadn't flipped through them much before, only picking out a few introductory books to bring back, thinking that he would learn a foreign language when he had time.

Didn't a few Japanese guys come yesterday? After he came back in the afternoon, he took out the Japanese book.

In half a day, he had already learned most of it.

Apart from Chen Fan cheating, it's actually very easy for Chinese people to learn Japanese.

Japanese is composed of hiragana and katakana, most of which are borrowed from Chinese characters. Even people who don't understand Japanese can understand seven or eight points just by looking at the characters, but this is not the fundamental reason why Japanese is easy to learn.

Most importantly, the pronunciation of Japanese is very similar to our Pinyin pronunciation.

The "Zhuyin Alphabet" used in China before Pinyin is similar to Japanese, and the pronunciation rules are almost the same.

Therefore, you only need to arrange the Japanese pronunciation letters vertically according to the rules of initials and finals, and then arrange the initials and finals of Pinyin letters horizontally, and then combine and fill in the table. In this way, you only need to remember the Japanese pronunciation to accurately read each Japanese word.

For smart people, learning Japanese is that simple.

Even if Chen Fan didn't cheat, relying on this little thing he saw from Kuaishou, he could quickly learn Japanese.

Of course, having a cheat is faster. Now he has memorized all the Japanese book in his hand, and comparing it with the pronunciation he heard from Hideo Takahashi and the others yesterday, mastering a fluent Tokyo accent is that simple.

Just as Chen Fan was reading aloud in a melodious Kanto accent, the myna bird descended from the sky and landed on the small square table next to him, "Guests are here, guests are here."

Chen Fan raised his head to look at it, and then looked up at the sky.

The hobby circled overhead, chirping a few times.

Chen Fan raised his eyebrows slightly. Are there really guests coming?

The myna bird looked at Chen Fan without moving. What's wrong, don't you believe me?

Chen Fan stood up, carried the chair inside, put the book away first, and then moved the small square table in.

Then he stood at the door with his hands behind his back. After a while, the sound of two cars rang out at the foot of the hill and quickly stopped.

A moment later, led by Hideo Takahashi and Zhao Junhui, that group of people appeared in front of Chen Fan.