Reborn in 1977

Speaking of wedding sets in the literature of the times, almost everyone knows about the "Three Turns and One Sound."

Actually, the "Three Turns and One Sound" didn't exist from the very beginning.

In the early days, during the 1950s and 60s, people didn't emphasize this; instead, they focused on "legs."

28 legs: a bed, a wardrobe, a table, and four chairs.

32 legs: plus a five-drawer cabinet.

36 legs: plus a writing desk.

Later, there were even 42 legs, 48 legs...…

The more legs, the more furniture; the more furniture, the bigger the house.

After all, a small house couldn't accommodate so much furniture.

By this analogy, the more legs, the better the family's conditions.

Matters like wedding gifts always see the countryside following the city.

When 32 legs were popular in the city, 12 legs were enough in the countryside, which meant a bed, a wardrobe, and a square table. The low-end version even had only a bed and a table.

When the countryside started competing over who had more legs for their wedding, the city had already started popularizing sewing machines, bicycles, and watches. By the 1970s, the slogan "Three Turns and One Sound" officially emerged.

And when the countryside regarded "Three Turns and One Sound" as the standard for marriage, the city had already started popularizing the "Three Big Items."

Namely: television, refrigerator, and washing machine!

That was in the mid to late 1980s.

By the 1990s, in addition to the "Three Big Items," there were also the "Three Golds," which were a gold necklace, a gold ring, and gold earrings, as well as the "Five Golds"...… not hardware, but two more items: a gold bracelet and a gold pendant.

Yes, the gold necklace had to have a big pendant hanging from it.

Later, everyone knew that a house was the "proper gift," and everything else was just stuff inside the house, additional extras.

However, speaking of which, although the general trend was for the countryside to follow the city, even within the city, there were different levels.

Even in the late 1970s, many urban families had already set their sights on the "Three Big Items," taking an early lead over ordinary working-class families.

But now, with the supply of goods tight, these expensive "Three Big Items" were really difficult to buy.

In 1978, China produced a total of 28,000 household refrigerators and a total of 3,800 color televisions.

Yes, it's 3,800, without "ten thousand" after it.

There were quite a few black and white televisions, with an annual output of about 500,000 units, which could at least supply some and also bring the price down a bit. A nine-inch black and white television could be bought for around 400 yuan.

As for washing machines, that was even more outrageous.

The total annual output this year was only 400 units!

So, how did Yunhu Mechanical Factory get the washing machine and air conditioner to reward Chen Fan? He couldn't figure it out no matter how he thought about it?

He couldn't ask, or everyone would be embarrassed.

High demand and low production led to the scarcity of these goods.

So, naturally, if domestic production was insufficient, imports would make up for it.

Imported electrical appliances became the darling of the market.

Moreover, compared to the current rough domestic appliances, imported appliances were of higher quality and more impressive. Although they were more expensive, they were more popular, so they were even harder to buy than domestic appliances on the market.

Without Overseas Chinese Remittance Certificates or foreign exchange, you basically couldn't buy imported goods.

How tight were imported electrical appliances at that time?

Li Zongren's relatives wanted to buy a color TV, and the Xiyuan agency had to submit a report for special approval.

(Special Approval Form for Li Zongren's Relatives to Buy a Color TV)

In terms of family conditions, He Qingsheng, Tan Yong, and Xu Qizhen belonged to the group of people who "got rich first." It was estimated that their families were at least worth ten thousand yuan.

The trouble with rich people was that they had money but couldn't spend it.

Because they needed coupons!

If it were normal times, it wouldn't matter. If they couldn't buy imported goods, they would buy domestic ones; if they couldn't buy a TV, they would buy a radio. How could they not get by?

But at critical moments, the lack of these things was really not okay.

For example: getting married!

Old Wang next door bought a 12-inch black and white TV for his daughter-in-law. If our son gets married and we don't buy a 14-inch big color TV, how can we have the face to greet people?

In the end, it's still a matter of comparison.

As long as they could maintain face, what did it matter to exchange Overseas Chinese Remittance Certificates at a one-to-one ratio?

They weren't afraid of exchanging too much; they were afraid that no one would exchange!

In emergencies, some people were even willing to exchange at a 1:2 ratio.

So, naturally, Chen Fan's 50,000 yuan in Overseas Chinese Remittance Certificates were all snapped up, and besides the main leaders of the Cultural Department and the Propaganda Department picking up some bargains, the rest were exchanged by people within the Writers Association.

This time, Chen Fan also saw the strength of the members of the Writers Association.

Usually, they looked inconspicuous, with many smoking cigarettes costing 3 or 4 mao a pack, wearing cheap cloth shoes and cotton clothes, and wearing an old watch that only cost 80 yuan. He didn't expect them to be so quick to take out money to exchange Overseas Chinese Remittance Certificates.

They almost took away the only 1,750 yuan left in Chen Fan's pocket.

Chen Fan finished counting all the banknotes, put them into his backpack in bundles, and felt happy in his heart.

He sent out 380,000 yuan, but he didn't expect to have 77,000 yuan left in his hands. Alas, having too much money is also a problem!

He didn't plan to send this money to Master Zhang. The previous 380,000 yuan was enough to show his attitude, and no one should want to take advantage of him again.

As for the money from exchanging Overseas Chinese Remittance Certificates, he planned to keep it for setting up a publishing house in the future.

After the meeting at the end of this year, he could use this as a reason to propose the requirement of setting up a publishing house under the umbrella of the Writers Association.

If the conditions were right, he would set up a magazine; if the conditions were not yet mature, he would set up a publishing house to publish his own books exclusively. That would be pure profit!

Royalties?

Who cares about royalties?

… …

After putting away the money, he turned to look at Xu Qizhen, whose eyes were red, and Chen Fan said helplessly, "Sister Xu, I only have 1,750 Overseas Chinese Remittance Certificates left. You have to leave some for me."

Xu Qizhen sighed, "Originally, my cousin was eyeing a 14-inch Hitachi color TV, which cost 1,200 yuan, but later, I don't know why, she wanted another 18-inch big color TV, which was 400 yuan more expensive, so there weren't enough Overseas Chinese Remittance Certificates."

As she spoke, her eyes were still fixed on his pocket.

As for He Qingsheng and Tan Yong, they had already run away.

Maybe they were hiding at home watching color TV right now.

Chen Fan put the backpack aside, looked at her, and said, "Didn't you exchange 2,000? 1,600, so there's still 400 left."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but sigh at how expensive televisions were at this time.

With the average salary generally only 35 yuan, a television actually cost 3 or 4 years' salary, which was outrageous.

He didn't know that in two more years, in 1980, when the higher authorities liberalized television prices, a 14-inch imported color TV would immediately rise to 2,300 yuan, and an 18-inch color TV would rise to 3,200 yuan.

After that, it would run wild all the way. By the end of the 1980s, a Hitachi big color TV would actually cost more than 10,000 yuan!

Ah, the 1980s, when "ten thousand yuan households" were still very popular. All their wealth was not enough to buy an imported big color TV.

This situation would have to wait until after the 1990s, when domestic color TVs were launched in large numbers, before the price of televisions was brought down.

Although Chen Fan didn't know the specific price trend, he also knew how high the profit of color TVs was in the 1980s.

In addition to color TVs, refrigerators and air conditioners were also synonymous with high-priced appliances, but even so, they were still in short supply.

So, there is no shortage of rich people at any time; the only difference is that the rich are not me.

Thinking of this, Chen Fan thought about when to get a few imported production lines, so that he could also increase the depth and thickness of his wallet, and strive to be an unknown rich man.

Then he heard Xu Qizhen say, "Were you just busy counting money and didn't listen to me just now?"

Chen Fan's face didn't change, and his heart didn't beat faster. He directly changed the subject, "If I exchange more for you, what about Uncle He and Uncle Tan?"

Xu Qizhen didn't even notice, waved her hand and said, "You don't have to worry about them. I haven't settled accounts with them yet. I have serious business. My cousin is getting married, and they are purely enjoying themselves and not doing any serious business."

Then her tone changed, "I can't help it. She's just such a cousin, and her family wants to give her the best of everything. Didn't they also buy imported washing machines and refrigerators? That cost more than 1,000 yuan, and fortunately, they managed to scrape together some Overseas Chinese Remittance Certificates before, which was barely enough, but now that they've exchanged, it's not enough again."

She cupped her hands at Chen Fan and smiled, "Just treat it as your sister begging you, please help, okay."

Chen Fan sighed softly, "I still want to buy a color TV. Forget it, who told you to take care of me so much."

He took out the Overseas Chinese Remittance Certificates from his pocket, counted out 4 and handed them over, "I can't take any more!".

"That's impossible."

Xu Qizhen took the Overseas Chinese Remittance Certificates, took out a stack of banknotes and slapped them in his hand, "Sister remembers your kindness. Let's see the real deal in the future!"

After speaking, she got up and ran away.

Chen Fan smiled as he watched her back.

The fact that He Qingsheng and Tan Yong didn't show up today was enough to explain the problem. This was creating an opportunity for Xu Qizhen.

However, a deputy director-general in her thirties, and a female comrade at that, her future prospects were entirely predictable.

It was worth getting to know this sister.

As for those foreign exchange certificates, they were even less worth mentioning.

His old house in the prefectural committee was full of appliances, even air conditioning. The TV was a 19-inch Jinxing color TV. What did he need foreign exchange certificates for?

At most, he would buy some imported snacks to send to Little Jiang.

…

First, he went to the department store to sweep up goods, spending the remaining 350 yuan of the foreign exchange certificates. Then, he found a box to pack everything, and wrote a letter to Little Jiang.

In the office, Chen Fan held a pen in one hand and scratched his head with the other, struggling to find the right words on the letter paper. "Lili, greetings."

And then he didn't know what to write.

As a post-95s, Chen Fan had never written a love letter. He didn't understand when he was young, and who would write letters after adulthood?

Chatting on WeChat was too slow; everyone just called, okay?

Besides, he had never been in love before.

Well, even if his classmates and friends around him were in love, they would hook up with a few words and then flirt on the phone.

Love letters?

Sorry, he had only read Lin Juemin's "Letter to My Wife" and Lu Xun's "Brother Guangping."

The former was tear-jerking, and the latter was sincere and clumsy.

Neither of them matched Chen Da's real situation.

But he had to write.

Jiang Lili sent a letter every week, from the capital to Changchun, from Lujiawan to the provincial capital, and she never missed one. She didn't treat money like money, and she always used registered mail.

He hadn't replied to the previous letters yet. If he didn't make two phone calls and send a telegram in between, wouldn't that girl secretly hide and cry, believe it or not?!

Helpless, after scratching his hair a few times, Chen Fan sighed and could only write a simple account.

"All your letters have been received, but I have been busy with worldly affairs and have had no time to reply. Only today do I have a little leisure, and my thoughts of you are uncontrollable. Only then do I pick up my pen to express my heartfelt feelings."

Looking at the few lines he had written, Chen Fan had the urge to tear them up and rewrite them.

Was it too direct?

Should he be more subtle?

But that girl wrote even more explicitly… He really didn't know how she, who usually looked gentle and introverted, could write such passionate and unrestrained words?

What "Brother, I miss you", oh my, so cheesy.

Chen Fan gritted his teeth and decided to just write it like this. Let's all get cheesy together.

"When I was in the capital, I bought a piece of land next to Shichahai. I designed a house myself. You will definitely like it when you see it. It is a different scenery from the small building on Panyu Road, just as I see you, and there are always different styles.…

I am now studying at Jiangnan University, following Mr. Xu Zirui. The campus of Jiangda is very beautiful, which often reminds me of your face…"

After racking his brains and finally writing a love letter of less than 600 words, Chen Fan felt more tired than writing a novel of 600,000 words.

It wasn't that he was insincere, but as a straight man of the new century, writing such straightforward words was indeed a bit embarrassing.

Touching his face and rubbing it a few times, Chen Fan folded the letter paper into a heart shape.

Speaking of which, this was the most popular style of love letter on middle school campuses in the 1990s. Does anyone still remember how to fold it?

He put the letter paper in an envelope and then put the envelope in the snack box.

At the moment of sealing, Chen Fan stopped.

He looked at the mouth of the carton, stunned for several seconds, before gently sighing, getting up, and walking out with the box.

…

He took the box to the post office, where many people were lining up to send packages.

In this era, there were not so many cartons, mainly because there was a lack of transparent tape to seal them. Moreover, mailing cartons was not safe and easily damaged.

Therefore, there were generally two types of packaging for sending packages. If it was not easy to damage, such as clothes and bedding, you could directly use a cloth bag. The post office staff would sew the package tightly with strong needle and thread, which was difficult to destroy unless it was violently pulled.

What Chen Fan wanted was another kind.

He used a small wooden box, put the snack box in it, and filled the gaps with newspapers to ensure it wouldn't loosen.

Finally, he covered it with a wooden board, and the post office clerk took nails and a hammer to nail the wooden box tightly.

It was much stronger than the cartons of later generations.

(Post office sends packages in wooden boxes)

(Postal packaging box)

The postage was not cheap either. In addition to collecting two cents for the wooden box, the starting package postage was 55 cents, and more money was added if it was overweight.

Chen Fan gave a full 90 cents before taking the mailing list and leaving.

Walking out of the post office gate, he looked back, feeling a little regret in his heart.

Was the letter too cheesy?

If someone saw it, would he still have the face to see people?

…

Today is April 27th, Thursday.

Although he was very happy that there were no classes today, Chen Fan still had to go back to school to study hard.

It wasn't that he hadn't thought about buying a house near the school, but he gave up in the end.

The provincial capital was not Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, or Shenzhen. What was the point of buying a house?

Besides, if he bought a house, would he still be entitled to a house allocation from the work unit in the future?!

So Chen Fan honestly stayed in the school dormitory.

Driving back to school, he was now well-known at Jiangda, and almost everyone knew him.

The only student accepted by the Three Elders of Jiangda this year, he lived in the dormitory building of the School of Liberal Arts, in a single room by himself. He usually went to the Writers Association to work every day, driving a GAZ-69 jeep.

Plus, he was handsome, tall, talented, and had a lot of income… I don’t know how many female students were eyeing him.

Don't think that girls now must be very reserved.

Reserved is reserved, but when they are infatuated, they are even more powerful than the love brains of later generations.

As soon as Chen Fan got out of the car, several girls ran over quickly, with boldness and three points of shyness, "Hello, classmate Chen, I am a freshman in literature. Can I ask you a few questions?"

Now it was Chen Fan's turn to be very reserved. He closed the car door casually, and while walking up, he said with a smile, "I am a freshman like you, and I may not be able to answer your questions. I suggest you ask the professional teachers, they will definitely be able to answer more clearly."

Those girls were not willing to fail and quickly followed, "But you are different, you have written so many good articles…"

Before they could finish speaking, another group of girls crowded over, blocking them behind. The leader directly approached Chen Fan, "Hello, classmate Chen, I am a student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Today I heard our professional teacher say that the two cars you designed have passed the evaluation of the First Ministry of Machinery Industry Design Institute, and as… Oh…"

Before Chen Fan could react, he was "protected" by Yang Zhijun and others from Lujiawan and pushed into the dormitory building.

After all, the girls of this era still wanted face. Seeing that the target had disappeared, they could only stop at the entrance of the dormitory building and sigh regretfully.

Then they heard a voice behind them, "This is the School of Liberal Arts. What are you people from the Department of Mechanical Engineering doing here? Do you want to fight?"

They were all people who had come from the passionate burning era, who was afraid of whom?

The girls in the Department of Mechanical Engineering turned around without hesitation and rolled up their sleeves, "Time, place, leave your name!"

…

Listening to the noise outside, Chen Fan couldn't help wiping his sweat, and then waved to Yang Zhijun and others, "Now it's safe, you go back."

Yang Zhijun rubbed his hands and smiled embarrassedly, "Teacher Chen, two of your friends are looking for you this afternoon."

"Friends?"

Chen Fan looked at him and asked, "What are their names?"

He did have a lot of friends, but if you want to talk about true friends, hehe, five fingers can't use it all.

The people from Lujiawan don't count, they are fellow villagers.

Yang Zhijun continued to rub his hands, "They are called Lin Liwen and Xia Yuping, and they used to be from the Yunhu Health Department. They also have work permits, so Tang Li brought them over to find you."

Chen Fan: Huh?

These two are also at Jiangda?

Oh, right, I remembered, they both passed the junior college class of Jiangnan University, so they are also studying here.

The news that he arrived at Jiangnan University spread, it would be strange if they didn't come.

While thinking, he pushed open the door. Chen Fan was shocked as soon as he entered the door.

There were three people in the room, one was Tang Li, who often came to clean for him, and the other two were Lin Liwen and Xia Yuping.

Seeing Chen Fan come in, Tang Li decisively ran away with her head down.

As for Lin Liwen and Xia Yuping, they jumped in front of him holding a book, their eyes full of joy, "Xiao Fan, teach us how to practice calligraphy!"

Chen Fan looked down and saw that it was his own "A Brief Discussion on Hard-Pen Calligraphy".