Reborn in 1977

Chapter 567: Cause and Effect

Provincial Capital, Yangtze River Hotel.

Unlike later generations that follow international hotel standards, the level of a "binguan" (宾馆) is lower than a "jiudian" (酒店). Before the Reform and Opening Up, most mainland lodging establishments were named either "binguan" or "zhaodaisuo" (招待所), with larger ones called "binguan" and smaller ones "zhaodaisuo."

Only a very few coastal areas, or old establishments that existed since the Republic of China era, would use "jiudian" or "fandian" (饭店) as suffixes. Therefore, at this time, "binguan" did not represent a lower grade, just different naming conventions.

As the best hotel in the entire province, it was naturally designated as a foreign-related hotel unit to receive foreign guests.

However, in Chen Fan's opinion, it was just so-so. The hardware facilities inside the rooms were not even as good as the Cultural Palace Guest House, only the area was larger, the environment was better, the service was superior, and all the staff inside followed the "foreign-related service standards" required by the ministries.

For example, greeting guests when seeing them, cleaning the rooms every day, not casually touching the items left by guests in the room, and promptly resolving guests' reasonable requests…

In fact, it was not even as good as a random star-rated hotel in later generations.

The times had their own customs, so there was no need to force it. They were all masters of society, so it was understandable to have some pride.

So now that there was no water in Chen Fan's cup, he could only pour it himself.

This was a medium-sized conference room inside the hotel, with a layout similar to the reception room of a government unit. The floor was covered with thick carpet. There was no conference table, only a circle of single sofas arranged around the perimeter, with a coffee table between every two sofas, and two cups of tea on each coffee table.

It was just like a bilateral leadership meeting.

At this time, sitting at the head of the host side was a big shot from the province in charge of the United Front Work Department. Beside him sat the leaders of the Propaganda Department, the United Front Work Department, and the Culture Department, followed by He Qingsheng and Chen Fan.

He Qingsheng was only able to squeeze in because of Chen Fan's influence; otherwise, he wouldn't even have the qualifications to enter here.

And Chen Fan, although he was the protagonist of today, could only sit at the bottom for the time being.

There was no way around it. It was said that the higher-ups had strengthened their emphasis on United Front work. Even ordinary overseas Chinese returning to the country would have someone to accompany them in handling affairs. If it was a foreign guest with a certain social status, such as Takahashi Hideo, then a cadre would need to come forward. Last time, it was Section Chief Zhao who accompanied Takahashi to find relatives.

After even more emphasis was placed on the United Front work, when Chen Fan's "uncle" came over, this senior New York lawyer, who was said to hold an important position in the New York Bar Association, naturally became the most important United Front target in the province and even the United Front Work Department.

Chen Fan felt a little guilty about this.

A lawyer, one of the professions that likes and is best at finding evidence, wouldn't he request a re-investigation into his origins?

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but turn his gaze to his "uncle," who was having a "pleasant conversation" with the big shot.

Approximately 50 years old, 1.7 meters tall, wearing a beige Polo shirt. It was Ralph Lauren, which defeated Lacoste a few years ago to become the world's number one Polo shirt brand.

The brand logo was the one with a person riding a horse and waving a polo mallet.

This was one of the favorite brands of the American elite, and the price was not cheap.

However, compared to that, the H belt around his waist was even more eye-catching.

Probably from the big shot to He Qingsheng, not a single one of them knew what it meant, but Chen Fan knew.

Without making a sound, he smacked his lips and looked down to see a pair of flared trousers, similar to bell-bottoms.

This was also the most popular fashion style in America this year. If he was wearing a suit, then the suit should have high shoulder pads, the upper half should be very loose, narrowing at the waist, and then widening at the hem, like a blooming flower.

Combined in this way, it was the most popular suit.

(This kind of)

Needless to say, on his feet were a pair of shiny black leather shoes.

With this outfit, he was definitely an elite.

This time when he came, he didn't travel alone, but brought his family with him.

The middle-aged woman next to him, who seemed to have some of the temperament of the old era, was wearing a suit, with no excessive decorations on her body, only a delicate ladies' watch on her wrist. This was the aunt.

The aunt was not a lawyer, but a "media person," working for WETM-TV, the New York Broadcasting Television Station of the United States, which was also the predecessor of NBC (National Broadcasting Company) in New York, later transformed into a television station, and is now a member of NBC's New York television station.

Due to the provisions of the American Broadcasting Communications Law, there is no unified television station in the United States, but a broadcast television network composed of multiple local television stations. Therefore, in fact, this WETM-TV can be regarded as NBC.

Looking at her dress and temperament, she should not be a lower-level employee, at least a middle-level manager, just not sure what department she is in charge of.

In addition, she is also a special writer for the New York Times.

Anyway, the attitude of another white foreigner towards the two of them can explain a lot.

Next to them was a girl who should be less than 20 years old, wearing a shirt, jeans, and sneakers, sitting quietly next to her mother, but her eyes kept glancing towards Chen Fan.

She happened to meet Chen Fan's gaze as he sized her up, and they both smiled at each other.

Chen Fan smiled, secretly commenting in his heart that people who live there are mostly extroverted.

As for the last two white people, they were introduced when they met just now. One was the Deputy Liaison Officer of the US Liaison Office in the capital, and also the one who was very enthusiastic about the uncle and aunt. The other was the uncle's assistant, and also a lawyer.

The meeting time was neither short nor long, about half an hour. First, the big shot from our side spoke, stating the relevant policies of our country, especially expressing welcome to overseas Chinese to come back and see more, communicate more with relatives in the country, and send more money.

Ahem, sending money wasn't that direct, it was approximately that domestic products are abundant, of excellent quality, and can relieve homesickness, so you might as well buy more… that kind of meaning.

Zhou Zhengdong, Esquire [James Chow, Esquire (originally meaning Mr., gentleman, in the United States it is an exclusive honorary title for barristers, regardless of gender)] first expressed his gratitude for the warm reception in the country, welcomed and praised the changes in relevant domestic policies, and at the same time expressed his willingness to bring the real situation in the country back and share it with the vast number of overseas Chinese, and hoped to have more exchanges with the country.

Chen Fan roughly summarized that it was a basket of nice words, without any real benefits.

As expected of a lawyer, his speech was impeccable, without any substance.

However, the scene was very harmonious, fully demonstrating the mature political literacy of both sides.

At the end of the meeting, the leaders from the province did not dawdle, and shook hands with Zhou Zhengdong to say goodbye.

The others also followed behind him and left.

He Qingsheng patted Chen Fan's arm and whispered, "Relax, speak up if you need anything."

Chen Fan pursed his lips and smiled, sending him out of the conference room door. After they had walked far away, he turned around and went back in.

The two foreigners greeted Zhou Zhengdong, then smiled friendly at Chen Fan, and followed them out.

In the end, only their "family" was left.

Until the door closed, Zhou Zhengdong exhaled a long breath, his eyes fixed on Chen Fan, walked straight over, and the first sentence was, "I heard that you changed your date of birth to the first day of the twelfth lunar month?"

Chen Fan blinked, hesitated for two seconds, "Ah, yes."

Although Zhou Zhengdong tried his best to suppress his emotions, his eyes were already a little red. He nodded with emotion, "Good boy, good boy."

Chen Fan pursed his lips, not knowing what expression to give.

When Zhu Gong'an took Chen Fan's file to find him before, he told him that the first day of the twelfth lunar month was Chen Fan's mother's birthday. According to the file records, his own birthday should be the 14th day of the first lunar month.

But his own birthday was indeed the first day of the twelfth lunar month, so he insisted on not changing it. He didn't expect that it would now cause his visiting uncle to break down.

Zhou Zhengdong adjusted his emotions, looked up, and continued, "When you were born, your mother and I still communicated frequently. She told me a lot about you, but…"

His newly adjusted emotions became somewhat disjointed again.

Zhou Yali immediately walked over and took his arm. "Daddy, let's sit down and talk."

Zhou Zhengdong nodded, turned, and walked back to his usual spot to sit down.

This time it was Chen Fan's turn to be "awesome." He plopped down directly in the seat the big boss had just occupied… and didn't forget to bring his teacup over.

He didn't know what to talk about.

If it were about anything else, whether astronomy, geography, music, chess, calligraphy, painting, medicine, divination, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology… he could join the conversation and never let the topic drop.

But when it came to family affection, sorry, he wasn't familiar with it before or after the transmigration.

So he could only clear his throat and pick up the hot water kettle behind the coffee table to pour water.

Seeing Chen Fan like this, Zhou Zhengdong nodded with a satisfied smile, then turned his head and glanced at his daughter, his lips slightly pursed, as if he was a little disgusted.

Zhou Yali pouted. She didn't have to do housework at home. Pouring tea was something she had never done.

Chen Fan poured the water, put the kettle aside, and smiled awkwardly when he saw the three of them staring at him blankly.

Zhou Zhengdong looked at him, his eyes filled with sadness. After he sat down, he sighed and said, "You look very much like your mother, but she was gentler."

Then he leaned back in his chair, his eyes unfocused as he looked ahead, slowly recounting the events of the past.

Chen Fan listened very carefully, but his expression remained tense, appearing somewhat serious.

To put it simply, the Zhou family's ancestral home was in Liaoning, Northeast China, and their commercial base was in Tianjin. Back then, in the Northeast, they were considered high-class landlords and wealthy merchants. Relying on the resources of the Northeast, they operated "Northern goods" in the major ports of Tianjin and Shanghai, making a fortune.

Later, when the Northeast fell, the Zhou family also lost its foundation. After struggling for a year, they realized that Little Sixth Master and Old Chief had no intention of recovering the country. The Zhou family's patriarch couldn't help but feel extremely disappointed.

In addition, the domestic situation at the time was chaotic. The Zhou family, having lost its foundation, didn't want to be at the mercy of others anymore. The Zhou family's patriarch made a bold decision, selling off all his assets and, with the help of several foreign clients, took his family and old servants across the ocean to America.

What was the situation in America at that time?

Everyone knows about the Great Depression of 1929, the one where milk was poured into the river, it's in the textbooks.

This Great Depression lasted until 1933. The Zhou family arrived in 1932, but even in that year, more than 2 million Americans were homeless, including farmers who had gone bankrupt due to three years of drought, formerly well-dressed middle-class people, and even some small business owners and bankers… In short, it was quite miserable.

But that wasn't the worst of it.

To find work, some people stayed up all night at the entrance of the Detroit employment agency. A man from Arkansas walked 1,500 kilometers to find work. A job posting in Manhattan for 300 people attracted 5,000 applicants. A guy in Washington State even went into the woods and started a fire to get hired as a firefighter.

All for a bite to eat.

And these statistics didn't even include the 11 million rural population.

Most importantly, this economic depression, which originated in the United States, quickly spread to Europe… and then created an art student.

It was in this situation that the Zhou family arrived in America, swaying and unsteady.

But facing the devastation, the Zhou family patriarch saw gold everywhere!

Cheap land was everywhere, and there was a labor force that would work for just a bite to eat. Were the Western powers really this miserable?!

This immediately dispelled the Zhou family's anxiety about wandering in a foreign land.

Then the patriarch began to flex his muscles.

He didn't follow the example of many Chinese and set his sights on San Francisco, the first stop for entering America. Instead, he took the advice of his American friends and crossed the entire United States to go to New York City, the most prosperous city in the country at the time.

Then he started buying land, hiring people, and working hard.

In this process, he didn't choose to eat alone, but deeply understood the principle that a strong dragon can't suppress a local snake. In addition, with some friendly advice from his old American clients, he began to make friends widely.

From policemen and sheriffs to city councilors, they were all his targets for making connections.

When the Great Depression passed, the Zhou family had also gained a foothold in New York. As for those "new friends" he had made, given that the Zhou family's actions at the time were almost like sending charcoal in the snow, they didn't choose to turn their backs on them after they re-emerged. Instead, they cooperated with the Zhou family and "win-win" within the scope of their power.

Later, the Zhou family gained a firm foothold in the business world. At this time, their children gradually grew up, so they sent their youngest son, Zhou Zhengdong, to New York University to study law.

Because lawyers were a profession that could easily break through "classes." Studying law and becoming a lawyer would not only make it easier to make connections with people from all walks of life, but also facilitate the Zhou family's future transformation into a truly influential family.

Unfortunately, just when the youngest son, Zhou Zhengdong, obtained his law license and entered the best law firm in New York, his eldest daughter, Zhou Ruolin, left a letter and tried every means to return to China.

After that, she was always worried, first about the Northern War, and then about the famine.

They were in a foreign country and had limited access to news. They could only read Chinese newspapers, but the newspapers were almost always filled with bad news. Even though their daughter would write a few letters back every year to report that she was safe, they were still worried.

Later, they lost contact.

Finally, after a few years, the family elders passed away, leaving Zhou Zhengdong to support the Zhou family with a few loyal servants.

Fortunately, the Zhou family patriarch had left behind many connections, and Zhou Zhengdong was not incompetent.

Just a few years ago, relying on the Zhou family's huge assets and the exchange of interests from all sides, coupled with the fact that his wife's family was also a large Chinese family in San Francisco, with support from all sides, Zhou Zhengdong finally became a partner in a large law firm and entered the New York Bar Association, and was elected as a director of the New York Bar Association.

He and Mo Hu, the first Chinese to become a senior prosecutor, were rivals in New York at the time.

With his career going smoothly, the only thing Zhou Zhengdong couldn't let go of was his sister who had risked returning to China back then.

So in March, someone finally found him and told him about his sister's family situation. He was both sad and pained.

However, his experiences from childhood had cultivated his cautious personality, so he didn't set off immediately. Instead, he arranged his family and official affairs on the one hand, and asked people to inquire about the authenticity of the news on the other hand.

Fortunately, after entering the 1970s, China and the United States established liaison offices, which made many things much easier.

In addition, Chen Fan could be considered a celebrity, so his information was easy to find. Before long, his information was sent directly over.

After seeing Chen Fan's photo and discovering that he was eight or nine points similar to his eldest sister, Zhou Zhengdong dispelled his doubts and quickly went through the formalities, bringing his whole family over to meet Chen Fan.

After Zhou Zhengdong finished speaking, Chen Fan adjusted his position and changed to a more comfortable posture.

This is truly a magnificent story.

If it were written into a novel and then made into a TV series, it should be considered a period drama, right?!