The literary era since 1979

Chapter 119 Everything is under control

"Our hometown is in the field of hope..."

"We have lived on these fields for generations."

"For her prosperity, for her prosperity."

Early in the morning, "In the Fields of Hope" was playing on the radio.

After finishing his breakfast, Fangyan stretched himself. On this rare Sunday, he wanted to focus his time and energy on creation.

Yesterday afternoon, I attended a small exchange meeting of the Yenching Writers Association for the first time, and got a good understanding of this time's creative task.

Medical care, post and telecommunications, steel, textiles, factories and mines...

All walks of life, all fields, and all professions are free to choose without restrictions, and there are no rigid requirements on the length and word count.

Even the time limit is quite flexible. It can be published by the end of the year at the latest, and there is no strict punishment if the task is not completed.

"Whoo~"

Fangyan blew on the hot tea with two jujubes floating in it.

His eyes slowly fell on the pages of paper on the table.

It is densely packed with works in related fields.

For example, steel, "The Piano in a Factory", "The Long Season", "Iron Will", "The Age of Steel"...

There are indeed quite a few movies and TV series related to careers and the workplace.

However, there are not many examples about the early 80s, and they have to be positive examples.

Therefore, we had to expand the scope to include foreign works.

For example, "The Railway Man" by Ken Takakura and Hirosue Ryoko tells the story of a railway man who has worked silently at the station for his entire life. I would only pay attention to this movie because Ken Takakura starred in it.

After all, Ken Takakura was the most famous Japanese actor in the country in the 1980s.

The movie "The Chase", which was introduced in 76, immediately caused a sensation as soon as it was released, with crowds of people flocking to the streets.

After writing the work about "railway", the next thing is post and telecommunications, and I can't help but think of the female postman in my mind.

"What does the postman have?"

Fangyan took a sip of tea slowly.

Suddenly, Fang Hong's loud voice came from outside the house:
"Yanzi, it's almost time, we should set off!"

"coming."

Fang Yan glanced at the Plum Blossom watch and walked out of the room.

Fang Yan was seen wearing a blouse, her hand held by Fang Hong who was wearing jeans, and both of them were wearing Casio electronic watches.

"Why do you insist on making me wear this?"

Fang Hong was puzzled.

"You'll know then."

Fangyan gave them a mysterious smile, shouted "Let's go", and took them to Dongbalizhuang.

Yanjing’s No. 1, 2 and 3 cotton spinning factories are located here, lined up from east to west, with the factory area on the south side of the road and the living area on the north side.

In this textile city, female workers in the three factories account for more than 70%, so it is nicknamed the "Land of Daughters".

These days, being able to be a textile worker is a very honorable thing. The average monthly salary alone is nearly 60 yuan, which is higher than the average salary of government officials. You are definitely a high-income person.

At this moment, small stalls were set up one after another on the street opposite the Lubei living area.

The most eye-catching among them is Han Yuemin.

All of them are stone-washed jeans, standing out from the crowd.

"Sister Yaya, Yanzi."

In front of the stall stood Su Ya, Tang Shengnan and Bai Ruoxue, waving at them.

"Sister, did you call them here?"

Fang Yan looked at Fang Hong in surprise.

Fang Hong coughed a few times and said, "I asked them to pick out some pants. Such good jeans are rare."

"Alright."

Seeing her guilty look, Fang Yan knew that she was worried that Han Yuemin would have a lack of business, so she specially asked people to come and support him.

"Teacher Fang!"

Bai Ruoxue and the other person greeted each other warmly.

"It's hot today, let's go to the side and cool down for a while. Let my sister and Brother Han take care of the stall."

Fang Yan and Han Yuemin looked at each other, then sent Fang Yan, Tang Shengnan and others away.

"Yanzi, what are you doing?"

Fang Hong suddenly became anxious and lowered her voice.

"Sister, I'm letting you stay here not only to help Brother Han manage the stall, but also to let you be a fashion model."

Fang Yan said a few words to comfort him, "Does the model understand?"

Fang Hong was startled. "Is it that foreign model like Cardin?"

"Yes, you are wearing the jeans from Brother Han's stall. As the saying goes, seeing is believing. How can those young ladies not be tempted when they see you wearing such fashionable and beautiful clothes?"

What is said in dialect is one thing, what the seller shows is one thing, and what the buyer shows is another thing.

"You can't leave me here alone."

Fang Hong understood it all at once. It turned out that asking her to wear jeans and a digital watch was to be a model for Han Yuemin!

"Don't worry."

“When the moment comes, we’ll be there.”

Fang Yan smiled and led the confused Bai Ruoxue and others away and hid not far away.

"Teacher Fang, what are you doing?"

Bai Ruoxue watched Fangyan take out a bag of peanuts and distribute them to everyone.

"There is a need for timing when showing support. You can go later." Fangyan changed the subject and asked about the progress of the drama.

"The script has been written and we will start rehearsals in the next few days."

Bai Ruoxue invited him.

If you have time, you can come and take a look and give me some guidance.

"Forget it. I don't know anything about drama. Don't mislead you." Fang Yan waved his hand.

"How is that possible!" Bai Ruoxue said, "What you said last time about method, experience, and expression really opened our eyes!"

Tang Shengnan also echoed: "That's right, everyone has made significant progress in their acting skills by following Teacher Fang's instructions."

Fangyan was about to open his mouth when he saw a group of female textile workers chatting and laughing as they passed by Han Yuemin's stall, and they stopped.

Because female workers need to work in three shifts 24 hours a day, they can earn money but have no time to spend it, and nowhere else to spend it.

They could only patronize the state-owned store in the factory, but it was obvious that the things on Han Yuemin’s stall were not available in the store.

“How much is this electronic watch?”

"12 yuan."

"12 yuan, this is too expensive!"

"This is a Casio digital watch. It's been advertised on TV."

Looking at Han Yuemin's patient introduction, Fang Hong widened her eyes. Is there really anyone who would buy this?
"How much do you sell these jeans for?"

Another female worker glanced at what Fang Hong was wearing, her eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but touch a pair of jeans.

"35 yuan."

Fang Hong was stunned by the price Han Yuemin quoted.

This is almost as much as an average worker’s monthly salary!

"35 dollars?!"

The female workers were also shocked, "Why is it so expensive?"

"This price is not expensive at all. Look at the material and style. It is made of stone and will not get damaged no matter how much you wash it."

Han Yuemin said: "And you know Zhang Yu, right?"

"How could I not know Zhou Yun from Love in Lushan Mountain?"

The female workers were whispering to each other.

"These are the jeans Zhang Yu wears."

Han Yuemin said confidently.

"real or fake?"

"No way? I don't believe it!"

"I don't believe it either."

The female workers were chattering, their faces full of disbelief.

But when Han Yuemin showed his group photo with actors such as Zhang Yu and Zhu Shimao, as well as a poster of "Lush Mountain Love" with Zhang Yu wearing jeans, there was an uproar in the crowd and everyone was immediately attracted.

"And you don't have to worry about them looking like bell-bottoms and being cut off as weird clothing. Jeans like mine don't have wide legs."

"Not only is it wear-resistant and durable, but it is also fashionable and trendy..."

"Jeans were originally designed as workwear for heavy labor, that is, clothing tailored specifically for workers!"

Han Yuemin's mouth was like a machine gun, and he started talking again.

Fang Hong stared at him blankly. He was not like his usual self. He spoke in a slick and eloquent manner, which must have been taught by the dialect.

"Today is my first day setting up a stall, so I'm offering a promotion."

"The first ten customers who buy my jeans get a pair of nylon socks for free."

Han Yuemin pointed to the socks in front of him.

Not only in color, the key is that it is made of nylon.

Just when the female workers were completely confused by the layers of increases in prices, Bai Ruoxue and her group arrived and were quite generous.

"Finally arrived!"

"I just went home to get some money. I don't think anyone has bought the same pair of jeans as Zhang Yu!"

At this critical moment, Fangyan asked them to go and show their support. There were people to support the meals, the wine, and of course, the stalls.

Although Bai Ruoxue, Tang Shengnan and others are from an amateur drama troupe, their acting skills are more than enough to handle the situation.

With their joining, some wavering female workers finally made up their minds, some bought watches, some bought socks.

If you want to buy jeans but don’t have that much money on you, you can either borrow from your best friends or just run back to the dormitory to get money.

In an instant, Han Yuemin's stall was bustling with people handing over money and goods, and business was booming.

Bai Ruoxue came back with a pair of jeans, with an incredulous look on her face, "They're selling them right away?"

"Yes, it's sold." Fangyan said with a smile.

Bai Ruoxue was filled with emotion, "That's not just a few dollars, it's more than ten or even dozens of dollars?"

“This is just the beginning.”

Fang Yan looked towards the dormitory and said leisurely, "I wonder how many people those female comrades who went back to get the money can bring with them?"

"Teacher Fang, how come you know so much?"

Bai Ruoxue suddenly realized that everything was under his control, one thing after another.

"Literary creation requires observation and imagination, and I just used them in this."

Fang Yan smiled and said, "Thank you for coming."

Tang Shengnan said, "You are too polite. Ruoxue and I have wanted to buy a pair of jeans for a long time, but we just couldn't find a place to buy them."

Bai Ruoxue nodded and stared at the door of the living area. She could vaguely see someone running out.

This is Beijing Cotton Mills No. 1, 2, and 3, with tens of thousands of people working here. Even if only one-tenth of them come out, it would still be crowded.

Fang Hong began to get nervous, staring at the crowd that kept pouring out, the flow seemed never to stop.

She blinked suddenly and saw a small stream of people coming out of the dormitory, crossing the street and heading straight for the stall.

They are all young and beautiful, dressed neatly, and it is obvious that they came here for the same jeans as Zhang Yu.

Looking at their scramble for money, Fang Yan couldn't help but sigh: "It's easiest to make money from women and children. It really is a wise saying."

Bai Ruoxue asked curiously: "Teacher Fang, who said this?"

"I can't remember clearly, maybe Mr. Lu Xun or someone else."

"Mr. Lu Xun wouldn't say that, would he?"

"It's hard to say. After all, Mr. Lu Xun said so much."

Fang Yan and Bai Ruoxue looked at each other and joked.

(End of this chapter)