Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 111 Departure
February 6th, the 19th day of the twelfth lunar month, Sunday.

Cloudy, 5 to 11 degrees Celsius, northerly wind at level 2 to 3.

While Chen Fan was still broadcasting, members of Team 5 had already set off in twos and threes to go to the market.

Secretary Yang and his gang were disloyal; by the time Chen Fan came out of the broadcasting room, they had all left, leaving only the brigade custodian, Luo Guitian, still holding his ground.

He wasn't specifically waiting for Chen Fan; he was staying behind to take his shift. No matter how big the event, someone had to stay on duty—that was the brigade headquarters' rule.

Chen Fan grabbed his things and ran home in a flash.

By this time, Jiang Lili had prepared everything and was just waiting for him to return so they could set off.

Chen Fan handed her the kettle, saying, "Fill it up for me."

He then asked, "Has everyone in the team left?"

Jiang Lili shook her head blankly, "I didn't go out. Around 7:30, I heard a lot of people talking in front of me. They must have already left."

There was a broadcast announcing the time at 7:30, so she remembered it very clearly.

Chen Fan said "Oh", "Okay, then I'll go borrow a mule cart."

After saying that, he turned around and ran away.

It's really weird. Last time, Captain Yang said he would lend him a cart. Yesterday, he even went to find Master Liu, who was in charge of the cart. Could it be that they all ran away before he could?
I ran all the way to the village and went to check on Captain Yang's house first. Well, the door was locked, so I guessed the whole family of seven had gone to the market.

Other families were similar. Even those who didn't go were mostly elderly ladies and gentlemen. The young people, children, and even babies who couldn't move were all absent. There was no other possibility that they were going to the market.

Thinking back to what Captain Yang and the others said that day, Chen Fan felt a chill run down his spine. Accountant Liu and the others had seriously underestimated the enthusiasm of the people for going to the market. If it were the same in other places, the number of people going to the market today would probably far exceed 2!
When Chen Fan arrived at the livestock shed, he was immediately relieved.

The mules, horses, and two large water buffaloes were all there, and the five carts were also stored in the tool shed.

Chen Fan shouted loudly, "Master Liu, Master Liu?"

Old Liu called out, "Coming!"

As he spoke, he pushed open the door and came out, followed by an old lady who stood at the door and smiled at him.

Chen Fan guessed that it must be Old Liu's wife, so he smiled and nodded as a greeting.

Then he looked at Master Liu, and was about to speak when he heard him say something.

"Everyone else went to the market. They only had a few small things, so they could carry them themselves and no one used a cart. If you weren't using a cart, I would have gone with them."

Chen Fan quickly smiled and said, "Thank you, Master Liu. I'll treat you to turtle meat later."

Master Liu laughed heartily, tilting his head back. "If you want to treat me to something else, I won't accept it. But if you say you're treating me to turtle meat, then I won't be polite. The turtle dishes that others make just don't taste as good as yours."

As he spoke, he walked to the tool shed and pulled out two carts one after the other, muttering, "They don't need a single cart, but you need two by yourself. I want to see what you've brought."

Chen Fan chuckled, "You'll see in a bit."

Master Liu then led out the mule and donkey, hitched them to the cart, turned around and smiled, "Alright, I'll go with you to take a look."

Then he drove the mule cart himself, with Chen Fan leading the donkey, and they swayed and staggered out of the livestock shed.

Chen Fan followed behind, pulling on the reins, and asked with a smile, "Master Liu, you said you'd teach me how to drive a carriage last time, are you still going to teach me?"

Master Liu, sitting on the cart platform, glanced back at him and laughed, "You really want to learn how to drive a cart? Sure, if you want to learn, I'll teach you. It just depends on whether you have the talent."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "You can't just drive a cart haphazardly. There's a set of secrets to it. There are many intricacies to cracking the whip, driving the cart, and urging the horses. If you don't understand the secrets, you either won't be able to drive it at all, or you won't be able to control the animals properly, and you might even end up injuring yourself."

To learn how to drive a cart and become a driver, the first step is to learn to recognize the cart harness and horse tack, as well as how to feed the horses, how to harness the cart, and how to tie up the goods. This set of tasks looks simple, but it is very difficult to do. I followed my master for 3 years before I became a master..." Chen Fan followed behind him, listening attentively to his boasting, but he didn't talk about any practical details about how to drive a cart or steed a horse.

However, he wasn't in a hurry. There was plenty of time on the way to Team 5 of Ganjiacun Village, so they could talk about it later.

Moreover, hearing these things can deepen your impression.

Soon they arrived at the educated youth settlement. After pulling both carts into the yard, Master Liu stared in disbelief at the mountain of things piled up next to Jiang Lili.

He turned to look at Chen Fan. "Are you planning to move?"

Six cotton quilts, four wooden buckets, two baskets, and one wooden basin—that's all.

There was also a large iron pot and an earthen stove next to it?
Even if you're moving, nobody brings a stove with them, right?!
As for that huge pile of things wrapped in cotton gauze, with protruding edges, I had no idea what they were.

With so much stuff, no wonder it takes two cars.

I'm afraid even two cars might be in danger.

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "I killed 10 turtles yesterday, and I'm planning to cook them and try selling them at the market."

Selling turtle meat?

Master Liu's eyes widened. "This thing can actually be sold? What if nobody buys it?"

Chen Fan wasn't bothered by his words and laughed, "If no one buys it, I'll treat you to meat, all you can eat."

Master Liu chuckled upon hearing this, "So, do you want me to hope you sell it, or do you want me to not sell it?"

While they were chatting and laughing, the three of them started moving things onto the cart.

This time, Master Liu was in charge of directing and leading the charge, while Chen Fan was responsible for moving the heavier items, and Jiang Lili assisted him from the side.

Two baskets containing cured meat and fish were placed at the back of the cart, a piece of homespun cloth was laid in front, and then six cotton quilts were moved on top, which took up the entire cart.

The disposable earthen stove, about fifty centimeters in diameter, covered with yellow mud on the outside and actually made of bamboo on the inside, was placed at the back of another vehicle. A large iron pot, which was brought out from the pigsty at the back, was placed on top of it, and then the cotton gauze bag was placed inside the pot.

Four wooden buckets were placed in the middle of the cart. Two of them were full of turtle meat and covered with a cloth to prevent dust from blowing in. The other two buckets contained bamboo bowls.

Even the large bag placed in the pot contained bamboo bowls.

A few days ago, Chen Fan racked his brains trying to figure out how to solve the problem of tableware. He even considered bringing the bowls from the educated youth station with him, but he later rejected the idea.

These days, bowls aren't exactly expensive, but even the cheapest earthenware bowl costs a few cents, and porcelain bowls are even more pricey. If you take so many bowls out and accidentally break one, you'll really lose a fortune.

After thinking it over, when Chen Fan saw the bamboo tube filled with kerosene that had been used to soak alarm clock parts under the bed, he couldn't help but curse himself for being a pig-brain.

There is a sizable bamboo forest on the east side of the village, and the thick bamboo is clearly the best bowl.

Coincidentally, when he went out to teach how to kill turtles, the team gave Chen Fan 50 work points. So he went to Captain Yang and bought 5 bamboo poles for 10 work points each.
The entry under Chen Fan's name in Accountant Liu's ledger has been reset to zero again.

Chen Fan dragged the bamboo back. Each long bamboo stalk had 18 to 20 nodes, which he sawed into 96 bowls. He also made more than 100 bamboo sticks from the bamboo branches.

If the conditions are simple, don't bother with chopsticks; just give each person a bamboo stick and eat by shoveling food through the air.

……

After loading everything onto the car, the two pulled the car out of the yard. Jiang Lili locked the gate, and then they walked together toward the commune.

(End of this chapter)