Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 131 You Have No Regrets
After looking at it for a while, Chen Fan suddenly said, "We need to make a chicken coop and a doghouse."

Jiang Lili looked up at him and murmured, "Then how do we do it?"

She truly lacked the ability to do such a thing.

Chen Fan thought for a moment and then smiled, “It’s alright. I’ll make some more adobe bricks in the next couple of days, and I can build the nest in a morning.”

Jiang Lili nodded and smiled apologetically, "Then I probably can't be of much help."

Chen Fan laughed and said, "Who said that? After the nest is built, you'll be the one feeding these little creatures. I don't have that much time to take care of them."

Jiang Lili smiled sweetly, "I can do that, don't worry."

After saying this, I suddenly remembered that when I was a child, my father built a chicken coop in the yard and my mother fed the chickens every day. It seems so similar to how things are between them now.

Thinking of this, Jiang Lili's pretty face immediately turned red, and she quickly lowered her head.

Chen Fan glanced at her, feeling a bit strange. It was just feeding her, what was there to be shy about?
He then stood up, clapped his hands, and said, "I'll go check on Little Horse in the back."

Seeing Jiang Lili nod slightly and reply with a barely audible sound, Chen Fan walked out, completely bewildered.

When they arrived at the pigsty in the backyard, Little Horse was sleeping in a pile of straw.

When Chen Fan saw it in the morning, the little horse was lying on the ground, its body curled up in a ball, and its eyes were lifeless.

Looking at it now, its whole body is lying flat on the ground, sleeping on its back, occasionally snorting, as if it's having a sweet dream.

Chen Fan stroked the horse's head and examined it closely. The foal was dark red all over, with only a cloud-shaped patch of white fur on its forehead, making it look very intelligent.

He thought to himself, "This little guy is so dark, why don't I name it Black Soil?"
But when he remembered that both names he had suggested had been rejected by Jiang Lili, he could only regretfully pat his head and think, "Oh well, let her choose the names then."

He then unpacked the fodder given to him by Master Liu, grabbed some and put it into the pig trough, then closed the wooden gate and left.

After washing his hands and returning to his room, Chen Fan took out the money from his bag to calculate the bill.

Let's calculate today's income first. The cotton wadding sold for 42 yuan, and the turtle meat sold for a total of 115 yuan, for a total of 157 yuan.

Although it wasn't a sudden windfall, it did help them escape abject poverty.

Looking at the expenses, I earned a lot today, but I also spent a lot.

I bought two sweet potatoes for 7 cents, nearly 10 jin of eggs plus the egg basket cost 25 yuan, chicks for 4 yuan, candied hawthorns for 1 yuan, water buffalo milk for 6 yuan, a foal for 25 yuan, soybeans for 2 yuan, ration coupons for 5 yuan, a stone mill for 4 yuan, a swing spring and belt buckle together cost 13 yuan, books cost 13.6 yuan, meat cost 2 yuan, a shopping spree at the supply and marketing cooperative cost another 13.93 yuan, and later bought two iron pots for 20 yuan.

In the end, it all came to 100 yuan and 4 mao?!
After calculating, Chen Fan was a little surprised. He hadn't realized how much it had cost when he bought it.

If people knew this, they would definitely call him a spendthrift.

All that's left is 56.6 yuan.

对了，还欠姜丽丽6块2毛3分钱要还，6块钱是弹棉絮的加工费，2毛3是买豆腐的钱。

So in the end, all you had left was 50 yuan? And a bunch of tickets?
Chen Fan couldn't help but sigh. It was true what they say: money is gone, but you can always find a way to earn more.

But the end of the year is just around the corner, and it seems like we still need to spend money.
Seeing that it was almost time, Chen Fan went out, first returning Jiang Lili's money, and then going to work at the brigade headquarters.

When it came time to return the money, Jiang Lili only accepted 6 yuan. She resolutely refused to take the 23 cents, arguing that she had eaten as well, and that the fish and meat she had been eating these past few days had been provided by Chen Fan. If she were to be so particular, she shouldn't have taken the 6 yuan at all, considering it as her food expenses.

Chen Fan didn't argue with her and only gave her 6 yuan.

If you really want to calculate it, it's a real mess. She ate most of the food herself, only picking out a tiny bit each time. She cooked the rice, and she provided the oil, salt, and seasonings. Shouldn't those things be considered as expenses?

It's not like we're splitting up, so this is fine.

...At four o'clock in the afternoon, Chen Fan turned on the radio and broadcast the county radio station's program on time.

He stretched and casually picked up the barefoot doctor's manual on the corner of the table, ready to study it.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Chen Fan turned around and saw Zhang Wenliang standing at the door, chuckling.

He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Brother Sanhu, you can just come in. Why bother knocking?"

Zhang Wenliang walked into the house, pulled out a chair and sat down next to him, saying with a smile, "You're the 'landlord' here now, so of course I have to knock on the door."

Chen Fan laughed and said, "My job is at best a 'house manager,' I'm a far cry from being a landlord."

She then looked at him and asked, "You've come to see me at this hour, is there something you need?"

Zhang Wenliang chuckled again, "It's nothing, I was just bored and came to chat with you."

Chen Fan's eyes darted around slightly, and he inexplicably felt like his boss was coming to talk to him.

They say it's nothing, but there might be something serious going on. We should immediately raise our vigilance to the highest level.

He remained expressionless, casually closing the book in his hand and placing it on the table. He turned to face Zhang Wenliang and said with a smile, "Sure, I'm free anyway and want to chat with someone."

Zhang Wenliang chuckled, then asked as casually as possible, "By the way, how's your little pony? Is it alright?"

Chen Fan lowered his head to hide his meaningful look, but when he looked up, his eyes were full of smiles. "It's nothing. I was just sick for a while and didn't feel well. I was also a bit weak. Master Liu said I need to take good care of myself."

Zhang Wenliang nodded repeatedly, "That's good, that's good."

Then she looked at him and asked curiously, "I heard that Chief Zhou of the commune's veterinary station wanted you to study veterinary medicine, but you didn't agree?"

Chen Fan's eyes darted around slightly. He had just been wondering if Zhang Wenliang was after the foal.

After all, a large animal is of great significance to rural areas these days, especially a good horse, which is a great help whether pulling a plow or driving a cart.

So he was still thinking about how to refuse Zhang Wenliang's offer to buy the pony without hurting their relationship.

Unexpectedly, he came for the veterinarian?

Chen Fan thought of Master Liu, who had repeatedly advised him, and Station Chief Zhou, who had given him the veterinary book. Then, looking at Zhang Wenliang, who appeared curious but whose eyes were clearly full of expectation, Chen Fan felt that he might have underestimated the importance of a good veterinarian to rural areas today.

However, he still has no intention of becoming a full-time veterinarian.

Every day, carrying a medicine box, he would go around the village dealing with livestock, getting himself covered in stench, and might even have to castrate pigs...

He has the utmost respect for the profession, but he wouldn't be willing to do it himself.

However, there is still room for maneuver. It depends on what conditions the brigade can offer and whether they can be aligned with one's expectations.

Thoughts are long, but time is short.

Meeting Zhang Wenliang's gaze, Chen Fan sighed softly and said, "It's not that I don't want to study veterinary medicine. After all, newspapers often report on the contributions of outstanding veterinarians to rural areas, and I have great respect for such people."

only,……"

He looked up at Zhang Wenliang and said with a bitter smile, "Brother Sanhu, you know my situation. Although I just settled down, I don't know if Zhu Gong'an can help me find my family. I haven't settled down here or established a career, so I'll probably have to go back."

No matter what my family's situation is, a son won't despise his mother for being ugly, and a dog won't despise its home for being poor; there's no place like home.

Zhang Wenliang's eyes twitched slightly. What kind of doghouse could raise such a capable person as you?
Then Chen Fan continued, “Before that, I will do my best to serve the brigade and the masses. But if you train me to be a veterinarian and in the end I just walk away after paying the price, wouldn’t that be letting down the brigade and your expectations?”
So, rather than being caught in a dilemma later, it's better to just do my job well. That way, I can leave with a clear conscience, and you won't have any regrets. Wouldn't that be better?

(End of this chapter)