Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 169 It's not coming.
Back at the educated youth settlement, Jiang Lili looked at him and smiled, "Did you get your certificate?"

Chen Fan proudly showed it to her, "Ta-da! It's right behind the educated youth settlement. Captain Yang said he'd come over and mark the boundary after I've chosen a spot."

Jiang Lili accepted it with both hands, her face full of smiles, "That's great."

Having settled down and been allocated land, and still serving as the coordinator at the brigade headquarters, Chen Fan is now a true member of the Lujiawan commune.

After watching for a while, Jiang Lili's expression became somewhat complicated.

Chen Fan has already taken root and sprouted, but where is his own tomorrow?
Seeing that she was in a daze, Chen Fan coughed and smiled at her, "Put the certificate in the cabinet for me, I'll go to the back to burn some charcoal."

Jiang Lili snapped out of her daze. "Huh? Burning charcoal?"

Chen Fan nodded and smiled, "That earthen pit kiln has been dug but hasn't been used yet. Anyway, the clay blanks will take a few more days to be glazed, so let's try burning some charcoal. Whether it succeeds or not, it'll help remove the moisture from the pit."

Jiang Lili didn't understand these things either, so she nodded, "Oh, how long will it take? Should I bring you food later?"

Chen Fan shook his head. "It should be quick. Everything is ready. I can just come back and eat as soon as I'm done."

He then went to the tool shed, grabbed a shovel and a machete, and headed to the backyard.

As usual, I'll use a VPN.

If there weren't other educated youths here, he would have really wanted to just open a back door for them.

When they got to the back, the foal saw him and jumped around excitedly, neighing "Heave-ho!"

Chen Fan opened the wooden gate and went inside. He played with it for a while, then petted the two little lambs before starting his work.

First, he carried two bundles of straw and threw them over the wall, then climbed a ladder and scaled the wall.

Checking the dried miscellaneous firewood, it's become much drier than when it was first cut; it should be completely dry in another two days.

For convenience, the pit was not far from here, so Chen Fan first carried two bundles of straw over, and then transported firewood over again and again.

Then we started preparing to burn charcoal.

Lay a layer of straw at the bottom of the pit, then lay firewood horizontally and neatly, almost filling the pit completely. Lay another layer of straw, then a layer of clay, leaving gaps around the edges. Continue laying firewood and straw, and finally cover the entire pit with clay, then jump up and tamp it down firmly with your feet.

Then they dug an air intake hole at the bottom and used a stick to poke an exhaust hole at the top opposite.

Next comes lighting the kiln and firing it.

This simple process, so crude and straightforward, made Chen Fan very doubtful whether it could actually produce charcoal.

After lighting the fire, he ignored it, clapped his hands, and went back to eat.

When Jiang Lili saw him return, she quickly set out the bowls and chopsticks and served the rice. "Is it ready so quickly?"

Chen Fan sat down, picked up his bowl and started eating. He shook his head and said, "Not yet. I'll go over there later. When the smoke is at its heaviest, I'll block the exhaust vent and make sure the air intake vent is sealed a little smaller."

"We'll seal the air inlet again tomorrow morning, then fill the kiln with water through the exhaust vent to seal it. We can only open the kiln in two more days."

Jiang Lili looked at him, "Is this all you need?"

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "That's what the book says anyway. I don't know if it will work, but I'll give it a try."

Seeing his calm expression, Jiang Lili was somewhat lost in thought.

It seems that all difficulties are insignificant in his eyes. What kind of things would make him take them seriously?

Chen Fan looked up unintentionally, saw her expression, and couldn't help but smile. "What's wrong?"

Jiang Lili snapped out of her daze and quickly lowered her head, "N-nothing."

Chen Fan blinked, didn't take it seriously, and continued eating.

He quickly finished his meal, then ran to the back to watch the charcoal kiln. When the smoke grew thicker, he used a lump of mud to seal the vent and partially blocked the inlet, leaving only a small opening about the size of a bowl. Then he went back to wash up and go to bed.

...The next morning, Chen Fan continued to slack off at work. He first spent an hour learning calligraphy from Master Lu, and then went to Captain Xiao's house, where he made him a big pot of Northeastern pork stew. He also had a meal with Master Zhu, who personally came to do the butchering, and a mix of meat and vegetables.

If you're this drunk, it's not good for practicing martial arts. Otherwise, who would be responsible if you fell into a ditch?

Chen Fan then borrowed a horse from Zhang Wenliang and rode it slowly back to the educated youth settlement.

He didn't go back at this time on purpose.

He was originally going to Team 10 to buy sugar, but since the syrup needed something to hold it, he had to go back and get the earthenware jar first.

The buffalo milk I bought last time has just run out, so that earthenware jar is perfect for storing the syrup.

If you happen to run into those educated youth you've never met before, it can only be described as a coincidence.

When they returned to the educated youth settlement, they dismounted, tied the horse to a cedar tree outside, and went into the courtyard.

Inside the courtyard, Jiang Lili was wiping the doors and windows. When she saw him return, she immediately smiled and said, "You're back."

Chen Fan looked at her. "Oh, cleaning?"

He glanced around the courtyard; there was no one else there. Where were the educated youth?
Jiang Lili said with a smile, "Yes, today is the Little New Year, so we need to clean the house."

Chen Fan turned to look at her, blinked, and asked, "Are there any other customs associated with the Little New Year?"

Decades later, let alone the Little New Year, even the Lunar New Year's Eve seems to have lost its special significance. Back then, many people didn't even go home for the New Year's Eve reunion, and they ate their New Year's Eve dinner at a hotel.

If we had to name a custom, it would probably be "showing the Spring Festival Gala." It means simply showing it, whether you actually watch it or not is another matter.

Jiang Lili walked over and said with a smile, "Of course there are customs for the Little New Year. The first is to do a thorough cleaning of the whole house. In the past, we would also worship the Kitchen God, but we don't do that anymore. We also eat glutinous rice balls, which symbolize family reunion, and sugarcane, which represents 'rising higher and higher.' Families who can afford it will also make new clothes on this day to wear during the New Year."

After hearing this, Chen Fan couldn't help but raise his head and say "Oh".

Spring cleaning, eating glutinous rice balls, eating sugarcane, wearing new clothes?

No wonder the New Year's atmosphere has disappeared in later generations. Every day is New Year's Day, so where is the New Year's spirit?

Just as Chen Fan was about to speak, he suddenly hiccuped.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Lili quickly pointed to his room and said, "I've already cleaned your room. Please come in and sit down. I'll pour you a cup of hot water."

Chen Fan returned to his room, sat down, took a sip of the tea she had poured, and smiled, "You cleaned my room too? Thank you."

Jiang Lili smiled and said, "It was just a small favor. We're friends, so there's no need to thank me."

He then pointed outside and said, "You rest for a bit, I'll go clean the other rooms."

"and many more."

Chen Fan stopped her and asked, "Did you slaughter the New Year's pig this morning?"

Jiang Lili nodded vigorously, her face full of excitement, and said, "This year, we slaughtered three pigs and got more than 400 catties of meat. With the offal, each person can get more than a catty. Captain Yang gave me a catty and a half of meat, and there was no offal at all."

She paused for a moment, then lowered her head, blushing, and said, "The captain said that you only had cured meat and no fresh meat, so he gave me a little more. I didn't want it at first, but everyone told me to take it, so I took it back."

This means that she received special treatment because of Chen Fan. And the other members wouldn't make things difficult for Chen Fan over a few pieces of meat.

Chen Fan chuckled and nodded, indicating that he would keep it in mind.

He then asked, "What about those educated youth?"

Hearing this, Jiang Lili looked up, her smile widening. "They only sent one representative, took the meat and left, without even coming here. And he said that all of them have found receiving units and won't be coming next year."

Chen Fan was stunned.

Not coming?

Won't we really end up being a single man and woman all alone together?
(End of this chapter)