Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 172 Lofty Ideals
Chen Fan returned to the educated youth settlement, carrying a lotus root more than a meter long in one hand and a fishing net in the other, looking dejected.

He is actually quite satisfied with his current life. He goes to work at the brigade headquarters every day, and when he comes back, he and Jiang Lili work together. Jiang Lili also takes care of all kinds of housework. When he feels like it, he does some handicrafts, and when he doesn't feel like it, he stays in his room reading.

No one is chasing after him to complete tasks, he doesn't have to worry about suddenly losing his job and having no means of support, and he has no burden of mortgage payments or retirement savings.

Aside from not having a TV, cell phone, or computer, life is even more comfortable than before I time-traveled.

Especially after registering their household registration and obtaining the homestead certificate, they have no financial pressure whatsoever.

If I can just get through these few years, and wait for the restoration of the royalty system and the disbandment of the production team, I can catch the fast train of the literary boom of the 1980s and comfortably become a high-income writer in the city.

She's dreaming even more than she looks.

But now, this wonderful life is about to end.

A lone man and woman? Send three people?

Bah, he's just here to cause trouble for himself because he's living such a comfortable life.

When Yang Ju, Huang Ying, and that Liu Dan come over, will Jiang Lili still be able to help her with housework and cooking without having to hide from them?
Chen Fan couldn't help but sigh. Indeed, the moon wanes when it's full, and water overflows when it's full.

Just a few days of good fortune, and then an unexpected situation occurred.

Hearing the noise in the kitchen, Jiang Lili came out and saw him approaching. She smiled and was about to speak when she noticed that Chen Fan seemed unhappy. Looking at the lotus root and fishing net in his hand, she couldn't help but wonder, "Didn't he borrow the things? Why is he unhappy again?"

He immediately asked, "What's wrong? You seem unhappy?"

Chen Fan looked up and sighed softly, "It's nothing. I probably ate two pearl meatballs at the captain's house earlier, and they were a bit salty, so I got a sore throat."

Jiang Lili's lips twitched slightly. She tried to hold it in for a few moments, but finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.

It's hilarious that eating a meatball can cause such a reaction.

Chen Fan raised his eyelids, grinned, and said, "I'll tell you something that will make you happy."

Jiang Lili smiled, pursing her lips, and said, "What?"

Chen Fan glanced back, then turned around and said seriously, "Captain Yang said that since no other educated youth are coming, it will just be the two of us in this courtyard. It's easy for people to gossip about a man and a woman alone together."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lili blushed at first, but after she understood, the smile on her face quickly disappeared, and she couldn't help but lower her head, her heart pounding wildly.

Then Chen Fan continued, "So, he had a meeting with Accountant Liu and Warehouse Keeper Huang and came up with a terrible idea to let Yang Ju, Huang Ying and Liu Dan move in as well."

Jiang Lili suddenly raised her head, her face full of astonishment.

Shouldn't we separate them?

Chen Fan shrugged casually and laughed, "I think Yang Ju and Huang Ying are quite efficient at their work, so they should be able to help you a lot. That's good news. I just don't know if Liu Dan is a lazybones."

Jiang Lili hadn't quite grasped the situation yet, and murmured, "Liu Dan is also very diligent, not lazy at all."

These days, there are no lazy girls in the village; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to get married. At most, they just don't like to take care of themselves.

After she finished speaking, she blinked her big eyes and asked, "They...they came to stay here?"

Chen Fan nodded and smiled, "Later you can assign them tasks: one to sweep the yard, one to manage the vegetable garden, and another to feed the pigs, horses, and sheep. You can feed the chicks and dogs yourself. See? That will make things much easier."

Jiang Lili lowered her head again, "I wouldn't dare."

"What's there to be afraid of? It's just a work assignment. Do you think they'll just live here and not do any work?"

After a two-second pause, Chen Fan chuckled and said, "However, they won't be able to move in until the second day of the Lunar New Year, so we'll have to keep busy these next few days."

Jiang Lili looked up and forced a smile. "I'm not busy."

Chen Fan held up the lotus root in his hand. "Who said I'm not busy? Here, wash this and cut it up, but don't cut too much, mainly because I'm afraid there won't be enough minced meat."

Then he raised the fishing net in his hand again, "I'll go cast a net and see if I catch anything."

Jiang Lili took the lotus root, smiled, and watched Chen Fan carry the bucket out of the yard. She was stunned for a while before turning around and going into the kitchen.

Chen Fan cast his net several times and caught most of a bucket of fish of all sizes. He took the fish back and handed it to Jiang Lili to process, while he went to work at the brigade headquarters.

I practiced calligraphy in a horse stance at the radio station for an hour, and then went home after get off work.

Look, where can you find a job that offers paid extracurricular classes?
...Back at the educated youth settlement, Jiang Lili had almost finished cooking. Seeing Chen Fan return, she immediately sped up, "It'll be ready soon. I'll scoop out the oil and start cooking."

By this time, she had calmed down considerably and returned to her usual self.

Let them come; this isn't my home, I can't make decisions here, I can only let them be. At least I still have a week left, so I'll be happy these next few days.

Chen Fan walked closer and took a look. "Wow, there are quite a lot."

Besides the desserts and New Year's treats, she also made some pearl meatballs and vegetable meatballs, along with fried small fish, filling the whole table.

He then took off his cotton-padded coat and handed it to Jiang Lili, saying, "Bring me my cotton vest. I'll cook dinner tonight."

Jiang Lili, holding the clothes, looked at him in surprise, "You're going to do it?"

Chen Fan laughed and said, "Today is the Little New Year, so let's eat something good. Then we'll have a big meal when the Lunar New Year comes. It only happens once or twice a year. After the New Year, we'll have to go back to hard times."

As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves and prepared to get to work.

Jiang Lili couldn't help but laugh and said, "If you're talking about the kind of food we usually eat, then this isn't a hard life. In other people's eyes, even the New Year might not be this lavish."

Chen Fan waved his hand, "What kind of New Year is that? Good days are yet to come. Hurry up, or I'll get cold."

Fortunately, the fire in the kitchen stove was burning brightly, otherwise he wouldn't have dared to take off his clothes, since the snow outside hadn't melted yet.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lili quickly ran out to get him a cotton vest.

They brought him a vest to wear and then busied themselves around him.

Chen Fan also transformed into a master chef, focusing solely on cooking at the stove while Jiang Lili handled all the chopping and washing.

The two worked together seamlessly and quickly prepared a delicious meal.

I poured the oil from frying New Year's goods into a bowl, and using the oil-covered pot as a base, I made a braised carp with soy sauce, adding some shredded radish. The aroma was irresistible.

Then, use the same pot used to cook the carp to stir-fry a plate of cured pork and cabbage. The flavor will be even richer when infused with the fresh aroma of the fish.

Finally, make a vegetable and egg soup to cleanse the palate before serving.

Chen Fan, holding his rice bowl, ate while saying without looking up, "Xiao Jiang, I have a question for you."

Jiang Lili looked at him. "What is it?"

Chen Fan, "If you were to leave your job as a sent-down youth someday, what would you most like to do?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lili was momentarily stunned. After a few seconds, she came to her senses, lowered her head, and smiled, "An old educated youth once told me that someone like me couldn't 'graduate' in less than seven years. I've only been here for three years, so it's still a long way off. I haven't thought about this question."

Chen Fan looked up at her. "I don't believe it. You must have thought about it."

Jiang Lili gave a wry smile, looked into his eyes, and said, "Really, no."

She took a deep breath, her eyes somewhat unfocused. "These past few years, all I've thought about every day is how my parents and sister are doing, whether they have enough to eat and wear, and whether they've suffered any injustices. Besides them, all I've been thinking about is how to protect myself. I haven't had time to think about anything else."

Chen Fan chewed a couple of times, swallowed the food in his mouth, paused for two seconds, and then looked at her and said, "What about before? I mean, before the accident."

Jiang Lili was silent for a moment, then lowered her head, pursed her lips, and forced a smile. "My parents both graduated from East China Textile Institute. When I was still studying, my biggest dream was to get into the university they attended. But I guess I'll never have that chance in this lifetime."

East China Textile Engineering Institute?
Chen Fan was a little confused. What kind of school was this? Where was it?
Jiang Lili looked up, saw Chen Fan's gaze, and smiled, "It's the current Shanghai Textile Institute."

Chen Fan smiled, still unaware.

Seeing that he still didn't know, Jiang Lili felt a little uncomfortable and immediately explained to him, "Don't underestimate this school just because it's not well-known. It has quite a history, dating back to the Nantong Textile and Dyeing Training Institute founded by Zhang Jian in 1912..."

Upon hearing Zhang Jian's name, Chen Fan immediately understood; it was Donghua University.

This school is indeed quite prestigious; it's said that more than half of the world's fiber processing professionals are affiliated with this university.

Then look at Jiang Lili, she has lofty ideals.

When talking about her past dreams and the school where her parents lived, Jiang Lili seemed to have forgotten all her unhappy things, and occasionally let out a string of silvery laughter.

(End of this chapter)