Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 189 A Happy Order
After Chen Fan left, Jiang Lili pointed to the room between her and Chen Fan and said, "This room is not cluttered with anything, only has a bed, cabinets, table and chairs. I have already cleaned it. You can use it as soon as you put on your bedding."

Originally, there were quite a few of Chen Fan's odds and ends in this room, especially the kidney basin, which he had been using to bathe for the past month.

However, since Yang Ju and her family were moving over, they could only move those odds and ends back to their own rooms, while the less frequently used items were placed in the storage room near the kitchen.

Huang Ying, who was closest to Jiang Lili, smiled and said, "Thank you. Actually, we can do it ourselves."

As he spoke, he pulled a large rag from his overcoat pocket to show that he wasn't just saying it casually.

Jiang Lili gave a stiff smile. "It's nothing. I didn't have anything else to do, so I just wiped it off."

Although she had already shown her true nature in front of Chen Fan, she still habitually hid herself when facing other people.

Three years of experience are not so easily changed.

Not good at dealing with strangers, she led the three directly into the room and pointed to both sides, "Every room is the same, there are four beds, you can choose your own."

Yang Ju and Liu Dan glanced around casually, then each chose a bed and put their things down.

Huang Ying rolled her eyes slightly and looked at Jiang Lili, asking, "Is your room also four seats?"

Jiang Lili paused for a moment, then nodded gently, "Ah, yes."

Huang Ying looked at her and smiled, "Then I'll share a room with you, okay?"

Jiang Lili was stunned. "Sharing a room with me?"

It wasn't that other educated youths didn't share a room with her before, but that was when there were too many people and there wasn't enough room for everyone else, so they had no choice but to share a room with her.

No one wants to stay with her as long as there are beds available in other rooms.

There have even been instances where people moved their beds to other rooms, preferring to share a room with five other people rather than share a room with her.

Now that Huang Ying says she wants to live with her, she's completely stunned.

Huang Ying nodded and smiled, "That's right, you're a junior high school graduate, so your grades must be very good. If I don't understand something, I can ask you for help directly."

Hearing her say that, Yang Ju and Liu Dan, who were about to open their luggage, stopped moving.

The two said in unison, "Then I'll move in too."

Jiang Lili looked bewildered. When did I become so popular?

Seeing that she didn't speak, Huang Ying blinked and asked, "What's wrong? Is it inconvenient?"

Jiang Lili snapped out of her daze and quickly shook her head, "No."

He then pointed to his room, "That's right, the bed and cabinets over there haven't been made yet..."

Before she could finish speaking, Huang Ying raised the rag in her hand and revealed a bright smile, "I thought it was something serious. Perfect, we'll clean it ourselves!"

After saying that, he walked to the next room.

As Jiang Lili watched the three of them walk out, she couldn't help but tilt her head, her face full of strange expressions.

What's going on?

……

Chen Fan carried a large basket on his back and wore wooden clogs, breaking through the ice and snow. He soon arrived at Team 5.

As usual, I greeted the commune members who had their doors open, and when we arrived at the alley leading to Master Lu's house, I naturally turned in.

At this moment, Master Lu was at home, sitting by the charcoal stove reading a book. When he saw Chen Fan coming over, he looked up and laughed, "This charcoal stove you made is really a good thing. It's not cold at all when I sleep at night, and it's warm when I lean against it to read during the day. Now even my old leg pain doesn't hurt anymore." Chen Fan put the basket on the door, took out the things for Master Lu, and was about to speak when he heard Master Lu say, "There is just one problem."

Hearing this, Chen Fan looked surprised, stepped over the threshold, and asked in confusion, "Which one?"

Master Lu sighed softly and pointed to the charcoal stove. "Since we got this thing, I've become lazy. I stay here all the time and can't bear to leave. I haven't been out of the fields for two days now."

Chen Fan was speechless for a moment. After a two-second pause, he said with a speechless expression, "So, in that case, I actually made things worse."

He then untied the bundle of teaware, placed it on the table, pointed at it, and laughed, "If you had this, you'd be even less inclined to go out."

Master Lu looked over, first frowning slightly, then his eyes lit up, "A teapot?!"

This isn't one of those large teapots that's more than half a foot tall; it's a Yixing teapot that you can hold in one hand. It's not exactly small, but it has a certain elegance.

Chen Fan handed him the teapot and said with a smile, "Like the charcoal stove, I also made this myself. I originally wanted to bring you a radish as a New Year's greeting, but unfortunately, I made an appointment with my classmates to learn how to castrate pigs today, so I have to treat them to a meal. The radish is now stewing in the pot."

There was no other way but to bring over a teapot and six teacups. When you're free, you can cover the charcoal stove with a piece of sheet metal and place the teapot on it to keep it warm. That way, you can warm yourself by the fire while drinking tea, and I guarantee you won't want to go out at all.

Master Lu held the teapot up to his eyes, turning it around and playing with it. "Although it's not perfectly round, it has a rustic charm and is quite interesting."

He then lifted the lid of the teapot and said, "Oh, there's even a tea strainer. That's thoughtful of you."

After saying that, he put the teapot lid back, looked up at Chen Fan, and smiled, "Okay, I'm very satisfied with this New Year's gift."

He placed the teapot on the table next to him, stood up by the edge of the table, limped into the room, pointed at Chen Fan, and said, "You came to wish me a Happy New Year, so according to the old custom, I have to give you a return gift."

Chen Fan followed behind him, saying, "Oh, old man, please don't give me a red envelope with a hundred or two hundred yuan. I can't stand that test."

Master Lu turned around and glared at him, annoyed. "A red envelope? A hundred or two hundred? Bah, you wish!"

As he spoke, he opened the desk drawer, took out a book, and handed it to him, saying, "Your progress in learning calligraphy is quite good. You've already laid a pretty good foundation. The next step is to learn to copy calligraphy."

For those who wish to practice calligraphy, starting with regular script is the best approach, with Tang dynasty regular script considered the pinnacle. This copy of Yan Zhenqing's "Duobao Pagoda Stele" is one of my proudest works from when I was learning regular script. I'm giving it to you now; go back and practice it diligently.

Chen Fan had already been flipping through the calligraphy copybook. When he first heard him say "Yan Zhenqing's Duobao Pagoda Stele copybook," he was quite happy. But when he heard that it was his own work, his face fell. "Oh dear, I thought it was an authentic work by Yan Zhenqing. It turns out it's an authentic work by Master Lu!"

Master Lu closed the drawer and glared at him irritably. "Pah! Can't you be a little more cultured? The Duobao Pagoda Stele is, as the name suggests, a stele. You want a genuine copy? Go find the genuine copy at the Xi'an Stele Forest!"

Chen Fan put the calligraphy copybook into the bag, raised his hand in a salute, and said with a serious face, "Alright, when I have time, I'll go to the Xi'an Stele Forest and tell them that it was Fourth Master Lu who asked me to retrieve the 'Duobao Pagoda Stele.' If they refuse, they're disrespecting Fourth Master Lu..."

Before he could finish speaking, Master Lu gave him a feint kick, saying, "Get lost and go home to eat your stewed radish!"

Chen Fan ran out with a bamboo basket on his back, laughing and joking, and then went to the homes of Zhang Changjiang, Xiao Liewen, and Zhang Wenliang to offer New Year's greetings.

These stingy old folks didn't give any return gifts, not even a single penny of New Year's money, making Chen Fan keep complaining that he was at a loss.

But it was not without gain.

Following Xiao Liewen, Captain Zhang also placed an order with him for two charcoal stoves, one for himself and one for his elderly parents, in exchange for eggs and grain.

Out of respect for the old man, Chen Fan gave him a 9.9% discount, losing two cents with tears in his eyes, without mentioning that he had eaten four eggs from him in one go.

Zhang Wenliang wasn't short of money, so he ordered two charcoal sets and also reserved a load of charcoal from him. Considering it was their first transaction, Chen Fan didn't charge him for the charcoal, but simply took an old turtle from his water bucket.

As for Secretary Yang, Yang Xingxiu, and Captain Ye, they are not members of Team 5, so they can only visit them in the afternoon after finishing their work in the morning.

Hopefully, Captain Xiao's promotional efforts will be effective, leading to a couple more orders!
I was so busy all morning that I didn't even get to teach my students.

After the broadcast ended, he gathered his 12 classmates together and headed home.

(End of this chapter)