Traveling back to 1977

I suddenly cried in Chapter 20.

In the room at the far end of the other side, Chen Fan leaned back in his chair, his feet soaking comfortably in hot water.

The world is full of wonders, not to mention surreal cheat codes. Since you can't figure it out, don't think about it. Things will work themselves out. As long as you work hard, you'll surely improve your basic attributes.

Instead of thinking so much, he should hurry up and change those cotton shoes that even beggars would disdain. If he kept wearing them, he was really afraid he would get athlete's foot.

Two large chunks of minced ginger were thrown into the boiling water, guaranteeing a sterilizing effect, but there was a slight side effect: the strong, spicy smell made people's eyes water. Chen Fan had originally wanted to read a book for a while, but he could only wipe his tears with a towel from time to time.

Soon after, her eyes turned red.

So when Jiang Lili came over, she saw Chen Fan wiping away tears. He was fine just now, why did he suddenly start crying?
Then I thought about how he had suddenly fallen on hard times, and didn't even know where his family was. It seemed normal for him to hide and cry in secret. Suddenly, a feeling of pity welled up in my heart.

Having not comforted anyone in a long time, she froze on the spot, staring blankly at Chen Fan, somewhat at a loss.

Chen Fan noticed that the light from the doorway was blocked. He looked up and smiled, "Little Jiang, what's wrong? Is something the matter?"

Jiang Lili hesitated for a moment, then gently shook her head, "I'm fine."

Then, looking at him cautiously, she asked, "Are you... alright?"

At the same time, I silently admired him. Even after all this, he was still forcing a smile. What a strong person he is!
"I?"

Chen Fan found it a bit strange. Why would he ask him that for no reason? He shook his head and said, "I'm fine, what's wrong?"

Seeing that he wouldn't talk, Jiang Lili didn't know what to do. She could only sigh in her heart, "What a strong-willed boy. He was crying just now, but now he's acting like nothing happened."

After pausing for two seconds, I sighed inwardly. Since he wouldn't tell me, then so be it. In my current state, who could I possibly help?
Having made up his mind, he prepared to say goodbye and head back.

At this moment, Chen Fan smiled and said, "If you have nothing to do, come in and sit for a while, and chat for a bit."

Jiang Lili hesitated for a moment, but finally mustered up her courage and stepped inside.

Seeing her sit down on the other side of the table, Chen Fan smiled and said, "We live in the same courtyard, so we can be considered family. Don't be shy, help yourself to water."

He then pointed to the worn-out cotton shoes he had thrown at the door, "I wore those shoes for half a day, and my feet got a little itchy, so I soaked them in some hot water."

Jiang Lili looked at the shoes thoughtfully, wondering if he was feeling sad and embarrassed because he was wearing these cotton shoes, and that made him think of his family who was somewhere else, which is why he cried alone.

Chen Fan didn't mind that Jiang Lili didn't speak. Whether reading novels or watching TV, there were always people with similar backgrounds to her in period dramas. Most of them had only two personalities: either they were like her, quiet, insecure and sensitive, or they went to the other extreme, ruthless and vicious, and used underhanded tactics to hurt others.

She clearly belonged to the former category, and her performance was relatively good; at least she managed to say a few words, perhaps because no one here was deliberately making things difficult for her. Some people didn't even speak, keeping their distance from everyone they saw, being extremely cautious in everything they did, for fear of causing trouble.

It's okay. Since she's not saying anything, I'll just take the initiative myself.

Chen Fan coughed lightly to draw Jiang Lili's attention before smiling and saying, "I heard from Captain Yang that you've been here for three years?"

Jiang Lili was silent for a few seconds, then nodded gently and said, "In another half month, it will be exactly three years."

Half a month?
Chen Fan looked up and thought for a moment. Today was the second day of the twelfth lunar month. In another half month, "wouldn't that be the seventeenth day of the twelfth lunar month?"

Jiang Lili lowered her head and said, "I arrived here on the seventeenth day of the twelfth lunar month."

Chen Fan was speechless. They were only half a month apart, about to be separated, and there was nothing to do in the countryside during winter, yet they weren't even allowed to reunite for the Spring Festival? What grudge did they hold against them?
After a few seconds of silence, Chen Fan finally exhaled a long breath and asked, "Did you go back in between?"

Jiang Lili didn't speak, she just shook her head gently.

After a while, she looked up and forced a smile. "However, my sister has come to see me twice."

Chen Fan asked curiously, "You have an older sister?"

Jiang Lili nodded, continuing to bury her head in the sand like an ostrich, "She works at the prefectural committee and is usually not free. It's hard for her to get time off, so she's only come twice."

Is it really that hard to take leave these days?

Chen Fan frowned, looked at Jiang Lili, and immediately understood that it was probably not that it was difficult to ask for leave, but rather that it was difficult for her sister to ask for leave.

She's already in this state, how much better can her sister be?

He could only sigh softly, unsure of what to say.

Jiang Lili waited for a while, but didn't hear his voice. She then realized that she had said too much, so she quickly said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said these things."

Chen Fan snapped out of his reverie, smiled, and waved his hand. "Don't mention it. There's nothing to apologize for. Besides, I asked first. I was just wondering what your sister does for a living, and I forgot for a moment."

Hearing him say that, Jiang Lili smiled and said, "My sister is amazing. She used to be a saleswoman at the supply and marketing cooperative."

At this point, her face stiffened, and she lowered her head again. "However, I don't know what kind of work she's doing now, and she won't tell me when I ask her."

Chen Fan realized this wouldn't work; they couldn't keep up the conversation after just a few sentences about her family affairs, so he decided to talk about something else.

But before he could speak, Jiang Lili suddenly looked up and exclaimed, "Ah, the stove fire in the back!"

Chen Fan slapped his forehead. "I almost forgot, hope hasn't been extinguished yet."

Jiang Lili quickly got up and ran outside, saying, "I'll go take a look."

Chen Fan also picked up a towel to wipe his feet and changed into new shoes with multi-layered soles.

Although it was a bit cold to wear single-layer shoes in this weather, it was still better than those worn-out cotton shoes. Chen Fan poured the water in the basin outside into the yard, put the wooden basin back into the house, and then walked to the backyard.

By the time he reached the stove, Jiang Lili had already reignited the fire, and the pot was bubbling again. A delicate aroma of turtle meat wafted out with the steam, whetting one's appetite.

Looking back at Chen Fan, Jiang Lili said, "Luckily, the fire wasn't out when I came, but the water wasn't boiling."

At this moment, she was also full of curiosity. This pot of turtle meat didn't smell very fishy, ​​but she wondered what it would taste like.

Chen Fan glanced at it and laughed, "It's nothing, it's just a matter of steaming it for a few more minutes."

But this time they didn't dare to leave. They moved two large mud bricks and sat down by the stove.

Leaning against the warm fire, Chen Fan started making small talk again; otherwise, it would be too awkward for the two of them to just sit there in silence.

(End of this chapter)