Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 23 The Importance of Nutrition

Chen Fan lived with his maternal grandparents in the countryside when he was a child, and did not return to the city to attend primary school until he was six or seven years old. At that time, he listened to the old people tell stories, and knew some things about the rural areas in the past. There were a few things that left a deep impression on him, including drinking.

He was certain that the wine in Captain Yang's house was not bought from the supply and marketing cooperative, but rather homemade bulk wine from the countryside.

These days, there are no private wineries; all wines are sold by the supply and marketing cooperatives.

However, the more physically demanding a person is, the more likely they are to smoke and drink.

The city workers could still buy the cheapest "Economy" brand cigarettes for 8 cents a pack (5 cents in some places) and buy loose liquor for 5 cents a pound.

However, the villagers couldn't even afford those few cents, nor did they have the means to travel far to buy them, so they tried to "produce and use them themselves".

They grow their own tobacco leaves, roast them, and smoke them themselves; some even smoke dried leaves, just to satisfy their craving. Finding their own grains and brewing their own liquor are just minor things.

Of course, not everyone knows how to brew wine. Those who don't know how to brew wine but still want to drink it have to go to nearby villagers who do know how to brew wine to buy it.

This homemade wine is much cheaper than the wine from the supply and marketing cooperative, costing only two or three cents per pound.

Farmers don't have testing equipment at home, so whether their wine is brewed well depends entirely on experience, resulting in inconsistent quality. If brewed well, it tastes even better than the wine sold at the supply and marketing cooperative for a dollar or two per kilogram; if brewed poorly, you might get methanol poisoning!
So how could Chen Fan dare to drink Captain Yang's wine? What if he drank himself to death and then had to go back in time?

He would like to if it were possible, but he wouldn't dare to gamble.

Before Captain Yang could speak, Chen Fan picked up the basket and said seriously, "Captain, there are two more bowls here, for Accountant Liu and Warehouse Keeper Huang. Where do they live? I'll take them over."

Captain Yang waved his hand and said, "Xiao Mei and Xiao Lan, you two go and deliver it."

The two girls immediately picked one up and carefully ran out.

Chen Fan realized that this was a situation where they were holding him back from leaving.

With no other option, he could only leave without even taking the two bowls, saying, "Captain, you guys eat, I'm going back now."

He turned and ran away, and Captain Yang couldn't stop him in time, so he managed to escape.

It was already dark by then. He wrapped himself in a cotton-padded coat and strode forward, returning to the educated youth compound in just a few minutes.

If the gate isn't closed during the day, it still has to be closed at night, right?
Chen Fan closed the door and bolted it. When he walked into the kitchen, his face fell. "I told you not to wait, why didn't you listen to me? Aren't you afraid that Captain Yang will make me eat at his place? This food is probably cold by now."

Jiang Lili was sitting at the table, her chin resting on her hands, seemingly lost in thought. When she saw him return, she immediately stood up, reached out and touched the clay pot, then lowered her head shyly, saying, "I'll heat it up."

In the cold winter, the turtle hot pot that was steaming just now has only cooled down a little. Although it is not completely cold, the fishy smell in the dish has become much stronger.

Chen Fan didn't stand on ceremony. "Add some water to the pot, and steam it just like before. By the way, is there any water in the earthenware jar?"

He put down the basket, walked over and lifted the lid of the jar. It was full of water, but unfortunately it was cold.

The two of them, one lit the fire and the other scooped water and placed it in the steamer.

Although it was only the first day they met, they worked together as if they had been living together for years.

After the pot lid was put on and the fire in the stove was lit, Jiang Lili asked, "Why don't we just cook it directly?"

Boiling directly is much faster than steaming.

Chen Fan smiled and shook his head, "If we didn't have a clay pot, that would be fine. But since we have a clay pot, we shouldn't use a big pot. If we use a big pot to cook rice, the rice will taste like turtle, which isn't very tasty."

"Oh." Jiang Lili nodded in realization, then didn't know what to say next.

She watched as the firelight from the stove shone on Chen Fan's face, making his handsome features glow red, like the fiery clouds at sunset illuminating the evening sky.

For a moment, I was lost in thought.

Chen Fan stuffed a bundle of straw into the stove. The blazing firelight stung his face, making his skin burn. He quickly poked it with a fire poker, then got up and walked to the side.

Jiang Lili then came to her senses, quickly lowered her head, and then saw the empty basket. Suddenly she remembered the bowls, "Didn't you bring the bowls back?"

Bowls are valuable assets; you can give them as gifts, but not as gifts of bowls!

Chen Fan turned his head and smiled, "Oh, Captain Yang insisted on having a drink with me, but I didn't want to, so I simply didn't take a bowl and ran back first. Accountant Liu and custodian Huang were delivered by Captain Yang's two daughters. It's okay, I can go get them tomorrow."

After he finished speaking, he suddenly realized that Jiang Lili seemed a little awkward.

Is it because he's been lonely for too long and doesn't know how to get along with people?

But it's okay, chatting is one of our strengths. Working in a small company, especially as a manager, you have to be an all-rounder. You have to be good at technical skills, business negotiations, reporting to superiors and managing subordinates. How can you get things done without some eloquence?

Chen Fan then sat down in a chair and started making small talk.

What's life like here normally? Besides farming, is there anything else? Did you educated youth only do manual labor, or were there any other activities?

After chatting for a while, the small kitchen was already steaming. Seeing that it was almost done, Chen Fan added a handful of cotton stalks, sealed the stove door, and used the remaining fire to boil the water in the jar.

Jiang Lili busied herself putting the food back on the table, and then it was time to eat!
"Mmm, it smells so good, it tastes delicious."

After just one bite, Jiang Lili's eyes lit up. "I never expected turtle to taste so good."

Chen Fan took two small bowls, filled them with soup, and handed one over, saying, "Try it."

Jiang Lili carefully held the rim of the bowl, leaned over to blow on it first, then took a small sip. Her eyes quickly curved into crescent shapes. "Delicious!"

"If it tastes good, eat more."

Chen Fan was also hungry at this point, so he picked up his bowl and started eating.

Do not speak while eating or sleeping; keep quiet while eating.

The two of them devoured their food, trying their best, but in the end they only managed to eat a little over half of the meat.

Actually, it's quite a lot. The meat yield of turtle is about 60%. This big turtle weighs about 15 or 16 jin (7.5-7.5 catties), and the meat yield is about 10 jin (5 catties). Without adding any side dishes, we stewed such a big pot. Even if we sent half of it to Captain Yang and his team, there would still be about 5 or 6 jin (2.5-3 catties) left.

That means the two of them ate more than three kilograms of meat, which is quite a lot even if the meat wasn't very oily. Not to mention there were also two large bowls of rice and two bowls of soup.

Now that we've eaten and drunk our fill, what's next?
Of course, it's washing the dishes!
Jiang Lili firmly refused to let Chen Fan do anything, so Chen Fan could only lose 1 point of housework experience.

Sitting in the chair, watching her deftly clear the dishes and put the casserole lid back into the cupboard, he was about to speak when he suddenly heard a "ding" in his mind, and the next second, a new notification sounded.

"You have eaten a nutritious dinner, which has improved your physical condition. You are rewarded with +1 to your current physical condition, which is 8/10."

An unprecedented warm current quickly flowed through my body, sweeping away all my fatigue and weariness.

Chen Fan was stunned. "I worked so hard carrying water, and I only gained a little bit of strength. Now, after eating a turtle meal, I've gained a little bit more?"
So nutrition is more important than exercise?
(End of this chapter)