Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 240, Lesson 1: Herding Sheep
Teaching Zhang Cuie to be a broadcaster was naturally to cultivate a free labor force for himself.

First, teach her how to turn the machine on and off, how to broadcast, and how to use the equipment in the broadcasting station in a basic way. Once she has learned, she can take over Chen Fan's current job.

In fact, this is the level of broadcasters in most production teams and even communes across the country. People like Chen Fan, who can broadcast in Mandarin and repair radios, radios, and record players, are extremely rare.

Of course, Chen Fan wouldn't let her down; he would teach her everything he needed to, training her to be a qualified broadcaster.

But by the end of the year, it's unclear whether she'll choose to stay and work as a production team coordinator, or whether she'll take the college entrance exam and try her luck.

If she's willing to choose to be a broadcaster, Chen Fan can give her that job.

If he still needs to rely on this job to make a living a year later, it would be too pathetic. It would be logical to hand over this unimportant job to Zhang Cuie, which would not only bring him closer to the Zhang family, but also free him from this job that requires time restrictions.

In the end, only a nominal veterinarian was left, receiving work points while still holding the position. This was practically equivalent to regaining his freedom; he could go wherever he wanted and do whatever he wanted.

If Zhang Cuie chooses to take the college entrance examination, Chen Fan will not lose anything. On the contrary, Zhang Cuie will have worked for him for half a year for free, and she will have to thank him later.

At that time, Chen Fan could move forward or backward at will. If he wanted to be a broadcaster and make a living, he could continue doing it. If he didn't want to do this job anymore, he could pick someone he liked and take them as an apprentice, repeating Zhang Cuie's old path, continuing to work for her for free, and then handing over the job after a year.

As for how to choose, that's up to him.

Chen Fan was calculating his every move, but Zhang Wenliang was all smiles, feeling that the Zhang family had gotten a huge advantage.

Whether it's repairing electrical appliances or learning to speak Mandarin to become a broadcaster, you can't find such teachers anywhere in the entire commune, and they're extremely rare even in the county.

Even if Chen Fan doesn't hand over the broadcasting job to Zhang Cuie in the future, as long as Zhang Cuie learns how to use the broadcasting machine and how to repair these electrical appliances, and most importantly, learns Chen Fan's ability to write news reports and speak Mandarin, there are so many units in the entire Gufeng County, how could she not find a job?!

Various organizations don't lack high school graduates, but they lack skilled technical personnel. It's only because Chen Fan has a special background that no organization has tried to poach him. If it were a local, they might even transfer him from the county!

Having received such a great benefit, the Zhang family members who were brought by Zhang Wenliang were naturally extremely grateful and insisted that Zhang Cuie kowtow to him.

Even Xiao Liewen was alarmed and came over to see what was going on, and incidentally, to witness the event.

This is quite different from teaching Zhang Cuie textbook knowledge; it's even more advanced than teaching students in the veterinary class. Currently, she's the only student, almost like taking on apprentices and passing on skills in the past, so naturally, it has to be taken more seriously.

Faced with Zhang Cuie, who was about to kneel down, Chen Fan grabbed her arm, looked up at her father, and firmly refused, saying, "In this new era, we have a new look and we are doing new jobs, so let's not stick to the old ways."

Zhang Cuie's eyes were filled with emotion. Without needing any instructions from the elders beside her, she immediately bowed respectfully at a ninety-degree angle, saying, "Thank you, Teacher Chen."

Captain Zhang couldn't stop laughing. "Hey, even if we don't follow the old ways and don't kowtow, you still have to call me Master."

Without saying a word, Zhang Cuie bowed again, "Master."

Chen Fan didn't care whether she called him "Master" or "Master" and immediately took her to the broadcasting room.

The rest of the Zhang family wanted to follow, but Captain Zhang waved them away, saying, "What, you want to steal my skills? Even if I taught you, could you learn it?"

The group then stopped, looking rather disgruntled.

Zhang Juemin, the eldest son of the Zhang family who works as a barefoot doctor, pulled Zhang Wenliang's arm and asked in a low voice, "Sanhuzi, once Xiao'e finishes her training, will she be qualified to take on apprentices?"

Zhang Wenliang scratched the back of his head, turned to look at Zhang Changjiang, and asked, "Uncle, what do you think?"

Zhang Changjiang naturally understood what they meant, and couldn't help but be tempted, but he was too embarrassed to say it, so he looked at Xiao Liewen.

Before he could speak, Xiao Liewen chuckled, "You guys, think about what Xiao Chen has done. When has he ever kept anything to himself? Whether it's teaching veterinarians or your Xiao'e asking him for advice, he's always taught with all his heart."

As she spoke, she pointed at Zhang Changjiang and said, "I can't even be bothered to talk to you."

Zhang Changjiang chuckled shamelessly, "Isn't the old rule that you can only take on apprentices after your apprentice has graduated?"

Xiao Liewen took a drag of his cigarette, tilted his head back, and said softly, "If you ask me, it's too early to talk about these things now. Putting everything else aside, just take Mandarin. The radio announcers speak it every day. Can you learn it?"

Everyone present shook their heads.

Hearing is one thing, but speaking is another. No matter how much they enjoy listening to the radio, once they open their mouths, it will be pure Gufeng County dialect, absolutely no deviation. Xiao Liewen hummed twice, "That's it. So don't underestimate this little thing of just speaking. I reckon your Xiao'e will have a hard time. Once she learns to speak, then learns to broadcast, repair equipment, and so on, mastering each skill one by one, then she can go and talk to Xiao Chen. Does Xiao Chen think she can refuse to teach her skills to the others in the team?"

The Zhang family members all nodded in agreement.

……

Chen Fan led Zhang Cuie to the broadcasting station, briefly introduced the functions of several machines, and then said, "I'm giving you a task."

Zhang Cuie looked at him with a determined gaze, "Master, please speak."

Chen Fan pointed to the power switch on the radio, "Turn it off when the broadcast ends at nine o'clock."

Zhang Cuie was immediately panicked, "Ah?"

Chen Fan looked at her and laughed, "What are you 'ah' about? You're the audacious Zhang Cuie, and you're afraid of something this small?"

Zhang Cuie looked at him in a panic, then at the radio, almost bursting into tears. "But...but what if I accidentally break it?"

Chen Fan laughed and said, "It's just turning off the phone, what's there to be afraid of breaking?"

He paused for a moment, then added, "As long as you do as I say, I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong."

Seeing that Zhang Cuie was still hesitant, he continued, "If you don't even dare to turn the machine on and off, how will you learn to open the cover for maintenance in the future? How will you become a broadcaster?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Cuie gritted her teeth and nodded vigorously, "Okay, I will definitely complete the mission."

"Yes, Not Bad."

Chen Fan nodded in satisfaction, then pulled a book from the corner of the table and handed it to Zhang Cuie, saying, "When the radio is playing, don't just sit there; read the lessons inside until you're familiar with them."

Zhang Cuie took it and looked at it, her face immediately filled with confusion, "An elementary school textbook?"

Chen Fan nodded and said seriously, "Don't be fooled by the fact that it's an elementary school textbook. If you don't look at the pinyin, can you read the entire text accurately using standard pronunciation?"

Zhang Cuie blushed slightly, then raised her head and nodded vigorously, "I understand, Master... I will definitely try my best."

Chen Fan's eye twitched slightly. "Teacher-in-law it is," he thought, "as long as she listens attentively and does her job well."

After settling Zhang Cuie in, Chen Fan picked up his equipment and went downstairs.

When they arrived at the front yard, the Zhang family members were still there.

Seeing Chen Fan come out, Zhang Changjiang was stunned for a moment and asked in confusion, "Why did you come down?"

Chen Fan pointed to the backyard and said matter-of-factly, "For today's first lesson, I taught Xiao'e how to turn the phone on and off, and I also taught her to read Mandarin. She's learning now, and she can turn it off as soon as the broadcast ends. So I won't be back for a bit. If you need anything, you can call Captain Yang and have him pass on my message."

Zhang Changjiang smacked his lips, his expression rather strange, as if something was amiss, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Who would have their apprentice herd sheep on their very first day of training?
Chen Fan thought he was still worried, so he smiled and said, "Don't you know what kind of person Xiao'e is? She's such a smart girl. She can definitely handle this little thing. You have to have some faith in her."

There were seven or eight people standing in this circle, all smiling, but their hearts were pounding.

I certainly trust Xiao'e, but I'm afraid I can't trust you!

Xiao Liewen exhaled a puff of smoke and looked at Chen Fan, asking in a low voice, "What if the broadcasting system malfunctions?"

Chen Fan: "Simple, just unplug it. I'll come back and deal with it when I hear a noise."

Xiao Liewen scratched his head, looked at Zhang Changjiang, and was speechless.

Then, amidst the strange looks of the crowd, Chen Fan, holding the flustered Zhang Wenliang's hand, mounted his horse and rode away.

(End of this chapter)