Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 269 I must treat you to a meal

After bandaging the wound, Chen Fan cleaned her other foot and placed it on a chair. He then poured out the water from the basin, filled a new basin with hot water, and placed it in her room.

Then he walked over and picked her up, chair and all, saying as he walked, "I've prepared some hot water for you. Go wash up and change your clothes. Don't try to be strong today. Put your clothes in the basin, and I'll wash them for you."

As he carried Jiang Lili around, and then told her he would wash her clothes, even though she tried to remain calm, her face flushed and she couldn't speak. She could only repeatedly mutter, "No need, really no need, I can do it myself..."

Chen Fan placed her in front of the basin, put a pair of clean shoes beside her, stood up and smiled, "You used to wash my clothes a lot, so I'll wash them for you today, okay?"

Jiang Lili was about to say something more, but he turned and walked out, saying, "I'll be outside. Call me if you need anything."

After saying that, he closed the door.

Then he raised his head and silently wondered if he had forgotten something.

Oh, right, I forgot to find her some clean clothes.

But he really didn't dare to go into the girl's closet to find clothes. Oh well, it's only a few meters away anyway, let her find it herself.

He then went to the back of the yard, picked out two branches of suitable length and thickness, took them to the front yard, took out his woodworking tools, and began to work.

With saws, planes, chisels and other tools used in turn, two T-shaped canes were quickly produced.

Although it wasn't perfectly straight, it was just something for temporary use, so we couldn't expect too much. Then we found a wad of cotton and some homespun cloth in the room and wrapped it around the crossbar of the cane.

Fortunately, when we sold the cotton, we kept 3 jin of cotton as a spare, otherwise we would have had to wrap it in homespun cloth, which would have been very uncomfortable.

After finishing his work, he picked up his cane and walked to Jiang Lili's door. Just as he was about to knock, he heard the sound of washing clothes and couldn't help but stand at the door and say, "Are you done? I'm coming in."

Jiang Lili's panicked voice immediately rang out from inside, "Not...not yet."

Chen Fan leaned against the door frame and said irritably, "Tell me honestly, are you washing your own clothes?"

There was a sudden silence inside.

After several seconds, Chen Fan pushed the door open. Jiang Lili was sitting on a small stool, her injured leg supporting her weight. The basin contained her dirty clothes, and the clear water had turned into a muddy mess.

Everyone is like this when transplanting rice seedlings; they are covered in mud and water, and even their hair is not spared. It's just that it's still morning and the transplanting has only just begun, otherwise she would be even dirtier.

Seeing Chen Fan come in, Jiang Lili raised her head and chuckled awkwardly twice before quickly lowering her head again.

Seeing her like that, Chen Fan couldn't help but want to laugh. He quickly suppressed it, coughed, and walked over to place the two canes upright on the ground. "Try them out and see if they work. If they're too high, I'll cut them shorter. If they're too low, I'll just have to make do with them."

Jiang Lili turned to look at the two canes, momentarily stunned. After a few seconds of hesitation, she looked up at him again and said, "No, isn't this a bit too much?"

Chen Fan looked at her and smiled, "How will you walk without a cane?"

Just as Jiang Lili was tilting her head and imagining, Chen Fan lifted his left foot and hopped around the room on his right foot only, asking, "Do I have to walk like this?"

Jiang Lili burst out laughing, giggling incessantly, "No way."

Chen Fan walked over to her and looked at her. "If you don't have one, get up and try the cane. If you're not going to use it, are you going to save it for me to use later?"

Jiang Lili immediately glared at him, "Don't talk nonsense."

Chen Fan laughed and said, "Alright, alright, I won't say anymore. I'll help you up."

Jiang Lili blushed and stood up with his help. She then took the two canes and tried to walk a few steps. At first, she was a little unaccustomed to them, but she quickly got used to them. She looked up at Chen Fan and smiled, "The height is just right, they are very useful."

"As long as it works."

Chen Fan bent down to pick up the basin of clothes, stood up and said, "However, even if it's useful, don't touch it. Just focus on recovering these next few days and don't think about going to work. We won't be affected by your absence."

Jiang Lili watched him leave, then followed him out, leaning on her cane.

Chen Fan quickly rubbed the clothes clean, then brought over a bucket of water, washed them twice, and hung them to dry on a bamboo pole.

Even though it was just an outer garment, Jiang Lili was already blushing deeply with embarrassment.

Then she noticed a mud stain on Chen Fan's clothes. Realizing it must have gotten on when he hugged her earlier, she said softly, "Your clothes are dirty too, you should change them."

Chen Fan looked down and noticed that his clothes were stained in a large patch. He chuckled and said, "I thought you were dirty, but I didn't realize I was dirty too."

He suddenly looked up as he spoke, "Hey, wouldn't you say I'm like a crow landing on a pig, unable to see my own blackness?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lili was both amused and annoyed. "Even if you are a crow, I am not a pig."

Chen Fan didn't try to hide it from her. He took off his coat and threw it into the basin, then went to his room to change, wearing only a vest. He said, "What's wrong with pigs? They're a treasure from head to toe, and you can eat their meat. You seem to enjoy eating pork, don't you?"

Jiang Lili was instantly furious, wishing she could hit him with her cane. But looking at the firm, well-defined muscles on his arms, and remembering how he had hugged her earlier, her heart began to flutter.

Chen Fan went into the room, changed his clothes, and came out smiling as he continued, "Also, don't look down on crows. Crows are auspicious birds, and they are known for their filial piety, being the most dutiful animals, even better than many people. So, saying 'I'm a crow and you're a pig' is actually a compliment."

Jiang Lili wrinkled her nose angrily, "You're the pig."

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "That works too. I'm the pig, and you're the crow."

Jiang Lili was at her wit's end. When people get ruthless, they even curse themselves. What could she do?

Chen Fan soaked the clothes in water, but didn't wash them immediately. Instead, he went into her room, brought out a chair, and placed it by the door. "Sit down. Standing will cause blood to rush downwards, putting pressure on the wound and making it prone to reopening."

Jiang Lili obediently sat down, leaning on her crutch, and quietly watched him wash clothes. Her eyes gradually became hazy, and it was unclear what she was thinking.

After a while, she suddenly came to her senses, took a deep breath, and said casually, "I know that crows feed their parents, but where did you hear that crows are auspicious birds?"

There are folk tales that magpies bring good news and crows bring bad news, so she had never heard of this idea before.

Chen Fan turned to look at her, vigorously rubbing his clothes, and laughed, "You'll understand if you read more books. From ancient times to the present, crows have always been both black and white, good and bad. They are auspicious birds, but also birds of misfortune."

"The crow heralds good fortune, and thus the Zhou dynasty prospered," and "Atop Tang Valley stands the Fusang tree; one day it arrives, one day it departs, all carried by crows." In ancient times, these sayings all speak of crows as auspicious symbols. There's even a Crow Ridge on Wudang Mountain, specifically for worshipping crows. It's said that when the True Martial Emperor arrived at Wudang Mountain, crows led the way, helping him find a suitable place to build a Taoist temple. Therefore, in Taoism, the crow is a genuine auspicious bird. However, in Qu Yuan's "Li Sao," there are lines like "The phoenix and luan bird travel far each day; the swallows and magpies nest in the halls and altars," and in the "North Wind" section of the Book of Songs, it says, "Nothing is red like a fox, nothing is black like a crow," thus viewing crows as villains and tyrants.

Ultimately, it all comes down to human interpretation. If you see a crow as a sign of bad luck, then it is; if you see it as a good bird, then it is.

Jiang Lili watched Chen Fan speak eloquently, her eyes glued to him.

After he finished speaking, she smiled and said, "You know so much."

Without looking up, Chen Fan said, "The more books you read, the more you naturally know."

In her heart, she silently thanked Master Lu. If he hadn't taken out two thread-bound books for her to practice calligraphy every now and then, where would she have gone to read these classical books?

Decades later, how many people will still be able to settle down and read these things? Even if they learn a little from textbooks, they'll forget it all by graduation. Only in the past, without computers, mobile phones, the internet, or games, with fewer distractions, would people have the patience to read these books word by word.

Of course, patience has nothing to do with him; he just leveled up his skills through skill boards. His creative work, along with his writing, is categorized under the "Literature" skill. Every time he reads or writes, he gains experience points in "Literature" and "Calligraphy," and occasionally his "Painting" skill also jumps up a bit.

That's quite normal. Calligraphy inherently incorporates the techniques of traditional Chinese painting. It's reasonable to gain some painting experience points by practicing calligraphy every day. He even wondered if these skills would merge into one when they reached a higher level, like "Artistic" or something similar, and maybe he could even learn to dance without a teacher.

Chen Fan shook his head, dismissing the thought, and turned to look at Jiang Lili, asking, "Be careful when you go to work in the fields. There are many snakes, insects, rats, and ants in the fields. Even if there are no clam shells, there are still some insects and snakes. It's better to be careful than to make a big mistake."

Jiang Lili smiled slightly awkwardly, "Oh, I see."

She couldn't very well say that she was so focused on looking at him that she didn't notice where she was stepping and just stomped on him.

Otherwise, the paddy fields are all muddy, and if you step in and feel something hard, you can immediately pull your foot back without getting your foot cut.

But it was really unlucky; how could there just happen to be a clam shell there?
But if it weren't for the clam shell, he wouldn't have hugged her... For a moment, Jiang Lili's mind was racing with thoughts, and she felt embarrassed.

After washing the clothes, Chen Fan shook them twice and hung them on a bamboo pole to dry, then poured the water directly onto the ground.

A group of half-grown chickens slowly came over to peck at the water.

Chen Fan glanced at it and couldn't help but sigh, "So ugly."

Jiang Lili looked at him strangely, then at the flock of chickens, her eyes filled with confusion. What was ugly about them?
But thinking back to how fluffy the chicks used to look, they can't compare now, but they're not ugly either, right?
Chen Fan walked over carrying a basin, still saying, "So, all animals are the same; they're cuter when they're small and less attractive as they grow up."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lili puffed out her cheeks, wanting to retort that she was even prettier than when she was a child, but in the end she didn't dare to speak.

Chen Fan put the basin back in his room, and Jiang Lili only then realized that she had just used Chen Fan's basin, and blushed again.

Just then, Chen Fan came out of the room, holding a large envelope in his hand. He beckoned to her with his finger, "Come here, I'll show you something good."

After saying that, he walked into the adjacent general office.

Jiang Lili stood up, supporting herself with her crutches, and followed them inside, taking one step at a time, lifting her left foot as she went.

Chen Fan placed the envelope on the table, gesturing for her to sit down, and said with a smile, "Guess what this is?"

Jiang Lili sat down in a chair, holding onto the corner of the table. She glanced at the envelope, and when she saw the words "Jiangnan Literature and Art Publishing House" in the corner, her eyes widened, and she looked up at him abruptly. "Wow, your novel has been published?"

Chen Fan laughed heartily, took out two sample copies, picked one up and handed it to her, "Take a look."

Jiang Lili quickly placed the cane against the table, reached out to take it, but then pulled back, wiped her hands on her clothes, and then took it with both hands.

Upon opening the cover, Jiang Lili quickly found the title of the novel written by Chen Fan: "On the Fields of Hope".

The name was naturally chosen by Chen Fan, borrowing from a song composed by Mr. Chen Xiaoguang and Mr. Shi Guangnan. However, the content has nothing to do with the song; it tells the stories of cadres stationed at the grassroots level.

Jiang Lili quickly turned to that page and became engrossed in reading the magazine.

Chen Fan stared at her for a long time, his lips twitching slightly. She had copied this manuscript herself and sent it over; he wondered how many times she'd read it. What was there left to see?

I was hoping to share my joy with her, but now I'll have to enjoy it all by myself.

Opening the small envelope, a stack of coupons was poured out, and the first thing that caught the eye was a dozen or so industrial coupons.

Chen Fan's eyes lit up immediately. Beautiful!

Industrial vouchers are hard currency; they're used for almost all industrial products, and nobody ever thinks they have too many. I still owe Chief Zhou of the veterinary station two industrial vouchers. I was planning to pay him back when the production team distributed dividends at the end of the year, but now I can pay him back early.

He picked up the tickets, sorted them by type, and then prepared to count them.

Just then, a voice came from outside the door, "Xiao Chen, Xiao Chen, are you home?"

Judging from the sounds, they must have made it safely.

Jiang Lili also suddenly came to her senses, looked at him, and then looked outside the door.

If she hadn't injured her foot, she would definitely have run back to her room to hide by now, but it's too late to hide now.

Chen Fan smiled at her, "It's alright, just sit here."

He then walked out while shouting, "I'm here."

No sooner had he finished speaking than he saw Anquan walking inside, swinging his arms. When he saw Chen Fan, he immediately laughed and said, "Congratulations! You have to treat us!"

Chen Fan's eyes widened. "What kind of guests are you inviting?"

Anquan pointed at him and said, "Stop pretending."

He then rubbed his hands together and laughed, "Where's the sample copy? Quickly, take it out and let me see. I've never seen a sample copy before. That's 'Jiangnan Literature'!"

So that's what it was!

Chen Fan breathed a sigh of relief and pointed to the room, "It's inside, come and take a look."

(End of this chapter)