Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 271 I was pitied
Captain Yang and his colleagues were covered in mud, but they didn't change their clothes because they had to continue planting rice in the afternoon. However, they washed their hands and feet very clean.

Safety wasn't much better either; it's clear they didn't just go to take a look, they probably went into the fields as well.

As soon as we entered the yard, Anquan shouted, "Get a basin of hot water first, I feel uncomfortable if I don't wash."

At this moment, Yang Ju and the other two returned. Upon hearing this, she immediately ran to the kitchen, saying, "I'll go get some hot water."

Chen Fan shouted, "There are some in both jars, one basin each."

This water was boiled while I was cooking, and it's still hot.

Yang Ju: "Okay."

Huang Ying and Liu Dan quickly ran over to help.

Jiang Lili walked out leaning on her cane and greeted Captain Yang and the others, making sure none of the four were left out.

Captain Yang, unusually kind to her, stepped forward and asked, "How's your foot? Is it serious? Have you called Dr. Zhang?"

Jiang Lili forced a smile. "Thank you for your concern, Captain. I'm fine now."

She turned to look at Chen Fan, then turned back and said, "Teacher Chen has taken a look and applied medicine. It should be better in a few days."

She paused for a moment, then lowered her head somewhat shyly and said, "Team leader, I might need to ask for a few days off."

These days, the motto is "minor injuries don't keep you from the front lines." Most small wounds, unless they become infected and worsen, are ignored, and people simply continue working. She hadn't taken a single day off in the past three years, but today she made an exception. However, her injury wasn't in a good place; even after applying medication, her foot still hurts, making it impossible for her to stand or walk. How could she possibly work?

Fortunately, Captain Yang was understanding. He waved his hand and said with a smile, "It's alright. You should focus on recovering first. We'll talk about it when you're better."

He lowered his voice as he spoke, "However, there will be no work points for the next few days, but there won't be any deductions either."

Jiang Lili nodded quickly and repeatedly, "It's only right that I don't get any work points. Thank you, team leader."

This isn't directed at her; it's just the rule.

If you don't work without a reason, you'll have points deducted. If you take leave to do a side job, you'll have to spend money to "buy work points." In her case, there will be no deductions, but no work points will be counted either. Even if the team leader's own son comes, this rule still applies. No one is an exception.

After they finished speaking, Chen Fan waved to Jiang Lili and said, "Xiao Jiang, go and fetch water for Yang Ju and the others. They need to rinse off too."

Jiang Lili lowered her head. "Oh, I'll go right now."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the kitchen, leaning on his cane.

Captain Yang glanced at her back, then at Chen Fan, feeling something was off, but couldn't quite put his finger on why.

Accountant Liu and custodian Huang didn't think much of it, but Anquan glanced at Chen Fan, smiled slightly, and said nothing.

Chen Fan didn't even look at Jiang Lili. He took out four cigarettes, handed one to Anquan first, and then lit one with a match.

He safely pulled out a match, lit it, and then took out a silver lighter from his pocket and handed it to him, saying, "I forgot to give you this earlier, here you go."

Chen Fan didn't stand on ceremony, took it and tried it out. He pressed his thumb down, and a flame appeared. He found it interesting and asked, "Where did this come from?"

He then lit cigarettes for Captain Yang and the other two.

(A Diamond brand lighter made in Shanghai in the 70s)
Anquan chuckled and said, "I got it from the shipyard foreman. That guy always travels around with the ships and has a lot of good stuff. Didn't you say you didn't have a belt? I'll go see if he has any new ones next time, or I can ask Manager Zhao from the shipping company to find someone to bring one back for me."

Chen Fan gave a thumbs-up with admiration, "Brother An is still the best."

Running off to ask someone for a favor and then stealing their things—that's just like us.

Then he lifted his shirt and chuckled, "No need for a belt, I sewed one myself, it's crocodile skin."

Security's eyes widened. "Crocodile skin isn't easy to get. Where did you get it from?"

Captain Yang, smoking a cigarette, chuckled and said, "There's an old hunter in Team 9 who retired from the provincial hunting team. He had a hide hidden at home, and he bought it for the price of a cowhide."

Chen Fan didn't tell anyone about this; only a few people in the courtyard knew. He was telling Chen Fan that the affairs of the educated youth settlement couldn't be hidden from him, but Chen Fan remained unmoved, knowing full well what was going on but pretending not to understand.

Anquan's eyes were full of envy. "That's still a profit. Crocodile skin is a rare commodity. Some people like this pattern and are willing to pay a high price for it, but unfortunately there are too few of them."

As he spoke, a thought suddenly struck him, and he looked up at Chen Fan, "Do you have any more hides?"

Chen Fan spread his hands, "The remaining hides will be used to make saddles."

Anquan chuckled and said, "Making a saddle doesn't necessarily require crocodile skin. I'll trade you two leather belts for a sheepskin."

Chen Fan immediately agreed, "No problem."

Hehe, one sheepskin is more than enough to make a saddle, maybe half a sheepskin will suffice. After cutting off the amount needed for two leather belts from the crocodile skin, there's enough left to make two pairs of shoes and several pairs of gloves. This is a huge profit!
Captain Yang and his two companions watched with smiles, remaining silent. Whether it was crocodile skin or sheepskin, their attitude was simply to look and let it go. Wasn't frugality and simplicity better? Why waste money?
Living in a brick house and riding a bicycle were the pursuits of the men in the production team.

At this moment, Yang Ju, Huang Ying, and Liu Dan each brought over a basin of water. After putting it down, Liu Dan ran in and brought out another basin.

They didn't even need towels; they just rolled up their trousers, washed their hands and feet again with hot water, and then rinsed the water from the ceramic basin off their legs.

Shaking the water off his hands and feet, he smiled at Chen Fan and said, "I've noticed you have the most pottery here, all kinds of pottery basins, jars, bowls, and plates, I can't even count them all. Just how many pottery pieces are there in this yard?"

Without waiting for Chen Fan's reply, Captain Yang, who had casually washed his hands and face, laughed and said, "You're asking him? He doesn't even know himself. These are all experimental pieces that were fired when we first started making pottery. They come in all shapes and sizes, and there are too many to count."

Chen Fan pointed to the storage room, "There are several stacks of things piled up inside. If you like, go in and pick whatever you like."

Anquan didn't stand on ceremony either, "Okay, I'll pick a few to take back as flower pots later. My wife likes to grow flowers, and your ceramic pots have a quirky design, she'll definitely like them."

He then looked at Captain Yang, his words full of disdain, "Can you please not be so perfunctory when you wash your hands and feet? Although the probability of schistosomiasis in paddy fields is very small, you can't be careless."

Captain Yang smacked his lips. "We just renovated all the ditches in December. There wouldn't be so many schistosomiasis flukes left."

Seeing that Anquan looked speechless, he could only helplessly pick up the basin and rinse it with water, saying, "Okay, okay, I'll wash it."

After rinsing the food, Huang, the storekeeper, let out a long breath and said, "I wonder when we'll be able to get rid of these blood flukes."

Anquan laughed and said, "Isn't it much better now than when I first came? As long as we persevere, we will eventually eradicate schistosomiasis. At that time, we can swim freely in all the ditches, and people and livestock will be safe."

Accountant Liu nodded and said, "I think the most important thing right now is to eliminate schistosomiasis."

Everyone turned to look at him. He chuckled and patted his stomach. "Of course, I need to fill my stomach first."

Everyone laughed, and Chen Fan stretched out his hand to lead them inside, "Everything is ready, let's sit down and start eating."

Once inside the room, everyone took their seats in their usual spots. Chen Fan poured himself a drink, glanced at Captain Yang, and asked, "Are there any other clam shells left?"

Captain Yang's expression immediately changed, and he shook his head slightly, saying, "How could there not be any? As soon as you left, I organized everyone to check the paddy fields, and we found five more. Fortunately, they were all on the surface and not stuck in the silt, so they could be seen at a glance, otherwise it would have been a real problem."

Accountant Liu shook his head and said, "It's just that Xiao Jiang was unlucky to be the first one to get pricked. If it had been any later, someone else would probably have been pricked."

The custodian, Mr. Huang, smiled wryly. "These naughty kids, I wonder which one threw it away?"

Captain Yang snorted twice, "It's not hard to find out. Once the students come home from school, we can ask every household, and we'll find out who threw it."

The village primary school only had classes for half a day, ending at noon, and then Sunday was a full day off. Since Lujiawan Primary School was a junior primary school with only two grades, there were no holidays during the busy farming season. In fact, during the busy farming season, the school had more "students" than usual. Many families in the neighborhood would send their young children to the school to be looked after by Teacher Xiao, making him the king of the children.

It wasn't until the 80s that people across the country witnessed the power of "education" firsthand. Some individuals around them rose to prominence through higher education, and various places began to pay attention to school education. The study time increased year by year, and decades later, some places even had evening self-study sessions starting from the fourth grade of primary school, making the elderly who had come from the "free-range learning" stage question their life.

After pouring the wine, Chen Fan sat down and turned to look at Anquan.

Anquan understood what he meant; the feast was about to begin. He took the initiative to raise his wine glass, but said something unrelated: “We definitely have to find them. We’ll beat them up and scold them as they need to be scolded. But after we’re done, we have to make it clear to them that they can play anywhere else, but they absolutely cannot go into the farmland, and they absolutely cannot throw things in there.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he held out his wine glass, and the glasses clinked together gently, thus beginning the meal.

Chen Fan took the first bite, picking up a piece of sweet and sour fish and handing it to Captain Yang. "Captain, try it. This is a new sweet and sour fish I made. I wonder how it tastes."

Captain Yang's face lit up with a smile. "Why are you giving this to me? It's for Brother An."

Anquan proactively picked up a piece, grinning, "Teacher Chen respects you as the team leader, so it's good that he gave it to you first. Someone like me can only do it myself." The group burst into laughter. Chen Fan then picked up a piece of sweet and sour fish for the custodian Huang and the accountant Liu, and then they officially started eating.

After taking a few bites, Captain Yang sighed and said, "Whether you beat them or scold them, once this group of kids is taught, there will be another batch in a few years. There are just too many naughty children to teach."

Chen Fan laughed and said, "Then let the older kids take care of the younger kids, and pass it down from generation to generation, forming the fine tradition of our Lujiawan Team 6."

Anquan almost spat out his drink. "A fine tradition? You want to carry it forward, huh?"

He chuckled a few times, then looked at Captain Yang and said with a smile, "But Xiao Chen's method is worth a try. Kids don't listen to adults, but they listen to older kids. Maybe it will work."

Captain Yang shook his head and smiled, "That's all we can do."

He then smiled at Chen Fan and said, "Your sweet and sour fish is delicious, but I don't like sweets. This chili fish head is better."

Chen Fan didn't mind. "Everyone has their own taste. Just eat what you like."

Anquan picked up two more pieces of sweet and sour fish and said with a smile, "We Shanghainese love sweets the most. This dish is right up my alley. When I go home sometime, make me a portion so I can take it back for my wife to try. She eats sweets there too."

Chen Fan readily agreed, "No problem."

He paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Or you could invite your sister-in-law over for a day sometime, and I'll cook you some local Shanghainese cuisine."

An Quan's face lit up with surprise. "You can cook Shanghainese cuisine?"

Chen Fan looked smug, "It's not just local cuisine, it includes everything from the eight major cuisines to Northeastern cuisine, Northwestern cuisine, Hakka cuisine, Ningbo cuisine, Hubei cuisine, Hebei cuisine, Henan cuisine, Xinjiang cuisine, Yunnan cuisine, Guangxi cuisine..."

Anquan stared wide-eyed, "You can do all of that?"

Chen Fan shook his head decisively, "I'm not very good at either."

Accountant Liu, who was standing nearby, turned around and spat out a mouthful of wine, almost spraying it onto the warehouse keeper, Huang, which made him laugh and curse.

Anquan looked at Chen Fan helplessly, "Then what the hell are you talking about?"

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "I'm not really good at any of them, but I know a little bit."

Regardless of the cuisine, he can recreate it almost exactly once he has tasted it. As for the various dishes within the same cuisine, he can only improvise and adapt flexibly.

Anquan simply ignored him, scooped up a spoonful of Chen Fan's classic braised rice (a must-have for entertaining guests), and said, "Where's your sample copy?"

Chen Fan's expression turned serious. "Let's make this clear first: you can look at the sample copy, but you can't take it. I only have one left; once you take it, it's gone."

Anquan's eyes widened. "Huh? There's more than one sample copy, isn't there?"

Chen Fan said, "But the brigade headquarters took one copy. Anyway, this is the only one I have left, and I want to keep it as a souvenir."

Anquan's eyes were full of regret, but he said, "Hey, why would I need your sample copy? Xinhua Bookstore sells 'Jiangnan Literature' too. I can just buy a copy myself. Why would I need yours?"

Chen Fan smiled without saying a word. If your expression could be a little more normal, I would believe you.

However, Teacher Chen was magnanimous and didn't hold it against him. She pointed to her own room next door and said, "The sample copy is in my room. Eat first, and I'll show it to you after you're done."

Safety wasn't in a hurry, so he nodded and said, "Okay."

Only then did Captain Yang ask curiously, "What sample copy?"

Anquan looked up. "Oh, you guys didn't know?"

He then pointed at Chen Fan and laughed, "Teacher Chen from your team has published a novel in the best literary magazine in the province and a top-tier literary magazine in the country, 'Jiangnan Literature and Art.' This news has probably spread throughout the entire Nanhu Commune by the postman. This time, Team 6 of Lujiawan has really made a name for itself!"

Upon hearing this, Captain Yang's eyes widened immediately, and he turned to look at Chen Fan, "Really?"

Before Chen Fan could speak, An Quan objected, glaring at him, "What, would I make things up?"

Captain Yang immediately burst into laughter, "Oh dear, this is a big deal!"

Accountant Liu stood to the side, utterly astonished. "So, our team has produced a great writer?"

He considered himself a cultured man and naturally understood the difference between *Jiangnan Literature* and the Prefectural Party Committee Daily. While publishing a news report in the Prefectural Party Committee Daily was also rare, the newspaper valued the event itself more. Publishing an article in *Jiangnan Literature*, however, required genuine writing skills—that was quite remarkable!
Chen Fan quickly and modestly replied, "It's just a novel I wrote; I wouldn't dare call myself a writer."

Captain Yang ignored him and looked at Accountant Liu and Warehouse Keeper Huang with a beaming face, saying, "This must be rewarded."

The two nodded immediately, "Yes, we absolutely have to give it to you!"

With their opinions aligned, Chen Fan looked at them expectantly, "So what's the reward?"

Captain Yang paused, his mind racing. Right, what kind of award?
Normally, the production team would reward outstanding members with things like enamel mugs or chemical (plastic) basins, but Chen Fan couldn't follow that standard when he published his novel, could he?

He wanted a better reward, but the team didn't have anything good. He was caught off guard and couldn't back down for a moment.

Accountant Liu and custodian Huang also frowned and pondered, unable to make up their minds.

Finally, seeing their dilemma, Chen Fan chuckled and said, "How about we give you a certificate and award me an old tea tree?"

A few days ago, after he went to Lao Peng's house to get the crocodile skin, he searched the woods but didn't find any tea trees. However, there were a few wild tea trees at the entrance of the village, but they didn't grow very well and didn't produce much tea. If he wasn't careful, the season would pass and no one would care. It would be a good opportunity to ask for one.

Upon hearing this, Captain Yang breathed a sigh of relief and immediately nodded, "Okay."

Then he looked at the custodian Huang and said, "Anyway, no one is taking care of those tea trees, so let's just bring them all over here."

Huang, the storekeeper, also looked up and smiled, "That's no problem. Unlike Team 9, we don't have anyone in our team who knows how to process tea. Besides, we don't have many tea trees. The few at the entrance of the village were dug up by the old team leader from Team 9. I'll bring some people to dig them up for you in a bit."

Chen Fan immediately smiled and raised his glass, "Then I'll toast the three leaders."

The wine glasses clinked and jingled. Anquan took a sip, put down the glass, and smiled at Chen Fan, "Well, you've made money again. Hey, how much did you get paid for this?"

Upon hearing this, Captain Yang and the other two looked at Chen Fan with curiosity in their eyes.

Oh right, I almost forgot, you get paid for publishing articles.

Chen Fan shook his head and laughed, "There was no royalties, just a few tickets."

"Safety, I'm talking about tickets! You don't think royalties are just money, do you?!"

Chen Fan: Okay, I misunderstood.

He chuckled and said, "It mainly consists of 10 industrial coupons and 50 jin of national grain coupons, plus a little bit of oil coupons, cloth coupons, sugar coupons, tea coupons, and cigarette coupons. It's not much, just a token."

He laid an ambush here, not telling the truth, but not hiding too much either. What he wanted was to create a mix of truth and falsehood, making it hard for people to figure out.

Safety nodded. "More or less."

He looked like someone who had been through it all, and turned to look at Captain Yang and the other two, saying, "The school I went to was a factory-affiliated school, which had everything from kindergarten to high school. One of our Chinese teachers often published articles."

Back then, manuscript fees were high. If his submissions were accepted, he would get 10 yuan per thousand words. In addition, the Writers' Association would give him monthly benefits, mainly four kinds of cigarettes, alcohol, sugar, and tea. Each month he would receive a carton of cigarettes, a bottle of alcohol, half a catty of sugar, and two liang of tea. There were also special considerations. The cigarettes were Feima cigarettes, which were expensive at the time and were on par with Zhonghua cigarettes. The alcohol was also good wine, the kind that cost only a few yuan a bottle. In addition, there would be big gift packages during holidays.

Later, when royalties were discontinued, they gave him ration coupons, and he never lacked any non-staple food.

Chen Fan turned to look at him, forgetting even to eat the fish he was holding with his chopsticks, and asked in surprise, "You're just sending things out now?"

Anquan looked at him and nodded vigorously, "Ah, it's just sending things directly."

She pointed at him, her eyes filled with sympathy, "You just didn't live to see the good times. Otherwise, besides making money, you could have joined the Writers' Association with this novel, and your monthly benefits would be higher than those of a county-level cadre."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Accountant Liu asked, "Can't we join the Writers' Association now?"

After taking a bite of food, Anquan shook his head and smiled, "It stopped several years ago. Let's see if it can be resumed someday."

Then he comforted Chen Fan, "Actually, things aren't bad now. With so many coupons, it's not easy for ordinary people to accumulate them. We're not the best off, but we're not the worst off either."

Chen Fan pursed his lips. Was this considered pity?
(End of this chapter)