Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 272 Rivets and Circuit Boards
After finishing their meal, Captain Yang and his companions left together.

Chen Fan handed over the money for the cement and steel bars to Anquan, and waited for the delivery. This was a convenience that came with Anquan's help; otherwise, let alone delivery, even if he went to pick them up himself, there might not be any goods available.

Delivery? Impossible!
After they left, Chen Fan closed the door and went to sleep. Longevity and good health begin with an afternoon nap.

After a long nap, Yang Ju and the other two had already gone to work. Chen Fan stretched and walked out the door, strolling over to Jiang Lili's room, where she was engrossed in reading a sample magazine.

Chen Fan stood in the doorway, blocking the light. She immediately realized who it was, and looked up sharply. When she saw it was Chen Fan, she gently patted her chest, "He was so quiet, he startled me."

Chen Fan laughed and said, "This is just a pastime, don't spend too much time on it. Spend more time reading your textbooks, it will definitely be useful in the future."

Jiang Lili placed the magazine on her lap and grinned, "I know, I just sneak a peek when they're not around. When they come back, I'll hide the book and study hard."

She paused for a moment, then raised her head and asked, "By the way, didn't you say you wanted me to copy the second novel for you? When are you going to give it to me?"

Chen Fan leaned against the door frame, looked at her and smiled, "No rush, let's talk about it after you've recovered."

He then explained, "The first article was published in three parts by the magazine, so even if the second article is accepted, it will be three months later."

He did some quick calculations and said, "It's probably the August issue, there's still plenty of time, no rush."

This novel has a total of over 38,000 words. A single page in a 16mo magazine can only hold a maximum of 2000 to 2500 words. A single issue would print over 10,000 words, requiring about 5 to 6 pages. This is already the limit of what a magazine can hold for a single novel; any more and it would become a special issue. Therefore, publishing it in three issues is already the result of extreme compression.

Hearing Chen Fan's words, Jiang Lili thought for a moment and said, "You said this morning that you were going to write more than 10 short stories. Each story takes 3 months, so you can only write 4 stories a year. Are you planning to write for four or five years?"

Chen Fan shrugged and laughed, "You're too young. Don't even mention four or five years. As long as I can publish for one or two years, the publisher will definitely suggest that I publish a standalone novel. I can't wait that long."

If he's in a hurry, he can switch to literary newspapers, even weekly ones, after he's made a name for himself. That would increase the publication time by four times, allowing him to publish his entire novel in a year.

Unfortunately, he was not in a hurry at all, and he was deliberately stalling for time.

He's just waiting for the day when royalties are reinstated and the Writers' Association is reinstated. Wouldn't it be great to earn money by writing and receive benefits from joining the Writers' Association?!
Looking at the confident Chen Fan, Jiang Lili smiled and said, "Alright, then I'll wait for you to publish your own novel."

Chen Fan smiled and said, "We can't wait, you have to help me copy it too."

Jiang Lili wrinkled her nose. "Okay."

Chen Fan waved his hand, "You continue reading, I'm going to do something."

After saying that, he turned and left. Jiang Lili curiously tilted her body to look at the door, wondering what new idea he had in mind.

……

As Chen Fan walked, he rolled up his sleeves and soon arrived at the pile of wood outside the backyard wall.

Here are the firewood he chopped while clearing the homestead and cultivating the herb garden. Most of it was used up when firing the kiln. The rest were some of the thicker tree trunks that he intentionally kept. The thickest was as thick as a thigh, and the thinnest was as thick as an arm. Although they were all a bit short, with proper planning, they could be used to make some everyday furniture. So he accumulated them and even made a simple thatched shed to shelter from the rain.

Chen Fan rummaged around in the shed for a while, then carried a large bundle of wood into the backyard.

I walked to the open space in the front yard, threw the wood on the ground, and it made a loud clattering sound.

Hearing the noise, Jiang Lili thought for a moment, first hiding the magazine under her clothes in her closet, and then hopping out with her cane.

She stood at the doorway and saw Chen Fan come out of the house carrying woodworking tools. Curious, she asked, "What are you making?"

Chen Fan turned to look at her and smiled, "Make a saddle."

"what?"

Jiang Lili's eyes widened immediately. "A saddle? You can make saddles?"

Chen Fan laughed and said, "You can just watch."

Then they went to the storage room, brought out the woodworking table they had made earlier, and then officially started working.

Instead of making a saddle, they made a wooden frame similar to a double-bar clothesline.

Jiang Lili looked at him curiously, "Is this a saddle?"

Chen Fan looked up and smiled. "To do a good job, one must first have the right tools. This is a saddle frame, which is specifically used to hold saddles. It can also be used to shape the saddle when it is being made."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Either go inside and sit down to read, or pull up a chair and sit down. You don't want it to be over quickly, do you?"

Jiang Lili said "Oh," sniffed, turned around, went inside, moved a chair, and sat on the threshold without going out, quietly watching Chen Fan busy himself.

Not hearing her voice, Chen Fan turned his head and saw Jiang Lili looking at him. He couldn't help but smile, then continued to work with his head down.

Other people's saddles are almost always carved from a single piece of wood, or made by piecing together two large pieces of wood. But Chen Fan's saddle bones are made by piecing together strips of wood, each strip with a subtle difference in shape.

This saddle was designed by him, taking inspiration from the shapes of British and American Western saddles and combining them with the structure of the old-fashioned warhorse saddles of the battalion headquarters. Due to the use of openwork technology, the saddle is designed to be lightweight.

Of course, it also saves on timber, making it very suitable for poor people like Chen Fan who do not have access to high-grade timber.

The saddle has a slight concave center, a certain curvature at the front and back, and protrusions at both ends for easy and secure riding. Chen Fan took out the design drawings he had drawn that morning and made minor modifications based on the actual situation. In the blink of an eye, more than an hour had passed, and a saddle frame using a mortise and tenon structure was completed.

It's not ready to use yet. The wood needs to undergo certain processing steps to remove internal moisture, making it stronger and more durable. This is especially true for saddles with openwork structures, which put the wood's durability to the test, so there's no time to rush it.

Moreover, the promised sheepskin has not yet been delivered; we must wait for him to deliver it before proceeding to the next step.

Seeing Chen Fan holding a strangely shaped wooden frame and starting to tidy up the scattered tools, Jiang Lili asked curiously, "Is the saddle finished?"

Chen Fan turned his head and smiled, "It's still early."

He then lifted up the wooden frame, saying, "This is just the saddle bone. We'll leave it for a few days until Brother An brings the sheepskin before we can proceed with the next steps."

He took the carpenter's tools back to the storeroom, placed the saddle on the pottery drying rack, then went back to his room, took out the crocodile skin that had been cut into two pieces, placed it on the carpenter's table, and said while measuring it, "Brother An said he would exchange one sheepskin for two crocodile skin belts. I'll make the belts for him first."

With nimble hands and feet, Chen Fan slashed a few strips of skin. Suddenly, an idea struck him. He turned to look at Jiang Lili and smiled slightly.

Seeing his smile, Jiang Lili couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"

Chen Fan kept his head down and busied himself, saying, "It's nothing, just checking if you've been sitting properly."

Jiang Lili pouted, then couldn't help but grin.

Chen Fan took a sharp blade and made several cuts on the crocodile skin. In a short while, he cut out four wide strips and four narrow strips of skin.

A leather belt requires two pieces of leather, one wide and one narrow. The narrower piece serves as the core, providing added strength, while the wider piece forms the outer layer. After folding, the core is wrapped around the leather, and the two pieces are sewn together. After pressing and leveling, a buckle is attached, and eyelets are sewn on, making it ready for use.

For added convenience, you can cut a strip of leather one centimeter wide and four or five centimeters long, fold it in half, sew it together, and then attach it to the belt as a buckle. This completes the belt.

Four straps, naturally, mean four leather belts.

Two for safety, and two more... Chen Fan suddenly realized that his recently activated forging skill might finally have a use!
……

After cutting the belt, Chen Fan put the items away.

Jiang Lili looked puzzled and asked, "Why did you stop again?" Chen Fan turned to look at her and said, "It's already past 3 o'clock, and I still have something to do."

Jiang Lili shook her head. "You're so busy today. You're making saddles and belts. What else is there?"

Chen Fan simply walked over to her, looked at her and smiled, "You forgot?"

Jiang Lili's eyes darted around, and she blinked as she asked, "Forgot what?"

Chen Fan looked at her irritably, "If my novel is published, what do you want again?"

Hearing this, Jiang Lili finally realized what was happening, and her eyes lit up instantly, "Cake!"

Chen Fan pointed at her, "Correct."

Jiang Lili immediately grinned from ear to ear, and stood up, leaning on her crutches. "But, there's no milk?"

Chen Fan washed his hands first and said, "The water buffalo in Team 7 just gave birth to a calf. I've already spoken with Captain Ye and asked him to save me two jin of milk. I'll go to Team 7 to pick it up later."

She then went to the kitchen, took out several ceramic pots and got busy. Jiang Lili quickly ran over and stood at the door to peek.

After a short while, he came out of the kitchen and looked helplessly at Jiang Lili standing at the door, without saying a word.

Jiang Lili gave an awkward laugh. "I'll go back and sit down now."

Chen Fan put his finger to his mouth and whistled. The mare in the backyard stable immediately raised her head and neighed. Then she pushed open the wooden fence and ran out of the stable. She then bit the wooden fence and closed it, leaving the foal and two lambs inside, who stared at her longingly. But the mare ignored them and turned to trot outside.

Chen Fan followed Jiang Lili and watched her enter the room before saying, "I'm going out now. Be careful at home and don't wander around."

Jiang Lili immediately nodded obediently and raised her right hand, "I assure Mr. Li that I definitely won't."

Chen Fan pointed at her, shook his head helplessly, and then went back to his room.

When she came out again, the cloth bag was slung over her shoulder, and she leaped onto the horse. The mare let out a neigh and took off running.

Instead of going to work at the brigade headquarters or buying milk at Team 7, he rode his horse to town.

Once we arrived in town, we slowed down and jogged to the veterinary station.

As usual, he rode his horse straight to the backyard, but before he could go in, a window was pushed open, and Station Chief Zhou stretched his neck and shouted, "Here!"

Chen Fan was startled. He dismounted and asked as he walked, "Why do you have so much free time today? Why aren't you treating the livestock in the backyard?"

Station Chief Zhou said through the window, "It's all because you Lujiawan veterinarians have so many and take the initiative to make house calls. You've practically taken over all the livestock in Nanhu Commune, so of course I'm free."

Chen Fan didn't go inside. He went straight to the window, handed him a cigarette, and then took out a lighter from the security supply to light it for him.

Station Chief Zhou took a drag of his cigarette and frowned. "Talking through the window is like visiting someone in prison. You should come in."

Then, looking at the lighter in Chen Fan's hand, he said, "This thing is pretty high-end. Where did you get it?"

Chen Fan shook the lighter and laughed, "It was given to me by the security officer who was stationed at our team's location."

Station Chief Zhou suddenly realized, "Anquan, right? He used to be an educated youth who was sent to the countryside in Lujiawan. Now he's quite a big shot in the commune. I heard he's expected to be promoted to tax office director next year. I didn't expect you to have such a good relationship with him."

Chen Fan carefully put the lighter away. "I didn't think that much about it. I just thought he was a good person."

Station Chief Zhou pursed his lips and gave him a thumbs up, "You know how to talk."

Then his face hardened, "I told you to come in and talk, why aren't you moving?"

Chen Fan shook his head, "I'll just say a few words and leave; I won't go in."

He took two industrial coupons out of his pocket and handed them over, saying, "Here, here are your industrial coupons back."

Station Chief Zhou took it, put it in his pocket without even looking at it, and smiled at Chen Fan, "Payment?"

Chen Fan's face stiffened slightly, and he said with feigned embarrassment, "How come you already know?"

Station Master Zhou chuckled, "Hey, that postman talks about everything wherever he goes, how could anyone not know?"

With a cigarette between his fingers, he grinned and said, "Not bad, Comrade Chen. Not only are you a master veterinarian, but you can also write articles. That's 'Jiangnan Literature and Art.' I've lived in Nanhu for decades and have never heard of anyone publishing an article in it."

First it was the Prefectural Committee Daily, then Jiangnan Literature and Art; you've really brought honor to Nanhu.

Chen Fan laughed and said, "It's not that exaggerated. It's just that the magazine changed its name back and resumed its original publishing route, so there were fewer usable articles, which is why I got a good deal."

Station Master Zhou deliberately put on a stern face, "Hmph, then why don't we see others taking advantage of the situation?"

Chen Fan raised his hands, "Please don't praise me anymore, or I'll get cocky."

He then said seriously, "I won't take up any more of your time. I have something to do, so I'll be going now."

Seeing that he was reluctant to come in, Station Master Zhou knew that he had important business to attend to, so he didn't try to stop him. He waved his hand and said with a smile, "Alright, then go ahead and do your work. Come back and visit when you have time."

Chen Fan smiled and waved his hand, "You don't need to tell me, I'll definitely come back often, otherwise where will I get my supplies?!"

Lujiawan is said to have 13 veterinarians, but only he and two others have veterinary licenses and can purchase medical supplies at the veterinary station. Yang Zhijun and Li Zhengqun are responsible for treating sick livestock and are also busy cooperating with Captain Ye to purchase seedlings from other production teams. Therefore, the task of purchasing supplies from the veterinary station falls to Chen Fan.

He would naturally not refuse such a small matter, and he could also go out shopping openly and legitimately, so why not?

Upon hearing Chen Fan's words, Station Master Zhou chuckled and then waved his hand, "If you're buying goods, it's best to come less often."

The more livestock he buys, the more sick livestock he will have, so he naturally hopes to buy less frequently.

Chen Fan laughed heartily, leaped onto the horse's back, and rode out of the veterinary station.

Turn left after exiting the door, and soon you will arrive at the supply and marketing cooperative's store near the intersection.

As he dismounted and entered the shop, before he could speak, Wang Xiaoling walked to the counter and called out to him, "I saw you ride past earlier to buy meat to celebrate, didn't I?"

Chen Fan strode into the store and laughed, "Sister Ling, what are you talking about? What am I celebrating?"

Wang Xiaoling's eyes widened. "The article has been published! I've made sure I know. 'Jiangnan Literature' is the best literary magazine in Jiangnan Province, and it's famous throughout the country. Your novel has been published in it. Such a big deal, how can we not celebrate?!"

Chen Fan was both amused and exasperated. Had that postman really notified everyone in the entire commune?
He shook his head and said with a wry smile, "Don't laugh at me, it's just a few words, what's there to celebrate?"

Before Wang Xiaoling could speak, he quickly changed the subject, "Sister Ling, do you sell rivets here?"

Wang Xiaoling had originally intended to make a few jokes, but seeing that he was getting down to business, she gave up the idea and then said, "The rivets need to be bought at a specialized electronic parts store. They don't have them in Nanhu Commune; you have to go to the county."

Chen Fan was immediately shocked. "Huh? I have to go to the county and an electronics parts store to buy a rivet?"

Wang Xiaoling nodded. "Yes, you need to repair a circuit board, right? Rivets are used to fix circuit boards, so of course you should go to an electronics parts store."

Chen Fan felt dizzy. Rivets and circuit boards?
What utter nonsense!
(End of this chapter)