Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 289 is a bonus today.
At 4 p.m., when Chen Fan returned to the educated youth settlement after get off work, Jiang Lili and the others had already prepared dinner and were waiting for him to come back to eat.

Seeing the food on the table, Chen Fan was a little puzzled. "Why are you eating so early today? Is something wrong?"

Huang Ying immediately jumped out and laughed, "Going to the movies today? You need to get there early to get a good seat, or there won't be any left."

Yang Ju stood by expectantly, saying, "At noon, I saw people walking towards Team 10 on the embankment. They must be people from other places, going there to reserve spots."

Liu Dan nodded vigorously, "That's right, that's right."

Chen Fan rubbed his forehead, feeling a little dizzy. "Wasn't it supposed to start at 6 p.m.? People are already there at noon?"

Huang Ying nodded, "They don't reserve spots for people from out of town; it's first-come, first-served. Only our own brigade reserves spots, but if you arrive late, you'll have to stand at the back and won't be able to see anyone clearly."

If it weren't for waiting for Chen Fan to have dinner, they wouldn't have even eaten dinner; they would have gone to Team 10 to reserve their spots long ago.

While they were talking, Jiang Lili had already brought Chen Fan a bowl and chopsticks, waiting for him to sit down.

Chen Fan didn't waste any time and started eating as soon as he picked up his bowl.

Today might be the fastest meal I've ever eaten. Chen Fan originally wanted to ask a few questions, but he found that the four girls were all engrossed in eating, so he shook his head and chuckled, speeding up his eating.

They finished dinner in less than five minutes, and then quickly packed up. Huang Ying kept urging Chen Fan, "Teacher Chen, you have a horse, you can ride over first, and we'll take Grandpa Liu's mule cart later."

Chen Fan shook his head. "Never mind, I won't ride a horse today. I'll ride in the carriage with you guys."

Who knows how many people will come today, or if any of them will be thieves or petty thieves? He decided to travel light.

Although the chances of the horse being stolen are slim, what if it is?
These days, there are plenty of talented people, and petty thieves and scoundrels are everywhere. They know the rules of the countryside well, and they are prepared to be beaten before they make a move. At most, they will lose half their lives, but they will neither die nor be crippled, so they dare to take a gamble.

Chen Fan himself had several ways to steal a horse silently. The simplest way was to use some herbs to drug the horse, such as a kind of "horse-drowning tree" that blooms in April and May. Giving the horse the flowers and leaves would make it fall asleep. Then, he would put it on a cart with a sideboard and take it away under the cover of darkness. Everyone would be watching a movie, so he would be completely unaware.

At worst, we can remove the saddle and take it away, making him suffer a loss. In any case, it's better to be cautious.

Thinking of this, he tied his two hunting rifles and the saber given to him by Old Man Lin with strips of cloth and hid them on the roof beam. He didn't take his backpack, but put all his belongings in a small waist bag, tied it around his waist, and covered it with his clothes.

After finishing, I went to the backyard to hold a meeting for all the animals in the house.

"None of you are allowed to sleep until I get back. Eurasian Falcon, you stay on the highest branch and be in charge of the first line of defense. If you see any bad guys, come back and land on the horse's head, peck it a couple of times to sound the alarm."

The Eurasian Hobby chirped.

It then flapped its wings and flew high, landing on the top of a tall metasequoia tree not far away, hiding under a clump of branches and leaves, looking around like a two-headed eagle.

Chen Fan continued to assign tasks, "Duoduo, Qiuqiu, you are responsible for guarding the front yard. If anyone breaks in, stay far away and shout loudly."

Duo Duo and Qiu Qiu immediately responded, "Woof woof."

Chen Fan looked at the two dogs and felt a little regretful. If they were a little bigger, they could carry out the mission directly without having to hide far away in their impotent rage.

You're disgracing your seniors!

Turning to the mare, he instructed, "You're in charge of guarding the back door. If any bad guys come in, kick them in the face!"

The mare raised her head and neighed.

The little pony ran around happily, shouting, "I want to kick too! I want to kick too!"

As soon as the two lambs saw it running, they ignored what it was bleating and just kept running after it, turning the stable into complete chaos.

Chen Fan instructed the mare to discipline her son and subdue the two lambs before setting up the outer defenses.

He went into the nearby woods, called out the rat snake, and was about to speak when he was taken aback. "Why have you gotten so fat?"

The cauliflower snake flicked its tongue, saying, "Brother Bird doesn't eat the mice and birds he catches; he feeds them all to me."

Chen Fan was speechless. "So you've come here to enjoy yourself?"
He shook his head and said, "Be careful. If anyone breaks into the yard, hurry over and help. Anyway, you're not poisonous, so just let them bite you."

The cauliflower snake straightened up halfway and said, "Alright."

Chen Fan wanted to give a few more words of advice, but at that moment, Jiang Lili and the other three had already run out.

Each of them was carrying a canvas bag, looking very serious, as if they were going to do something important.

Huang Ying ran in front, "Teacher Chen, we're ready."

Jiang Lili closed the courtyard gate and quickly followed behind.

Chen Fan glanced at them, then at their bags, and asked, "Do you really need to bring so much stuff to the movies?"

Huang Ying immediately smiled and said, "I brought you some dry food and water. We ate dinner early tonight because I was afraid you'd get hungry later. I also brought you some meat buns. Just ask me for some if you're hungry."

Chen Fan opened his mouth wide, then nodded blankly, "Oh, thank you."

Bring meat buns? Won't they get cold later? A steamed bun would be fine too.

Why did you bring me food? Do you think I need anything to eat?

Yang Ju quickly added, "I brought a water bottle. If you're thirsty, just ask me for some water."

Not to be outdone, Liu Dan said, "I brought you some melon seeds, peanuts, and a few pieces of rice candy."

Jiang Lili lagged behind, her expression somewhat strange. "I...I didn't bring anything."

Huang Ying and the other two glanced at her, secretly relieved.

Bringing nothing means you didn't put any effort into serving Teacher Chen, very good.

Jiang Lili, however, was thinking about what Chen Fan had told her that morning: "You don't need to bring anything to the movies. Yesterday, during the militia's spring training, their squad leader told me to prepare some snacks so we could drink while watching. You won't have to worry about not having anything to eat. If you get hungry or thirsty, just ask me and I'll get you something."

So she didn't bring anything for Chen Fan, only stuffing her own teacup into her bag. She only brought it because she saw Huang Ying and the others each had a bag, so as not to stand out.

But I never expected... emmm, never mind, it's better to pretend I don't know.

Just then, a mule cart swayed by. Master Liu cracked his whip, making a sharp sound, and said, "Get on and let's go. Everyone else has already left, you're the only ones missing."

The four girls first called out "Grandpa Liu" to each other before climbing onto the cart and sitting on the sideboard.

Chen Fan handed the old man a cigarette, lit it for him, turned around and sat down next to Master Liu, and said with a smile, "Isn't the whole brigade going today? Can that place hold so many people?"

Master Liu cracked his whip, and the mule let out a neigh before pulling the cart westward, heading through the village's main road.

Once the car started moving, Mr. Liu said, "No, there will be many people going, but not everyone will go. My wife didn't go, and many others who are too lazy to move are just sleeping at home."

He chuckled twice. "No matter how good a movie is, not everyone will like to watch it. I remember the most people I saw at one time was a little over three thousand. Later, when a movie was shown, it was considered a lot if there were two thousand people from our village. Sometimes there were only a few hundred. There were definitely some people from other villages, but not many. I guess at most two or three hundred people, sometimes only a few dozen."

Moreover, Team 10 is too remote, almost at the northernmost point of Nanhu Commune, too far from the other four brigades. I estimate that tonight, the total number will be around a little over a thousand.

Chen Fan nodded in realization, thinking to himself, "That's more like it. If thousands of people gathered every time a movie was shown, what would happen?"

So, Secretary Yang and Captain Zhang are just using grand gestures as an excuse?!

Master Liu let the mule run on its own, puffing on his cigarette as he said, "When they show a movie in Ganjiacun Brigade sometime, you should go and see. That'll be a real spectacle. I guarantee people from all the brigades in the commune will come. The scene will probably be no less than 5000 people." Chen Fan's eyes darted around slightly. "At the place where they hold the market?"

Master Liu nodded. "There's a big place there, and people can spread out. If you play the loudspeaker, people on the other side of the lake can hear it. Plus, it's located in the middle of Nanhu Commune and next to the town. When a movie is shown, many people will take the opportunity to go to town to shop or watch the excitement."

After strolling around town during the day, we'd go to a movie in the evening, chat with people from the village, and time would fly by. Then we'd walk home together—that was real fun.

Soon they reached the main road, where they encountered some people who had arrived late. Master Liu and Chen Fan were prominent figures in the team, and people kept greeting them.

The mule cart swayed and rocked, and the four girls sat on it, watching Chen Fan greet people familiarly and chat with them for a while, whether they knew them or not. They couldn't help but admire him secretly.

In the countryside these days, being able to interact with people is a skill. Those without the skill can't really get anything out of acquaintances, but those with the skill, like Chen Fan, can chat with anyone, whether they know them or not.

With this skill, one can earn a living in the team. For example, if a family is holding a wedding or funeral, they will inevitably need to hire one or two such people to be in charge of entertaining guests. It would be best if they had relatives, but in most cases, they would not, so they would have to hire someone from outside.

If you hire someone, you have to give them money and cigarettes, so a few people make a living this way. The key is that these people have a lot of influence in the team, and they are often asked to mediate disputes between neighbors.

So at this point, Master Liu couldn't help but say, "Even if you're uneducated and incompetent, you won't live a bad life. With your skills, I'm afraid Lujiawan won't be able to keep you here."

Upon hearing this, the girls behind him felt a jolt of fear and looked at Chen Fan nervously.

Chen Fan himself didn't care and laughed, "Those who want to leave can't be kept, and those who want to stay can't be driven away. It has little to do with whether you have the ability or not. Don't you think that makes sense?"

Upon hearing this, Master Liu burst into laughter, "That's right, that's exactly it!"

Huang Ying and the others looked at each other in confusion, wondering what was going on.

……

Mules are faster than people, and even when pulling a cart with six people on it, they gradually overtook the pedestrians and arrived at Team 10 in less than an hour.

Chen Fan had been here a few times before, but he only went up to the "Lujiawan CBD" at the foot of the slope and had never gone up the slope.

The mule cart stopped here, and a militiaman came up to greet them loudly, "Teacher Chen, Master Liu."

He paused for a moment, then pointed to the side and said, "Master Liu, could you please hand over the mule to me? I'll go and put it away for you."

Without hesitation, Master Liu jumped off the cart, handed him the reins, and said with a smile, "Then I'll have to trouble you."

He reached for his cigarette.

Chen Fan had already taken out a cigarette and handed it to the man.

The man thanked him, took the cigarette, turned around and pointed to the slope, "Teacher Chen hasn't been here yet, has he? The village school is up there. The team leader has reserved a spot for you. Just go up."

After saying that, he waved his hand and pulled the mule cart away.

Just then, another donkey cart came into the village. The man immediately waved his hand and said, "Move the cart to the side and don't block the road."

Chen Fan glanced back and realized he didn't recognize the person, so he walked up the slope with Master Liu, while the four girls followed closely behind.

The higher you go, the more people there are. Most of them are from Team 10. They have a geographical advantage and aren't worried about anyone taking their spots, so they're not in a hurry. A small number are acquaintances from other teams, sitting in front of people's houses, drinking tea and chatting. When they see Chen Fan, they naturally greet him warmly.

After finally reaching the top of the slope, Chen Fan saw a large open space. Beside the open space were three brick houses, one large and one small. Without asking, he knew this was Lujiawan Primary School. It was a bit small, but the environment looked quite nice, and it had everything one would need.

On the vast playground, twelve areas, each three or four meters wide and resembling running tracks, were marked with lime powder, each labeled "Team 1, Team 2, Team 3..."

These are clearly designated viewing spots for each team.

As for seats, sorry, please bring your own!
In the middle area, a two-meter-wide space was left, where several square tables were already placed.

A table was placed a little further back, with three boxes next to it, and a group of people surrounding it, but no one dared to approach.

You can easily guess that the projectionist was preparing, and the eight-immortal table was used to set up the projector.

In front of the projector were two square tables side by side, with several long benches beside them.

Chen Fan guessed this was the place where they would "drink and watch a movie".

Their arrival immediately attracted the attention of those around them, and someone shouted, "Captain, Teacher Chen is here!"

Master Liu chuckled as he smoked, "Did you hear that? Now you have more influence in the team than I do."

Chen Fan shook his head and said softly, "No, it's mainly because the people of Lujiawan are hospitable. I haven't been living here long, and they still treat me like a guest. Also, I'm tall, so they're bound to see me first."

Upon hearing this, Master Liu couldn't help but grin from ear to ear, "What did I just say? With that mouth of yours, you can eat your way through all four corners of the world!"

Just then, Su Yujun, the captain of Team 10, walked over hurriedly and said from a distance, "Teacher Chen is here. Come sit here. We've saved a seat for you."

Before he could finish speaking, he saw Master Liu and invited him, "Master Liu, why are you only arriving now? We've been waiting for you for ages. Come on, come on, let's sit over there."

Master Liu waved his hand repeatedly, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, "No, no, I'll just go to Team 6's location to take a look."

Without waiting for Su Yujun to speak, he walked towards the sixth team's location. He wasn't a newcomer to the movies, so he knew exactly what the middle seats were for. They were reserved for the brigade leaders, mainly to keep the projectionist entertained. That way, if the projectionist came again, they might bring two new films or show an extra movie.

He hadn't been invited before, so Su Yujun was clearly just being polite; he wasn't going to join in the fun.

As soon as Master Liu left, Huang Ying and the other three waved to Chen Fan and followed him.

Chen Fan knew he couldn't escape, and he didn't even try to run away. Su Yujun dragged him to the middle table.

When he got closer, he found that Secretary Yang and the others had already arrived, standing with their hands behind their backs, talking to the projectionist.

Su Yujun brought Chen Fan over and immediately introduced him to the projectionist, "Xu, this is our great writer from Lujiawan..."

Before he could finish speaking, the projectionist, who was in his thirties, threw away his cigarette butt and stretched out his hands with great enthusiasm. "Oh, I know, I know. Teacher Chen, right? I've heard so much about you. I bought this issue of 'Jiangnan Literature and Art' too. Your article is really good, it's really good. Our leaders and the leaders of the county cultural bureau are all praising you."

He was enthusiastic, but Chen Fan was even more enthusiastic.

People in social situations always say polite things, and this was nothing to Chen Fan. "You're too kind, Mr. Xu. I just wrote a few words; I don't deserve your praise. It's Mr. Xu who has gone to so much trouble, coming all the way from the county to bring us a movie. He's truly a hero..."

The two exchanged pleasantries, but Xu, a mere elementary school graduate, couldn't withstand the flattery from decades later. He immediately waved his hand and said to Su Yujun, "Captain Su, let's not wait any longer. Get someone to set up the curtain. We're having an extra screening today, no appetizers, let's go straight for three main films!"

Upon hearing this, Su Yujun beamed with joy and waved to the militiamen, "Hurry up and put the cloth on; we're showing three feature films today."

It's not even 5:30 yet, but it's already getting dark, so you can still see the picture when you're watching a movie.

A movie is about 90 to 120 minutes long, so three movies would be 5 or 6 hours long. Tonight, I estimate I'll be working until midnight.

However, apart from those who came from other places, no one felt it was too late. It was a rare opportunity to watch a movie, and even if they stayed up all night, there were plenty of people to keep them company.

At Su Yujun's call, the militiamen quickly sprang into action, pulling a rectangular screen onto a wooden frame and securing it in place, while Xu Xiang carefully assembled the projector.

Su Yujun's words had already been heard by the people around, so many villagers took off running to inform their families who were still sitting at home. Soon, a dark mass of people surged towards them.

As for Chen Fan, he had already been pulled to sit down at the table. Ye Shubao grinned from ear to ear and patted his arm, "It has to be you again!"

(End of this chapter)