Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 292 Catching the Thief

With three movies and the time allotted for changing films, it was already past midnight by the time they ended.

Some people who lived far away couldn't hold on any longer and dispersed early. Those who remained on the playground were mostly from the Lujiawan brigade.

Chen Fan declined Su Yujun's invitation to stay overnight and got on Master Liu's cart. Behind him were four girls who were already exhausted but still trying to stay awake.

Lighting a cigarette to perk himself up, Chen Fan looked at Master Liu, who was still quite energetic, and said with admiration, "You're really amazing. I was almost at my limit, but you're still so energetic."

Master Liu chuckled as he puffed on his pipe, "I just had a nap, so I'm sure I'm feeling refreshed."

Chen Fan was speechless for a moment. After a couple of seconds, he smiled at him and said, "If you're tired, just go back and rest. There's no need to wait for us. We're a few young people, how could we possibly get lost?"

The four girls behind them also seemed a little embarrassed.

However, they had never stayed up all night before, and at this moment they were so sleepy that they huddled together, unable to even speak.

Upon hearing Chen Fan's words, Master Liu exhaled a puff of smoke and smiled at him, "I was originally planning to go back early, but after hearing what you said, I decided to stay and give you a ride."

Chen Fan was about to ask something when he realized what was going on. He laughed twice and said, "You mean teaching veterinarians first aid methods? It's nothing really. Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. These first aid methods are just some simple tricks that don't require much skill, but they can be very useful in critical moments."

For me, keeping this knowledge is useless; I'd rather teach it to others so they can learn more emergency preparedness skills and not be caught off guard if they encounter such a situation someday.

This was his honest opinion. If he had previously spread his skills to enhance his standing in Lujiawan and prepare for the future, this time he truly had no ulterior motives.

Most first aid knowledge consists of small skills that can't be used to make money or earn a living. Teaching them can save more lives that shouldn't be lost, so why not?

Master Liu glanced at him, said nothing, just chuckled twice, and spurred his horse forward with his whip.

The mule had just taken a long nap, and now it was full of energy. Under the light of the kerosene lamp, it pulled the cart with its head down, and in less than an hour, it returned to the territory of Team 6.

Chen Fan bid farewell to Xiao Liewen, Captain Zhang, and the other people who lived in Team 5. The mule cart turned east and soon arrived at the educated youth compound.

But at this time, the once quiet educated youth compound was surprisingly noisy.

Chen Fan stared blankly at the dozens of people gathered at the entrance of the courtyard, somewhat lost in thought.

What happened today? I was just watching a movie, and one unexpected thing after another happened.
Just as he was in a daze, Master Liu shouted, "Teacher Chen is back! What are you doing?"

Captain Yang's voice came immediately, "Master Liu, right? We caught a thief, and we're just waiting for Xiao Chen to come back and handle it."

Thief?

Jiang Lili and the other three, who had just woken up after a shaky nap on the road, suddenly became alert and jumped off the cart.

Chen Fan was full of surprise. Was there really a thief tonight?
He got out of the car and walked quickly forward. When he got there, a humanoid creature lay motionless on the ground, its limbs twisting irregularly, without even groaning.

He was startled and pulled Captain Yang aside to ask in a low voice, "What happened to him? Is something wrong?"

Captain Yang, however, didn't seem to care and said with a smirk, "Don't worry, it's still breathing."

Chen Fan blinked rapidly. What did it mean that he was still breathing?
He had only heard others talk about how petty thieves are dealt with these days, but he never knew it would be this serious.

As long as there's still air, is that enough?
The custodian, Huang, stood with his hands on his hips and suddenly kicked the man, saying, "The owner is back. Get up and talk to me."

The man remained silent, struggling to get up, keeping his head down and not looking at anyone, standing silently with one side higher than the other.

Chen Fan tilted his head and looked at him. "Where are you from?"

The man didn't say anything.

Jiang Lili and the other three stood behind Chen Fan, looking at him with curiosity in their eyes.

At this moment, Accountant Liu walked over and whispered, "You don't need to ask this. It's useless to ask. These old hands won't tell you. Anyway, it's just a matter of getting beaten up. After you're done, you can go home. You don't need to embarrass your hometown."

He paused for a moment, then turned to look at the man, and couldn't help but click his tongue, "But he really had a rough day today, he probably won't be able to avoid going to the clinic."

Chen Fan blinked, about to speak, when he suddenly realized something and said loudly, "Captain, let's not stand here. It's quite cold outside. Let's go inside and talk."

He then turned around and gestured to Jiang Lili, who immediately took out her keys and went to open the gate, leaving the courtyard gate wide open.

Captain Yang kicked the man in the thigh and said, "Get inside."

The man remained silent and limped into the courtyard.

The twenty-odd people from our team who came to help catch the thief also went inside.

Chen Fan entered the courtyard, went back to his room to turn on the light, and then took out several packs of cigarettes, opened them all, and offered one to everyone present.

Of course, this does not include the thief.

Then he secretly instructed Yang Ju to go to the kitchen to start a fire and make some late-night snacks according to the number of people here.

After doing all that, he was able to see the thief's appearance clearly by the light of the electric lamp.

He was about thirty or forty years old, not very tall, very thin, with his head down so his face was not visible, his clothes were dusty, and there were two large hoof prints on his chest.

Alright, no need to ask, it's definitely the mare's handiwork.

Looking at other places, there were faint traces of blood, but it was unclear where the wounds were located or who the perpetrator was.

Chen Fan walked over, grabbed his wrist, and took his pulse.

The man then slightly raised his head, his eyes filled with surprise.

Chen Fan ignored him, lowered his wrist, and touched the spot where the horse had kicked him a few more times.

This surprised Chen Fan as well.

Good heavens, he broke four ribs, and he's acting like nothing happened?
This guy is really talented!

Chen Fan turned to Jiang Lili and said, "Go and get the strips of homespun cloth I cut earlier."

Jiang Lili said "Oh" and immediately ran towards the storage room.

Captain Yang stepped forward and asked curiously, "Are you planning to hang him up? You don't need to use cloth strips, I have hemp rope right here."

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly as he said, "No, it was his ribs that were broken by the horse. I set the bones for him."

A moment of silence fell over the room after he said that.

Treat the thief's injuries?
Isn't this a bit inappropriate?

Let alone them, even the thief himself was starting to question his existence. He was used to being beaten when caught, but getting his injuries treated after being caught was something he had no experience with!
Chen Fan didn't care about anything else. As soon as Jiang Lili brought over the strip of cloth, he immediately used his unique technique to reposition the dislocated rib. Then he wrapped the injured area tightly with the cloth and said, "Go to the health center tomorrow, register with the orthopedics department, and ask the doctor to re-bandage and fix it. This kind of rib fracture is not easy to put on a splint. It can only be fixed with a chest strap. You will also need to rest for three months until the bone has fully healed before you can move around."

The thief, who had been expressionless until now, blushed deeply and stood there stunned for several seconds before muttering, "I have no money."

Chen Fan took two steps back, clapped his hands, smiled slightly, and said, "It's okay if you don't have money."

He suddenly turned to Captain Yang and said, "Captain, find a place to lock him up today, and send someone to the health center tomorrow to hand him over. I'll let the health center know."

Although he only stayed at the health center for a week, he had good interpersonal relationships, and arranging this small matter was just a piece of cake for him.

Captain Yang looked puzzled. "He stole from your house, and instead of punishing him, you sent him to the hospital for treatment?"

What kind of saintly thinking is this?

Chen Fan shook his head slightly and smiled, "No, I saw that he was so badly injured, yet he could still move freely and move nimbly. This shows that not only is his physical condition good, but his mental fortitude is also extraordinary. Tomorrow, I'll take him to the clinic and ask Dr. Dong to stabilize his injuries first, and then let him work at the clinic to atone for his sins."

As he spoke, he turned to look at the thief and said, "You, just stay here at the clinic and work. Your medical expenses and the damage you caused here today will all be included in your wages."

The medical expenses are determined by the health center. As for my losses... emmm, there are 5 people here, so we won't charge you more than 5 yuan.

"The temporary workers at the health center earn 8 cents a day. If you go, you'll only get 4 cents until your injury heals, then it'll be 7 cents. Don't look at me like that. If they didn't pay you this much, why would the health center let you work there?!"

Just a moment ago, I thought Chen Fan was an angelic thief, but now I only feel that he is a devil.

Chen Fan clapped his hands and smiled at him, "4 cents a day, 3 cents for food, and 1 cents to pay off your debt. Once you're fully recovered, you can pay back 4 cents a day. Don't think this is a small amount. A strong laborer in our team can only earn a few cents a day. You're almost catching up with them."

You'll be free once you've paid back the money. Of course, you can try running away and see if I can catch you!

He then waved his hand and said, "Take him away."

Two militiamen immediately came over and took the thief, who was filled with existential doubt, away.

Chen Fan turned to Captain Yang and said, "Hanging him up and beating him up won't recover the losses, so why bother? Wouldn't it be better to send him to do manual labor and use his wages to compensate for the losses?!"

Captain Yang looked conflicted. After thinking for a moment, he said, "But he didn't steal anything!"

It's quite amazing, actually. They didn't discover the thief on their own initiative; he just popped out of their sight.

Just now, when everyone returned from watching the movie, they heard a neighing of horses and barking of dogs coming from the educated youth compound. Before they could even figure out how to break in, they saw this guy fall off the compound wall and land on the ground, unable to move. He had nothing on him, so he definitely hadn't succeeded.

He did suffer quite a few injuries.

Chen Fan pursed his lips. "He didn't succeed, but he made a mess of our yard. Xiaoju and the others will have to clean it up tomorrow. Shouldn't he pay some compensation for their emotional distress?"

Captain Yang was completely bewildered.

Compensation for emotional distress? What's that? It's only worth 5 yuan?
Well, he's just a thief anyway, Xiao Chen can do whatever he wants with him. Besides, Xiao Chen's approach is definitely more worthwhile than hanging him up and beating him up.

Or should we do it this way from now on?

An idea flashed through his mind, and he waved his hand at Chen Fan, "Alright, we'll do it your way. It's late now, you should all get some rest, we should go back too."

After saying that, he was about to leave, and everyone else was also preparing to leave.

Chen Fan quickly stopped them, "Don't rush off, we've prepared a late-night snack. It would be a waste not to eat it."

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces lit up with joy, but they all declined.

"What are you doing? What are you eating so late at night?"

"There's absolutely no need for that. You guys eat your food, I'm going home."

"I'll go with you."

"Teacher Chen, we're leaving now."

They talked as they slowly walked outside, seemingly waiting for Chen Fan to come and pull them along.

Chen Fan went along with their wishes, adopting a firm stance to keep them there, saying, "You can't leave, you can't leave. The food's already in the pot; it would be disrespectful for you to leave."

"Hey, Xiao Chen, what are you doing?"

"Look at you, sigh, never do it again!"

Following Captain Yang's and Accountant Liu's example, everyone reluctantly turned back, sending only one person to call the two who had just escorted the thief.

Then, at the invitation of Yang Ju and others, they went into the kitchen, each carrying a bowl of noodles, and ate them with gusto.

Chen Fan, under the pretext of checking if anything was damaged, went to the back to ask the mare for details.

It turned out that the man had climbed over the wall from the backyard, and before he could do anything, the rat snake took the opportunity to bite him.

He had just shaken the snake off when two brave half-grown puppies rushed up and bit him on both legs, one on each side.

The dog wasn't big, and the bite wound was shallow, so there wasn't anything seriously wrong.

But he actually tried to shake the dog off, and the little mare couldn't stand it. What if the dog got hurt and the owner came back and scolded her?
The mare immediately leaped out of the stable and charged at him, kicking him so hard that his internal organs almost spilled out.

Not to be outdone, the falcon swooped down from the sky and swiped a claw at his head, grabbing a clump of hair.

The man dared not linger any longer. He shook off the hounds in the backyard, rushed to the front yard, climbed over the wall using the woodpile, and was caught red-handed by Captain Yang and his men.

After figuring out what had happened, Chen Fan praised all the animals involved in the operation, and then went to the front yard.

He took the noodles Huang Ying handed him and ate and chatted with Captain Yang.

Captain Yang had already finished his bowl of noodles, even drinking all the broth.

He declined the offer of another bowl, handed the bowl to Yang Ju, lit a cigarette, and then looked at Chen Fan and said, "We just finished transplanting rice seedlings, so we're not particularly busy right now. How about we start digging the foundation for your house? Also, you mentioned you wanted to get something done last time. Shouldn't we start preparing for that now?"

Chen Fan thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "That works too."

Accountant Liu watched him from the side and said, "Tell us what you need to do first, so we'll have a better understanding."

Chen Fan, holding his bowl of noodles, said as he ate, "First, we need to dig a big pit in front of the house site. That pit is for storing fermented soil; it can't be small. Then we need to..."

The lights in the educated youth compound were bright late at night. Chen Fan was sketching out the construction blueprint for his first house to more than twenty members of his team, his eyes full of longing.

I'm late -_-||
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(End of this chapter)