Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 295: Should I go to the dinner party?
In the front yard of the former educated youth compound, there were a total of 10 square tables set up in the spacious courtyard.

Besides the more than 30 helpers, a dozen or so construction team masters, Liu Jujiang and a few other cooks, as well as a dozen or so people from Team 4 who came to deliver thatch, plus Chen Fan and Jiang Lili, the 10 square tables were perfectly full, with not a single one missing.

Chen Fan stood up, raised his glass, expressed his gratitude, and then downed the wine in one gulp. He was momentarily stunned, but remained outwardly calm. He merely glanced at Jiang Lili not far away before announcing the start of the banquet.

What he was drinking wasn't alcohol at all; it was clearly a glass of plain water, and importantly, it was warm.

Luckily it's summer now; if it were winter, it would be sweltering!

Chen Fan had just noticed that Jiang Lili had poured the drink. This girl, wasn't she afraid that someone might sit in the wrong seat and expose her?

Noticing Chen Fan's gaze, Jiang Lili, sitting in the corner, pursed her lips, suppressing a laugh, her shoulders still trembling slightly.

Huang Ying, standing beside her, glanced at her and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Jiang Lili immediately looked up, her eyes wide. "Huh? Did I laugh?"

Huang Ying winked at her, her eyes full of self-doubt. "Could I have seen wrong?"

Yang Ju said from the side, "It's normal to laugh. We're finally done with work, so we won't be so tired tomorrow."

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned around and grabbed Huang Ying's arm, her eyes full of excitement. "Teacher Chen's house is so beautiful! I've never seen such a beautiful house before. I have classmates who work for the town's water transport company, and their company's dormitory isn't this nice. No, it's far inferior. It can't even be compared!"

The water transport company was the largest enterprise in Nanhu Commune, with more than 300 employees, more than 40 cargo ships, and even 10 new iron-hulled ships, making it a truly wealthy and powerful enterprise.

Therefore, the dormitory of the water transport company was the best among all the companies in the commune. It was a two-story building, which could not even be compared with the brick and tile factory and cement factory that specialized in building materials.

But compared to Teacher Chen's big house, their little house was simply unbearable to look at!
Huang Ying retorted defiantly, "Hmph, as if He Lianlian isn't my classmate. What kind of company dormitory is this? It can't even compare to the water transport company's office building!"

Liu Dan was a year younger than them and in a different grade. Since there were no children of employees from the water transport company in her class, she naturally couldn't join the conversation.

However, she also had something to say: "But that's Teacher Chen's house, why are you all so happy?"

As soon as the words were spoken, three pairs of eyes met, sparking a fierce exchange!

Huang Ying coughed twice and fidgeted a little, "Given my relationship with Teacher Chen, it would be a piece of cake for me to visit him!"

At the dinner table, a woman surnamed Huang had a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth, and even held her rice bowl a little higher.

Upon seeing her mother's cold gaze, Yang Ju immediately said, "Does that mean I don't get along with Teacher Chen?"

Seeing that Aunt Yang's gaze softened while her own mother's eyes were like knives, Liu Dan quickly said, "That day, Teacher Chen even said he would teach me how to cook."

All seven people at the table looked at her, and Huang Ying and Yang Ju blurted out at the same time, "When?"

Liu Dan slowly lowered her head, "Last time I steamed the buns until they were rock hard."

puff...

Half the people at the table couldn't help but burst into laughter, but Liu Dan's mother almost fainted from anger.

If you can't make steamed buns, then don't do it. What are you showing off for?
Jiang Lili couldn't help but chuckle softly, but seeing them so jealous of each other, she suddenly felt very uncomfortable. She lowered her head and said, "I guess by the time the double harvest is over, Teacher Chen's house will be fully built, and we can move in then. I wonder when he will move in."

Upon hearing this, Huang Ying and the other two immediately lost their appetite. Even the delicious dishes on the table no longer tasted appealing, and they started counting grains of rice with their chopsticks.

……

When are you moving?

Chen Fan picked up a peanut and put it in his mouth. He frowned slightly. There wasn't enough oil in it. It tasted a bit burnt. It probably wasn't fried by Xiao Jiang.

Coming to his senses, he smiled and said, "There's no rush. I've heard that it's best to leave a new house open for a winter and a summer. It's not too late to move in during the Spring Festival."

An nodded in agreement, raised his glass to clink with his, and said, "Moving into a new home for the New Year has a good meaning, it's great."

The eight people at the table, besides Chen Fan, Anquan, Zhang Wenliang, and Captain Yang, were Wang Dongping, the captain of Team 4, Wang Youhai, the masonry team leader, Wang Youtian, the carpentry team leader, and Wang Decang, whom Chen Fan hadn't noticed before and who hadn't been introduced to. He was actually the uncle of Wang Dongping, Wang Youhai, and Wang Youtian.

In other words, he was the "chief designer" of thatched roofs.

They all have the surname Wang!

It's obvious without asking that the three-way power struggle between Team 4 and Team 6 is different. On the other side, there's a single dominant force. Regardless of whether there are outsiders, the Wang family can control Team 4 just by having these three members... Wait, isn't Secretary Yang of the brigade also from Team 4?
Chen Fan looked at the four people in front of him, feeling a little confused.

After the safety briefing, Grandpa Wang Decang, who had been silent until now, spoke up, "Yes, there are rules about the timing of moving. First, you have to choose an auspicious day. There are specific rules involved, namely... After choosing an auspicious day, you also have to choose the time. The move must be done in the morning, absolutely no later than 1:45 noon. If it's past 1:45 noon..."

Execution?

With those two words flashing through his mind, Chen Fan held his wine glass and looked at Master Wang, who had been silent just moments before but had become very talkative after drinking some wine. He even forgot to say anything.

Wang Decang was beaming and excited. “After noon, the yang energy declines and the yin energy rises. Moving house at this time can easily attract unclean things to follow you back.”

He wiped his mouth as he spoke, looking directly at Chen Fan, "Of course, Teacher Chen, you're a reincarnation of the God of Literature, protected by divine power..."

Upon hearing this, Wang Dongping, Wang Youhai, and Wang Youtian all covered their eyes, while the others coughed incessantly.

Grandpa Wang, however, was completely oblivious, and spoke with great intonation, “I’m not making this up. Look at you, with a full forehead, a square jaw, clear eyebrows and bright eyes, and a straight nose and square mouth.”

What do you call this appearance? You call it a dignified appearance; it can ward off evil spirits! And look at what you've done…”

Before he could finish speaking, Wang Dongping quickly grabbed the old man's arm, saying, "Uncle, Uncle."

Grandpa Wang turned to look at him, his expression quite displeased. "What are you doing?"

Wang Dongping: "Tell me the moving time."

Grandpa Wang said "Oh," coming back to his senses. "Right, about the moving time, there's a specific time requirement. It has to be before noon, yes, I've already mentioned that. And the moving process, you can't be careless at all! Let me tell you, there are quite a few things to consider..."

Chen Fan listened for almost half an hour, still completely bewildered, and could only keep saying "Oh, oh, oh".

Wang Dongping tried to stop him throughout the ordeal, but to no avail.

However, when the three Wang brothers saw that Chen Fan was listening attentively, they couldn't help but feel gratified and secretly sighed in their hearts, "Teacher Chen, you're so capable!"
Chen Fan listened with great interest.

Where can I listen to these things later? If you want someone to tell you these things, you have to pay them!
What I'm saying might not even be correct.

At this moment, Mr. Wang Decang spoke about everything related to home furnishings, from astronomy to geography and even ghosts and gods. Everything he said was well-founded and logical, and it sounded just like the truth.

That show is even more exciting than Ghost Blows Out the Light!
Chen Fan was already conceiving ghost stories he could write in the 90s. In any case, his attitude certainly earned him the utmost respect from the three Wang brothers.

Once Grandpa Wang had passed out, Wang Dongping immediately called a few people to carry him to a cart covered with straw to rest. He then had them take him back first, and when they returned, he would continue to toast Teacher Chen.

We're going to drink until we drop tonight!

Besides them, representatives from other teams also came over to offer toasts.

Teacher Chen didn't have any personal space to cheat, so the secret to his ability to drink for so long without getting drunk was the bottle of wine in front of him.

It's all water!
Seeing that he had finished drinking it, Jiang Lili immediately brought him another bottle.

I don't know if it's wine mixed with water, or water mixed with wine!
Because there were so many people, and Jiang Lili was worried that someone might spill Teacher Chen's wine, she didn't dare to take plain water.

Sure enough, someone got drunk and collapsed as soon as he picked up the bottle. Jiang Lili was terrified and watched helplessly as the person drank it down.

But it seems like it hasn't been discovered?
After observing for a while, Jiang Lili felt relieved.

By this point, everyone had drunk quite a bit. If there was even a hint of alcohol in the glass, who knew if it had been diluted with water?!

With someone helping him cheat, Chen Fan naturally wasn't even slightly intoxicated.

Fortunately, his acting skills were decent, especially his ability to feign drunkenness, which he mastered and never gave himself away.

As night fell and people collapsed one by one, the handcarts of Team 4 came in handy.

Those who weren't drunk pulled the intoxicated ones away from the educated youth compound, and they drove home one after another, combining nighttime driving with drunk driving.

The crowd gradually dispersed, until only our team and Team 10 remained.

One of the people from Team 10 sat opposite Chen Fan, half-drunk and half-awake, and said, "Teacher Chen, there's something I've never had a chance to tell you. I'm afraid if I don't say it now, I'll never have the chance again."

Chen Fan looked at the hero and couldn't help but wipe away a cold sweat. "W-what's wrong?"

The man smiled and said, "Remember when you saved Lao Gao's kid at the movie theater that day?"

Chen Fan paused for a moment, then nodded. "I remember. What's wrong?"

If it weren't for this incident, he wouldn't have thought of teaching first aid to veterinarians.

Could it be that rescuing someone has backfired?
The man shook his head and chuckled, "Good to remember. So, actually, the very next day, Lao Gao approached our Captain Su, wanting to invite you to dinner..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Fan waved his hands repeatedly, "No need, no need, it was just a small favor, why bother with a meal?"

If it were team 6 or team 5, he might go, but team 10 is too far. Even if he could ride a horse there, he wouldn't be willing to go just for a meal.

Upon hearing Chen Fan's refusal, the man's expression remained unchanged. He simply waved his hand and said softly, "Teacher Chen, I'm just a messenger. Listen to me, and once I'm done, my mission is complete. Whether you go to dinner or not is up to you. If you say you'll go, then you'll go; if you say you won't, then you won't."

Anquan was also a bit tipsy at this point, after all, he was drinking real alcohol, not water mixed with alcohol. He patted Chen Fan on the shoulder, squinted his eyes and said, "Then let him finish speaking before you say anything more."

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow and smiled at the man, "Okay, go ahead."

But in his heart he wondered, could there be some other story behind this?
The man rested his arms on his thighs and smiled at Chen Fan, "Here's the situation. I have to make it clear, otherwise people will say that we from Team 10 are impolite, which is not good."

Chen Fan hummed in agreement twice, without interrupting.

The man continued, "Old Gao's surname is Gao. The child you saved that day was his only child, his only son. The Gao family is counting on that child to carry on the family line."

The day after the movie screening, he went to see our Captain Su, wanting to treat you to a meal as a small token of his appreciation. Unfortunately, you were building a house that day, so the invitation couldn't be arranged. Hearing this, he wanted to come and help again, but he's lame; he can't use one leg.

As he spoke, he patted his left leg, and the smile on his face disappeared. "That's a problem I had since I was a child. I can't do heavy work and have always had to work with women. Everyone in our 10th team knows that. So the reason he doesn't come is because our team leader won't approve it, not because he has no conscience."

Chen Fan nodded immediately, "I understand."

The man smiled and said, "Let me tell you about the third one. Old Gao's surname is Gao, but actually it's not."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan was immediately dumbfounded. What did that mean?
He turned to look at the others. Anquan and Captain Yang both seemed thoughtful, while Zhang Wenliang looked like he understood.

Chen Fan blinked, thinking to himself, "So you all knew?"

Are we playing a charades?

The man took a breath and continued, "Old Gao's surname isn't Gao. No one knows his real name anymore. All that's known is that his original surname was Gao Qiao."

Chen Fan immediately realized what he meant and blurted out, "Daytime?"

There is no such surname in Chinese compound surnames!
The man nodded solemnly and said, "It's Xiao Rizi. He's Xiao Rizi's orphan. In 45, when the main force of the Japanese army came, the Japanese troops either ran away or died. Later, in a Japanese hospital, they found him and a nurse. He was only 10 years old at the time, and the nurse was 6 years older than him. She is now his wife."

After pausing, the man wiped his face and continued, "When the main force left, they left him and the nurse in Lujiawan. The commander of the main force personally instructed us that we must treat everyone equally, without discrimination, and certainly not to call for war."

From that day on, he was called Gao Qiao. The nurse who took care of him later married him when he grew up.

Over the years, our entire team has remembered the instructions of the commander-in-chief and treated him equally.

At this point, the man slapped his thigh again, “But they are Japanese devils after all, how can we treat them all the same? Just because of one sentence from the commander, we hate him to death, but we are also afraid that he is sick, and even more afraid that he is dead. We don’t even care about our own people.”

The man sighed deeply, "Anyway, that's the situation. Actually, Lao Gao has been a diligent and conscientious person all these years, and he has never made any mistakes. He is also an honest and upright person. After having a son, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to his son."

"If his son had gotten into trouble that day, I'm telling you, Professor Chen, I'm not exaggerating at all, he and his wife definitely wouldn't have survived that night; they would have died together."

Finally, he clapped his hands and laughed, "Anyway, that's the situation. I'm just responsible for conveying the information. As for Lao Gao, well, we've known him for decades. We've all seen what kind of person he is. To be honest, he's not a bad person. Those who hated him back then don't hate him anymore. But whether you go to dinner he invites you to is up to you."

After he finished speaking, Chen Fan hesitated for two seconds, then nodded and said, "Okay, I understand."

He looked up and smiled. "But I'm a little dizzy right now. I'll give Captain Su an answer tomorrow, okay?"

The man laughed and said, "Of course there's no problem."

He stood up and waved, "Teacher Chen."

Then he waved to An Quan and the others, "An Quan, Company Commander Zhang, Captain Yang, you can drink slowly, I'm going back now."

After he finished speaking, he slowly moved the stool away and walked out unsteadily. The other three people from Team 10 who were with him quickly stepped forward, greeted Chen Fan, and led him away.

(End of this chapter)