Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 299 We can't let him get away!

In the rice paddies of Team 6 in Lujiawan, everyone straightened up and looked in the direction from which the loudspeaker's sound came.

It wasn't until Zhang Cuie broadcast the announcement three times, an unprecedented event, that the loudspeaker resumed broadcasting the radio program, and everyone came to their senses.

Huang Ying's eyes widened in amazement. "Teacher Chen is publishing another book?"

Why use "again"?
Yang Ju forgot to throw away the weeds she had pulled out, exclaiming, "I still have to go to the health department to teach first aid?!"

Liu Dan: "Teacher Chen is so amazing!"

Jiang Lili withdrew her gaze from the loudspeaker and turned to look in the direction of the brigade headquarters. Suddenly, she pulled the brim of her straw hat down, lowered her head, and her face was full of uncontrollable smiles.

But when he looked down and saw that his feet were in the mud and his body was covered in mud, and then thought about how clean Chen Fan was every day and how he was admired by the whole brigade, a feeling of shame welled up in him and his mood immediately dropped.

Just then, Liu the accountant's voice suddenly came from the side, "Xiao Dan, you guys stop what you're doing and hurry back to help Teacher Chen pack her things."

On the other side of the rice paddy, people from the Yang and Huang families were loudly reminding Yang Ju and Huang Ying to go back quickly.

Jiang Lili watched as the three of them rushed up the ridge of the field, and for a moment she stood there, stunned, not knowing what to do.

At this moment, Huang Ying turned around and found that she hadn't followed, so she shouted loudly, "Lili, hurry up!"

Hearing the warbler's call, Jiang Lili quickly ran towards the edge of the field.

Amidst the amused gazes of the crowd, the four girls ran barefoot along the country ridges, afraid that Chen Fan would return on horseback first.

When they finally arrived at the educated youth settlement, panting, they ran into Chen Fan.

Chen Fan dismounted and let the mare return to the stable on her own. The foal, lamb, and dog had already slipped through the door crack in a flash.

He looked curiously at the four people who were panting and trembling, "Why are you running so fast?"

Yang Ju was the first to catch her breath. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly grinned and chuckled twice, swallowing back the words that were about to come out of her mouth.

Huang Ying rubbed her feet together and smiled without saying a word.

Only Liu Dan was the most honest, and she immediately said, "Aren't you going to teach at the prefectural committee? We'll help you pack your luggage when we get back."

Huang Ying and Yang Ju blushed and turned their heads in unison.

Is it okay to say this directly?
Chen Fan looked at the four of them with a surprised expression. "Who said I was going to teach at the prefectural committee?"

Liu Dan's eyes are always fixed on her face. Isn't she a teacher? What was she again?

Despite the pain in her feet, Jiang Lili smiled and said, "She means teaching others first aid and publishing a book."

Liu Dan nodded quickly, "Yes, yes, that's exactly what I mean."

Chen Fan was speechless. Could you please combine those two sentences into one?

Jiang Lili pursed her lips and said to Chen Fan, "You must be in a rush, right? Let's change our clothes and then we'll help you pack your luggage."

With that, he turned and walked into the courtyard, and Huang Ying and the other two quickly followed.

Chen Fan shook his head and strode into his room.

The weather is gradually getting warmer, and he doesn't need to wear a coat in the mornings and evenings, so he didn't bring his backpack today. But now he has to go on a business trip, and he can't go without a bag.

You can't just wrap a bundle in a piece of coarse cloth!
Let's take stock of what we need to bring. First is our identification. These days, we don't have ID cards anymore. Do we have to bring our household registration book?
Chen Fan wasn't sure which documents he should bring, so for safety's sake, he brought all of them.

This includes his household registration book, gun license, and his own "village veterinarian certificate" and "barefoot doctor certificate".

As for the broadcasters' work permits, there were none. It wasn't that the broadcasters didn't have work permits, but rather that the production team was relatively loosely organized. If the leaders wanted to issue permits, they would issue a work permit similar to a primary school student's award certificate. If they didn't want to engage in formalism, they wouldn't have any permits at all; registration would suffice.

The brigade leaders of Lujiawan didn't like these formalities. They would introduce the cadres and coordinators of the production brigade during the team leader meeting, and that was it. Why issue certificates for no reason?
So Chen Fan brought these four certificates.

Besides that, it's all about money and tickets.

He had over 800 yuan left in his savings, and after thinking for two seconds, he decided to take it all with him.

It's unsafe to leave money here when none of your own people are here. What if another thief comes?
On the contrary, carrying it on your person provides more security. Moreover, it's more convenient to have money with you if you need it at the local government office.

He brought all the money, so naturally he didn't forget the tickets and coupons. All the tickets and coupons given by Jiangnan Literature and Art Publishing House last time, as well as some tickets and coupons exchanged before, were all stuffed into the inner pocket of his briefcase.

After putting away the money and tickets, I started packing my clothes.

At this moment, four girls walked in together. Seeing Chen Fan standing in front of the wardrobe, Huang Ying immediately ran forward and said, "Teacher Chen, we're here to help you."

Chen Fan turned his head and smiled, "No need, you wouldn't know what I'm going to pack."

Huang Ying opened her mouth and stood there dumbfounded, she really didn't know what to pack.

At this moment, Jiang Lili stepped forward and said softly, "Although the weather is getting warmer now, it can still be a bit chilly if it's windy or rainy, so it's best to bring a jacket. Also, bring a couple of changes of clothes."

Chen Fan nodded. "Yes, that's what I think too."

Then she rummaged through the clothes in the closet, "Coat, coat..."

Jiang Lili smiled, stepped forward, squatted down, and pulled a coat out from the bottom compartment. "Here it is."

Chen Fan held it in his hand, feeling a little strange. "How did it get down there? I remember it being up there."

Jiang Lili smiled and said, "I tidied up your wardrobe a few days ago, putting your summer clothes on top and your autumn and winter clothes on the bottom."

Before she could finish speaking, she saw the strange looks on Huang Ying's and the other two's faces, and immediately swallowed the rest of her words, lowering her head and muttering, "I helped him tidy up the wardrobe a few times before, and... and..."

Chen Fan glanced at the group, then interrupted her with a laugh, saying to Huang Ying and the others, "She was referring to the time before you moved in. I wasn't very good at doing laundry, so I asked Xiao Jiang to help me with the chores."

The three girls nodded in unison, "Oh..."

Chen Fan blinked, thinking to himself, "Judging from their expressions, they probably believe it, right?"

A little while later, Chen Fan sat drinking tea, watching Jiang Lili expertly take his clothes out of the closet, fold them neatly, and put them into his backpack one by one. Then she went to the kitchen to boil water, put it in an earthenware pot to cool, and then poured it into a kettle. At the same time, she boiled more than a dozen tea eggs as provisions for his journey.

From beginning to end, Huang Ying and the other two were doing her work in a daze.

There was no other way; none of them had ever served anyone on a business trip before, and they had absolutely no idea where to begin. Jiang Lili, on the other hand, used the things her parents and sister had prepared for her when she went to the countryside as a model, thought of more, and then applied them to Chen Fan, so naturally, everything was well-prepared.

……

While Chen Fan was making preparations in an orderly manner, Secretary Yang heard the announcement over the loudspeaker and immediately rode his bicycle to the brigade headquarters without saying a word.

On the way, we ran into Captain Zhang and Zhang Wenliang, and even took them back together.

After rushing for half an hour, I finally arrived at the brigade headquarters office.

He rushed in, and before he could catch his breath, he anxiously asked, "Has Xiao Chen left yet?"

Ye Shubao was chatting aimlessly with An Quan, imagining that as Teacher Chen's book went nationwide, Lujiawan would also benefit and become known to people all over the country.

Ye Shubao raised his head, his eyes full of anticipation, "Xiao An, do you think it would have worked if I had gone out and told people I was the deputy brigade leader of Lujiawan back then?"

Anquan suppressed a laugh, putting on an expression of deep agreement, "It works, of course it works!"

He paused for a moment, then continued, “You have to think about it, how many production teams are there in the whole country? What’s a deputy production team leader? Even if you go out with a letter of introduction, you’re lucky if people don’t give you a hard time. If you run into someone in a bad mood, they might beat you up.”

Ye Shubao was immediately startled and stared at him blankly, "No, it can't be that bad, can it?"

They exaggerated the safety issue, saying, "How could it not be that serious? Think about it, whether it's a state-run restaurant, a guesthouse, a ticket seller at a train station, or a sales clerk at a department store, they all have secure jobs. As long as they don't make any fundamental mistakes, even if they beat you up, they'll only get a few words of criticism at most. Why would they hold their anger in?"

Ye Shubao's eyes seemed to hold a mixture of belief and disbelief. "If Xiao Chen becomes famous, will they treat me differently?"

"It is a must!"

Anquan slammed his hand on the table, puffing on his cigarette, and said, "Think about it again. If Xiao Chen becomes famous, and everyone knows he's from Lujiawan, then when you go out, you can just pull out your letter of introduction and show it to people. They'll take a look and say, 'Wow, Lujiawan? That's the hometown of Teacher Chen who wrote the first aid book,'"

He pointed at Ye Shubao and said, "Think about it. Think about it carefully. If you were in his shoes, what would you do?"

Ye Shubao's eyes darted around, and he slammed his hand on the table, saying, "We must treat them differently!"

"Safety, isn't it? They'd start off with a cold face, then immediately switch to a smile; if they were already smiling, they'd be even more enthusiastic. If it's a guesthouse, they'd change the room near the stairs to a room further inside; if it's a restaurant, they'd cut you an extra two ounces of meat, and then a bunch of people would come over with drinks to chat, asking, 'Excuse me, Professor Chen, what kind of food do you usually eat? How often do you eat meat?'"

He patted Ye Shubao's arm, "Being the center of attention, isn't it comfortable?!"

Ye Shubao pursed his lips and nodded slowly, "It really feels very comfortable!"

Then he was startled by Secretary Yang suddenly barging in.

Seeing that he was standing there blankly, Secretary Yang asked again, "Has Xiao Chen left yet?"

Ye Shubao finally understood and immediately shook his head, "No. Your company seal is locked in the cabinet, so you can't issue a letter of introduction. How can he leave?"

Then, pointing in the direction of Team 6, he said, "I sent him back to pack his things. He'll come back when he's done, get his letter of introduction, money, and food coupons, and then go to the commune to catch the 2 o'clock bus to the county town."

When Secretary Yang heard that Chen Fan hadn't left yet, he breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve, took off his straw hat to fan himself, and then picked up Ye Shubao's teacup and took a big gulp.

Ye Shubao looked disgusted. "You have your own jar, why would you drink from mine?"

Just then, Zhang Wenliang and Captain Zhang walked in, and he waved to Zhang Wenliang, "Sanhuzi, make me a cup of tea, I'm exhausted."

Besides Chen Fan, Zhang Wenliang was the youngest in the brigade headquarters. He was used to running errands for the leaders. He walked over, picked up Secretary Yang's teacup, and asked curiously, "Why are you riding so fast? There's no bus until two o'clock. Even if Xiao Chen waits here, he can't get off."

"You know shit."

Secretary Yang fanned himself vigorously, turned to look at Ye Shubao, and asked with a stern face, "I'm asking you, Xiao Chen is going to the prefectural committee, who are you going to go with him?"

Ye Shubao paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No."

He paused for a moment, then chuckled, "He's not a child anymore, he's a teenager, very mature and experienced, even more so than Sanhuzi..."

Zhang Wenliang brought over a teacup and placed it in front of Secretary Yang, interrupting him impatiently, "How is he more mature than me? He looks like a child. If he hadn't practiced martial arts for two months, he probably wouldn't be much better than a young girl."

Ye Shubao glared at him, "Are you as good at handling things as him?"

Zhang Wenliang tried to argue, but Secretary Yang waved his hand to stop him, saying, "Don't interrupt."

"Yes."

Ye Shubao pointed at him, then said to Secretary Yang, "I haven't arranged for him to be here, but I've approved 50 jin of grain coupons and 20 yuan for him, so he won't be short of money for his travel expenses."

Upon hearing this, Secretary Yang immediately pointed at him, so angry that he could hardly speak. "You, you, you! I knew it! You didn't think things through!"

Ye Shubao was stunned. "How could I have been so inconsiderate?"

Captain Zhang sat behind his desk, finally catching his breath, and said while puffing on his pipe, "Old Yang's idea is that it's best to send someone with him, and not just one person, but two people."

Ye Shubao stared wide-eyed at him, then at Secretary Yang. Seeing Secretary Yang nod vigorously several times, he suddenly realized what was happening and raised his voice, saying, "We can't let him get away!"

Just then, a voice came from the doorway, "That's right, we can't let him get away!"

Everyone turned to look, and there stood Xiao Liewen.

Xiao Liewen strode in aggressively, stood behind his desk, hands on the table, a pipe dangling from his lips, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "I trust Xiao Chen completely; he certainly won't desert his post. But as for the Prefectural Committee's Health Department, hmph..."

He turned to look at everyone, "Are you all sure they won't 'borrow Xiao Chen from the prefectural committee and never return him'?!"

"Yes."

Seeing that everyone's thoughts had been quickly aligned, Secretary Yang nodded in satisfaction and said seriously, "Lujiawan still can't do without Xiao Chen. We just invested a huge sum of money, bought so many seedlings, and are preparing for a big push. Can we do it without him?..."

Safety is quietly correcting itself in the corner; it's just a blank check!

(End of this chapter)