Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 31 (Promotion)

Chen Fan watched Jiang Lili painstakingly pulling at the cotton cloth, and then thought about what she had said, and couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly.

That's true. These days, labor is worthless; what's valuable are goods, especially industrial products.

Hard plastic sandals that nobody wanted in later generations are quite valuable these days, costing several dollars a pair.

There were also Warrior shoes, a "national bestseller" from the 1970s, which cost 8 to 10 yuan a pair. The larger the size, the more expensive they were. The cheapest size 38 cost 8.87 yuan, and the most expensive size 43 cost 10.02 yuan, which was equivalent to half a month's net income for a strong laborer in the sixth team of Lujiawan this year.

If it's leather shoes, they're ridiculously expensive.

Therefore, ordinary people these days still prefer to make their own shoes or buy the cheapest cloth shoes.

Before she knew it, Jiang Lili had brushed a whole board of cotton cloth and said, "Let's put this outside to dry. Once it's dry, we can use it to make shoe soles."

He then went to get the planks.

Chen Fan offered to help her lift it, and Jiang Lili smiled and said, "It's very light, it's no problem."

However, Chen Fan did not let go, so she didn't say anything more. The two of them carried the wooden plank to the eaves outside and placed it upright against the wall.

There's no sun today, the sky is overcast, and there are gusts of wind. It's even colder than yesterday. With such strong winds, it should dry in a day.

Chen Fan clapped his hands and laughed, "I see you're quite tired, you always have so much work to do."

Jiang Lili smiled with her head down, "Actually, it's not bad. I wasn't used to it when I first came here, but after I got used to it, I feel quite fulfilled."

After finishing making the shoe soles, Chen Fan had to wait for them to dry before he could sew them. He went back to his room, sat down, and read for a while with half a bowl of hot water. At this point, the alcohol kicked in, so he simply took off his clothes and lay down on the bed to catch up on sleep.

After a while, Jiang Lili slowly walked over, her hands clasped together. She glanced at the door first, and was about to greet him when she saw Chen Fan lying asleep on the bed.

She felt a sudden sense of relief, then her eyes darted around as she glanced at the heavily concealed courtyard gate. She frowned, thought for a moment, and tiptoed into the house.

He called out softly twice, "Chen Fan, Chen Fan."

How could the buzzing of a mosquito possibly wake you up?

Seeing that Chen Fan didn't react, she squatted down, picked up the cloth shoes in front of the bed, and held them up to her feet a few times, memorizing them. Then she put the shoes away and quietly went out.

……

Just as Chen Fan was fast asleep, Captain Yang, carrying a basket, strode into the Fifth Team of Lujiawan, which was also the location of the Lujiawan Production Team Headquarters.

The distance between Team 6 of Lujiawan and the brigade headquarters and Nanhu Commune is roughly the same, less than an hour's walk or a ten-minute bike ride.

Although it was 77, bicycles were still a scarce luxury item. Yang Chuanfu had saved money diligently for more than ten years and now he had enough, but he still couldn't get a bicycle ticket. No matter where he went, he could only rely on his two big feet.

The brigade headquarters was located in a very grand brick and tile house. Two wooden plaques hung above the two-meter-high brick courtyard wall at the entrance.

Revolutionary Committee of Lujiawan Production Brigade, Nanhu Commune

"Lujiawan Production Brigade Branch of Nanhu Commune"

A red five-pointed star is painted on the lintel.

Stepping through the gate, you enter a courtyard of about 100 square meters, paved with thick bluestones that show little damage despite decades of wind and rain.

Inside is a square-shaped brick and tile house, with a two-meter-wide gap between it and the courtyard wall on both sides.

A strip of white lime about one meter wide was painted down the middle of the blue brick wall, and then a slogan in large characters was written in red paint: "The tribute ideology is paradise, the people's commune is the bridge."

Above the main entrance hangs a wooden plaque that reads "Production Team Office".

The words "Self-reliance and hard work" were also painted on both sides of the gate.

Yang Chuanfu, carrying a basket, had only reached the middle of the courtyard when he called out, "Is anyone there?"

Soon a man came out, tugged at the military overcoat draped over his shoulders, squinted at him, and said, "Oh, Old Yang, what brings you here today? Have you distributed your bonuses yet?"

Yang Chuanfu grinned and laughed, "What, can't I come to see you if there's nothing wrong?"

"Look at me? I'm not some timid wife, what's so interesting to see?"

As he spoke, the man walked inside, saying, "It just so happens that Old Ye and Old Xiao are both here. Come in and have some tea."

Yang Chuanfu entered carrying a basket. This place was originally used to receive commune members and the masses, but at this time, the brigade leader Zhang Changjiang, deputy leaders Ye Shubao and Xiao Liewen were all here.

The person who just went out was Zhang Changjiang.

Yang Chuanfu placed the basket on the table next to him, took the teacup handed to him by Zhang Changjiang, and grinned, "The three leaders didn't go out to guide the work today, but are instead having a meeting behind closed doors here?"

"pull."

Ye Shubao tossed him a cigarette and stared at him, saying, "Hey, what's going on with the person you guys rescued yesterday? Officer Zhu even came to me, telling me to notify all the squads below to report any news."

Yang Chuanfu pulled out a chair, sat down, crossed his legs, took a puff of his cigarette, and then said, "He is indeed a strange person. He remembers some things but not others. And it doesn't seem like he's faking it. At least I can't tell that he's faking it."

Xiao Liewen, smoking a cigarette, said, "If it's really a problem with the head, then anything is normal. I used to be in the army. Our company commander was like that. In the 1950s, in the north, a shell exploded next to him, and he passed out on the spot. When he woke up, he didn't recognize anyone or remember anything, but he remembered how to fight. After his injuries healed, he picked up a gun and went to the battlefield to fight. He even knew how to command. Isn't that strange?"

Yang Chuanfu immediately pointed at him, "Hey, hey, hey, this guy is something else. He doesn't remember where he came from, where his family is, or his parents and relatives, but he still remembers some strange and unusual things."

Zhang Changjiang glanced at him, "Something strange? What is it?"

Yang Chuanfu immediately put the cigarette in his mouth, got up, took the basket, and opened it. Inside was a large bowl.

Needless to say, the large bowl of turtle meat was from the same pot that Liu Jujiang had just made.

The three bigwigs of Lujiawan leaned over together, looking at each other. Then Zhang Changjiang looked at Yang Chuanfu and asked, "Is this what's so strange about this?"

Ye Shubao picked up the bowl and examined it closely. "This thing, could it be a soft-shelled turtle?"

Xiao Liewen was immediately startled, his eyes fixed on the meat in the bowl, "Turtle meat?"

Ye Shubao grabbed a piece with his hand and popped it into his mouth. His eyes lit up immediately. "Even though it's cold, it tastes pretty good."

Then he looked at Yang Chuanfu and asked, "Is it really turtle meat?"

Yang Chuanfu grinned and said, "This is the strange thing I was talking about. That kid doesn't remember anything else, but he does remember how to cook turtle..."

He then recounted what had happened yesterday and today, and concluded by saying, "It's almost Chinese New Year, and some teams are cleaning the ponds before the New Year, while others are cleaning them after. I wonder how many turtles they'll dig up while they're cleaning the ponds. It would be a waste if they were just left to go to waste. So I came here to report to you and see if you want to promote this method of preparing turtles."

Soft-shelled turtles have been disliked here for countless years, but unexpectedly they have become a delicacy. After what happened in Team 6 today, it's estimated that in less than two days, the women who married into Team 6, as well as families whose daughters have married outside, will definitely spread this news.

So Yang Chuanfu rushed to the brigade headquarters immediately, partly to claim credit, and partly because they were all fellow villagers and he wanted everyone to enjoy the benefits.

(End of this chapter)