Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 32: Time to Earn Work Points

Chen Fan slept under the covers for an unknown amount of time, and when he woke up, the effects of the alcohol had worn off.

I wanted to stay in bed, but I was worried I wouldn't be able to sleep. I also didn't know what time it was or if it was time to make dinner, so I got up and got dressed.

He stepped out of the room and looked up at the sky. The sky was still overcast, and a flock of birds flew by. They were too far away for him to see what kind of birds they were, but they were definitely not pigeons.

Even if you put this bird in front of him, he might not recognize it. He only knows sparrows, pigeons, parrots, magpies, cuckoos, owls, and egrets. He's not very familiar with other birds.

He stretched and headed towards Jiang Lili's room, wanting to ask her if she knew the time.

There isn't even a clock here, which is really inconvenient. I don't know how they usually keep track of time.

Before he could even reach the gate, there was a knock, and then both doors were pushed open. "Chen Fan, Chen Fan?"

Chen Fan turned his head and saw Yang Ju again.

At this moment, Jiang Lili also came out, looked at Chen Fan, then at Yang Ju, and stood aside without saying a word.

Chen Fan looked at Yang Ju, but before he could speak, he heard her shout, "My dad wants you to come to a meeting."

"Meeting?"

Chen Fan was taken aback. "What kind of meeting?"

Is it a study session?

Jiang Lili just mentioned that there would be many meetings in the production team during the winter, but I didn't expect them to come so soon.
As Yang Ju walked inside, she said, "My dad didn't say anything, but he wants you to hurry up and go over there."

Chen Fan looked at Jiang Lili and asked, "So, does Xiao Jiang want to go?"

Yang Ju was immediately stumped. "My dad didn't say anything either."

Got it.

Chen Fan turned around and said to Jiang Lili, "For safety's sake, why don't you come with me?"

Jiang Lili thought for a moment, "Okay, then I'll go with you first. If I don't need anything else, I'll come back."

If you go and then come back, at worst you'll have made a wasted trip. But if she really is there and she didn't go, then that's a big problem.

She turned around, closed the door, and followed Chen Fan out.

Soon they arrived at Captain Yang's house, where Accountant Liu, Warehouse Keeper Huang, and Craftsman Liu were also sitting.

Seeing Chen Fan approach, Captain Yang nodded to him and said, "Sit down."

Then he looked at Jiang Lili and smiled, "Little Jiang doesn't need to get involved in this."

"Oh."

Jiang Lili's eyes dimmed noticeably, and she forced a smile, "Then I'll head back now."

Seeing that Captain Yang nodded, she glanced at Chen Fan again and found that Chen Fan was smiling at her. She immediately felt much more relaxed and then turned around and walked out.

Chen Fan pulled out a chair and sat down, looking at Captain Yang. "Captain, what's the matter?" Could it be related to turtles again?

Otherwise, what important things could a newcomer like me, who has only been here for two days, possibly participate in?
Captain Yang took a puff of his cigarette and said, "Here's the situation. Today we killed a turtle, and the whole team ate the turtle meat. Captain Zhang from the brigade headquarters called me over to ask about the situation. He praised you for being able to cook the turtle and for sharing your method so selflessly."

However, there are 12 production teams in Lujiawan, and only our Team 6 has eaten turtle meat so far. The other 11 production teams haven't had any yet. So Team Leader Zhang proposed that we are a proletarian team, and we should share all the good things with everyone and not hoard them.

This means teaching the other teams how to cook turtle. Only you and Master Liu know how to cook it, so this responsibility will fall on your shoulders.

So that's what it was about?

Chen Fan glanced at Liu Jujiang and saw that his expression hadn't changed, so he probably already knew. He then turned to Captain Yang and nodded, "Okay, I have no problem."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "When will the person who teaches how to cook turtles arrive?"

He has experience in this kind of thing. When it comes to training, he definitely calls up the people below, teaches them, and then they go back and teach others. This is more efficient.

Captain Yang shook his head, smoking a cigarette, and said, "If they hadn't come, you would have had to work hard to go to each team."

Chen Fan, o_o?

Go there yourself? Or do they come to you?
Captain Yang smiled and said, "I've also discussed this with Captain Zhang. At first, I suggested that other teams send one or two people to learn, so you can teach them all at once and then they can go back and teach them, which would save more time."

However, Captain Zhang's point is that the best way to learn a skill is to learn directly from a master craftsman. If they send someone over to learn from you, you can only learn 8 out of 10. If you go back and practice again, you'll probably only retain half of what you learned.

But if you go and teach directly, it's different. The whole team can come and learn and do it. Everyone can get 7 or 8 points. Then they can exchange ideas with each other. I don't say they can reach your level, but they can get 8 or 9 points, right?

I thought about it and agreed with the captain. Besides, if you two split up, one of you can be in charge of five teams, and the other six. Going to two different locations a day will only take two or three days, so it won't take up much time. What do you think?

Liu Jujiang chuckled, "Since the brigade leader has spoken, I'll definitely go."

Chen Fan nodded in agreement, "I'm also very willing to do my part."

Then a hint of difficulty appeared on his face, "However,..."

Captain Yang thought to himself, "They're about to make a request."

He immediately took a puff of his cigarette and said with a smile, "Are you worried about working for nothing? Don't worry about that. Mr. Li also said that 'the principle of distribution in the People's Commune is still distribution according to work.' Since you've done the work, you should get work points. This time, you'll not only be working, but you'll also be traveling most of the time, so we won't use a 'fixed distribution' system. We'll use the principle of 'work points per piece.' One team will get 10 points. If you travel to 5 teams, you'll get 50 work points. If you travel to 6 teams, you'll get 60 work points."

Upon hearing this, Liu Jujiang, who had been half-dead just moments before, instantly perked up. "Captain, don't worry, I guarantee I'll complete the mission."

Chen Fan stared with his mouth agape, still wondering if there were actually several ways to record work points in a production team.
When he heard Liu Jujiang's voice, he realized what was happening and quickly said, "Thank you, Captain."

He wasn't about to refuse the work points that were handed to him, especially with Liu Jujiang right there. If he didn't accept them, what would the other person do? So he agreed without even saying a word of politeness.

Now there's only one question left.

He looked at the group with a worried expression and asked in a low voice, "Captain, I wonder how far those places are? If they're too far, I'm afraid I won't be able to walk!"

Yesterday, when he was standing on the embankment, he looked into the distance and it seemed that the nearest place would take half an hour to walk there.

If we walk through 5 or 6 small groups, how long will it take to get there?

(End of this chapter)