Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 368 is all in the works!

At 3:30 p.m., Chen Fan took out the saddle that hadn't been used for ten days and put it on the mare.

Despite not being used for so long, there wasn't a speck of dust on the saddle, clearly indicating that someone was wiping it down every day.

The mare shuffled around in place, looking eager to try, while the foal frolicked in the yard, chased after it by two dogs, both ready to rush out at any moment.

Jiang Lili helped fasten the saddle straps and said with a smile, "We took them out for some fresh air the first two days, but they ran too fast and we couldn't keep up. We were also afraid that they would be caught by outsiders, so we haven't let them out for several days now."

Chen Fan stroked the horse's face and gently patted its head. "Is it really that disobedient?"

The little mare immediately lowered her head and nudged it into his chest. If Chen Fan hadn't been so stable, she probably would have been pushed off.

It has a bit of the feel of Sun Erniang being coquettish.

Huang Ying and the other two stood in a row, looking at Chen Fan with longing eyes. The small water tower was being put into use today, and they really wanted to go and see the excitement.

After Jiang Lili secured the saddle, Chen Fan mounted the horse. Seeing their expressions, he said irritably, "Stop always thinking about watching the excitement. Do a few more practice problems at home. When you need them, you'll know it's much better than watching any excitement."

Huang Ying and the other two lowered their heads in unison, "Oh."

Jiang Lili suppressed a laugh and stood beside them, watching Chen Fan ride his horse out the door without looking away.

Huang Ying then raised her head, pouted, and said, "Even Duo Duo, Qiu Qiu, and the little pony can go and watch the fun, so why can't we?"

Yang Ju turned around and stood in front of him. With a serious expression, she cupped his face in her hands, gently squeezed out a small pout, and hummed, "Doggy doesn't need to take an exam, and he doesn't want to be a foreign trade clerk. Don't you want to be one either?"

Huang Ying pouted her lips and said, "Yes."

Yang Ju looked at Liu Dan again, and Liu Dan immediately raised her hands, "I'll go study right away."

He then grabbed Jiang Lili's hand and led her into the house, saying, "Lili, help me! If you don't help me, I'll be last."

Yang Ju followed behind her with a dark expression, saying, "You're in last place now."

Huang Ying rubbed her cheeks, which had almost been squashed flat, and quickly followed, saying, "Wait for me."

……

Even if the mare ran at a slow pace, it took less than ten minutes to reach the earthen slope where the small water tower was located.

At this moment, there were twenty or thirty people gathered under the water tower. Secretary Yang, who rarely wore his Dacron shirt, navy blue trousers, and leather shoes that he only wore during the Spring Festival and major holidays, was sunbathing with his hands on his hips and full of vigor.

Although Captain Zhang, Xiao Liewen, and Ye Shubao next to him weren't as exaggerated, they were also completely refreshed, though they were covered in sweat and looked a bit disheveled. In the end, they looked no different from An Quan, Zhang Wenliang, and Yang Xingxiu, who hadn't changed their clothes.

Chen Fan lightly touched the horse's belly with his heel, and the mare trotted forward and came to Secretary Yang and the others.

As soon as he dismounted, he laughed and said, "Oh my, Secretary Yang, you're even wearing that polyester shirt out of the house. You look very formal."

Although Dacron gradually lost its popularity 10 years later due to its lack of breathability, non-stickiness, and sweat absorption, it is currently enjoying great popularity and occupying the absolute top position in the fabric industry.

Before 76, my country only imported a very small amount of Dacron fabric. At that time, the fabrics on the market were mainly cotton products, with a small amount of blended textiles made of natural materials such as silk and linen. It was not until around 70 that China began to import synthetic fiber fabrics.

Later, it was discovered that synthetic fiber fabrics were quite popular and could be mass-produced. So, between 76 and 79, a large number of synthetic fiber equipment were imported and put into production one after another, which triggered a major change in the fashion of Chinese people's clothing.

Dacron is durable and dries quickly, unlike cotton which wrinkles after a few days and needs ironing. Moreover, its colors are vibrant and do not fade, so it quickly became popular throughout the country.

The name originated in Guangzhou. People in Guangzhou named the fabric "Dequeliang" based on its English name, dacron, meaning that wearing it would make you handsome. At that time, Cantonese was not yet widely spoken, and people from the north did not know what "liang" meant. Over time, it became "Dequeliang".

However, the children heard it as "Dequeliang" (a Chinese idiom meaning "cool and refreshing"), so in winter, they would stuff snowballs down their friends' necks while shouting "Dequeliang," only to be beaten up by the whole family when they got home.

This kind of fabric is indeed not cheap. Ordinary fabric costs only about 5 cents per foot. Even the high-grade cotton-silk blend fabric that Chen Fan bought at the cotton mill's store before, the second-grade product only costs 5 cents per foot, and the qualified product is only about 1 yuan. High-end products such as corduroy and wool are also priced similarly.

However, Dacron costs 1.4 yuan per foot, which is ridiculously expensive in comparison.

However, there is one advantage to buying Dacron: you don't need a coupon!
Although Dacron is expensive, high-end, and popular, the production volume of this synthetic fiber material is indeed very large. In addition, because the price was too high, not many people were willing to spend the money when it was first launched on the market. Later, the production increased year by year, so there were no market restrictions. As long as you have money, you can buy it. This is one of the unique features of Dacron fabric.

However, one cannot deny the "superior" status of Dacron fabric in this era.

Therefore, the fact that Secretary Yang wore this shirt today shows how much importance he attaches to the commissioning of the small water tower.

Hearing Chen Fan's teasing, even though Secretary Yang was covered in sweat and felt like he was wearing a plastic sheet, making him extremely uncomfortable, he had to force himself to laugh it off. "It's the first time that tap water has been connected to Lujiawan, so we have to make it a big deal."

As he spoke, he tugged at his shirt. “Look, this seven-foot piece of fabric cost me eight dollars and seventy-eight cents. I had it made by tailor Xu from town, and it cost an extra two dollars for the workmanship. I usually don’t wear it; I only wear it on special occasions.”

Chen Fan laughed heartily, "Secretary Yang is indeed very considerate."

He then waved to the group of people around him before walking over to Master Wang.

Team 4 has many Master Wangs, but there are only two leaders: one is Wang Youhai, the head of the bricklaying team, and the other is Wang Youtian, the head of the carpentry team.

Master Wang Youtian has even stopped working on the construction team these past two days. He also brought back half of his apprentices from the construction team to work with the carpenters of Team 4 to build a large wooden boat. This infuriated the construction team manager, who was so angry he dared not retaliate.

However, the brigade headquarters did not treat them unfairly. They paid them 10% more than the standard wage for construction teams and provided two meals a day until the wooden boat was built.

The person who came here today is Master Wang Youhai.

Chen Fan handed him a cigarette and asked in a low voice, "Master Wang, has the water tank been cleaned?"

Master Wang accepted it with a smile, "Don't worry about it. I had people clean it thoroughly a couple of days ago, following the procedures that Master Qiu and Master Ma instructed us to do. I guarantee it will be spotless inside, without any problems."

Chen Fan nodded. "Thank you for your hard work."

He paused for a moment, looked around, and noticed that everyone else was standing a few meters away. Secretary Yang and the others were also watching him from the same spot. He then said casually, "You heard what Secretary Yang and the others said, right? In the future, we will vigorously develop side businesses. The promising students in our team may work in the side business companies run by the team, so they need to learn professional knowledge well."

Master Wang nodded immediately, staring intently at Chen Fan, and unconsciously lowered his voice, "I've heard about it, what do you mean?"

Chen Fan smiled and said, "To make a long story short, just keep an eye on your own children and make sure they spend more time studying. If there's a selection process someday, having studied more than others will give them an advantage, right?"

Master Wang looked at him thoughtfully, "Is there a new mission for the team?"

Chen Fan chuckled, "New missions will come sooner or later, won't they?"

Master Wang thought he understood Chen Fan's meaning and immediately grinned and said, "I understand, I understand. When I get back, I'll find those kids and lock them all up to read books."

Chen Fan clicked his tongue and said with a smile, "Don't be so naive. Mr. Li also said that women can hold up half the sky. There are some positions that women can also take on. We all need to work together."

Master Wang laughed heartily, "Okay, together, all together."

He was secretly admiring Teacher Chen, thinking how kind and honest he was. He hadn't wasted his time helping him build the house; look, this was a case of "special treatment."

Chen Fan kindly explained that it wasn't because Team 4 was special in Lujiawan. Half of the bricklayers and carpenters in Nanhu Commune came from Team 4, or were apprentices of the master craftsmen in Team 4, and could play a significant role.

The main reason is that Chen Fan is the kind of person who will always respect others. When his family was building a house, he didn't even have to go to their house to ask for help; the two Master Wangs brought their construction team to his house on their own. How could he forget such a favor?

Anyway, it's just a matter of saying a few words. Once the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination is announced, whether Master Wang and the others guessed the truth or not, they will remember what he said today. Wouldn't that make their relationships even closer?

After chatting for a while, it was almost four o'clock when Secretary Yang stood still and shouted loudly, "Xiao Chen, how about it, can we start now?"

Chen Fan didn't say anything. He went inside the water tower to check it out. Less than two minutes later, he came out and said, "Alright, we can start anytime."

He paused for a moment, then looked at them and smiled, "Secretary Yang, judging from your posture, are you going to have to hold a ceremony?"

Secretary Yang scoffed, "Such a big event, can't we just leave it at that?"

Xiao Liewen waved his hand and said, "Get the firecrackers ready." Two people on the periphery of the crowd quickly ran to two baskets under the shade of a tree and carried out a large pile of firecrackers.

Several other people also went forward with bamboo poles, and soon 12 bamboo poles carrying firecrackers were raised high.

Just then, the village loudspeaker blared, announcing that it was time for a broadcast.

But instead of the radio's sound, Zhang Cuie was reading a news report from the loudspeaker.

"Good news, good news! We are now broadcasting good news..."

Accompanied by Zhang Cuie's broadcast voice, Secretary Yang, beaming, waved his hand and ordered, "Light the fire."

At this moment, Captain Zhang, Xiao Liewen, Ye Shubao, Anquan, Zhang Wenliang, and the indispensable Yang Xingxiu each held the fuses of two strings of firecrackers and lit them with matches.

The militiamen, holding bamboo poles, quickly turned around and aimed the firecrackers in all directions. After two or three seconds of burning, the surrounding area was filled with the crackling sound of firecrackers.

The trained mare, foal, and two dogs weren't afraid at all; they just ran a little further away and stared wide-eyed at the firecrackers exploding.

Chen Fan looked at Secretary Yang with great interest, seemingly eager to try, "What's next? How do we proceed?"

Secretary Yang glared at him. "You're asking me? I don't know how to start it. It's your turn now."

Anquan clapped and shouted, "Go, Teacher Chen!"

As soon as he finished speaking, fifty or sixty people who had gathered nearby shouted in unison, "Go, Teacher Chen! Go, Teacher Chen!"

Despite being surrounded by only a few dozen people, Chen Fan felt like he was the center of attention. He immediately rolled up his non-existent sleeves, raised his right hand, and walked towards the water tower, saying, "Alright, watch this!"

"it is good……!"

Thunderous applause erupted at the scene. Accompanied by the gradually subsiding sound of firecrackers and Zhang Cuie's announcement over the loudspeaker, Chen Fan swaggered into the water tower.

Soon, the roar of a diesel engine starting up filled the water tower, and the water pump began to work, drawing groundwater through pipes into the reservoir at the top.

Chen Fan did not open the sluice gate, but silently listened to the sound of water flowing in the pool above.

A few minutes later, Secretary Yang couldn't help but walk to the door, look at Chen Fan, and ask loudly, "Little Chen, how is it? Is it okay?"

Diesel engines are too loud; they can't be quiet.

Chen Fan turned around, smiled, and said loudly, "Okay, definitely."

He pointed to the reservoir on top and said, "Let's put more water in there first, otherwise the pumping up won't keep up with the flow down, and the water still won't come out."

Secretary Yang blinked, then nodded as if he understood, "Oh, I see."

He then asked, "So you have to do this every time you release water?"

Chen Fan smiled and shook his head, "No need, this is only for this once. After that, the pipes will be full of water, so there's no need to refill them."

The pump was quite powerful, and the water pipes were several times thicker than household water pipes. However, the reservoir above was also very large. After nearly half an hour, Chen Fan finally opened the sluice gate and shouted, "Let the water flow!"

This time, Secretary Yang didn't speak immediately. Even if he didn't understand physics, he knew that it would take time for the water to flow from here to the village.

A few minutes later, he looked at Chen Fan, who was walking out of the water tower, and asked, "How long will it take for the water to reach the team?"

Chen Fan closed the door first, and the roaring sound immediately subsided. Then he said, "It will only take a few minutes to get there. We can send someone back to check now. If the water comes back on, have Xiao'e announce it over the loudspeaker."

Secretary Yang immediately waved his hand, "No need."

He then turned to Zhang Wenliang and called out, "Company Commander Zhang."

When there's trouble, it's Company Commander Zhang; when there's nothing to do, it's Sanhuzi.

Zhang Wenliang immediately strode forward and announced, "Here!"

Secretary Yang turned to look at Xiao Liewen.

The militia is under his command, and even if Secretary Yang is a higher-ranking official, he will not overstep his authority.

Xiao Liewen immediately shouted, "Contact the headquarters communications officer."

Zhang Wenliang: "Yes."

Under Chen Fan's surprised gaze, Zhang Wenliang ran to the shade of a tree, took out a walkie-talkie from another basket, deftly turned it on, first pulled out a long antenna, then put on the headset, held the microphone, and shouted loudly, "This is Zhang Wenliang, please respond if you hear me, this is Zhang Wenliang, please respond if you hear me."

Goodness, these two walkie-talkies have been issued for several years now, was it in 71 or 72? I've never used them since I got them, and now I'm actually using them today?

Isn't that a little outrageous?
Chen Fan couldn't hear what was being said in the earpiece, but he heard Zhang Wenliang shout again, "Turn on the tap and see if there's any water. Turn on the tap and see if there's any water."

Then there's the waiting.

Less than two minutes later, Zhang Wenliang ripped off his headphones, jumped up, turned around, and, facing hundreds of burning gazes, raised his hand and shouted at the top of his lungs, "There's water!"

The audience erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.

Chen Fan grinned from ear to ear.

Originally, he only wanted to build a small water tower for his own use, but Captain Yang shamelessly suggested "joint construction". After some effort, three months later, the small water tower was finally completed.

Seeing the jubilant and joyful faces of the commune members, I suddenly felt that the feeling of "sharing joy is worse than enjoying it alone" was also quite nice.

When the cheers subsided... no, the cheers gradually faded away, because most of the commune members who came today were from teams 5 and 6, they heard that the water supply had been restored, so they hurried home to see what the legendary tap water was like.

In fact, during this period, or rather, starting from the early 60s, my country began digging wells in vast rural areas, especially promoting hand pump wells, which covered most of the rural areas in the north in a short period of time.

However, in the southern regions, where waterways are everywhere and water access is relatively convenient, the prevalence of wells is not as high as in the north.

Take Lujiawan as an example. All the production teams are located right next to the river. Under such circumstances, when the commune wants to dig wells, it will naturally give priority to those villages that are far away from the flowing water. As a result, Lujiawan and some other production teams still do not have hand pumps for water, let alone the legendary "tap water".

Today, tap water was connected to two teams in Lujiawan. How could the commune members not rush home to see this new and exciting thing!
After the commune members had gone some distance, Xiao Liewen looked at the absent-minded militiamen and waved his hand impatiently, "Mission accomplished, dismissed."

The militiamen from Team 5 cheered and took off running.

Enraged, Zhang Wenliang jumped up and down, cursing, "Two of you, come back and take the walkie-talkie back!"

The two who were at the back immediately scurried back, laughing and joking as they picked up their baskets and ran off.

Zhang Wenliang unleashed another torrent of curses, "You all better watch out, or I'll skin you alive!"

The machines in the small water tower were still humming. Secretary Yang lit a pipe with satisfaction, exhaled a long puff of smoke, and grinned, "It wasn't easy. After so many years, I never thought I would be able to drink tap water in my lifetime. I never even dreamed of it, but it has come true."

Captain Zhang put his hands on his hips and laughed, "What makes you think you're drinking tap water? You're just drinking 'work water' at best. When you get home, you'll still be drinking river water."

Secretary Yang glanced at him and said, "You still have the nerve to say that? As the team leader, your main responsibility is production. Why don't you hurry up and find a way to get running water to the other teams!"

Captain Zhang's face stiffened slightly, but when he saw Chen Fan, a sense of confidence rose in his heart. "It's just building a few more small water towers, that's easy. After selling a couple more batches of chickens and ducks, we'll arrange it for the whole team!"

Secretary Yang rolled his eyes speechlessly, then turned to Chen Fan, "This small water tower can't be pumped out all day long, can it? Shouldn't there be some kind of procedure?"

Chen Fan smiled and said, "It's simple. From now on, just let the water run for an hour each morning and evening. You can assign someone, and I'll teach him how to start and open the gate. You can leave this to him from now on."

(End of this chapter)