Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 396 Read more books!

After Secretary Yang finished speaking, Captain Zhang spoke, and after Captain Zhang finished speaking, the commune cadres spoke.

Those who can become brigade cadres are generally quite eloquent, let alone commune cadres.

They each spoke a segment, and half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

The villagers on the dike had become accustomed to this, and not a single one dozed off. Especially when Secretary Yang led the chanting of slogans, they all immediately perked up, stood up, waved their fists, and shouted slogans loudly.
"Long live the motherland, long live the Party, long live Mr. Hua..."

The shouts echoed over the production team, drifting further and further away.

The celebration began with performances only after the sound subsided.

At this moment, Zhang Cuie had forgotten her nervousness and the commune cadres; her mind was filled with the celebration script and program flow.

She spoke into the microphone, "Today, from the capital to the border regions, from cities to rural areas, everywhere is celebrating the 28th birthday of our motherland. This year is a brand new beginning. From now on, we must continue to adhere to [specific principles], and focus on..."

After a lengthy, straightforward explanation of our position, it was finally time for the program to begin. "Our first program today is a chorus performed by women comrades from all the production teams. Please welcome the Lujiawan Women's Choir."

Yang Xingxiu, who had been waiting in the tent, took a deep breath, waved to all the choir members, and took the lead and walked out.

On the deck, militiamen in charge of field operations had already brought chairs and stools, and more than twenty young women and wives stood in three rows, each row higher than the last.

Yang Xingxiu stood at the front and glanced at Chen Fan, who was sitting leisurely in a chair with an accordion in his arms, still adjusting the height of the microphone. Her eyes twitched, and she wondered to herself if people with great abilities all have big hearts.

Then he coughed lightly, looked solemnly at the audience in front of him, and waited for the accompaniment to begin.

The people on the levee had already seen Chen Fan's actions and couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

"Teacher Chen can play the accordion? I've never seen that before."

"Why would I need to tell you what he can do? Haven't you heard anyone say that, apart from not being able to give birth, there's nothing Teacher Chen can't do?"

"Uh... I know something that Teacher Chen doesn't know."

"Tell me, tell me! You're really something if you can actually say that!"

"He doesn't know how to farm!"

"...You win, you're ruthless!"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Chen Fan slowly closed his eyes and began to play a rhythm.

As the accompaniment began, Yang Xingxiu raised her right hand high and immediately started leading the singing, "The East is Red, the sun rises..."

Chen Fan hasn't moved from his seat since he sat down.

However, he wasn't the only one providing accompaniment for everyone.

The safety he had dragged into the water was now sitting next to him, and the two of them took turns providing accompaniment for all the programs.

As the saying goes, an accordion can support an entire party, and that's absolutely true!
Two people, two accordions, sing whatever you want!

On the deck stage, the women's choir sang eight songs in a row, echoing the 28th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Then it was the militia company's turn to take the stage.

All the militiamen, armed with rifles, performed a series of training exercises, including drills, shooting, grenade throwing, bayonet fighting, and hand-to-hand combat.

Although Chen Fan was confident that he could completely crush them, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy looking at their ruthlessness.

It's like someone who is clearly stronger but is afraid of taking their opponent down with them.

This is just the militia; I really don't know what veterans in the regular army are like.
After the performance, the militia sang a few songs, and finally, amidst cheers from the audience, everyone fired 28 shots to celebrate the National Day.

After the two main performance teams finished their acts, the atmosphere of the party became even more enthusiastic.

Now it was finally Jiang Lili and her group's turn to appear.

Four girls climbed onto the deck of the large ship, dressed in their best clothes and wearing red star hats, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

His facial expressions were stiff, and he looked very nervous.

Chen Fan looked at them, then smiled and began to play a melody.

Sky City is a great place to relax.

Anquan looked at him in surprise, "What kind of music is this?"

Chen Fan said without turning his head, "Just pulled it randomly."

Anquan's lips twitched slightly. "I believe you're a fool!"
However, he had never heard this melody before, and it was completely different from the music he knew. He had no idea where it came from.

Could it really have been played casually by Chen Fan?
Upon hearing the melody, the four girls couldn't help but turn to look at Chen Fan, their faces instantly breaking into smiles.

On the embankment, some young people who had harbored ulterior motives saw this scene and were all saddened.

Absolutely no chance!

Chen Fan paused for a moment, then played the music again, and this time the music was correct.

Jiang Lili and the others' tension eased considerably. They silently recited the first line, "It's all cabbage," and sang it smoothly with the accompaniment.

Once the first sentence is given, the rest will naturally follow.

Three minutes later, as the next note faded, they snapped out of their daze, quickly bowed in farewell, and hurried back home.

Now that we've arrived at this point, there's only one last program left in today's celebration and gala.

Despite being somewhat tired, Zhang Cuie announced in an unprecedentedly loud voice, "Next, please welcome Teacher Chen and Cadre An to perform an accordion medley."

Yes, it's a series of notes, not a medley.

Because the two of them were taking turns playing!
Chen Fan stood up, stretched his legs, and extended his hand to An, saying, "An, please."

Anquan slowly stood up, secretly lamenting that he should never have agreed to let him perform on stage. He had intended to drag him down with him, but instead, he was the one who ended up being dragged down!
My fingers are numb from playing for so long.

Moreover, I don't know if Chen Fan practices at home with the door closed every day, but his playing is even more fluent than mine, which I have been practicing for more than ten years. It's really outrageous.

However, he remained expressionless and raised his hand to Chen Fan, saying, "Please, Teacher Chen."

On the dockside viewing platform, two commune cadres watched this scene with a mixture of envy and regret. "It's a pity we don't know how to play any instruments," they thought, "otherwise, we could have played a duet with Teacher Chen!"
Chen Fan and An Quan walked politely to the middle of the deck, chatted briefly, and then began their performance.

Anquan first played an interlude from "Railway Guerrilla": "Playing My Beloved Earth Pipa," and Chen Fan immediately responded with "The Waves of Honghu Lake."

Then Anquan played "My Motherland" again, and Chen Fan responded with "Liuyang River".

In this way, you sing one song, I sing one song, and every song is a classic that everyone is familiar with.

Before we knew it, people on the embankment started humming along.

More and more people sang, and thousands of voices converged, resounding throughout the heavens and earth.

Seeing this, the two commune cadres who came to observe the ceremony couldn't help but stand up and join in, clapping along to the beat.

One of them even said to Secretary Yang, "What a pity, what a pity."

Secretary Yang was immediately startled, "What's so regrettable about it?"

The man sighed with regret, "It's a pity that our commune only has one camera, and it can only be used when a higher-level leader comes. Otherwise, if we could capture this scene today, how spectacular it would be!"

Hearing this, Secretary Yang breathed a sigh of relief. "I was startled. I thought something went wrong with today's party."

The man patted Secretary Yang's arm and laughed, "Not only was it right, it was exceptionally wonderful! I reckon the other teams definitely can't beat you guys. You're sure to be number one at this year's production team party!"

By this time, the party was almost over.

Zhang Cuie read the script written by Chen Fan, "Today's event has come to an end. Although the party is over, our blessings for our motherland have not ended. Moreover, we will carry these blessings with us and fight on the front line of production, striving for the prosperity and strength of our motherland!"

……

The two commune cadres didn't get to meet Teacher Chen before they left. However, at the invitation of Secretary Yang and others, they had a simple meal with four dishes, along with An, a cadre from the tax office, four leaders from the brigade headquarters, and Captain Yang from Team 6. They left satisfied. Meanwhile, Chen Fan was at home, hosting a celebration banquet for Jiang Lili and the others.

Of course, Zhang Cuie, who was formally recognized as an apprentice, was also present.

When you eat at home behind closed doors, you don't have to follow the rule of three dishes and one soup.

Today, Chen Fan personally cooked a total of eight dishes, with plates and bowls stacked on top of each other, filling the entire table.

Then, a palm-sized ceramic stove was set out, with a piece of burning charcoal inside. A green wine bottle was placed on top of it. The charcoal was burning red-hot, but it was kept two or three centimeters away from the wine bottle, which ensured that the bottle was heated without getting too hot.

Huang Ying took a deep breath. "It smells so good."

Yang Ju looked at Chen Fan and asked, "Teacher Chen, is this okay to drink?"

Chen Fan glanced at her and laughed, "If you can't drink it, why would I take it out?"

Zhang Cuie looked at the exquisite pottery vase with curiosity. "Master, what is this?"

Before Chen Fan could speak, Huang Ying, who was sitting on the same bench as her, turned to look at her and said, "Hey, didn't you used to call me 'teacher'? Why are you calling me 'master' now?"

Zhang Cuie smiled broadly, "Hehe, it was Master who told me to call him Master from now on."

Seeing her simple and honest appearance, Chen Fan couldn't help but chuckle. "Your master has many skills; how much you can learn depends on yourself."

He pointed to the earthenware jar on the corner of the table and said with a smile, "For example, this is the yellow wine I brewed myself. It has been sitting for 100 days since the end of June, and it is ready to be opened."

It's a pity there are no green plums now. If it were around Qingming Festival, when the green plums are ripe, you could add some green plums and some shredded ginger. It would be even better to drink it warm.

He then picked up the bottle and poured a small glass for each of them, saying, "This has a low alcohol content, so you can have a little bit."

Several girls each picked up their wine glasses and took a small sip, imitating the adults.

Zhang Cuie took a few sips, her eyes filled with surprise, "It's sweet and quite delicious."

Huang Ying and the other two's eyes lit up. "So yellow wine is this delicious?"

Only Jiang Lili looked at the wine in the glass with curiosity in her eyes. She had secretly drunk her father's old yellow wine when she was a child, and the taste was completely different.

Chen Fan laughed and said, "Although there are no green plums, there are red dates. I added a few red dates and honey, so it will taste sweeter."

After saying that, his expression changed, and he glared at me, saying, "Remember this, you are absolutely not allowed to drink outside, no matter who tries to persuade you."

Zhang Cuie, being the most obedient, immediately nodded repeatedly, "Oh, I understand."

Huang Ying, being bolder, laughed and said, "We don't have a chance to drink outside either. Besides you, who else would invite us to drink?"

Chen Fan looked at her and said, "Right now you're too young to go out, but when you grow up, you'll work outside like the workers in the cooked food workshops and shops, and you'll inevitably have to deal with outsiders."

There are good people and bad people in this world. Bad people don't write their badness on their foreheads. You're all so naive. What if someone says a few nice things to you, tries to be your friend, and then says that if you don't drink, you're not friends? Would you drink then?

Hearing this, Huang Ying was speechless.

Liu Dan looked at Chen Fan curiously and asked, "Teacher Chen, are there really a lot of bad people outside?"

Chen Fan grunted in agreement and looked at them seriously, saying, "Don't think I'm exaggerating."

As he spoke, he turned to look at Jiang Lili and said softly, "Little Jiang should know best that among the educated youth who came to Lujiawan to work in the countryside, there must be quite a few with ulterior motives."

Jiang Lili pursed her lips, lowered her head, and remained silent.

However, when Huang Ying and the others saw her appearance and thought about how their parents hadn't allowed them to have much contact with educated youth, they knew that what Chen Fan said was true.

Huang Ying thought for a moment and said, "I used to go to the educated youth settlement often, hoping to learn from them. But now that I think about it, some people are really good. They taught me to recognize characters, use dictionaries, and even gave me books to read. But some people just ignore me and sometimes even bully me."

Chen Fan nodded and said, "This is just a small area called Nanhu, and they are mostly locals, so they don't dare to be too outrageous. What if we expand the scope to Gufeng County and Yunhu area? Or even to the whole province and the whole country?"

Secondly, I'm not saying that only among the educated youth were there bad people. With hundreds of people, there are all sorts of people, good and bad, from every walk of life. What I hope you remember is that when you go out into the world and interact with people, you must be cautious and not trust them too much. This is for your own protection.”

At this point, he changed the subject, "In the past, I only taught you knowledge. Starting today, I will also teach you the skills of being a person and doing things when you are out in the world."

By this time next year, educated youth will begin to return to the city in large numbers, and all sorts of messy things may happen. Moreover, even those who are admitted to university are not all innocent and kind-hearted. There are still some dangers on campus, although the probability is smaller.

Since Chen Fan knew all this and was going to send them to university, he naturally wanted to give them a heads-up and teach them some coping skills.

Putting everything else aside, these few girls in front of him all obey him without question, so there must be some affection between them. Naturally, he should make plans for them as soon as possible.

Sure enough, although Yang Ju, Liu Dan, and Zhang Cuie didn't quite understand what Chen Fan was saying, they understood his meaning. When they heard that they could learn other things from him, they immediately nodded repeatedly without saying a word.

As for Jiang Lili, who had firsthand experience, and Huang Ying, who had gained some understanding, needless to say.

Jiang Lili was a little curious, "Teacher Chen, you're about our age, how do you know so much?"

Chen Fan immediately retorted confidently, "Read more books! There are so many stories in books about spies infiltrating our side and causing sabotage. Aren't they just using clever words and flattery to gain the trust of the masses and then committing evil deeds?"

The women were speechless.

So you learned your skills for navigating the world and dealing with people from storybooks?

Oh well, Teacher Chen is very capable, so whatever he says goes.

Everyone ate and chatted.

Liu Dan took a bite of the dish and sighed, "I've made this braised pork several times, but it's still not as good as Teacher Chen's."

Yang Ju turned to look at her and laughed, "You've only been learning for a short time, how can you compare to Teacher Chen?"

Chen Fan smiled and said, "Braised pork may seem simple, but it's difficult to make it well. The key is to make the fatty meat rich but not greasy and the lean meat tender but not dry. It really tests your control of the heat and requires you to make it repeatedly. The more you make it, the more you'll understand the tricks of the trade, and then you'll be able to make braised pork with this flavor."

"Hmm."

Liu Dan nodded repeatedly, then paused and asked, "Teacher Chen, when can we pick the fruit in the back?"

Chen Fan: "They can be picked when they're fully ripe."

On the small earthen slope behind, apart from the west side being transformed into a medicinal herb garden, Chen Fan transplanted more than a dozen fruit trees of varying sizes in front, and grafted many fruit tree branches into the woods near the river embankment on the east side. The old woods behind were almost untouched, with only some shrubs and miscellaneous trees cleared away, and the original wild fruit trees were well preserved.

However, most of these fruits are very sour and astringent, and only a few kinds such as apples, pears, and dates are edible.

But we couldn't let the other fruits go to waste, so we kept them to make fruit wine.

Upon hearing Chen Fan's words, Liu Dan immediately said, "I went to check yesterday, and they were all ripe. Some had even fallen to the ground."

Chen Fan immediately said, "Then we'll go pick them after we finish eating."

Upon hearing this, the girls sped up without saying a word.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they first cleared the table and dishes. After finishing, each of them carried a basket, and Jiang Lili also found one for Zhang Cuie, and they walked together to the backyard.

As Zhang Cuie stepped out of the back gate, her eyes widened as she looked at the fruit trees on the slope laden with fruit. "Wow, so much fruit!"

Looking up again, I saw the "two-story mud-walled house" hidden in the woods, and I exclaimed in amazement, "Wow, what a big house!"

Since she started learning to be a broadcaster from Chen Fan, she has hardly left the village of Team 5. She stays in the broadcasting room from morning till night, either broadcasting or studying diligently. Today is the first time she has come out and the first time she has seen her master's big house.

Huang Ying said with pride, "Isn't it beautiful? Teacher Chen went to all the production teams to buy these fruits. We even dug the holes for planting the trees. Teacher Chen designed the house himself. Even Master Wang from the construction team said it was good."

Let me tell you, it's even more beautiful inside. The floors are all paved with terracotta tiles, the walls are painted a pristine white, and there's lots of beautiful furniture. There's also a huge study on the second floor. Only we can go into that study; nobody else is allowed.

When Zhang Cuie heard about the large study, she was immediately intrigued. But upon hearing the following words, her face contorted in distress as she asked, "Can't I go in either?"

Huang Ying paused for a moment, then said hesitantly, "Since you've already called Teacher Chen 'Master,' you should be allowed to come in, right?"

Chen Fan walked ahead with his hands behind his back. Hearing their words, he turned around and smiled, "You are my first disciple, of course you can come in."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Cuie beamed with joy, "Thank you, Master."

Huang Ying and the others looked at her from behind, a strange look flashing in their eyes.

So the most worrying opponent no longer exists?!
(End of this chapter)