Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 41 Dog Beating Stick

I boiled water to wash my face and wiped my body; the smell of alcohol dissipated considerably.

Unfortunately, he was still wearing those pajamas, with a cotton-padded coat over them. He didn't know when Captain Yang's promise of new clothes would come true, and until then, he would have to keep wearing this outfit.

Everything else is fine, but if I don't change my underwear for a day, I always feel unclean and uncomfortable.

But there's nothing we can do but wait.

After quickly tidying up, Chen Fan prepared to leave.

Jiang Lili walked over and asked, "Aren't you going to rest for a bit?"

Chen Fan shook his head and smiled, "I went to bed early last night, and I'm not sleepy at all now, so I might as well go early and come back early."

He dared not light the kerosene lamp anymore. He had to wash up and go to bed before dark, otherwise, after dark, it would be cloudy with no stars or moon, and it would be pitch black, making it impossible to do anything.

However, I managed to suppress my habit of staying up all night before I transmigrated.

Seeing Chen Fan say this, Jiang Lili didn't say anything more. She turned around, walked to the woodpile outside the kitchen, pulled out a wooden stick, walked back and handed it to Chen Fan, "Take this."

Chen Fan was stunned. The wooden stick was about the thickness of an egg and more than a meter long. It still had bark on it and was probably made directly from tree branches. It looked like jujube wood.

He immediately realized what was going on and couldn't help but chuckle, "A dog-beating stick, huh?"

Jiang Lili didn't laugh, but looked at him very seriously. "Many families here keep dogs. The guard dogs are very fierce. Once they bite, they won't let go. I'm giving you this stick just in case. If you see a dog on the road, it's best to avoid it and don't walk in front of people's houses. When you get there, you should immediately find a local to guide you, otherwise it will be dangerous because there are a lot of dogs in the village."

Chen Fan figured that he knew foreign languages ​​and could talk to good dogs, but he might not be able to communicate with bad dogs and reach an agreement.

For example, there are so many people in China who can speak English and Japanese, yet they still couldn't reach an agreement with the US and Japan.

When a rabid dog tries to bite someone, you can't just let it bite you, so you still need to take necessary precautions.

Chen Fan held the wooden stick in his hand, planted it on the ground and gestured with it. It reached just to his chest. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "I've heard that a stick that reaches the chest is called a 'staff,' and a stick that reaches the eyebrows is called a 'cudgel.' This should be considered a dog-beating stick."

It's a pity he doesn't know the Dog-Beating Stick Technique, otherwise he could have played the role of the Beggar Clan leader.

He had nothing to take with him, and was about to leave with his dog-beating stick when he suddenly remembered something and turned back. "By the way, how do I get to Team 5?"

After all that fuss, Captain Yang still hadn't given him the address.

Jiang Lili smiled and led him out of the courtyard. Pointing to the path leading to the west, she said, "If you follow this path, you will soon see a ditch that is more than three meters wide. After crossing the ditch, continue walking and you will see a large ditch that is six or seven meters wide with fir trees planted on both sides. After crossing the bridge over the large ditch, you will reach the main road of the Lujiawan Production Team."

If you're going to the commune, just walk south along the main road; it'll take about half an hour. To get to Team 5, you need to cross a bridge. There's a sloping road there, about the same width as the main road, with a small ditch beside it. Just follow that road, and you'll reach Team 5.

Then, looking at Chen Fan, he smiled and said, "That's the brigade headquarters. I've only been there twice, but the road is easy to walk on. You can get there by just following the road."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "By the way, did Captain Yang give you a letter of introduction?"

Chen Fan was imagining the route she was describing when he heard this and was immediately stunned. "Does the production team also need a letter of introduction?"

He always thought that letters of introduction were for external use, and that the production team consisted of people from the same brigade, just like a unit, so why would he need a letter of introduction for that?
"Normally, of course, it's not necessary."

Jiang Lili stared at him without blinking and asked, "But, do you know anyone in the brigade?"

Chen Fan shook his head, "I don't know them." Jiang Lili then asked, "Do they know you?"

Chen Fan thought for a moment, then shook his head again, "He probably doesn't know him either."

Unlike later generations, these days you can't just have video calls. These days, even taking a photo requires going to the commune, and some communes might not even have a photo studio, so you have to go to the county town. The day before the photo shoot, you have to bathe and change clothes – it's a very formal occasion.

There are no photos, so who in the group would recognize me?
Jiang Lili: "So, without a letter of introduction, how can you prove you are Chen Fan?"

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Besides, you're currently unregistered. If you run into the patrol team and they don't recognize you, and you can't produce any proof, they'll definitely take you straight to the small dark room. Although the captain can provide proof, you'll still have to suffer a bit."

Chen Fan was surprised again, "There's a patrol team too?"

Jiang Lili nodded seriously, "Yes, it's the militia company. There's a militia company in Lujiawan, divided into three platoons, each platoon has four squads, and each squad has one squad of militiamen. The 12 squads take turns patrolling, and they also have intensive training exercises in the winter. If they encounter bad elements, they have the right to shoot them directly."

Startled, Chen Fan raised his hand. "Alright, I'll go get a letter of introduction from the captain!"

Watching Chen Fan run up the hill, Jiang Lili couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh. But after laughing for a while, she quickly suppressed her laughter, carefully looked around, and then looked at Chen Fan. Only after his figure disappeared from sight did she turn around and enter the yard.

Chen Fan ran to Captain Yang's house, successfully obtained the letter of introduction, and then strode towards the brigade.

……

With a stick in hand, Chen Fan felt a surge of pride. Instead of taking the road from the entrance of the educated youth settlement, he followed a small path in front of a house in the village down the slope.

Then I encountered several graves and three stray dogs.

Before the stray dogs could howl, Chen Fan greeted them, "Guarding the house? Keep a good eye on things, don't let any bad guys in. See you later."

The three stray dogs froze on the spot, watching him walk across the barren graveyard, along the ridge to the road, and disappear into the distance.

Who is this guy? How can he talk such nonsense?
When the three dogs met, they all felt they had to share this rare event with their best buddies, so they immediately scattered and ran off.

Soon, the sound of dogs barking echoed throughout the village.

Chen Fan was walking down the road when he heard the shout. He turned around and couldn't help but wipe away a cold sweat.

Jiang Lili was right; there really were a lot of dogs here.

It's a pity that I've been staying in the house obediently these past two days and only going to Captain Yang's house when I go out. Otherwise, if I were chatting with so many dogs, my foreign language skills would probably be at level 2!
Following the path, we soon saw the small ditch that Jiang Lili had mentioned. The ditch was now dry, with only a patch of silt at the bottom. We didn't know if there were any turtles hiding in it.

After crossing a "wooden bridge" made of three intertwined tree trunks, and walking a little further, you will reach the "main road" of Lujiawan.

It was actually just a dirt road about 5 or 6 meters wide, with two tire tracks that stretched into the distance.

After enjoying the scenery for two minutes, Chen Fan continued on his way.

After crossing another wooden bridge, walk along a path that stretches northwest. When you turn around and stand on a small earthen mound to look back, you can only see the outline of the small earthen mound of Team 6. It is only because of the long river embankment that you can see the place at all.

Just then, several stray dogs suddenly ran out of the woods ahead and stood there watching him from a distance.

Chen Fan took a breath and, seeing the dogs, knew that Team 5 had arrived.

(End of this chapter)