Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 411 Come on, put it on me
While Secretary Yang and Captain Zhang were whispering to each other, Chen Fan was piloting his small yacht. In just a few minutes, he passed several riverside units, including a waste recycling company and the water conservancy department, and arrived at the riverside in the northern district upstream.

Upon seeing the familiar grove of trees, he slowed down and gently drove towards the riverbank.

The water level of the Yangtze River has now receded, and it is now far from the river embankment, revealing a rocky beach.

Untouched by human intervention, the riverbanks are basically one of three types of environments: sandy beaches, rocky beaches, and mudflats.

The most convenient place to dock is naturally the beach; as for the rocky beach, you'll have to make do.

Chen Fan tried to find a suitable place to anchor, and before the boat had come to a complete stop, Jiang Lili jumped onto a large rock and ran forward.

Not far away, Jiang Tiantian and a middle-aged couple ran quickly toward them, their faces showing excitement mixed with a hint of anxiety. However, they did not dare to shout loudly, but unconsciously quickened their pace.

Chen Fan didn't disembark. Even if he wanted to greet Jiang Lili's parents, it wasn't the right time. The family was eager to reunite, so it would be more appropriate to greet them after they finished talking.

He stood up from the driver's seat, took out a cigarette and lit it. When he saw Jiang Lili join them and hug each other, he couldn't help but smile.

He then walked to the stern of the boat, opened the cabinet door under the rear seat, took out a one-meter-long cloth bag, and then pulled out a stool he had made himself.

Chen Fan had never seen a folding stool in the Yunhu area in either of his two lifetimes; all he saw here were various kinds of small wooden and bamboo stools.

He first saw a stool back in college. The shabby school was in a northern city. There wasn't even a desk in the dormitory. They just cut a hole in the wall between the beds to use as a bookcase. Each person was given a stool to use as a chair. That's when he learned that there was such a thing as a stool. His naivety made his northern classmates laugh at him for four years.

As for the cloth bag, it contained a set of spliced ​​fishing rods.

(A spliced ​​fishing rod from the 6s or 70s. Don't ask how to use it, I've never used one -_-||)

The fishing rod was a gift from Director Cui of the water transport company's repair shop. Along with the fishing rod were some small tools that could be used on the boat, such as two spliced ​​oars.

Chen Fan suspected that he lacked confidence in the quality of the second-hand boat handling machine and was afraid that it would break down on the road, so he specially prepared two oars as spares.

Why not add a sail?
After studying it for a while, the clever Chen Fan mastered the method of splicing the fishing rod, and after attaching the rod, the length exceeded 5 meters.

After setting up the fishing line and hook, and knowing the river was flowing so fast, there was no need to use bait. He simply took an earthworm from the jar, hooked it up, and cast his line to fish.

Can you fish here?
I don't know, but it's better than just waiting on the ship.

Before he could finish his cigarette, Chen Fan felt a change in the force of the fishing rod in his hand. He immediately lifted the rod and slowly jerked it, and with little effort, he pulled up a slender fish.

Chen Fan pulled the fishing line close to his eyes and immediately beamed with joy.

I actually caught a catfish! What incredible luck!

As is widely known, the Yangtze River is famous for its four delicacies: silverfish, knife fish, long-snout catfish, and shad. (Another version lists the Yangtze River's three delicacies as knife fish, shad, and pufferfish.)

In particular, the knife fish is famous worldwide for its sky-high prices and is known as the "first delicacy of the Yangtze River," with wild knife fish fetching more than 10,000 yuan per kilogram.

Actually, knife fish isn't that rare. It's just that it became scarce due to overfishing. A lot of lake knife fish and sea knife fish are being passed off as river knife fish. Unless you're a gourmet, most people can't tell the difference in taste, but the price difference is dozens of times.

The long-snout catfish is the biological name for the river catfish, and it is also one of the four delicacies. Wild river catfish are extremely rare now and in the future.

This fish has different names in different places. In some places it is called catfish, fathead, or fat fish, while in others it is called river catfish.

In the early 80s, it sold for 10 yuan per kilogram in riverside cities, and even more expensive in other places.

Now, even if it's not as good, it's probably not much different. It'll definitely cost five or six yuan per pound, which is much more expensive than meat.

Just like the hairy crab, many people have heard the story of Yangcheng Lake fishermen using hairy crabs to fill their stomachs during the Three Years period, and thus assume that hairy crabs were not valuable back then.

Actually, that's not the case. As early as in Dream of the Red Chamber, there was a description of the Jia family eating hairy crabs during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and there was even a special "crab-eight-piece set". It can be seen that many years ago, hairy crabs were a high-end food, and that era was just a special case.

The same goes for this river catfish. Although the general market price is that fish is not as good as meat, this kind of high-end river delicacy can sell for much more than meat.

Chen Fan, having caught a catfish, naturally didn't sell it. He happily lifted a section of the deck, revealing a small fishpond inside. He threw the fish in, then pulled out a small bucket with a rope from under another deck, filled it with water, and poured it in. The catfish immediately began to swim.

With his success, Chen Fan gained even more confidence and cast his line again.

On the riverbank, Jiang Heng looked at Chen Fan's back with a strange expression, but quickly returned to normal.

Turning back to Jiang Lili, who was clinging to her mother's arm, her face showed a mixture of relief and apology. "Lili, this is a rare opportunity, you must work hard. Also,"

He then looked at Chen Fan and said, "What Xiao Chen said to you makes a lot of sense, and he's willing to tell you these things because he's open up to you. You can listen to his opinions more."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lili looked at Chen Fan, smiled, and nodded gently, "I will."

Shen Xueyi took her hand and asked softly, "Lili, tell Mom the truth, what about you and him...?"

Jiang Lili's face immediately turned red. She grabbed her mother's hand and stamped her foot. "Mom, what are you saying?"

As she spoke, a sudden pang of sadness welled up inside her, and she couldn't help but lower her head. "He's a great writer, and he's about to take the postgraduate entrance exam. He's very confident in his chances. Even the teachers at Jiangnan University think highly of him. Not to mention other places, just in Lujiawan alone, I don't know how many good girls are eyeing him. And I'm just an ordinary educated youth. I can't even dream of that."

Jiang Tiantian held her sister's arm on the other side. Hearing the bitterness in her sister's words, she couldn't help but sigh softly and tighten her grip on her sister's arm.

Hearing this, Jiang Heng felt a pang of sadness and sighed softly, "It's Dad who dragged you down."

Jiang Lili quickly looked up, pouting, and said, "Dad, what are you saying?"

Shen Xueyi patted the back of her hand, then held it tightly, and said softly with a smile, "Don't underestimate yourself. No matter where you go, my daughter will always be the best, and there's no one she's not good enough for. Besides, there are frequent reports in the newspapers about overturning verdicts these days. Maybe one day your father and I will be able to restore our reputations. Don't have too much of a mental burden."

Jiang Lili smiled and nodded gently, "Mm."

She paused for a moment, pouted, looked at her mother, then at her father, and said, "Mom, Dad, I'm leaving."

Jiang Heng was immediately taken aback. "So fast?"

He raised his wrist, pulled up his sleeve, and checked the time. "Wow, it's been over an hour."

Jiang Tiantian then said, "Dad, Mom, Lili just said that Lujiawan is very different now than before. Lili doesn't have to do much farm work anymore. And with Xiaofan taking care of her, she won't be wronged. You can rest assured."

He put his arm around his sister's shoulder and said with a smile, "We'll come to see you again when you get into university."

She didn't even dare to talk about going home for a family reunion.

In fact, since the announcement of the resumption of the college entrance examination, many people like them have wanted to get rid of their current situation through the college entrance examination.

But the tree may wish to remain still, but the wind will not cease. A very small number of people, unable to see the situation clearly and still immersed in the past, are jumping up and down in opposition.

Although she had promised Chen Fan she would register for the exam, she had no confidence whatsoever about whether she would be able to register. In contrast, Jiang Lili, who was far away in Nanhu Commune and had Chen Fan's help, had a much better chance of success.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Jiang Lili took out a few small packages from her bag and handed one to her father. “Dad, these are knee pads I made myself. They’re sewn from scraps of fox fur. Winter is coming soon, so wear them to keep warm.”

Jiang Heng smiled and accepted it, "Okay, okay."

Jiang Lili handed another package to her mother, saying, "Mom, you still have to sweep the streets in winter. These are gloves I made, they're also made of fox fur, so you won't be cold wearing them."

Shen Xueyi took the baby and hugged her tightly, gently patting her shoulder. "Lili is the best girl."

After hugging for a few seconds, Jiang Lili let go and handed the last cloth bag to her sister, smiling, "You don't have a gift? This is a collection of math study materials I compiled. I asked Xiao Fan to bring the previous ones to you. This is the last one, so you must study hard and not let me fall too far behind in the grades."

Jiang Tiantian took it, reached out and touched her face, paused for several seconds, and then said, "If anything happens, have Xiaofan bring me a message."

Jiang Lili nodded, glanced at her parents again, and said, "Dad, Mom, I'm leaving."

His eyes welled up with tears as he spoke the last word.

She quickly sniffed and turned to walk towards the small boat.

At this moment, Jiang Heng quickly stepped forward, "Wait."

Jiang Lili turned to look at him, "Huh?"

Jiang Heng pointed to Chen Fan, who was still fishing, and whispered, "He's taken such good care of you, I should thank him."

Shen Xueyi nodded gently, "We should thank him; it's the least we can do."

Jiang Lili paused for two or three seconds before saying "Oh," and then turned around to lead her parents toward the small boat.

Chen Fan sat on a small stool, picked up another fishing rod, and muttered to himself, "There are so many carp here."

In just over an hour, there were already more than a dozen fish in the small pond behind him. Apart from the three catfish he caught at the beginning, there were only two copper carp and one shad; the rest were all carp.

Okay, copper fish also belong to the carp family, so it stirred up a hornet's nest?

He removed the fishing hook, threw the fish into the pond, and having already heard the footsteps, he immediately stood up, pretending to have just seen it, put down his fishing rod, walked over, and said with a smile, "Finished chatting?"

Jiang Lili was about to speak when she blushed involuntarily. She turned to look at her parents and found herself unable to utter a word.

For some inexplicable reason, she suddenly felt like she was meeting her parents, and blushed deeply with embarrassment.

Seeing her younger sister's expression, Jiang Tiantian pursed her lips and shook her head inwardly. Then she stepped forward and said to Chen Fan, "Xiao Fan, these are my dad and my mom..."

Chen Fan immediately jumped off the fishing boat. Since he had just caught a fish, he smiled and waved to greet everyone, "Hello, Uncle and Aunt."

In terms of age, they are all over 40. If we consider their actual age, Chen Fan is not even 28 yet, so it's acceptable for him to call them uncle and aunt.

If we consider their current age, then there's even less of a problem. Jiang Heng looked at Chen Fan and nodded secretly.

Putting everything else aside, just that face alone is enough to attract countless girls.

He was a man of the world, having seen all sorts of people. Looking at Chen Fan now, he felt that at first glance, Chen Fan did not have the airs of a celebrity, nor the arrogance of a scholar. However, he always stood up straight, his gaze was upright and not malicious, and he always greeted people with a smile. Moreover, his actions were free and unrestrained, without any regard for the opinions of others. He knew that Chen Fan was a man of integrity.

Upon their first meeting, Jiang Heng gave Chen Fan a very high score for his first impression.

If he was like this, Shen Xueyi was even more so, her gaze carrying a hint of a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law.

Only a few seconds have passed since Chen Fan greeted him.

As Jiang Heng weighed the options in his mind, he quickly stepped forward, extended his right hand, and smiled, "Hello, Xiao Chen."

He paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Can I call you Xiao Chen?"

Chen Fan raised his hands, chuckled, and said, "Sure, sure, but,"

As he spoke, he waved his hand, "My hands are still covered in fishy smell from handling them. It would be disrespectful to shake hands with them. Would you like to skip this?"

Jiang Heng chuckled and naturally withdrew his hand. "Okay, whatever you say."

As he spoke, his evaluation increased by two points.

Being open and genuine is acceptable.

When he spoke to Chen Fan, his first thought was naturally to express his gratitude.

Regardless of what happens in the future, at least for now, this young man and his daughter have remained friends, but the things he has done have far exceeded the scope of a friend's responsibility. In any case, he should step forward and say thank you.

Secondly, he wanted to see for himself what made the genius boy his two daughters talked about so special.

Today's meeting did indeed satisfy him.

However, he glanced discreetly at his youngest daughter and sighed inwardly. Before the turn of events, Lili and he would have been a perfect match, far surpassing even the so-called "talented" man he had carefully chosen for his eldest daughter.

Not to mention that their character is worlds apart.

One person quickly distanced themselves from the situation when things turned sour, while the other person showed no regard for their own family members who were mired in trouble, and instead offered them all sorts of help.

There is no comparison at all!
After thanking him, Shen Xueyi took a small box out of her coat pocket, handed it to Chen Fan, and said with a smile, "Tian Tian told me that you don't have a watch yet. This is one we bought a few years ago, but we haven't used it. Take a look and see if you like it."

He then opened the box.

Chen Fan initially didn't think much of the word "Shanghai" on the box.

He still had the tickets for the "three turns and one sound" (a type of watch, a bicycle, a radio, and a telephone) but hadn't bought them yet. He was certainly not short of money. The reason he hadn't taken action was that he felt the current watches weren't good-looking, and he was thinking of buying an imported watch someday when he went to Shanghai or the capital.

But the moment the box was opened, his eyes lit up.

That watch is great!
(Shanghai 7120 Watch)

The brown strap and fabric-textured dial give it a fashionable look, which is fundamentally different from bulky all-steel watches.

Seeing Chen Fan's gaze, Jiang Tiantian took the box from her mother's hand, pushed it in front of him, and said with a smile, "I heard Lili say that you don't buy watches because the watches in the store aren't nice. Although this watch was bought a few years ago, it's the best-looking watch from the Shanghai brand. You don't still not like it, do you?"

Since things had been said to this extent, and he genuinely liked it, Chen Fan stopped refusing and looked up with a smile, saying, "Uncle, Aunt, then I'll shamelessly accept it."

Jiang Heng has a technical background. Although he has become more tactful over the years, he still prefers to be straightforward. Seeing Chen Fan's behavior, he immediately laughed and said, "If you like it, just accept it. If you're just being polite, I'll think it's too fake."

Chen Fan chuckled and was about to take it when he suddenly stopped and said to Jiang Lili, "You hold it for me, my hand isn't good for holding things."

Jiang Tiantian smiled, turned around and handed it to her younger sister.

Jiang Lili only came to her senses at this moment. When she saw her sister handing her the things, she was about to take them when she noticed her watch. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she looked up at her sister.

Then she saw her sister wink at her, close the lid, and stuff it into her bag.

Seeing the change in Jiang Lili's expression, Chen Fan wondered if this watch had some other meaning.
If so, we can return it to Jiang Lili when we get back to Lujiawan.

Anyway, he doesn't lack these things, so there's no need for him to do what others like.

After saying goodbye once again, Jiang Lili followed Chen Fan onto the boat.

After Chen Fan washed his hands and dried them, he put away the anchor and slowly steered the yacht away from the shore.

Jiang Heng, Shen Xueyi, and Jiang Tiantian stood by the river waving until the small boat was out of sight, then they left together.

On the small boat, Chen Fan turned to look at Jiang Lili, who was bowing her head and remaining silent, and said with a smile, "Today is Sunday. I'll bring you here again next Sunday."

Jiang Lili turned to look at him, blinked, and asked, "Isn't this a bad idea?"

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "What's wrong with that? Actually, today was just a test to see how Secretary Yang and the others viewed your situation. It turns out they don't care about your background or past at all. Since that's the case, what's wrong with me taking you out for a visit as long as you go back?"

He paused for a moment, then said, "If you're worried, you can have Xiaoying and the others stay with you. I'll bring them along."

Jiang Lili's eyes flickered, and after a few seconds, she grinned and said, "Thank you."

If she hadn't seen her parents today, the day might have just passed by, but after seeing them, her longing for them only intensified. If Chen Fan could bring her here again, she would be overjoyed.

Chen Fan steered the boat into the Liuhua River, heading towards Lujiawan. Then he looked at her and asked, "What's the significance of that watch?"

Jiang Lili was stunned for a moment, "Huh?"

Chen Fan smiled. "Don't try to fool me. I saw your expression just now. In short, confess and you'll be treated leniently, resist and you'll be punished severely."

Jiang Lili pouted, remained silent for a few seconds, and then said softly, "This watch is a wedding gift that Mom and Dad prepared for my sister."

Chen Fan suddenly turned his head to look at her, "Huh?"

Jiang Lili's face also looked a little embarrassed. "Don't take it to heart. At that time, my sister was still in school and hadn't graduated yet. She hadn't gone on any blind dates. It was my mother who wanted to prepare a dowry for her in advance. The department store happened to have a batch of the latest watches, so she bought a pair as a wedding gift for her."

She lowered her head, her voice growing low, "Later, after my sister graduated from vocational school, she was assigned to work at a supply and marketing cooperative. Someone introduced her to a potential partner, and everything was agreed upon. We were just waiting for my sister to turn 18 to get married, but then..."

Chen Fan knew what happened next, so he coughed and said, "That's why your sister is lucky."

Jiang Lili turned to look at him, her face full of confusion, "Huh?"

Chen Fan repeated what he had said to Jiang Tiantian, "It's obvious that the man doesn't like your sister at all. Otherwise, what does it matter if she's a cadre or a worker? Would he look down on someone from a working-class family?"

If you ask me, being able to see the true colors of that family beforehand is really the best thing ever; isn't that just good luck?
Besides, your sister didn't lose anything, which is a million times better than getting married and then divorced.

He didn't even mention his family background from beginning to end.

Jiang Lili blinked, tilted her head and thought for a moment, "It seems that it really is true."

She murmured, "I remember my sister saying that she didn't actually have any feelings for that guy, at most she didn't dislike him, but her mother kept urging her, so she agreed. By the day they broke up, they hadn't even held hands."

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly. "Let's not talk about such private matters."

Jiang Lili blushed slightly. "Isn't this you? I never tell anyone these things."

As soon as she finished speaking, she realized what she had said, and her blood rushed to her head and her face burned.

Chen Fan turned to look at her, smiled slightly, and skipped over the topic, "So this watch wasn't given away?"

Jiang Lili snapped out of her daze and forced herself to calm down. "Well, we weren't married, so of course we didn't give them away. That's why these watches have been sitting at home all this time."

Chen Fan's eyes darted around slightly. "You're saying these watches are a pair?"

Jiang Lili's features scrunched up, her face contorted in a grimace, "A couple is a couple, but... but..."

Chen Fan turned to look at her, "But what?"

After a long pause, Jiang Lili finally murmured, "But I heard my sister say she doesn't want it anymore."

She covered her face with her hands, not daring to look up at anyone.

Doesn't this mean that the gift given to Chen Fan was something that others didn't want?
She would never have said this if the conversation hadn't gotten to this point.

Chen Fan, however, didn't take it to heart and said with a smile, "That means your sister is being stubborn, or rather, she still has some resentment in her heart. But, the one who is at fault is the person, not the object. Besides, it hasn't been given away yet, so what's wrong with the object?"

Jiang Lili turned to look at him and asked cautiously, "You...you don't mind?"

"What's the big deal?"

Chen Fan glanced at her, then stretched out his left hand. "Here, put it on me."

Jiang Lili blinked, her eyes darting around. Seeing that Chen Fan seemed serious, she took out a watch box from her bag, took off the watch, suppressed her pounding heart, held her breath, and put the watch on Chen Fan's wrist.

(End of this chapter)