Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 413 Anonymous Letter

On the main road of Lujiawan, Chen Fan rode his horse ahead, followed by a mule pulling a cart. Jiang Lili and three others sat on the cart, while Liu Dan cracked her whip, slowly making their way to the commune.

Along the road, combine harvesters shuttled back and forth in the rice fields. Wherever they went, the rice grains fell to the ground. People followed behind, tied up the rice grains and placed them at a distance. Immediately, others came over and carried them to the edge of the field.

On the ridges of the fields, diesel engines were generating electricity, and not far away, threshing machines roared as they threshed the rice. Golden grains of rice gushed into baskets, as beautiful as the smiles on the faces of the commune members.

However, there are only so many machines, and other places can't just sit idly by, so many people are also wielding sickles to harvest the rice in the fields.

After the autumn harvest, due to a lack of sufficient fertilizer, the rice paddies must be allowed to rest for a period of time in order to restore soil fertility, so there is no need to rush as much as during the double harvest season.

The harvested rice doesn't need to be carried away; it can be threshed directly at the edge of the field using a pedal-operated threshing machine.

The mixing drum, once the mainstay of threshing, has now been cruelly abandoned by Lujiawan.

Although not enough mechanical threshing machines could be purchased, and only one machine could be used by two teams in rotation, pedal threshing machines were still available. The manual mixing drums, which relied solely on manpower, naturally became the object of disdain.

After purchasing that batch of agricultural machinery, the brigade headquarters took out a "huge sum" and placed an order with the county agricultural machinery factory to purchase a batch of pedal threshing machines. This not only ensured that each team had one machine, but also reserved six machines for rotation, ensuring that each team had two threshing machines. The difference was that the six machines could only be used in rotation.

With the addition of this batch of agricultural machinery, the members not only had their workload reduced significantly, but they were also in a much better mood.

Not to mention every household, this year the brigade headquarters developed side businesses, and Secretary Yang and his team treated everyone equally. Each team had people working in these side businesses, and each team would share in the profits generated.

Once it's in the team's account, isn't that the same as it being in the hands of the commune members?

Nowadays, with the "contracting production to the group" system, anyone who earns work points diligently will receive a share of income when the accounts are settled and dividends are distributed at the end of the year. So, although they are envious of those who can work in side businesses, they are not jealous.

Firstly, they were selected based on their abilities, and secondly, they also share in the profits and benefits of their work outside.

So even though he continued to do the most tiring farm work, he was still in a great mood.

Chen Fan watched the bustling scene of labor, waving and greeting the commune members from time to time. He walked through the golden rice fields and soon arrived in the town.

Stepping onto the town's main road, the somewhat erratic sound from the loudspeakers became immediately clear.

"...The college entrance examination registration period will end at 5 p.m. on the 7th. Students who have not yet registered should hurry up and go to the Nanhu Commune School District Office to get a certificate, and then go to the County Education Bureau to register."

Notice, notice, notice of the 1977 college entrance examination registration...

Liu Dan shook the reins, urging the mule to run a few steps faster, and caught up with Chen Fan riding a mare. She looked up and asked, "Teacher Chen, is there anyone who hasn't registered yet?"

Chen Fan shrugged, glanced at her, and said, "It's just us."

Today is already the 4th. He heard from Anquan that the courtyard of the commune school district office was empty, probably because everyone who was supposed to register had already done so. That's why he brought them over slowly.

There are still three or four days until the deadline, so what's the rush?

The school district office was not just an office; similar to the education department of the prefectural committee, it was actually an education management agency dispatched by the county education bureau to various communes, and was responsible to both the county education bureau and the commune government.

Therefore, this is not a simple office, but a formal organization located not far from the entrance of Nanhu Primary School.

There are very few main buildings on the town's main roads; most of them have a gate, and you have to walk through an alley before the building is located behind the roadside structure.

The same applies to the school district office.

Before reaching the intersection of Shengli Street North, which runs north-south, there is a three-meter-wide alley. Walking along the alley for about 100 meters, there is a small courtyard with only one flat-roofed house. This is the school district office.

Walk about 100 meters further in, and you'll reach Nanhu Primary School.

Chen Fan rode his horse to the entrance of the school district office. He looked ahead at Nanhu Primary School, which was located on a hillside and had three single-story buildings visible through the wall. He then dismounted and walked straight into the courtyard of the school district office. Liu Dan quickly directed the mule to follow him inside.

After securing the reins and parking the car, Chen Fan waved his hand and went into the house first.

Without asking or searching, you'll see a large desk as soon as you enter, with a sign on it that reads "College Entrance Examination Certificate Issuance Office".

Alright, they've already set up their stall at the entrance, so let's go over there.

Chen Fan took out a cigarette and handed it over, "Hello comrade, we're here to get our college entrance exam certificates."

The man had already seen Chen Fan and his group. He smiled and took the cigarette, saying as he took the certificate, "Most of the candidates from our commune have registered, except for a few of you. As expected of Teacher Chen, you're so composed."

Chen Fan chuckled, "We were worried that there would be too many people and you wouldn't be able to handle it all, so we specifically chose a less crowded time to come."

As for why this comrade I've never met before knows me, is there even a need to ask that question?

After he finished speaking, he gestured to Huang Ying and the others, "Bring out your household registration books."

Although a letter of introduction from the production team is not required, identification is still necessary; otherwise, how can personnel information be verified?

Jiang Lili and the others quickly took out their household registration information and placed it on the corner of the table.

The clerk didn't hesitate; after registering the basic information, she stamped the document four times in quick succession and handed it back to them.

Jiang Lili held the commune's certificate in her hands, her eyes still filled with disbelief.

Did you get it that easily?

Was all my worry for nothing?

With the certificate in hand, Chen Fan was overjoyed. He offered Chen Fan a cigarette and laughed heartily, "Thank you so much, thank you for your hard work!"

The clerk didn't stand on ceremony and took it back, looking at Chen Fan with a smile, "Teacher Chen, I heard you're going to take the postgraduate entrance exam directly?"

Chen Fan laughed and said, "The main reason is that I had already enrolled in a correspondence university before, and it felt like it wouldn't be worth it to take the college entrance examination again, so I wanted to try taking the postgraduate entrance examination."

The clerk nodded slightly, glanced at the four jubilant girls beside him, and gave them a rather complicated look.

Chen Fan noticed his gaze and was slightly taken aback. He hesitated for two seconds, then turned to look at Jiang Lili and said, "You two go outside and wait for me."

The four girls didn't pay any attention and happily walked out with the certificates in their hands.

After they left, Chen Fan took out a lighter, lit it, and handed it to the clerk, smiling, "Comrade, is there something wrong with them?"

The clerk held his hands, lit a cigarette, took a light puff, looked up at Chen Fan with a playful look in his eyes, and said with a smile, "Teacher Chen is indeed extraordinary; you saw through that?"

Chen Fan chuckled, looked around, took out a whole pack of filtered magnolias from his pocket, covered it with his hand, put it in the half-open drawer, and said softly with a smile, "Please give me some pointers, Comrade!"

The clerk glanced at the drawer, his smile widening. He stood up and said softly, "Three locals are definitely no problem, but that little Jiang... his surname is Jiang, right?"

Chen Fan nodded, his smile gradually fading. "What happened to her?"

The clerk continued, "Before the registration notice was even sent out, we received several letters about her, requesting that we not process her registration."

I also asked the staff at the county education bureau, and they received the same letter. However, they were all anonymous, and they don't know who wrote it.

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan immediately frowned.

Did he really run into someone like that?

Anonymous letters are the worst! How can you even communicate amicably with someone if you can't even find them?

Seeing that Chen Fan was not making a fuss, the clerk couldn't help but show some appreciation in his eyes. Although the policy was already very clear, units at all levels would not ignore this aspect, especially some leaders who would rather do less or nothing than make a mistake.

Actually, you can't blame those people. It's mainly because they changed course too quickly. They used to have to go through all the procedures, but now they suddenly say they don't need them anymore. Who knows if the higher-ups will hold them accountable later? Of course, they have to be cautious.

After a moment's thought, he said, "To be honest, everyone in our unit should thank you. Our superiors gave us a task, requiring us to achieve a certain enrollment rate. In the past, we could only barely meet the first-grade enrollment target, and we were really powerless to achieve anything higher."

"We owe you a lot this year, thanks to your support in expanding the village school in Lujiawan and your active promotion of veterinary medicine and sideline businesses. You showed the production team leaders the importance of knowledge, so the other four production teams also started to value education. We haven't even had to work very hard, and we've already exceeded our targets for next year. We must remember this favor." Chen Fan smiled and waved his hand, saying, "No, no, I just did something for my own good. I don't deserve your thanks."

The clerk smiled and said, "Even if you did it unintentionally, you really helped us a lot."

After a pause, he continued, "Those who know you also know that you have lived in the Lujiawan educated youth settlement for a long time. Now, Xiao Jiang is the only one in the settlement, and you two have a very good relationship."

So instead of waiting for you to plead for her, we might as well just go through her application and send her a letter of verification.”

Chen Fan clenched his fists, raised them, and waved them at him, saying, "Thank you, thank you."

The clerk took a puff of his cigarette, waved his hand with a smile, and then changed the subject, saying, "Teacher Chen, I have something to say from the bottom of my heart, of course, whether you listen to it or not is up to you."

Chen Fan said, "Please go ahead."

The clerk said, "Since those people have sent letters to us and to the county, they certainly won't miss the prefectural committee. They might even send them to the provincial education commission. It's easy for us to get through this hurdle, but it's hard to say what will happen to the higher-ups."

He looked at Chen Fan and said seriously, "So I want to remind you, help if you can, and let go in time if you can't, so that the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment."

Chen Fan thought for a moment, then nodded slightly, "Thank you for the advice, thank you!"

The clerk could tell from his expression that he wasn't going to give up, so she couldn't help but ask curiously, "It's no easy feat to get her into the exam hall. What's your relationship with her that makes you so willing to help her?"

To outsiders, it seemed impossible for them to be lovers. Besides her, a former educated youth, there were three local girls living there. They all behaved normally, so it was impossible for rumors to spread.

But if they weren't lovers, what kind of relationship would make Teacher Chen go to such lengths to help her?

Chen Fan smiled and said softly, "You've probably heard how I got to Nanhu, haven't you?"

The clerk nodded. "Yes, I heard. You floated over from the water. It was Captain Yang from your team 6 who pulled you out."

As he said this, he couldn't help but marvel at Yang Chuanfu's luck.

Look how thriving the side businesses are in Lujiawan now! Catching up Chen Fan is more valuable than catching a golden baby!
Just as he was lost in thought, Chen Fan said with a smile, "You only know one side of the story. Besides Captain Yang getting me out of trouble, there are two other people to thank. If it weren't for them, I would have lost my life long ago."

The clerk immediately became interested and looked at him curiously, "Who else?"

Chen Fan: "The first one was Dr. Zhang, the barefoot doctor in our team. He prescribed two doses of medicine for me, and I broke out in a sweat, which saved my life."

The clerk nodded repeatedly, "The doctor saved lives, so we really should thank him."

He paused for a moment, then a thought flashed through his mind, and he looked at him and asked, "The other one, it wouldn't be Xiao Jiang, would it?"

Chen Fan smiled and nodded, "At that time, I was unconscious for almost a day and a night. It was Xiao Jiang who brewed those two doses of medicine and fed them to me little by little with a spoon. If it weren't for her, I probably would have been dead long ago."

The clerk suddenly realized, "Oh, I see. No wonder."

No wonder Chen Fan never hid Xiao Jiang's background and treated her almost the same as everyone else; now you know the reason.

He's a savior, so everything makes sense.

After figuring this out, the clerk gave Chen Fan a thumbs up, saying, "You're a man of integrity."

He then took the pack of cigarettes out of the drawer and handed it back, saying, "Take this back, otherwise it'll burn my mouth."

As a result, Chen Fan grabbed his hand and stuffed it back into the drawer, then closed the drawer and chuckled, "What's the point of taking back what's given away? If you think highly of me, just accept it. In any case, I must remember this favor since you let Xiao Jiang go today."

Upon hearing this, the clerk exclaimed, "Hey, isn't that what I just said?"
Looking at Chen Fan again, seeing his determined gaze, she smiled and shook her head, "Then I'll shamelessly accept it."

……

After leaving the school district office and turning onto the main road, Yang Ju drove her mule alongside Chen Fan.

Huang Ying quickly asked, "Teacher Chen, you were talking inside for so long just now, was something the matter?"

Chen Fan turned his head and saw that the four girls were looking at him nervously, so he shook his head and smiled, "It's nothing, I just asked him about the college entrance examination schedule."

This reason was very reasonable, so Huang Ying, Yang Ju, and Liu Dan all breathed a long sigh of relief.

Only Jiang Lili frowned slightly.

Since the question is about the schedule, why avoid mentioning them?
Before she could think any further, she heard Huang Ying ask, "So, how is the schedule arranged?"

Without hesitation, Chen Fan said, "First, go to the county to register. After the list is submitted, we'll wait to take the preliminary exam. The preliminary exam is scheduled for three days, December 6th, 7th, and 8th. On the 6th, we'll take Chinese and either humanities or science subjects. On the 7th, we'll take math and politics. On the 8th, we'll take additional subjects."

After the exam, the county teachers immediately graded the papers and issued scores. Only those who passed the preliminary exam were eligible to participate in the three-day retest on December 10, 11, and 12.

The second-round exam is the official college entrance exam. Those who pass the exam will be notified to participate in a physical examination. The time for the physical examination has not yet been determined, but it should be in late December.

If you pass the physical examination, you can go to the commune school district office to fill out your application.

Once you arrive here, it's no longer your concern. Admission notices will be issued based on your scores and preferences. After receiving the admission notice, completing the household registration transfer procedures, and gathering all necessary documents, you can report to the school at the designated time.

After she finished speaking, Huang Ying and the other two had already opened their mouths wide.

So there were so many things involved?
It's not just about taking an exam and that's it?

Chen Fan glanced at them, then at Jiang Lili, whose mood had suddenly become somewhat low. He guessed that she might have guessed something, and a wave of annoyance washed over him. After a two-second silence, he said seriously, "It's already November 4th, and there's only one month left until the preliminary exam. Moreover, the re-examination will start immediately after the preliminary exam. Time is tight, so hurry back to study."

As soon as she finished speaking, the mare galloped away in a cloud of dust.

Upon seeing this, Liu Dan quickly lashed the mule with his whip, shouting, "Giddy up!"

Jiang Lili held onto the handrail of the cart, watching Chen Fan's figure grow smaller and smaller as he walked away. Her heart sank, and the certificate in her hand seemed to weigh a ton.

……

Back home, it was still early, so Huang Ying and the others met up with An Quan and his wife to continue their studies.

Chen Fan went up to the second floor, thinking about how to deal with the situation.

A moment later, Jiang Lili walked over and stood not far in front of him. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't open her mouth.

Chen Fan looked up at her, paused for a few seconds, and then suddenly laughed, "Why are you so lifeless?"

Jiang Lili took a deep breath, stared at him blankly, and after several seconds, finally spoke, "What exactly happened just now?"

As soon as she said it, even she was startled.

The voice was so hoarse that it was barely audible.

Seeing her like this, Chen Fan quickly stood up, poured a glass of water, walked over and handed it to her, saying softly, "Don't rush, drink some water to soothe your throat."

Jiang Lili looked at him for a long while before lowering her head weakly. "I don't want to drink."

Chen Fan placed the water glass on the table, coughed lightly, and said to her, "Comrade Jiang Lili, raise your head."

Jiang Lili raised her head and stared at him blankly.

Chen Fan's expression changed, and he said seriously, "You guessed right, someone wrote a letter complaining that they don't want you to register for the college entrance examination..."

Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Lili's eyes reddened, and she quickly covered her mouth, sobbing.

The voice was very, very soft, as if afraid of being overheard.

(End of this chapter)