Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 426 The leader is here
As expected, Gun Gun doesn't keep its word.

She promised to take a shower after she had played enough, but Chen Fan still carried her to the bathroom.

Inside the huge bathtub, Gungun and Changchang soaked in the hot water, whimpering contentedly. As they washed, they started splashing each other in the water.

Chen Fan was only wearing a set of thermal underwear. With a dark face, he pressed them one by one into the water and vigorously brushed their fur with soap and a brush, getting himself mostly wet as well.

Fortunately, the bathtub was connected to the kitchen stove, and scalding hot water flowed into the hot water pool through a section of water pipe, making the bathroom steamy and preventing him from feeling cold. Otherwise, given his constitution, he might have caught a cold.

After cleaning the three tumblers and drying them with a large towel, I took them to the kitchen to warm them by the fire.

Since they were already being bathed, Chen Fan caught Duo Duo, Qiu Qiu, and the raccoon cat, gave them a hot bath as well, and then put them by the fireplace in the living room to dry.

After all that work, it was already afternoon.

It wasn't until then that the heavy snow that had been falling for nearly three days finally stopped, and the sun peeked out again, bathing the snow-covered hillsides of the small village in a golden glow.

Chen Fan changed his clothes and came out. He looked at the sky and calculated with his fingers, "The snow has stopped, we can set off."

Huang Ying picked up his backpack, put it on his back, and asked with a smile, "What if it continues to snow tonight?"

Chen Fan adjusted his backpack, whistled into the house, and said with a smile, "If it keeps snowing, I'll stay at the prefectural committee and come back when the snow stops."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a dark figure flew out from the main entrance.

Chen Fan reached out and scooped the raccoon cat into his arms, then waved to the others, "Let's go."

Yang Ju stood under the covered walkway and shouted, "When are you coming back?"

Chen Fan didn't even turn his head. "You'll definitely be able to come back before you fill out your college applications."

Yang Ju pouted, overhearing Liu Dan whispering beside her, "When are we going to fill out college applications?"

She watched Chen Fan's figure gradually disappear down the slope and said irritably, "The medical examination notice hasn't been sent out yet, just wait."

……

Chen Fan stepped through the fluffy snow, leaving a trail of shallow footprints that stretched all the way to the dock.

The yacht hadn't moved for three days, and a thick layer of snow had accumulated on it, pushing the waterline down a bit.

Without even removing the snow, he simply lifted the tarpaulin curtain and went inside, placing the raccoon cat on the chair next to him before starting the diesel engine.

After a few minutes of preheating, the engine was slowly revved, and the propeller shattered the already fragile ice layer, propelling the car towards the center of the river.

During this process, the snow on the boat kept falling off, and by the time the boat reached the entrance of the Liuhua River at Team 7, most of the snow on the boat had fallen off.

The riverbank of Team 7 has changed dramatically. A long, sloping concrete slope extends from the riverbank all the way to the water's edge, and a spacious cement dock is large enough to accommodate two cars side by side.

This is the newly built Lujiawan Wharf.

This type of dock is also the most common small cargo dock today. The sloping long ramp is completely unaffected by the rise and fall of the river. After the cargo ship docks, it can be loaded and unloaded by manpower by placing two gangplanks on it.

In another ten years or so, dump trucks will become the main force in loading and unloading goods, and skilled dump truck drivers will be able to drive their trucks across gangplanks to board and disembark as if on flat ground.

Until the decline of shipping, countless small docks were abandoned. Even when shipping later revived, it was replaced by new container terminals. Although some bulk cargo terminals still exist, they can never return to their former prosperity.

Chen Fan glanced at it from afar, then steered the boat into the Liuhua River, only then accelerating suddenly.

The small yacht, like a little frog, hopped on the water, completely shaking off the accumulated snow, leaving only a layer of stubborn ice on the deck, reflecting glimmers of gold, which was then slowly melted by the river water splashed onto the deck.

In less than an hour, the small yacht docked at the prefectural committee's pier.

He ran to the health department's guesthouse with practiced ease. The staff behind the counter were initially delighted to see him, but then frowned slightly. They lifted the cover next to the counter, stepped out, and greeted him with a smile, "Teacher Chen, you've come all this way in this heavy snow. You must be very tired."

Chen Fan glanced at him, took out a cigarette and offered it to him, smiling, "Brother Xiong, you look like something's up, right?"

If there was nothing wrong, a room would have already been booked for him by now. Why would he come out to say hello?

Xiong Jiagui chuckled, took the cigarette with both hands, and said in a low voice, "The cadre rooms have already been arranged, even all the single and double rooms have been arranged. If you don't mind, I can get you a triple room, without arranging for anyone else to stay there. It's just that the conditions are a bit poor, how about that?"

Chen Fan was slightly taken aback, and looked at him, asking, "Where did this leader come from?"

Xiong Jiagui gave a thumbs up and laughed, "Teacher Chen is really good, you guessed it right away!"

He paused for a moment, then added with a smile, "Weren't the director and section chiefs traveling all over the country to teach the skills in the First Aid Manual...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Fan's eyes lit up. "They're coming back?"

Xiong Jiagui smiled and nodded repeatedly, "That's right. It's been almost half a year since July. I've been working hard outside, and it's almost the end of the year. It's time to come back."

They arrived in the provincial capital the day before yesterday, originally planning to return by bus. However, the heavy snow delayed them by two days. Even though the snow stopped today, the roads are still difficult to navigate, so they bought tickets for this morning's ferry, which will arrive around 7 or 8 pm.

It's easy to imagine what the traffic conditions were like back then. In the early days of the People's Republic of China, the total length of highways in the country was only 8 kilometers.

Later, road construction also focused on "point" roads, which connected several major towns in a certain area with roads, and was also part of the "new rural construction" at that time.

Therefore, various "dead-end roads" often appear, where a road suddenly stops at an asphalt or cement surface and becomes a bumpy natural dirt road, and then a cement road continues near a town.

The most important trunk roads for economic development still largely rely on the main roads built during the Republic of China period, and then repaired and expanded on the basis of these trunk roads.

There are certainly newly built ones, but not many.

The road from the provincial capital to the prefectural committee was expanded from a road built during the Republic of China era, and later became part of a national highway.

The road conditions here are naturally terrible; it's difficult to travel even on a sunny day, let alone in heavy snow.

In other words, Yunhu also has the Yangtze River's golden waterway, which is sufficient to meet the needs of freight and passenger transport. Otherwise, this place would be comparable to those cities built in the mountains during the Third Front construction period.

Chen Fan listened to him and nodded.

As Xiong Jiagui finished speaking, he suddenly added, "Several leaders and staff from the province and the health department came back with the director and the others. Those cadre rooms, single rooms, and double rooms were prepared for them."

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow slightly. "A leader from the Health Department?"

Xiong Jiagui nodded with a smile, "That's right."

Then he chuckled and said, "It's rare for provincial leaders to come here. I heard they're going to inspect our work at Yunhu. They'll definitely arrange for you to meet with them, and it just so happens that you're here today..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Fan solemnly cupped his hands in farewell and said, "Farewell!" He then turned and left without any hesitation.
Unfortunately, they couldn't escape.

Before he could take a second step, Sister Zhou's voice rang out from behind, "Stop right there, where do you think you're going?!"

Chen Fan turned around and said with an embarrassed smile, "Sister Zhou, it must be so hard to work out in this heavy snow!"

Sister Zhou rolled her eyes and strode over. "I'm here to prepare for welcoming the leaders. I just called Lujiawan and they said you've come to the prefectural committee. You've come at the right time. Come with me to see the leaders tonight."

Chen Fan glanced at Xiong Jiagui, who had already disappeared, and said helplessly, "I'm a coward. I'm afraid I'll embarrass myself if I have to see the leaders. It doesn't matter if I embarrass myself, but it would be a disgrace to the health department..."

Sister Zhou raised her hand and waved it, looking at him with a half-smile, "Are you a coward?"

Chen Fan nodded seriously, "Yes, I'm timid."

Sister Zhou took two steps forward, looked at him, and whispered, "You coward, yet you dare to switch Da Jiang and Xiao Jiang and send them to the education department?"

Chen Fan said with a long face, "I'm just a coward, I only sent them because I was afraid something would happen to them."

Sister Zhou rolled her eyes. "Stop joking with me. Let me tell you, I went to great lengths to transfer your job to the health department, all for this day."

The boss is really coming today, you have to be there, otherwise...

She raised her hand and poked Chen Fan's forehead. "You'll bear the consequences!"

Chen Fan knew there was no escaping it now, so he lowered his head dejectedly and said, "Fine."

Then he quickly looked up and said, "But the accommodation here is terrible. There isn't even a toilet in the room. I'd like to ask to stay somewhere else and come back tonight."

Sister Zhou glared at him, annoyed. "Living in the cadre's quarters has spoiled you, hasn't it?!"

Then, like chasing a dog, he waved his hands wildly, shouting, "Get out, get out, get out!"

"okay."

Chen Fan said hello, turned around and left. Actually, he just didn't want to live with his boss.

"return."

Sister Zhou called out to him and asked, "Where are you going to stay?"

Chen Fan turned around and smiled, "Let's go to the Education Department first to see if they have any rooms. If not, I'll go to the Health Institute's guesthouse; they'll definitely have rooms there."

If none of those options are available, he can try the guesthouses at the passenger terminal, several long-distance bus stations, and several hospitals directly under the health department...

A dignified teacher like Mr. Chen can't even get a decent apartment in the prefectural committee?!
Sister Zhou came over and helped him straighten his slightly wrinkled clothes, saying, "Don't even think about the Education Department. The college entrance examination results from all the districts and counties have already been sent there. They're busy working with the leaders of the Provincial Education Commission, so there's no way they'll give you a room for officials."

"You should go to the School of Public Health. I'll put in a word with their dean, and we can come over together later."

Leaders from the provincial health system were all present, and of course, leaders from the School of Health Sciences were also there.

She was also afraid that Chen Fan might never return... Although it was unlikely, what if he did?!

Chen Fan saw through her thoughts at a glance and nodded helplessly, "Alright, I'll come over with the dean and the others later."

It's a good opportunity to hitch a ride with them.

Since we can't avoid it, let's find ways to enjoy it as much as possible.

……

After leaving the health department with his backpack, Chen Fan did not go directly to the School of Health, but instead took a car to the Education Department.

Sister Zhou just said that the college entrance examination results have been released, and he wants to go over and ask about them.

……

At this moment, all the main leaders of Yunhu Health Department, as well as Deputy Director Deng from the Provincial Education Commission who came specifically to guide the college entrance examination and enrollment work, were crammed into a conference room.

On the conference table were dozens of college entrance examination papers.

Everyone looked somber, and those who smoked each had a cigarette in their hand, filling the room with smoke.

After a long pause, Deputy Director Deng coughed and said to Zuo Qiuping, the deputy director of the Education Department, "So, the reason why dozens of high-scoring test papers came out of Nanhu Commune is because of that person named Chen Fan?"

Zuo Qiuping nodded, her expression unchanged, and said, "I learned about this matter long before the college entrance examination. This year, the Yunhu Health Department published a book..."

Before she could finish speaking, Deputy Director Deng nodded and said, "I know that. The First Aid Manual has saved countless lives and is a great merit!"

A hint of a smile flashed in Zuo Qiuping's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure and continued, "The most important technique in this 'First Aid Manual,' the 'Yunhu First Aid Method,' was invented by Chen Fan. After he used this method to save a child, he thought about the lack of necessary medical conditions and medical knowledge in rural areas, so he decided to compile all the first aid methods he knew into a book for the members of the production team to learn."

You've probably heard about what happened next, haven't you?

Deputy Director Deng nodded slightly and smiled, "I have indeed heard that their health department got a great deal."

Seeing that the atmosphere had relaxed, the director of the education department smiled and said, "It's not just about getting a bargain. I also attended a first aid training session where Chen Fan gave a lecture. Chen Fan repeatedly emphasized the role of the experts from the health department in the compilation of the 'First Aid Manual,' especially in the improvement of traditional first aid techniques."

Judging from his words, his greatest personal contribution was probably inventing the "Yunhu First Aid Method" and proposing the idea of ​​compiling a "First Aid Manual." The subsequent work was largely accomplished by the organization.

Deputy Director Deng nodded slightly again, "Not being arrogant or complacent is very good."

He looked around and asked, "Does anyone here know this Lujiawan well?"

It was Zuo Qiuping who spoke.

After meeting Chen Fan, she immediately took a liking to this handsome, humble, and polite young man. Of course, it wasn't the kind of liking one has for a lover, but rather the kind of liking one has for a younger person, like an older sister looking at a younger brother, similar to what Sister Zhou had.

In short, the first impression was very good.

So every time we ate together, we chatted a lot, and we talked most about things in the production team.

In addition, with Jiang Lili, who had spent nearly four years working in the countryside in Lujiawan, by his side, he was not only familiar with Lujiawan, but also not a stranger to it.

At this point, the leader finally shifted the issue to Lujiawan, and she breathed a sigh of relief, spilling out everything she knew.

(End of this chapter)