Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 440 Legacy
After sitting in the guardhouse for a short time, the team leader received a call from the factory office allowing them to pass. He then found a security guard and asked him to take Chen Fan and the others inside.

Chen Fan and his group followed the security guards and wandered around the factory area.

The few people behind, who had never seen the world before, were already dumbfounded, staring at the tall factory buildings. Luckily, there was a security guard leading the way, otherwise, workers would have come forward to ask questions long ago.

After arriving at the administration building, and following the verification of the letter of introduction and security checks, we finally met the factory director of Yunhu Machinery Factory in a conference room.

Factory Director Yang, who was about 50 years old, had tears in his eyes the moment he saw Chen Fan. He rushed over, grabbed Chen Fan's arm, and looked him up and down with tears in his eyes, saying, "He looks just like, just like, exactly like your mother!"

Chen Fan smiled awkwardly. What the hell? They looked exactly the same. He had seen the photos yesterday, okay? At most, they could only be said to have similar face shapes... Well, it's similar to the beauty pageants in South Korea in later years. The face shapes are the same, and the facial features are all surgically enhanced, so they are not far from being exactly the same.

Factory Director Yang pulled Chen Fan to sit on the sofa, completely ignoring everyone else, and kept talking to him about the past.

He also said, "The police said you have amnesia. I'll talk to you more about your past, which should help you remember something."

"And your belongings, I already sorted them all out when I returned to work. All the clothes and furniture were taken away, and I tried everything to get them back, but I couldn't. I could only gather the unwanted books and documents, which are now at my house. I'll bring them to you in a bit."

As he spoke, he took out a handkerchief to wipe his face, suppressing his excitement, and said with emotion, "Your parents were implicated because of me. When they were in production, they were single-mindedly focused on their work and didn't care about anything else."

I didn't think too much about it at the time. I just wanted to improve the factory's production and technology so that we wouldn't be constrained by foreign technology.

Unexpectedly, he offended a petty person and was later wronged and dismissed from his post.

After I left the machine factory, your parents were also implicated. They were quickly framed, dismissed from their posts and placed under investigation, and then…

He kept shaking his head and sighing, bowing his head in deep sorrow.

Those nearby, including Anquan, felt a pang of sympathy upon witnessing this scene and sighed in empathy.

Although Chen Fan's expression was also full of grief, with his keen eyesight, he could clearly detect that Director Yang was putting on an act.

It's not that Director Yang's words are false; these are all things that can be publicly verified. If he dared to lie, he would be inviting humiliation upon himself.

However, while the facts may be true, emotions can be faked.

As a leader of a department-level unit, surely he wouldn't be so emotional as to burst into tears in front of a younger person?

However, Chen Fan had no evidence, so he could only cooperate with the performance with a somber expression.

He was secretly calculating what he, as a leader, had done to deserve such a scheme.

After thinking it over, it seems that only his identity as a writer is worth using.

After a decade of silence, the status of intellectuals can be described as a "limit rebound".

Actually, this period of time is still considered good. In another three or four years, let alone being famous throughout the country, even if you have only published articles in local publications, it will be enough for people around you to look up to you and everyone will call you a "writer"!
If Chen Fan could be recruited to the machinery factory, Director Yang would naturally have a way to maximize this advantage. Whether it was currying favor with the leaders or gaining popular support, he would reap enormous benefits.

Furthermore, treating the son of an old friend well can also improve one's own reputation; all that's required is a little acting skill, so why not?
After venting his emotions, Director Yang took Chen Fan's hand and said, "Your father used to be the director in charge of scientific research, and your mother was the deputy director in charge of translation in the technical department. They were both cadres."

After the case was overturned, the factory recalculated their wages, compensation, and bonuses for developing various products such as auto parts, totaling more than 6000 yuan.

Yesterday I received a call from the secretary of your Lujiawan brigade, who told me to have the finance department prepare the money. I'll write you a note later, and you can just go to the finance department to collect the money.

In addition, there is a bank deposit of more than 6000 yuan that your parents used to have. Although the passbook has been lost, I went to the bank to ask and they still have the stub. However, according to the regulations, only the legal heirs are eligible to withdraw it.

I'll write you a letter of introduction later to prove your identity. You can take it to the bank and withdraw the money.

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan quickly waved his hand, "No, no, I can't accept this money."

He never expected that so much inheritance was waiting for him.

The back pay, bonuses, and pension totaled over 6000 yuan, and the previous savings were also over 6000 yuan. It seems incredible, but considering the income of two section-level cadres and their relatively low spending, this figure is still reasonable.

He just didn't dare accept the money.

Others might not know, but he knew perfectly well that the money didn't belong to him at all. Besides, he wasn't exactly short of money, so why would he bother taking it?
Even now that everyone thinks his identity has been confirmed, he still seems to have not accepted it in his words. Even when he mentions "his" parents, he refers to "Chen Fan's" parents, thus drawing a line between them.

They keep denying it on one side, but then they turn around and go get the money on the other. It's a bit awkward.

Before Director Yang could speak, Chen Fan quickly changed the subject, "Well, the main reason I came here today is to pay my respects to... uh, my parents. Could you please find someone to take me there?"

Looking at Chen Fan, Director Yang pointed at him with a face full of satisfaction, "You are just like your parents, both of you value righteousness over wealth." He then stood up and said, "You really should go and pay your respects. There have been quite a few people who have paid their respects over the years, but you are different. They will be very happy to see you go."

Chen Fan smiled awkwardly, thinking that he could just find someone to take him, but Director Yang had already started walking out, so he had no choice but to follow.

The group exchanged glances and quickly followed the others outside.

Since the factory director was personally involved, he naturally wouldn't go on foot. The factory office arranged three cars, and the chairman of the labor union accompanied them. They brought some things and headed straight to Yunhu Cemetery in the suburbs.

Upon arriving at the cemetery, Director Yang quickened his pace to lead the way, stopping only in front of a grave.

Seeing that he seemed very familiar with the place, Chen Fan's prejudice against him began to change a little.

Regardless of whether Director Yang had schemed against him or not, at least he was kind and loyal to the two who had passed away.

Otherwise, even if he had scouted the route beforehand, he wouldn't be so familiar with it.

Standing in front of the tomb, Director Yang was about to help Chen Fan arrange the offerings when Huang Ying and the others immediately took the lead and pulled out various items from their cloth bags.

There was wine brewed by Chen Fan himself, several dishes cooked by Liu Dan, and even several kinds of fruit such as tangerines, persimmons, and winter dates.

Seeing the strange look in Director Yang's eyes, Chen Fan smiled helplessly and said, "These are all my students who insisted on coming along to show their filial piety."

A student? Whose student is like this?
Factory Director Yang smiled but didn't say anything.

Then she turned to look at the tombstone and said softly, "I know you don't remember many things, so I'll just tell you briefly. Their original burial site was in a village, and it was arranged by several of your former coworkers from the workshop. You were still alive at the time, and they all had a deep impression of you."

After I was reinstated, I immediately contacted them and moved your parents' graves here. They were already buried together before, so this is also a joint burial.

"From now on, come here to pay your respects."

He turned and looked around. “There are too many small paths here, and it’s hard to find the place. If you can’t find it, come find me and I’ll take you there.”

Chen Fan nodded gently, quietly looking at the words on the tombstone. After a long while, he said, "I remember."

I don't know if he was referring to remembering what Director Yang said, or remembering this place.

Director Yang didn't mind, as long as the sentiment was expressed well.

More than a year ago, before that thing ended, there was no such formal worship!

Even in very remote mountain villages, there have been instances of not holding ancestral worship ceremonies for ten years. Many ancestral halls and temples have been destroyed, and the statues inside have been chopped into pieces and burned. Such grave-visiting is even more impossible.

But starting last year, no one organized anything, and no one notified us; everything just happened naturally.

Starting with the elderly with white hair, they carried small bamboo baskets, a small piece of cured meat, some cardamom, and a small pot of wine, leading their young children to sweep the tombs of their ancestors.

Almost overnight, this "old custom" was restored throughout the country.

Therefore, Chen Fan performed the old rituals when he offered sacrifices.

Light an incense stick, place offerings, and then take out a large bag of rough, yellow paper money and burn it in front of the grave.

Huang Ying and the others were burning paper money in front of the grave when Zhang Wenliang took out a small shovel from his cloth bag, walked over and handed it to Chen Fan, saying, "Add some soil to the grave."

Chen Fan nodded, took the shovel, dug up a few clods of soil from a nearby embankment, piled them on the grave mound, and placed a piece of paper money under the last shovelful of soil.

After all the paper money had been burned, Anquan took out a string of firecrackers, unpacked them, and arranged them around the grave.

After everyone had finished kowtowing and left, he knelt before the tombstone and bowed several times, clasping his hands together and saying, "Uncle and Aunt, please bless him. Your son has become successful. He is not only very capable himself, but he has also mentored many outstanding students. Please bless him with peace and good fortune."

After saying that, he glanced at the girls not far away, felt a pang of doubt, and finally shut up.

Forget it, I shouldn't meddle in such private matters. What if their parents like to see this kind of scene?

He took out a cigarette, lit it, walked behind the tombstone, held the cigarette to the fuse of the firecracker, and then ran away.

A few seconds later, the crackling sound of firecrackers rang out, echoing over the cemetery and carrying further and further away.

(End of this chapter)