Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 480 A Wasted Moment
The car was parked at the entrance of the yard, and three raccoons were perched on the yard wall, meowing at him.

When Chen Fan saw Ban Jin there, he knew that the Jiang sisters must be there.

Then I heard barely perceptible footsteps, two of them.

After a few seconds, the sound of the latch being pulled rang out, and with a creak, the door was opened, revealing two smiling faces.

Jiang Lili rushed forward and leaned against the car door with the window rolled down. She could only see one face. "I heard the sound of a car and a cat meowing, so I guessed it was you who came back."

Chen Fan grinned and chuckled. He hadn't seen him for a few days and really missed him.

Then, glancing slightly to the side, she saw Jiang Tiantian standing not far behind her, a gentle smile on her face. After several seconds of eye contact with Chen Fan, she suddenly lowered her head, took two steps forward, and tugged at her sister's sleeve, saying, "Let Xiao Fan go in first."

Jiang Lili then came to her senses, a blush spreading from her cheeks to her ears. She quickly took a step back and said, "Let's go in quickly."

Chen Fan smiled, started the car, and drove into the yard.

He took two bags from the passenger seat, got out of the car, and opened the back door.

Jiang Lili was about to take the bag from him when she suddenly noticed the back seat was crammed full and couldn't help but gasp, "Why are there so many things?"

Chen Fan took a small bag from the back seat, closed the car door behind him, turned around and walked inside, and said with a smile, "These are souvenirs. I know too many people, and I don't want to leave anyone out, so I have all these things. Just leave them in the car, and I'll take them over to them later."

Jiang Tiantian followed behind them and gently nudged her younger sister.

Jiang Lili reacted quickly, ran two steps forward, and said, "Let me help you with it."

As she spoke, she reached out to take the large bag from his hand.

Chen Fan turned around and handed her the small bag, saying, "This is a gift for you."

Jiang Lili's eyes crinkled into crescent moons with joy, not for the gift, of course. In her eyes, the gift itself was unimportant; what mattered was the person giving it.

Seeing that she didn't move, Chen Fan simply stuffed the bag into her arms, and she quickly took it.

He went inside and walked to the octagonal table in the main room. He emptied the contents of the two bags. "These are souvenirs from the Writers' Association for a meeting. I haven't seen them yet."

Before he finished speaking, several items were dumped onto the table.

Well, there's quite a lot of stuff.

A black briefcase, a meeting commemorative badge with Mr. Li's portrait, and a box containing toiletries and tableware.

Why are toothbrushes and forks in the same box, along with soap and a razor?

(A souvenir from a meeting in the late 70s; the spoon has been replaced with chopsticks, and the comb and nail clippers are missing. Jointly produced by Shanghai Songsheng Telecommunications Equipment Factory and Shanghai Wusong Electrical Research Institute)

Also included is a travel mug, a set of the Four Treasures of the Study (writing brush, ink stick, inkstone, and paper), a fountain pen, a notebook, an umbrella, a can of tea, and... a carton of cigarettes?
Looking at the huge pile of stuff on the table, Chen Fan could only think, "The Writers' Association is really rich!"

Jiang Lili casually placed the gift bag on the table and helped him tidy up, saying, "There are so many things."

Chen Fan smiled and took off his coat. "Normally, one or two souvenirs are enough. They've made so many at once. They're probably selecting samples for future welfare items and souvenirs, and then giving the samples away as souvenirs."

Jiang Tiantian immediately took his coat from him, saying, "You need to change your clothes when you come back from going out. This coat and all the luggage you took with you need to be washed before you wear them."

Then he smiled and said, "I'll go heat up your bath water, and you can have dinner after your bath."

Chen Fan turned to look at her, smiled and nodded, "Thank you."

Jiang Tiantian smiled, picked up his luggage bag, and turned to go to the backyard.

Jiang Lili finished tidying up a bunch of things, turned around and ran outside, saying, "I'm going to help my sister."

Chen Fan glanced at the gift bag still on the table. Hmm, was the gift unappealing?
Half an hour later, Chen Fan took a hot bath in the backyard bathroom, where the two sisters had already prepared dinner.

Jiang Lili handed the honey water to Chen Fan and said with a smile, "Congratulations on becoming a member of the Writers' Association. From now on, we can call you a writer."

Chen Fan clinked his wine bowl against hers and said, "Thank you."

He clinked the bowl with the one Jiang Tiantian handed him and drank the yellow wine in his cup in one gulp.

The two sisters then kept asking him about the Writers' Association.

In an era when writers were more sought after than movie stars, inquiring about the inside story of the Writers' Association was roughly equivalent to, or even more attractive than, gossip from entertainment companies in later generations.

Chen Fan naturally wouldn't hide anything, so he simply started from the day he set off.

The two sisters opened their eyes wide and occasionally let out a gasp of surprise.

They had never left Yunhu before, and their understanding of the outside world was limited to their imaginations gleaned from books, newspapers, and the radio. Listening to Chen Fan's account now gave them a very different feeling, and they were unconsciously captivated.

As dusk settled, under the dim lights of the restaurant, Chen Fan gesticulated as he told his story with dramatic intonation. Two clear voices rang out from time to time, attracting three raccoons to lie at the door, hoping for a feast later.

After finishing their meal, the two sisters hung the clothes out of the washing machine to dry before heading back.

As always, Chen Fan picked up the car keys, ready to be the driver.

Jiang Tiantian suddenly said, "You don't need to take us today, right? You've been driving all day, you must be very tired, you should get some rest."

Jiang Lili nodded repeatedly and smiled, "It's alright. While you were away, we were all here studying for our university courses. Sometimes we would forget what we were studying and wouldn't leave until it got dark."

She crouched down, picked up Banjin who was still licking his lips, and stroked his head. "Banjin is here to protect us, so don't be afraid."

Without pausing at all, Chen Fan walked straight out, saying, "It will take you half a day to walk by yourselves, but it will only take me ten minutes to drive back and forth. Let's go."

When they reached the door, he turned around and pointed to the small bag on the octagonal table, "Don't forget the gift."

The two sisters smiled at each other, picked up their bags, and followed behind.

The back seat of the car was piled with a lot of things, so it was inconvenient for the two sisters to sit in the back together. Jiang Lili blushed and was pushed into the passenger seat by her older sister. Jiang Tiantian moved a few bags aside and sat behind her.

A short while later, he dropped them off at the entrance of the cotton mill's cadre dormitory area. After they got out of the car, Chen Fan took a bag from the back seat and handed it to them. "These are gifts for several leaders of the cotton mill. The gifts for the uncles and aunts are also in there. They are in a separate small bag, so don't mix them up."

After Jiang Tiantian took it, Chen Fan smiled, waved, got into the car, and drove away.

The two sisters returned home carrying bags, and unsurprisingly, there were still guests in the living room.

This is one of the reasons why they didn't stay home to read books but went to Chen Fan's place.

Since my parents got back to work, our house has become lively again. Almost every day people come to visit. Sometimes they are from our own workplace, and sometimes they are from other companies who want to buy more fabric. They are all trying to build relationships and make connections.

For the past four years, the Jiang family had been largely ignored, and the two sisters had grown accustomed to their quiet life. The sudden influx of visitors made them feel very uncomfortable. Even though their room was upstairs, the thought of strangers in their home made them uneasy.

On the contrary, Chen Fan's place was very quiet and usually no one went there, which made it their stronghold.

Perfect, I can go over there every day and help him clean.

Upon seeing the two sisters return, the guests were quite considerate. After saying a few words about their "talent and beauty," they took the initiative to get up and leave.

Jiang Lili returned to her room, pulled out a chair and sat down at her desk. Then she carefully opened the bag and took out two boxes.

Jiang Tiantian placed the large bag that Chen Fan had given to the leaders of the cotton mill on the coffee table in the living room outside, and followed her sister into the house.

As soon as she entered the room, she saw the two boxes in her sister's hands and her eyes widened in surprise. "A watch?"

And there are two pieces?
She couldn't help but feel a little dizzy.

Who gave the souvenir, the watch?

Jiang Lili also sensed something was off, not because the watch was too valuable, but because of something else.

However, she couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong.

She held a box in each hand, looked at them from side to side, and frowned slightly. "Plum blossom? The two watches look exactly the same."

He then handed one of them to his sister, saying, "This one is yours."

Jiang Tiantian took the watch in her hand, her brows already furrowed. "Lili, this is an imported watch, isn't it too expensive?"

The implication is, should we return it?

Jiang Lili turned to look at her and sighed softly, "Sister, if it were anything else, I certainly wouldn't understand it as well as you do. But you definitely don't understand Xiao Fan as well as I do. Once he's given something away, there's no reason to take it back. If you insist on returning it, it will only make him unhappy and create distance between you."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Tiantian couldn't help but nod slightly.

It seems that's true. Xiao Fan usually seems to be all smiles with everyone, but once he makes a decision, he never goes back on it. He's a typical example of someone who's gentle on the outside but tough on the inside.

Moreover, he treats his friends the same way, valuing loyalty over wealth and rarely worrying about gains and losses. If someone is very calculating about everything, they must be an "outsider" with whom he has only a casual relationship.

Thinking about this, she gave up the idea of ​​returning the watch.

However, such a valuable item felt a little too hot to handle.

My sister is different. Ever since he came to our house last time and my father said those things, their relationship has practically been exposed. Now they just need a suitable time to make it public.

They'll be family sooner or later, so even if I give them expensive gifts, they'll just be wasting money on the "family." But what am I to them?
Just as she was filled with anxiety, the half-open door was pushed open, and Shen Xueyi walked in, saying, "What do you mean by estrangement? Did you and Xiaofan have a fight? Let me tell you, Xiaofan is already working very hard on his business trip, so don't throw a tantrum."

"Mom, no."

Jiang Lili quickly stood up, pulled her mother to sit down on the bedside, handed her the box in her hand, and whispered, "Xiao Fan is back. This is a souvenir he brought us. Take a look."

Shen Xueyi took it and her gaze immediately froze. "A Plum Blossom watch? This is an imported watch, it costs several hundred yuan, and you need a special ticket to buy it. You can't buy it even if you have the money."

Looking at the box in her eldest daughter's hand, she was dumbfounded. "Yours too?"

Jiang Tiantian nodded with a wry smile, "I was thinking of returning it to Xiaofan, but Lili said that Xiaofan would be unhappy if it was returned."

Shen Xueyi was also a little numb and didn't know what to do for a moment.

Even if you're using this as a betrothal gift, it would be enough. What's the point of giving it as a souvenir? And why give two pieces as a gift?
Back when she got married, the Jiang family gave her a table, chairs, cabinets, a bed, and a wardrobe as betrothal gifts, and she gave them two cotton quilts as dowry. Those things probably couldn't even buy this watch box.
However, times have changed. In the 5s and 60s, the requirements were lower. 24 or 32 legs were enough. It was just a few essential pieces of furniture.

Later, in the 70s, it became known as the "three turns and one sound" (referring to a radio,

Don't be fooled by the revolutionary-style weddings all the time. Many families don't even have a banquet. The newlyweds just make vows in front of portraits in the presence of leaders and elders, and then give the guests some candy and melon seeds. That's their wedding.

But that's just for show.

Which family with the means doesn't demand the "three turns and one sound"? A watch, a sewing machine, a bicycle, and a radio—they can't be without any of them!
The watch that Chen Fan gave him is now worth as much as the "three turns and one sound" (a set of three watches, one ring, and one radio) that some families go to great lengths to buy.

And they even give away two pieces at once?
If this is a souvenir, then what should be given as a betrothal gift?
If Chen Fan were here, he would definitely tell her that the betrothal gifts should of course be the "four major items".

Not long after the 1980s began, the production capacity of various consumer goods exploded, and wedding dowries also rose accordingly, changing from "three turns and one sound" to "four major items".

Color TV, refrigerator, washing machine, tape recorder.

Of course, with the four major appliances already in place, the three turns and one sound are naturally indispensable as well.

However, these were all problems for Shen Xueyi and the others. Chen Fan didn't think too much about it. Since they had basically established a relationship, what was wrong with giving some expensive gifts?
Actually, it's because he doesn't quite understand the social customs of this era. If there were an elder in the family to oversee things, they wouldn't give him this gift.

Jiang Heng saw this very clearly.

When he arrived, after listening to Jiang Lili's account of the whole story and Shen Xueyi's analysis, he pondered for a few seconds, then waved his hand and laughed, "I think you're overthinking this."

He pointed to the box in the two sisters' hands and said, "Is it possible that he gave you the watch just because we gave him a watch before?"

Jiang Tiantian blinked. "Is it that simple?"

Jiang Lili squinted thoughtfully, "It seems that it might really be that simple."

She looked up at the group and whispered, "When Xiao Fan came to the prefectural committee before, he would bring us souvenirs when he went back. Back then, he gave me and Xiao Ying pens."

Jiang Tiantian's eyes widened instantly. "They're all giving away fountain pens?"

Shen Xueyi was both amused and exasperated. "Doesn't he understand the significance of a boy giving a girl a fountain pen?"

Jiang Lili shook her head helplessly, "Don't even mention these things, he doesn't understand many of the most basic common sense in life."

She looked at her sister and said, "I guess it is because you gave him that watch before, and he has been thinking about how to return the favor. When he went to the provincial capital this time, he saw a suitable watch and bought it to give to us."

Jiang Tiantian twitched her lips twice, looked at the box in her hand, and didn't know what to say for a moment.

I was so nervous all day, but it turns out that's all? I was so excited for nothing.

Jiang Heng patted his thigh and laughed, "Since Xiao Fan gave it to you, you should accept it. We're all family, so there's no need for formalities. I'll make arrangements for him later. I definitely won't treat him unfairly."

After saying that, he stood up and slowly walked outside, saying, "I'll go see what he brought us."

(End of this chapter)