Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 483 I heard you were punished?
It was pitch black, and Chen Fan didn't want to go to the backyard to see what the livestock shed looked like. He greeted Huang Ying and the others, chatted with the animals that came over for a while, and then sent them back.

Then he said to Yang Ju and Liu Dan, "There's something on the boat. Find two carrying poles and carry it back."

Without saying a word, one of them went to find a carrying pole and a basket, while the other went to get a flashlight. Once they had found what they needed, they quickly ran towards the river.

Surrounded by Huang Ying and the others, Chen Fan entered the house and asked, "Has Company Commander Zhang and the others held their wedding? Was it very lively?"

Upon hearing this, none of the girls spoke. Chen Fan turned to look at them and found that they were all trying not to laugh.

What do you mean?
Just as he was about to ask a question, Huang Ying burst out laughing, "Company Commander Zhang and Sister Xingxiu's wedding has been postponed by a week and will not be held until the 16th of the twelfth lunar month."

Chen Fan froze, immediately stopped, turned around to look at her, and asked curiously, "Why?"

We can't just wait for him to come back, can we?

He figured he didn't have enough influence to make Lao Zhang postpone the wedding, and Huang Ying and the others' reactions were also strange.

Huang Ying pointed forward, "You sit down, I'll explain it to you slowly."

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow, walked straight to the sofa and sat down. Liu Lu had already poured hot tea and brought it over. Huang Li asked from the side, "Teacher Chen, you haven't had dinner yet, have you? I'll go make you some."

Chen Fan originally wanted to visit Zhang Wenliang's house that night, since they had a good relationship. He couldn't even make it back for Zhang's wedding, so now that he was back, he should visit him as soon as possible.

But after hearing from Huang Ying that their wedding had been postponed, he was no longer in a hurry. He nodded to Huang Li and said, "Keep it simple."

The oriole sighed and turned to walk away.

Yang Mei also said, "I'll go boil water for you to take a bath," and ran after her.

Liu Lu, the last one, wasn't idle either. "I'll go make the bed."

In the blink of an eye, only Huang Ying remained in the living room.

When Chen Fan looked at her, Huang Ying smiled and said, "It's like this. A few days ago, Company Commander Zhang and some friends went to the street to buy things for their wedding."

Oh, not the three turns and one sound. Secretary Yang has already taken people to the prefectural committee to buy those things. What they want to buy are items for the wedding, such as towels, wedding quilts, bed sheets, double happiness red enamel basins, and thermos flasks.

In addition, because of the tight schedule, it might not be possible to rush-make new clothes, so it's necessary to buy ready-made clothes directly from the supply and marketing cooperative.

Chen Fan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and stared intently at her. "Isn't this normal? What does it have to do with them postponing their wedding?"

Upon hearing this, Huang Ying couldn't help but laugh out loud again. "Because there are a lot of things to buy, and many relatives and friends also want to go along to give him their opinions, there are quite a few people on the street. More than a dozen people went at once."

Chen Fan blinked, remained silent, and waited for her to continue.

But in his heart, he was wondering if he should teach this girl to write novels? She has a real talent for writing fluffy, rambling stories.

Before Huang Ying could continue speaking, they heard her giggle again.

After a long while, she finally stopped laughing and said haltingly, "Then, then, they were reported."

Someone reported you?
Chen Fan couldn't help but widen his eyes and look at Huang Ying again.

Is this girl a little bit crazy? She's so happy that Company Commander Zhang was reported?
Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly. "So, who reported it? And what did they report?"

Huang Ying finally managed to stop laughing and continued, "According to Zhu Gong'an, the person who reported it was someone from the neighboring commune. He didn't know who it was. One reason was to keep the informant's identity confidential, so he didn't require them to leave their real name. Another reason was that the problems of Company Commander Zhang and his team were indeed too obvious to hide. Even if no one had reported them, he would have come to the team to remind them."

Chen Fan frowned slightly. It wasn't surprising that he had been reported by someone from out of town. Lujiawan had developed rapidly over the past year, making a fortune from aquaculture to cooked food shops, which had attracted the envy of many.

In fact, when the cooked food shop first opened, it was reported, but Lujiawan had all the necessary permits and all its side businesses were in compliance with regulations. It had even applied to the commune in advance, so it passed without any trouble.

Later, Lujiawan led the other four brigades to get rich, and the number of jealous people decreased significantly.

But if someone catches them doing something wrong, especially if they are seen by people from other places, then there's no doubt they'll be reported and taken away immediately.

But Lao Zhang and his men weren't the kind of people who would get carried away with their success. Huang Ying said the problem was so obvious that even Public Security Officer Zhu had to come over and remind them.
Just as he was pondering this, Huang Ying revealed the reason: "Their dozen or so people riding bicycles are too conspicuous. No unit in Nanhu Commune has so many bicycles, not even the commune government. So when they go out on the street, a lot of people look at them."

Then someone discovered that their bicycles weren't registered, and they were reported. Besides the lack of registration, the reporter also suspected that none of them had driver's licenses.

After receiving the report, the police station sent Officer Zhu to the scene for inspection. Officer Zhu found that most of the bicycles they were riding were indeed not registered, and almost none of them had a bicycle driver's license.

There were too many onlookers at the time, and Officer Zhu couldn't show favoritism, so he issued tickets, fining each person two yuan, ordering them to register their bicycles as soon as possible, and to retake their bicycle driving test.

Huang Ying suddenly chuckled as she finished speaking, “After this commotion, everyone in the commune knows that Company Commander Zhang is getting married. Many units in the commune, as well as several other production brigades, have sent people to deliver congratulatory gifts.”

But Company Commander Zhang felt too embarrassed, so after discussing it with the Yang family, he used the excuse of needing to take a bicycle license test to postpone the wedding by a week. Now, everyone in the unit who owns a bicycle, or plans to buy one, is taking the driving test.

(Bicycle driver's license)
Many people know that in those days, bicycles needed to be registered and issued a "bicycle license". This bicycle license was similar to the vehicle registration certificate in later generations, and it recorded the bicycle's brand, model, purchase date, and the owner's information.

(Bicycle license)

A license requires a registration plate, and a bicycle can only be legally driven on the road if it has a registration plate.

However, few people know that there is such a thing as a "bicycle driver's license" these days.

Bicycles are also a means of transportation. Apart from "old-fashioned" means of transportation like horse-drawn carriages, all industrial products, including bicycles, motorcycles, tractors, and cars, require a driver's license to be used on the road.

In some places where there are few cyclists, there are no dedicated bicycle driving schools. Instead, the local police station simply supervises the process, and a person is considered qualified after riding the bicycle for a couple of laps.

In some places where there are many bicycle buyers, some large factories even plan to purchase bicycles in bulk and sell them to their employees as welfare. They have set up "bicycle driving training schools" to teach people to ride bicycles properly. Those who pass the training are given a graduation certificate, and the key point is that the traffic police recognize and witness the issuance of the certificate!

These bicycles in Lujiawan were naturally purchased from the prefectural committee's secondhand goods store.

Chen Fan was surprised that none of them went to register the vehicle.

That makes sense. It costs 2 yuan to register a vehicle, and there's an annual inspection, which is basically just asking you to pay money. In some places it's 1 yuan a year, in others it's 2 yuan, and I've never heard of any other place that charges more.

Once you have a license plate and a business license, you're basically stuck paying fees. Big cities are stricter, so there's nothing you can do about it.

Nanhu Commune is a small place, and everyone in the winding streets knows each other. Unless it is required by higher authorities, they generally do not conduct inspections.

However, in the past, those who bought bicycles in Nanhu Commune were mostly employees of various units or administrative personnel in the government. These people were "highly conscious" and would usually take the initiative to get a license.

It was similar in each production team. Publicly owned bicycles would be issued licenses, but a very small number of privately owned bicycles didn't have license plates, and nobody cared anyway.

But who would have thought that dozens of unregistered bicycles would suddenly appear in Lujiawan?
They were already a target of envy, and this group's "illegal travel" was bound to be reported.

Although this is a rather frustrating thing, well, mainly the person involved is frustrated.

But Chen Fan couldn't help but laugh out loud at the thought of Zhang Wenliang having to go to a designated place to "learn" to ride a bicycle. He quickly suppressed his laughter and turned to look at Huang Ying, who was still laughing. "Ahem, I don't remember there being a bicycle driving school in the commune, right?"

Not to mention communes, there isn't one in the county either. I just don't know if there is one in Yunhu city.

This thing is indeed very rare. If he hadn't come to this era, Chen Fan would never have heard of it in his later years.

Do you need a driver's license to ride a bicycle?

Huang Ying laughed and said, "It's just for show. I heard from Yang Zhijun that they just go to the police station every day to chat and take turns riding around the police station compound a few times, which is how they study."

Furthermore, to demonstrate fairness and impartiality, the police station even put up some obstacles in the yard, making it look like a driving test—it was quite a joke!

How could it still be like this?

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly, and he could only wish them a good time.

After chatting for a long time, Yang Ju and Liu Dan returned carrying their loads.

These things look like a lot, but apart from the bag of rice given by the machinery factory, the rest of the things are not heavy.

The two men carried in baskets and placed them next to the coffee table.

Chen Fan went over and divided the rice, flour, and oil. "Just put these in the restaurant's storage room and eat them. Take half of the fruit and half of the canned fruit. I'll take them to the brigade headquarters tomorrow. Keep the canned meat and fish for us too."

"Put these things aside, and pack the rest in a bag; we'll take them to the brigade headquarters tomorrow."

Finally, holding a bag upside down, he poured the contents onto the coffee table and said with a smile, "These are gifts I brought back for you from the provincial capital."

Now he's learned his lesson and knows what he shouldn't give to girls casually, such as pens, handkerchiefs, clothes, and shoes.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty. He glanced at the three people who were beaming with joy, as if he had given them everything except the shoes.

Well, the law doesn't punish everyone, and the same goes for giving gifts. I hope I won't be misunderstood.

The three of them, including Huang Ying, showed no other expression. They squatted in front of the coffee table, picking out items, and were all smiles.

A moment later, Huang Li came over with a tray on which were two dishes, a bowl of noodles, and a pot of yellow wine.

After Chen Fan finished slurping down his food, Yang Mei had already prepared the bathwater.

He took a hot bath, put on clean clothes, wrapped himself in the sheepskin military coat that Captain Xiao had given him, and went upstairs to sleep.

Liu Lu had already heated the fireplace, making the room warm and cozy. The bedding on the bed had also been changed. After taking off his clothes and lying down on the bed, Chen Fan pulled the blankets tighter around himself and let out a comfortable groan. Then he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

……

The next morning, Chen Fan got up on time, drew back the curtains, and saw another thin layer of snow outside.

Snowflakes were still falling from the sky.

Fortunately, the snow wasn't heavy and didn't affect travel.

He did his morning exercise first, then washed up. By the time he came downstairs, several girls had already prepared breakfast.

It didn't have as many varieties as the breakfast shops in Yunhu city, but it was still quite plentiful.

After finishing his rice porridge with a large meat bun, along with a dish of pickled radish and sauerkraut, Chen Fan wiped his mouth and prepared to leave.

Yang Ju had already saddled the mare outside, and the little mare excitedly paced back and forth on the threshing floor, neighing incessantly.

Upon seeing Chen Fan emerge, it immediately ran over and nudged him with its head.

Chen Fan laughed and hugged the horse's head, stroking its nose. In the panda enclosure next door, pandas were already clinging to the railings and barking incessantly.

There was no other way, so they had Huang Ying open the door to the panda's house and go in to play with Gun Gun and the two panda cubs for a while.

It was past 7:30 when he finally came out and mounted his horse.

set off.

On a country road, a young mare trotted along with light steps, while a foal that had grown quite tall followed behind, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, playfully fighting with two dogs.

Not far overhead, a hawk-like bird chirped and circled, while a myna perched obediently on Chen Fan's shoulder, keeping its mouth shut and not saying a word.

After holding back for a minute, the myna bird couldn't take it anymore. "Little Chen, should I go and report this?"

Chen Fan rolled his eyes. "Get lost."

The myna bird immediately flapped its wings and took flight, "Alright!"

In the blink of an eye, it fluttered away into the snow and disappeared without a trace.

Team 6 was not far from the brigade headquarters, and a few minutes later, even though the little mare slowed down, she ran to the front of the brigade headquarters.

When I entered the village, many elderly people who couldn't sleep had already opened their doors, moved chairs to sit at the door, and listened to the news from the loudspeaker.

Upon seeing Chen Fan return, everyone waved and greeted him, and Chen Fan responded with a smile.

When they arrived at the brigade headquarters, he let the mare go to the livestock shed by herself while he carried the bag inside.

In the office, Secretary Yang, Captain Zhang, Captain Xiao, and Captain Ye were all present, as was Zhang Wenliang.

Upon seeing Chen Fan, they all smiled before even saying a word.

Zhang Wenliang grinned, "Hmph, you busy man, you've been gone for so many days, have you even forgotten when I'm getting married?"

Secretary Yang quickly suppressed his smile and coughed lightly, "Didn't you say you were getting married on the 17th? Why did you go to the provincial capital?"

Captain Zhang laughed heartily, "So, any good news?"

Xiao Liewen and Ye Shubao stared at him expectantly, their expressions even more exaggerated than when they were waiting for the sales figures on the first day of the deli's opening.

Chen Fan placed the bag on the table, smiled and nodded at Secretary Yang and the others, then took out the Golden Dragon filter cigarettes, a souvenir from the Writers' Association, and handed one to each person. "Try this, it's from the Writers' Association."

He handed the last one to Zhang Wenliang, his smile exceptionally bright. "I heard you got fined for going out, and even had to postpone your wedding?"

(End of this chapter)