Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 491 Holding Hands
Early the next morning, Chen Fan drove his car aboard the Lujiawan No. 3 delivery boat and led the way in his small yacht.

Upon arriving at the upstream cargo terminal of the prefectural committee, he first moored the small yacht, then drove ashore and headed straight home.

As usual, Jiang Tiantian and Jiang Lili have already started studying here.

Hearing the noise, they immediately came out to open the door.

He drove the car into the yard, and as soon as he got out, Jiang Lili stepped forward and asked with a smile, "Company Commander Zhang and Sister Xingxiu got married, right?"

Chen Fan nodded, still carrying the bag, and gestured as he walked inside, saying, "Their wedding has been postponed by a week..."

After hearing Chen Fan's explanation, Jiang Lili was overjoyed. When she heard him talk about the wedding two days ago, her face was filled with reverie, and her eyes were practically overflowing with longing.

There was no fireplace in the living room, so Chen Fan put the bag on the octagonal table and then went directly into the study. The bamboo charcoal in the fireplace was burning brightly, and the room was warm and cozy, similar to the central heating in the north.

After taking off her coat and hanging it on the hanger, Jiang Tiantian turned around and sat down on the sofa. Just then, she placed a cup of hot tea on the coffee table next to her.

Putting down her teacup, Jiang Tiantian walked up to her younger sister and, while Chen Fan was drinking tea, secretly poked her cheek and gave her a wink.

I'm so envious, why don't I marry him today?!
Jiang Lili immediately came to her senses, her fair face turning bright red. She lowered her head, not daring to look at anyone, but her sister cupped her face and lifted her head up.

Chen Fan took a sip of tea, put down his teacup, turned to look at the two sisters, one with a flushed cheek and the other making faces, and couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing?"

The two sisters quickly stood at attention, turned around to look at him, and said in unison, "Oh? It's nothing."

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly as he glanced at them. They looked strange, and he had no idea what they were doing.

If you don't want to say anything, then forget it.

He took out a wad of cash from his inside pocket and handed it to Jiang Lili, saying, "Here, this is your dividend for this year. I'll collect it for you."

"Oh, dividends?"

Jiang Lili skipped and jumped forward, took the money, and the blush that had just faded returned to her cheeks.

She wasn't excited, but still shy. More than the stack of money, she cared about what Chen Fan had retrieved on her behalf!

In the past, many educated youth left halfway through their studies, but when it came time to distribute dividends at the end of the year, apart from the locals who would come to collect them themselves, those from other places would basically entrust Captain Yang to mail them to them at the post office.

These are all legitimate earnings, and apart from a very few spendthrifts, no one would give them up. Even if someone does give them up, it's because the amount is so small that it's not worth the trip.

Some people collect the money on behalf of others, but these are mostly parents or couples.

Otherwise, the team wouldn't just give money to someone else!

Jiang Lili held the money, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons with laughter, completely ignoring how much money was in the stack.

Jiang Tiantian shook her head helplessly, her gaze falling on the money in the woman's hand, and she was immediately surprised, "Oh, how come there's so much?"

Her younger sister had always told her about the dividends she received from the production team, so she knew exactly how much the dividends were. But now, the stack of money her sister had in her hand was probably at least 1000 yuan!
Seeing that Jiang Lili was only smiling, Chen Fan assumed that she knew that this year's dividend was high. But when Jiang Tiantian spoke, Jiang Lili seemed to snap out of her daze and almost jumped up while holding the money. "Wow, how come there's so much?"

Upon seeing this, he couldn't help but throw his head back and burst into laughter.

This girl is really interesting, much more interesting than when she was in the production team. Back then, she would blush easily and didn't dare to say much. Now that she's free from those constraints, she seems to have turned back into that 13 or 4-year-old girl, who likes to daydream and drift off all day, and her behavior has become much more cheerful.

Jiang Lili's face flushed even more from his laughter, but she was no longer as uneasy or anxious as before. She pouted and gave a soft, coquettish hum.

Chen Fan immediately coughed and changed the subject, saying, "This year, the team started breeding livestock, and also set up a decoration team and a pottery factory, which increased our income a lot. One work point is worth 6 cents. Last year, you earned more than 1353 points in total. After deducting the advance payment for food rations, rapeseed oil, cotton and other things, you still have a total of 6 yuan in dividends."

He pointed with his finger and said, "Count them."

Jiang Lili smiled and shook her head, "No need to count, I trust what you give me."

Chen Fan coughed again, "It's not about the result, it's about enjoying the process!"

Upon hearing this, the two sisters couldn't help but chuckle.

Jiang Tiantian also said, "Xiaoli, why don't you just count?"

She looked at her sister's wages with amazement in her eyes, "Your money is more than Mom's salary! I didn't know the production team could make money like this."

Jiang Lili raised her head, her face full of pride, "Other production teams don't have this much money. It's all thanks to Xiao Fan who came up with ideas for the team and took the lead in doing them that we were able to earn so much."

She turned to look at Chen Fan, "Back then, I even helped raise rabbits."

Chen Fan nodded and said seriously, "That's true. Without you guys, I wouldn't be able to take care of those rabbits."

Jiang Lili immediately beamed with joy, feeling honored to share in the honor.

After a pause, Chen Fan laughed again, "Furthermore, the credit actually goes to Secretary Yang and the others at the brigade headquarters. If they were timid and hesitant to do anything, no matter how capable I am, I would have no opportunity to use my skills."

Not to mention now, even a few years or a decade from now, there will be plenty of village officials who dare not do this or that. While neighboring villages have already become rich, they are still stuck in the old ways, even making sarcastic remarks like they did during the turbulent times, and mocking others while holding a broken bowl.

If Secretary Yang and his ilk are all like that, Chen Fan would probably only be a brigade veterinarian at best, and he shouldn't even think about anything else!

Putting aside other things, firstly, it's impossible for a broadcaster to do it for him, nor is it possible for him to run a veterinary class. The method for clearing foreign objects from the respiratory tract that he invented could not be reported, because if he didn't do it, he wouldn't make a mistake.

Needless to say, the rest is even less so.

Therefore, when watching television in later generations, we often see people expressing gratitude to policies and leaders. Some may be saying polite words, but some are definitely speaking from the heart.

Even heroes need a platform.

Otherwise, Chen Fan wouldn't have stayed in Lujiawan for so long; he would definitely have tried to find a way to escape. Only a madman would stay in such a place.

Therefore, whether a rural area is good or not depends on the leadership and the environment.

Lujiawan is fine as it is now. If it weren't for Xiao Jiang, Chen Fan would rather stay in Lujiawan. Why bother coming to the prefectural committee? Doesn't he want to work hard enough?!

As for lifestyle, in his view, in an era lacking entertainment, the city was not as good as his big villa in the countryside.

Hearing Chen Fan's words, Jiang Lili was also slightly dazed.

She wasn't thinking about making money; instead, she was thinking about what she had experienced in Lujiawan.

After she arrived, her situation in Lujiawan was that, apart from being ostracized by fellow educated youth, the villagers of Lujiawan outwardly kept their distance from her, but in reality, they provided her with a lot of help.

Putting everything else aside, just figuring out how to do farm work left this young girl, who had rarely even done housework before, completely helpless. Although a few kind-hearted older educated youths taught her, most of the time the villagers deliberately slowed down and taught her little by little in front of her, or some older women would deliberately say unpleasant things, such as "a rich girl from the city," while neglecting their own work and teaching her how to do farm work bit by bit.

Not to mention, compared to the experiences of some educated youth in Yunnan, Lujiawan could be considered "paradise".

Hearing Chen Fan's words and reflecting on her own situation, she couldn't help but feel fortunate that the place she went to was in charge of good people; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable!
Chen Fan took another sip of tea, looked up at her, and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"what?"

Jiang Lili snapped out of her daze. "Oh, it's nothing."

He then sat down on the stool next to him and happily counted his money.

Chen Fan, holding his teacup, turned to look at Jiang Tiantian and said with a smile, "Tiantian, the bag outside contains some preserved meats I brought. You can take them home later."

Jiang Tiantian pouted. This guy was four years younger than her, yet he called her by her name directly. He was really not polite at all.

However, she didn't say anything, just said "Oh," and turned to go outside.

A moment later, Jiang Tiantian walked in, her face full of surprise. "Why are there so many things?"

Chen Fan smiled and said, "Actually, it's not much. It's just some sausages I made myself, and some rice candy, sesame candy, and other New Year's treats."

He turned to look at Jiang Lili, who had finished counting the money, and smiled, "Lili made all the New Year's goods last year. I didn't know how to make them back then, but I tried making some myself a couple of days ago and it turned out pretty good, so I gave some to you."

Jiang Lili looked up, grinned, and said, "What you made must be delicious."

Every time Chen Fan came over, the two sisters couldn't concentrate on their books, so they simply started preparing lunch.

Jiang Tiantian took off her coat and put on a sleeveless cotton vest. She said to Chen Fan, "You should be free these next few days, right? Are you staying here? How about I stew some pig's trotters for you tonight?"

Chen Fan shook his head. "No, I have to go back this afternoon. Every night is arranged for each team to take turns treating us to dinner, and it's going to continue until the 28th of the twelfth lunar month."

"what?"

Jiang Tiantian blinked. "Every night?"

Jiang Lili's smile faded considerably, and she looked at Chen Fan with a hint of resentment.

Chen Fan chuckled and let out a long breath, spreading his hands as he said, "There's nothing I can do. They said they wanted to hold a thank-you banquet for the teachers, and not going would be disrespectful. The team was also too busy recently, and we finally finished in the last few days, so we could only schedule it for this time."

Hearing him say that, although she was a little unhappy, Jiang Lili nodded. "You've helped the team so much. If they don't treat you to a meal to express their gratitude, they'll definitely feel bad."

After a pause, she added, "Since you have social engagements every night, you shouldn't be running back and forth like this these days. It's not safe to be on the road all the time."

At this point, a hint of hesitation appeared on her face. "So, where will you be spending New Year's Eve?"

Jiang Tiantian looked at her younger sister, bit her lip, and said to Chen Fan, "Xiao Fan, why don't you come to our house for the New Year this year?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lili's pretty face immediately turned red. She was about to lower her head, but she forced herself to raise it again, looking at Chen Fan hopefully.

Now that the two have confirmed their relationship, it wouldn't be impolite for them to spend the New Year at each other's homes, would it?
Chen Fan pursed his lips and thought for a moment, then looked at the two of them again and gently shook his head.

Amid the disappointed looks of the two sisters, he smiled and said, "This year, I plan to spend the Spring Festival alone in Lujiawan. After all, that's my home."

Jiang Lili opened her mouth, but in the end, she couldn't say anything.

Jiang Tiantian glanced at her younger sister, her eyes darting around, and changed the subject, asking with a smile, "So, what day of the month did you come to our house?"

Chen Fan turned to look at her and smiled, "Of course it's the second year of junior high."

Hearing this, Jiang Lili became happy again, her lips curving into a wide smile.

The second day of the Lunar New Year is the day when married daughters return to their parents' home and sons-in-law pay New Year's visits to their fathers-in-law.

Jiang Tiantian smiled and said, "Okay, I'll go cook first, you guys chat for a while."

After saying that, she turned and went to the kitchen, leaving only Jiang Lili and Chen Fan in the study.

Without her sister by her side, Jiang Lili puffed out her cheeks and couldn't help but pout.

Chen Fan looked at her and smiled, "Are you unhappy?"

Jiang Lili shook her head. "No."

She moved her lips a few times, then lowered her head and said, "It's just that, thinking about you spending the New Year alone, it makes me feel a little sorry for you."

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow, and his gaze softened several times over.

For this girl who always blushes, this sentence was undoubtedly the most explicit love confession.

After a moment's hesitation, he reached out and gently took Jiang Lili's hand. Jiang Lili immediately tensed up and glanced involuntarily at the door. A few seconds later, she slowly relaxed.

Chen Fan held her hand and gently stroked it.

Since the autumn harvest, she hasn't done much farm work, but she and Huang Ying have taken turns doing housework. Now, several months later, her small hands, which were originally covered with calluses, have become less rough, and the backs of her hands are even somewhat delicate.

Jiang Lili's heart pounded as one of her hands was held, but she dared not look up. Sometimes she was captivated by the gentleness of the large hand, and sometimes she worried that her sister might suddenly come in. Her heart was in turmoil, and her mind was as chaotic as a fog.

After a while, Chen Fan pulled her to stand up, walked to the piano opposite them, sat down, opened the piano lid, and turned to look at her.

At this moment, Jiang Lili was close at hand, her face flushed with a clear blush, her delicate eyebrows lying smoothly against her skin, and the fine downy hair on her smooth skin gave her a youthful look, making him slightly lost in thought.

After a two-second pause, Chen Fan came to his senses and said with a smile, "What kind of music would you like to hear?"

Jiang Lili took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and turned her head. At this moment, Chen Fan's face was closer to her than ever before. Her eyes darted around a few times, and she smiled as she said, "I like playing anything."

Chen Fan pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow, "How about playing 'Two Tigers'?"

Jiang Lili pouted, "How annoying."

Chen Fan laughed heartily, placed his hands on the piano keys, turned to look at her, and said, "To Alice, this is for you."

(End of this chapter)