Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 497 A Little Understanding
Under Chen Fan's command, the two sisters, each holding a gun, squatted on either side of the wild boar and snapped a few photos.

Chen Fan then rode back on horseback, pulled up a cart, loaded the wild boar onto it, and put the other prey on as well. The two sisters then happily followed him home.

Once home, after the excitement wore off, Jiang Tiantian felt a burning pain on both sides of her thighs and couldn't help but look to her younger sister for help.

Jiang Lili feels dizzy. What should she do?
Chen Fan was still sorting the game on the threshing floor when he saw their appearance and immediately guessed what was going on. He said, "Lili, didn't you want to sleep on the heated kang? Go and light the kang. You all rest on the kang for a while. I'll go to the back to process the game."

After saying that, he pulled the cart and walked to the back.

The two sisters exchanged a glance and covered their mouths to chuckle.

Jiang Lili pulled her sister into the house and said, "Xiao Fan must have guessed that you were injured. I'll heat up the kang first, and you can lie on it for a while. Once he renders the badger oil, he can give it to you."

Jiang Tiantian smiled and said, "He specially wiped your hands, but I got to use it first because of him."

Jiang Lili took her sister's arm and said, "What do you mean by 'yours' and 'mine'? You got it first, so how could I not let you use it? Let's not talk about this anymore. You sit down first, I'll go get some firewood."

Jiang Tiantian sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), parted the curtains, and watched through the glass window as Chen Fan pulled the cart down the long slope.

The livestock shed in the backyard was being used for the second slaughter of the day.

Just as Jiang Lili had predicted, Chen Fan first dealt with the badger, skinning it and rendering oil, keeping himself very busy.

After a flurry of activity, I first delivered a small bowl of cooled badger oil to them.

As for applying the medicine, Dr. Chen naturally didn't need to do it himself.

Yeah, there's no chance anyway.

After another flurry of activity, Chen Fan finally finished processing all the prey by 3 p.m.

We'll keep the pelts for later processing; there are animals watching over the place, so we're not worried about wild animals stealing them. It's a pity the rat snakes are hibernating, otherwise they would be even more intimidating.

Chen Fan selected some processed meat and put it in a basket before going to the room to call for help.

The two sisters were sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) chatting enthusiastically, mostly about hunting. It had only been less than half an hour, so how could they have talked for more than two hours?
Chen Fan knocked on the door and came in, laughing, "Comrades, it's past 3 o'clock, time to go home."

The two of them turned to look at him, their faces full of astonishment, then raised their wrists together, "Is it already past 3 o'clock?"

Time flies!

Although they mostly chatted by themselves and Chen Fan wasn't around, for some reason, just knowing he was nearby gave them a sense of security, and they didn't even notice how much time was passing.

If they didn't leave now, it would be too late; it would be dark in two hours. Chen Fan needed to rush back after taking them home, so he quickly packed up.

They left behind the small gifts they brought with them, and when they left, they took two baskets with them, each carrying an extra leather cloak.

Hmm, there's one more cat.

Chen Fan carried the load forward and looked at Ba Liang, who was being held in Jiang Tiantian's arms. "This cat has received a lot of training and is quite fierce. You have to keep an eye on them and make sure they don't act aggressively."

The two sisters looked down at the cute little raccoon in their arms, their eyes filled with confusion.

Was he violent? Isn't there some misunderstanding?

However, since Chen Fan had specifically instructed them, they readily agreed.

Boarding, departure, return journey.

After taking the two sisters home, Chen Fan returned home himself. It was already getting dark, and only embers remained in the fireplace and the earthen bed. The temperature in the house had also dropped considerably, but it seemed that the two sisters were still alive.

He took a deep breath, turned around and glanced at the empty house, then listened to the firecrackers outside. He stood there for more than ten seconds, then walked to the fireplace in the living room without turning on the lights, added some charcoal, and made the fireplace burn brighter.

By the firelight, I took a cup from the cupboard, made a cup of coffee, sat quietly by the fireplace, crossed my legs, held the coffee, closed my eyes, and took a sip from time to time. After a while, a smile appeared on my lips.

Today's Lunar New Year's Eve is alright.

……

The first day of the Lunar New Year is a day to pay respects to one's elders. Since Chen Fan had no elders, he went to the house of Master Lu.

Fourth Master had anticipated Chen Fan's arrival.

The charcoal stove inside the house was burning brightly, and on the low wooden table were sunflower seeds, peanuts, and roasted broad beans.

This dry-fried broad bean dish doesn't require oil; you simply put the broad beans directly into the pan and stir-fry, or add fine sand and stir-fry together. It's fragrant, crispy, and delicious, but it's a bit tough on your teeth.

Chen Fan came in carrying a can of badger oil. He looked at the things on the table and couldn't help but widen his eyes. "Oh my, you eat this stuff? Aren't you afraid of getting rotten teeth?"

Fourth Master sat upright in his chair and hummed twice, "What a joke, would I eat this? This was prepared for you."

He picked up the teapot and shook it a few times, then poured more than half a cup of tea into the teacup opposite him. "You said last time that you could use dried fruit to make fruit tea. I've tried it several times, and I think this ratio is pretty good. Give it a try."

Chen Fan sat down in the chair, picked up the teacup and looked at it. "Heh, you have quite a lot of stuff in here."

Fourth Master looked up at him, "Wrong?"

Chen Fan picked up his teacup and smiled, "Fruit tea, whatever you like, dried fruit or fresh fruit, just add whatever you like, there's no right or wrong."

He took a sip and said, "Hmm, it contains red dates, peanut crumbs, melon seed crumbs, roasted rice crumbs, and honey..."

His eyes were full of curiosity. "Where did you get your honey?"

Fourth Master laughed heartily, "Wild honey, harvested by myself."

He then took a sip of tea and nodded in satisfaction. "Doing whatever you want, regardless of right or wrong, does have a bit of Zen in it."

He took a sip of tea, turned to look at Chen Fan who was shelling broad beans, and grinned from ear to ear. "I was waiting for you to come and drink with me yesterday, but you didn't show up."

He turned slightly to the side, his eyes full of mockery. "Someone to spend New Year's Eve with you? Is it a girl?"

Chen Fan coughed lightly, looked up at him, and said, "Your wisdom is truly remarkable!"

Master Lu didn't take the young man's teasing to heart and laughed, "What's this? Although you're always joking around and don't do anything serious, you have a kind of arrogance that you don't know where it comes from. You would never go to someone else's house for a family reunion dinner."

On the other hand, in Lujiawan, there's no one lonely enough to go to your place for a free meal, and you never come to my place. It would be a miracle if some girl took pity on you and went to keep you company.

Chen Fan clicked his tongue. "What nonsense are you talking about during the New Year?"

Master Lu chuckled and asked, "So, it's settled? Which family's daughter is it?"

Chen Fan coughed twice. "It's definitely settled, but he's still young, so there's no rush."

Uncle Lu curled his lip. "So what if they're young? How many people in the countryside get married after reaching the legal age? You can invite them over later, just like Sanhuzi did the other day, have a grand wedding banquet, and then get the brigade to issue you a certificate, which will be just as valid as a marriage certificate!"

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly. "That's because they only live in the team. They're about to go to university. How can you do things like that?"

Believe it or not, these days in rural areas, only a minority of newlyweds actually get a marriage certificate. And the lowest-ranking place to get a marriage certificate is the marriage office in the commune.

This marriage office is also known as the marriage office because there are almost no divorces these days.

If there is a conflict between the couple, the husband's elders should handle it first. If the wife is dissatisfied, the elders of both families should then negotiate a solution.

That's basically it.

If things really get out of hand, the squad leader will step in.

Don't underestimate the squad leader; in the eyes of the majority of commune members, he is also an "official"!
So, once you get to this point, that's about it.

While it's not entirely unheard of for couples to actually divorce, they are extremely rare. Occasionally, a couple like this will become the talk of the town for miles around, making both families feel ashamed.

The marriage procedures were also very simple. You just needed to get a letter of introduction from the brigade headquarters and go directly to the commune's marriage office to get your marriage certificate.

If you're too lazy to make the trip but still want a guarantee, you can do what Master Lu said and just get a certificate from the brigade headquarters; that will also be valid.

Yes, at least it works within the production team.

Upon hearing his words, Master Lu was startled again, looking at him curiously, "Going to university? And he even visited your house yesterday, so he's definitely not from Lujiawan, um…,"

He squinted and thought for a moment, then suddenly turned to look at Chen Fan, "Is that Xiao Jiang back?"

Chen Fan took a sip of tea, chewing and swallowing, and gave Fourth Master a thumbs up, "You're really shrewd as an old man, you're incredibly resourceful."

Master Lu burst into laughter again, laughing for a while before saying to him, "Hey, since it's all settled, then the bracelet, pocket watch, and ring should be given as gifts. Once the betrothal gifts are given and the banquet is held, the matter will be settled. Who cares about university or not? Does going to university mean you can't get married?"

Chen Fan: "I'd like to too, but it depends on whether the school will agree. Why don't you go and talk to the school about it?"

Master Lu, "..."

Chen Fan stayed there until noon, had lunch with Master Lu, and then took his leave.

It wasn't that I was going to wish Captain Zhang and Captain Xiao a Happy New Year. Although we were in the same team, it wasn't a suitable day to visit them.

He was going home to prepare some gifts. He was going to the prefectural committee today, and tomorrow morning he was going to the Jiang family to pay New Year's greetings to his future father-in-law and mother-in-law.

As for the others, we'll talk about them after we return from the prefectural committee.

But before he could even reach Zhang Wenliang's door, he was stopped by Zhang Wenliang, who had been drawn out by calls of "Teacher Chen." "Come on, Lao An has sent a letter."

Following him into the Zhang family home, wow! There was a mahjong table in the main room, and two tables of playing cards and mahjong tiles in each of the four rooms. It seemed like the whole family was playing together.

Upon seeing Chen Fan being pulled in, someone immediately stood up to offer him a seat, saying, "Teacher Chen, come over here and play a couple of rounds."

Chen Fan was still in a daze when Zhang Wenliang pressed him into a chair, saying, "It's okay if you don't know how, you'll get it after a couple of rounds."

Yang Xingxiu had already placed a cup of hot tea beside him.

The couple works well together.

Zhang Juemin was also there, sitting opposite Chen Fan. He smiled at him and said, "Don't worry, when I went to the county to study, the doctors and leaders of the county health bureau and several hospitals were playing mahjong. They were even playing at their workplaces, and no one said anything."

Zhang Wenliang's father, Zhang Guangwen, the squad leader of Team 5, came out smoking and handed one to Chen Fan. "Don't worry, Teacher Chen, they're also fighting in the commune. It's perfectly safe."

Chen Fan blinked. So it opened up this quickly?

Is it still perfectly safe?
Oh, right, it's safe.

Chen Fan turned to look at Zhang Wenliang, who had already sat down and was shuffling the cards. "What did Brother An say in his letter?"

Zhang Wenliang didn't answer immediately, but first complained, "That old An actually sent a regular letter, he couldn't even be stingy enough to send a telegram. A telegram only costs 7 cents per word, so 100 words only cost 7 yuan. If he had sent a telegram, we might already be in Shanghai."

Then Zhang Juemin chimed in, "Going to Shanghai means spending the New Year there, staying in a guesthouse with nowhere to eat, eating cornbread every day?"

Even restaurants have to close for the Spring Festival, so what else can we do but eat cornbread?

In other words, guesthouses have a special nature; they need to take care of guests, otherwise there wouldn't even be a place for them to sleep!

Zhang Juemin added, "You can't blame Xiao An for being stingy. If it were a couple of years ago, when a telegram only cost 3.5 cents per word, he might have sent the telegram. Now that the price has doubled, and Xiao An doesn't have a job, he has to be more frugal."

Zhang Wenliang was just venting. Seeing that his boss had spoken, he smiled awkwardly and remained silent. While setting up his mahjong tiles, he said to Chen Fan, "After Lao An went home, he rested for two days before going to inquire about rabbit farming."

You know what, it's quite difficult to find out this kind of information. Mainly because of the impact of the past few years, many farmers suffered huge losses, so no matter who you ask, they all say they don't know, and his work hasn't made much progress.

Later, through his uncle and aunt—oh, his parents' connections—and after going through several roundabout routes, they finally found a farm in Chongming.

Once the Great Wall is in place, the smoke of battle will rise.

Zhang Wenliang looked at the tiles with a serious expression, carefully arranged them in order, hesitated for a long time, and finally played a tile, "Three of Characters," just as Chen Fan was wondering whether to wake him up.

Zhang Changjiang, who had somehow ended up at the table, quickly pulled out two cards and said, "Eat."

Chen Fan looked at him in surprise, "Captain, when did you arrive?"

Zhang Changjiang smiled憨厚ly, "Weren't you guys going to discuss buying rabbits in Shanghai? I just came over to listen."

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly. Come on, you're the captain, okay? In the end, it's up to you to make the final decision, boss!

Then he quickly pulled out two cards and "pong".

While taking the 30,000 from Zhang Wenliang, he smiled at Zhang Changjiang and said, "Sorry, Captain, I was just trying to steal the card."

Everyone stared at him in disbelief. "You know how to play mahjong?"

Chen Fan slowly played a red dragon, saying, "I know a little bit about it."

Zhang Wenliang scratched his head, glanced at his wife, and suddenly had a bad feeling.

Then, looking at Chen Fan, "Ahem, um, Fan, we didn't say how much to bet earlier. We're just betting for fun, maybe a million... points, is that okay?"

The others looked at him in surprise; hadn't they just been playing together?

Chen Fan looked left and right, his gaze finally settling on Zhang Wenliang's face. "You were just laughing at Brother An, and then you only played one point yourself?"

"Then it'll be one cent!"

Zhang Wenliang made a decisive decision, turned to look at Zhang Changjiang across from him, and said, "Uncle, it's your turn."

Zhang Changjiang blinked rapidly, quickly realizing what was happening. He glanced at Chen Fan before cautiously drawing a card.

But in his heart he was wondering, "Goodness, could this kid be a mahjong proficient?"
(End of this chapter)