Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 498 Leave Early

"Self-draw, including the concealed kong from before, that's a total of 6 points, or 32 times. With a base bet of 3 yuan, that's 2 yuan. Thank you, here's the money!"

Chen Fan pushed over the mahjong tiles, quickly calculated the accounts, and then spread out his hands to collect the money.

Zhang Wenliang wiped away a cold sweat, lifted the tablecloth in front of him, reached out and touched it, and immediately felt dizzy. "Where's the money? Where's all my money?"

"They've all been given away, didn't you know that?"

Zhang Changjiang was very dissatisfied. While taking out his money, he muttered to himself, "Why didn't you just give me one cent? Why did you have to be so extravagant and dare to give me a dime?"
Another man, Zhang Juemin, unbuttoned his jacket, then his cotton-padded coat, reached inside and pulled out a handful of loose change. He counted out 3.2 yuan and handed it over, secretly relieved. It was all thanks to Sanhuzi's quick thinking; seeing Xiao Chen trying to win the bet, he said the bottom coin was one cent, though it was later changed to ten cents, it was still much better than betting a dollar!

Actually, in the past, we only played mahjong for one or two cents, or even five cents or one cent. This year, since we suddenly became "rich", and the whole family was playing together, we decided to bet one yuan. But we never expected there to be a "mahjong master" here!

After more than twenty rounds, no one else had won a hand, and every time it was a self-draw plus double the winnings, which was outrageous!
Chen Fan collected the money from the three families and tossed it into the basket that Zhang Cuie was holding. Zhang Cuie immediately sorted the money out of bills, smiling as if she had won it herself. "Master, there's over 600."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Changjiang, Zhang Juemin, and Zhang Wenliang felt dizzy, and the Zhang family members watching the commotion were also dumbfounded.

Is the stakes really that high?

This is a 10-cent game!

Zhang Juemin, in particular, almost fainted. Xiao Chen won more than 600, which meant that each of the three families lost more than 200 on average. Although he now has a regular position at the health center and earns more than 40 yuan a month, more than 200 is half a year's income!
Fortunately, his job is still based in Lujiawan. Apart from regular medical treatment, he spends most of his time working with the production team. He also received a considerable amount of dividends this year, and the brigade headquarters even gave him work points as a subsidy. Otherwise... oh my god, I feel so sorry for him!
Chen Fan pushed the mahjong tiles aside for a couple of rounds, looked up and saw their faces, and his heart skipped a beat.

Oh no, I couldn't resist and won too much at once. I'm afraid it will be harder to win in the future.

As expected, Zhang Wenliang straightened the tablecloth and said in a serious tone, "Uh, we still have important matters to discuss, so let's call it a day..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Changjiang frantically winked at him, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

Yang Xingxiu, who was standing next to him, quickly rolled up the tablecloth, grabbed the mahjong tiles, and ran off.

Within seconds, a large fruit platter was served, and several cups of green tea were placed in front of each person.

The card table instantly transformed into a tea party table.

Chen Fan gestured with his fingers a few times, looking rather disheartened. "Actually, we could talk while we fight."

He turned to look at Zhang Wenliang with a sincere expression, "What goes around comes around, maybe it'll be your turn to be hot-tempered soon!"

Zhang Wenliang completely ignored the conversation.

He finally understood that regardless of whether it was literary or martial, serious or unserious, and regardless of whether he had learned these things before, once they were in front of a certain person, they could learn them in a minute, master them in a day, or master them in a month, depending on the difficulty.

This guy is a monster!

If you play mahjong with him again, I'll chop off your hand!
He immediately changed the subject, speaking seriously, "Mahjong is just for entertainment; we still need to focus on work. With the expansion of this farm complete, everything is ready except for the final touch..."

Zhang Cuie, standing nearby, muttered, "Hmph, can't even afford to lose two hundred yuan, so stingy."

A group of people looked at her. "Are you surnamed Zhang?"

Zhang Cuie was not easily intimidated; she actually glared back.

Seeing this, Chen Fan couldn't help but grin and laugh.

Seeing that her master was also laughing at her, Zhang Cuie blushed slightly and lowered her head.

Chen Fan pulled out his pipe, filled it with tobacco, and asked Zhang Wenliang, "Do you have any red paper?"

Zhang Wenliang paused for a moment, then turned to look at Yang Xingxiu.

Yang Xingxiu nodded immediately, "Yes, what size do you need?"

Chen Fan smiled and said, "It's for giving out red envelopes."

Upon hearing this, everyone realized what was happening and looked at Zhang Cuie with envy.

Only Zhang Cuie was still confused, clutching the money her master had won tightly, glaring angrily at her third brother.

The eldest uncle and eldest brother didn't dare to look, so they could only glare at the third brother.

After Yang Xingxiu brought over the red paper, Chen Fan waved to her, and she handed over the money.

Chen Fan didn't even count them. Instead, he took out another one-yuan note from his pocket and added it to the envelope. He wrapped it all in red paper and handed it to her, saying, "Here, this is a red envelope from Master."

Zhang Cuie then realized what was happening, her big eyes widening in surprise. "Huh?"

Zhang Changjiang chuckled and slapped her on the back of the head. "What are you 'ah' about? Why aren't you kowtowing to your master and wishing him a Happy New Year?"

Zhang Cuie was stunned, unsure of what to do.

Who gives such a big red envelope?
Even if it's a gift from the master to the apprentice, it's only a dollar at most, and that's only if the apprentice brings something worth at least 5 dollars to pay New Year's greetings.

Moreover, after the apprentice gets married, the red envelope is no longer given, but the apprentice's New Year's gifts to the master cannot be reduced.

I haven't even given you New Year's greetings yet, and you're already giving me a New Year's red envelope?
Zhang Cuie's father had been watching the fight from the sidelines and had seen everything from beginning to end.

I wanted to refuse, but it was impossible!
This is a gift from the master to the disciple. As an elder, one should not refuse such a gift. How could the disciple dare not accept it? Could it be that he does not want to acknowledge this master?
He could only walk over with a wry smile, pat his daughter's head, and say, "Kowtowing to your master first, then accept the red envelope."

Zhang Cuie came to her senses, quickly pulled out a chair and stood up, then knelt down with a thud and coughed three times.

Chen Fan took the large red envelope, tapped her on the head three times as per the old custom, and then handed it to her.

Seeing this, the Zhang family members all beamed with joy.

It's not about the money; who cares about a few hundred dollars these days? The point is the three knocks!

Knocking three times is an old custom, and it has three meanings: blessing, admonition, and true teaching.

I wish my disciple success in his studies, hoping he will surpass me. I admonish him to respect his teacher, to be calm and steady, and not to go astray. True teachings are naturally about imparting real skills. As long as the disciple can learn them and the master has the skills, he will teach them everything.

In short, this is a privilege reserved for disciples who have entered the inner circle of the master. Ordinary disciples or those who are only nominally disciples do not have the right to have their master knock their head.

Yang Chuanfu and his team from Team 6 went to great lengths to send six girls to Teacher Chen's house. Everyone knew what their purpose was: to build a relationship, whether it was to become a son-in-law or to ask for a mentor, so as to secure their connection with this powerful figure.

Unfortunately, none of these things were done properly.

Now, Zhang Cuie has accomplished what they couldn't.

A disciple who has entered the inner circle of the master is no different from a biological child, and may even be closer than a biological child. Even biological children can be unfilial, but a disciple who has entered the inner circle of the master not only has the obligation to care for the master in his old age and see him off when he dies, but also has the obligation to take care of the family left behind, and to ensure that the master's wife and children are not mistreated. The master should naturally treat this disciple as family.

Isn't this closer than Yang Ju and the others?!
Zhang Cuie accepted the red envelope and was about to kowtow when Chen Fan pulled her up. "Alright, I'm going to the prefectural committee today. If you want to offer New Year's greetings, come to my house early."

The Zhang family was dumbfounded.

Can you do this?

Zhang Cuie was also stunned. The next second, her father dragged her out, carefully instructing her, "The gifts have been prepared for you long ago. Your master isn't home, so you need to cook dinner for him. Don't just wait around like an idiot..."

This doesn't conflict with the rule that you can only pay New Year's greetings to the eldest member of your family on the first day of the Lunar New Year. You're already an inner disciple, and your master is someone even closer than your own father. What's wrong with paying New Year's greetings to him?
After they left, Chen Fan took a sip of tea and discussed the trip to Shanghai with Zhang Wenliang and Captain Zhang.

Zhang Changjiang, smoking a cigarette and frowning, said, "This matter should be handled sooner rather than later. I think it's best to set off as soon as possible."

He flicked the ash from his cigarette and smiled at Chen Fan, "It's not that I don't want you to have a good New Year, but time is still on your side. We'll see when you're done with your work before you leave."

After what just happened, Chen Fan is practically a member of the Zhang family, and from the same generation as him, so naturally everything is negotiable.

Thinking of this, Zhang Changjiang was suddenly startled.

Chen Fan is half a member of the Zhang family, and although Xiao Liewen has not formally accepted him as a disciple, he is also half a master to him. In addition, Yang Xingxiu is a daughter-in-law of the Zhang family, so Secretary Yang is naturally one of his own.

Besides Ye Shubao, all the leaders of the Lujiawan brigade headquarters were actually connected to him?
Hmm, it should be tied tight now, right?

Chen Fan had no idea what he was thinking. After a couple of seconds of hesitation, he said, "I'm going to the prefectural committee today and won't be back until the afternoon of the day after tomorrow. Then, Secretary Yang, Captain Xiao, Captain Ye..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Liewen walked through the gate, smoking a cigarette, and waved his hand, saying, "We don't need your New Year's greetings. Buying the rabbit seedlings later is better than anything else."

Someone from the Zhang family immediately brought him a chair, and Zhang Juemin consciously stood up and said, "Captain Xiao, sit here. You two chat."

After saying that, leave.

Xiao Liewen didn't stand on ceremony and sat down in the chair Chen Fan had offered, crossing his legs and saying to Chen Fan, "We'll also inform the other teams. They'll definitely understand. No one will think you're impolite just because you didn't go to pay your respects."

Zhang Changjiang nodded. "A few years ago, we used to work on the dike on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Whether or not we exchanged New Year's greetings didn't matter. Making money and ensuring that everyone in the production team could live a good life was the real goal. These trivial matters are not worth mentioning. We should leave as soon as possible."

Yang Xingxiu stood behind Zhang Wenliang and raised her hand, "Yes, I support you!"

Chen Fan glanced at her. Well, three of the four leaders of the brigade headquarters agreed, but poor Captain Ye Shubao had no one to represent him.

After a two-second pause, he looked up and smiled, "In that case, we can leave on the fifth day of the new year."

Today I'm going to the prefectural committee, and tomorrow I'll be at Jiang's house all day. On the third and fourth days of the Lunar New Year, I need to pay New Year's visits to Director Yang and Deputy Director Li of the machinery factory, as well as the leaders of the health department and Sister Zuo from the education department... Oh, and I also have to go to see Lao Guo from the Yunhu Writers Association.

As for the provincial writers' association, it's too far away, so let's skip it.

Based on this calculation, I should be able to finish everything by the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, and then set off on the fifth.

Xiao Liewen and Zhang Changjiang exchanged a glance and nodded in unison.

Zhang Changjiang turned to look at Chen Fan and said, "Then the boat ticket is yours. I'll give the travel expenses to Sanhuzi, but you'll be responsible for all the expenses. He'll only be responsible for bookkeeping and paying."

He paused, took a drag of his cigarette, and turned to look at Xiao Liewen. "Sanhu is definitely going. Do you think we should send someone else along?"

Xiao Liewen frowned slightly, pondering carefully who else could be sent out.

At this moment, Zhang Wenliang proudly raised his head and said, "We don't need anyone else. Xiao Chen will make the decisions, and I'll run the errands. The two of us are enough."

As he spoke, he pointed at Chen Fan, then at himself, "Besides, the two of us are the most skilled in the whole brigade. If anything happens, the two of us can handle it, and we don't need anyone else to follow us."

Upon hearing this, the others couldn't help but nod slightly.

Chen Fan glanced at him and snorted inwardly, "You're quite confident."

He then said, "What if you buy a lot of things? Even if you're very capable, can you carry four loads?"

Zhang Wenliang's face fell, and he fell silent.

Xiao Liewen glanced at Zhang Changjiang and said softly, "Then let's call two more militiamen to come along. They may not be able to do much else, but they can still be useful for moving things around."

Zhang Changjiang nodded slightly, glancing at Chen Fan and Zhang Wenliang before pausing for two seconds before saying, "Let's go with three. More people means more hands."

Xiao Liewen clicked his tongue and immediately understood what he meant.

Although Comrade Xiao is upright and incorruptible, he is not an inflexible old-fashioned person.

Even Bao Zheng, the upright official, sometimes showed leniency beyond the law. How can someone working in the countryside not understand human relationships and social customs?
As long as it doesn't violate major principles, he's still quite understanding about minor matters.

He immediately nodded and said, "Okay, I'll arrange it."

Of the four leaders of the brigade headquarters, Yang, Zhang, Xiao, and Ye, now that Zhang Wenliang has gone to Shanghai to broaden his horizons, wouldn't the other families send someone along?
Even for the sake of balance, each family must send one person.

Moreover, it has its advantages that each family contributes one person; more people make things more fair and prevent internal conflicts from arising.

Chen Fan didn't care who went or who didn't, because no one could control him. Nowadays in Lujiawan, no one dared to question his opinion easily.

Once Captain Xiao and Zhang Changjiang had made up their minds, he said, "Okay, with me and Brother Sanhu, that's a total of 5 people."

He paused for a moment, then winked at the two leaders, "I can buy a second-class ticket, what class do they want?"

The two leaders immediately exclaimed in unison, "Fifth class!"

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly, and it took a lot of effort for him to finally stop laughing.

Zhang Wenliang said with a long face, "Uncle, Master, our team has made so much money this year, we don't need to be so stingy, do we?"

Zhang Changjiang coughed twice, looked at Xiao Liewen, and well, his face was also flushed.
Then, looking at Chen Fan, he said with a smile, "It's just a habit, purely a habit. I'm mainly used to being frugal."

He took a couple of puffs of his cigarette and said, feigning composure, "You're a section chief at the Writers' Association, so you can't be like them. I can reimburse you for a first-class ticket."

Then, after looking at Zhang Wenliang and pondering for two seconds, he finally said, "You can decide which cabin class they buy."

After saying that, he remembered what Zhang Juemin had told him about how Teacher Chen spent money when he went to the prefectural committee to compile books, so he quickly added, "Anyway, you can't sit in second class or above, not even second class."

Chen Fan understood. "Oh, then third class it is."

(End of this chapter)