Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 5 Yes, I was born in the 60s.

"What?"

Captain Yang looked stunned and turned to look at his two top lieutenants. "What did he say?"

Accountant Liu's features scrunched up. "It's like she's saying, 'Leave me alone'?"

The custodian bent down to take a look, then waved his hand in front of Chen Fan's eyes, but the boy didn't react at all. Startled, he quickly pulled his hand back and whispered to Captain Yang, "This kid might have encountered a water ghost or been possessed, right?"

Upon hearing this, Accountant Liu's legs went weak.

Although it has been ten years since the campaign to eradicate feudal superstition, this thing has been passed down for thousands of years, and almost everyone has heard it since childhood. How can it be so easy to break free from it?
Especially now that many things can't be explained, they're all attributed to ghosts and spirits, so people can't help but believe in them. And the older they get, the more they believe in this, with all sorts of superstitions and beliefs. On the other hand, young people are fearless and dare to dig up anything, whether it's a palace, temple, monastery, or an old grave.

Captain Yang was startled by this and immediately straightened his face. "Nonsense! Where would a water ghost come from in broad daylight? Besides, everything was fine just now."

He then stepped forward, ready to shout again.

Just then, Chen Fan heard their voices, suddenly looked up, grinned, and said, "Captain Yang, you're here."

A sudden remark startled Captain Yang, who quickly straightened up and coughed, "Ah, coming."

As soon as I finished speaking, I realized something was off. It felt like I was visiting someone else's house.
What a mess.

Captain Yang moved to another chair and sat down. He gave the two henchmen, who were still a little uneasy, a wink. Once they were both seated, he turned around and said to Chen Fan in a friendly tone, "Well, Chen, how old are you this year?"

Chen Fan turned to face him, wearing a humble smile honed from his professional experience, "I'm 28 this year, 29 by the traditional Chinese age reckoning."

"Nonsense!"

Accountant Liu immediately raised his old face, a wise expression on his face, "You're 28? You're at most 16 or 7, not 28..."

28?

Accountant Liu suddenly froze, his expression instantly changing. He sat up straight, then tremblingly approached Captain Yang and whispered in his ear, "Chen Ergou from the next village who drowned two years ago, wasn't he 28 years old?"

After saying that, he looked like he suddenly realized something, "Oh dear, we both have the surname Chen?!"

Case solved!
Upon hearing this, Captain Yang's mouth went dry and his hair stood on end; he became somewhat uneasy.

Chen Fan was completely dumbfounded. Me? At most 16 or 7 years old?
Am I that young?

He suddenly remembered that his hands had become soft, so he raised his hands to look at them, then touched his face, and turned to ask, "Captain Yang, is there a mirror here?"

The custodian, Huang, immediately got up and ran outside, shouting, "Xiao Jiang, Xiao Jiang!"

Jiang Lili quickly ran out, "Storekeeper Huang, I'm here."

Storekeeper Huang: "Do you have a mirror?"

Jiang Lili seemed to have heard something terrible and quickly shook her head and waved her hands, "No, no, I don't have a mirror, and I never look in a mirror. If you don't believe me, come in and check."

The storekeeper, Mr. Huang, frowned. "How come a little girl doesn't even have a mirror?"

Jiang Lili lowered her head and remained silent.

As if remembering something, the custodian Huang coughed and dropped the subject, saying instead, "Never mind, I'll go home and get it."

He then prepared to walk out. It was just a few steps; he could get it back in less than two minutes.

The reason he was so proactive was because he had heard from an old man that some people are possessed by ghosts. The ghost thinks it is still alive, but as long as the ghost sees a mirror and knows that it is not "itself", the possession can be broken.

He had only taken two steps when Jiang Lili suddenly remembered something and quickly said, "Custodian Huang, is that mirror okay?"

The custodian, Mr. Huang, turned around, then turned again, and looked in the direction she was pointing. He saw a small mirror, about the size of a palm, hanging above the door of that room.

Jiang Lili added, "That was hung by a former educated youth who came here the year before last. He returned to the city two months ago and didn't take it with him."

The custodian, Huang, immediately slapped his thigh and exclaimed with delight, "This is fantastic!"

In this rural area, there's a custom of hanging mirrors on the "doorway window," which is the window above the main gate for light. The old saying goes it's for warding off evil spirits, dispelling bad luck, and revealing demons. The newer saying is that it's to check your appearance before entering the house. But it's really just an excuse; who goes in and looks in that thing? That would be admitting you're a demon!

But wouldn't it be perfect to use this kind of mirror for Chen Fan to look at himself?!

So he quickly moved a chair over, stood on it, took the mirror down, and wiped off the dust with his sleeve, making it shine brightly.

Then he ran into Chen Fan's room and handed it to him, saying, "Here, a mirror."

After speaking, he winked at Captain Yang and Accountant Liu, staring intently at Chen Fan.

Chen Fan held the mirror up to himself, and when he saw his face clearly, he was stunned.

Her face was still the same, but her skin was fair and her eyes were clear, making her look more than ten years younger!
Time travel can have this effect?

He winked at himself in the mirror, confirming that the face was indeed his own.

At the same time, my mind was racing. Telling the truth was definitely not an option. If I showed this face to someone and said I was 28, no one would believe me. Even the smallest baby face wouldn't look like this, let alone someone who doesn't have a baby face.

After looking at it for a while, he put down the mirror and turned his head to look. He saw that Captain Yang and the other two were exchanging glances and exchanging silent messages. He didn't know what they were doing.

He placed the mirror on the table and coughed lightly.

Captain Yang and the other two immediately turned to look at him. The custodian, Huang, still looked at him with a mixture of caution and hope. "How is it?"

What's up?
Chen Fan sensed something was off about him, but didn't think much of it and said seriously, "Yes, I misremembered..."

Before he could finish speaking, Captain Yang and the other two breathed a sigh of relief at the same time, especially Accountant Liu, whose forehead was visibly covered in sweat.

He reached up and wiped the sweat from his brow. "It's alright, it's alright."

Chen Fan looked at him strangely, "Huh?"

Accountant Liu's face stiffened, but she smiled and said, "I mean, it's good that you remember."

The custodian, Huang, then asked, "How old are you this year?"

Chen Fan immediately gave the answer he had just thought of, "18".

18 years old, just turned 18, perfect!

The custodian, Mr. Huang, continued to ask, "Is it your actual age or your nominal age?"

He then smiled and said, "This is for your registration."

"oh oh."

Chen Fan glanced up and silently calculated what 1977 minus 18 equals.

Accountant Liu offered a friendly reminder, "Just tell me what year you were born. If you were born in 59, that's your actual age; if you were born in 60, that's your nominal age."

"nominal age!"

Chen Fan immediately changed his age and said with certainty, "The first day of the twelfth lunar month of the 60th year."

These days, older generations mostly calculate birthdays according to the lunar calendar, so he also gave his lunar birthday.

As for the year, someone born in 59 is considered a member of the 50s generation, while someone born in 60 is considered a member of the 60s generation. It's a huge difference, so it has to be someone born in 60.

Yes, I'm a member of the post-60s generation!
"The first day of the twelfth lunar month? So you just turned 16 and are going into 17?"

Captain Yang leaned against the table, looking at him in surprise, "Yesterday was your birthday?"

Accountant Liu and custodian Huang also looked at him, their eyes clearly showing some regret.

The poor kid, I don't know what misfortune befell him, to have an accident on his birthday. I'm afraid his family is still waiting for him to come home and celebrate his birthday.

(End of this chapter)