Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 502 Returning with a Full Load
February 16th, the tenth day of the first lunar month.

A technical exchange meeting is being held in the small auditorium of the Municipal Health Bureau.

Chen Fan stood aside, carefully explaining the medical principles and procedures of airway foreign body removal.

Zhang Wenliang and An Quan gave a demonstration on the podium.

"It's just first aid," Zhang Wenliang said, adding that he was very familiar with it.

I'm not entirely satisfied with the safety. Old Zhang was hugging me and squeezing my stomach, which was very uncomfortable.

It means I have a lot of belly fat; if it were a thin person, they might actually throw up.

Hmm, Zhang Juemin seems to be a skinny guy?

After the explanation was finished, enthusiastic applause rang out in the auditorium.

Actually, everyone here already knows all of this; they're here today to see the celebrities.

Just joining in the fun.

Ye Anguo and the others clapped along in the corner, but their smiles seemed somewhat forced.

Luckily, no one paid attention to these three minor characters, otherwise they would have been exposed.

Yang Jiamin sighed almost imperceptibly, "Could you go out to eat by yourself later?"

Xiao Huaqiang tried his best to maintain a smiling expression, "Keep your voice down. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. There's no reason to be picky."

Ye Anguo patted his stomach, "But they put sugar in the food!"

The three exchanged a glance and sighed in unison.

But I still have to smile, it's so annoying.

Last night, leaders from the Health Bureau came over to treat us to dinner. They were quite excited, thinking they could try some Shanghai cuisine, but they couldn't eat many of the dishes.

I can tolerate adding sugar to braised pork, lion's head meatballs, steamed pork with rice flour, and scrambled eggs with tomatoes, but to add sugar to even green vegetables?

After barely managing to eat a few bites of food, while the leaders were having a pleasant conversation with Teacher Chen, they quickly poured the tea from their teacups into their rice bowls and slurped down two bowls of white rice.

When they got back, Teacher Chen said to them, "It's because you've had a good life these past few months that you've started to complain."

A year ago, would they have been able to finish all that food?!
Ye Anguo and the other two felt that it was because they refused to eat the dishes, and they didn't want to leave too much food, otherwise the host would think the food was bad. So Teacher Chen quietly ate half the dishes, and because the taste was so unpleasant, he took his anger out on them.

Even when there was nothing else to eat, I just couldn't stomach this kind of sweet dish!

I didn't eat well at dinner, so I can only make up for it with breakfast.

Three cents for a sesame-flavored savory flatbread and plain soy milk; four cents for a sweet flatbread, tiger-paw pastries, half-ounce fried dough sticks, and savory soy milk; five cents for sweet soy milk; eight cents for a bowl of clear broth noodles weighing only two ounces; and fifteen cents for a bowl of vegetable soup noodles with freshly stir-fried spinach and fried tofu…

The six people spent a total of eight yuan on food, half of which ended up in Teacher Chen's stomach.

They suspected that Teacher Chen might have eaten something bad last night and emptied her stomach.
Otherwise, how could they eat so much?
So now it's time to eat lunch, and all three of them feel a sense of unease.

On the podium, Zhang Wenliang and An Quan had successfully completed their mission and retreated to the side to smoke and drink tea. Only Chen Fan was still sincerely exchanging ideas with many leaders and key hospital staff.

At first, everyone thought that Chen Fan only had some knowledge of first aid, since that's what the Yunhu Health Department's first aid knowledge promotion team said before.

As they began to talk, the conversation naturally unfolded, and everyone discovered that Chen Fan was not only very knowledgeable about emergency medical skills, but he could also speak fluently about any field that came up in their conversation.

Unfortunately, his research in other fields was not in-depth; he only barely reached the level of a professional physician.

Even so, it's already quite remarkable.

Even in a big city like Shanghai, it is not common to find medical professionals who are knowledgeable in all medical fields. Most of these people are senior physicians in the emergency departments of several large hospitals. Due to the needs of their work, they have to learn about medical knowledge in other subjects in order to provide emergency treatment.

Chen Fan's ability to reach this level at such a young age is not only due to the guidance of renowned teachers, but also to his own talent.

Thinking of this, the professors couldn't help but feel a sense of appreciation for talent and asked Chen Fan if he had any plans to apply to medical school.

If he is willing, he can be directly admitted as a graduate student and will be able to enroll in the second half of this year.

Unfortunately, Chen Fan politely declined.

Unbeknownst to them, Chen Fan's current medical skill level is only LV3, which is equivalent to a professional physician, albeit a general practitioner.

His true medical skill level is already LV5, the same as his literary skill level. He could easily be a graduate student, let alone a graduate student supervisor.

It's nothing more than hiding their true abilities.

He doesn't want to be a doctor, so why does he show off so much?
If the Health Bureau hadn't organized this exchange meeting today, bringing together top experts from major hospitals to share emergency care techniques and experiences with him, he would have been better off simply being an ordinary emergency physician and not making trouble for himself.

In the morning, we held an exchange meeting, had a lunch at the Health Bureau's canteen, and in the afternoon, we went to a nearby hospital for on-site technical exchanges and demonstrations.

Finally, a group photo was taken, and the event concluded.

Chen Fan originally thought it would take two days, but it was finished in one day, which was alright.

……

The next morning, everyone went to take care of their business.

There was just one more person in the team.

Yuan Chengguo is an ordinary employee of the Municipal Health Bureau, meaning he is not a professional and works in administration.

Normally, it would be difficult for a junior comrade without any background to catch the leader's eye, but this time, he was given an "important task" by his superiors because he was a local of Chongming Island: to assist Chen Fan in purchasing seedlings from a farm on Chongming Island.

Although he works in the health bureau doing administrative work, which has nothing to do with breeding and seedlings, he always takes his superiors' orders seriously.

Moreover, he was also thinking that if he could successfully complete the task this time and demonstrate his abilities to his superiors, wouldn't his chances of promotion be greater in the future?

So Yuan Chengguo was very excited. Standing on the ship's side, holding onto the railing, he pointed to Chongming Island in the distance and said, "That's Chongming Island. The only way to get in and out is by ferry, but the agricultural products on the island, together with several farms in Fengxian, Nanhui, and Baoshan, supply half of Shanghai. Chongming accounts for more than half of that, and the rest needs to be imported from other places."

There are many farms on the island, including Xinhai Farm, Dongfeng Farm, Changjiang Farm, Changzheng Farm, Yuejin Farm, Hongxing Farm, Qianjin Farm, and Qianshao Farm. They were all gradually developed over the years.

"The island wasn't like this in the early years. Back then, it was all wasteland, like Nanniwan. It was only after many educated youth came to the island that we have so many farms now."

As she spoke, she began to sing, "The flowers in the flower basket smell sweet..."

The tour guide was singing, and since they would need to pull some strings later, everyone naturally applauded and cheered. Anquan even brought out a harmonica to accompany the singing.

Before long, it sparked a massive sing-along from the passengers on board.

(The first catamaran passenger ship, Huhang No. 8, was launched in 1970 and ran the route from Wusong to Chongming Nanmen Port.)
As the chorus sang, Chen Fan gradually shed his idol image, while Zhang Wenliang and the others seemed to have found their tribe, speaking in standard Yunhu dialect, which sounded extremely out of place in the singing.

This immediately drew a burst of laughter.

A man in his forties pulled him aside and asked, "Where are you from? Why are you going to Chongming? There's nothing to see there."

An elderly woman nearby immediately chimed in, "Why can't you go visit relatives? There are people living on Chongming Island too, you know."

The older man retorted, "They're all from out of town, not even from Jiangsu. What kind of relatives are they visiting? Chongming Island is mostly populated by locals; there aren't many outsiders."

Then, pulling Zhang Wenliang aside, he asked, "Tell me, am I right?"

Only then did Zhang Wenliang have a chance to speak. He smiled and nodded, saying, "Yes, yes, you're absolutely right. We're not visiting relatives; we're here on business."

The older brother blinked and said, "I don't quite understand your local dialect." Zhang Wenliang's face stiffened slightly. I didn't even complain about your terrible Shanghai-accented Mandarin, but you're complaining about me?
He safely put away his harmonica and then burst into laughter.

They walked over and said, “They are from the Yunhu area in Jiangnan. I am from Shanghai and live near the City God Temple. I worked in the countryside in Yunhu for 10 years and just came back. Now the production team there wants to start a breeding business. I heard there are breeding farms in Chongming, so I brought them here to take a look.”

"Oh, so you're an old educated youth."

The older brother immediately shook hands with Anquan, grinning and saying, "Not bad, not bad. Educated youth all over the country are one family; we should help each other."

Anquan was taken aback and looked at him in surprise, "You were also an educated youth?"

That's way too old a qualification!

The older man shook his head. "No, my brother-in-law was a sent-down youth, and he's gone back to the city. I'm just here to see my sister."

Safety isn't a concern either, "Haha, then we're practically family."

They chatted idly over there. Chen Fan leaned against the railing, took out a cigarette, and offered one to Yuan Chengguo, who immediately accepted it with trepidation.

He never expected that this nationally renowned teacher, Mr. Chen, would be so kind, much better than his colleagues who became arrogant after getting into university.

At this point, the older brother started telling An Quan and the others about the farms on Chongming Island. Because he was worried that Chen Fan and Zhang Wenliang wouldn't understand Shanghainese Mandarin, he explained along.

"Chongming Island has eight farms, which are not randomly assigned. Each farm has its own area of ​​expertise. The largest grassland farm is located in the northern part of the island, which mainly grows pasture and raises cattle and sheep to provide fresh milk and mutton."

The farms in the central region mainly grow vegetables, while the farm in the south is a large orchard. It's a pity it's winter now, otherwise I could take you fruit picking. My aunt is married there, so you won't have to spend any money if I take you.

In addition, there are those who specialize in growing flowers, tea, and fish, and most importantly, those who grow rice.

Finally, there's the livestock farm, also located to the south, next to the orchard. That's where we're going today. They have chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, and rabbits, though not many. This is mainly because of the impact of tail-cutting years ago; many villagers no longer raise them.

The farm doesn't primarily raise rabbits, so they only kept some as breeding stock. It's not much work anyway; partly for their own consumption, and partly in case the restrictions are lifted someday and they can resume raising rabbits, they won't have to search for breeding stock elsewhere.

After hearing his words, Chen Fan's eyes were full of curiosity.

Well, of course, I'm mostly happy.

He flicked off his cigarette ash, which was immediately scattered by the wind. He then coughed and smiled at Yuan Chengguo, "Comrade Yuan, I'd like to ask if it would be convenient if we wanted to buy something else?"

Yuan Chengguo was taken aback. "What else do you want to buy?"

Chen Fan: "It's what you just mentioned, the other farm's stuff, like flower seeds, tea seedlings, fruit tree seedlings, and so on. If we could buy a pair of calves and a few lambs, that would be even better."

The cows can be milked, and as for the lambs, the breeds are definitely tastier than the local sheep in Yunhu.

The mutton from Yunhu is too gamey and troublesome to process. Even when cooked, it doesn't taste very good. If we could buy a few pairs of high-quality sheep, Lujiawan would have another signature product in a few years.

Unfortunately, Yuan Chengguo looked somewhat troubled and shook his head slightly. "The seeds and saplings you need are not difficult to obtain; I can ask my uncle for help. But dairy cows are absolutely out of the question."

I have several classmates who work at the ranch. They tell me that their ranch treats its cows more like human lives; the best veterinarian's dormitory is right next to the cowshed, and every calf receives special care—they would never sell them off.

Chen Fan blinked, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. "Is that how it is?"

He paused for a moment, then asked with a glimmer of hope, "What about the lamb?"

Yuan Chengguo frowned and slowly shook his head, saying, "I'll have to ask about that, but compared to dairy cows, there might be some hope."

He looked up and explained, "After all, raising sheep is for eating meat. Selling live sheep and selling mutton are both selling. The key is whether their leaders approve it or not."

Chen Fan blinked. Since we can talk, let's have a good talk!

……

The ferry crossed the Yangtze River estuary, made another turn, and finally arrived at the South Gate Wharf on Chongming Island.

(Nanmen Port Wharf in the 70s)

As the ferry docked, passengers disembarked one by one and walked onto the pier, with many waving goodbye to Zhang Wenliang and his group.

Once outside the dock, Zhang Wenliang looked left and right, his face still showing some excitement, and whispered, "So there are rural areas even at a big dock?!"

Anquan took out a cigarette and lit it. "What are you talking about? Every big city has rural areas. Whether it's Shanghai or the capital, such a big place can't be all urban areas."

He handed Yuan Chengguo another cigarette and said with a smile, "Now that we're on your turf, it's up to you now."

His roundabout connections are completely useless here, so it's better not to mention them at all.

Chen Fan patted Yuan Chengguo on the shoulder, pointed to Anquan, and said with a smile, "He just got into Shanghai Jiaotong University to study finance. Maybe he'll have a chance to be your colleague in the future."

Finance-related professionals are not only needed by finance or tax offices, but are also in high demand by various organizations. As the saying goes, those who are close to the water get the moon first, so perhaps Anquan really has a chance to get into the health bureau.

However, this was mostly a joke.

For him, financial institutions like banks or tax systems are the places he most wants to go.

Yuan Chengguo was also good at currying favor. He immediately pulled An Quan aside and showered him with compliments, "So you're a newly graduated college student, and from a top university at that! I'll definitely report this to my superiors when I get back and make sure they keep an eye on you, Brother An. I'll be counting on you for support from now on!"

Anquan waved his hand dismissively, "Don't worry, it's nothing."

Seeing his smug expression, everyone burst into laughter again.

Having local connections makes things easier. Yuan Chengguo went to the port, made a phone call to an acquaintance, and soon a tricycle came rumbling over to pick him up.

The rest is easy.

First, they went to the farm for a meal to fulfill their personal obligations, and then Zhang Wenliang took the letter of introduction and began his official business.

The farm director was the one who came forward to greet them.

Normally, he wouldn't need to get involved in this kind of thing, but with an insider leading the way and revealing Chen Fan's background, as well as a message from the health bureau leader, the director began to take it seriously.

He led everyone to a rabbit hutch, pointed around and said, "These are all white rabbits, different from wild rabbits. These rabbits don't like to move around. They just eat and sleep all day and don't exercise much. They're very easy to raise."

He took the filtered Zhonghua cigarettes from Chen Fan, his smile widening even further. "If you want these, don't even ask if you want to buy them. I'll give you 10 pairs. Is that enough?"

Chen Fan lit a cigarette for him solicitously and said with a smile, "If we only wanted White Rabbit, we would certainly accept your kindness. However, we also want to buy some high-quality chickens, so we can't just shamelessly ask for them for nothing."

"McChickens?"

The director scratched his head, pondered for two seconds, and nodded, saying, "We also have some high-quality laying hens. Would you like them?"

Chen Fan's eyes lit up. "Great! Great!"

The director then led them on a tour of the farm, and Chen Fan wanted everything he saw.

However, considering the inconvenience of transportation and the actual situation in Lujiawan, we had to regretfully abandon part of it.

In the end, we chose white rabbits, broiler chickens, and laying hens.

All transactions were conducted between government entities. After completing the formalities, Yuan Chengguo led them to other farms.

After the last round, the tricycle was completely full of things, and Yuan Chengguo had to borrow another vehicle.

They then returned home with a full load.

(End of this chapter)