Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 575 Things change and people change
The night before he left, Chen Fan was exhausted.

He spent a full four hours giving half the evening a lesson to those 16 educated youth who were clearly full of grievances but could only force a smile.

Then everyone beamed with joy, and there was no longer a trace of resentment.

It was his own fault for assigning the educated youth an essay, and then he went to the provincial capital the next day. It was only when Huang Li mentioned it in her letter that he remembered it.

However, at that time, the correspondence center was being set up, and he could not go back. He could only ask Huang Li to send their essays to him, and then write a commentary for each of them and send it back.

Having finally returned this time, and with nothing in Lujiawan that needed his help, he decided to give these educated youth a little something in return.

I spent half the night answering many of their questions and helping them review the syllabus.

In fact, these people have a good foundation. The reason they failed the exam last year is mainly because what they learned and what they were tested on were completely unrelated. By the time they finally got the study materials, the exam was already just around the corner.

In short, we acted too late.

Later, they tried every means to come to Lujiawan, because of the fact that more than 20 people from there had been admitted to key universities.

To put it more bluntly, they came specifically for Teacher Chen, and their family even had to use a lot of favors to get there.

After arriving here, it was definitely not a waste of time.

The team set up a study room for them at the educated youth settlement in advance. Inside were study materials left by Huang Ying and the others. Before Huang Ying and the others went to university, they also enjoyed a period of "tutoring by famous teachers" to lay a solid foundation for their review.

With study materials and a reasonable review plan, these people helped each other and often wrote to Huang Ying, Liu Dan, and Yang Ju for advice. Their knowledge of mathematics, physics, and chemistry in middle school has made great progress.

If even their collective wisdom can't solve it, then they must not have understood the concept.

There's no way around it. Even with remote teaching from Huang Ying and others, written materials are different from in-person lectures, and the time allotted is short, so the effect is very limited.

Now things are different. The renowned "super teacher" Teacher Chen personally gives lectures, and students can ask questions and get answers on the spot. He can even connect other knowledge points to help them fill in any gaps in their knowledge.

So even though the lecture only lasted 4 hours, these people gained a lot and had a clear idea of ​​the entire learning plan. As long as they follow this plan, they will make great progress in the next month or so.

While I may not be confident of getting into a top university, I am confident of getting into an undergraduate program.

And these people aren't just taking advantage of others.

When it was determined that their academic progress was faster than that of their classmates who were attending school, their families had already reacted by actively helping to promote Lujiawan products.

Now, products from Lujiawan are receiving the green light from both the county and prefectural governments, and more and more companies are proactively coming to place orders.

If it weren't for the fact that Lujiawan had brought together the other four production brigades in the south of the commune, and their breeding scale had gradually moved closer to Lujiawan, there probably wouldn't have been enough to supply them.

Other units are doing well, but the main ones are Yunhu Machinery Factory and Yunhu Cotton Mill, two large factories with tens of thousands of employees, which consume a large amount of agricultural products every day.

These two families weren't doing it because of the educated youth, but because of Chen Fan's influence.

With so many customers, as long as Lujiawan insists on maintaining high quality, it's no joke that they'll be making a fortune every day.

As for the next steps, Chen Fan said that they would talk about it in a few years.

Lujiawan is overfed and needs two years to digest its excesses, which is why Chen Fan hasn't paid much attention to Lujiawan this year.

……

Monday, April 5th.

As dawn broke, Zhou Zhengdong and his entourage embarked on their return journey, seeing off by the commune leaders and cadres of the Lujiawan Brigade.

In addition to luggage, there was also a box for carrying gifts.

Well, there aren't really any local specialties or souvenirs worth taking from Lujiawan. Apart from the lotus root starch, coarse tea, rice wine, and dried fruit that Chen Fan helped select, the most important thing is the two bottles of wine that he personally brewed.

A bottle of tiger bone wine and a bottle of tiger penis wine.

Zhou Zhengdong was overjoyed, watching Chen Fan wrap the bag in layers of straw, afraid it would break.

This stuff is a rare treasure no matter where it is. Not to mention how difficult it is to buy tiger bones, tiger penises, and wild ginseng exported from the mainland abroad, even if you were lucky enough to buy them, it wouldn't be of any use, because the recipes for the best medicinal wines are not available in just any pharmacy.

He only took a small sip of each of these two wines, and he felt several years younger, which shows that they were very potent and the best medicinal wine recipes.

With these two jars of medicinal wine, perhaps we can even have a son added to the Zhou family.

So after boarding the boat, he deliberately tied the box to the boat with a rope, stepped on it with one foot, and held his wife, who was not yet 45 years old, with one hand. He looked very proud of himself, which made Zhao Wanru a little confused.

The journey was smooth sailing. First, we took a boat to the prefectural committee, and then drove straight to the provincial capital.

Chen Fan then drove back to the Writers' Association headquarters, met up with them, and then rushed to the airport.

The reason I'm leaving today is because there's a flight from the provincial capital to Shenyang this afternoon, a seamless connection that saves me time.

After a flight of more than three hours, we arrived at Shenyang Dongta Airport.

The Xiantao International Airport was not built and put into operation until 89; it does not exist yet.

This trip was to pay homage to the Zhou family's ancestral home, which is located in the mountains about 4 to 50 kilometers away from SY city. Back then, the Zhou family owned thousands of acres of land and had been doing business for many years, making them quite wealthy and powerful in the area.

Later, the Zhou family went into business and acquired properties in other places, but this did not affect their continued operation of their ancestral home. Several generations of the Zhou family's ancestors were also buried here.

From 1644 to 1667, the Qing Dynasty implemented the "Regulations for Recruiting People to Reclaim Land in Liaodong", encouraging people from inside the Great Wall to migrate to Northeast China, thus initiating the first "Crossing the Great Wall to the Northeast".

However, it has nothing to do with the Zhou family.

Later, in order to protect the interests of the Manchus, the Qing government temporarily suspended the immigration policy, and Northeast China entered a period of relative isolation.

Until 1861, with the Qing government's weakening control over the border and Tsarist Russia's encroachment on the northeastern border, they reopened their immigration policy, resulting in a large number of people from within the Great Wall migrating to the Northeast.

In particular, the "Dingwu Famine" of 1877 led to a large-scale famine, causing entire villages to relocate in many places.

The Zhou family ancestor came from Shandong around that time, which is exactly 100 years ago now.

If you calculate up to 1932, that's 55 years. In 55 years, they accumulated a little over a thousand acres of land, and that was in the mountains. That's about it.

Actually, it's already quite good. None of the people who succeeded in crossing the Guandong were simple individuals. Countless people disappeared without a trace. Those were just ordinary people with bad luck and low ability.

The Zhou family patriarch can already be considered an outstanding talent.

Just like when they arrived in the provincial capital in Jiangnan, local officials greeted them at the airport and accompanied them.

For Zhou Zhengdong and Zhao Wanru, these social engagements were minor matters. Even Zhou Yali, who was only 19 years old and a sophomore in college, remained poised and dignified, showing no signs of the way she clung to the panda cub and cried uncontrollably when she left.

As for Chen Fan, he received almost as much attention as Zhou Zhengdong, with a bigwig from the provincial cultural sector personally accompanying him, showing him considerable respect.

After the banquet, they stayed overnight at the best hotel in the area, the Liaoning Hotel. The next morning, accompanied by a group of officials, they went to their ancestral home.

(Liaoning Hotel in the 70s)
After a bumpy ride of more than an hour, when they finally found the place, Zhou Zhengdong held an old photograph and looked at the scene before him, his face turning blank.

In the photo, there is a memorial archway, and beyond the archway is a small ancestral hall. On the hillside behind the ancestral hall is the cemetery.

Now the memorial archways and ancestral halls are gone, and even the cemeteries... look brand new.

Seeing Zhou Zhengdong's ashen face, the accompanying cadres looked at each other awkwardly, but no one spoke.

Chen Fan looked around, took two steps forward, and said to the old captain, who was smoking a pipe and looked to be about 6 or 70 years old, "Uncle, let's not talk about what happened back then. I just want to ask, has it been exposed yet?"

The old man exhaled a puff of smoke, turned to look at the hillside where the cemetery was located, and said softly, "This valley didn't have a name before. It was only after it was taken over that it was called Zhoujia'ao. Fifty years ago, all the people here were tenants of the Zhou family."

He turned to look at Zhou Zhengdong and chuckled, "I saw you when you were one or two years old."

Zhou Zhengdong was slightly taken aback, his expression softening a bit, and asked, "Excuse me, may I ask who you are?"

The old man waved his hand, "What you call me doesn't matter."

He turned to look at the cemetery and sighed, "I led the people to demolish the memorial arch and ancestral hall, and I also led the people to tear down the graves. We had no choice but to tear them down. When we tore them down, we only tore down the top, but when they tore them down, they really exposed the graves to the light of day."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengdong fell silent.

Nearly half a century has passed, and things have changed.

Zhao Wanru and Zhou Yali immediately walked to his side, each taking one of his arms, without saying a word.

The other cadres nearby were even more embarrassed and all turned their gazes toward the section chief who was leading the team.

The section chief, being a seasoned veteran, had encountered this situation before. He coughed lightly and uttered a few polite words, "The wrong days are over. We're on the right track. We can guarantee that..."

After he finished speaking, Zhou Zhengdong remained silent for a moment before turning his gaze to Chen Fan.

Chen Fan shrugged and simply said, "There are no ancestral graves in Lujiawan."

Zhou Zhengdong was relieved. Although he had never met Master Lu, he had heard Chen Fan mention him and knew that Lujiawan used to be Lu family's land, and the current commune members were all Lu family's tenants.

With over 5000 mu of land, if the Zhou family hadn't gone into business, they really wouldn't be as successful as the Lu family back then.

Now we're all in the same boat. The Zhou family has moved to North America, and apart from the fourth master who stayed behind, the whereabouts of the rest of the Lu family are unknown.

Even with Fourth Master guarding it, they couldn't protect the Lu family's ancestral graves. The Zhou family didn't even have a servant to guard the house, so it's already quite remarkable that they were able to keep this cemetery.

After thinking it through, Zhou Zhengdong took a deep breath and bowed slightly to the old captain, "Thank you for protecting me, brother."

Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that this hurdle had been overcome.

The old team leader sighed, waved his hand, and didn't say anything else. He just pointed to the hillside and said, "When I was clearing the hill, I marked the center of each grave. A few days ago, the commune said you were coming back to pay respects to your ancestors, so I had someone fill in the graves again. The positions are all the same as before, so there's no mistake."

But no tombstone was erected; partly because there wasn't enough time, and partly because we didn't have the money. So I wrote something on a wooden board and placed it in front of the grave; you can see it when you go up.”

Zhou Zhengdong bowed and then walked up the mountain.

Zhao Wanru and Zhou Yali supported him together, their faces solemn.

Chen Fan?

He carried two large baskets filled with incense, paper, and whips, and ultimately endured everything.

After the sacrificial ceremony, Zhou Zhengdong consulted with the accompanying cadres and left some money for the village, asking the old team leader to help rebuild the memorial archway and ancestral hall.

After spending a day in Shenyang, they flew to Beijing.

What? Hunting?

Does Zhou Yali still dare to mention hunting at this point?

She couldn't wait to run away so she wouldn't have to see her father's perpetually gloomy face, which was frightening to look at.

They didn't go anywhere that day; they just rested in the hotel.

Only Chen Fan kept making phone calls. First, he contacted the Jilin Hunting Team to ask if they had any good hunting supplies. Then, he got the phone number of the Liaoning Hunting Team from them and made contact with them.

The reason for going in circles is still because of the "system" itself.

Even if you go through provincial connections, they will certainly give you face, but it will only be done in an official capacity. However, if a sister unit in the same system puts in a good word for you, then there's no question about it; they will definitely treat you like one of their own.

So that very night, Chen Fan managed to gather two tiger skins, two sets of tiger bones, and a live baby gyrfalcon.

Normally, no hunter would let a young gyrfalcon go, but Chen Fan gave them so many.

Or perhaps it's because Chen Fan was poor but generous, and he gave a lot on behalf of his uncle.

Baby gyrfalcon, $10000, would you sell?

When Zhou Zhengdong received the bill totaling $20,000, he was stunned. "Why does it cost so much?"

Chen Fan calmly calculated the costs for him: "Tiger skins are $3000 each, two are $6000, gyrfalcon chicks are $10000, that's $1. In addition, tiger bones, mink fur, deer antlers, ginseng, frog oil, bear bile, bear paws, dried sea cucumbers... these things add up to $4000, and that's after a discount. The total is $6, you definitely won't lose money."

Zhou Zhengdong listened to Chen Fan's words, looked at the list in his hand, and after a moment, silently asked Zhao Wanru to get the checks.

The Zhou family used to specialize in "northern goods," which are specialties from the north.

Even after he went to the United States and gained a foothold, he still used his old connections and a Hong Kong trading company to purchase goods from the north, which was a family business. Zhou Zhengdong was naturally familiar with these things.

Everything else is within a reasonable price range, except for a baby gyrfalcon, which has no price!

Normally, how much is a bird worth?

A sparrow costs three cents, and it's fried; a pheasant costs three yuan, and it makes a delicious soup.

But this is a gyrfalcon, a sacred bird passed down through generations in Northeast China!
During the Qing Dynasty, offering a gyrfalcon could absolve one of the death penalty.

If you don't know its value, it's worthless; if you do, it's priceless.

Are the Zhou family members ignorant of quality?
Zhou Zhengdong looked at the fledgling bird with curiosity in his eyes. "This is indeed a gyrfalcon, but why does it not seem to have the fierceness of a typical gyrfalcon?"

Chen Fan shrugged. "Because I tamed it."

He had already made arrangements with the bird: as long as it behaved, he would provide food and lodging. The little bird didn't understand anything and was still in the stage of being fed. When it heard Chen Fan's words, it treated him like its mother and agreed without saying a word.

So now she's especially well-behaved, and she doesn't even get angry when she sees strangers.

Zhou Zhengdong looked at Chen Fan in surprise, "You tamed him already?"

Chen Fan nodded seriously, "It's tamed."

Zhou Zhengdong fell silent.

Everyone knows that a gyrfalcon never serves two masters in its lifetime, so I spent ten thousand US dollars to buy a bird for my nephew.
He knew about the gyrfalcon, but Zhou Yali didn't.

She found the little bird incredibly cute, especially its bright eyes, and instantly fell in love with it. When Chen Fan told her that it had been tamed, she immediately grabbed his hand and said, "Little brother, you haven't given me a gift yet, so let's give you this little bird."

Chen Fan immediately fell silent.

Never given a gift?

Books don't count? Paintings and calligraphy done in Lujiawan don't count? Beauty cream made with badger oil doesn't count?
But Zhou Yali didn't care about anything else. She picked up the baby gyrfalcon and grinned, "From today onwards, you'll be called Xiao Qing. You'll be with me from now on. I'll treat you to the best of everything, okay?"

The gyrfalcon nestled in her hand, staring longingly at Chen Fan, wondering whether to peck or not.

Zhou Yali looked at Chen Fan, who remained silent, with pleading eyes. "You won't be reluctant to part with him, will you?"

Chen Fan hesitated for two seconds, "Are you sure you can bring this back to the United States?"

Zhou Yali's face stiffened slightly, and she turned to look at her father, "?"

Zhou Zhengdong smiled and looked at Chen Fan meaningfully, "As long as you're willing to give it to me, I can take it back."

Chen Fan, “…”

Finally, he shrugged and said, "Fine."

Judging from Zhou Zhengdong's expression, you could tell he understood the significance of this bird. Europe also has a tradition of falconry, and falconers are not uncommon. Given his social standing, finding a falconer to help train the gyrfalcon shouldn't be difficult.

Therefore, this bird will not be overlooked even if it is given to Zhou Yali.

I just need to find this kind of bird again.

I wonder if the Eurasian Hobby will be jealous when it finds out.

……

June 1st, my calamity.

They then landed in Beijing by plane.

Besides his ancestral home, Zhou Zhengdong also wanted to visit two other places.

One was Tianjin, the former headquarters of the Zhou family business, and the other was Shanghai, the location of their most important branch office.

The Zhou family had friends and business partners in both places back then. Even after the Zhou family moved to the United States, they continued to do business with each other until the 1950s when they suddenly lost contact.

When Zhou Zhengdong came back this time, he thought he would take the opportunity to visit him.

Even after the plane landed, there were still people waiting to pick it up.

The last time Zhou Zhengdong and his group came to Beijing, they stayed at the Overseas Chinese Hotel.

This time, he declined the local arrangements and decided to stay at his nephew's house again.

West bank of Shichahai, outside the high walls.

Chen Fan squatted on the ground, silently smoking.

Zhou Zhengdong's face was full of curiosity, "It's your own house, you don't have a key?"

Chen Fan exhaled a puff of smoke and looked toward the rarely visited lakeside path. "I'm not usually in the capital, so I left the key with my master."

Why not go to Master's house to get the key?
Of course, it's because there are too many people here and too little space there, so now the accompanying staff have gone to pick them up by car.

(End of this chapter)