Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 597 Watching the Show
Sailing my small yacht, I crossed the Liuhua River for the Nth time and returned to Lujiawan with the wind and current.

Normally, when Chen Fan returns, it happens to coincide with the time when he delivers goods to and from Lujiawan, so there is no engine noise on the river.

So every time he was intercepted on the way back to Team 6 by the Eurasian Falcon and the Myna.

Looking at the two birds circling overhead, Chen Fan gently waved and made a gesture, and the falcon obediently landed on his shoulder.

As soon as the myna bird landed, he grabbed it and stuffed it into his pocket.

The myna bird struggled to peek out, its eyes filled with fear as it looked at him. "What are you going to do?"

Chen Fan didn't even look at it, just patted his pocket, "Behave yourself and shut up, or we'll have roasted mynahs tonight."

It's the busy farming season now, and he doesn't want the bird to go out and chatter, interfering with other people's work.

The myna chirped twice, then promptly pulled its head back, leaving only its beak and a tuft of messy feathers on its nose.

As the small boat docked, Chen Fan pulled the rope, jumped off the boat, looped the rope around a wooden post on the dock, shook his shoulders, and the falcon immediately took flight, chirping as it flew home.

The myna bird wanted to join in, but Chen Fan held it in his hand and played with it like a walnut.

The water level was already quite high, with the water surface only a dozen meters away from the embankment. Following the simple boardwalk, it took only a short while to climb up to the river embankment.

Standing on the embankment and looking ahead, the small earthen slope where Team 6 of Lujiawan is located looks like a big turtle lying on the ground. The earthen houses that were originally hidden by trees on the turtle's back have all been replaced by two-story red brick buildings.

No, there's one more.

The educated youth settlement remains unchanged.

Chen Fan looked at the educated youth courtyard, which now only had one more study room, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his face.

In a few years, when the educated youth settlement is closed, I will ask the team to buy this courtyard, restore it to its original state, and move all the animals that were moved out back.

As for the idea of ​​preserving it and turning it into a memorial hall for educated youth, like in some other places, Chen Fan had never considered it.

There's nothing else to it. Since most of those educated youth didn't like Lili, there was no need to keep her. Treating her as a breeding ground was fine.

If it really happens decades later, and some former educated youth come back to recapture that feeling, Chen Fan won't be stingy.

There are four mud-walled houses inside, so we can put a few bamboo beds in them. As long as they don't mind the smell of animals around the houses, they can stay there as they please.

Chen Fan imagined the scene at that time and couldn't help but chuckle.

When he came to his senses, he immediately looked around and raised his hand, only to find the myna bird staring blankly at him.

It must have seen it, right? And it can even talk!

Just as Chen Fan's gaze turned cold, the myna bird suddenly tilted its head to the side and fainted.

Chen Fan hesitated for two seconds, then put the bird in his pocket and strode forward.

As soon as he stepped off the embankment, his two dogs, Duoduo and Qiuqiu, ran over excitedly, wagging their tails and circling around his feet.

Chen Fan chuckled and kicked the two dogs twice. The dogs immediately moved away slightly and followed him home.

He didn't tell anyone in advance when he came back, not even the students from Lujiawan who were studying at Jiangda University.

Now it's work time again, and most people have already gone out to work in the fields, while children are at school, and even the elderly are quietly busy at home.

So the village was quiet at this time, with only the chirping of cicadas in the woods and the occasional calls of birds flying by.

Soon we arrived back at our doorstep. In the panda enclosure, the three pandas were sleeping on wooden stakes under the shade of a tree. The small pond next to them was filled with water; it was the pandas' swimming pool during the summer.

Chen Fan did not disturb them and continued walking forward.

The doors to the side dining room, kitchen, and bathroom were all open, but no one was inside.

However, the main door of the house was tightly closed.

This situation is very rare in rural areas.

During the day, regardless of whether anyone is home, the doors of every household in the village are generally left open, and this custom will continue until 2042.

Previously, Chen Fan had also followed local customs, and after the house was built, he generally did not close the door during the day, except when it was windy in winter.

The fact that the door was now tightly shut naturally made him feel a little strange.

Without thinking much, he walked straight over, took out his keys, and opened the door.

First, I went to the living room and opened the window. A refreshing southerly breeze blew in, immediately relieving the stuffiness in the room.

He tossed the key onto the cabinet by the window, and as he turned around to open the north-facing window, he realized why the front door was locked.

Against the east wall, a TV cabinet had been added, and the large color TV inside looked exactly like the batch of TVs that my uncle had given to the village.

In the corner, the phonograph was moved away, and a refrigerator was placed in its place.

Chen Fan couldn't help but chuckle twice, then walked over and opened the refrigerator door. Well, it was empty. Looking further back, he saw that the power cord wasn't even plugged in.

That makes sense, though; the power supply is very unstable these days. Especially during the day, priority is given to factories or to support farmers during busy farming seasons, so in critical moments, residential power has to be cut off.

This situation persisted until the late 90s and was not finally alleviated until the next century.

So last time, Secretary Yang asked Chen Fan if it was possible for the village to build its own power station, and if so, how much it would cost.

However, Chen Fan didn't know the answer to this question either, so he told him to ask the commune or the county, since he didn't understand it anyway.

After turning around and looking around, Chen Fan went to the second floor.

Although the bed in their room was empty, it was spotless after a quick wipe, clearly showing that the three girls hadn't been slacking off and had been diligently cleaning every day.

I put my backpack down first, then stripped naked and took a cold shower in the bathroom.

It doesn't matter if the power goes out or not, there's a small water tank on the roof, which can keep the power going for a while even if there's no electricity.

Originally, this water tank was prepared last year when Chen Fan got his first diesel engine, intending to drill a well and build a small water tower. However, after giving away the diesel engine, he installed the water tank on the roof and used it as a water storage tank.

She quickly rinsed herself clean, dried herself off, and went to the closet to find a set of coarse cloth clothes to change into.

When you're in a mountain, you sing the song that suits the mountain. Back in Lujiawan, Chen Fan rarely wears those fancy clothes; a simple set of coarse cloth is enough for him.

Of course, this excludes leather belts with brass buckles that I made myself.

After getting dressed, I rolled up my dirty clothes and was about to take them to the laundry tub when I heard a scream, "I'm going to suffocate!"

Seeing the myna bird crawl out of the pile of clothes and look at him with mournful eyes, Chen Fan smiled apologetically, "I'll treat you to some bugs later."

The myna bird silently lowered its head, "I was wrong, please let me go."

It's just an insect; anyone can catch one. The problem is, if it stays with its owner, it might even die.

Chen Fan coughed lightly, "It's good that you know you're wrong. Okay, go have fun by yourself then."

Then he threw the myna bird out the window.

A serpent peeked out of the window, and just as it opened its mouth to greet someone, it saw a bird fly over. Instinctively, it opened its beak and snatched the bird, but before it could swallow it, a myna bird shouted angrily, "It stinks! It stinks! Let go! I'll have the Eurasian Hobby eat you!"

The snake blinked. Although it couldn't understand what the bird was chirping, it recognized it as its owner's talkative bird. It opened its beak, and the myna immediately flapped its wings and flew away. The snake turned its head to watch the myna fly into the woods, then turned back, stuck out its tongue, and saw its owner's dashing departing figure. Its head immediately drooped.

Why is it that when they act cute, their owners like it, but when I act cute, it doesn't work?

Chen Fan went downstairs without taking the key or closing the door.

Others worry about someone stealing his TV and refrigerator, but he's not afraid. Now that Duoduo and Qiuqiu have grown up and received professional training, they're no less capable than ordinary military dogs. If anyone dares to come, he won't need any other animals to help; the two dogs will make them remember this for the rest of their lives.

As he stepped out of the house, he saw Gun Gun waking up, so he smiled, waved, and headed towards the panda enclosure.

Gun Gun lay still on the spot, blinked hard several times to make sure he wasn't seeing things, and then rolled off the wooden stake and scrambled towards the hut.

Hearing the noise, the two little ones groggily opened their eyes, only to see their mother's back.

They lay motionless on the wooden stakes, but instead of continuing to sleep, they stared wide-eyed, waiting to see what their mother would do next.

As soon as Chen Fan pushed open the door, Gun Gun pounced on him.

He picked up Gun Gun and weighed it in his hands. "You've gotten fatter again."

Rolling around, "Awoo!"

He closed the door with his foot, then carried Gun Gun outside into the garden.

Before we even stepped out the gate, the two little ones started howling and rushing towards us.

Well, another half hour has passed.

After playing and working up a sweat, the three pandas were a bit tired, so they all ran into the pond and lay down. Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolled ...ing Rolled Rolling Rolling Rolled

Chen Fan's face darkened. "You're so old and still playing in the water, aren't you ashamed?"

The panda rolled around in the water. What is shyness?
After leaving the panda enclosure, Chen Fan went to the livestock shed at the back.

By the time he arrived on his little mare, half an hour had passed.

It was already 3 p.m. The clean clothes I had just changed into were now quite wrinkled, as if I had done a lot of work.

As I rode my horse toward the brigade headquarters, I saw commune members working under the scorching sun in the fields on both sides.

As soon as the mare appeared on the road, someone saw her and immediately shouted, "Captain, Teacher Chen is back!"

The shout immediately startled the commune members scattered in the fields.

They all straightened up from the rice paddies and waved to Chen Fan, greeting him, "Teacher Chen."

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly. He raised his right hand and waved it to both sides, feeling like a leader. "Hello everyone."

In a field not far away, three figures quickly ran towards this side.

When Chen Fan saw them, he quickly waved and said, "You guys go ahead with your work, I'm going to the brigade headquarters."

Upon hearing the sound, Liu Lu and Yang Mei slowed their pace, but when they saw Huang Li running forward without stopping, they sped up again.

Chen Fan could only pat the horse's back, and the mare immediately stopped and waited for them to come over.

Huang Li ran up to her, looked up, and saw that her rosy face was covered in sweat. She didn't bother to wipe it away and said with a smile, "Teacher, will you be back for dinner later?"

Chen Fan thought for a moment, "Not necessarily."

If nothing unexpected happens, as long as Zhang Wenliang and his team are at the brigade headquarters, they will definitely invite him home for dinner.

But if none of them are there, then he'll have to come back and eat his own food.

After all, the rice is about to ripen, and the double harvest is just around the corner, which is the busiest time. It's very likely that they won't be at the team headquarters.

Upon hearing Chen Fan's words, Huang Li immediately smiled and said, "Then we'll go back and prepare. If you come back, there will be a hot meal for you."

After saying that, he turned around and saw that Yang Mei and Liu Lu were behind him, so he said, "Let's go back first."

The three girls chuckled at Chen Fan, then turned and ran back.

In just a short while, Captain Yang also walked over from a distance.

Chen Fan simply dismounted and went to meet him.

When he got closer, I offered him a cigarette and lit it for him.

Captain Yang took a puff, took off his straw hat to fan himself, and grinned, "Just got back?"

Chen Fan lit one for himself to keep company, and nodded with a smile, "It's summer vacation, so I came back to visit. I'm going to Shanghai in a couple of days."

Captain Yang was a little puzzled. "Then why did Yang Zhijun and the others say they wouldn't get their holiday for another two days?"

Chen Fan laughed and said, "It's not surprising. They are undergraduates, and I am a graduate student. Our exam times are different. Moreover, the exam times for different majors are also different, so it's normal for our holiday times to be different as well."

Captain Yang nodded in realization, "I knew it."

He then changed the subject, laughing, "Why are you going to Shanghai again? You've finally come back, why not stay a few more days?"

Chen Fan, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, shrugged and said, "I'll be fine staying here. Everything's mechanized now; you guys can handle it yourselves. I'll just stay and watch the show."

Captain Yang laughed and said, "Watching the show is fine too, it's not like you're the only one watching."

Chen Fan was taken aback and looked at him with confusion. "What do you mean?"

Captain Yang flicked his cigarette ash, glanced at the distance, then turned back, his face full of pride. "You haven't been here for the past two months, so you don't know how many people have come here to learn and conduct research."

Learning and research?

Chen Fan blinked. "Who are they?"

"That's a lot."

Captain Yang, as if showing off, counted on his fingers and said, "Some of them are from production teams like ours. They came here because they want to learn from our advanced experience in developing sideline businesses."

Take animal husbandry for example. We raise many different kinds of animals now. In addition to the chickens, ducks, geese and rabbits we raised in the early days, we also raise a lot of horses, cattle and sheep. But if we're talking about quick results, chickens, ducks and geese are still the best.

Poultry farming is not complicated. As long as you can guarantee the supply of feed and maintain hygiene, you can quickly see profits.

Therefore, the people who want to learn the most are how we raise chickens, ducks, and geese.

After taking a drag of his cigarette and catching his breath, Captain Yang continued, "Besides the production team, there are also many people from the commune or grassroots units. They've come mainly to conduct research."

The production team is so successful, it must be because of the leadership...

At this point, he suddenly choked on his cigarette and burst into laughter.

Chen Fan couldn't help but chuckle; he knew perfectly well what Captain Yang was laughing about.

Did the development of Lujiawan have anything to do with the leaders?
Well, it's not that there was none. The commune did provide some support, at least it didn't hold us back, which is very important.

(End of this chapter)