Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 617 Borrowing a Car
The next morning, before Chen Fan had even gotten out of bed, there was a loud banging on his door.

I opened my eyes and turned to look out the window. Well, a hazy mist enveloped the earth. It was bright, but the sun hadn't risen yet.

He sighed softly, remaining completely still, and called out with his eyes closed, "Stop knocking! Who goes visiting at this hour?"

The next second, the door clicked open. Zhou Yali first peeked through the openwork screen and saw him lying sprawled on the bed in a t-shirt and shorts. Then she straightened up and waved her hand, "You can come in."

He immediately strode in with his head held high.

Following behind were the two sisters. Jiang Lili was alright, but Jiang Tiantian's face was already flushed. Fortunately, she was at the back, so no one saw her.

Hearing the noise, Chen Fan sat up helplessly, turned to look at the wall clock, and said, "Hey, ladies, it's not 6 o'clock yet, aren't you sleepy?"

They didn't even need to knock on the door at 6 o'clock; he would get up on his own.

Zhou Yali walked to the bedside, stood still, crossed her arms, and gently lifted her chin. "What are you sleepy for? Have you forgotten what Master told you yesterday? You still need to go to the market to buy groceries and then go to Grandpa Liu's house to cook. You have to get up early to buy groceries, otherwise there won't be any left."

Chen Fan sighed softly, "I gave the money and tickets to Liu Juan yesterday. They should be back soon by now."

Zhou Yali's expression immediately stiffened slightly. "When did this happen?"

Chen Fan shook his head and waved them away, "Get out, get out! A young lady like you barging into a man's room, aren't you ashamed?"

Zhou Yali was pushed out, "Aren't you wearing clothes? I..."

Then I heard a bang, and the door was slammed shut.

Looking at the two sisters suppressing their laughter, she was immediately furious. "What happened to the united front we agreed on? Why aren't you saying anything?"

Jiang Tiantian shrank back, blushing as she said, "It was your idea of ​​a united front, which I didn't agree to."

Jiang Lili chuckled, "Cousin, is it like this in America too?"

"That's not true."

Zhou Yali sighed, "I'd only ever heard from friends that older sisters could bully their younger brothers and even wake them up early in the morning, but I never tried it back then because I didn't have a younger brother. Now that I finally have one, I still can't bully him. It's really disappointing."

Chen Fan changed his clothes, opened the door, and flicked him on the forehead without hesitation. "Didn't your friend tell you that you can only bully your younger brother while you're still young? If you wait until he grows up, you'll only be suppressed in return."

Zhou Yali covered her forehead, her eyes full of confusion. "Is that so?"

Chen Fan glanced at the two sisters who were still chuckling, shook his head helplessly, turned around and went downstairs, with Zhou Yali and the other two quickly following.

As soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, the door was pushed open, and Liu Juan and Ma Lan walked in, each carrying a vegetable basket.

Seeing that they were already up, Liu Juan quickly changed her shoes and jogged over.

Chen Fan glanced at them. "Back so early?"

They don't have bicycles, so they have to walk. Add in the time it takes to buy groceries, and they probably arrived at the market before 5 a.m.
Liu Juan ran to the large wooden table, placed the basket on it, and took out lunchboxes one by one from it. "This is breakfast that I just bought. I don't know if it suits your taste."

Chen Fan waved his hand, "You all sit down and eat too."

He then laughed and said, "As long as it's not soy milk, everything else is fine."

Liu Juan couldn't help but chuckle, then quickly suppressed it, "You've had douzhi (fermented mung bean juice)?"

Chen Fan waved his hand, "I've never had it."

He added, "Don't always use such formal terms, you don't need to be so polite."

When old Beijingers talk to outsiders, they always use the polite form of address, but they aren't actually that polite at home.

Chen Fan can adapt to local customs when interacting with outsiders, but he is not quite used to it at home either.

Liu Juan didn't say much. After setting out the breakfast, she pointed to Ma Lan, who was about to walk to the back, and said, "Let's go and tidy up the dishes."

Chen Fan picked up his chopsticks but put them down again. "Don't prepare this dish yet, I'll take care of it. Come and eat breakfast first, it won't taste good if it gets cold."

Seeing Chen Fan's insistence, Liu Juan and Ma Lan exchanged a glance before cautiously sitting down.

Only then did Zhou Yali ask in a low voice, "What is douzhi?"

Chen Fan glanced at her and smiled, "Interested?"

Zhou Yali nodded, thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I'm just curious."

Chen Fan said, "It's okay, I'll buy you a bowl to try later, then you'll know."

Seeing that her sister also looked curious, Jiang Lili leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Xiao Fan said in the letter that it's water fermented from mung bean milk. After cooking, it becomes bean juice, which is particularly awful."

Jiang Tiantian suddenly realized, secretly glanced at Zhou Yali who was still full of longing, and lowered her head to eat her breakfast while suppressing a laugh.

Chen Fan ate a fried dough ring, drank some millet porridge, and said without looking up, "Juanzi, Ma Lan, how long have you been back in the city?"

When Chen Fan got home yesterday, it was already dark by the time he finished tidying up. He didn't talk to them much, but just gave them a menu and told them to go to the market to buy groceries early. Unexpectedly, the two of them left home at five o'clock.

Let's take advantage of the fact that everyone is here and have a brief chat, so that we can have a better understanding of the situation.

Otherwise, when he's not here and it's just the two of them at home, even though they were recommended by Master Zhang, he wouldn't be completely at ease.

Even disregarding the location, the house itself and its contents would be worth hundreds of millions in thirty years. Especially the 7501 porcelain in the basement; even a single lost piece would be worth hundreds of thousands. Together, they are priceless treasures.

How could he trust someone to work with without fully understanding their background?
Hearing Chen Fan's words, Liu Juan quickly put down her chopsticks and was about to speak when she saw Chen Fan wave his hand, "No need to be so nervous. It's not like we're interrogating a criminal. We're just chatting because we're bored during a meal."

"Oh."

Liu Juan responded, picked up her chopsticks again, glanced at Ma Lan who was doing the same thing, then turned back and said in a slightly nervous whisper, "We came back in February this year, it's been almost half a year."

Zhou Yali looked up at them, "February, isn't that perfect for the Chinese New Year?"

Liu Juan nodded, a smile appearing on her face. "New Year's Eve is February 6th. We set off on the 2nd, and after three days of changing trains, we arrived home just in time for New Year's Eve."

Zhou Yali smiled and said, "That's good."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian couldn't help but exchange a glance, and then simultaneously looked at Chen Fan.

Without him, Jiang Lili would probably still be in Lujiawan, not even knowing when she could go home.

That's why, every time Jiang Lili saw educated youth returning from the countryside, especially those with similar experiences to her, she felt a pang of sadness, and her gratitude towards Chen Fan deepened.

Chen Fan didn't notice the two sisters' gazes and continued eating with his head down, while asking, "Where did you go to the countryside and how long did you stay?"

Liu Juan, "I stayed in Heilongjiang for three years."

They really do answer every question with just one word, not a single extra word.

Chen Fan glanced at her without making a sound, then looked at Ma Lan, who was also a little nervous, and a smile appeared on his lips.

He then continued asking questions.

After finishing breakfast, he had a pretty good grasp of the situation between the two of them.

Liu Juan's family consists of six people: her parents and three younger siblings. As the eldest sister, she volunteered to go to the countryside and stayed there for three years before returning to the city this year.

Ma Lan's situation was similar; she also had a younger brother. Both families lived in the same large courtyard, and they went to and returned at the same time. They were also assigned to the same rural area.

When talking about that experience, the two of them had no complaints and showed no signs of being down. On the contrary, when they talked about hunting and winter fishing, they were quite excited.

Chen Fan had a basic understanding of the two people's situation.

In general, he is honest and optimistic, with no outstanding strengths or obvious vices. He belongs to the type who is conscientious and hardworking.

Master Zhang didn't make a mistake in finding him the wrong person.

As for their relationship with Master Zhang, Chen Fan clearly sensed that they were lying.

Both women said they were just neighbors who had introduced them to the job because they saw their family was struggling financially. But Chen Fan sensed something else in their words.

However, this was not a big deal, because when Chen Fan asked about their father's situation, he managed to glean two pieces of information after repeated questioning.

They all had disabilities, and all of them were scarred from the battlefield.

Therefore, he would never believe that the two men's fathers had no relation to Master Zhang.

Since she is the daughter of Master Zhang's old comrade-in-arms, or even possibly his former subordinate, there is no need to question her too much.

Chen Fan was basically relieved.

After finishing breakfast, Chen Fan wiped his mouth with the tissue Zhou Yali had brought. Amidst someone's protests, he looked at Liu Juan and Ma Lan and asked with a smile, "Haven't you thought about taking the college entrance exam?"

The two looked at each other and shook their heads almost simultaneously.

Liu Juan said with a wry smile, "When we were in school, although our grades were pretty good, we were learning basic engineering and basic agriculture. The Chinese, math and English textbooks weren't very difficult, which is very different from the textbooks we have now."

Later, during my three years in the countryside, I barely read any books and forgot a large part of them.

Actually, we all registered for the college entrance examination last year, but none of us passed.

After returning home, with nothing to do, we considered studying, but after several months, our grades were still far from ideal. So, we didn't even register for this year's college entrance exam, not wanting to waste any more time.

Chen Fan nodded slightly. For someone with poor talent, unless he had a teaching aura, no amount of hard work would be of much use.

Even if I send them to university, their subsequent studies will only lead them to despair.

Hmm, in this respect she's a bit like Liu Lu and Huang Li; they're all better at using their hands than their brains.

However, Chen Fan didn't care. He never intended to send them to university. It was just a coincidence, and they weren't that close to each other yet.

His main goal was to see if these two people were worth nurturing.

If so, then keep them as full-time housekeepers to avoid having to find someone else later.

Do you really think that little building next to the garden is just for show?
That was the dormitory area he had prepared for future domestic workers. He didn't want to clean such a large house himself. He just called it a guest room in front of Master Zhang and the others.

But let's not rush into this; we can talk about it later.

After chatting for a few more minutes, he went to prepare the groceries he had bought.

There aren't many dishes, but they are prepared with great care. The beef is sliced, the pork is shredded, and the fish is deboned and deboned. Then, he uses his own homemade sauce to make the dishes, which not only allows them to absorb the flavor but also ensures that they won't spoil in the hot environment.

There are no refrigerators or air conditioners here.

Hmm, how about we try to squeeze some more money out of my cousin?

Didn't she say she can't sleep without air conditioning in the summer? Even though she slept very well last night, that doesn't stop us from installing air conditioning in the house.

Liu Juan and Ma Lan stood aside, wanting to help out, but unsure where to begin.

The two of them looked increasingly surprised.

Isn't he a famous writer? The more I look at him, the more he looks like a chef.

Jiang Lili, on the other hand, skillfully came over to help, reprocessing the pre-treated vegetables and packing them into lunchboxes. Her movements were practiced and orderly, clearly showing that she often worked in the kitchen.

Seeing this, Liu Juan and Ma Lan felt extremely awkward.

They are also clear about what their current job is. To put it bluntly, they are factory workers, not even nannies.

In "Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk: Ah Chang and the Classic of Mountains and Seas", Lu Xun wrote: "Ah Chang, as I have already mentioned, was a female worker who always led me; to put it more grandly, she was my nanny."

It is clear that nannies are considered to be of a higher social standing than female workers.

A real nanny, in addition to cleaning, should also be able to cook, take care of children, and those with higher requirements should even be able to provide early childhood education.

They had only ever done cleaning before, and they were hoping to show off their cooking skills when the host came back. But now they realized they were no match for the food.

Thinking of this, both of them felt ashamed.

Chen Fan quickly finished tidying up, washed his hands, and then, under the expectant gazes of Zhou Yali and the other two, said to Liu Juan and the other two, "We're going out this morning, and we'll take the boxed vegetables with us. The rest are for you. You'll have to take care of yourselves for lunch."

We'll be back this afternoon, and depending on the situation, we might need to ask you to show us around the surrounding alleys.

He pointed to Zhou Yali next to him and said with a smile, "My cousin came back from the United States and is quite interested in the folk customs of our capital."

Liu Juan and her companion nodded repeatedly, "Okay, we know this area very well, we know where to go."

Chen Fan smiled and then said to Zhou Yali, "It's still early. You can rest at home for a while, or chat with Juanzi and the others about old Beijing. I'm going out for a bit and will be back soon."

Zhou Yali was taken aback. "You're not thinking of ditching us and going by yourself, are you?"

Chen Fan pointed to the basket next to him with annoyance, "Can't you see the vegetables are all here? Do you expect me to go there empty-handed?"

Zhou Yali gave an awkward laugh and remained silent.

Although Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian were also a little curious, they had complete confidence in Chen Fan and believed that he would never lie to them, so they remained silent.

Chen Fan didn't take much with him, only a little money, and went out to find a taxi stand.

A short while later, after the dispatcher called a car, he opened the door, got in, and headed west.

The car hadn't been driving long when, following the address Chen Fan had given, it stopped in front of a courtyard house that was clearly newly built.

Unlike traditional courtyard houses, there are no grand gates or auspicious gates. Instead, there are two red wooden doors embedded in the wall, without even a threshold, just a cement floor.

Next to the wooden door hangs a white plaque with black characters that reads "Yunhu Automobile Factory Beijing Office".

That's right, this is Yunnan Automobile Factory's territory in Beijing.

As for why Chen Fan came here?
Of course, I came to borrow a car.

As a car manufacturer, how can an office not have a few cars?

He walked to the door and knocked three times. Immediately, a voice with a Yunhu accent came from inside, "Coming, coming."

With a faint sound of footsteps, the door opened from the inside, and a figure appeared in the doorway.

Chen Fan glanced at him and immediately smiled, "Director Shi, you've been transferred to the Beijing Liaison Office?"

When Director Shi saw it was him, he grinned from ear to ear. "So it's Consultant Chen. Please come in, please come in."

As he spoke, he led the person into the courtyard and said with a smile, "He has been transferred here, but he is now the deputy director. The director position is held concurrently by Deputy Factory Director Li, so he has a lot of work to do, traveling between Yunhu and Beijing. When he's not around, I'm in charge of looking after the house."

Chen Fan glanced at the cars parked in the yard and laughed, "That's not bad either. Once things are sorted out, you'll definitely still be the director."

Director Shi was overjoyed. "I never thought about it. As long as I can get things done, that's fine."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Chen Fan explained his purpose.

Upon hearing this, Director Shi immediately handed him the keys to a Yunhu sedan without saying a word, saying, "Drive it wherever you like. Once you're here, feel at home. Don't be shy."

Chen Fan waved his hand, "Forget the sedan, there are too many of us, give me a van instead."

The main reason is that sedans are too eye-catching; minivans are more low-key.

Director Shi didn't stand on ceremony and gave him another key, along with two cans of gasoline.

A minute later, Chen Fan drove his van out the door with a flourish.

(End of this chapter)