Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 651: Educational Achievements, Digging Lotus Roots

November 3rd, Friday, the third day of the tenth lunar month.

Wait, the dates are the same, but exactly one month apart?

That's very rare.

Chen Fan muttered to himself as he tore off the calendar, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it in the trash can. Then he picked up the teacup on the table and skillfully made a cup of lotus root starch.

Plain lotus root starch doesn't taste very good, so I added two spoonfuls of sugar, stirred it well with a spoon, let it cool slightly, and drank it while it was still warm. It warmed my body and stomach.

I bought this lotus root starch at the town's supply and marketing cooperative. It's a land of fish and rice, so it's normal to have plenty of lotus roots, making lotus root starch a common "specialty product".

When Zhou Zhengdong's family came last time, they even took two bags back with them.

The food factory in Nanhu Commune Town used to process lotus root starch, but the county, seeing the potential for profit, used the pretext of concentrating resources on major projects to take over all the lotus root starch processing equipment in the county and establish the lotus root starch workshop of Gufeng County Food Factory.

This food factory in Gufeng County mainly processes fruits and vegetables produced in the county throughout the four seasons, such as canned peaches and loquats in spring, canned lotus seeds and fruit sodas in summer, dried persimmons and canned tangerines in autumn, and lotus root starch in winter.

The reason why lotus root starch is made in winter is because Gufeng County only starts digging lotus roots after the autumn harvest every year.

Sometimes it's early November, sometimes it's about a month later, but it won't be too late, as that would affect the pond drying. So the pond drying will be a little later.

Normally, wouldn't it be more convenient to dig lotus roots after the pond has been drained? Why is digging lotus roots done beforehand?
Hehe, Chen Fan actually asked Captain Yang about it.

The reason is that the lotus stems make it inconvenient to use trawling nets for fishing. So, the lotus roots are dug up first, and the large aquatic plants such as lotus stems are also cleared away before the pond is drained and nets are used for fishing, which makes it much simpler.

Moreover, if you raise them for an extra month or two, the fish will grow a little longer.

After catching the fish, they would go back and clean the pond again. The lotus roots that escaped the net would not be sold to the supply and marketing cooperative, but would be distributed to each household as a New Year's gift.

Of the lotus roots sold, some of the better quality ones were sent to the farmers' market to supply urban residents.

Another portion went to the food factory, where it was washed, crushed, filtered, purified to remove sand, concentrated, dehydrated, and dried, eventually becoming bulk lotus root starch.

What? There are also selections and packaging?

Well, these are the conditions for now. Just bear with it. We're lucky to have a scale for bulk goods, why would we need packaging?!

The two large bags that Zhou Zhengdong bought were "specially supplied," and the bags they used were from who-knows-where.

But I must say, the lotus root starch these days tastes especially good; it has no additives and a very pure aroma.

After finishing his cup of lotus root starch, Chen Fan smacked his lips and took the cup to wash it.

Now all three apprentices have jobs, and there's not even anyone in the house to say hello... Should we take on a few more?

Even if it's not three years of apprenticeship and two years of service, it should at least be one's duty to do some chores at home!

After rinsing himself in the bathroom and putting the cup back in its place, Chen Fan shook off the water from his hands, went upstairs to change into his "village uniform" outfit, and, holding his pipe, prepared to leave.

Just as I stepped out, I nudged the two dogs with my foot, intending to say hello to Gun Gun and leave, when I saw Yang Mei carrying a large bag, huffing and puffing as she climbed up the slope.

Seeing her expression, Chen Fan couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing?"

Yang Mei climbed up the bamboo railing, took a couple of breaths, and then pointed to the backpack on her back, saying, "Master, these are the welfare items that the cotton mill and the machinery factory gave you this month, so I brought them back with me."

Chen Fan wasn't too interested in welfare items, mainly because they were always pretty much the same – just grains, oils, meat, fish, fruit, thermos flasks, water cups, bowls, dishes, towels, and fabrics – nothing surprising or delightful.

But it seems that he, as a health consultant, didn't do anything.

Forget it.

He seemed a little puzzled by Yang Mei's question, "Didn't you go last time? Why is it your turn again today?"

The three apprentices made a duty roster and went to Yunhu twice a week to clean his "old house" that he hadn't lived in for more than a few days. If no one took care of it, the house would deteriorate in no time.

However, last time it was Yangmei, and this time it's her again. What about Liu Lu and Huang Li?
Yang Mei chuckled and said, "It was originally Huang Li's turn, but some people came to the team to visit and learn today, and Huang Li had to prepare a welcoming meal, so she was too busy. Then Captain Zhang and Company Commander Zhang invited some experienced workers from Yunhu Garment Factory to arrive today, and Liu Lu had to receive them and arrange work for them, so she didn't have time either."

Chen Fan clicked his tongue. Could this village not function without his apprentice?

Yang Mei smiled and continued, "I brewed a few vats of wine a while ago, and the cellar is full. I've been free these past few days, so I've been going to do my shift."

Chen Fan hummed in agreement and nodded slightly. "Then let them help you brew wine after they're done with their work."

Yang Mei grinned from ear to ear, "Okay!"

Chen Fan waved his hand, "Put the things back. The team is digging lotus roots today. Since you're not busy, you can go and take a look and relax. Don't be so focused on work every day, aren't you afraid of getting tired?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Mei immediately smiled and said, "This job is not tiring at all. I don't have to lift or move anything. It's much easier than before."

Chen Fan curled his lip, "You can't even slack off, so you should just focus on your work."

After saying that, he put his hands behind his back and strolled away.

Yang Mei turned around and looked at his back, scratching her head, a little confused.

Just a few days ago, Master held a meeting and asked everyone to cheer up and not slack off at work. How come he's teaching me to be lazy today?

Can't figure it out.

……

Chen Fan didn't care whether she understood or not; anyway, the ideological education class a few days ago had been quite effective.

Even though the autumn harvest was over, each team immediately held a meeting after returning to discuss and arrange the work to come.

Today's lotus root digging is one of the results of Team 6's discussion, and well, it can also be considered his educational achievement.

Otherwise, according to past practice, there will definitely be no action without a ten-day to half-month break.

However, the autumn harvest used to be tiring, only slightly better than the double cropping season. But this time, with the participation of agricultural machinery, everyone hardly had to exert any effort. The most tiring part was probably hauling the grain to the state.

In this way, it will not affect the harvesting of lotus roots.

Thinking of this, Chen Fan didn't stop them and let them sweat it out!
In light of this, Teacher Chen was very satisfied with the effect of the lecture, and it was worthwhile to maximize the teaching effect that day, as everyone remembered and understood it.

very good.

After going down the slope and around the educated youth settlement, and still some distance away, we could hear the noise coming from the pond.

After he rounded the metasequoia forest, he saw the crowd scattered in several ponds. Strong laborers were wading through the mud in the water, bending down to feel around. In just a few seconds, they could pull out lotus roots of varying lengths from underwater.

After digging out the lotus root, don't rush to push it ashore. Instead, grab the bundles of straw floating on the water and scrub the mud off the lotus root.

Of course, you don't need to wash it very clean. At least the nodes of the lotus root are not so easy to clean. You can only do a simple treatment, wash off the large pieces of mud on the lotus root, and then push it aside.

At the gathering point, a dozen or so long lotus roots floated on the water. Every so often, someone would use a bamboo pole to pull these lotus roots to the shore. At the same time, someone else would squat there and drag the lotus roots ashore.

Compared to the improved lotus root varieties of later generations, the current lotus roots are not particularly long. For example, some of the E'lian series grown in the capital area can reach a length of about 2.5 meters, while the varieties grown in the Jiangnan region can reach a length of 1.5 to 2 meters.

The lotus roots nowadays are indeed shorter and smaller.

The longest is no more than 1.5 meters, most are around 1 meter, and there are even mini lotus roots that are less than half a meter long. Each section is only the size of a child's fist, and seven or eight sections together are only a little over a foot long, which is quite touching.

If this were sold, it would definitely be used to make lotus root starch in a food factory.

Moreover, there are quite a few of these lotus roots.

As Chen Fan walked forward, he looked at the small lotus roots piled up alone in the distance and wondered if he should buy a new variety of lotus root. Otherwise, it would be very uneconomical to continue growing this kind of lotus root.

When Yang Chuanfu first went out, he was wearing a jacket, but now he was sweating profusely and had already thrown the jacket aside. However, when he saw Chen Fan, he couldn't help but say, "You really are a hot-blooded young man. Winter is coming next week, and you're still wearing short sleeves. Aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"

Chen Fan shook his shoulders. "Dress warmly in spring and lightly in autumn, it's nothing to worry about."

Then he looked at the pile of lotus roots and asked, "Do these lotus roots still need to be processed?"

Accountant Liu was watching the scales and making records, while warehouse keeper Huang was directing people to bundle the lotus roots, waiting to transport them back to the warehouse later.

Upon seeing Chen Fan approach, the two exchanged a glance, and Accountant Liu shouted loudly, "Take a break, we'll have someone else go into the water later."

Upon hearing this, everyone could almost clearly hear a long sigh of relief.

The lotus root diggers who were still in the water, except for those who were still digging for lotus roots underwater, all started to walk ashore.

Captain Yang wiped his hands, plopped down on the embankment, grabbed his jacket, pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, flicked out a few with one hand, and handed them to Chen Fan. "Of course we have to deal with them. The long ones have to be broken off, and they have to be graded by size. The supply and marketing cooperative won't accept the ones that are too small or not good-looking. We'll have to deal with them ourselves."

Seeing Chen Fan raise his pipe and wave to indicate he didn't want it, he put the pipe away, took one out and put it in his mouth, then waved to Chen Fan.

Chen Fan hadn't even lit his own lighter yet when he reached out and lit it for him before lighting his own as well.

After taking a couple of puffs of his cigarette, Chen Fan looked around and said softly, "These lotus roots are a bit of a poor variety. They're not big, and the ones that aren't crisp enough or powdery enough. Their biggest advantage is that they're very fragrant."

Yang Chuanfu chuckled a few times and said, "It's definitely fragrant. This is the kind of lotus root I grew when I was a child. I can't get used to eating other kinds of lotus root."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "A few years ago, the brigade headquarters tried to find a way to buy the improved new varieties that were mentioned in the newspapers and on the radio, but we couldn't. We even went to the county town, but we couldn't find them at the Gufeng County Seed Company. What could we do?"

Chen Fan frowned slightly and turned to look at him. "Didn't you go to the prefectural committee?"

Yang Chuanfu smiled and shook his head. "I asked around at the seed company in the county, and they said they didn't have any, so we didn't go. Apparently, only the agricultural college in the provincial capital has them, because those seeds were developed by Jiangnan Agricultural College. Oh, now they've changed back to their old name, Jiangnan Agricultural University."

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow and looked at him with a chuckle, "I remember, isn't that guy from Team 7 named Ye Ping?"

Yang Chuanfu glanced at him, squinted and thought for a moment, then suddenly slapped his thigh. "How could I forget? Ye Ping attended Jiangnan Agricultural University!"

He jumped up and said, "No, I need to call the brigade headquarters and tell them about this."

Chen Fan waved his hand at him, "There's no rush. Think about it carefully later, decide which improved varieties you need, and discuss it with the brigade headquarters. It would be best to call all the squad leaders together for a meeting, and then send a telegram to Ye Ping to ask him about the situation of the improved varieties."

Yang Chuanfu smiled sheepishly, "Yes, yes, we should really discuss it."

He then sat down.

Not far away, the people who had just gone into the water had taken off their water vests, while another group of people waited to the side, and after finishing their cigarettes, they put their water vests back on.

Without needing any instructions, they changed and slowly went into the water.

When the others saw them go into the water, they all stood up on their own initiative, ready for the next group of workers.

Chen Fan finished his pipe and was about to leave when he saw three rather large birds swoop down. In the blink of an eye, each bird had a fish in its beak and took to the air, flying to a tree not far away and swallowing the fish.

Many people who witnessed this scene couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Yang Chuanfu turned to Chen Fan and said, "These eagles you raised are amazing. They're only a few months old, but they're already bigger than ordinary birds. They catch fish with ease."

Chen Fan looked up at the three birds in the tree and chuckled, "Not bad."

These three birds were naturally the gyrfalcons he brought back from Changbai Mountain.

After more than two months of growth, the three chicks shed their downy feathers, grew new feathers, and were able to begin flying.

Chen Fan didn't know if naturally grown gyrfalcons had parents who taught them foraging and hunting skills, but he found a teacher for the three little birds—a fully mature Eurasian Hobby.

However, the Eurasian Hobbies don't know how to catch fish; Chen Fan taught them their fishing skills by having them learn from the egrets.

The gyrfalcon is naturally good at fishing. If it doesn't learn this skill, can it still be called a gyrfalcon?

After eating the fish they had caught, the three little birds fluttered their wings and flew down, vying to land on Chen Fan's shoulder.

In the end, one of them couldn't get a spot and had to land on a nearby branch, chirping incessantly.

Chen Fan could only stretch out his arm, "Okay, okay, come here."

The little guy immediately flapped his wings and landed happily, raising his head and chirping joyfully.

Chen Fan patted the heads of the three little birds, and after a while, he let out a soft whistle. The three birds immediately took flight and followed the circling falcon in the sky, flying towards Qingshan Commune on the opposite bank.

There are more wild animals there, which is perfect for them to hunt.

After they flew far away, Chen Fan said to Captain Yang, "I'm going to wander around somewhere else."

Yang Chuanfu quickly asked, "Are we going to the brigade?"

Chen Fan shook his head without hesitation, "Since there are visitors today, I won't join in the fun."

Yang Chuanfu grinned and said, "I don't think you've ever met anyone from the tour groups. Almost every tour group wants to meet you."

Chen Fan curled his lip. "What's the point of seeing me? People who really come to learn won't want to see me. They should go and see our side business, the farm, and the production records. That's what they should be learning."

Yang Chuanfu nodded, then smiled and said, "I think what they need most is a teacher like you."

Chen Fan chuckled, "You're willing to do that?"

Yang Chuanfu's face darkened. "I only said it looked like you, I didn't say anything about you."

He then pointed to a pile of lotus roots next to him, "Take a few sections home to make soup."

Chen Fan didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up a lotus root and chuckled, "Perfect, I'll try out the difference between homemade lotus root powder and instant lotus root powder."

After saying that, he picked up the lotus root and walked back.

(End of this chapter)