Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 677 Creation of the Fist
Director Shen not only prepared a car for Chen Fan, but also loaded it with a lot of cigarettes, alcohol and gifts, saying they were for his mentors.

That saves me the trouble.

Chen Fan drove home first, instead of heading to Dashilan immediately.

Although Director Shen had prepared a gift, Chen Fan did not intend to give it back.

The value of a gift is not important; what matters is the sentiment behind it.

He had everything prepared, including a five-jin jar of homemade plum wine that had been aged for a whole year. Now that it was winter, it was the perfect time for the wine to be fragrant, refreshing, and crisp.

This kind of wine is not suitable for aging in cellars for too long; a year is just right. He brought several jars to the provincial capital, and this time he came here and picked up another jar.

Besides this jar of wine, there's also the tobacco he picked in Lujiawan and made by hand.

Unlike cigarettes, which are mostly made from flue-cured tobacco or blended tobacco from abroad, leaf tobacco is sun-dried tobacco, made by harvesting tobacco leaves and then drying them.

The tobacco leaves are dried in the sun during the day and wrapped in cloths to ferment at night. This process is repeated several times. Then, they are crushed with a millstone to make them soft and loose. After a few relatively simple steps, the tobacco leaves are rolled up to make leaf tobacco.

(Leaf tobacco, it was still sold in the 90s, I forgot if it was 50 cents or 1 dollar a pack)
Because the shape of the tobacco leaves is very similar to that of a cigar, it is also known as a "local cigar".

However, the way it's smoked is the same as regular cigarettes, a large, continuous cycle. This kind of smoke is very strong; even a seasoned smoker of several decades might get drunk after just a few puffs.

Actually, the tobacco used for smoking dry tobacco should be made from this kind of leaf tobacco to be authentic. You can take a few puffs from a bowl of tobacco and enjoy the smoke without getting drunk.

Chen Fan was smoking the cigarettes and tobacco he had bought, just for fun; he wasn't one of the same kind of people as Secretary Yang and Captain Xiao.

However, Secretary Yang and the others really liked the leaf tobacco that Chen Fan made himself, which not only retained the mellow flavor of leaf tobacco but also had a rather complex medicinal aroma.

This is because Chen Fan added several herbs to the tobacco leaves, including tea leaves, honeysuckle, chrysanthemum, mulberry leaves, lotus leaves, perilla, and monk fruit, which have the effect of clearing the throat and benefiting the lungs. While improving the taste, they can also neutralize some of the damage of the tobacco leaves, making it a top-quality tobacco.

However, he doesn't smoke himself; he mainly uses it to build relationships with older comrades, so naturally he won't forget his master's share.

When the car arrived at the front door, there was no need to drive it inside. It was parked under the courtyard wall. Then, the driver got out of the car, took out the key, opened the door, and went in through the small door in the corner.

As he closed the door, Chen Fan sensed several people watching him from a distance, but he didn't pay them any mind. He didn't sense any malice and assumed they were just passersby watching the spectacle, so he closed the door from the inside.

A short while later, they came out carrying a jar of wine, followed by Liu Juan and Ma Lan.

Their hands weren't empty either; one was holding a large wooden box, and the other was carrying a vegetable basket, both filled with prepared ingredients.

Even Xiao Hei and the two monkeys weren't left behind; Chen Fan opened the car door, and they climbed inside.

After Liu Juan and Ma Lan locked the door and got into the car, Chen Fan closed the door behind them and prepared to get in and leave.

But just then, he stopped pulling the door open and turned to look at the people walking towards him.

There were eight people in total, all wearing thick cotton-padded coats and hats with ear flaps. However, all of their clothes were worn out and patched.

Chen Fan glanced at them, initially finding them vaguely familiar. He squinted and thought for a moment, then looked at the others behind him and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Apart from the first two, the other six people were the same ones who were arrested by Banjin and Balang in August.

So this is retaliation?
At this moment, Liu Juan opened the car door again, looked around curiously, and then turned to look at those people. Although she didn't recognize who they were, she could tell that they were up to no good. Without hesitation, she got out of the car and pulled out a Type 56 triangular bayonet.

Yes, it's the one used in a certain movie, it's really powerful.

Chen Fan's eyelids twitched as he watched. Goodness, he hadn't realized this little girl was so domineering.

That wasn't all. The next second, Ma Lan also got out of the car, gripping her military dagger, and coldly watched the group of people walk over, without the slightest hint of unease on her face.

As the group approached, the expressions of the two men in front clearly changed.

There were three people standing in front. One was the leader of the group that robbed them in August, and the other two were unfamiliar faces, probably their accomplices. It was these two men who looked a little off.

It wasn't that he was afraid, but seeing the military daggers in the two girls' hands made him hesitate.

Chen Fan patted Liu Juan and Ma Lan on the shoulder, and when they turned around, he waved to them, "Get in the car and wait."

Liu Juan, "Brother Chen..."

Chen Fan waved his hand again, "Be good."

Liu Juan and Ma Lan exchanged a glance, then glared fiercely at the group before turning and getting into the car.

Chen Fan walked towards the group of people, casually took out his work ID from his pocket, held it out to them, paused for two seconds to let them see it clearly, and then took it back and put it away.

Upon seeing the certificate, the expressions of the three people in front of them changed.

The people behind them, though they saw it clearly, didn't take it seriously.

Instead, someone muttered, "So what if he's a great writer?"

Chen Fan smiled, ignoring the man, and instead smiled at the two unfamiliar faces, saying, "Returned from military service?"

The two hesitated for a moment, then nodded simultaneously.

That's true; only those returning from the military would hesitate upon seeing a bayonet.

One of them said, "A few months ago, your cat scratched them and you refused to pay compensation. There should be a reason for everything. Even if you are a famous writer, you can't bully ordinary people."

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow and looked at the person next to him, "Didn't you explain to them clearly why you were scratched?"

The man's face flushed red, and he gritted his teeth without uttering a sound.

He had already inquired and found out that the people who had let the cats hurt people lived in this big house. Two of them were just staying there temporarily to help look after the house, while the owner of the house was an out-of-towner who didn't usually live there.

He couldn't bring himself to do something like dealing with two women who were staying here, but he was determined to get revenge. He could only wait for the landlord to return before taking action.

Anyway, they usually just hang around this area, so it doesn't bother them much.

Just last night, when they came back here again, they noticed that the light was on in one of the rooms in the main building.

Before dawn today, someone was sent over to keep watch again. Once it was confirmed that it was that person returning, the group was quickly gathered, and two brothers who lived in the same courtyard were also called in.

These two men, Wang Daqing and Ma Weidong, had just returned from military service. Each of them could take on four or five of them, which was the source of his confidence to retaliate.

Without the two of them, he would have had to find another way; after all, he couldn't let this grudge go unavenged.

There's one thing, I don't know if it's because they spent two years in the army, but they've changed their personalities. Before, they always put loyalty first and helped their relatives regardless of the reason, but now they have to distinguish right from wrong and have started to talk about reason.

Given this, how could he possibly explain the reason?
Before he arrived, his plan was to beat anyone he saw, then run away without giving them a chance to speak.

But that person actually drove back. The neighborhood office doesn't even have many cars, how could an out-of-towner like him have a car? He must work for some big organization, right?

As a result, I hesitated and didn't act immediately.

This kind of person is timid and hesitant.

At this moment, Wang Daqing and Ma Weidong saw their old brother stammering and knew that something was amiss.

Wang Daqing immediately asked, "Han Yuejin, what exactly happened?"

Han Yuejin gritted his teeth, about to speak.

At this moment, Chen Fan waved his hand and said with a smile, "We'll talk about your business later. Let's talk about mine first."

He said to Han Yuejin, "Judging from your demeanor today, you're not here to apologize, are you?"

Han Yuejin stared, about to speak, but was interrupted again.

Chen Fan waved his hand and said, "Well then, considering that you haven't harassed those two women these past few months, I'll give you a chance."

After saying that, he looked around, strolled to the roadside, kicked his foot, and a fist-sized stone landed in his hand.

He walked back and handed it to Han Yuejin, saying, "Take this."

Han Yuejin looked at the stone, then at him, feeling somewhat bewildered.

What do you mean? Does it mean I should throw a rock at him and then wipe the slate clean?

Seeing that he didn't move, Chen Fan didn't care. He tossed the stone lightly, and when it fell, he suddenly slashed it with his palm, using it as a knife to shatter it.

He then clapped his hands, looked at the stunned group of people, and chuckled softly, “If any of you have the ability, you are welcome to challenge me to a duel anytime. But if anyone dares to use underhanded tricks or dares to rob me on the road again, unless I don’t know about it, I will definitely make sure that the whole country knows about it.”

After saying that, he ignored them, turned around, got into the car, and left.

Watching the van slowly drive away, it took Wang Daqing a while before he squatted down, picked up a piece of gravel, squeezed it hard, and then looked up at Ma Weidong. "It's true."

Ma Weidong also bent down and picked up a piece, his face a little pale. "If it were placed on a table, or held in his hand, the instructor might be able to break it. But to break it in mid-air, not only does it require strong skills, but also extremely fast speed. I'm afraid even ten instructors tied together wouldn't be enough for him to beat."

Even the instructors couldn't do it, let alone the two of them.

Han Yuejin, standing nearby, swallowed hard, his face turning pale. "Isn't he a writer?"

Are all writers this amazing these days?
Wang Daqing stood up and glared at him. "If he weren't a writer, he would have slapped you to death long ago."

He paused for a moment, then suddenly pointed at everyone, "I'll beat you all to death. Tell me, what exactly happened?"

Ma Weidong's face also darkened. "Robbery?"

Everyone else turned to look at Han Yuejin, who was on the verge of tears. He dared not hide anything any longer, stammering, "It's...it's like this..."

……

Chen Fan had no idea that after he left, a story of two people fighting six people unfolded, and he wasn't interested in it.

Liu Juan and Ma Lan, however, couldn't help but chatter amongst themselves after witnessing what had just happened.

"Brother Chen, you're amazing! How did you train?"

"Brother Chen, what's the name of that palm strike you used? What's its origin? Which school of martial arts does it belong to?"

"Brother Chen, I've never seen you practice martial arts before. How do you usually practice?"

Chen Fan gripped the steering wheel and said without turning his head, "And you're talking about me? You two were pretty impressive just now, pulling out your military knives without saying a word. What, have you been trained?"

Liu Juan chuckled dryly, "We all learned from my dad. We didn't learn much, just a set of boxing techniques from the army and some bayonet fighting methods."

Ma Lan nodded, "And I haven't been learning for very long. I only started learning in September after that incident, which is less than four months."

Chen Fan said, "It's a good thing for girls to learn some self-defense skills, so they won't be left without the ability to fight back when they encounter danger."

At that moment, he was thinking about when my country's first set of military boxing was compiled.
Anyway, it doesn't exist yet. Or perhaps it has already been created, but hasn't been widely disseminated yet.

Okay, I'll mention it to Master Zhang and the others later.

……

The group chatted for a while, and soon they arrived at a hutong in Dashilan.

Chen Fan parked his car next to the courtyard wall, and just like last time, it quickly attracted some people who weren't at work to watch.

However, he moved quickly, carrying the two monkeys as he turned into the yard.

Liu Juan and Ma Lan followed behind carrying gifts, with Xiao Hei wagging its tail at the very back.

In the living room, Zhang Xuansong and two others were playing chess.

As for how the three people played chess, roughly speaking, two people were playing against each other, and the third person was supervising from the sidelines. Whoever was at a disadvantage would be helped by the supervising person. Then the loser would be removed from the board, and the supervising person would take over, and so on.

Li Shangde had just helped Zhang Xuansong eat Lin Yuanxiang's horse and was about to stand up with his hands on his hips when he saw his little apprentice rush in carrying a furry thing in each hand.

He couldn't help but blink. "Xiao Fan used to give us wolf skins, tiger skins, tiger bones, and bear paws. What did he bring today?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuanxiang and Zhang Xuansong both looked up and gazed out the window.

Then the thick curtain that blocked out the cold was lifted, and Chen Fan squeezed in sideways, grinning as he said, "Master, Second Master, Third Master, I've come to see you all."

Lin Yuanxiang was the fastest, appearing in front of him in a flash, staring intently at the two little monkeys, "These monkeys, such ugly monkeys, where did they come from?"

The two little golden monkeys clung tightly to Chen Fan's arm, looking innocently at Lin Yuanxiang, as if to say, "Where are you ugly?"

Li Shangde stared at the two little monkeys for a moment, then grinned and said, "They're a bit ugly, but they're quite interesting."

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhang Xuansong scrambled the chess pieces, then casually approached and patted the little monkey's head, saying, "Hey, it's quite well-behaved."

Chen Fan laughed and said, "Golden monkeys are like that. Because they are very timid, they have a very gentle temperament and are very suitable to be kept as pets at home."

Zhang Xuansong clicked his tongue, looked up at Chen Fan, and asked, "So, these are the gifts you brought for your masters?"

Chen Fan quickly hugged the two little monkeys to his arms and said seriously, "These are mine. You're both old, why are you raising monkeys?"

Just then, Liu Juan and Ma Lan came in, and Chen Fan immediately said, "See these? The secret-recipe plum blossom wine and herbal tobacco are all carefully made by me. These are the gifts I brought for you."

Zhang Xuansong remained unmoved. "You child, why are you so stingy? It's just two monkeys. You can catch them yourself later."

After saying that, she snatched one from his hand.

The poor little monkey huddled in Old Zhang's hand, desperately turning its head to look at its young master, its eyes full of innocence.

The one still nestled in Chen Fan's arms could only look back with innocent eyes, indicating that it was helpless.

Then, in the next second, he was snatched away by Li Shangde.

Chen Fan looked at the little monkey who had been carried to sit on the daybed, sighed, and could only give the monkey a comforting look, indicating that he was powerless to help.

Now, I just hope that the two masters' enthusiasm is only temporary and that they don't actually detain the monkeys. They really like these two poor little ones.

Little Black sat by the door, wagging its tail to please, but no one paid it any attention.

After putting down the gifts and the basket full of groceries, Liu Juan and Ma Lan asked Chen Fan for leave so they could go home to visit their families.

Chen Fan readily granted their leave without hesitation. He even went out with them, took four bottles of liquor and four cartons of cigarettes from the car, and two boxes of pastries, which he divided equally between the two women. "I didn't prepare any gifts for your families, so take these back as a token of my appreciation."

Liu Juan and Ma Lan were about to decline, but Chen Fan put the things on the ground, closed the car door, and turned to leave.

The two exchanged a glance, both breaking into smiles, before picking up their things and leaving.

When Chen Fan returned inside, the three masters were still teasing the monkeys. The two little monkeys were very cooperative, obediently staying still and letting them pat their heads and tug their tails.

It would be even better if you didn't have so much resentment in your eyes.

Seeing that no one was pouring him water, Chen Fan had to take care of himself. He poured himself a cup of tea, held it in his hands, and chuckled as he watched from the side.

After a while, seeing that their initial excitement had worn off, he smiled and said, "Second Master, I heard that you used to be an instructor in the army?"

Lin Yuanxiang snapped out of his daze and turned to look at him. "Yes, I led a special forces team, specifically responsible for security work."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "Why are you asking this?"

Chen Fan smiled and said, "I was chatting with Liu Juan and the others just now, and they told me that they've been learning some boxing from their father these past few months. I was wondering if there's a standardized military boxing system in the army right now?"

Hearing this, Zhang Xuansong stopped teasing the monkey and looked up to say, "Two years ago, in 76, the Military Sports Institute compiled two sets of military boxing, but they were still in the verification stage and had not been fully promoted."

"Oh, I see."

Chen Fan nodded in realization, paused for two seconds, and then smiled and said, "I also compiled a set of fighting techniques some time ago. I wonder how it differs from the one compiled by the Military Sports Academy."

Upon hearing this, even Li Shangde forgot about playing with the monkey. The two of them gently placed the monkey aside and, together with Lin Yuanxiang, stared at Chen Fan.

Confirming he wasn't joking, the three of them got up and walked outside, leaving only Lin Yuanxiang's voice behind, "Come out and have a match."

In the small courtyard, the three of them stood under the eaves. Chen Fan closed the courtyard gate first, and then stood in the middle of the courtyard.

Lin Yuanxiang said seriously, "I know you are talented, but the military boxing style is different from what you learned. It must be effective and efficient. It doesn't focus on training internal energy or strength, but on defeating the enemy."

Furthermore, the entry barrier needs to be low, so that ordinary recruits can easily learn and master it. I have no doubt about your abilities and talent, and I also have no doubt that you can create innovative techniques. Now we just need to see if they are suitable for military and police use.

Chen Fan stood solemnly, his expression very serious. "My set of boxing techniques is called the Black Dragon Eighteen Hands. Please give me your guidance, masters!"

(End of this chapter)