Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 728 Nine Rites
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Chen Fan welcomed his son-in-law. He stayed at the Jiang family home all day and didn't go anywhere else, which made Jiang Lili extremely happy.

When they got home that evening, Jiang Lili finally couldn't hold back any longer. Under the pretext of going to Lujiawan to pay New Year's respects to the elders who were taking care of Chen Fan, she dragged her sister along with her back to Lujiawan.

There were no taboos about where they went or didn't go on the first day of the month, so Jiang Heng and Shen Xueyi didn't stop them and let them leave.

Early on the third day of the Lunar New Year, Chen Fan took the two of them to pay a New Year's visit to Master Lu's house without delay.

He had been in Lujiawan for two years and had only seen Xiao Liewen once. Today, however, he was surprised to find all four leaders present.

Seeing Chen Fan's expression, Secretary Yang and the others knew what he was thinking.

Without him even asking, Secretary Yang took the initiative to say, "The past is the past, and the present is the present. Last year, the higher authorities issued a document requiring a reinvestigation of the relevant matters. There's no need to investigate Fourth Master's matter; it was caused by false accusations."

Moreover, he had donated all his family property before the founding of the People's Republic of China, so the subsequent issues were completely fabricated. Therefore, upon receiving the document, we immediately reported Fourth Master's situation. Sure enough, before the Spring Festival, the county's working group finally gave a written reply, confirming the restoration of Fourth Master's reputation.

As he spoke, he turned to look at Master Lu, "We came together today to serve as proof for the old man."

Master Lu smiled calmly, "What's past is past. I was fortunate to have your help before, so I didn't suffer much. From now on, let's look forward, everything will be alright."

Chen Fan, standing to the side, understood what was going on, but he hadn't expected that even a minor case like Master Lu's would require review and confirmation from the county.

Fortunately, with official proof, no one, whether in or outside the village, will bring up Lu Siye's background anymore, and the old man's innocence has finally been restored.

After seeing the four leaders off, Chen Fan turned and went inside, grinning at Master Lu, "Master Lu, now that the rain has stopped and the clouds have dispersed, what are your thoughts?"

Master Lu chuckled twice, ignoring him, and instead looked at the two people behind him, "You brought people here, aren't you going to give them a proper introduction?"

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly. He stepped aside to let the two sisters out and said, "You have such a bad memory. We had a reunion dinner together the day before yesterday, and you've already forgotten? This is Jiang Lili, my fiancée, and this is Jiang Tiantian, my sister-in-law. We've come here today to wish you a Happy New Year."

When he finished speaking, the two sisters looked at each other, stepped forward together, and bowed to Master Lu, saying, "We wish Master Lu a Happy New Year, good health, and a long life."

Master Lu nodded with a smile and extended his hands in a gesture of support, "Good, good, they are all good girls."

Then she turned and glared at Chen Fan, "Hurry up and let them sit down and serve them tea."

Chen Fan shook his head and clicked his tongue, "I've been paying respects to people for years, I'm practically a servant now."

He wouldn't have made such jokes before, but didn't Secretary Yang and the others come over in person to deliver the certificates? Besides, times have changed, and there were no outsiders around, so making such a small joke wouldn't be a big deal.

Master Lu ignored him and turned to go into his room.

Chen Fan knew they were going to pick up a gift, and he couldn't help but feel a little excited, wondering what good things Fourth Master would bring out this time.

As soon as Fourth Master entered the room, Jiang Lili immediately stepped forward, "Where is the cup? Let me get it."

Chen Fan waved his hand, "You two sit down, I'll serve you this time too."

Upon hearing this, the two blushed slightly and sat down hand in hand.

Chen Fan walked to the cabinet and took out two ceramic cups from it. ... He had given them to Master Lu himself more than a year ago when he became his apprentice. There were several sets of them. Anyway, Master Lu probably wouldn't need to buy these things anymore.

He rinsed the cup and put it on the table. Then, instead of looking for tea leaves, he picked up a bag of brown sugar that Secretary Yang and the others had brought earlier, turned around and called out, "Fourth Master, can I use your brown sugar?"

Master Lu's voice came from inside the room, "If you can't, then two maids will do."

Upon hearing this, the two sisters covered their mouths and chuckled.

Chen Fan ignored him, grabbed another cup, and poured three cups of water.

They then sat down next to Jiang Lili, each holding a cup of sugar water.

This would definitely be a good thing for others, but for Chen Fan, it was just something to amuse him.

A short while later, Master Lu came out of the room, carrying two rather large boxes in one hand.

The two sisters stood up at the same time, ready to help take it.

Master Lu didn't refuse and handed each of them a box.

He then walked over to the octagonal table with a smile, sat down, and waited for the two sisters to place the box on the table. He then waved his hand and gestured to the two of them, "Open it."

The two of them were stunned for a moment, then looked at Chen Fan at the same time.

Chen Fan leaned closer, smiled and nodded, then asked curiously, "What is it?"

Seeing Chen Fan nod, the two of them opened the box together.

The next second, everyone was stunned by what was inside the box.

It turned out to be two sets of gold wedding ornaments.

In the old days, wealthy families would prepare nine other items for their daughters' weddings, in addition to headdresses, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, longevity locks, and rings, as a blessing.

Embroidered shoes: The word for "shoe" sounds like the word for "harmony," symbolizing marital harmony; Ruler: A measuring tool, implying that husband and wife respect each other and avoid bias; Ruyi scale: Implies satisfaction and fulfillment; Abacus: Implies careful calculation and thrift; Mirror: Implies constant self-reflection and avoiding mistakes; Scissors: Implies a bright future and shared wealth; Grain measure: Implies a full granary and a prosperous life; Money box: Used for storing the daughter's dowry treasures.

Finally, there is a comb. As the saying goes, "One comb to the end, two combs to white hair and eyebrows, three combs to a house full of children and grandchildren." The comb has the meaning of "tying the knot" and is also the best gift.

Based on the "Nine Rites," Chow Tai Fook later created a set of gold jewelry, which became very popular in the wedding market.

However, compared to the two boxes that Master Lu brought out, they were too cliché.

Only then did Chen Fan realize that the two wooden boxes were made of the finest sandalwood and contained eight treasures. Among them were a pair of exquisitely embroidered shoes, the craftsmanship of which should have originated from Suzhou during the Republic of China period; and a white jade ruler, which, although only the length of a palm, was of the highest quality and exquisitely carved with the stars of the heavens, subtly reflecting the meaning of measuring the heavens.

In comparison, the gold-made Ruyi Scale, abacus, scissors, mirror, and measuring cup seem rather ordinary.

The last comb was made of ivory and was equally exquisite.

Either of these two sets of the Nine Gifts is quite valuable, let alone both sets.

The two sisters were also startled by the contents of the two boxes, and turned to look at Chen Fan, somewhat at a loss.

Jiang Tiantian, in particular, felt that it was very strange that Master Lu had given her such a gift.

Even if I were to give one away, I would only give one set to my sister, why would I give it to myself?

Chen Fan gave them a look, signaling them to calm down, then pulled up a chair and sat down, smiling at Master Lu, "Master Lu, this shouldn't have been prepared at the last minute, right?"

The implication is that you're not only sending these nine gifts, but also two sets at once. Where did you get these things from?

Master Lu understood his meaning immediately. He glanced at the two boxes, then turned back and chuckled softly, “In my generation, I have two younger sisters who are still minors. Back then, my family prepared dowries for them in advance. I remembered the Nine Gifts I had seen while traveling in Shanghai, so I asked someone to order two sets.” He shook his head slightly as he spoke, “However, ordering such things takes quite a while. By the time the items were finished and delivered, my family had already fled south to avoid trouble. We lost contact after that and never saw them again.”

Hearing this, Chen Fan was also stunned. He turned to look at the two sisters, speechless.

After a while, Master Lu smiled again, turned to look at the two sisters, and said with a smile, "These two things have been hidden for decades. Even if my two sisters were still alive, they probably wouldn't need them."

My life has been half peaceful and half wandering. I never expected that in my old age I would have such a wonderful disciple as Xiao Fan. So, all the things I hid away back then will eventually be left to him.

Now that you've come to visit, as your elder, I don't have anything nice to give you, so I'll just give you these two boxes as a token of my blessing.

Jiang Lili blinked, about to speak, when Jiang Tiantian quickly said, "Fourth Master, if you're going to give one, just give one. I don't need it, really, I don't need it."

After speaking, she looked at Chen Fan, hoping he could help explain.

Fourth Master waved his hand and laughed, "I only have two of these here, no more than one. Lili is Xiaofan's wife, and you are her own sister, so you're not an outsider. You'll get married eventually anyway, so since you call me Fourth Master along with Lili, then accept it."

Before Jiang Tiantian could speak, he continued, "Could it be that you don't like this because it was ordered for someone else?"

Jiang Tiantian blushed and quickly waved her hands, "No, no, I don't think so. It's just..."

Master Lu waved his hand to interrupt her, "If you don't like it, then keep it. Otherwise, it's a waste to leave it here with me."

After saying that, he turned to look at Chen Fan, then at the two sisters, "I can't possibly leave this set of nine gifts for Xiao Fan, can I? He won't use it!"

Chen Fan had no idea that Master Lu would prepare something like this. He had joked with Master Lu before, asking him to prepare more gifts, thinking it would be the same as before, at most some jewelry or watches. Now, this sudden turn of events made him a little embarrassed.

But as the old saying goes, as long as I'm not embarrassed, no one will make me embarrassed.

Chen Fan immediately coughed and smiled at Jiang Tiantian, "It's rare for Fourth Master to show such kindness, and today is the New Year. We came here to wish Fourth Master a Happy New Year, so it would be ungrateful of us not to accept this small token of our appreciation. Please take it."

Hearing him say that, Jiang Tiantian accepted the gift with a embarrassed expression, "Thank you, Fourth Master."

Since even she accepted it, Jiang Lili naturally didn't say anything more. Holding the small box, she bowed slightly and said, "Thank you, Fourth Master."

Master Lu threw his head back and laughed heartily, “Hey, that’s right. We’re family, so let’s not stand on ceremony. Otherwise, we’ll become distant.”

After saying that, he pointed at Chen Fan and said, "You should be like this kid, not acting like an outsider."

Upon hearing this, the two sisters exchanged a smile, feeling somewhat at ease.

Chen Fan didn't mind Master Lu teasing him, but he had some questions in his mind. After smiling, he asked Master Lu, "Master Lu, where did your family go back then? Did you never hear from them again?"

Master Lu pursed his lips, shook his head slightly, and said, "They originally planned to go south to Guangzhou and settle down there before seeing how the situation was. But they didn't expect that before Yunhu fell, Guangzhou would be the first to suffer. After that, they never heard from them again."

Hearing this, Chen Fan was speechless.

They've gone in the wrong direction.

However, when Guangzhou fell to the Japanese, many people fled to Hong Kong. I wonder if they will follow them.

With this in mind, Chen Fan had an idea.

When Zhou Zhengdong and the others come back, ask him to place a missing person notice in the newspaper when he goes to Hong Kong.

However, the hope is somewhat slim.

If the Lu family members were still alive, it's impossible that there wouldn't be any news about them after all these years.

It's important to know that in the early days of the People's Republic of China, the country was open for a period of time. Many people returned and went abroad during that time. Many overseas Chinese returned to China to find their relatives during this period. There's no reason why the Lu family wouldn't come back to look for them if they were still alive.

Based on this, Chen Fan didn't say anything to Master Lu.

Let's look for it first. If we happen to find out, then we can tell him. Otherwise, if we give him false hope in advance, it's better not to mention it at all.

After chatting with Master Lu for a while, he started to urge people to leave, saying, "I heard from people that quite a few people are going to wish you a Happy New Year today. You should go back quickly and not keep them waiting."

Chen Fan was taken aback. "Give me a New Year's greeting? Who is that? Are we going to all be crowding together?"

Master Lu hummed twice, "I don't know about that. But you're no ordinary person, and you have so many students in the village, especially the more than twenty who got into university. Which one of them would dare not come to wish you a Happy New Year? They can't be late."

"Hurry up, stop arguing, go back and check. Someone might be at home by now."

Before he could finish speaking, a myna bird flew to the doorway and landed, calling out to Chen Fan, "Guests are here! Guests are here!"

Chen Fan turned his head and glanced at the scene, then stood up, supporting himself on his thigh. "Well, there really is someone."

He smiled at the two sisters and said, "Then let's head back first."

The two stood up together and respectfully bid farewell to Master Lu. Then, they rode off together on the mare, while Chen Fan rode alone on his own pony, heading back home.

When Chen Fan arrived home in no time, he was surprised to find it quite lively.

The twelve squad leaders gathered in small groups, smoking and chatting.

With the host not home, Captain Yang took on the responsibility of entertaining them. The bamboo chairs that everyone is sitting on now are obviously brought over from the former educated youth settlement.

Yang Ju, Yang Mei, and four others were busy in the kitchen, showing no neglect to the guests who came to pay their respects for the New Year.

When Chen Fan returned on horseback with the two sisters, everyone stood up and bowed to him with their hands clasped, saying, "Happy New Year, Teacher Chen! We wish you a Happy New Year!"

Chen Fan quickly dismounted and responded to them one by one, shaking hands and offering cigarettes.

Jiang Lili ran over and pushed open the door before welcoming everyone into the house.

Well, the gate wasn't locked, but the owner wasn't home, so no one dared to go in.

After everyone else had gone inside, Captain Yang, who was at the back, leaned close to Chen Fan and said, "I just asked. Today it's the squad leader and his group who are coming. Tomorrow it's the students who got into university. The day after tomorrow it's the others. So don't go out these next few days."

Chen Fan's face darkened. "Then how long am I supposed to stay?"

Captain Yang chuckled, "It won't be long. You'll be free to move around on the seventh day of the new year."

Chen Fan: “…”

(End of this chapter)