Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 736 Running Away
"No, no, it's absolutely not that exaggerated. Old Zhang is just talking nonsense."

Chen Fan sat on the hospital bed, eating and drinking ravenously. He hadn't eaten for seven days, and when he woke up he was starving. The hospital wouldn't let him leave, saying they had to wait for the leaders' approval, otherwise they would all be punished.

There was no other way but to ask the hospital cafeteria to cook a few big dishes and send them over, but it still wasn't enough. In the end, Zhang Wenliang went to a state-run restaurant outside and bought ten dishes and a big bucket of rice, which he brought back to set out for him.

Jiang Tiantian and Jiang Lili had been on tenterhooks these past few days and had lost a lot of weight. Seeing Xiao Fan so energetic, they also had a good appetite and ate with him.

Seeing that Chen Fan was safe and sound and could eat and drink heartily after waking up, Zhang Wenliang finally breathed a sigh of relief and began to tell the two sisters about Chen Fan's "heroic deeds".

That guy's boasting was so outrageous that even Chen Fan couldn't stand it anymore. He quickly and firmly denied it, and then explained to the two sisters, "It's not what he said."

Although many lone heroes emerged during the Northern War, it was a positional war, and the two sides were locked in a stalemate for several years. During such a long period, it was entirely possible to use small-team special operations or even individual deep-penetration operations to achieve the effect of surprise attacks and even influence the local battle situation.

This time is different. First of all, the time is short, less than a month. What can one person do in a month? Not even enough time to travel.

Secondly, the combat methods are different. This time, the forces are concentrated, and mechanized infantry are used in conjunction to strike directly at the heart of the enemy. This tactic emphasizes teamwork, with artillery leading the way, tanks advancing, and infantry coordinating to achieve victory in one fell swoop.

At this point, an individual's role is reduced to a minimum; at most, they might do some mending or odd jobs, but they really can't play a significant role.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhang Wenliang retorted, unconvinced, "I didn't say how much of a role you played or how much you contributed to the operation. I'm saying that what you did on the battlefield did indeed save many people and earn many merits, and that's not wrong, is it?"

Seeing that the two sisters had finished eating and were watching Zhang Wenliang tell stories, Chen Fan poured all the remaining dishes into a large soup bowl, along with the remaining half-bucket of rice. He stirred it and then began to eat, holding the bowl in his hands.

Zhang Wenliang ignored him and spoke vividly to the two sisters, "On the surface, only 225,000 people were mobilized this time, but in fact, it was far more than that. Yunnan mobilized 220,000 militiamen, and Guangxi also concentrated 215,000 people."

They were responsible not only for traditional transportation support, but also for a variety of combat missions…

As he spoke, he counted on his fingers, “Organizing defenses, observing enemy movements, acting as guides, conducting propaganda against the enemy, guarding prisoners, rescuing the wounded, clearing mines and obstacles, and even directly participating in defense to protect important materials and locations.”

Then he turned and pointed at Chen Fan, "He's similar to a militia member, except that while others stay in the rear, he goes directly to the front lines, following the main force. He's rescued countless wounded soldiers. My guerrilla team has done this several times..."

At this point, he saw Chen Fan glare at him, instantly realizing what he was doing. He suddenly slapped his mouth lightly, abruptly changing the subject, "I can't say that. Anyway, Old Chen is incredibly skilled; he's like a monkey in the forest..."

Chen Fan wiped his mouth and said irritably, "If you can't speak properly, then don't speak at all. You're the monkey."

He then took the handkerchief from Jiang Tiantian, wiped his mouth, and continued eating.

Zhang Wenliang chuckled dryly twice, ignoring the scene before him, and turned to look at Jiang Lili, who was listening intently, and said, "Anyway, many people from top to bottom know that in terms of reconnaissance, clearing, and rescue, he can do the work of a militia company by himself, oh, and a rescue team too."

I won't go into details about reconnaissance and targeted elimination; those are things only the higher-ups would know. However, I've heard that he's saved at least a thousand people, maybe even more. Many almost didn't make it back; thankfully, they met him and received timely treatment and were transferred to the rear.

Chen Fan chimed in from the side, "There aren't that many, no, no."

He muttered to himself that he could probably only treat a battalion at most.

He then sighed inwardly, realizing that he was still outnumbered and his efforts had limited effect.

According to later records, during this brief operation, the frontline team alone suffered 29911 casualties. Apart from those who died on the spot, there were also those who were not within his range of operations. Even though he prepared several large bags of emergency supplies in advance and often worked tirelessly for days and nights, he could only save so many people.

After all, besides rescuing people, he sometimes carries out highly difficult reconnaissance, targeted elimination, and rescue missions, and is not always rescuing the wounded.

However, he rescued people in places that were beyond the reach of medical teams, so the number of casualties should be several hundred fewer than in history.

That being said, although he saved a lot of people, he was also very capable and could move freely on the front lines, so it wasn't really dangerous for him.

It was the medical teams who were truly admirable.

Many of them were women, carrying medical kits and following closely behind the team, rushing to wherever there was fighting.

Chen Fan made a decision: this time, he wouldn't steal Li Cunbao's idea; he would leave the wreath at the foot of the mountain to him.

He wrote about the stories of these medics from the perspective of a medic.

……

The meal lasted nearly an hour. Zhang Wenliang had had his fill of talking, then he put the bowls and chopsticks into the rice bucket and returned it to the restaurant.

Luckily, he is now a legitimate soldier. After showing his identification and explaining that he was buying food for his comrades, he was able to borrow the items without any trouble. Otherwise, the restaurant might not have allowed him to take them, and he would have had to buy a lunchbox outside to pack them up himself.

After Zhang Wenliang left and the door closed, Jiang Lili grabbed Chen Fan's hand, her eyes reddening. "Didn't you say you were going out to gather material? How did you end up on the front lines?"

Chen Fan chuckled dryly twice, then turned to look at Jiang Tiantian. Well, although she was trying her best to restrain herself and kept her head down, it was still possible to see the expression on her face, which was exactly the same as Lili's. She was obviously terrified.

He had overheard the two sisters' conversation, and now he had no more questions, but he didn't know what to do about it.

If he were an ordinary person, it wouldn't be so bad, but it's not uncommon for men to have one wife at home and another mistress outside.

Especially in some impoverished areas, if a family loses its man and has no other support, it is difficult for the woman and children to survive on their own. Therefore, many widows will find a man to be their partner. If they can get married, that would be best. If they cannot get married, they will still be bound to a certain man. Even if the people in the village know, they will not say much.

On the other hand, Guangdong, which was the first to come into contact with the outside world after opening its doors to the world, also quickly experienced this situation.

You have to understand that Hong Kong only abolished the Qing Dynasty law a few years ago. It used to be legal to have concubines. If that trend spread, even if good people don't follow it, wouldn't bad people follow it?
In short, while this is not common, it is certainly not uncommon.

However, just because others can do it doesn't mean Chen Fan can.

The only difference between him and a celebrity is that everyone knows what a movie star looks like, but not him. Wherever he goes, he is almost always the center of attention, so what can he do?
However, there is still room for maneuver.

The biggest advantage now is that they are sisters, so even if they live under the same roof, no one will suspect anything.

However, they haven't told her yet, and Sweetie didn't express her opinion earlier, so she can't bring it up. Therefore, she can't do anything at this time.

Besides, he didn't want Jiang Tiantian to suffer any injustice.

Chen Fan shook his head, feeling a bit of a headache.

Forget it, let nature take its course.

At this point, Chen Fan suddenly realized that he didn't feel any opposition to this matter at all. So, am I a pervert?
But he has no greed for anyone else either.

There wasn't a single thing from Lujiawan, the health department, or anywhere else.

So what exactly does it count as?
Thoughts are long, but time is short.

He temporarily put aside his chaotic thoughts, took a deep breath, looked at Jiang Lili who was silently shedding tears, and wiped her face with a handkerchief. Knowing that he couldn't continue this topic with her at this moment, he forced a pretext to argue, "I went to gather inspiration. You don't know, I've gained a lot this time. I already have ideas for several works."

Then he suddenly turned to look at Jiang Tiantian and asked, "Have you written any works during this time?"

Jiang Tiantian quickly wiped her face, then looked up in surprise, "I... I just wrote a poem."

As soon as she said it, she suddenly realized that it wasn't convenient for him to see the poem, and her pretty face immediately turned red.

At the same time, a question arose in my mind: Why did this suddenly involve me?

Chen Fan was slightly taken aback. "You wrote a poem? What kind of poem is it?"

Jiang Tiantian quickly shook her head, "I left it at school, I don't remember now, I'll talk about it when I get back."

Then he quickly glared at his younger sister, preventing her from speaking.

She just used this poem to express her feelings, leaving me speechless. I absolutely cannot let her say it now. But isn't she a science student? How can she interpret obscure poetry?
Seeing her sister's gaze, Jiang Lili pursed her lips slightly but ultimately remained silent.

Anyway, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future, so this one won't make a difference.

Seeing the exchange between the two women, Chen Fan knew there was definitely something wrong with the poem, but since neither of them said anything, he didn't press them. So he steered the conversation back on track, saying, "It's like this, during this field trip, I compiled outlines for over a dozen stories..."

Upon hearing this, the two sisters exclaimed in unison, "More than a dozen?"

The two stared at him in disbelief.

Especially Jiang Tiantian, after her painstaking creative experience, she understands best the difficulty of literary creation, including choosing a topic, establishing a theme, and conceiving a story outline...

The plot of a story cannot be made up; it must conform to reality, yet transcend it, and be able to express a spirit or a historical state.

The fact that many veteran writers take several years to complete a single novel demonstrates the difficulty of literary creation.

What is Chen Fan saying now?
A dozen or so story outlines?
What is this for? Is it a wholesale store from the Republican era?
Faced with the two sisters' surprise, Chen Fan smiled calmly and said, "If you go there, you will understand what happened there and how many touching stories emerged."

He turned to look out the window, sighed almost imperceptibly, and lowered his voice. "I once met a female comrade who was a war correspondent. She carried a grenade on her waist, not for the enemy, but for herself. But in order to report the latest battle situation back, she followed the front-line troops without hesitation and never fell behind."

There were also medical teams who bravely advanced amidst the flames of war, never retreating an inch. When the artillery fire came, they used their bodies to protect the wounded.

Many of them are female nurses. In their eyes, there is no distinction between genders; they only care about saving lives.

There are also militia members…

He turned to look at Jiang Tiantian, his expression growing increasingly serious. "You all heard what Zhang Wenliang just said. Although those militiamen didn't penetrate deep into enemy territory, their performance was no worse than the frontline troops, and their fighting spirit was just as strong..."

As they listened quietly to Chen Fan's story, the two sisters' expressions grew increasingly serious, and tears welled up in their eyes from time to time.

After briefly introducing the situation, Chen Fan looked at Jiang Tiantian and said, "There are many stories of heroes. I have compiled some information, but I definitely can't finish writing them all by myself. I would like to ask you to participate and create one or two novels. Are you confident?"

Jiang Tiantian hesitated for two seconds, silently thinking about Chen Fan's words.

The claim that it's impossible to finish writing is definitely a lie.

Before he came out, he would lock himself in his room and write tens of thousands of words a day. How many novels could he not finish writing?
This is clearly an opportunity for him to share the information he has collected, and most importantly, his personal insights.

It's similar to feeding someone; he's famous throughout the country. No, if his creation of "Legend of the Dragon Knight" were exposed, he would be a world-renowned writer.

With such a writer personally guiding you, as long as you're not too bad, becoming famous is almost a certainty.

But what's the difference between this approach and simply copying?
Just as Jiang Tiantian was wavering, Jiang Lili took her hand and said softly, "Sister, what's there to worry about? Xiao Fan has already said he has more than a dozen story outlines. Are you worried about taking away his opportunity? If you help him write one or two stories, it will save him trouble, you can get some experience, and most importantly, it will allow the heroes' stories to be known to the whole society as soon as possible. It's a win-win situation, isn't it?"

Hearing this, Jiang Tiantian finally stopped hesitating and nodded to Chen Fan, "I'm willing."

Chen Fan blinked rapidly. Wasn't that a double entendre?

Jiang Tiantian looked at his expression, initially puzzled. After a couple of seconds, she suddenly realized her words were grammatically incorrect, and her face flushed red. She quickly said, "I meant I'm willing to write the story you've compiled, but I'm worried I won't write it well..."

Chen Fan interrupted her, laughing, "It's alright, I'll teach you."

When their eyes met, Jiang Tiantian immediately lowered her head and remained silent.

Jiang Lili glanced at her, then at Xiao Fan who seemed completely unaffected, and couldn't help but feel uneasy.

I wonder what Xiao Fan is thinking, and whether that matter can actually be accomplished.

None of the three spoke, and the room fell silent for a moment.

After a while, there was a knock on the door.

Chen Fan turned around and called out, "Please come in."

As the sound faded, the door was pushed open, and an old doctor walked in, followed by a large group of people.

Upon seeing this, Chen Fan couldn't help but break out in a sweat.

No, we have to get out of here right now. I'll call Master Zhang later and ask him to tell his men to let us through. Otherwise, who knows how long these shrewd doctors will keep investigating.

(End of this chapter)