Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 762 Food and accommodation included
Upon hearing the sound, Wang Jianguo, Cai Guoqiang, Li Nan, and others turned their heads almost simultaneously.

The next second, they all stood up, their eyes filled with surprise, and exclaimed at the same time, "Dr. Chen!"

The person who arrived was Chen Fan.

Liao Guangzhi, who was leading the way, stopped and turned around upon hearing the commotion. He looked at the group, then at Chen Fan, and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Writer Chen, did you run into someone you know?"

Chen Fan laughed and pointed at Wang Jianguo and the others, saying, "They are no ordinary people. They have all fought in the Southwest. When I met them, their two companies were fighting a regiment head-on against the enemy and were not at a disadvantage at all. They made a great contribution to the victory that day. You could say they are all heroes."

Hearing Chen Fan's praise, Wang Jianguo and the others immediately felt embarrassed. Wang Jianguo quickly said, "Dr. Chen, you flatter us. If you hadn't suddenly appeared that day, we would not only have failed to complete the interception mission, but we might have even lost our lives. How could we dare to call ourselves heroes?"

Chen Fan clicked his tongue twice. "It's the truth, what's wrong with saying it? Excessive modesty is just hypocrisy."

To be honest, although we broke through the enemy's defenses in just half a month, we were still a bit hesitant on our side.

According to documents that were later disclosed, the order from the higher command was to teach the opponent a profound lesson, but not to fight too hard. If the opponent suffered heavy losses, it was hard to guarantee that the self-proclaimed number one Su would not personally intervene.

That's not the result the higher-ups wanted.

We have just made up our minds to reform and open up, and to focus on economic development and people's livelihood. How can we get involved in a battle with the Soviet Union?
Therefore, the strategic task this time is to strike hard to avoid being struck a hundred times, in order to gain international peace and strategic space for reform and opening up. In this regard, the scale of the operation is very important.

It is precisely under such requirements that the command headquarters below becomes somewhat hesitant, occasionally causing some unnecessary casualties.

It was under these circumstances that the regiments to which Wang Jianguo and Cai Guoqiang belonged were ordered to send out two elite companies to intercept an enemy regiment.

It's not that we don't have more people, but we're afraid that if we send out too many, we might cripple the enemy. Whether the enemy retreats in fear or launches a heavy attack, it won't be the outcome we want.

The two elite companies can both block the enemy and protect themselves.

The command had a well-thought-out plan, and everything seemed fine. However, the battlefield situation could change in an instant. They hadn't expected that the force they encountered was indeed a regiment, but it was a reinforced regiment with incredibly fierce artillery fire.

If Chen Fan hadn't noticed something was wrong through the birds and rushed over in time, penetrating deep behind enemy lines and asking several large birds to help drop bombs and launch an air raid, blowing up their ammunition depot and destroying their artillery positions, Wang Jianguo's two companies would probably have been completely wiped out.

Fortunately, the final result basically achieved the superior's predetermined goals.

On the one hand, we destroyed almost all the factories in the northern mountainous areas of North Vietnam that had been built with our assistance and the Soviet Union during the Vietnam War, thus bringing their industry back to its original state.

On the other hand, instead of disrupting the enemy's organization, they used blitzkrieg-like tactics to penetrate deep into enemy territory and then quickly withdraw, avoiding a protracted war while giving the enemy a profound lesson.

This is why the opponent preserved most of their strength, and Lao Su did not personally participate in the battle. Meanwhile, the opponent had the confidence to launch another attack, which led to the subsequent rounds of battles.

As for us, as long as we keep the scale small, we can lull some people into a false sense of security. Well, this includes not only the Soviet Union but also the United States. At the same time, we can also achieve the purpose of training our troops, so we are happy to play along.

Chen Fan snapped out of his daze, looked at the ten people standing in a row, and realized that apart from one unfamiliar face, the others were people he had met on the battlefield. After a pause, he smiled and said, "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Why don't you eat together?"

Cai Guoqiang immediately laughed and said, "I couldn't be happier! Dr. Chen is coming to Shenzhen in person, so there's no doubt about it. I have to treat him to this meal."

As soon as he finished speaking, he lightly slapped his mouth and chuckled, "Sorry, sorry, I misspoke. Dr. Chen is in Shenzhen, so I have to treat him to meals every day!"

Then he quickly called the waiter to bring him a chair.

Chen Fan said to the waiter, "Just bring me a chair."

Then, looking at the anxious Liao Guangzhi, he smiled and said, "There's not enough room for all of them here. Could you please take them to a private room?"

Before she could finish speaking, Zhou Yali pointed to the table next to her and said, "Isn't this table empty? Let's sit here."

Chen Fan thought it made sense, so he waved his hand and said, "That's settled then."

Subsequently, under Cai Guoqiang's arrangement, Chen Fan sat between him and Wang Jianguo, which was considered the host's seat.

Liao Guangzhi then accompanied Zhou Yali, Jiang Tiantian, and Jiang Lili, sitting down at a nearby table.

Looking at Chen Fan, who was being fawned over, Liao Guangzhi couldn't help but feel uneasy. No wonder he had heard that the writer had a wide circle of friends all over the country. He didn't expect that he would have acquaintances in Shenzhen as well.

As night deepened, only a few lights shone outside, but the entire Xin'an Restaurant was brightly lit and even more lively than before.

Chen Fan looked around and couldn't help but say, "Is Shenzhen really that prosperous?"

Seeing this, he once again questioned the "small fishing village". If this is considered a small fishing village, then what is Nanhu Commune?
In the middle of nowhere?

At this moment, the waiter came over to pour tea. Cai Guoqiang immediately stood up and took the teapot, whispering to him, "This is Chen Fan, the great writer who saved my life. Could you help me find someone to inform my father and have him prepare some things?"

The waiter nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.

As he turned to leave, he couldn't help but wonder to himself, "How many people saved Qiangzai's life after he went to the army?"

One appears at a time, another appears at a time, will there be more in the future?
Cai Guoqiang carried the teapot and poured tea for Chen Fan attentively, while smiling and saying, "Actually, there weren't this many people before. Didn't we announce the reform and opening up last year? Then, starting from the Spring Festival, some people who went to Hong Kong came back to visit relatives."

After pouring the tea, he placed the teapot on the table, pulled up a chair and sat down, and continued, "Many people don't know the specific policies now and think it's still the same as before, so they don't dare to go home and arrange to meet here."

He pointed to the people at the other tables, “Look, most of these people are here to visit relatives and meet up. According to the policy, each person can bring 5 jin of rice, 5 jin of oil, and 5 jin of sugar. All 15 jin of things are packed in a travel bag.”

At first, they didn't dare to talk for long. After chatting for ten or twenty minutes, they would drop their bags and run back, afraid of being caught.

Things are better now. Look, no one's been arrested. Most people dare to stay for a couple of days, at least they'll have a meal together. These are all here for a meal.

He took out a cigarette, lit it, and offered it to Chen Fan, saying with a smile, "Xin'an Restaurant is the main meeting place for visiting relatives. When it's crowded, there aren't enough seats inside, so we have to stand and chat in the small garden outside."

Chen Fan took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. He held the match Wang Jianguo handed him with both hands, lit it, and gently patted the back of his hands to express his gratitude. Then he smiled and said, "From cautious probing to open communication, that's how trust is built, isn't it?"

He turned to look at Wang Jianguo, then at Li Nan, Kong Wanshan, Zhao Jiangang, and so on, before finally returning his gaze to Wang Jianguo.

He took a drag of his cigarette, then suddenly patted Wang Jianguo on the lower back. Before Wang Jianguo could react, he chuckled softly and said, "Old Wang, don't tell me you've all come here for tourism."

The sound was very quiet, so quiet that only a few people nearby could hear it, let alone the people at the next table.

At the next table, Liao Guangzhi was talking animatedly, introducing the history of Xin'an Restaurant and its special delicacies to Zhou Yali and the other two, completely oblivious to Chen Fan and his companions' conversation.

Well, he didn't notice either.

If Cai Guoqiang hadn't been there, he might have been a bit more wary, but since there was a local bigwig there, and someone who was also an acquaintance of the writer Chen, he didn't consider Wang Jianguo and his group as people who were going to swim.

At this moment, Wang Jianguo was first patted on the back of his waistband by Chen Fan, and then tapped on the shoulder. Cold sweat immediately broke out on Wang Jianguo's forehead. Li Nan, Kong Wanshan, and the others next to him also lowered their heads involuntarily, not daring to utter a sound. If it were someone else, even their own parents, they would have dared to speak with confidence: no money is no money. Going out to make a living and earn money for the sake of life and for their comrades is not shameful.

But in front of Chen Fan, they felt ashamed and couldn't hold their heads up.

It was Chen Fan who personally removed bullets, applied medicine, and bandaged wounds for them one by one on the battlefield, snatching them back from the brink of death. Several brothers who weren't there would probably have lost their lives if it weren't for him using silver needles to stop the bleeding.

At the time, Chen Fan directly stated that they were all heroes fighting for the country, and that his act of saving them was not a favor, but rather doing his duty as a hero.

But they knew in their hearts that it wasn't like that. Chen Fan was just a writer, and there was absolutely no need for him to risk his life to enter the battlefield and treat them. So they really did owe him their lives.

But before he could even repay his life, the former hero was forced to flee to Hong Kong. According to Cai Guoqiang, there was a high probability that he would become a notorious bandit there.

In this situation, they felt they had no face to face Chen Fan.

Chen Fan flicked his cigarette ash, turned to look at Cai Guoqiang, who was also bowing his head, and then at Wang Jianguo. "What's going on? Can you tell me?"

Wang Jianguo gritted his teeth, tried to lift his head, but dared not look at Chen Fan's face, and muttered, "I can't make a living back home, so I want to come out and find a way to survive."

Chen Fan frowned slightly, turned to look at everyone, and asked, "According to the regulations, you all meet the resettlement policy requirements, so why haven't you been resettled?"

Wang Jianguo twitched the corners of his mouth, about to speak, when the waiter came over with a tray to serve the dishes. He quickly shut up, picked up his teacup and took a sip of water.

Several people took turns serving the dishes, and soon all the dishes were served.

Cai Guoqiang's eyes darted around, and he immediately coughed lightly, smiling as he introduced the dishes to Chen Fan: "This is stir-fried prawns, this is spare ribs with black bean sauce, steamed turbot, braised grouper, sweet and sour pork, roasted pigeon, salt-baked chicken... These are all classic dishes of Xin'an Restaurant. They are not only loved by locals, but also famous in Hong Kong. Back then, many Hong Kong customers often came to try the dishes. You should try them."

Chen Fan didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up his chopsticks with one hand and gestured with the other, "Let's all eat together."

After saying that, he picked up a piece of fish and put it in his own bowl before the others started to eat.

They didn't talk during the meal. Wang Jianguo and the others had been starving for most of the day and were already very hungry. At first, they were a little reserved, glancing at Chen Fan and Cai Guoqiang from time to time.

Seeing that the two were engrossed in eating, they also stopped being polite and started eating heartily.

Cai Guoqiang originally wanted to order two cases of beer, but seeing this scene and looking at Chen Fan sitting next to him, he didn't dare to mention drinking and just lowered his head to eat.

In less than ten minutes, the table was a mess, and every plate was spotless.

Cai Guoqiang quickly said, "Are you still hungry? I'll order a few more dishes."

The others didn't dare to say a word and all looked at Chen Fan.

Even if it's just politeness, it's not their turn at this point.

Chen Fan put down his chopsticks, glanced at Zhou Yali and the others who were still eating leisurely at the next table, turned back and chuckled softly, "Let's order two more cases of beer and some snacks to go with them. Is it convenient to make a 'poon choi' now?"

Cai Guoqiang quickly replied, "Convenient, it must be convenient!"

He then stood up and waved to the waiter, "Brother Hao, get me a pot dish, two cases of beer, and some snacks to go with it."

The waiter waved from a distance, "Coming right away."

A younger man nearby immediately chimed in, "Brother Hao, you have to order the 'Poon Choi' a day in advance. Where are we going to get it now?"

Poon Choi is a specialty of the Cantonese cuisine. It consists of an eight-person table, four long benches, and eight people sharing one pot of food.

The traditional pot dish used a wooden basin as a bowl, but later it was improved to use a steel basin or enamel basin, which was even bigger than a washbasin. It contained various kinds of seafood, such as abalone, prawns, scallops, oysters, etc., as well as pork, chicken, duck, goose, fish, tofu, radish, etc. It was cooked using a variety of methods such as frying, stir-frying, boiling, and braising, and was layered in a large basin for people to enjoy together.

To make this pot dish, you need to prepare all the ingredients at least one day in advance, and a master chef needs to cook it carefully. Some dishes may need to be steamed or boiled for several hours.

Generally speaking, restaurants do not have the facilities to provide Poon Choi (a traditional Cantonese dish) on the spot.

Hao Ge's lips twitched slightly as he walked towards the kitchen, explaining in a low voice, "Tomorrow is Third Grandpa's birthday celebration, and he's hosting a family banquet. He ordered eight dishes of 'Poon Choi' to take home. The kitchen has already prepared almost everything for them; we just need to heat it up when we get back. Since Qiang Zai wants some, we'll give him one first."

The young man next to him stared wide-eyed. "Wow, they're stealing Third Grandpa's food! Aren't they afraid of the old man's wrath?"

Hao clicked his tongue, "Let's see how Qiangzai's dad explains it. At most, he'll have the kitchen prepare two more pots tomorrow morning and let Qiangzai's dad pay for them."

Before long, a fragrant pot of stew was placed on the table.

Each person gets a bottle of beer, and instead of using glasses, everyone just drinks directly from the bottle.

After taking a big gulp and burping, Chen Fan turned to look at Wang Jianguo, "Have you decided what you'll do in Hong Kong? Or is someone there to pick you up?"

Wang Jianguo rubbed his face, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. "Dr. Chen, how can you be so sure we're going to Hong Kong?"

Chen Fan put down the bottle, took out a cigarette, lit it, and then handed it to Wang Jianguo, saying, "You can take it yourselves."

He exhaled a puff of smoke, chuckled, and said, "Look at yourselves. Your clothes are practically faded from washing, practically patched up. What are you doing here? On vacation? Do you think that's possible?"

He turned to look at Wang Jianguo, "Still carrying a weapon on your belt, you must be holding a lot of anger in your stomach. Didn't get your full demobilization pay, went back to your hometown, and haven't found a job yet?"

After a two-second pause, he smiled and shook his head. "No one is saying anything. It seems I wasn't wrong."

He took two more puffs of his cigarette. "Still not saying anything? You don't know anyone over there, do you? What can you do over there? You don't have the skills to work for a company, and you don't have the connections to do manual labor. All you can do is compete with other people who have gone there for odd jobs. Can you handle it? Or can you outcompete them?"
If you can't do this, and you can't do that, then what can you do? Rob the rich to help the poor? Or rob the capitalists?

"You learned skills in the army, and this is what you're sent to do?"

Wang Jianguo stood there with his head down, feeling utterly ashamed.

Cai Guoqiang looked around and quickly said, "I, I..."

He had barely begun when he realized that what he was doing wasn't exactly something honorable, so he swallowed the rest of his words and lowered his head to smoke.

Chen Fan ignored him, flicked off his cigarette ash, and said softly, "In a few days, the Shekou Industrial Zone will break ground. My cousin plans to set up a few factories here and is short of people right now. If you come and help, the wages will be a bit low at first, 100 yuan per person per month, including food and accommodation. The wages will be increased after you are transferred to a different position."

He patted Wang Jianguo on the shoulder, leaving his hand on Wang's shoulder, and said with a smile, "It certainly can't compare to making a fortune in Hong Kong, but it's aboveboard, you can eat well and sleep soundly. Want to consider it?"

(End of this chapter)