Reborn in 1977

After finishing the meal, Chen Fan returned to his room to rest, while the Jiang sisters took care of the dishes.

Waking up from a nap, Chen Fan washed his face with hot water from the charcoal stove, instantly feeling refreshed.

He first caught two large roosters, a gift from his students, from the chicken coop. Then, he went to the room where he stored miscellaneous items and took a small charcoal stove that he had just finished making yesterday. After selecting a load of charcoal, he prepared to go to work at the brigade headquarters.

Why wasn't today Tuesday?

If today were Tuesday, he wouldn't have to work in the afternoon!

Because all radio stations across the country would be closed for equipment maintenance on Tuesday afternoons, all broadcasters across the country could take the afternoon off.

Filled with resentment, Chen Fan walked to the door of Jiang Lili's room, knocked, and said, "Little Jiang, I've lit the charcoal stove in my room. Bring your sister over to my place. You can listen to the radio there."

After Zhu Hao helped him get the wiring and sockets, he took some time to install them, and now the radio could be used normally.

Jiang Lili stood up, about to speak, but looked back at her sister.

Jiang Tiantian immediately said, "No need to trouble yourself. We're fine here."

Chen Fan pointed to his room and said with a smile, "It's snowing outside right now, and the temperature is probably below 0 degrees. I've already lit the stove over there. It's a waste if you don't go. Besides, the charcoal is homemade, so it didn't cost any money. There's no need to save that little bit."

After a pause, he added, "Today is New Year's Eve. No one will be coming over. Even if someone does come in, no one will say anything if you're warming yourselves by the fire in my room."

After saying that, without waiting for them to reply, he waved his hand, "I'm going to work now. See you later."

Then, he put on his bamboo hat, didn't bother with a raincoat or wooden clogs, and strode into the wind and snow with the load on his shoulders.

Watching Chen Fan disappear from the doorway, Jiang Lili looked back at her sister.

Jiang Tiantian pursed her lips, looked at her helplessly, and asked, "If I weren't here, would you go over?"

Jiang Lili tilted her head, thought for a moment, frowned, and said, "If you didn't come, he probably wouldn't have even lit the stove, let alone invite me over."

Because there was no need. If her sister hadn't come, she and Chen Fan would probably have been busy with their own things and wouldn't have needed to light a stove.

Hearing her words, Jiang Tiantian was relieved and smiled, "In that case, let's go sit over there and not waste his kindness."

Jiang Lili immediately beamed with joy.

The two sisters were only 3 years apart, but their personalities were vastly different. The older sister was steady, and the younger sister was lively. However, after experiencing several changes, Jiang Tiantian rarely smiled now, and her thoughts became increasingly deep, only showing a smile in front of her parents and sister.

Jiang Lili's change was even more drastic. She didn't dare to laugh in front of outsiders, nor did she dare to speak easily, always keeping her head down.

At this time, there were only the two sisters in the courtyard, with no outsiders present, so she also revealed some of her true nature.

Sitting in Chen Fan's room, with the door half-closed, feeling the warmth brought by the stove, they didn't turn on the radio, but just whispered secrets to each other, occasionally letting out bursts of soft laughter, not knowing what interesting things they were talking about.

… …

Chen Fan hurried to the 5th team. Instead of going directly to the brigade headquarters, he turned into a small alley and went to the thatched cottage of Grandpa Lu Si at the back of the village.

Walking into the courtyard, seeing the door of the thatched cottage closed, he first called out, "Grandpa Si, are you home?"

Lu Si's voice immediately came from inside, "I'm here, come in."

Chen Fan was considered half his student, so naturally, he didn't need to be polite. Otherwise, Grandpa Lu Si would have come to open the door himself.

"Okay."

Chen Fan responded, first put the load down at the door, then pushed open the door, carrying a basket of charcoal, the chicken, and the small charcoal stove as he walked in.

At the same time, he said, "Grandpa Si, I'm here to wish you a Happy New Year."

Hearing this, Grandpa Lu Si couldn't help but laugh, "It's only New Year's Eve today. What kind of New Year are you wishing me?"

"Wishing you an early Happy New Year."

Chen Fan put the things in the corner, shut out the wind and snow, turned around, and said with a smile,

"Today, it's snowing heavily, and I'm afraid you'll catch a cold, so I brought you a basket of charcoal and a small charcoal stove. It can be used to burn charcoal and heat water. It's perfect for use in this cold weather.

Also, that chicken was given to me by the veterinary students. I'm just using it to make an offering. Later, I'll make you a braised rooster. After I get off work, I'll have a drink with you. It'll be like celebrating the New Year."

He pointed to the things in the corner, "That's all I have. I'm just coming over to wish you an early Happy New Year. You can just pretend that I've wished you a Happy New Year. I won't bring anything when I come over on the second day of the New Year. Is that okay?"

The custom in Yunhu is that people don't wish outsiders a Happy New Year on the first day of the New Year. They only go to the family with the highest seniority. For example, if the family has split, they go to the grandparents' or parents' house. If the family hasn't split, they go to the maternal grandparents' house. They don't go to any other houses.

Starting from the second day of the New Year, it's the day to visit relatives and friends and wish them a Happy New Year. Especially on the second day, married daughters usually bring their husbands and children back to their parents' home to wish them a Happy New Year. So, there's a saying that the son-in-law visits his father-in-law on the second day of the New Year.

Chen Fan was alone here. It was inconvenient for him to visit on the first day of the New Year, so he had to wish his "mentors," Xiao Liewen and Lu Si, a Happy New Year on the second day.

One taught him martial arts, and the other taught him literature. Although he didn't formally become their disciple, the reality of being a student and teacher was real. He should respect them and treat them with courtesy.

Hearing Chen Fan's words, Lu Si educated him, "That doesn't count. Filial piety is filial piety, and wishing a Happy New Year is wishing a Happy New Year. If you don't have any good things, you can pull a radish from the field and bring it to me. That's also your intention. You can't come empty-handed!"

Chen Fan clicked his tongue, "You're really particular, old man."

Then, he patted his thigh and said with a smile, "Okay, I'll bring you a big radish the day after tomorrow, guaranteed to be the biggest one in the vegetable field."

Whether it was bringing a radish or the early New Year's greetings just now, they were all jokes. He wasn't so poor that he lacked this little New Year's gift. He could just rummage through the gifts from the students and find something.

He was teasing the old man.

Lu Si was also a wonderful person. He saw through his little thoughts at a glance and started telling him jokes.

While chatting, Chen Fan started working, took the small charcoal stove to the bottom of the north wall window, next to the earthen stove. He also found a few sections of bamboo tubes from outside, used a stick to open the bamboo knots inside, and then mixed some mud with plant ash to connect the bamboo tubes to the smoke outlet, extending them outside through the window paper.

After finishing these, he opened the stove door of the small charcoal stove, took out a charcoal basin from inside, lit a fire to ignite the charcoal, and put it into the charcoal stove.

This design made it convenient to dispose of the charcoal ash. Then, he filled Lu Si's kettle with water and put it on the charcoal stove, so he could boil water while heating the room.

After Chen Fan finished, Lu Si asked, "Why did you connect a small chimney?"

Chen Fan washed his hands, walked back, sat down, and said with a smile, "Burning charcoal will produce carbon monoxide. If the smoke isn't handled properly, you'll get carbon monoxide poisoning in a closed room after a long time, which can be life-threatening in severe cases."

Lu Si suddenly understood, his eyebrows drooping, not knowing what he was thinking.

After a while, he opened his eyes, looked at Chen Fan, and said, "You studied veterinary medicine. Why didn't you study medicine? I mean the medical skills to treat and save people."

In the eyes of the older generation of scholars, veterinary medicine was an unrespectable profession, while practicing medicine to help the world was a noble profession comparable to studying. Coupled with Chen Fan's words about safety just now, he asked this question.

Chen Fan raised his head and smiled, "It's not that I don't want to learn. I've also read the barefoot doctor's manual. I can memorize a lot of the content. If you ask me to take a barefoot doctor's certificate now, I'm confident.

However, although this medical book is very useful and can be used for emergencies, it has great limitations. The medical skills learned from this book can only tell you what to do, but not why."

Speaking of this, Chen Fan spread out his hands and said with a smile, "In that case, it's better not to learn. Otherwise, even if I learn it, I'll just be another 'Dr. Zhang'."

He guessed that this might be the reason why the medical skills skill had not been activated. How could it be considered an entry if the situation wasn't even clear?

Only by "understanding the principles, understanding the meaning, and knowing the methods" can a skill be considered mastered.

This skill panel is quite rigorous!

Hearing his words, Lu Si pondered for two seconds, exhaled a long breath, and said softly, "Fan Xiweng once said, 'If you can't be a good prime minister, then be a good doctor.' You're also considered a scholar. If you're interested in medical skills, I can give you a few pointers."

Chen Fan blinked at him, wondering who Fan Xiweng was.

Lu Si thought he was waiting for his next words, so he said, "I don't understand Western medicine, so I won't talk about it. If you want to learn Chinese medicine, you can start with the four books: 'The Medical Three-Character Classic', 'Binhu's Pulse Study', 'The Song of Herbal Properties', and 'The Song of Decoctions'. These four books are called the Four Small Classics and are the foundation of all Chinese medicine.

After learning them, read 'Acupuncture', 'Shen Nong's Herbal Classic', 'Huangdi's Internal Classic', 'Treatise on Febrile Diseases', 'Golden Chamber', 'Classic of Difficulties', and 'Treatise on Pestilence'. After reading them, if you can understand them all, you'll be considered to have entered the door.

Further up, there are the secret classics of various schools, but that's still far away. It's too early to talk about these.

If you proceed step by step in this way, and you have a certain foundation, and then you look at the barefoot doctor's manual, you will have a different understanding.

At that time, I'll find you a teacher to teach you how to take pulses, perform acupuncture, diagnose, and prescribe medicine. With your understanding, it should take about ten years to achieve something."

Chen Fan opened his mouth, his eyes a little dizzy.

Ten years?

Is learning Chinese medicine so difficult?

Then, he closed his chin and said, "But these books are not sold in bookstores."

Lu Si pointed at him, bent over, and said with a small laugh, "Coincidentally, I have them here."

Then, he walked into the room, groped under the bed, and took out a few books.

He returned to the outer room and handed them to Chen Fan, saying cautiously, "Hide them well. Don't let anyone see them. Even if someone sees them, you can't say that I gave them to you."

Chen Fan took them in his hand and looked at them. They were exactly the "Four Small Classics" that Lu Si had just mentioned.

They were still thick, vertically printed editions.

Looking at the material and the printing quality, could it be woodblock printing?