Reborn in 1977

The three of them clinked glasses, laughing and talking as they finished their New Year's Eve dinner.

It was already evening, but because of the heavy snow, the outdoors was still clearly visible, only the snowflakes obscured the view, preventing them from seeing far.

The snow fell heavier and heavier, fluttering down and covering the ground with a thick layer. The little ones in the chicken coop and doghouse were silent, obviously asleep.

Chen Fan returned to his room and stoked the fire in the charcoal stove, quickly warming the room.

He thought for a moment, then got up and walked to the next room. The charcoal stove he had experimented with before hadn't been dismantled, and it was perfect for use today.

Since Yang Ju and the others were moving in on the second day of the new year, he would let them live in this room and use this charcoal stove. It was just a charcoal stove, something that could be made with a little effort, and he wouldn't be stingy about it.

First, he took out the inner core of the charcoal stove, returned to his room, and placed a few pieces of burning charcoal inside. Then, he carried it back, added a few pieces of charcoal, and opened the stove door to boil water.

While waiting for the water to boil, he went to the back to check on the little creatures.

The little foal was curled up in the straw pile. When it saw him coming, it immediately stood up excitedly, raising its head and calling out. Chen Fan stroked the foal's head, grabbed a handful of fodder to feed it, and then looked at the little sheep next to it.

Well, the two little lambs were nestled together, sound asleep. One had its front legs stretched out, its hind legs bent and pressed under its body, its head resting on the other lamb, while the other lamb had all four limbs pressed under its body, its head also resting against its companion.

According to Sun, the animal husbandry station worker, these two lambs were collected from different team families, one male and one female, so they shouldn't be siblings.

What's going on? Are you two starting to fall in love at such a young age?

Chen Fan jealously plucked a few tufts of wool. I haven't even fallen in love yet, you little stinkers.

Seriously, it's quite soft. Holding a lamb is about the same as holding a big heater.

After a while, Chen Fan fed the foal several handfuls of fodder before patting its back and telling it to go back to sleep.

However, the foal couldn't sleep, it just lay in the straw pile, staring at him with its big eyes.

He wasn't surprised. After reading those books on treating military horses, he knew that horses' rest times weren't fixed, they slept when they were tired, sometimes during the day, sometimes at night. Maybe the foal had slept enough during the day, so it couldn't sleep now.

But he didn't have time to play with the foal, he still had to go back and take a bath.

He got up, walked out, closed the wooden gate, and glanced at the two piglets sleeping soundly. Suddenly, he thought that it was time to castrate them, wasn't it?!

Castration is a life event that every domestic pig must experience.

As the saying goes, "A pig that isn't castrated won't get fat, a pig that isn't castrated won't be quiet." A pig that hasn't been castrated eats but doesn't gain weight, and is restless all day long.

But, as long as you cut it with a knife, the situation is different.

That's "No stirrings in spring, no agitation in summer, leisurely intentions in autumn, waiting for the sun in winter..." After a pig is castrated, its heart is calm, its breath is smooth, its body is strong, and it eats well, so naturally it gets fat!

There are so many benefits, of course there is a special skill, and this skill also belongs to the "unique skill".

Calculating with his fingers, these two piglets will soon be two weeks old, which is the right time to castrate them. If it's any later, it may not be easy to handle.

Moreover, there's no need to find someone else for this kind of thing, he can handle it himself.

Besides specialized "castrators," as a "traditional veterinarian," castration is also an essential skill.

The head of the veterinary station, Zhou, is a master castrator, and the veterinary training materials also have content in this area, which Chen Fan has naturally seen.

Although he hasn't done it himself, coincidentally, he has now mastered the Xingyi Five Elements Saber to perfection. He can even fight Zhang Wenliang, who has been practicing for more than ten years, to a draw with just a carrying pole. Dealing with the little things of two piglets should be a piece of cake, right???

It's also a good opportunity to increase practical experience!

Looking at the two beautiful, soundly sleeping piglets, Chen Fan nodded slightly, "calculating with his fingers." The second day of the new year is a good day. After work in the afternoon, he will bring the veterinary students over to observe how a novice castrates pigs!

...

Walking through the wind and snow, Chen Fan returned to the front yard, and the water on the stove was about to boil.

A pot of water in this room, a pot of water in his own room, plus the water in the urn in the kitchen, three large pots of water poured into the kidney-shaped basin, and then mixed with half cold water, Chen Fan closed the door, took off his clothes, and began to "wash away the old".

Actually, it's just taking a bath.

New Year's Eve has the meaning of "getting rid of the old and welcoming the new", so folk customs are basically centered around this theme.

In the Yunhu area, people wash their whole bodies on this day, change out of old clothes, and put on new clothes, to show "getting rid of the old and welcoming the new", to greet the new year with a brand new look.

Chen Fan soaked in the large bathtub for half an hour, and only got up and wiped himself dry when the water temperature cooled down.

Putting on the clothes he sewed himself, which he didn't know whether it was long underwear or pajamas, and wrapping himself in a brand new wool military coat, Chen Fan was immediately full of energy.

First, he cleaned the room, poured out the dirty water, which melted a large patch of white snow.

Then he went to Jiang Lili's room to notify the Jiang sisters, "The charcoal fire is lit in the next room, you can go there to wash."

Without waiting for the two sisters, their faces flushed with shame, to speak, Chen Fan turned around and went back to his room.

The 20-watt tungsten bulb emitted a bright orange light, and the burning stove warmed the entire room.

Chen Fan took out the radio, plugged it in, tuned the channel, and a clear and melodious song came from the radio:

"The north wind is blowing, the snowflakes are falling, the snowflakes are falling, the New Year is coming, Dad went out to avoid debts for seven days, he hasn't returned on the thirtieth night, the wind is blowing the snowflakes, outside the door, the wind is hitting the door and the door opens by itself, I hope Dad comes home soon, to happily celebrate the New Year, to happily celebrate the New Year..."

Oh, they're playing "The White-Haired Girl" tonight.

Ten years ago, a drama festival was held in the capital, and at that time there were "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy", "The Harbour", "The Red Lantern", "Shajiabang", "Raid on the White Tiger Regiment", "The Red Detachment of Women", "The White-Haired Girl" these dramas participated.

These seven plays are collectively known as the "Eight Model Plays".

Clearly there are only seven, why call it "Eight"?

This is because among them, "Shajiabang" had a Peking opera performance and a symphony performance, so one play counted as two, which is the origin of the "Eight Model Plays".

The "Eight Model Plays" are also the dramas with the most performances in the last ten years. It seems only natural to play "The White-Haired Girl" on New Year's Eve.

Chen Fan took out the two large bags of melon seeds and peanuts sent by Xiao Liewen, and went to the cabinet to take out the New Year's snacks that Jiang Lili had helped make before, and put them on the table.

Then he walked to the door of Jiang Lili's room, looked inside, only Jiang Lili was there, Jiang Tiantian should have gone next door, so he knocked on the door, "Little Jiang, come and sit with me."

Jiang Lili walked over, pursed her lips and smiled, "No need, we'll be sleeping soon."

Chen Fan smiled and said, "Don't you guys stay up for the New Year? I'm planning to stay up until midnight today. The old saying goes that young people staying up can pray for blessings for the elderly."

Jiang Lili lowered her head, then raised it and smiled, "Then we'll go over later."

Chen Fan pointed to his room, "Don't wait until later, "The White-Haired Girl" is on the radio now, go over and listen together, when your sister comes out, let her go straight over, I've prepared everything, let's have a good time tonight."

Jiang Lili didn't insist anymore, nodded and followed him over.

After a while, Jiang Tiantian came out, and Jiang Lili went to take a bath.

After everyone was done, the three of them sat around the table, listening to the radio, eating snacks, and chatting softly.

Mainly Chen Fan was talking. Even if he couldn't talk about future things, saying some news from the newspaper or some small knowledge he had seen in the archive could attract the attention of the two girls, who would exclaim from time to time.

Unconsciously, it was midnight 12 o'clock, and the sound of the hour reporting came from the radio.

Chen Fan immediately took out the firecrackers he had bought before, and smiled at the two sisters, "Let's set off firecrackers..."

After saying that, he walked out.

Jiang Tiantian and Jiang Lili looked at each other, and also walked out of the room hand in hand, watching Chen Fan light firecrackers one by one in the snow, scattering a string of silver bell-like laughter.