Reborn in 1977

Under Chen Fan's direction, the two sisters, each holding a gun, squatted on either side of the wild boar and snapped a few photos.

Afterward, Chen Fan rode back first to fetch a flatbed cart, dragged the boar onto it, and loaded the other game as well. Only then did the two sisters happily follow behind on their way home.

Once back home, the initial excitement faded, and Jiang Tiantian felt a burning pain on the insides of her thighs, and couldn't help but cast a pleading look at her sister.

Jiang Lili felt dizzy, unsure of what to do.

Chen Fan was still organizing the game on the threshing ground. Seeing their expressions, he immediately guessed what was going on and said, "Lili, didn't you want to heat up the kang? Go get it started, and you can both rest on it for a while. I'll go deal with the game in the back."

With that, he pulled the cart towards the back.

The two sisters exchanged a glance and giggled, covering their mouths.

Jiang Lili pulled her sister towards the house, saying, "Xiaofan must have guessed you're sore. I'll heat up the kang first, and you can lie down on it for a bit. Once he renders the badger oil, you can use it."

Jiang Tiantian smiled, pursing her lips. "He specially made it for you to rub on your hands, but I get to benefit and use it first."

Jiang Lili hooked her arm around her sister's, "What's mine and yours, first or later? Once he's given it to me, would I not let you use it? Let's not talk about that. You sit here first, and I'll go get some firewood."

Jiang Tiantian sat on the kang, parted the curtains, and watched Chen Fan pull the cart down the long slope through the glass window.

In the backyard shed, the second butchering of the day commenced.

As Jiang Lili had expected, Chen Fan first dealt with the badger, skinning it and rendering its fat, busying himself happily.

After a flurry of activity, he first sent a small bowl of cooled badger oil over to them.

As for applying the oil, there was naturally no need for Doctor Chen to do it personally.

Well, he didn't get the chance anyway.

After another flurry of activity, it wasn't until 3 PM that Chen Fan finished processing all the game.

The hides were all left to be dealt with later. Anyway, with the animals watching over the place, there was no fear of wild beasts coming to steal. It was a pity that the grass snake was hibernating, otherwise, the deterrent would be even greater.

Chen Fan selected some processed meat and placed it in baskets, ready to go. Then, he went to the room to call for them.

The two sisters were chatting animatedly on the kang, still talking about the hunt. It was unclear how something that took less than half an hour could be stretched into more than two hours of conversation.

Chen Fan knocked on the door and entered, smiling. "Comrades, it's past 3 PM, time to go home."

The two turned to look at him, their faces full of surprise, then together they raised their wrists. "Is it already past 3 PM?"

Time had passed so quickly.

Although most of the time they were chatting by themselves, and Chen Fan wasn't there to accompany them, for some reason, just knowing he was nearby gave them a sense of security, and they didn't even notice how quickly time flew.

If they didn't leave now, it would be too late. In another two hours, it would be dark. Chen Fan still had to rush back after sending them home, so they quickly packed up.

The small gifts they brought were left behind, and they took two baskets with them, each with a new fur cloak.

Oh, and also a cat.

Chen Fan walked ahead carrying the load, looking at the Eight Taels being held in Jiang Tiantian's arms. "This cat has had a lot of training, and it's quite fierce. You have to keep an eye on it and not let it act aggressively."

The two sisters simultaneously looked down at the cute little tabby cat in their arms, their eyes full of confusion.

Act aggressively? Was there some kind of misunderstanding?

However, since Chen Fan had specifically instructed them, they readily agreed.

Boarding the boat, setting off, returning.

After sending the two sisters home, Chen Fan returned home himself. The sky was already somewhat dim, and only a few embers remained in the fireplace and the earthen kang. The temperature in the house had also dropped a lot, but it seemed like the two sisters' presence still lingered.

He took a deep breath, turned around on the spot to look at the empty house, and listened to the sound of firecrackers outside. He stood for a dozen seconds, then, without turning on the light, walked to the fireplace in the living room, added some charcoal, and made the fire burn even brighter.

Using the firelight, he took a cup from the wall cabinet, made a cup of coffee, and sat quietly by the fireplace, crossed his legs, held the coffee, and closed his eyes, taking a sip from time to time. After a moment, a smile appeared on his lips.

Today's New Year's Eve was not bad.

… …

The first day of the new year was a day to pay respects to one's elders. Chen Fan had no elders, so he went to Lu Siye's house.

Siye had anticipated Chen Fan's arrival.

The charcoal stove in the house was burning brightly. On the low wooden table were melon seeds, peanuts, and stir-fried broad beans.

These dry-fried broad beans didn't need oil. The broad beans were directly stir-fried in a wok, or stir-fried with fine sand, making them fragrant, crispy, and delicious, but a bit hard on the teeth.

Chen Fan came in carrying a jar of badger oil, looked at the things on the table, and couldn't help but widen his eyes. "Oh my, you still eat this stuff? Aren't you afraid of ruining your teeth?"

Siye sat upright in his chair and hummed a couple of times. "What a joke, would I eat this stuff? It's prepared for you."

He picked up the teapot and shook it a few times, pouring more than half a cup of tea into the teacup opposite him. "Last time you said you could make fruit tea with dried fruit. I tried it several times, and I feel this combination is pretty good. Give it a try."

Chen Fan sat down in the chair, picked up the teacup, and looked at it. "Heh, you have quite a lot of stuff in here."

Siye raised his head to look at him. "Am I wrong?"

Chen Fan picked up the teacup and smiled. "Fruit tea is casual. Dried fruit is fine, fresh fruit is fine too. You can add whatever you like to it. There's no right or wrong."

Then he took a sip. "Hmm, there are red dates, peanut powder, melon seed powder, fried rice powder, and honey…"

His eyes were full of curiosity. "Where did you get the honey?"

Siye laughed. "Wild honey, I harvested it myself."

Then he took a sip of tea himself, nodding in satisfaction. "Do as you please, regardless of right or wrong, there's a bit of Zen in that."

After drinking some tea, he turned to look at Chen Fan, who was peeling broad bean shells, and the corners of his mouth spread to both sides. "Yesterday I was waiting for you to come over and have a drink with me, but you didn't come."

He leaned slightly to the side, his eyes full of teasing. "Someone kept you company on New Year's Eve? Was it a girl?"

Chen Fan coughed and raised his eyes to look at him. "You're an amazing fortune teller!"

Lu Siye didn't mind the young man's teasing and laughed. "What's that? Although you're always laughing and joking and never serious, you have an arrogance in your heart that I don't know where it comes from. You would never go to someone else's house for a reunion dinner.

On the other hand, in this Lujiawan, there's no one lonely enough to go mooch a meal from you, and then you wouldn't come here to me. If a girl didn't pity you being alone and go to keep you company, that would be a ghost story."

Chen Fan clicked his tongue. "Don't talk about ghosts during the New Year."

Lu Siye asked with a chuckle, "So, is it settled? Whose girl is it?"

Chen Fan coughed twice. "It's settled, but she's still young, so there's no rush."

Lu Siye curled his lip. "What's wrong with being young? In the countryside, how many people wait until they're old enough to get married? When the time comes, you invite her over, just like that day with San Huzi, throw a grand wedding banquet, and have the brigade headquarters issue you a certificate. It's as good as a marriage certificate!"

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly, "That's because they only live in the team. People are about to go to university, how can they do things like that?"

It should be said that in this day and age, only a minority of newlyweds in rural areas obtain marriage certificates.

And the place to get a marriage certificate is at least at the commune marriage office.

This marriage office is also called the marriage registration office, because there are almost no divorces in this era.

If there are conflicts between couples, the male elder will handle it first. If the female is not satisfied, then the elders of both families will negotiate a solution.

Basically, that's the end of it.

If it really gets out of hand, the team leader will step in.

Don't underestimate the team leader. In the eyes of the vast majority of commune members, he is also an 'official'!

So, once it gets here, it's pretty much settled.

Divorces are not completely non-existent, but they are extremely rare. Occasionally, a couple might cause a stir among the villagers for miles around for ten years, making both families unable to hold their heads up.

The marriage procedure is also very simple. Get a letter of introduction from the brigade headquarters and go directly to the commune marriage office to get the certificate.

If you are too lazy to make the trip and want a guarantee, you can do what Grandpa Lu said and directly get a certificate from the brigade headquarters, which is also valid.

Well, at least it's valid in the production team.

Grandpa Lu was surprised again when he heard his words, and looked at him curiously, "Going to university, and went to your house yesterday, then it must not be someone from Lujiawan. Hmm…"

He squinted his eyes and thought for a while, then suddenly turned to look at Chen Fan, "Is that Little Jiang back?"

Chen Fan took a sip of tea while chewing and swallowing, and gave Grandpa Lu a thumbs up, "As expected, you're wise with age. You're a brilliant strategist."

Grandpa Lu laughed again, and after laughing for a while, he said to him, "Hey, now that it's settled, then the bracelets, pocket watches, rings, and other gifts should be given. Once the betrothal gifts are exchanged and the wedding banquet is held, the matter is settled. Who cares about university or not? Does going to university mean you can't get married?"

Chen Fan, "I want to too, but it depends on whether the school agrees or not. Or, would you like to discuss it with the school?"

Grandpa Lu, "…"

Chen Fan stayed here until noon, had a meal with Grandpa Lu, and then said goodbye and left.

It wasn't to pay New Year's greetings to Team Leader Zhang and Team Leader Xiao. Although they were in the same team, today was not the right day to visit.

He was going home to prepare some gifts. He would go to the prefectural committee today, and early tomorrow morning, he would go to the Jiang family to pay New Year's greetings to his future father-in-law and mother-in-law.

As for the others, he would wait until he returned from the prefectural committee.

But before he could walk to Zhang Wenliang's door, he was stopped by Zhang Wenliang, who was attracted out by shouts of "Teacher Chen", "Let's go, Lao An sent a letter."

Following him into Zhang's house, good heavens, there was a mahjong table in the main room, and two tables of poker and playing cards in each of the four rooms. The whole family was mobilized!

Seeing Chen Fan being pulled in, someone immediately got up to give up their seat, "Teacher Chen, come over here, play a couple of rounds."

Chen Fan was still stunned when Zhang Wenliang pushed him into the chair, and he said, "It doesn't matter if you don't know how, you'll learn after playing a couple of rounds."

Yang Xingxiu had already placed a cup of hot tea by his hand.

The couple cooperated quite well.

Zhang Juemin was also there, sitting opposite Chen Fan, smiling at him, "Don't worry, when I went to the county for training, the doctors and leaders of the county health bureau and several hospitals were all playing mahjong. They even played at work, and no one said anything."

Zhang Guangwen, Zhang Wenliang's father and the team leader of the 5th team, walked out smoking a cigarette and handed one to Chen Fan, "Teacher Chen, don't worry, people are playing it in the commune too. It's very safe."

Chen Fan blinked. Was the opening up happening so fast?

It's very safe?

Ah, that's right, safe.

Chen Fan turned to look at Zhang Wenliang, who was already sitting down shuffling the tiles, "What did Brother An say in his letter?"

Zhang Wenliang didn't answer immediately, but first complained, "This Lao An, he actually sent a regular letter. He couldn't even bear to send a telegram. A telegram is only 7 cents a word, and 100 words is only 7 yuan. If he had sent a telegram, we might have already gone to Shanghai."

Then Zhang Juemin interjected, "If we went to Shanghai, we'd be spending the New Year in Shanghai, staying in a guesthouse with no place to eat, and gnawing on corn buns every day?"

Restaurants would be closed for the Spring Festival, so wouldn't they just be able to gnaw on corn buns?

Only guesthouses had special status and had to take care of travelers, otherwise there wouldn't even be a place to sleep!

Zhang Juemin added, "You can't blame Xiao An for being too stingy. If it were the previous two years, a telegram would only cost 3.5 cents a word, and he might have sent a telegram. Now that the price has doubled, Xiao An doesn't have a job, so he has to be thrifty."

Zhang Wenliang was just complaining. Seeing that his elder brother had spoken, he smiled sheepishly and didn't say anything. While arranging the mahjong tiles, he said to Chen Fan, "After Brother An returned home, he rested for two days and then went to inquire about raising meat rabbits.

You know, it's quite difficult to get this kind of information. The main reason is the impact of the previous few years. Many rabbit farmers suffered heavy losses, so whoever went to ask would say they didn't know. He didn't make much progress at work.

Later, he found a farm in Chongming through his uncles and aunts, oh, that is, his parents' connections, after going around in circles."

The Great Wall was set up, and the smoke of battle began.

Zhang Wenliang looked at the tiles with a serious face, carefully arranged the order of the mahjong tiles, and after hesitating for a long time, just as Chen Fan was thinking about whether to wake him up, he finally discarded a tile, "Three of wan."

Zhang Changjiang, who had been at the table at some point, quickly took out two tiles, "Eat."

Chen Fan looked at him in surprise, "Team Leader, when did you come?"

Zhang Changjiang smiled honestly, "Weren't you discussing going to Shanghai to buy rabbits? I came over to listen."

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly. Please, you are the brigade leader, okay? You are the one who has to make the final decision!

Then he quickly took out two tiles, "Pong."

While taking the three of wan discarded by Zhang Wenliang, he smiled at Zhang Changjiang, "Sorry, Team Leader, I stole the pong."

Everyone looked at him in stunned silence, "You know how to play mahjong?"

Chen Fan slowly discarded a red dragon, "A little, a little."

Zhang Wenliang scratched his head, glanced at his wife, and suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart.

Looking at Chen Fan again, "Ahem, that, Xiao Fan, we didn't say how big the stakes are, we're just having a little fun, playing one… cent, is that okay?"

The others looked at him in surprise. Weren't they playing one yuan just now?

Chen Fan looked left and right, his gaze falling on Zhang Wenliang's face, "You were just laughing at Brother An, but now you're only playing one cent?"

"Then one mao!"

Zhang Wenliang decisively made the decision, then turned to look at Zhang Changjiang opposite him, "Uncle, it's your turn."

Zhang Changjiang blinked wildly, quickly reacted, glanced at Chen Fan, and then carefully drew a tile.

In his heart, he was wondering, good heavens, could this kid be proficient in mahjong?