Reborn in 1977

Chapter 56: The Kidney Basin

The next day, Chen Fan continued to go out to teach people how to slaughter soft-shelled turtles.

Yesterday he went to Team 5, today he would go to Team 4 and Team 7, and tomorrow he would go to Team 8 and Team 9, and then the task would be completed.

The work in Team 4 went smoothly. When he was leaving, the team leader also sent him a basket of things, similar to what Team 5 had given him yesterday.

Rice, cured meat, cured fish, cotton, rapeseed oil, pickled vegetables, homemade soy sauce, homemade vinegar, chili sauce, and pickled cabbage.

There was no novelty at all. Chen Fan suspected that they had all colluded.

Even if they gave him one less jar of chili sauce and replaced it with a few lotus roots, that would be fine.

With so much oil, it would be a pity not to fry a few plates of lotus root cakes.

There were also fried radish balls, tofu balls, sesame balls, sweet potato slices, crispy pork, fried dough twists, fried fish pieces, fried meatballs, fried egg rolls, fried spring rolls…

Oh no, my mouth is watering.

No, in a few days I have to find a way to exchange for some flour and glutinous rice flour, I must replicate the New Year goods I ate when I was a child to satisfy my cravings.

After finishing his work, as with Team 5 yesterday, the leader of Team 4 also arranged for the militia squad leader to ride a mule to take him to the next stop, Team 7.

However, as they passed by the door of a house, Chen Fan saw an old man doing carpentry work, and next to him was a brand-new large wooden basin, and he was immediately moved. He immediately asked the militia squad leader, "Squad leader, is that wooden basin for sale?"

The squad leader looked at him, then looked at the wooden basin, and asked with a smile, "Master Chen wants it?"

Chen Fan nodded vigorously, "Yes, I want it."

Then he said awkwardly, "But I don't have any money, but I can exchange it for these things."

What he meant was the things they had just given him. If the transaction was successful, it would be as if he hadn't received any supplies here, and would only take a large wooden basin back.

But as long as he thought about being able to take a bath, it would be worth it even without these supplies!

He just didn't know if it would be enough. In his impression, large wooden basins seemed to be quite expensive.

As a result, as soon as the squad leader heard this, he immediately became unhappy, "Are you looking down on people? You ran all the way over here for a hard trip, and you're just pulling a wooden basin back, is that appropriate?"

Then he jumped off his horse, walked straight over, and shouted loudly, "Dad, Master Chen has taken a fancy to the wooden basin, I'll give it to him."

Well, he ran into someone's gun.

The old man raised his head with a smile, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, "Okay, okay, it's rare that Master Chen appreciates my craftsmanship, that's looking up to this old man, give it away, give it away."

Then he put down the tools in his hand and straightened his back, "I also have baskets and wooden basins here, I'll give you some of them too."

Chen Fan quickly dismounted, walked over to stop him, and said sternly, "Don't, don't, don't, it's not easy for you to make these things, how can I take them for nothing? How about this, I'll take…"

"Stop!"

Comrade Squad Leader shouted loudly, glaring at Chen Fan and said, "What, are you looking down on people?"

Chen Fan waved his hands repeatedly, with a bitter smile on his face, "Squad leader, how can I look down on people, it's just…"

He now knew what it meant to be a scholar meeting a soldier, unable to reason. How did buying something turn into a conflict?

Fortunately, the team leader heard the commotion and rushed over, "What's wrong?"

The squad leader pointed to the large wooden basin and said with a look of grievance, "Master Chen has taken a fancy to this wooden basin, and I said I would give it to him, but he insisted on exchanging it for those things."

When the team leader heard this, he also became unhappy, staring and said, "Master Chen, that's too much!"

Chen Fan had a bitter face, how was I being too much?

I just want a bathtub, but I don't have any money, so I can only exchange it for things… Wait, could it be that he's blaming me for using the things they gave me to exchange?

Then can I use the things given by Team 5 to exchange?

The team leader sighed, "The brigade headquarters gave a guidance opinion, just follow this standard, we will also strictly abide by it. Having said that, it's just that we rural areas don't have any good things to offer, otherwise we would have to put together a return gift of twenty or thirty yuan no matter what.

Look at this wooden basin, it doesn't cost much money, it's just a matter of iron wire and tung oil. The wood is all cedar trees growing in the village. Find the brigade headquarters to issue a certificate, deduct a few work points, cut it down and dry it, and it can be used. A little handwork is not worth any money.

Even when the market was not prohibited in those years, this wooden basin would sell for at most two or three yuan when dragged to the market, which is not even worth a knife of meat.

You now want to exchange these things, I also know that you can't bear to take these things, and want to exchange them in a decent way to return the things to us. But we are poor but ambitious, whatever it should be, the brigade headquarters has set the standard, just follow that standard.

Moreover, the brigade headquarters also said that each team can appropriately add some worthless things, now I will decide to add another wooden basin."

Then he raised his hand and pointed at Chen Fan, and said sternly, "You don't have to worry about it, we will arrange for someone to drag it back to you with a flatbed cart."

Chen Fan opened his mouth wide, staring blankly at the team leader, is that what I meant?

Do you know how much this large wooden basin will sell for in the future?

1200 yuan!

Seeing that he was still not speaking, the team leader couldn't help but change his face, "What, are you really looking down on us?"

Chen Fan closed his mouth with a snap, then nodded, then quickly shook his head, "I mean, we can't let our uncle suffer."

The team leader laughed, "You don't have to worry about this, his wooden basin is considered requisitioned, I will naturally convert work points for him, and will not let him suffer."

At this time, the other commune members also gathered around, and persuaded from the side,

"Master Chen, you can just accept it, what's the big deal with a wooden basin?"

"Knowing that you are kind, Master Chen, but we don't lack these things, just take it."

Looking at the sincere eyes of the villagers, Chen Fan suddenly thought of a joke from later generations.

Poor relatives visit rich relatives, and when they leave, the rich relatives give the poor relatives two sets of old clothes. Then the rich relatives visit the poor relatives, and when they leave, the poor relatives give a lot of cured meat, cured fish, native rapeseed oil, and other good things that cannot be bought, and they are still afraid that people will not like them.

He is not a rich relative, and they are not poor relatives. It is undeniable that the peasant brothers must also be tricky sometimes, but when facing "their own people" in their eyes, they are more able to be honest!

Thinking of this, a warm feeling welled up in Chen Fan's heart, and he cupped his hands to the team leader and the surrounding villagers, "Then thank you, thank you."

The team leader clapped his thigh and said with a happy face, "Oh, that's right."

Then he greeted, "San Gouzi, hitch up a donkey cart and help Master Chen send it back."

Then he pointed to the basket on the squad leader's horse, "Just pull these things back together, it will be easier on the road."

So, Chen Fan got another large wooden basin.

Watching Chen Fan's departing figure, the villagers were still whispering,

"What does Master Chen want a kidney basin for?"

"Maybe it's for slaughtering soft-shelled turtles. He is an experienced master, and he slaughters a lot at a time, so he needs to use a kidney basin to hold them."

"Maybe."

"Anyway, it's definitely not for bathing."

"You silly fool, who uses a kidney basin to bathe? Do you think it's slaughtering pigs? How much water would that cost?!"

…