Reborn in 1977

Chapter 274: Everyone is Playing Mind Games

The next morning, Chen Fan brought two lunch boxes to work.

When he arrived at the brigade headquarters, Secretary Yang and the others had already gone down to the teams to oversee the rice planting.

Regarding the issue of snail shells in the Sixth Team's paddy fields yesterday, Yang Chuanfu had also reported it to Secretary Yang. After discussing it with Ye Shubao and a few others, they used the telephone to notify each team, instructing them to carefully inspect the paddy fields to absolutely prevent such a situation from happening again.

Still not feeling at ease, they got up even earlier today than usual, not coming to the brigade headquarters to work, but directly dividing into several teams each, going down to inspect separately, leaving only Xiao Liewen to watch the house.

Of course, Lin Yuanxiang was there to accompany him.

When Chen Fan came in, he saw the two of them sitting in the office, puffing away.

Seeing Chen Fan carrying two lunch boxes in, Xiao Liewen asked curiously, "What's this? Not going back for lunch today? You don't need to bring a lunch box for that. Just eat at my house. I'll provide the dishes, and you can show off your cooking skills."

Chen Fan waved his hand to dispel the smoke in front of him, walked to the window and opened it, saying unhappily, "I say, you two old seniors, you're having this first thing in the morning?"

Lin Yuanxiang laughed beside him, "I'm already over 60 years old. As the saying goes, I'm halfway in the grave. Can't I eat whatever I want?"

Xiao Liewen said, "I already had breakfast, a bowl of rice porridge and two eggs. I just lit up when you arrived."

Chen Fan glanced at the smoke-filled room, "Your puff is really big."

He then placed one of the lunch boxes in front of them, "I made this myself. You can eat it for breakfast or as a snack. Just try the flavor."

He put the other one in the bag.

Xiao Liewen reached out and took it, "What is this?"

Opening the lunch box, there were clearly six small cakes inside.

Lin Yuanxiang stretched his head over, then turned to look at Chen Fan, asking in surprise, "You made this?"

Chen Fan sat down beside him, chuckling, "Just a small trick, just like steaming buns."

"That's very different."

Lin Yuanxiang picked up a piece and put it in his mouth, his eyes lighting up, "Hmm, the taste is good, quite impressive."

Xiao Liewen also ate a piece, giving a thumbs up and nodding, "This thing is interesting, sweet."

Chen Fan grinned, this was the most successful cake he had ever made. With the same ingredients, it was definitely not inferior to the big brands of later generations, but Captain Xiao only tasted the sweetness.

But that's right, the elderly only have two requirements for eating cake: oily and sweet. If it can meet these two conditions, it is a good cake.

The two of them each ate one piece and stopped. Xiao Liewen tore off two pieces of paper and packed the remaining four cakes, "I'm full from breakfast. I'll save these for later."

Then he returned the empty lunch box to Chen Fan.

Chen Fan put the lunch box back in the bag, then took out a stack of folded manuscript paper from it, opened it, and handed it over, "This is the rice planting report I wrote. Take a look."

Xiao Liewen quickly took it. Seeing that Lin Yuanxiang also stretched his head to look, he handed it to him and read it together.

After skimming through it, Xiao Liewen handed all the manuscript paper to Lin Yuanxiang, then said to Chen Fan, "What about the drawings? Do you have any?"

Chen Fan pointed to the location of the broadcasting room in the back, "I was busy writing the manuscript yesterday, so I didn't have time to draw. I'll go out to gather inspiration later."

Xiao Liewen nodded slowly, looking at him with a teasing smile, "You said you were busy writing the manuscript and didn't have time to draw. Then let me ask you something."

Chen Fan, "Please ask."

Xiao Liewen, "Did you take off your shoes yesterday?"

As soon as he said this, Lin Yuanxiang stopped looking at the manuscript and went to look at Chen Fan.

Chen Fan looked at the two of them with a blank face, "Huh?"

Xiao Liewen gestured, "When you were saving someone, don't you know? Are you pretending to be stupid? That educated youth girl, didn't you save her?"

Only then did Chen Fan understand, scratching the back of his head and saying with a strange expression, "She just had a cut on her foot. At most, it's helping, not saving someone, right?"

Xiao Liewen, "First, regardless of whether it's helping or saving someone, did you go down into the paddy field?"

Chen Fan nodded, "Yes."

He then smiled, "She couldn't walk at the time. Two young girls from the same village carried her out. I was afraid they would fall, so I went over to help."

Then his face was full of confusion, "How do you all know about this?"

Xiao Liewen coughed, "Such a big thing happened, your Captain Yang had to report it to the brigade headquarters."

Reporting is reporting, but what Yang Chuanfu reported was that there were snail shells in the paddy field, which cut someone. He only knew about the other things from chatting with the village women. When he returned home, even his family was asking him if Chen Fan had something going on with that educated youth girl.

That's why, when he saw Chen Fan in the morning, he naturally wanted to verify it.

Yes, it was verification, definitely not gossip.

Chen Fan really thought it was Captain Yang who said it, so he carefully recounted what happened yesterday morning, and finally said, "That's the situation. I was the only man around the paddy field at the time. Could I not have gone to help?"

Xiao Liewen pursed his lips thoughtfully, "So, you took off your shoes at the time?"

Chen Fan was speechless. Why are you so fixated on whether I took off my shoes or not?

Xiao Liewen coughed, looking at him seriously and saying, "Whether you took off your shoes or not seems like a small problem, but in fact, it is a big problem. Taking off your shoes means you wanted to help, but you weren't out of your mind. Not taking off your shoes means you were out of your mind at the time, then you have to explain clearly, why were you out of your mind?"

Chen Fan's face fell, I'm already confused by you.

Lin Yuanxiang watched Lao Xiao talking nonsense and couldn't help but laugh non-stop.

Seeing his reaction, Chen Fan knew that he was being teased by Xiao Liewen, and couldn't help but cover his eyes, unable to watch.

Xiao Liewen also laughed a few times, then his expression changed, he coughed, and said to Chen Fan, "Seriously, Xiao Chen, you are still young, just turned 16, entering 17, right? Although according to the old rules, you can be considered an 18-year-old, but according to national regulations, men can only get married at 20. At the earliest, you still have to wait 3 years."

Hearing this, Chen Fan also became interested, deliberately contradicting him, with a look of sudden realization, "Oh, so men have to be 20 to get married. But I heard that the so-and-so from the Tenth Team was not even 18 when he got married during the New Year, right? How did he have a wedding banquet so early?"

Xiao Liewen's face fell, pointing at him and saying, "We are talking about your problem now, don't talk about other things."

Chen Fan held back his laughter, "Captain, I understand what you mean, you can rest assured. In your words, I am still young, even if I want to get married, you can't give me a letter of introduction. You won't agree to a wedding banquet either. Besides, I'm not thinking about getting married, I don't even have a partner, who would I marry?"

Xiao Liewen blinked, looked at Lin Yuanxiang, then looked at him, and asked in a low voice, "You, with that educated youth girl, really nothing at all?"

Chen Fan spread his hands, "What could there be?"

He even gave an example with confidence, "Not to mention far away, Xiao'e is still sitting in the broadcasting room now. Huang Ying, Yang Ju, and Liu Dan also live in that educated youth courtyard. Do I have anything with them? Isn't it still nothing? You can't just say I have something with Comrade Jiang just because I hugged her yesterday, right? I have the 'heart of a doctor-parent', purely helping, nothing else, it would be the same for anyone else!"

Hearing this, Xiao Liewen was relieved, and immediately coughed, "It's good if there's nothing, just reminding you."

After a pause, he said again, "If there really is something..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Fan stood up and walked out, "I'm going to work."

Xiao Liewen immediately shouted, "One manuscript is not enough, write a few more, also, don't forget to draw."

Chen Fan's figure could not be seen, only his voice came, "Got it."

Hearing that there was no movement outside, Xiao Liewen turned to look at Lin Yuanxiang, and said in a low voice, "Do you think there's something going on?"

Lin Yuanxiang looked at the manuscript paper, chuckled, and said, "If there's nothing going on, I'll gouge out these eyes."

Xiao Liewen's expression changed slightly, "Really?"

Lin Yuanxiang turned to look at him, smiled, and said, "You first tell me about the educated youth girl's situation, why are you taking this attitude, what are you guarding against?"

Xiao Liewen didn't hesitate, briefly explained the situation, and finally said, "I'm not afraid of those people, and I don't think there's anything wrong with this little girl. But, this is a decision made by several people in the brigade headquarters, not to ask, not to care, as long as she doesn't cause any problems here, and then one day send her back safely and completely, no matter where she goes, our task will be completed."

He turned to look at Lin Yuanxiang, "If she gets married here, blocking her way forward, and then one day her family makes a comeback, do you think her family will cause trouble for us?"

Now is not like later. The collective era is a net, and everyone is a person in the net. A single hair can affect the whole body. You can't run away even if you want to.

Lin Yuanxiang pursed his lips, and after a long while, he sighed, and then said, "If you ask me, you're making a mountain out of a molehill. Let her make her own decisions about her own affairs. As long as you don't bully her, even if her old man becomes the top dog in Yunhu one day, it won't be your fault."

Xiao Liewen smiled sheepishly, "There's also the matter that a few people in the team think Little Chen is a pretty good guy, and they're wondering if we can keep him here."

Lin Yuanxiang chuckled twice and said, "Young people aren't settled down until they get married. Even if he builds a house here, it's the same. A house isn't a home. Getting married, having children, and having a family, that's a home. As long as he marries a girl from your team, even if he remembers his origins one day, he'll still be tied to your Lujiawan."

Xiao Liewen nodded slightly, "That's what we thought too."

Then he chuckled softly, "At first, we were worried about whether there was something wrong with his background, but after seeing his abilities, we really couldn't bear not to use him. This is what I think: even if he, like that educated youth girl, has a bad family background, it doesn't matter, as long as he doesn't commit any crimes, Lujiawan can accommodate him."

Lin Yuanxiang glanced at him, "What if he is the type to commit crimes?"

Xiao Liewen looked at him, "Do you think he is?"

Lin Yuanxiang was silent for two seconds, then shook his head gently, "He doesn't have any murderous intent in his eyes, and he's not ruthless enough at heart. He's not."

After pondering for two seconds, he added, "After watching him for so many days, I've pretty much seen through him. He's simple-minded, principled yet flexible, and has a high talent for martial arts. He really is a good seed. Teaching him a few skills is also a good way to leave a successor for my lineage, so it won't be cut off."

Xiao Liewen asked, "Then why aren't you teaching him? Is there still a problem?"

Lin Yuanxiang frowned and slowly shook his head, "I always feel like he's hiding something."

As he spoke, he turned to look at Xiao Liewen and said softly, "Back then, I was injured by a bomb, which damaged my brain. Although I still remembered my skills, I also forgot many things, including you old brothers. I forgot almost everything, and it took me a year or two to slowly remember it all."

"Look at him again. Apart from not remembering where he came from, he keeps showing off one skill after another."

He pointed to the wrapped cake on the table and smiled, "Leaving aside everything else, just this thing, others may not know, but you should. This thing is only available in Western restaurants. Even the master chefs of old-fashioned pastry shops can't make such a soft cake. But he can make it. And his memory is very good. He learns everything very quickly. Is that something someone with a brain injury can do?"

Xiao Liewen seemed to be deep in thought, "Are you saying that he hasn't lost his memory at all?"

Lin Yuanxiang smiled, "I'm just saying there's a possibility."

Xiao Liewen spread his hands, "But he doesn't have any bad intentions. I've been watching him for more than two months. This guy is definitely a young master from a wealthy family. He's completely ignorant of many common things, but his professional knowledge is very high. Isn't that a common problem with wealthy families?"

Lin Yuanxiang nodded, "Some outstanding children from wealthy families are indeed very capable and of high quality, but they don't understand the suffering of the common people, which is similar to Chen Fan's situation. What I'm struggling with now is which wealthy family he's from."

He turned to look at Xiao Liewen and smiled, "Don't let him be from the lineage of some old rival. We work so hard to teach him, only to end up making clothes for our opponent."

Xiao Liewen scoffed, "What rivals do you have? Isn't it just that little matter of competing for credit back then? It's been so many years, why can't you let it go? Besides, if he were really from the lineage of your old rival, would this kid be completely ignorant of martial arts?"

"You didn't see how weak and frail he was at the time, with unsteady steps and weakness. Even a woman was stronger than him. He definitely hasn't practiced martial arts."

"I don't know what you're worried about. I was even thinking of getting all your skills out of you, and in a year or two, sending him to the army to train him properly. Even if he's under your old rival, it's still a contribution to the country. What's wrong with that?"

Lin Yuanxiang smacked his lips, considered it, and nodded, "Alright."

Then he raised his head and smiled, "I'll ask him one last question. If there's nothing wrong, not to mention my skills, I've also learned the signature skills of a few old guys in the past two years. I can teach them all to him later."

Xiao Liewen immediately beamed, "That's right! It's not easy for you to find a successor, and it's also difficult for him to learn some skills. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"

Lin Yuanxiang shook his head and said to him, "You're going to so much trouble to show him kindness. Aren't you afraid that he'll turn around and leave one day?"

Xiao Liewen chuckled, "What's so kind about that? I just think he's a good seed. If he can be trained well, sending him to the army would be a good asset. And another thing,"

He suddenly lowered his voice and said softly, "I don't think he's an ungrateful person. The better you treat him, the better he'll treat you. As long as you see that, he won't be able to escape Lujiawan's network of favors."

Lin Yuanxiang pointed at him, "I can't believe that you, Xiao Manzi, are actually playing mind games."

Then he stood up and stretched, his bones cracking, and twisted his neck, laughing, "I'm going to talk to him."

Xiao Liewen waved his hand, "Go ahead, it doesn't matter if he's at the broadcasting station or not, just chat."

… …

When Chen Fan entered the broadcasting room, Zhang Cuie was already sitting there as usual, but she looked a little worried.

"What's wrong?"

Chen Fan walked over and looked, "Oh, you're writing a newsletter."

Zhang Cuie quickly stood up, poured him a cup of tea, and then said with a bitter face, "I've written several articles myself, but when I compare them to the articles in the newspaper, I feel like mine are too bad."

Then she looked at Chen Fan with admiration, "Teacher, you're so amazing. Your novels have even been published in 'Jiangnan Literature'."

Chen Fan held the tea mug, blew on it, took a small sip, and grinned, "Your situation is similar to mine back then. When I first started learning to write, I buried my head and wrote myself. After I finished writing, I looked at it and thought, 'Hey, it's pretty good.' Then after reading what others wrote, and looking at my own, I spat and thought, 'What the heck did I write?!'"

Hearing this, Zhang Cuie couldn't help but laugh.

After laughing, she hesitated a little, "You're not lying to me?"

Chen Fan raised his head and smiled, "What's the point of lying to you about this? There's no good food to be had by lying to you."

Zhang Cuie immediately took out a lunch box, took out a sweet potato from it, and offered it with both hands, "Teacher, here."

Chen Fan didn't stand on ceremony, picked it up and took a bite, "Hmm, delicious."

Then he also took out a lunch box from his bag and handed it to her, "I originally brought it for Secretary Yang and the others, but they're not here, so it's yours."

Zhang Cuie's eyes lit up, "What is it?"

Chen Fan handed it forward, "Open it and see for yourself."

Zhang Cuie took the lunch box, opened the lid, her eyes full of curiosity, and after sniffing it carefully, she raised her head and looked at Chen Fan, "What is this?"

Chen Fan then remembered that she should be like Huang Ying and Yang Ju yesterday, and had never seen cake before, so it was normal not to recognize it.

He smiled and said, "This is cake, it's a kind of pastry, try it."

Zhang Cuie was immediately full of surprise, and looked down at it, "Oh, this is cake? I've seen it in books."

As she spoke, she carefully picked up a piece, afraid of crushing it, and then brought her mouth close to take a small bite, raised her head, her eyes already narrowed into slits with laughter, "Delicious."

Chen Fan laughed, "It's all yours."

After a pause, he smiled again, "However, there's a request. After eating the cake, you must write a qualified newsletter. Just treat it as homework."

Zhang Cuie immediately nodded, "I guarantee to complete the task."

She looked down at the cake, then raised her head, her face a little hesitant, "Teacher, can I just eat one piece of this cake, and take the rest back for my parents to try?"

Chen Fan smiled and nodded, "Since I gave it to you, of course it's up to you to decide."

Zhang Cuie immediately smiled, "Thank you, Teacher."

Chen Fan was about to speak when a voice came from outside, "Little Chen."

He immediately turned around and walked out, standing on the corridor and looking down, "Uncle Lin, do you need me for something?"

Lin Yuanxiang waved to him, smiling, "Are you free? Come down and chat."

You old man have come to my door, how can I say I'm not free?

Chen Fan took off the cloth bag and shook it, "I'll put the bag away and come."