Reborn in 1977

Chapter 424: Not Giving Up

Team Leader Yang looked at Chen Fan, then at Supervisor Huang and Accountant Liu, and finally turned back, asking, "Which three conditions?"

Chen Fan held up a finger, "First, only three people are allowed to come. I can't take care of more than that."

Team Leader Yang thought for a moment, tentatively saying, "When Little Jiang was here before, wasn't it four people?"

Chen Fan slightly curled his lips, "I wasn't part of the Sanitation Department back then."

Team Leader Yang also curled his lips, looked at Huang and Liu, who both nodded almost imperceptibly, and then accepted it readily, "Alright, three it is."

Anyway, there are only three surnames in the team, and like before, each family will send one person, which is just right. Four people would be difficult to divide.

Team Leader Yang then asked, "What's the second condition?"

Chen Fan picked up his teacup and took a sip, turned to look out the window, and then turned back to say, "Recently, to make it easier for Yang Ju and the others to study, I specifically let them live here. After the exam, I didn't let them move back.

But if new people come, they can't live here anymore. Let them clean up the educated youth compound below and live there, or they can just live at home."

Huang Ying, Yang Ju, and the others were allowed to move in because they were familiar with each other, and he understood their personalities and habits. If it were someone else, what if they were gossipy or sloppy?

He couldn't stand that. It's better to keep a distance, at least initially.

Upon hearing this, Team Leader Yang immediately nodded without a second thought, saying, "That's how it should be. They're here to learn skills from you, not to enjoy themselves. There's no reason for them to live in your home. You don't even need to say it; we wouldn't let them live here."

Chen Fan smiled and directly stated the third condition, "I don't have much time to teach them. They can only be like Yang Ju and the other two, doing whatever they usually do. When I have time, I'll teach them temporarily. They don't need to become formal disciples; just treat them as apprentices. But there's no salary here."

After he finished speaking, Team Leader Yang laughed heartily, "I thought they were some serious ground rules, but it's just these few. Alright, I guarantee there won't be any problems."

Aren't apprentices usually unpaid? And after learning the skills, there's still the 'three years of apprenticeship, two years of service, and gifts on holidays' custom.

You can say that's old feudalism and a bad custom. It doesn't matter. Anyway, whether to teach or not is up to the master, and if the master thinks it's a bad habit and selflessly imparts knowledge, then just learn it.

But how many masters are like that?!

It was only later, with the explosion of knowledge, that people could learn any skill they wanted by paying money at school, and these old customs gradually faded from the mainstream stage of history.

But even in the new century, there are still many places where people who take on apprentices still follow the old rules, which shows that there's a reason for their existence.

After all, the premise of 'three years of apprenticeship, two years of service' is that there's no tuition fee, which is still very attractive to many people.

As for now, since it's said to be teaching a craft, even if Chen Fan doesn't require them to kowtow and become formal disciples, the necessary rules cannot be missing.

Otherwise, not to mention how well they learn the skills, gossip alone could drown them.

At this moment, Huang Ying came to invite them, "Teacher Chen, the meal is ready."

Chen Fan stood up, grinning, "Please, everyone."

The group stood up one after another and moved to the dining area.

The meal was naturally arranged in the dining room. They were on this side, while Huang Ying and the others ate in the adjacent kitchen.

With just a few people, there was no need for a large table. Huang Ying and the others understood Chen Fan, placing the dining table by the window, with a hole in the middle, under which was a coal stove, supporting a large iron pot. The edge of the pot was flush with the tabletop, and around it were six plates of stir-fried dishes with a mix of meat and vegetables.

Dozens of yellow croaker, glistening with oil, soaked in the broth, with bubbles occasionally rising from the sauce-like soup, accompanied by a rich aroma that instantly aroused one's appetite.

Since they were all familiar, there was no need to be so formal. Team Leader Yang and Security sat on one side, Accountant Liu and Supervisor Huang sat on the other, and Chen Fan sat directly facing the window, so he could eat and enjoy the snow scene outside.

Team Leader Yang and the others didn't have so much sentimentality. They had already impatiently sat down, waiting for Chen Fan to gesture, "Please."

They immediately picked up their chopsticks and started grabbing dishes.

After a mouthful of delicious fish, Security's face showed a look of intoxication, and he gave a thumbs up without hesitation, "This taste is absolutely amazing!"

Team Leader Yang also nodded repeatedly, "Even Chef Zhu from the commune's state-run restaurant probably couldn't make this dish taste this good."

He picked up the wine bowl in front of him and smiled at Chen Fan, "Little Chen, come, let's toast to you."

Before Chen Fan could speak, Accountant Liu picked up his wine bowl with a chuckle, "This dish was mainly cooked by Liu Dan. What are you toasting for?"

After speaking, he shook it at Chen Fan, "Come, I'll toast to you, thanking you for teaching our Liu Dan so many skills. I'll finish mine, you can do as you please!"

Chen Fan hadn't even eaten a bite of food yet, so he could only pick up his wine bowl and smile, "Don't be so polite among ourselves. Come, come, let's all have a toast together."

With a series of clangs, Team Leader Yang and the three others took a sip first, and then their eyes lit up, and they directly emptied the wine in their bowls.

In fact, these wine bowls didn't hold much wine. The base was high, and the top looked like a plate. One bowl of wine was just enough for one tael, which was just enough to rinse their mouths for these old drunks.

Putting down his wine bowl, Team Leader Yang took the initiative to pick up the wine bottle and pour wine, while saying, "This wine of yours is well-brewed. It's even better than Yunhu Daqu. Have they learned it?"

The 'they' he was referring to was naturally Yang Ju and the other two.

Chen Fan smiled, "They know how to brew wine, but as for how good they can brew it, we'll only know after they brew it themselves."

Supervisor Huang next to him said with a smile, "I don't have high requirements. It's enough if it's better than Old Tang's wine."

Accountant Liu rolled his eyes, pointing at the wine bowl and saying, "As long as it's half as good as this wine, it can leave Old Tang eight streets behind!"

Team Leader Yang nodded repeatedly, "Yes, when it's sunny one day, my family will also brew a vat."

At this time, Security poured cold water on them, "Chen Fan brewed this wine for almost half a year. At the latest, they'll be going to college in March next year. Will they still have time to brew wine for you?"

Chen Fan chuckled and didn't say anything.

The time for brewing wine varies, with some taking as little as half a month to produce wine, and others taking as long as three to four months.

The reason why this batch of wine is so mellow as soon as it's brewed is because the fermentation period is as long as 100 days, and then it's distilled, blended, and formulated into several different flavors, and finally placed in the wine cellar below the restaurant for several months before being taken out to drink recently.

Of course, it's also possible to let Yang Ju and the others brew wine in a short period of time, but it certainly won't be as mellow as this batch of wine that he personally brewed, and the taste won't be as good as what he formulated.

Team Leader Yang and the others next to him were silent when they heard Security's words.

Yang Ju and the others will all be cadres in the future. How can they be delayed by brewing wine?

But if Yang Ju and the others can't, the people who come later can.

It's just a matter of waiting a few more days.

Thinking of this, Team Leader Yang couldn't wait to say, "Little Chen, how about letting someone come over today?"

Chen Fan understood that he was talking about the person who was coming to be an apprentice, so he nodded, "Sure, anyway, there's everything in the yard below, and the rooms are empty. Just clean it up a bit and they can move in."

After a pause, he asked again, "They're coming today? Has the person been decided yet?"

Although he wasn't particularly familiar with the people in the village, he had at least become familiar with their faces, and he knew a little about most of them.

Team Leader Yang immediately said, "My family will let Yang Mei come over."

Chen Fan nodded. Captain Yang's family had five children. The eldest was Yang Ju, who would only turn 16 next year. The second eldest was Yang Mei, who was a little over a year younger than Yang Ju. She should be about 14 and a half now. She wasn't as big as Yang Ju when she first came to the courtyard, but she was just right for being an apprentice.

The main thing was that he had a good impression of Yang Mei. This girl, like her sister, was quick and nimble. She wasn't exactly an expert in farm work, but she knew the ropes. She just lacked experience.

But Chen Fan wasn't farming here. He only had a vegetable garden and some animals to manage, which she should be able to handle.

Just as he had the thought, supervisor Huang said with a smile, "What a coincidence, we've decided on Huang Ying's younger sister, Huang Li. She was born in the same month as your Yang Mei, only a few days apart."

Chen Fan raised his eyebrows slightly. Why were they all younger sisters?

Could it be that the position of doing odd jobs for me was set up as a family tradition?

At this moment, accountant Liu also said with a smile, "Liu Dan also has a younger sister…"

Before he could finish, supervisor Huang scoffed, "Forget it. If you were talking about Little Dan's younger brother, that would be fine, but her little sister isn't even 10 years old yet, right? Are you letting her come here to help Teacher Chen with work? Or are you letting Teacher Chen take care of your child for you?"

Hearing this, Chen Fan couldn't help but widen his eyes. Not even 10 years old yet?

He definitely couldn't take that!

Accountant Liu's face immediately darkened. "When did I say I was going to let her little sister come over? I haven't even finished speaking, why are you interrupting?"

With a snort, he turned to look at Chen Fan, a smile reappearing on his face. He said, "Liu Dan's sister is too young. It's definitely not appropriate to send her over. However, my second brother's eldest daughter just turned 14 the day before yesterday. In the past, we could have talked about marriage, but of course, that won't work now. We have to wait two more years.

That girl isn't cut out for studying. She dropped out of school before finishing the second grade, but she definitely has no problem recognizing words and doing math. But when it comes to reading and writing, she can't beat other educated people, so she can't count on getting a job in the production team's sideline units.

A few days ago, my second brother came to me, hoping to find her a way to learn a skill. It just so happens that you need people here, so I'll have her come over when I get back."

Hearing him say this, Captain Yang and supervisor Huang nodded slightly.

Captain Yang also said to Chen Fan, "Old Liu is talking about Liu Laoer's family's Liu Lu. That name was given to her by elementary school teacher Xiao after offering a few eggs. She has two older brothers and two younger sisters. Although she's called the eldest daughter, she's actually the third child in the family. She's honest and well-behaved, and her appearance isn't inferior to her cousin Liu Dan. Moreover, she's quick and nimble, a good seedling for work."

In this era, the order of children in a family is ranked separately. Boys are counted on one side, and girls are counted on the other. Therefore, families with many children will simultaneously have an eldest brother, eldest sister, second brother, and second sister. Liu Lu is in this situation.

At this moment, supervisor Huang suddenly interjected, "She's just a little thin, like a bamboo pole. She needs to be nourished."

Hearing this, accountant Liu immediately became unhappy. "They're all young girls. They're not married women. Which one doesn't go from thin to fat?"

As he spoke, he glanced at Chen Fan, a sentence unspoken in his heart.

Doesn't little Chen like them skinny? Otherwise, how could he have failed to keep all three of them, letting that little Jiang hook him away?

Chen Fan watched them argue and didn't try to mediate. They were old partners, and they had always gotten along like this over the years. If an outsider were to mediate, it might actually spark a real fire.

He picked up his wine bowl. "Come, come, let's drink, let's drink."

After a few mouthfuls of wine and food, Chen Fan suddenly reacted. He tilted his head and looked from side to side. "Wait, why are you all sending girls over again this time?"

Hearing this, the table suddenly fell silent.

In the kitchen next door, Huang Ying poked the fish with her chopsticks, looking angry. Yang Ju glanced at her, then at the door separating the dining room, and said softly, "That's enough. You're going to poke the fish to pieces."

Huang Ying's eyes flickered, and she suddenly sighed, "It takes four years to go to college. Who knows what we'll be like when we come back."

Liu Dan raised her head and looked at the two of them in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Yang Ju turned her gaze to her and sighed, saying, "Didn't you hear what they said? They want to send Yang Mei, Huang Li, and Liu Lu over as apprentices. If they really want to learn skills, why not send my brother Yang Yong, your brother Liu Tao, and that Liu Lu's brother over?"

Liu Dan was just slow to react, but she wasn't stupid. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to keep up with Yang Ju and Huang Ying's learning progress and get high scores.

Hearing Yang Ju's words, she immediately reacted, pointing outside and saying, "Teacher Chen has already chosen Sister Li, haven't they given up yet?"

Yang Ju immediately gasped, "Keep your voice down."

Fortunately, the dining room outside was very loud just now, or they would have really heard it, which would have been very embarrassing.

Huang Ying glanced at the dining room door again, pouting and saying, "Teacher Chen is dating Sister Li, but they're not married yet. Have you forgotten that in the past, there were even people who would come to snatch the bride even when the wedding was about to take place, and there were also people who would intercept blind dates.

Anyway, in their eyes, Teacher Chen is a golden doll, and as long as there's still a chance, they want to try."

Yang Ju glanced at her. "Who are you making faces at? Aren't you just as unwilling to give up as they are?"

Huang Ying glared at her. "Have you given up?"

Yang Ju lowered her head and ate her meal, not saying anything.

In the dining room next door, Captain Yang and the others laughed awkwardly when they heard Chen Fan's words.

After several seconds, accountant Liu said, "It's not that we deliberately chose girls to come over. It's mainly because you only need three people here, so we can only leave the good opportunities for them. Boys are always better at making a living than girls, right?"

His words seemed to open up ideas for Captain Yang and supervisor Huang.

Captain Yang slapped his thigh and said, "That's right. Now the production team's sideline business is doing so well. Our team 6 also has its own pottery workshop, and the brigade has bought so many agricultural machines. Whether it's farming or going to the pottery workshop or joining the transportation team, there's no shortage of opportunities to support a family.

On the other hand, girls, if they can't get into the cooked food store or the cooked food workshop, they can only dig for food in the fields. They can't even get into the pottery workshop. The adults are doing the work of making pottery blanks, and it's not their turn.

They can only be sent to you to learn a good skill. In the future, whether it's eating or getting married, it's a long-term job that can help them."

Supervisor Huang nodded repeatedly. "Moreover, I also heard from Little Ying that there are many delicate tasks here, and girls are more careful and do their work more carefully.

In case there's anything that requires effort, they can also go home and ask their brothers for help, which won't delay things."

Chen Fan looked left and right and laughed twice. "I just said it casually. Why are you guys so excited?"

Captain Yang's face turned red, and he laughed awkwardly. "After all, they're going to be sent to you here, so some things must be explained clearly.

Well, that's settled then. I'll have them bring their bedding and luggage over later. It just so happens that Yang Ju and the others are here during this time, so they can guide them hand in hand for two months, so as not to delay your affairs."

After saying that, he changed the subject. "By the way, the commune has issued a notice that the river dike will be undergoing major repairs this year. After this snow stops, the brigade will convene the leaders of each team to discuss the dike repair.

If it's just a matter of raising the height, that's fine, but if it's a matter of thickening it, your boat will have to be moved. I'm giving you a heads-up in advance."