Reborn in 1977

Following the long embankment to the river wharf, Chen Fan boarded his small yacht, started the engine, and headed upstream.

Of course, he wasn't going back to Lujiawan, but to a cargo wharf upstream.

Chen Fan originally thought Yunhu only had two wharves, but he didn't expect that in addition to the large cargo wharf downstream not far from the passenger wharf, there was also a small cargo wharf upstream.

However, this wharf is exclusively for use by various large factories in the Chenbei Industrial Zone and generally does not accept foreign ships.

But it doesn't matter, he is considered half a member of the machinery factory, and he can just report the name of the machinery factory when the time comes.

Yunhu's waterways are well-connected, almost connecting all the districts and counties below and some communes, so whether it is for domestic sales or transportation to other places, taking the waterway is the most convenient.

Factories like the machinery factory, cotton mill, and Yunhu Steel Plant are all major customers of this wharf. Their raw materials are unloaded here, and the products sold to other places are also loaded onto ships here.

Speaking of this Yunhu Steel Plant, it sounds quite impressive, but it is actually one of the substandard steel plants built during the Great Leap Forward.

At that time, even the Nanhugongshe built a steel company, which was very "impressive," and refined a lot of iron.

But fortunately, in less than half a year, not to mention the Nanhugongshe Steel Plant, even all the steel plants in the entire Yunhu area were completely abolished, leaving only the prefectural committee as the sole survivor, which was considered the only remaining face.

The Yunhu area neither produces coal nor iron ore. All ore, coal, and diesel must be transported from other places, so the cost is extremely high. The products, however, lack competitiveness, so the production scale has been reduced again and again, and a large number of employees have been transferred to other units.

Now, the steel plant has only less than a thousand employees, mainly producing steel for construction, and there is also a special steel workshop that produces some special steel parts specifically for the machinery factory.

Overall, the market is basically local, which can be regarded as self-sufficient.

As a result, in the field of Yunhu's heavy industry, it can only follow behind the machinery factory and drink soup.

It's really embarrassing for the steel industry!

But then again, having this steel plant is also convenient.

For example, if Chen Fan wants to build a new house now, based on his position in the machinery factory, it would be no problem to directly get steel bars and cement to build a frame structure house.

Unlike a few months ago, he still had to safely go to the water transport company's repair shop and find a way to get some marine steel bars back, otherwise, he wouldn't even think about pouring prefabricated panels and building a two-story building.

A few minutes later, the boat docked. He first dragged two bamboo baskets out of the cabin, then put on his small backpack, carried the baskets with a carrying pole, walked up the cargo slope to the management office, and registered with the administrator who came out to check the situation.

There happened to be a machinery factory truck transporting goods, so Chen Fan took a ride back.

The truck swayed slowly. It was less than a ten-minute drive from the wharf to the gate of the machinery factory. He got off at the intersection and walked a few steps to his home.

He left on the evening of January 9th, and today is January 13th, exactly 4 days have passed.

Moreover, it has been snowing intermittently for these 4 days. In the unattended fields, the snow has accumulated to more than half a foot thick.

But at this time, there is only a thin layer of snowflakes in the yard, which should have fallen today and has not had time to clear.

Even the jeep parked in the corner of the yard has been wiped clean. Except for a thin layer of snow on top, it looks very clean overall.

Chen Fan looked at the time. It was 5:50 in the evening. Administrative units usually get off work at 6:00. He put the carrying pole in the living room, and casually put the backpack on the Eight Immortals table.

The two tabby cats guarding the house in the backyard heard the sound and walked out, obediently lying in front of him and meowing.

Chen Fan looked at them, then looked at the fresh fish piled in one of the bamboo baskets, pondered for two seconds, picked out two palm-sized crucian carp from it, turned around and threw them to them, "You are not allowed to touch the things here, whoever touches them dies!"

The two tabby cats had just put the fish in their mouths and were overjoyed when they heard this, they couldn't help but shudder, and immediately scurried back to the kitchen, not daring to look at the delicacies in the bamboo basket.

After taking care of the two cats, Chen Fan washed his hands in the backyard and started preparing dinner.

Have they eaten?

Hmph, he can be sure that in at most half an hour, someone will come here.

Sure enough, after Chen Fan made a pot and simmered it on the coal stove, and then sat at the door in a daze, the yard door was pushed open in a short while.

He looked up and saw Jiang Lili running over happily, followed by Jiang Tiantian closing the yard door, also quickening her pace unconsciously.

Chen Fan stood up, waved to them, and smiled, "I guessed you would come over. Dinner is ready. Let's eat first."

Jiang Lili stood under the eaves and stamped her feet, cleaning off the few snow and mud, her eyes staring straight at him, "When did you come back?"

Chen Fan, "I just got back not long ago."

Jiang Tiantian also stamped her feet and walked into the house, then turned around and closed the door, and said at the same time, "Why didn't you close the door just now? It's so cold."

Chen Fan smiled, "I just finished cooking, it's a little hot, just cooling off."

It's not good to say that he was waiting for them on purpose.

Jiang Tiantian looked at him helplessly, "The more you sweat in winter, the more you should avoid the wind, otherwise you will catch a cold."

She said as she walked inside, "You go and eat first, I'll sweep the snow in the yard before I go."

Jiang Lili quickly followed, "Sister, I'll do it with you."

But Chen Fan drove people away from behind, "Sweep what sweep, the snow has been swept clean, there's no fun at all, go eat."

Jiang Tiantian had just stood at the door of the utility room when she was pushed forward by her younger sister from behind. Jiang Lili could only hug her sister and laugh, "Don't push me, we won't sweep anymore, okay."

Chen Fan pushed them directly out of the back door before letting go, "If you're not enthusiastic about eating, there's something wrong with your thinking. Let's talk about anything after we finish eating."

The three entered the dining room, and without moving the dining table, they carried the coal stove with the stewed pot over, and then placed two bowls of side dishes and a bamboo basket of vegetables on the table, including cabbage and red cabbage moss, which are common vegetables in Yunhu in winter.

The main course was the fresh pork ribs that Chen Fan brought.

As in Lujiawan, Jiang Lili first poured wine for Chen Fan, and then served rice for herself and her sister.

Holding the rice bowl and sitting down at the table, she looked at Chen Fan and asked, "At this time, the team should be draining the pond, right?"

Chen Fan took a sip of wine, nodded and smiled, "It's drained, and all the fish have been caught. When I came, I didn't have time to distribute it to the whole team. The team brought your share to me first. In addition to the fish, there are also some lotus roots dug in advance."

Jiang Lili's eyes lit up immediately, "There are new lotus roots too."

Jiang Tiantian was a little curious, "She's not there anymore, does she still have these things?"

Chen Fan turned his head and smiled at her, "Although the person has left, the account is still there."

He said, glancing at Jiang Lili, "In this year, Lili has earned almost 2300 work points. This year, in addition to the normal agricultural income, the sideline income will also be added, so the value of the work points is particularly high. After deducting the previously issued rations, Lili should be able to receive another sum of money."

Hearing this, Jiang Lili smiled so much that her eyes curved into crescents.

Chen Fan continued with a smile, "In addition to the dividends, Lili will also have a share of the team's welfare goods."

He pointed to the living room outside, "I brought you the pork, fish, and lotus roots that were distributed."

He pointed to the ribs in the pot with his chopsticks and laughed, "These two ribs are Lili's welfare goods."

Jiang Lili was slightly stunned, "Did the team kill the New Year pigs so early?"

She has been in Lujiawan for nearly 4 years, and she naturally knows very well when to do what. According to the usual practice in previous years, the New Year pigs should be killed after the 20th of the twelfth lunar month. Why is it so early this year?

Chen Fan shook his head, "Not yet."

He picked up a rib, put it in Jiang Tiantian's bowl, and then picked up another one and put it in Jiang Lili's bowl, looking at her and smiling,

"This is the pork from Captain Yang's family. He knew I was going to send Anquan today, so he cut a piece first and asked me to bring it to you. I know you like to eat ribs, so I asked for a few front ribs and another pound of streaky pork. When the team kills the public New Year pigs, you can return your share to him."

Hearing this, Jiang Lili laughed like a fool again, feeling that Xiaofan was thinking about her all the time, and she was very happy.

Jiang Tiantian glanced at her sister helplessly. Even Xiaofan knew that you liked to eat ribs. Wouldn't you usually pick ribs to eat over there?

Unfortunately, her sister only stared at someone, completely ignoring her wink.

Jiang Lili took a bite happily, pursed her lips and chewed slowly. After eating the vegetables in her mouth, she asked, "Did Brother An go back to Shanghai today?"

Chen Fan put down his glass and nodded. "I'll send him off on the boat this afternoon. The journey will take four days, so he should arrive in Shanghai around the evening of the 17th."

Jiang Tiantian, who was beside him, suddenly said, "Then won't it take us four days on the boat to get to school too?"

Chen Fan turned to look at her, hesitated for a moment, and said, "If you take the boat, it will indeed take four days."

Jiang Lili held up four fingers, her eyes a little blank, as if imagining what it would be like to spend four days on a boat.

As for taking the train?

Sorry, there are no direct trains from the provincial capital to Shanghai right now.

To take the train, you would first have to travel from Yunhu to the provincial capital, then from the provincial capital to Zhengzhou, then transfer to Xuzhou or Nanjing, and finally to Shanghai.

This trip would not only be more expensive, but more importantly, it would require multiple transfers, and there were fewer trains at this time. Therefore, people from Yunhu traveling to other places, especially those close to the Yangtze River, basically chose to take a boat.

It was a bit slow, but it was convenient. You get on the boat, lie down on the bed, and you're there when you get off. How simple!

Jiang Tiantian looked at her sister's fingers, feeling a little dizzy. Four days, ah, wouldn't they get seasick?

Chen Fan looked at the two of them, hesitated for a moment, and said softly, "Or, how about I drive you there?"

The two sisters turned to look at him, seeming a little tempted.

But in the next second, they both shook their heads at the same time.

Jiang Tiantian said with a firm face, "It's better not to. It's such a long way, you'll be too tired driving. Besides, we're not some leading cadres, there's no reason to take a special car to school. No, no."

Jiang Lili put away her fingers and shook her head repeatedly. "It's better not to, we can just take the boat ourselves."

Chen Fan sighed softly, picked up some food, and said, "I was just worried about the bad influence, otherwise I would have wanted to drive to pick you up from work just now."

Jiang Lili was a little curious. "Just now, I saw you sitting at the door, as if you were waiting for us. How did you know we were coming?"

Chen Fan glanced at her, "I'm not blind. If it wasn't you, who swept the snow in the yard?"

The two sisters looked at each other, their faces a little flushed.

Jiang Tiantian quickly lowered her head to eat, and Jiang Lili coughed softly, decisively changing the subject, "We didn't talk much on the phone last time. When are Xiaoying and the others going to register at school?"

Chen Fan, "About the same time as you, registering at the end of February, and classes officially start on March 1st."

It seems that the start of the semester for this batch of undergraduate institutions is around this time, but there are also some that start later.

For example, in Fujian, they haven't even started the college entrance examination yet. They are much later than other provinces, it seems they take the exam in February or March, and start school in May.

But that is a very rare case, generally the exam is in December, and school starts in February or March.

Jiang Lili asked some other questions related to Huang Ying and the others, and Chen Fan told her everything.

In the end, when the two sisters heard that Huang Ying and the others were previewing their university coursework, they couldn't sit still anymore.

Jiang Lili looked at her sister, "Sister, should we also start previewing in advance?"

Jiang Tiantian nodded without hesitation, "Definitely."

She hesitated again, "But we have to work during the day, and we can't delay our work."

The two sisters looked at each other, their eyes involuntarily turning to Chen Fan.

Chen Fan looked at the two of them and smiled, "You also want to learn from An Quan and quit your jobs?"

Hearing this, the two sisters couldn't help but laugh dryly.

Their situation was a bit different from An Quan's. An Quan had worked in the unit for many years. Putting aside his contributions and hard work, at least he had enough seniority. If he wanted to resign and go to school, even the leaders wouldn't persuade him too much, but would instead offer a few words of blessing.

But the two sisters were sent to the Education Department by Chen Fan through Zhou Jie's connections to avoid trouble. Now that the trouble was gone and they had been admitted to university, it seemed a bit like kicking away the ladder after crossing the river if they just left like this.

If it were just them, they wouldn't have to think too much, but since Chen Fan was also involved, the two were a little hesitant.

Chen Fan looked at the two of them and smiled, "Quit if you want to. Actually, in my opinion, your current jobs are meaningless to you. You might as well quit and rest at home for a few days to prepare for school."

He picked up a piece of white radish and put it in his bowl, saying as he ate, "It's okay, I'll say hello to Sister Zuo and Sister Zhou tomorrow, they will all understand."

This matter is not a big deal. Every unit is like a radish in a hole. The leaders of the unit would be happy for them to leave, so they can use these two positions to exchange favors.

Moreover, they are different from Chen Fan, they are dispensable to the unit. Furthermore, the fact that they both got into university is a credit to the Education Department, enough to repay this favor.

Since staying is meaningless and leaving has benefits, Sister Zuo would be strange if she was angry!

Seeing that Chen Fan was so straightforward, the two sisters couldn't help but look at each other. Then, Jiang Tiantian looked at Chen Fan cautiously, "You won't be angry, will you?"

Chen Fan looked at her, "Why would I be angry?"

As he spoke, he suddenly chuckled and said to the two of them, "Don't overthink it, I know what I'm doing."

As soon as he finished speaking, he looked at the two of them again and smiled, "Are you secretly blaming me for reminding Xiaoying and the others to preview, but not reminding you?"

Jiang Tiantian immediately shook her head, "No."

Jiang Lili also shook her head repeatedly, "Really not."

After all, she understood Chen Fan a little more, and couldn't help but pout, "It's definitely not that we blame you, it's just that we don't understand why you reminded them, but not us?"

Chen Fan smiled and nodded, "Yes, that's the truth."

Jiang Lili's pretty face was slightly red, and she looked at him intently, whispering, "Why?"

Chen Fan raised his eyebrows, "Because their talent is not as good as yours."

The two sisters looked at each other and looked at him together, "What do you mean?"

Chen Fan smiled and said, "I could tell when you were preparing to review."

He first looked at Jiang Lili, "Your talent is very good. Whether it's liberal arts or science, you learn everything quickly. Moreover, before the announcement of the resumption of the college entrance examination, you were already reading textile books in the study. Plus, with the influence at home, you don't need to preview in advance, you are already far ahead of your future classmates."

Then looking at Jiang Tiantian, "Your talent is not bad either, but it's a bit lopsided. Your understanding of mathematics and science is relatively average, but this average is only relative to Lili. For others, like Huang Ying and the others, it's quite good.

Your greatest advantage is in liberal arts. Your memory and understanding of words are particularly good. You will be studying Chinese, so naturally, like Lili, you don't need to be too anxious."

He sighed as he spoke, "To be honest, Xiaoe and Xiaoying's talents are okay, but limited. At most, they are outstanding in Nanhu, but if you expand the scope to the whole country, they are just ordinary.

It's just that they are lucky, preparing so far in advance, and happening to catch up with the resumption of the college entrance examination and the difficulty of the test is not great, otherwise it would not be easy to get high scores.

That's why I asked them to preview in advance to prepare for entering university."

Finally, shrugging his shoulders at the two of them, "But you don't need to."

The two sisters looked at each other, pursing their lips and holding back their laughter. So, he was praising us?

The three chatted and ate, and before they knew it, the night was late. Looking at the time, it was already 7 pm, and Chen Fan prepared to send them back.

When Jiang Lili finished cleaning up the dishes and came out, Chen Fan took out two small packages from his backpack and handed them to them separately, smiling, "I should have given them to you on your birthdays, but I couldn't hold back, so I'll give them to you now."

The two sisters looked at him together, "What is this?"

Chen Fan handed it forward, smiling, "Birthday gifts."

Hearing this, Jiang Lili was immediately overjoyed and took it.

Jiang Tiantian was overjoyed, "There's one for me too?"

She didn't remember telling Chen Fan her birthday?

Chen Fan put the gift in her hand, smiling, "I saw your file, tomorrow is your birthday,"

Saying that, he looked at Jiang Lili, who was unwrapping the gift, "Hers is not far off either. I plan to go to the provincial capital these two days, so I'll give you your birthday gifts in advance."