Reborn in 1977

Chapter 616: Call Me Brother

Summer days were long and nights were short. After dinner, there was still over an hour before dark.

Zhang Xuansong was also an impatient man, so he went directly to find the two young women, wanting to settle the matter today.

Their homes were not far from here, only a ten-minute walk.

Before long, Zhang Xuansong arrived at his destination.

This place was clearly not a proper courtyard house, but a small, makeshift courtyard enclosed on three sides. The street-facing side was just a wall with two doors in the middle. The other three sides each had four rooms, each about 3 or 4 meters wide and 7 or 8 meters deep, with an area of over twenty square meters.

Yet, this courtyard housed seven families, and each family was cooking in makeshift kitchens at their doorsteps, while children ran around playing in the courtyard.

The sounds of spatulas, laughter, and adults scolding blended together, which would likely give anyone unaccustomed to it a headache.

Zhang Xuansong had lived in such places for many years. When he was in the army, training was even noisier than this, so he naturally didn't mind.

The courtyard door was naturally open since it wasn't dark yet. He walked in with his crutch, and greetings immediately rose and fell in the courtyard.

"Grandpa Zhang is here."

"Grandpa Zhang, have you eaten? If not, come to my house for a bite. I bought some pig's head meat today."

"Old Zhang, it's been a while. Come to my house for a couple of drinks."

Zhang Xuansong waved his hand, "You eat, you eat. I just finished eating."

Saying that, he stopped in place and laughed, "My apprentice is here. His cooking skills are no worse than a state banquet chef. I just had a feast."

An old man walked over with a cigarette, pulled one out, and handed it over, asking curiously, "Is that your writer apprentice? He can cook too?"

Zhang Xuansong didn't mind the low quality of the cigarette. He took it and lit it from the old man's pipe, smiling from ear to ear, "He can do many things. Cooking is the least impressive."

Saying that, he sighed, his face showing a bit of disappointment, "Alas, it's just that he doesn't focus on his studies, dabbling in everything. Otherwise, his achievements would definitely be higher than they are now."

Seeming afraid that people wouldn't believe him, he raised his head and glanced at the people surrounding him, "Hey, hey, hey, this isn't what I'm saying, it's what Mr. Mao Dun said."

No one doubted his words. Several old men here had been to his house and seen the calligraphy and paintings given to him by literati, which indeed included Mr. Mao Dun's work.

However, looking at Old Zhang's appearance, why did it feel like he was showing off?

The old man who offered the cigarette said, "Look, look, if you hadn't insisted on taking him as an apprentice and teaching him martial arts, the young man would have become a great writer long ago."

Zhang Xuansong's old face darkened. How did this stone hit his own foot?

Just as he was about to argue, two young women ran out of different rooms on the left and right, both greeting at the same time, "Grandpa Zhang, you're here."

Seeing these two people come out, Zhang Xuansong could only suppress his anger and wait to argue with the old man next time.

He then waved to the two women, "I found you a dormitory. Go pack your things and move over today."

After a pause, he added, "There are quilts and bedding there, just bring a few changes of clothes."

Before he finished speaking, two couples walked out of those two rooms, greeting Zhang Xuansong from afar.

Behind them were several children, some older and some younger, the oldest seventeen or eighteen, the youngest only ten or so. Including everyone, one family had a total of six people, two adults and four children, and the other family had seven people, with one more child.

Zhang Xuansong said that seven or eight people squeezed into one room, which was not an exaggeration.

Before they could walk up to him, it was clear that both men had some disabilities, one limping and the other missing a hand.

Zhang Xuansong looked at the two heads of the households, a slight smile on his face, "How are you all doing?"

The limping one smiled, revealing his back molars, "Good, good, good. Thanks to you for finding a job for our Juanzi. The family is much better off now, and we can save a few yuan at the end of the month."

The one with the missing hand also nodded and smiled, "Now many young people are coming back, and they can't even find temporary work. It's good that Ma Lan can support herself and give the family a few yuan for living expenses."

After a pause, he asked, "Old... Grandpa Zhang, you just said you found them a dormitory? Does temporary work come with a dormitory?"

Zhang Xuansong took a puff of his cigarette, turned to look at the two girls who were looking at him nervously, and then looked around, everyone else had already dispersed.

Only then did he turn back and smile softly, "I didn't tell you before, that house belongs to my apprentice."

While speaking, he subtly observed the expressions of the few people.

Besides the two girls who couldn't help but show surprised expressions, everyone else just gave a slightly knowing "Oh".

Zhang Xuansong couldn't help but nod in satisfaction, these two girls were indeed tight-lipped, not even telling their families about the situation of the house, otherwise it wouldn't be this kind of expression.

After a pause, he said softly, "I saw that there were too many people in your families, so I mentioned it to my apprentice, letting the two girls live there, which would not only make it easier to work in the future but also take care of the house. He agreed without saying a word.

So, since it's still early, I came over to ask them to bring their luggage and move over. They'll live there from now on. They can come back to visit when they have time, and it won't delay them from helping the family."

The two heads of the households were immediately filled with excitement. The limping one grabbed Zhang Xuansong's hand, "Old leader, ah no, Grandpa Zhang, I, I..."

Zhang Xuansong shook off his hand and said unhappily, "If I had known you were such a crybaby, I wouldn't have wanted you to be my signalman."

Catching his breath, he pointed at the two and scolded in a low voice, "You two have the same temper as Old Xiao, refusing the jobs I arranged for you, one going to be a shoemaker, the other going to collect scraps, living a hard life yourself, and making your wives and children suffer with you, as if you're capable, huh?"

The two didn't get angry after being scolded, just laughing with him.

The one with the missing hand laughed, "Grandpa Zhang, we're different from you. You know how to lead troops and fight wars. If you can't go to the battlefield, you can still be a staff officer or an instructor. We're useless when we're disabled. It's good enough that the country can arrange jobs and give us food. We can't do anything else."

Zhang Xuansong glared at him, "Then you don't agree with me arranging jobs for Juanzi and Ma Lan either."

This time, both of them were silent, just laughing foolishly.

Zhang Xuansong shook his head and glanced at the others.

Juanzi's mother held her hand tightly, squeezing it, with only a smile on her face, without any resentment.

Ma Lan held her mother's arm, looked at Zhang Xuansong, and said with a smile, "Grandpa Zhang, our family is headed by my father, whatever he says is what it is, besides, didn't you let us go to do temporary work, and we all went?"

Zhang Xuansong sighed, "You guys are even more stubborn than Old Xiao."

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly raised his head, his face becoming somewhat complicated, "That's not right, Old Xiao is rich now."

He looked at the two of them, "Old Xiao said his bonus last year was over ten thousand. Why don't you go to him and freeload?"

The two men looked at each other and couldn't help laughing. The limping one even laughed and said, "That's a good idea. We'll find a time to go this year and freeload off him for three days and three nights."

Zhang Xuansong rolled his eyes, "If you said you'd write a letter to have Old Xiao come over, I'd believe you. You guys going over? Hmph, I'd believe you if ghosts did!"

Then he waved to the two girls, "Quickly, pack up your things and come with me."

Actually, there wasn't much to pack. In less than five minutes, Liu Juan and Ma Lan each came out carrying a bundle.

Zhang Xuansong leaned on his crutch and stood up, waving to the two who had been by his side all along, "No need to see me off, let's go."

Liu Juan and Ma Lan quickly followed behind. Their mothers hurried to catch up, repeating the countless instructions again, "You must be diligent when you get there, keep your mouths shut, and know your place. He's a great writer, so don't offend him."

The two didn't say anything, just nodded repeatedly.

They looked at Zhang Xuansong's back, secretly amused in their hearts. We haven't even told you how big the great writer's house is, so how are we supposed to keep our mouths shut?

When Zhang Xuansong brought the two back, just as they entered the courtyard gate, they heard Chen Fan speaking, "That recipe of Grandpa Liu's doesn't need to be changed. It's just a conditioning recipe, it can't cure diseases, it can only slightly improve the body.

He's been eating it for a few months, and his body has noticeably improved, which means it's working. So just keep eating it.

As the old saying goes, control your mouth and move your legs, and your body will get better. Grandpa Liu should continue to eat according to that recipe, and after a year or two, when he's completely nourished his body, I'll change the recipe for him, and then he can eat something better."

Lin Yuanxiang clicked his tongue twice, "I was originally planning to take you to see Old Marshal tomorrow, but since you say so, then let's wait a year or two."

Chen Fan's expression immediately changed, and he said with a serious face, "What I mean is that medical skills emphasize observation, listening, questioning, and feeling the pulse. Just in case, it's better to diagnose him in person."

Li Shangde calmly drank his tea, then spat out some tea leaves, "Let's forget it. It's rare for your cousin to come, you should keep her company."

Just as Zhou Yali was about to speak, she saw her younger brother glance at her and say coldly, "She's so old, how much company does she need? Let her play by herself, we can't delay work!"

Just then, Zhang Xuansong brought the two girls into the living room. Chen Fan immediately looked at them and asked, "Are you from old Beijing?"

Liu Juan and Ma Lan looked at each other, nodded slightly nervously, "We both grew up in Beijing."

Chen Fan snapped his fingers, then pointed at Zhou Yali, "She wants to go to the hutongs tomorrow, you take her."

Zhou Yali's eyes were glazed over, Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?

Liu Juan and Ma Lan were even more at a loss, and turned to look at Zhang Xuansong.

Old Zhang coughed dryly, pointed at Chen Fan, and reluctantly introduced him, "He is Chen Fan."

He didn't even say the words "disciple," which he usually had on his lips every day.

Liu Juan and Ma Lan looked at Chen Fan curiously.

Is this the most famous writer of today?

Sure enough, his mental state is very active!

Lin Yuanxiang looked at Chen Fan's determined face, then at Zhou Yali's glazed eyes, and Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian's confused and curious faces, and finally could only sigh lightly, "Alright, alright, go buy more vegetables tomorrow morning, and these three girls go too."

Chen Fan immediately beamed with joy, "Okay."

After a brief explanation, after packing up, Chen Fan and the others walked towards their own courtyard with Liu Juan and Ma Lan.

As soon as they left the courtyard, Zhou Yali jumped to Chen Fan's side, grabbed his arm and whispered, "Who is that Grandpa Liu?"

He doesn't even want his older sister anymore, he just wants to see an unknown Grandpa Liu? Is he out of his mind?

Chen Fan coughed dryly, glanced back, and after finding that Liu Juan and Ma Lan were relatively far behind, he whispered a name.

Zhou Yali frowned slightly at first, but in less than two seconds, a thunderclap sounded in her mind, and she immediately blurted out, "Liu… um, um, um."

Chen Fan had anticipated this, slapped his hand over her mouth, carefully glanced around, and after finding nothing unusual, released her hand, "Shut up."

Zhou Yali quickly covered her mouth with both hands and nodded repeatedly, but her eyes were full of excitement.

Because their voices were too low, Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian, who were following behind, didn't hear clearly. The two sisters immediately looked at each other and leaned over at the same time, "What are you talking about?"

Chen Fan turned his head and muttered a sentence. The two sisters instantly widened their eyes and covered their mouths with both hands at the same time.

They also knew who Grandpa Liu was.

Only Liu Juan and Ma Lan were left behind, feeling a little at a loss.

But this wasn't important. The two of them didn't have a gossipy mind. At this time, their minds were full of whether this great writer was easy to get along with.

People in this era walk relatively fast. In less than half an hour, the group walked to the gate of the courtyard by the Back Lake.

Opening the door and going in, only then did Chen Fan look at the two and smile, "The building in the back was originally prepared as guest rooms. You can go there and choose a room each. There are bedding, sheets, and straw mats in the utility room. You can arrange it yourself."

When the two heard this, they looked at each other again. Then Liu Juan whispered, "Chen…"

For a moment, she didn't know how to address Chen Fan.

Calling him boss was definitely impossible. No one uses that title these days. Calling him comrade would seem disrespectful. Calling him sir? That didn't seem appropriate either.

Chen Fan understood what she meant at a glance, and immediately smiled, "You can call me Brother Chen, or just call me by my name, Chen Fan, either is fine."

After a pause, he asked again, "By the way, how old are you this year?"

Liu Juan, "I'm 21. I graduated from high school at 18, went to the countryside for 3 years, and came back this year."

Ma Lan, "I'm 22. I had just turned 19 when I graduated from high school. I also went to the countryside for 3 years, and came back with Juanzi."

Chen Fan couldn't help but turn dark when he heard this. How come they're all older than me?

No, they're older than the age I registered.

Within a few short hours, he regretted registering his age too young for the second time.

But "young" remains an unsolvable problem.

Because of this, he could only sigh lightly, "Well, you can call me Brother Fan or Brother Chen, either is fine. You should be familiar with this place, so go find a place to live yourself. I won't take you there."

Jiang Lili smiled beside him, and glared at Chen Fan playfully. This stinky younger brother tricked me like this at first.

Liu Juan quickly said, "Brother Chen, it's fine for the two of us to live in one room. Uh, you just arrived, you probably haven't made the beds yet, I'll make the beds for you first."

Ma Lan, "Yeah, yeah, she's right."