Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 373 Sudden Attack
Chen Fan picked up the exercise book on the table and flipped through it casually. Inside were exercise questions that Zhang Cuie had carefully copied, stroke by stroke.

This is Chen Fan's requirement for all students in the training class.

Before studying, copy down all the practice questions. After studying each part, do the corresponding practice questions yourself. Reinforce the parts you got right and review the parts you got wrong.

By practicing repeatedly in this way, you can consolidate the knowledge you have learned in the shortest possible time.

In an era without learning materials, this was the only way to practice.

Putting down the workbook, Chen Fan asked Zhang Cuie, "Have you started studying the history and geography materials I found for you?"

Zhang Cuie nodded vigorously and said with a smile, "I've already started studying. Every morning I study Chinese, politics, and English, in the afternoon I study math, physics, and chemistry, and in the evening I study history and geography. I study until midnight every day."

Chen Fan nodded, his face full of smiles. "That's right. You're still young, so take advantage of your energy to learn more things. You'll be able to use them sooner or later."

He paused for a moment, pondered for two seconds, and asked, "Where have you learned in physics and chemistry?"

Zhang Cuie quickly replied, "Oh, I've just finished the third book."

Chen Fan smiled and said, "Okay, starting today, you can put physics and chemistry on hold for now."

Zhang Cuie's eyes widened. "Huh?"

Chen Fan looked at her and smiled, “A person’s energy is limited. There are so many basic subjects: politics, Chinese, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, history, geography, and English. You can’t possibly learn them all, nor do you need to be proficient in them all.”

Schools have arts and sciences tracks, and jobs are divided into technical and administrative positions, which shows that you don't need to learn all the subjects.

Your dream is to become a broadcaster, and broadcasting is more focused on the humanities. Since that's the case, you have to make some choices.

Starting today, your study time must be allocated to 70% of the three main subjects: Politics, Chinese, and English. The remaining 30% should be devoted to History and Geography. I will be assessing you at any time…”

At this point, he coughed lightly and smiled at Zhang Cuie, "Do you know what I went to the prefectural committee for this time?"

Zhang Cuie was still thinking about Chen Fan's words when she heard this. It took her two seconds to process what he said. She blinked and looked at him, "Go sell chickens, ducks, and geese, and... enroll in a correspondence university?"

Chen Fan nodded and smiled, "Yes, it's about enrolling in a correspondence university. Actually, going to university isn't difficult. Although we don't have the opportunity to get a recommendation, we can obtain a university admission notice through correspondence education."

If you study diligently, you'll have two paths to choose from. Firstly, the brigade will have more and more side jobs, and you can use your skills to get a job in one of them, including this broadcaster position, which I can also arrange for you.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Cuie blushed deeply and quickly said, "Teacher, I didn't mean to take yours..."

Chen Fan raised his hand to interrupt her and laughed, "First of all, I really don't care about this broadcaster position. You've done a good job lately. I was originally planning to teach you how to repair the broadcasting equipment, but we'll talk about that later. Anyway, I'm in the team, so I can come over anytime if there's a problem."

Secondly, it's not a robbery, but rather I'm giving it to you. Even without this broadcaster, I still have a veterinarian, and the production team will have its own fleet of boats and vehicles in the future. You don't need to worry about me being idle, let alone about me having no income.

However, the prerequisite for you to become a broadcaster is that you must study hard.

In addition, if you can successfully pass the entrance exam for a correspondence university and obtain a graduation certificate, you will definitely have the opportunity to work in a commune, county, or even prefectural committee unit. That will be the real leap from the carp over the dragon gate, allowing you to jump out of this small world.

So, everything depends on whether you study hard and get good grades, understand?

Zhang Cuie pressed her lips tightly together, staring blankly at Chen Fan, her eyes reddening.

After a few seconds of hesitation, she nodded vigorously, her voice trembling with tears, "I understand, teacher."

Chen Fan took out a handkerchief and handed it over, laughing, "Why are you crying? You're almost 16 years old, aren't you ashamed? Hurry up and wipe your tears."

He genuinely treated this little girl like a younger sister.

Stubborn, hardworking, competitive, and sincere, she almost always obeyed her teacher, making her naturally likable.

As for the handkerchiefs, they were all made by Jiang Lili and the others when they practiced sewing at home. The four of them made dozens of them together, all made by sewing together scraps of cloth, then piecing two pieces together and sewing them together with a sewing machine. They were very thick.

He's now used to bringing one with him when he goes out.

The main reason is that Jiang Lili and the others would put a handkerchief in his pocket every night beforehand, so he would never miss it.

After Zhang Cuie wiped away her tears and calmed down, Chen Fan let her continue studying and then turned and left.

Speaking of which, shouldn't we send Zhang Cuie something valuable in the future?

Otherwise, if he slacked off every day and collected his own salary while she did all the work, Chen Fan felt a little guilty.

Feeling a pang of guilt, Chen Fan walked to the front yard. By then, most of the office staff had left, leaving only Yang Xingxiu.

Yang Xingxiu was tidying up the table when she saw Chen Fan peeking in from the doorway. She immediately walked over and said with a smile, "Didn't you go looking for something to eat? Didn't you find anything? How about I make you some cured pork rice in the kitchen next door?"

Chen Fan quickly waved his hand, "I'm going crazy eating cured meat every day, I'm not eating it anymore."

Yang Xingxiu's lips twitched slightly. "Going crazy from eating cured meat? If others heard this, you'd see if they wouldn't go crazy!"

Chen Fan smiled and asked, "Have the secretary and the others gone out?"

Yang Xingxiu nodded. "My dad and Captain Zhang went to Team 4 to find Master Wang to go to the repair shop to inspect the goods. Uncle Ye and Brother An took people to inspect the farm. Each team handed over a batch of ducks and geese. He went to check on the situation. Also, the rabbit hutch is almost full. We need to move out a batch of grown male rabbits. We'll deal with them when you have time."

The female rabbits will continue to breed, while the useless male rabbits can be disposed of, which will free up space and also generate some additional income.

Chen Fan laughed and said, "Sure, once you've chosen your people, I'll teach them how to cook, and we'll cook rabbit together."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "Where are Captain Xiao and Brother Sanhu? Didn't they go to check on the farm together?"

When the militia company was not busy, they would either follow Ye Shubao to work on production or coordinate the work of various teams with Captain Zhang and Secretary Yang. But today they were not with either side, which naturally puzzled him.

Yang Xingxiu shook her head and said, "No, they all went to the militia training this afternoon."

Chen Fan was taken aback. "The militia company is having another training session?"

A quick calculation showed that it was already autumn. There hadn't been any training camps in the summer, and there were countless farm chores to do in the fall. He had thought he would have to wait until winter training. Yang Xingxiu smiled and continued to shake his head, "If it weren't for the militia company's training, I would have gone too."

By the way, she was also the squad leader of the communications platoon in the militia company. In the past, when the militia had the most members, she was also the company commander of the female soldiers' company. If the militia really had a training camp, she would definitely participate.

Speaking of this female soldiers' company... well, never mind, I'd better not talk about it.

Chen Fan had heard from Zhang Wenliang that a few years ago, during the peak of the militia movement, everyone in the production team had joined the militia, including the women. Now, every woman over 20 years old knows how to fight with bayonets and rifles.

He then thought of the women who were about to be selected to work in the county's cooked food workshop. No wonder Secretary Yang and the others weren't worried at all. If these women were equipped, they would be a veritable combat platoon!
As long as they run around the dike with guns on their backs, who the hell would dare to go and cause trouble?

It must be said that this era is all about having a strong sense of martial virtue.

Just as Chen Fan was letting his thoughts wander, Yang Xingxiu continued, "They went to Team 3. There's a fairly large forest there. Didn't you beat Sanhu in the competition last time? You said your skills were taught by Master Peng from Team 9. Later, Uncle Xiao invited Master Peng over to be an instructor. He gets 20 work points for each lesson he teaches."

Then he selected more than a dozen elite soldiers from the militia company to learn hunting skills from Master Peng. After that, he and Sanhu studied how to integrate these skills into individual combat tactics.

It's been several months now, and they practice whenever they have time. This afternoon they went again.

After hearing her words, Chen Fan nodded in realization, "So that's how it is."

At the same time, he smiled bitterly to himself. Captain Xiao and Zhang Wenliang were full of enthusiasm, but he knew that the further they went, the fewer opportunities the militia would have to be useful. Even if he mastered these skills, he might not be able to use them.

As for joining the army, most of the militia members are over 20 years old, so it would take some people to hire them.

Thinking about the battle that would take place at the beginning of the year after next, Chen Fan wondered silently if Captain Xiao had any way to get them there. Earning merit was one thing, but if this kind of jungle tactic was effective, it should reduce a lot of unnecessary casualties.

……

With some thoughts in mind, Chen Fan left the brigade headquarters, but instead of leaving Team 5 to go home, he went to the breeding farm first, and then turned into the alley where Master Lu's house was located.

As soon as he reached the front of the courtyard, he saw a water tap under the eaves and couldn't help but laugh, "Fourth Master, we've installed running water here for you too."

Master Lu was reading a book in the room. When he saw him come over, he straightened up and laughed, "Of course, I am a member of Team 5. I would not be left out when installing tap water for Team 5."

He stood up, supporting himself on the table, and slowly walked out to greet him. "Are you all done?"

Chen Fan quickly took two steps forward, "Why are you getting up? Please sit down."

He helped the old man sit down, then sat down on the other side himself, smiling at the old man, "I guess I've stolen half a day of leisure. We haven't chosen anyone for the cooked food workshop yet, so I went to the shipping company today..."

He briefly recounted what had happened in the past two days and laughed, "Well, I've got some free time now, and I'm too lazy to go back, so I came over here for a meal."

Master Lu rested one hand on the edge of the table and laughed heartily, "You're quite something, managing to accomplish so much in just a few days."

He said, standing up again, "You've achieved something, you have to be rewarded. Wait, I'll go kill a chicken for you."

"Please rest, please rest."

Chen Fan quickly stopped him, then chuckled and said, "Forget about killing the chicken, I'll cook you a new dish today."

Master Lu plopped back down, looking at him curiously. "New dish? What dish?"

Chen Fan laughed and said, "Braised rabbit meat, and a spicy rabbit head, how about that?"

"Ah."

Master Lu looked him up and down. "Braised rabbit meat? Spicy rabbit head? Where's the rabbit?"

Chen Fan chuckled, took off his backpack, and pulled out a bag.

When I took it out, the bag was still moving around.

Master Lu's eyes lit up. "You even brought a rabbit."

Chen Fan opened the cloth bag, took the rabbit out, and chuckled, "Of course, this batch of rabbits should be ready for market soon. I asked Captain Ye for one. Anyway, he hasn't settled the bill for me yet, so I can just deduct it later."

This rabbit meat isn't oily, yet it's tender and delicious, perfect for an elderly person's stomach. I'll finish this rabbit, and you can bring out a bottle of your good wine. We can enjoy the rabbit with our drinks—it's the perfect combination."

Master Lu burst into laughter again, "I knew you were being so kind today, even bringing a rabbit to cook with. Turns out you were eyeing my wine."

He looked at Chen Fan and asked with a smile, "Is the wine you brewed still not ready? When are you going to bring it over for me to try?"

Chen Fan waved his hand, "We can't rush that. We can drink the rice wine now, but the baijiu will probably take another month or two. However, I plan to use this batch of baijiu to make medicinal wine, and I'll also put the rice wine into small jars and store them together in the cellar."

He held a rabbit in one hand and put the other on his hip. "When winter comes and the new snow falls, I'll bring a jar of rice wine and a few green plums. We'll cook wine and talk about the New Year."

Looking at Chen Fan's smug expression, Master Lu couldn't stop laughing. "Let's talk about the New Year over wine. Just don't turn into vinegar."

Chen Fan deliberately put on a stern face, "Why don't you trust people, old man?"

As he spoke, he picked up a kitchen knife from the cupboard and walked out. "Never mind, I'll go get the rabbit. You'll see how good my wine is once you've tasted it."

Once outside, right under the tap, the rabbit was quickly dealt with. After cleaning it in a basin, the rabbit returned inside to continue its work.

Master Lu sat in his chair watching with a smile on his face, without offering any help.

After Chen Fan finished his work, he started stewing the rabbit, and soon the house was filled with a rich aroma.

He returned to the table and sat down, smiling at Master Lu, "Well, it'll be ready in half an hour. Where's your good wine?"

Chen Fan was also puzzled. With his abilities, he had no idea where Master Lu had found those treasures.

The house is only so big, yet we keep finding treasures here and there. Could there be some secret passage inside?
I launched this surprise attack today to see if Master Lu could still produce any wine.

(End of this chapter)