Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 573 I am a waste
It doesn't matter what kind of boat you're on, what matters is who you're on it with.

Naturally, Zhou Zhengdong and his family followed Chen Fan onto the small yacht.

Chen Fan was originally going to rinse it with some water, but after lifting the oilcloth, he found that it had already been wiped clean. He couldn't help but sigh that it was really good to have a few apprentices.

If it's not good, then expel him from the sect.

Zhou Yali followed her younger brother onto the boat, plopped down in the passenger seat without hesitation, and looked around curiously. "There are yachts on the mainland? That's amazing! And they're so beautiful!"

Chen Fan slowly started the engine. Just as the machine roared to life, his ear suddenly twitched. He glanced at the control panel, a smile appearing on his lips. He then looked away and said, "You can't call this a yacht in front of outsiders. Yachts are capitalist hedonism. This is called a speedboat or a patrol boat. It's for security patrols or emergencies."

Zhou Zhengdong sat on the back bench, gripping the wooden bar behind him. Hearing Chen Fan's words, he asked curiously, "Is this speedboat yours?"

Chen Fan steered the small yacht slowly away from the riverbank. The three large boats behind him had not yet left the shore, while the small boat sped ahead, bouncing and leaping.

He then laughed and said, "Half and half. Last year, a cooked food shop opened in Lujiawan and needed an engine to build a ship for delivery. I repaired two sets of marine propulsion systems for the shipping company, and the shipping company agreed to build a large wooden boat for Lujiawan at cost price."

At the time, I hitched a ride on a boat, designed the speedboat myself, and had the water transport company's repair shop help build it. Ownership remained with Lujiawan, but it was actually for my personal use, facilitating travel between Lujiawan and the prefectural committee.

He then added, "Back then, I was a special commissioner of the Yunhu Health Department. I had to go to the Health Department to report on my work every week. It was inconvenient to travel by car, so I got a small boat that could take me directly from Lujiawan to the Prefectural Committee."

Zhou Yali really wanted to applaud, but with her hands gripping the handles, she could only look at her cousin with admiration and exclaim, "Little brother, you can repair ship propellers, design yachts, and you know medicine. Of course, you can also write. Is there anything you can't do?"

Chen Fan hesitated for two seconds, then sighed regretfully, "I don't know how to farm."

Zhou Yali thought he was joking and laughed, "Don't try to fool me. You've lived in the countryside for so long, how could you not know how to farm?"

Chen Fan blinked. "That's right. I've been in Lujiawan for over a year and I even have a skills board. How could I not know how to farm?"
But I just don't know how to farm!
Zhou Zhengdong, sitting in the back, was thinking even more deeply. He urged again, "Xiao Fan, are you really not considering coming to America with us? With your abilities, whether it's writing or science and engineering, you could easily become a millionaire or even a billionaire even without our help. It would be such a waste for you to stay in the mainland."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan immediately laughed and said, "There's nothing to regret. Our motherland is our home, and its construction depends on everyone. Regardless of ability, as long as we work diligently, we are all builders of the country. As long as the results are useful to the people, then it's not in vain. It's not necessary to think about how much benefit one can gain."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Besides, I'm doing pretty well now. I have no worries about food or clothing, and I enjoy many perks of my position. I have everything that American millionaires can enjoy, and I also have things they can't. If I went to America, I might not be as comfortable as I am now."

Upon hearing Chen Fan's words, Zhou Zhengdong could only shake his head slightly and stop trying to persuade him, though a hint of appreciation flashed in his eyes.

As Chen Fan steered the yacht, he took the opportunity to introduce the scenery on both sides of the river to them. "This river is also a boundary river. On our left is Gufeng County, and Lujiawan belongs to Nanhu Commune under Gufeng County."

However, the current system is a three-tiered ownership system at the grassroots level, namely the three-tiered structure of "production team, production brigade, and commune". The production team is the most basic accounting unit, mainly responsible for production. The production brigade is the most basic management unit, responsible for the overall management of the production teams within its brigade. The commune is responsible for comprehensive support in all aspects, including politics, militia, agriculture, industry, social security, medical care, and education, within its administrative region.

From this perspective, a commune was a large unit, while the county was merely an administrative department, somewhat distant from the people. Ordinary people rarely went to the county.

After a brief explanation, he continued, "To the right is another county, Shuanghe County. The cooked food from Lujiawan has gradually started selling here as well. At the same time, we also purchase some live poultry from the production teams here to supplement the shortage of supplies..."

When the boat arrived at Qingshan Commune, Chen Fan pointed to the rolling rapeseed fields on the left and said, "You're a little late. If you had come last month, you would have seen rapeseed flowers covering the hillsides, golden and beautiful. Right now, there are only rapeseed seeds left. It'll probably be ready for harvest in about half a month."

Of course, good weather is required. If it rains a few times, the harvest time will be delayed by a few days.

This is still considered good; if there were continuous torrential rains, it would be terrible. So, in rural areas, people still rely on the weather for their livelihood; if the heavens don't cooperate, the production team will suffer losses.

However, as Mr. Li said, "Man can conquer nature." Our country's scientists are working hard to cultivate better rapeseed, and perhaps one day, farmers will be able to break free from their dependence on the climate and achieve a bumper harvest no matter how bad the weather.

As the Zhou family listened to him, they nodded from time to time or let out exclamations of surprise.

Between introducing and boasting, the small yacht rushed into the Lujiawan section of the Liuhua River and headed towards Team 6.

A group of people were standing on the beautiful cement dock of Team 7. Chen Fan had a good eye and glanced around and saw that Secretary Qian of the commune and several commune cadres were there, with Secretary Yang and Captain Zhang accompanying them.

As for the other leaders of the brigade headquarters, none of them are here.

It was obvious that Secretary Qian and his entourage had come to welcome Zhou Zhengdong and the accompanying provincial officials.

Chen Fan didn't care. Anyway, the big ship could only dock here. The two foreigners and the accompanying officials from the province were there, which was enough for Secretary Qian and the others to handle. They didn't need his group.

He continued driving forward, and when he reached Team 6, he saw about ten people waiting at the makeshift dock.

In the sky, a falcon swooped down towards the yacht, landed steadily on the forward deck, flapped its wings at Chen Fan, and chirped happily.

Zhou Yali immediately leaned forward, her eyes shining as she stared at the Eurasian Hobby. "Wow, this bird isn't afraid of people!"

Chen Fan pushed the control lever to slow down the speed and laughed, "Want to play with it?"

Even Zhou Yali, who was usually oblivious, finally realized what was happening and looked at Chen Fan in surprise, "You raised him?"

Chen Fan whistled, and the falcon spread its wings and hopped lightly onto his shoulder.

He casually grabbed the hawk's claw and handed it to Zhou Yali, saying, "Be careful, don't hurt it."

Zhou Yali quickly and carefully held it in her hands, staring at the swallow with wide eyes, not knowing what to do.

She had never handled birds before, while the Eurasian Hobby assumed she would feed it like Jiang Lili had done before, and wondered why it wasn't being given meat yet.
Zhou Zhengdong and Zhao Wanru couldn't hide their surprise. Could birds be trained to be so obedient?
Just then, a myna bird descended from the sky and landed on Chen Fan's shoulder, shouting loudly, "Chen Fan is back! Chen Fan is back!"

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly; this bird was fearless.

But it's not convenient to beat him up now; if he falls into the river, he'll really be gone.

He then reached out, grabbed it, and tossed it into the air, saying, "Here you go."

The myna bird flapped its wings and flew away, still squawking, "Chen Fan is bad, Chen Fan is bad..."

This made Zhou Zhengdong and the other two burst into laughter.

Before long, the small yacht docked. Without Chen Fan having to lift a finger, Yang Mei had already jumped onto the aft deck, pulled herself onto the shore with the rope, and tied herself tightly to the wooden stake.

At Chen Fan's signal, Zhou Zhengdong took the lead and stepped onto the wooden pier at the dock.

Captain Xiao immediately went to meet him, but his gaze was fixed on Chen Fan.

Chen Fan stood up and waved to them, "Master Xiao, Captain Ye,..."

While still on the boat, he loudly introduced, "This is my uncle, surnamed Zhou, and this is my aunt, surnamed Zhao."

Captain Xiao immediately extended his right hand and laughed heartily, "Mr. Zhou, hello, hello."

When I called him "sir," my mouth twitched a little, mainly because I wasn't used to it.

Zhou Zhengdong reached out and shook hands, greeting him with a smile, "Hello, hello."

Chen Fan helped Zhao Wanru and Zhou Yali ashore, and said with a smile, "Master Xiao is the deputy head of our production brigade and also my kung fu teacher."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengdong's smile immediately became more sincere. "So it's Master Xiao. Hello, hello. Thank you for taking care of my Xiaofan."

Xiao Liewen grinned and laughed heartily, "No, no, in the end, Xiao Fan is the smartest. I got a good deal."

Then Captain Ye, along with Captain Yang from Team 6, Warehouse Keeper Huang, and Accountant Liu, stepped forward to shake hands and welcome them.

When Captain Yang stepped forward, Chen Fan made a special introduction, "Last year when I fell into the water and drifted here, it was Captain Yang who pulled me out."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengdong was immediately filled with gratitude. He grasped Captain Yang's right hand with both of his, tears welling up in his eyes. "Thank you, thank you! I will never forget your kindness!"

His arrival made Captain Yang blush with embarrassment. "No, no, no, I just happened to see it and was lending a hand. You're too kind to ask me to be so polite."

After much gratitude and refusals, Captain Yang was finally released and quickly led the way, guiding them towards the embankment.

Chen Fan glanced at Huang Li and the other two who were chuckling to themselves, and said to Zhou Yali, "These are my apprentices. Her name is Huang Li, and she studies cooking. Her name is Yang Mei, and she studies winemaking. Her name is Liu Lu, and she studies tailoring."

Then he pointed at Zhou Yali and said, "Call her 'Master Aunt'."

Huang Li and the other two were overjoyed and bowed respectfully at a ninety-degree angle, saying, "Greetings, Aunt!"

By calling them "Master Aunt," it's considered an acknowledgment that they are now formal disciples!
From this day forward, they are considered disciples, and of course they are overjoyed.

Oh dear, should we hold a ceremony to formally accept the apprenticeship and announce it to the whole brigade?!
However, given the master's reputation, if he were to take on disciples, it would probably become known throughout the entire prefecture!

Then Chen Fan flicked each of them on the forehead, saying, "Aren't you going to keep up?"

The three little girls immediately came to their senses, grabbed their luggage from the ship, and ran forward as fast as they could.

Zhou Yali followed Chen Fan at the very back and asked in a low voice, "Little brother, you know kung fu too?"

Chen Fan remained calm and replied, "I know a little."

Zhou Yali pouted, "How come you know a little about everything?"

Chen Fan hesitated for two seconds, then said, "I don't know anything about farming."

Zhou Yali rolled her eyes. "Telling the same joke twice isn't funny anymore."

A short while later, the group returned to Chen Fan's house. Still on the slope, Zhou Yali hid in the crowd, her eyes wide open, shouting, "Wow, what a big snake!"

Little Flower stood upright and looked at the woman who was terrified. It was so frightened that it almost ran away. Only when it saw its owner waving did it quickly lie down and slip into the woods on the east slope.

Chen Fan patted Zhou Yali on the shoulder, "Alright, it's just a snake. It's my pet. It keeps the rats away."

Zhou Zhengdong looked at him curiously but didn't say anything. He had heard his parents tell stories about their hometown when he was a child, including stories about people raising snakes in their homes, so although he was surprised, he didn't find it unimaginable.

I never expected my nephew would raise snakes.
As for Captain Xiao and his group, they all stood aside, smiling and silent, looking like they were waiting to see a good show.

With her cousin's reassurance, Zhou Yali finally came to her senses, though she was still somewhat shaken. "Why are you raising snakes?"

"Okay, okay, I won't keep snakes."

Chen Fan pointed to the panda enclosure they had just arrived at and said, "How about we go see the pandas?"

At this moment, Gun Gun was clinging to the railing with both hands, whimpering at Chen Fan.

Zhou Yali's eyes widened again, and she skipped and hopped over, exclaiming, "Ah... a giant panda..."

Not only her, but Zhao Wanru and Zhou Zhengdong couldn't stand still either. They quickly walked over and carefully touched the panda's paws.

Gun Gun blinked and looked at Chen Fan, "Who are they?"

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly, and he patted Zhou Yali's shoulder again, "Go put your luggage down first, then go inside and play with them later."

Zhou Yali could only reluctantly continue forward, but as soon as she turned around, she saw two horses staring straight at her... no, they were staring at her younger brother.

At the feet of the two horses, there were two sheep looking dazed.

Beside the sheep, two dogs sat on the ground, panting and wagging their tails so fast they had swept the floor clean.

The falcon and myna that had just been released landed on the thatched roof of the covered walkway, chirping and cooing happily.

She grabbed Chen Fan's hand with her own, her face full of surprise, "Is this a zoo?"

Chen Fan shrugged. "To be precise, it's the Lujiawan Cooperation Center of Yunhu Zoo."

He wasn't just making things up. He had previously discussed this matter with Guo Daorong, the deputy director of Yunhu Zoo and also a member of the Provincial Writers Association. At that time, Guo said he could help him think of a solution.

The results are in, and a sign has been put up for his little yard. Even if a wildlife protection law is enacted in the future, it will not affect these small animals living and working here in peace.

However, the plaque will only be awarded to him after he personally goes to the zoo and passes the animal keeper qualification exam. He will also become a volunteer keeper at the Yunhu Zoo Lujiawan Cooperative Center.

This is such a hassle, but I have no choice but to do it!
Birds flew, dogs jumped, and horses galloped. Captain Xiao and his men stayed in the front yard, sitting and smoking and drinking tea, while Chen Fan led his uncle's family to their room to settle in.

There are three rooms upstairs and three downstairs. Huang Li and her two friends shared the largest room on the first floor, leaving two guest rooms. Chen Fan stayed in one room on the second floor, leaving two rooms available as well.

Upon hearing that Chen Fan was on the second floor, Zhou Zhengdong and his group chose the apartment upstairs without saying a word.

After they went upstairs to put down their luggage, washed up quickly, changed their clothes, and came down, the convoy behind them arrived, along with Secretary Qian and Secretary Yang.

Three cars were parked at the bottom of the slope, and the small truck left on its own after unloading its cargo.

Surrounded by onlookers, Zhou Zhengdong grasped Secretary Yang's hand and said solemnly, "Brother, I won't say much more about my thanks..."

Then, pointing to the pile of cardboard boxes, he said, "These are some gifts that I, as Xiaofan's uncle, am sending to the village on his behalf. Please accept them."

Secretary Yang didn't even glance at the pile of household appliances, and said with a serious face, "Comrade Zhou, if that's how you put it, then I really can't accept these things."

Before Zhou Zhengdong could ask a question, he turned to the villagers who were watching and said loudly, "This is Xiao Chen's uncle. He brought these things as a thank-you gift to our village to express his gratitude for taking in and taking care of Xiao Chen. What do you all think, should we accept them?"

The next second, hundreds of people shouted in unison, "We can't accept it!"

Zhou Zhengdong looked even more surprised and asked Secretary Yang, "Why?"

Whether it was just politeness or the truth, he could definitely tell. Those simple, honest faces before him couldn't hide anything from his eyes.

But these are over a dozen color televisions and several refrigerators, and they're not even a little bit tempted?
Secretary Yang shook his hand and said in a deep voice, "That's right, Xiao Chen was rescued by Captain Yang of our 6th Team, and the team also arranged his life and work."

But he's already repaid the favor he owed the team a hundredfold, a thousandfold. We can't just keep clinging to him and exploit him for the rest of our lives after saving him once, can we?
This doesn't make sense anywhere. Therefore, we cannot accept your gift.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengdong looked perplexed. He had sincerely wanted to give something, yet he couldn't deliver it?

Especially listen to what Secretary Yang said; he's clearly a kind and honest person. If it were someone dishonest, they wouldn't just be fleecing people their whole lives, they'd be fleecing their ancestors for generations!

If he was just trying to repay a favor before, now he genuinely likes this place. No wonder his nephew, who has already gone to work in the provincial capital, still keeps his household registration here and refuses to move it.

Just as he was caught in a dilemma, Chen Fan walked over and smiled at Secretary Yang, "Uncle Yang, my uncle doesn't know about our relationship, but his intentions are good. How about this..."

He pointed to the electrical appliances and said, "These were donated to the production team by my uncle on behalf of overseas Chinese to enrich the lives of our commune members. You can decide how to distribute them."

Zhou Zhengdong immediately laughed and said, "Yes, yes, it's not a thank-you gift, just a small token of our greeting."

Upon hearing this, Secretary Yang's mood brightened immediately, and he grinned, saying, "Then we won't stand on ceremony."

He then waved his hand and said, "Move it."

Section Chief Lü stood in the crowd, turned his head to his entourage, and asked, "Did you take a picture?"

The man nodded immediately, "I took the picture."

Section Chief Lü whispered, "Make sure to record this in detail."

He paused for a moment, then, fearing his subordinates might be too dense, whispered, "Don't bring up things like repaying favors; the important thing is that the overseas Chinese gave gifts to the production team."

As expected, the subordinate hadn't thought of that, and immediately nodded in understanding, "I understand, Section Chief!"

After dealing with the gift matter, the key personnel all went back to sit in front of Chen Fan's house, while the non-key personnel, referring to the commune cadres, all left on their own.

Ultimately, today's matter is just Chen Fan's family affair. It's enough for outsiders like them to show their faces and make a statement; they shouldn't get too involved.

As for the people from Lujiawan who stayed behind, they were all Chen Fan's close friends, so they were naturally different.

In the open space in front of the house, two foreigners sat to the side, playing with a dog, because only the dog didn't need to talk.

Zhou Zhengdong and Zhao Wanru sat on bamboo chairs, chatting with Secretary Yang and the others about various interesting things, with Chen Fan clearly being the center of attention.

Three girls were busy in the kitchen preparing lunch.

Zhou Yali, wearing the white coat Chen Fan had given her, couldn't stop smiling as she held her soon-to-be one-year-old son.

After a while, she suddenly said, "Brother."

Chen Fan patted the bouncy ball's head to calm it down, then turned to look at her, "What's wrong?"

Zhou Yali sighed softly, "I feel like a useless person."

Chen Fan was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

Zhou Yali raised her head. "Well, I think I'm pretty good. I often get A's in school exams, and I even got into New York University. My grades in minor subjects are also good. I've never embarrassed myself when I go out with my dad and mom."

But look at you, you're a great writer, famous throughout the country at a young age; you're skilled in medicine, a very capable doctor; you can also cook, hunt, brew wine, sew clothes, do kung fu, be a veterinarian, practice calligraphy, and make pottery…

As she counted, she realized she didn't have enough fingers, so she simply stopped counting and sighed, "You know more things than I have on my fingers. Compared to you, I'm just a useless piece of trash."

She had just gone to chat with Huang Li and the others, hoping to find out about her cousin's life here, but she didn't expect to be met with such a shock.

She didn't hear a single fault about her cousin from the three girls, let alone any bad words about him.

Good looks, a gentle personality, never getting angry... these are all basic characteristics.

The key point is that my brother knows a lot of things, there are just a lot more than that.

"Well-rounded in both literary and martial arts" is not enough to describe it. Besides those I just mentioned, there are also architecture, painting, teaching, playing musical instruments and singing.

Oh right, they even do blacksmithing?
Good heavens, she couldn't believe that one person could have so many things.

If it weren't for Gun Gun's immense appeal, she wouldn't want to hug Gun Gun right now; she'd rather go back to her room and hug herself.

The difference between people is even greater than the difference between people and dogs.

Looking at Zhou Yali's somewhat dejected expression, Chen Fan pondered for two seconds and said softly, "No, I think you have another obvious advantage."

Zhou Yali looked up, her eyes full of hope, "What advantages?"

Chen Fan looked at her with encouraging eyes and said, "At least you have some self-awareness."

???

Zhou Yali's clear eyes were filled with questions, a kind of self-awareness?
When she realized what was happening, she was so angry that she was about to throw the panda in her hand at him.

Is this an advantage?
I used to be able to write 10,000 words a day, but now I struggle to write even 5,000. I'm useless.

(End of this chapter)