Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1051 Returning Home Late at Night to Inventory Gifts: Changes in the Hu Family (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets: 32K Chapters)

Even before the plane came to a complete stop after its tires touched the runway, the sound of seatbelts being unbuckled could be heard inside the cabin.

Looking out the window, the terminal building in the distance was still lit up, and the red flag on the roof fluttered silently in the night wind. There were no other planes taking off or landing at this moment, as if they were waiting specifically for their flight.

The beams of car headlights outside the porthole swept across the fuselage. The Hongqi car that came to pick up the plane was already waiting by the runway, and the headlights illuminated the roadside sign: "Marching Towards Science" in large red characters that were particularly eye-catching in the night.

Fang Yan tidied up the newspaper, glanced at the time on his watch, and saw it was eleven o'clock.

It was later than expected.

The moment the cabin door opened, a rush of dry air carrying the smell of dust flooded into the cabin, a stark contrast to the humid evening breeze of Guangzhou.

Fang Yan noticed that the temperature in Beijing was not high at night, probably only in the teens, and many people were wrapping their collars up tightly.

Fang Yan followed Director Liao down the gangway, the metal handrails icy cold in the night.

The powerful flashlights held by the ground crew drew fan-shaped beams of light across the runway, illuminating the dew on the steps.

"You've worked hard, sir!" The officer who came to pick him up saluted.

Director Liao nodded in return.

Fang Yan noticed that the Hongqi sedan had already driven up. The palace lantern-shaped dome light on the front of the car was on, and tiny midges were flying around in the beam of light. Director Liao was led into the car first, and then the other senior figures got into the car one by one.

Fang Yan was also put into a car, and his luggage was put into the trunk.

As the convoy drove away from the tarmac, the navigation lights along the runway went out one by one, leaving only the brightly lit terminal building in the distance.

As the car turned onto Airport Road, the poplar trees on both sides rustled in the night wind, and the halo of streetlights swept across the car window, forming stripes that flickered between light and shadow.

The driver was wearing a military uniform. He turned on the radio in the car, and an excerpt from the Peking Opera "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy" came on.

Fang Yan looked out the window. The suburban farmland was a deep gray in the night. Occasionally, the oil lamps of the farmers’ huts that kept watch at night shone faintly. The scarecrows on the ridges of the fields swayed in the wind, casting shadows on the freshly plowed land like moving silhouette paintings.

Finally back.

After the convoy entered the city, it began to split up gradually.

After about forty minutes, Fang Yan finally arrived at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Street. The Union Building across the street was still lit up and looked exactly the same as when he left.

It's only been a week since I left, but I'm actually feeling a bit emotional when I come back.

The car had just stopped at the gate, and the driver was still helping Fang Yan with her luggage, when the gate of the courtyard house opened.

First, three dogs darted out, wagging their tails and circling around Fang Yan. Then, two figures followed closely behind, saying in unison:

"Master!"

Fang Yan was surprised to find that the people who came out were Sophia and Anton.

The two of them ran up to help carry the things, and only then did Zhu Lin reach the door:
"He's back."

Fang Yan asked her:
"Still not asleep so late?"

Her Majesty the Queen said:

"Anyway, I'm not going to work, so I'll just stay home and wait."

Sofia, standing to the side, said:
“Master, you said you would come back today, and we have been waiting all day.”

Anton also shook his watch and said:

"There are only ten minutes left until today ends."

Fang Yan was both amused and exasperated, and apologized to them:

"I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting."

Zhu Lin said to him:
"It's alright, as long as you're back safe and sound."

Fang Yan asked her:
Are the rest of the family asleep?

Zhu Lin nodded:
"They're all asleep, you should come inside too."

"Okay," Fang Yan replied, then said goodbye to the driver and walked into the courtyard.

Anton and Sophia helped put everything in Fang Yan's bedroom, and then Fang Yan sent them off to sleep.

He opened the box, took out his own things, and then had his wife distribute the gifts, ensuring everyone in the family received a share.

Then Fang Yan went to wash up.

After taking a hot shower, Fang Yan felt refreshed and changed her clothes. She then returned to her room in slippers.

Zhu Lin had already sorted out the contents of the two boxes.

The gifts prepared by the Huo family were divided into two parts: food and antiques. Each item reflected the sophistication of old-fashioned Hong Kong businessmen and was quite rare in Beijing in 1978.

The dried abalone in the oil paper package is amber in color, each one is tied with a red string, and a small note is attached that reads "Japanese Yoshihama abalone, soaking for three days is required";
Sea cucumbers were neatly arranged in a tin box, their spines as hard as porcelain, and the bottom of the box was lined with dried tangerine peel for moisture protection.
The shark fins were served in a small bamboo basket, with each fin needle clearly visible. The Huo family had specially included a recipe for "Crab Roe Shark Fin," written in calligraphy on gold-flecked Xuan paper.
The fish maw was wrapped in burlap, about the size of a palm, with a faint sheen of fish oil on the edges, and you could smell a salty and fresh sea aroma when you picked it up.

There were also two large boxes of Cantonese dim sum gift sets, but they were sealed and I didn't open them, so I don't know what's inside.

In addition, there was a medicine packet containing bottled American ginseng slices as thin as cicada wings, soaking in a clear liquid. The label on the bottle read "Authentic Canadian Ginseng." Dendrobium was tied into small bunches with red string, its roots and stems thick and carrying a faint medicinal fragrance. A small bag of saffron was sewn into a silk pouch, each stigma being a deep red.

It seems this gift box was prepared by someone else from the Huo family.

Otherwise, it's unlikely that they would send something like this.

In addition, there were some antique items, such as a sandalwood box containing the Four Treasures of the Study and jade ornaments.

The purple-haired brush is housed in a bamboo tube, and the cap is engraved with "Supervised by Huzhou Brush Factory".

The Duan inkstone is placed in a sandalwood box. The inkstone has a hole, so you can grind ink by breathing on it. The bottom of the box is engraved with the mark "Made in the Guangxu period".

Huizhou ink is rectangular in shape, with a "Huangshan Pine Smoke" pattern embossed on the surface, and has a pine resin scent.

In addition, the Xuan paper was wrapped in blue cloth, and dark patterns could be seen when it was opened, indicating that it was old paper found in an antique shop.

Then there were two pairs of jadeite bangles in a brocade box. They were icy and green. Zhu Lin tried them on and they looked quite nice.

In addition, there is a piece of Hetian jade carved into the shape of a ruyi (a traditional Chinese ornament symbolizing good fortune). The jade is warm and lustrous, and it must be an old piece, as it has been rubbed until it has a shiny patina.

Then Zhu Lin found a small cloisonné enamel incense burner at the bottom of the box. The lid was engraved with a lotus scroll pattern, so it looked like another antique. There were also some English medical books. Fang Yan picked one up and glanced at it. It turned out to be an English version of the Cambridge Records of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a Qing Dynasty edition. Fang Yan was surprised to find such rare items and immediately put them away.

Then there were some tea, cigarettes, and other things, which, according to the local dialect, were used as filler to try to stuff the box full.

Adding to the souvenirs from Shanghai and Guangzhou, there are even more items now.

Zhu Lin said to Fang Yan:

"So many things, it's just like the things my mom used to bring back when her colleagues went to Shanghai."

These days, if someone goes to Shanghai, a bunch of colleagues at work will ask them to bring back things for them.

But these dialects are all things they brought back from their own families.

Besides the books given by Deng Tietao, Fang Yan also showed them to Xiao Chengzhi.

That's all I brought to others.

However, there are quite a few family members, so everyone has to contribute a gift.

After Fang Yan and Zhu Lin finished distributing the gifts, it was almost one o'clock.

There's still a lot to do tomorrow, so Fang Yan quickly told his wife to rest.

They were both exhausted today, and fell asleep shortly after lying down.

Fang Yan woke up again, disturbed by the crowing of chickens in her own yard.

I glanced at the time; it was already a little past six in the morning.

He used to wake up before six o'clock.

I haven't slept well these past two days, and my biological clock is all messed up.

After getting up, Sofia was already practicing boxing with Anton and Justice in the yard.

My brother-in-law, Zhao Yuanchao, came in from the outer courtyard with a broom. He must have just finished cleaning outside and was getting ready to start his morning exercise. When he saw Fang Yan, he immediately came over to greet him happily.
"came back!"

At this moment, Zhao Zhengyi also saw Fang Yan.

While standing in the stance, he greeted people in his local dialect:

"Master!"

Fang Yan smiled and nodded, responding to each of them.

Upon hearing Fang Yan's voice, the lights in his mother's and mother-in-law's room turned on. A moment later, the door opened, and they saw Fang Yan doing his morning exercise in the yard.

"Hey, third brother, when did you get back?" the old woman asked in dialect.

“Around midnight,” Fang Yan replied.

"Have you seen your second sister?" the old woman asked.

Nodding in dialect:

“I met her. She’s doing well now. I also chatted with her school principal and teachers.”

If someone else said that, people might think it's bragging, but because the dialect is different, his identity does allow him to have a conversation with people.

The mother-in-law asked in dialect:

"How did it go? Did it go smoothly?"

"It went fairly smoothly." Fang Yan nodded; he didn't plan to tell his family about the harrowing experience.

"Is it hot in Guangzhou? You didn't get heatstroke, did you? Your face looks tanned." His mother-in-law asked him.

Fang Yan said with a smile:

“I haven’t been out much, you must be mistaken, or the streetlights in the yard aren’t bright enough.”

Everyone laughed, but then they all started asking him questions all at once.

They asked all sorts of questions, and as the conversation went on, someone in the dialect asked curiously:

"By the way, where are Lao Hu and his wife?"

The old woman spoke in dialect:

"Oh, after you left, Huang Huijie's family came to see her. Now they know who caused them to not get pregnant. They've been with their family these past few days, saying they're planning to teach those branches of the Hu family a lesson."

"I don't know what they were discussing, but they haven't been here much."

The mother-in-law said:
"By the way, you can give him a call. They're at the Yanjing Hotel right now."

Fang Yan thought for a moment and said:
"It's alright, I'll go over there after I finish my rounds later."

Anyway, after checking the rooms later, I'll go see Ma Wenying. I can just ask the hotel staff where Lao Hu is.

After finishing his morning exercise, breakfast was ready at home. After eating breakfast, Fang Yan asked Zhu Lin to distribute the gifts to everyone, while he went to Peking Union Medical College Hospital for rounds.

I haven't done rounds for a week, so I don't know how things are going.

He also took the manual with him when he left, as he would have to hand it over to the Ministry of Health later.

I just got back today, and there's already a lot to do.

Besides the manual, there was also a discussion with Lao Hu about things in Hong Kong, setting aside the cooperation between Tongrentang and the Huo family.

I also need to check on the situation at the secret formula research institute and the school.

Fang Yan realized that she had too many things to do and that she should hire a secretary to help her.

PS: I got another 100 monthly votes. After finishing this chapter, I still owe everyone 49000 words.

That's all for today, please come early tomorrow.

Lao Feng is working hard to write tomorrow's code.

(End of this chapter)