Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1066 Stubborn to save face, "Come on! Prove your worth!" (Bonus chapter for 32 monthly votes)

It's normal to feel envious, jealous, and resentful, after all, they only came back a little late, less than a year ago. Who would have thought that the city's policies would change so much?

Although the educated youth were able to return to the city, their husbands and children who returned with them could no longer expect to eat the city's food.

These days, all food is supplied by the government. Unless you have other skills, like Fang Yan, several organizations are paying him a salary and issuing him food coupons. He can't even use up all the food coupons he has each month.

Because he eats and drinks outside, he basically doesn't need it.

They entertain guests here today and there tomorrow, and the people coming and going are mostly those who don't care about money.

They are the kind of people that the country is afraid of letting go of, and they chase after them to feed them.

It's not because they have strong connections, but because their very existence and abilities enable more people to have food to eat.

"So what do you want?" Fang Yan asked Zhuang Shan and Batel.

“We wanted to ask Fang Jie and Brother Yuanchao if they had any connections,” Zhuang Shan replied to Fang Yan.

Actually, Fang Yancai was also doing this, he nodded and said:
"They won't be back for a while. Please wait here and have some tea while I go to the kitchen to prepare a few dishes."

Fang Yan had no intention of feeling sorry for the couple who came and offering them a helping hand.

I'm not running a charity here. Although Fang Yan does have this ability, I don't help just anyone. Favors can't be used indefinitely. I need to know who I should use them on and who I shouldn't.

Unless they can demonstrate sufficient value, that is, altruism, Fang Yan believes that even the eldest sister wouldn't be so bored as to go out of her way to help them.

Being able to invite them to have a meal at their home was already the greatest kindness Fang Yan could show.

"I'm going too!" Old Hu stood up and followed Fang Yan out.

After the two went outside, Old Hu glanced at the children playing in the yard again and asked Fang Yan:
"You're not planning to get involved?"

"I don't even know these people, why should I get involved?" Fang Yan shook his head and said.

Old Hu was a smart man, and he immediately understood what Fang Yan was thinking. He nodded and said:

"That's true. If we had to help everyone who came to our door, we'd be exhausted."

"Besides, they're not just one family. I arrived early today and heard from them that many educated youth are returning to the city. If this starts, everyone will know that you're helping, and then it will really get out of control. The threshold of this courtyard house will probably be worn out by all the footsteps."

Fang Yan nodded, glanced at the children playing in the yard, and didn't say anything more about the matter. He turned to Lao Hu and started talking about the cooperation with Comrade Lu from Jilin on supply channels.

Fang Yan told Lao Hu about the possible policy changes in the future, and doing this now is to prepare for a rainy day.

Although there are no problems with any of the current supply channels, it is hard to guarantee that there will be no problems with the later channels.

After seeing what happened to Zhuang Shan and her husband today, he understands even more how much impact this policy has.

Previously, Fang Yan's older sister and even her brother-in-law made the right choices before the policy changes, thanks to Fang Yan's reminders. Now that Fang Yan is doing this, Lao Hu doesn't think Fang Yan is being nosy; on the contrary, he thinks that Fang Yan is doing the right thing.

That's what foresight looks like.

Then the two of them were in the kitchen, where Lao Hu assisted Fang Yan while Fang Yan started cooking.

It's worth mentioning that when Fang Yan came in, his mother and mother-in-law reminded him not to interfere in their affairs. They said that it was none of their business if someone came to see his older sister and brother-in-law, and that even if they helped, it might cause a lot of trouble later.

Fang Yan was both amused and exasperated. It seemed that the parents in this family were quite sensitive about this kind of thing. No wonder they weren't in the room with him earlier; they were hiding here.

About twenty minutes later, the older sister returned.

When she came to the yard and saw several children, she thought they were her neighbors visiting.

Then I recognized them as Zhuang Shan and her family, who had been sent to the countryside with me in Inner Mongolia.

Hearing the commotion outside, my mother greeted my older sister at the kitchen door, and my sister immediately went into the kitchen.

Without further ado, I said directly to my eldest sister:

"This family has come to you to help them with their husbands and children's food needs for moving to the city. Whether you help them or not is your own business. Don't drag your brother into this."

Fang Jie was a little unhappy with her mother's obvious favoritism, but she knew that if her mother didn't say it, it couldn't possibly be Fang Yan who said it. She nodded and said:

"I know, I'm sure I know what I'm doing."

After hearing this, my mother was relieved and said to Fang Jie:

"Good to know. They're in the main hall. Go and meet them. You two can discuss it when they return from the Korean War."

Fang Jie responded and then walked into the main hall.

After her eldest sister left, Fang Yan said to her mother:

"Mom, you don't need to say that. My eldest sister should understand. She's always been very sensible in her actions."

The old woman turned her head and glared at Fang Yan, saying:
"If I'm not going to play the villain, then who should I be?"

"..." Fang Yan scratched his head, "To be honest, my mother did it all for him."

I don't know what to say.

When the food was ready, Fang Yan and the others came out of the kitchen.

He waved to the righteous children running around in the yard and asked:
"Where's your dad? Hasn't he come back yet?"

"No, I guess I'll be working overtime again today." Little Zhengyi is already used to his dad's behavior.

Most of the time, I only see my dad after dinner.

We'll watch TV together, and then it's time to go to bed.

Basically, the father and son only see each other for about three hours a day.

This includes the time spent exercising in the morning.

Fang Yan glanced at his watch; his older sister had to go to evening self-study. He turned to his mother and said:

"The usual rule applies: we'll save some food for my brother-in-law and won't wait for him."

My mother nodded and went to the kitchen to leave some food for me.

Just then, the meal that Assistant Xiaolin ordered at the Yanjing Hotel arrived.

Fang Yan then called out to Zhengyi to take his friends to wash their hands.

Then they started serving the food.

Anton also came over to help. Soon, a sumptuous meal was laid out on the dining table in the main hall of Fang Yan's house.

Just like the Righteous Pearl before, Zhuang Shan's three children outside couldn't get enough of looking at the running tap until Zhuang Shan came over to call them, at which point they hurriedly returned to the main hall.

The children's actions probably embarrassed Zhuang Shan a bit. She glared at the three children, who didn't know what they had done wrong and fell silent for a moment. However, the eldest sister noticed and told Zhuang Shan that Zhengyi and Mingzhu had done the same thing before, which prevented Zhuang Shan from getting angry at the children.

Then the family was dumbfounded when they saw the dishes on the table.

Aside from the stir-fried seasonal vegetables, I don't know what the other vegetables are.

In particular, the dishes served in the local dialect were the same as those at the Beijing Restaurant, and they were even presented in fancy plating, making them look like something out of reach for most people.

It was supposed to be a simple meal, but this table full of dishes...

"This is such a feast! I've never seen anything like it before," Batel exclaimed.

"If you can't speak properly, then don't open your mouth!" Zhuang Shan felt that her husband had embarrassed her again.

After being scolded by his wife, Batel blushed and didn't know what to say.

Fang Yan could also tell that after returning to the city, Zhuang Shan was clearly in charge of their family.

The eldest sister quickly stepped in to smooth things over, and Zhu Lin also addressed them:

"You guys came at just the right time today. Fang Yan said this morning that he's been working hard lately and was planning to have a good meal to make up for it. You've come at the perfect time. He never cooks at other times."

"That's right, our family also came here to freeload," Old Hu said with a smile.

After this interruption, the atmosphere in the main hall finally improved.

Fang Yan invited everyone to sit down, and Zhu Lin also introduced the dishes for today's meal to them.

Although the dishes were just ordinary for Fang Yan's family, they were quite a feast for the family who had just returned from the grasslands. Zhu Lin introduced the dishes while she and her older sister served food to the children at the table and then invited everyone to start eating.

Zhuang Shan originally planned to ask for help when everyone was at the dinner table, but once she started eating, she couldn't stop. It was just so delicious, and the amount of oil was almost enough for her family for a year, making it irresistible.

There are so many dishes I haven't tried yet. Once I've tried this one, the next one will be just as delicious.

The children in their family were even more so; it was the first time in their lives they had ever tasted such delicious food.

At first, I thought they wouldn't be used to the local dialect, but it seems I was overthinking it.

During the meal, all that could be heard were people praising the food, speaking in dialect, and the eldest sister serving food to Zhuang Shan's family.

Then came the sound of eating.

This family had a good appetite; they devoured most of the dishes on the table.

They also devoured all the steamed buns their mother-in-law made, but thankfully Fangyan left some leftovers.

It was originally meant for my brother-in-law, but in the end, it was the only dish I could serve.

There was finally enough food, and by the time they finished the meal, the whole family was so full their eyes were practically popping out.

Adults and children are the same; this is especially true for people who don't have much fat in their bellies.

When my younger brother and older sister's family first came back, they were pretty much the same, even their dialects were the same.

When Lao Fan first arrived in Beijing, he was greeted in a similar manner by the local dialect.

When Fang Yan and the others were cleaning up the table, Zhuang Shan remembered what she wanted to say.

My older sister is getting ready to go to evening self-study now.

Zhuang Shan immediately called out to her older sister:

"Fang Jie!"

"What's wrong?" the older sister asked.

Zhuang Shan hesitated slightly before saying:
"It's about what we were talking about earlier. Your family has many capable people; could you help my husband and me out...?"

The eldest sister shook her head and said:

"I'm so sorry, I already said..."

Zhuang Shan interrupted her eldest sister directly, saying:

"Don't refuse yet. I know your brother. He's very good at speaking. He's been in the newspapers and on TV many times. He also arranged for your family to come back."

"Fang Jie, please put in a good word for me. He must have a solution."

After she finished speaking, she said to Fang Yan:

"Comrade Fang Yan, I know you have abilities. I promise that if you help my family, our whole family will repay you by working like oxen and horses!"

"Stop messing around..." The older sister's expression changed immediately when she heard the other party directly harassing Fang Yan.

Fang Yan glanced at them and said:
“If I say I can’t help you, you probably won’t believe me. So I’ll give you a solution and prove my abilities.”

Zhuang Shan was probably taken aback by Fang Yan's response and was momentarily stunned:

"Huh? Prove... your skills?"

Fang Yan nodded and said:

"Yeah, if you want my help, you can't just think you can sway me with a promise of being my slave, can you? At least prove your abilities so I can figure out how to make it happen."

"Prove that you are of high value and can make a great contribution to society and the country, just like my brother-in-law."

"In that case, I can make an exception and help you get it done."

Fang Yan raised his hand:

"Come on, prove it. There are plenty of people here, so everyone will judge fairly."

PS: After finishing this chapter, I still owe everyone 29000 words.

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

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

(End of this chapter)