Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1168 Two Family Banquets Shock Second Sister (Combined Chapter)
"By the way, where are Sister Sun and her husband?"

“I also brought them some things.”

The second sister asked Chen Kaige and Sun Jialin about their whereabouts in the dialect.

She didn't bring many of her own things with her this time; they were all gifts for other people.

Fang Yan said to his second sister:

"Chen Kaige is preparing for the college entrance examination, which is in a few days. He won't be going out during this time. As for Sun Jialin, she's helping him with his studies, hoping he'll succeed."

Hearing the dialect, the second sister said with some surprise:
"The two of them have a pretty good relationship."

At this moment, the younger brother chimed in:

"Their relationship has improved since Chen Kaige made the last movie together."

Upon hearing this, Fang Ning suddenly realized:

"No wonder... Sister Sun is the kind of person who likes strong men."

After saying that, he spoke to the dialect:

"It seems you've helped improve their relationship."

Fang Yan smiled and said that back in their previous life, the couple's relationship had already begun to break down.

Sun Jialin felt that Director Chen was not good enough for her, but now that Fang Yan has made Director Chen an assistant director ahead of time, Sun Jialin's attitude has taken a complete turn.

This can be considered a change in the original history.

After delivering the gifts, it was lunchtime.

My mother cooked lunch today.

When lunch was served, the dishes piled up so much that both tables were completely full.

Compared to cooking in a local dialect, my mother's cooking is clearly more about quantity and richness.

Putting the taste aside, it's definitely oily and flavorful enough.

The braised pork in the casserole trembled and glistened with oil. The caramelized sugar from the rock sugar coated the cubes of meat, and you could see the translucent tendons inside when you poked them with chopsticks. Even the broth was sticky and clung to the rim of the bowl. It was my mother's best "braised" dish.

Next to the braised pork was a plate of preserved mustard greens with braised pork. The glistening slices of pork were neatly arranged, each slice as thin as paper, yet each had a half-finger-thick layer of fat. The oil dripped down the texture of the pork slices, forming a layer of translucent oil at the bottom of the bowl.

The preserved mustard greens at the bottom of the plate were soaked in the meat juices, their dark sheen embedded in the gaps between the meat slices, having absorbed the aroma of pork fat. Just looking at them made one's lips tingle.

The younger brother picked up a piece of pork with his chopsticks; the fatty part trembled precariously, almost sliding off the lean meat. He put it in his mouth and tasted it. First, the rich, creamy lard melted on his tongue, followed by the firmness of the lean meat, and finally the salty, savory aftertaste of the preserved mustard greens. The aroma of oil and sauce exploded in his mouth, filling even his teeth with oil. He quickly wiped it with the back of his hand, his mouth still greasy.

"This meat is ten times more delicious than the cafeteria meat!"

Fang Ning asked, puzzled:
"Aren't you studying in the capital? How come you're even more greedy than me?"

Fang Yan said to his second sister:

“He lives at school and only comes home once a week. Our family’s food is rather bland, so he doesn’t get enough of it.”

Fang Ning then realized that the family needed to cater to Zhu Lin's tastes.

Even if my younger brother comes back, it's unlikely he'll be eating such strong flavors.

My mother watched from the side, piling three large slices of meat into my second sister's bowl:
"You're also alone in Shanghai with no one to take care of you. The food there probably won't suit your taste. Eat more. This meat has been steamed for two hours, and the oil has all seeped into the preserved mustard greens, so it's not greasy!"

However, even though that's what they said, Fang Ning saw that the slices of meat in the bowl were stacked together, and the oil glistened through the thin skin of the meat, making the rice underneath look shiny with oil.

She said to her mother:

"The food at Fudan University is actually quite good. I wasn't used to it at first, but later the school took us students into consideration and made a lot of dishes that suited our tastes. Plus, my third brother brought me a lot of money and tickets, so I was able to go out and improve my life every week."

After she finished speaking, she looked at the plate of bright green stir-fried vegetables next to the braised pork, and the crisp cucumber and scrambled eggs looked refreshing.

In the middle, a large bowl of winter melon and meatball soup was steaming hot. The round meatballs floated in the clear soup, and after being sprinkled with chopped green onions, the aroma mixed with the smell of meat spread out.

She seemed to be trying to prove that she was doing well over there and had plenty of food, so she picked out these dishes to eat.

Actually, these were all prepared for Zhu Lin and Huang Huijie.

Of course, the quantity is sufficient.

After eating for a while, my mother brought out the last plate of fried eggplant fritters from the kitchen. The oil was still sizzling on the surface. She put it on the table.
"Look what this is? You loved this when you were little, so I fried a lot of it. It can be eaten as a snack even when it's cold." The eggplant slices are cut into even slices, filled with seasoned meat filling. When you bite into them, there's a crisp crunch, and the meat juice inside drips down your chin, making you smack your lips.

In addition, there was a bowl of freshly brewed plum juice. My mother poured a bowl for everyone. One sip of the sweet and sour, icy drink was just the right amount to cut through the greasiness of the meat and vegetables.

"Eat up, eat up," Mom said, placing the biggest piece of braised pork on my second sister's plate.
"Even if you're doing well in Shanghai, after such a long car ride, you should still eat something."

The children held their bowls, shoveling rice into their mouths, and looked at Fang Ning, who hadn't been back for a long time, with a sense of unfamiliarity.

Fang Ning served them a few pieces of food before they became acquainted.

While eating, Dad kept asking my second sister what she studied in the first semester of her major, International Politics.
Fang Ning said:

"The most important course in the first semester is 'History of the International Communist Movement,' which covers everything from the Paris Commune to the Soviet Revolution. Many passages in the textbook are in bold, so you have to memorize them thoroughly."

She picked up a piece of cucumber and scrambled eggs, and then said:
"There's also 'Political Economy,' which spends all day calculating surplus value and capital accumulation. When the teacher lectures, he always uses European and American capitalist countries as examples, saying that their economic crises are cyclical, and we should be wary of them."

The old man asked:

"Any new courses? Like those that cover current international topics."

"Yes, a new course called 'Introduction to International Relations' has been introduced, which is the 'newest' course. It covers the organizational structure of the United Nations and the confrontation between the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union. The teacher said that the situation has changed now and that we should pay more attention to 'peace and development' and stop just shouting 'Down with imperialism'."

She recalled what happened in class and added:

"We also studied 'Diplomatic History,' which covered everything from the unequal treaties of the late Qing Dynasty to our foreign policy. The teacher kept repeating this, saying it was our magic weapon for dealing with Third World countries."

She paused after speaking:

"But speaking of which, my biggest improvement this semester has been in foreign languages."

"We'll need these to deal with foreigners in the future. Our teacher said that if our country wants to do business and cooperate with foreign countries, someone has to understand their rules and know what they are thinking. Learning a foreign language is learning their way of thinking."

Dad nodded:
"Hmm, that's true."

Then Fang Ning looked at Fang Yan and asked him:
"By the way, third brother, what have you been learning at school this semester?"

Fang Yan paused, then put down his chopsticks:

"Me? I've learned a lot of things, but none of them were learned in university."

The old woman said to her second sister:

"He's different. You should ask your sister and the fourth brother instead of him."

The old man also said:
"That's right. He just took the postgraduate entrance exam on the 10th. If all goes well, he will skip the five years of TCM university next semester and go directly into the postgraduate program."

"Huh?" Fang Ning was dumbfounded.

Although they exchanged telegrams with their families several times a month, and Fang Yan even went to Shanghai.

But she only found out today that Fang Yan actually went straight to university for one semester before taking the postgraduate entrance exam.

Isn’t that…right?

Skipping a grade in university!

"Don't be too surprised, that's just how Third Brother is," the younger brother said to his surprised second sister.

The eldest sister chimed in:

"That's right, it's just taking the postgraduate entrance exam. You'd be even more surprised if he told you about the other things he did."

Then they all started talking at once, telling each other what they knew about Fang Yan's activities this semester.

This was only a part, but it was enough to shock Fang Ning.

The brother-in-law and his wife, as well as Song Jian, the bystander, were equally shocked.

Goodness, negotiating with the team from Kyoto University in Japan and working with Lao Hu to promote the internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine has already earned the country an untold amount of foreign exchange, and he has also become the director of the research institute of the Huaxia Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

In addition, he received commendation from the General Logistics Department of the armed forces.

They organized a team to film several movies and one TV series.

Fang Ning is still studying international political economy at school, while Fang Yan, who studies traditional Chinese medicine, has already started practicing.

Before the second sister could even close her mouth, the eldest sister added:
"It's not just the dialect, even my younger brother and sister-in-law have recently written books and made money internationally. They want to buy our dad a motorcycle."

Fang Ning opened her mouth in astonishment:
"what?!"

……

The meal left Fang Ning with a series of shocks.

Although I already knew that the third brother was capable of causing trouble, my imagination was still too limited. Compared to my own university life in Shanghai, Fang Yan's semester has been far more exciting.

And if nothing unexpected happens, Fang Yan will be the first in the family to graduate.

Even Zhu Lin became an international bestselling author, earning foreign exchange from one book that Fang Ning could never have imagined.

This couple... is unbeatable.

For a moment, Fang Ning really didn't know how to describe her feelings.

However, she couldn't think about these things by the afternoon, because after lunch, Zhu Lin gave her a lot of good fabric to make several summer outfits for her.

Faced with fabrics he had never seen before, Fang Ning also became engrossed in the joy of making new clothes.

Anyway, I can't compete with the Fang couple, so I'll just accept their kindness.

When you get back, eat and drink as you please.

I don't take anything to heart.

On the other hand, Fang Yan started his own activities in the afternoon, and also told his eldest sister to go to the market to buy some vegetables so that he could cook dinner for Editor-in-Chief Xia and his wife that evening.

Of course, other family members can also enjoy the delicious food.

My mother's home-cooked dishes are oily, but they don't have much of an advantage compared to the cooking skills of someone who speaks in the local dialect.

At most, he expressed his deepest affection for his second sister.

That's about it.

In the afternoon, Lao Hu also talked with Fang Yan about the problems he has encountered with the two production bases he has taken over. The problem is that production efficiency is not keeping up, mainly because there are not enough machines.

To increase efficiency, we still need to continue importing production lines.

But Lao Hu was thinking, is it possible that since they can attract talent, they could ask Fang Yan's father and father-in-law to help them upgrade their existing Japanese production line?

Fang Yan said to Lao Hu:

"Then you have to tell them that if possible, I definitely have no objection."

Old Hu said, "They're on summer vacation and their workplaces don't have any tasks. If they could help upgrade the production line, that would be the best thing. It would be even better if they could get other university professors to help."

“I will pay for their research funding and overtime pay.”

Fang Yan then asked Lao Hu to go next door to ask his father, Fang Zhenhua, and his father-in-law, Zhu Guangnan. After hearing Lao Hu's words, they asked Lao Hu to bring over the production line drawings and instructions. After looking at them, they would come over and take a look at the actual production line, and then ask about the areas that needed to be upgraded and improved, and start making plans and thinking of solutions.

Because of this, Lao Hu and the other two men in his family found another thing to do.

A short while later, the instruction manual for the production line from Chaoyang Dongba was brought back, but it was in Japanese, so someone who understands Japanese would need to translate it.

In my family, only the person who understands the local dialect knows it.

However, since Fangyan was also working on ancient books from Southeast Asia, they had no choice but to seek help from outside sources.

They originally wanted to find someone from the school, but Fang Yan brought them a helper, Ms. Ma Wenying, whose hair was already quite grown up. She was trained to do business from a young age and was also multilingual.

In addition, her personal secretary also speaks Japanese.

So Ma Wenying and her secretary were called over by Fang Yan to "play" and began translation work.

However, Ma Wenying was clearly enjoying herself. Currently staying in her hotel room, even though she could move around nearby every day, she was getting bored to death.

Fang Yan was busy, so she didn't dare ask him if he could come over. Today, Fang Yan took the initiative to contact her, and even though he came over to translate a bunch of Japanese texts related to mechanical engineering, she enjoyed it and became an expert with her personal secretary.

If you really can't do it, then leave it to the dialect.

He can ultimately solve the problem.

Then, a research and development team, pieced together from various sources, was established in the Fang family courtyard to upgrade the production line, which was originally a family workshop.

……

Time flew by and it was already six o'clock in the afternoon.

Fang Yan had been busy in the kitchen for over an hour, and now she was starting to serve the dishes.

A plate of squirrel-shaped mandarin fish was served.

When the children saw the fish's presentation, they were all amazed. This dish was clearly not on the same level as what they had this morning!

Just as they were marveling at the moment, Fang Yan checked the time and made an appointment with Editor-in-Chief Xia for 6:30. He was also preparing dinner on time.

Editor-in-Chief Xia can't be this punctual, he really arrived right on time!
Just as Fang Yan was thinking this, there was a knock on the gate of her family's courtyard house.

"I'll go open the door!" the younger brother said, and quickly went out to open the door.

Fang Yan guessed that it was Editor-in-Chief Xia who had arrived, so he quickly took off his apron and sleeves. Just as he removed these things, Editor-in-Chief Xia's loud laughter came from the main courtyard entrance:
"Dr. Fang, we're not late, are we?"

Editor-in-Chief Xia was wearing a slightly worn white shirt with the cuffs neatly rolled up. Behind him was a lady in a blue cotton dress, carrying a wicker basket.

Fang Yan quickly went out to greet them, saying:

"I'm not late, I'm not late, I just finished cooking."

After pausing, he formally stated:
"Welcome, Editor-in-Chief Xia and his wife!"

That lady must be Editor-in-Chief Xia's wife. After hearing the dialect, she smiled and said:

"Director Fang, I've heard Lao Xia mention you all the time. Today I finally get to meet you in person. You are truly a handsome and talented man!"

"You flatter me!"

“This is my wife, Lin Yin,” Editor-in-Chief Xia introduced, stepping aside.

After saying that, he winked at the person in the dialect:
"She knew she was coming to your place, so she specially dug out her best wine from the bottom of her chest."

Lin Yin handed over the basket, lifted the cover, and inside were two bottles of Moutai, and next to them were two packets of pastries wrapped in oil paper:

"I heard from Lao Xia that you have a large family, so I brought some Daoxiangcun Zilaihong tea with me. I don't know if you'll like it."

Fang Yan quickly accepted, saying, "You two are too kind. Please come inside."

He led the two through the moon gate. It was the first time that Editor-in-Chief Xia and his wife had visited Fang Yan's home, and they were somewhat surprised by the environment and the spaciousness of the place.

It's much bigger than theirs.

Moreover, this place is clearly not a tenement courtyard; it's a family living together in a dialect-speaking household. In Beijing, most people who receive this treatment are high-ranking officials or foreign technical personnel who have stayed here.

At this moment, the eldest sister brought up more dishes from the kitchen.

We invited them into the main hall.

"When people arrive, they can come inside. The dishes are freshly cooked and still warm."

I glanced at the plate, which was decorated with various shapes and patterns; it contained fried pork ribs arranged neatly.

Lin Yin lowered her voice and said to her husband:

"They even hired a hotel chef to cook for them?"

Editor-in-Chief Xia shook his head, indicating that he did not know.

However, upon reflection, it reminded me of:
"Fang Yan just said he was cooking..."

"They're just being polite," Lin Yin said.

Upon entering the house, one would see dishes arranged in various shapes and sizes on the table.

Editor-in-Chief Xia and his wife were so tempted by the aroma of the dishes on the table that they kept smacking their lips.

He said:
"Wow! This whole table is laden with squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, braised sea cucumber with scallions, braised lion's head meatballs, and this dish is... tangerine peel duck?" He pointed to the glistening duck in the middle of the table.

Fang Yan smiled and nodded:
"Yes, there aren't many ingredients available today."

Editor-in-Chief Xia said:

"You're too kind..."

Lin Yin also said:
"Exactly, you're too particular!"

As they talked, the couple also looked around at the furnishings in the room. Various certificates of merit, a color television, antique furniture, and the snow scene of Taiqing Palace on the wall were clearly extraordinary!

Everywhere you look, you can see the profound depth of the local dialect.

Editor-in-Chief Xia then remembered his business, took a leather notebook out of his canvas bag, and placed it on the table:
"By the way, the list you requested is all here."

Upon hearing this, Fang Yan immediately took the notebook, opened it, and found it filled with names.

“I can recommend three people from Shaanxi. They were all transferred from the Beijing College of Traditional Chinese Medicine back then. One is good at processing, one is good at pharmacology, and the other specializes in identifying authentic medicinal materials from Northwest China. I have dealt with all three of them. They are very capable. They just suffered some injustices a few years ago, but now they are determined to come back.”

After turning to the next few pages, Editor-in-Chief Xia said:

"There are also seven from Shanghai and Chengdu. They are all top talents selected from the 'returnee experts.' I have had their files checked, and there are no major problems."

Fang Yan looked at the names and notes in the notebook and couldn't help but nod:
"You're incredibly efficient!"

"Oh, it's nothing," said Editor-in-Chief Xia, taking the tea poured by her second sister.
“And there’s something even more important. These are photocopies of their published papers and research manuscripts from back then. Take a look and see if they’re suitable.” As he spoke, he pulled out a stack of bound papers from his bag. “These were all found by my friends. Some of them are mimeographed copies that you can’t find on the market anymore.”

Lin Yin laughed from the side:
"Old Xia said he must pick out some of your best talents."

Fang Yan gave Editor-in-Chief Xia a thumbs up:
"Editor-in-Chief Xia is truly a down-to-earth person."

Editor-in-Chief Xia took a sip of tea and wiped his mouth: "Take a look at the information first. If you think these people are suitable, I will send a telegram to them tomorrow to make sure they are prepared. As long as Director Liao is ready, we can bring them back."

"Okay!" Fang Yan nodded and put his things away.

Next, Fang Yan invited everyone to eat.

After everyone was seated, Fang Yan, unusually, poured himself a drink, raised his glass to Editor-in-Chief Xia, and said:

"Let me toast you first. Thanks to you for finding me another way out of this matter with the research institute staff!"

The meal began with a toast, and then Lao Hu also toasted Editor-in-Chief Xia once.

After Editor-in-Chief Xia finished his drink, he noticed his wife had placed a piece of dried tangerine peel duck on his plate and then whispered in his ear:

"Have a taste, the chef that Director Fang hired is very skilled!"

Upon hearing this, Editor-in-Chief Xia picked up some duck meat from his bowl and put it in his mouth.

The moment the duck skin crackled between his teeth, the rich sauce mixed with the bitterness of dried tangerine peel spread out, and he squinted and smacked his lips, letting out a soft "Mmm!"
Something!

The more he chewed the duck meat, the more fragrant it became, and he couldn't help but give it a thumbs up.
"Wow, this is the level of a chef who would host a state banquet!"

"You flatter me!" Fang Yan said with a smile, cupping his hands in a gesture of respect.

Seeing Fang Yan like this, Editor-in-Chief Xia asked in surprise:
"No... from what I'm saying, you made this yourself?"

“Of course, I made it myself,” Fang Yan replied.

Editor-in-Chief Xia and his wife looked at each other, their faces filled with disbelief.

Fang Yan was speechless. Did he not look like someone who could cook well?

Zhu Lin, standing to the side, said with a smile:

"Besides traditional Chinese medicine, Fang Yan's hobby is cooking, and that's what initially attracted me to him."

At this moment, the father-in-law, Zhu Guangnan, also chimed in:

“That’s right. The first time I went to their house for dinner, Fang Yan cooked. At that time, I thought, no matter how good Fang Yan’s medical skills are, with his cooking skills, my daughter definitely can’t go hungry.”

Then the other people at the table also testified that everything on the table was made in dialect.

Only then did Editor-in-Chief Xia and his wife believe it.

Editor-in-Chief Xia said to Fang Yan:

"Dr. Fang, you can do everything! Traditional Chinese medicine, book editing, ancient book restoration, diplomatic negotiations, and you can even cook state banquet-level dishes!"

His wife, Lin Yin, said:

"Not only that, he was also the top scorer in the national college entrance examination with a perfect score."

Editor-in-Chief Xia said:

"Yes, yes! And you're the top scorer in the college entrance exam. That's terrifying. Compared to you, I feel like we're on different species."

Having said that, he remembered that Fang Yan had just taken the postgraduate entrance exam, so he asked:
"By the way, how did your graduate school entrance exam go? You're aiming for first place again, right?"

Fang Yan shook his head:
"The exam just finished tomorrow, and we don't know when the results will be released yet."

"There are many talented people this time. I'll be satisfied if I can get into the graduate program."

When everyone heard him say this, their expressions turned strange.

Listen, is this human talk?
PS: The basic chapter of 6000 words has been updated.

(End of this chapter)