Returning to 1949, I decided to hand it over to the state.

Song Ningyi was the first to react, and she quickly stood up, a bright smile immediately appearing on her face.

"Uncle Meng, you're back."

As soon as she finished speaking, she strode towards the courtyard gate and reached out to take the coat that Meng Tai was holding under his arm.

His movements were practiced and natural, clearly indicating that this wasn't his first time here.

Seeing this, Jiang Fan quickly stepped forward to lend a hand and reached out to take the kettle from Meng Tai's hand.

The two of them approached almost simultaneously, one on each side, and took the things from Meng Tai's hands.

Meng Tai was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey, what are you two doing? Trying to be my helpers?"

Song Ningyi was amused as well. She draped her coat over her arm and stepped aside to make way for them in the yard, saying in a clear, crisp voice:

"Uncle Meng, this is Comrade Jiang Fan, a technical talent who just returned from abroad. Didn't you say last time that you had a spare room at your house? The commander asked me to find him a place to stay, and I immediately thought of you."

As she spoke, she had already reached the doorway, casually put down her coat, and then turned around to give Jiang Fan a nod.

Jiang Fan quickly bowed slightly, his attitude very polite.

"Uncle Meng, I'm sorry to bother you."

He felt somewhat uncomfortable saying those words.

Moving into someone's house for no reason is already troublesome enough, let alone the fact that the person in front of you is Meng Tai.

In later generations, this name will be written into history textbooks and remembered by countless people.

But now, the other person is standing right in front of me, dressed in work clothes.

This feeling is quite subtle.

As a result, Jiang Fan's expression was both somewhat reserved and subtly revealed a hint of barely suppressed excitement.

Meng Tai was slowly walking in, but after hearing Song Ningyi's introduction, he stopped and looked Jiang Fan up and down carefully, his expression revealing undisguised curiosity.

These days, there are already very few people returning from abroad.

Especially since they are so young.

It should be understood that in 1949, the newly established People's Republic of China was in dire need of reconstruction and had a weak industrial base. People who truly understood technology and had learned modern industrial knowledge were extremely rare and precious.

Someone as young as Jiang Fan, who has returned from abroad, is considered by many to be almost a rare commodity.

Meng Tai looked at him and grinned.

"Wow, this young man is quite something! He's so young yet has already seen the world and still thinks about coming back. That's a rare quality."

Jiang Fan had just put the kettle aside when he was suddenly praised like this, and he became even more embarrassed. He could only scratch the back of his head and reply with a dry laugh:

"What's the big deal? I just did what a Chinese person should do."

He simply couldn't find a more suitable word to describe his current situation.

After all, he couldn't very well admit that he had traveled from the future, could he?

That's just too outrageous.

But this seemingly perfunctory remark, when it reached Meng Tai's ears, actually made the latter's eyes show more appreciation.

Meng Tai nodded, his tone becoming more serious.

"Good lad, you have ambition. There aren't many people who can come back from outside these days. Being willing to come back is better than those who stay outside and don't come back."

As he spoke, his gaze swept over Jiang Fan once more.

The style of Jiang Fan's clothes was something he had never seen before, and the material was also different from the coarse cloth work clothes that were common in those days, making them look rather novel.

But looking at that face again, his eyebrows and eyes were well-defined, and although his expression was a bit reserved, he was neither slick nor impetuous.

My first impression was actually quite good.

Seeing that the two had already started chatting, Song Ningyi smiled slightly, her eyes also filled with amusement, and said to Meng Tai as she walked out:

"Uncle Meng, then Comrade Jiang Fan will be in your care."

Meng Tai waved his hand and readily agreed.

"Don't worry, Xiao Song, it's fine to let Comrade Xiao Jiang stay here. Go back and tell the commander to rest assured that I will definitely take good care of Comrade Xiao Jiang."

"Then I can rest assured."

Song Ningyi nodded, then turned to look at Jiang Fan, her tone still crisp and straightforward.

"Comrade Jiang Fan, just make yourself at home here. If you need anything or anything is missing, just let me know. I'll be going now, see you tomorrow."

Jiang Fan smiled back at her.

"Okay, see you tomorrow, Comrade Song."

After saying that, he stood there and watched Song Ningyi walk out of the courtyard gate.

She walked quickly and lightly, her braid swaying behind her head.

Before long, the figure turned onto the dirt road outside and gradually disappeared into the increasingly heavy twilight.

Jiang Fan stared in the direction she left, momentarily lost in thought.

He thought of his own era.

Back then, most girls in big cities were sophisticated and independent, but there always seemed to be something between them.

Across the phone screen, across the chat box, across the "hmm" that takes forever to reply, across the polite yet distant boundaries.

Girls like Song Ningyi, who are efficient, straightforward, and warm-hearted, are actually quite rare these days.

As he was thinking, Meng Tai's voice came from behind him.

"Xiao Jiang, you can stay here and rest assured."

Jiang Fan turned around and saw Meng Tai pointing to a room on the west side of the courtyard.

"You can sleep in that room tonight. I'll go get you a blanket later; it'll get chilly at night, so don't get cold."

As he spoke, he turned to head towards the main house.

Seeing this, Jiang Fan quickly took two steps to catch up. His gaze fell on Meng Tai's work clothes, which were covered in dust and oil stains. He then looked at Meng Tai's back, which was soaked with sweat, and felt a little guilty.

This person just got back from work.

Exhausted and covered in dust, he had clearly been working at the factory all day.

Jiang Fan quickly reached out and gently tugged at Meng Tai's sleeve.

"Uncle Meng, no, no, you've been busy all day. Sit down and rest for a while. I can get the blankets myself. Making the bed is something I can handle."

Meng Tai was pulled back by him, and he looked back at him with a slight frown.

"That won't do! I already assured Xiao Song that you'd have a comfortable stay. It's your first time here, and they haven't even made your bed properly. How am I supposed to explain this to everyone?"

Jiang Fan didn't let go; instead, his expression became even more serious.

"It's really alright, Uncle Meng. I'm young and quick, making a bed is no problem for me. Please sit down and rest for a bit, catch your breath, I can tidy up myself in a little while. It's not completely dark yet, no rush."

Meng Tai opened his mouth, wanting to say a few more words, but seeing Jiang Fan's serious expression, he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

He stared at Jiang Fan for a few seconds, then suddenly grinned.

"Well done, kid. You're pretty considerate."

After saying that, he stopped insisting and turned around to sit down on the old wooden bench in the yard.