Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 845 The stars hold the moon
"Where's my boat? Where's my boat? Where's my tiny little boat?"

Chen Fan stood by the Yangtze River, his hair disheveled by the river wind, and his blank stare and vacant expression made him look particularly desolate.

His small speedboat was always moored at Yunhu Cargo Terminal, facilitating travel between Yunhu and Lujiawan. It had always been properly moored before, and the dockworkers and cadres all knew him and wouldn't just watch his small boat disappear without doing anything about it.

Before this moment, he had not received any news.

So, where did that huge little boat go?
"Stop barking."

Zhou Zhengdong got out of the jeep carrying his son, wrapping the little guy tightly in his cloak with only his nostrils showing so he could breathe, and said loudly, "I forgot to tell you, when I called yesterday, your brigade's secretary, Yang, said something."

Your small boat hadn't been maintained for a long time; three months ago, water even got into the hull. It was the dockworker who discovered it, and the next day it was towed back to the shipyard for rebuilding. After it was repaired, the brigade kept it for themselves, and then, based on your original blueprints, they built you a new boat.”

Chen Fan blinked. Hadn't his boat been maintained?
It must have been serviced, even if only once.

It's possible that you didn't go back for the entire last year and missed the second maintenance appointment, which caused the problem.

Yes, that must be it; it's definitely not because I forgot to take care of myself.

After immediately distancing himself from the situation, he spread his arms wide and asked with a straight face, "Then what about my new ship?"

Zhou Zhengdong looked around and said, "Secretary Yang only said that he would send someone to pick you up this year, but he didn't say where your new ship is."

Zhou Yali took her mother's arm, tilted her head, leaned on her mother's shoulder, and muttered softly, "Mom, it seems like Dad isn't very reliable either."

He paused for a moment, then added, "And my younger brother."

Zhao Wanru glanced at her, "I'm not old."

Zhou Yali was immediately taken aback. Is this what a seasoned media professional is like? They really know how to grasp the key points.

Just as Chen Fan was considering whether to drive back and call the brigade headquarters, he suddenly saw a speedboat flying across the Yangtze River.

The speedboat's bow was raised high, bouncing occasionally, as if it weren't floating on the water but flying close to the river's surface. Behind the boat, surging waves were stirred up, and the high-flying waves even pushed aside the turbulent currents of the river, creating waves that were enough to prove the powerful propeller.

Chen Fan squinted, wondering to himself, whose child is so inconsiderate?
Yunhu has speedboats that are even more arrogant and flashy than its own?
Soon, the speedboat quickly approached.

The white paint on the hull reflected a glossy sheen, while the deck and above were painted the color of the original wood.

The overall shape is exactly the same as my original Luwan No. 3 small yacht, except that the oilcloth awning has been replaced with a fixed wooden cabin. In this way, the hull is not only more sturdy, but also lighter than the iron plate cabin of the iron boat.

At this point, Chen Fan understood that his new ship had definitely arrived.

as predicted.

Once the speedboat reached the riverbank, it quickly slowed down, then turned sideways and slowly approached the shore.

Before the anchor could be dropped, the hatch at the back was opened, and several people filed out.

The first to emerge were Huang Ying, Yang Ju, and Liu Dan, Chen Fan's three "first-generation students".

Well, to be precise, there should also be a Jiang Lili among his first students.

So this relationship...?
Following closely behind were Captain Yang and Ye Shubao, who were grinning from ear to ear.

As for Yang Junyi, who was steering the boat, he was just a mere tool and not worth paying attention to.

As the speedboat docked, Captain Yang immediately threw out the cable and secured it firmly to the iron stake on the shore. Huang Ying and the other two jumped off the boat immediately and ran towards Chen Fan, calling out, "Teacher Chen!"

Chen Fan waved in response with a calm expression, "Hello everyone, are you home for winter break? It's been a long time!"

Zhou Yali's eyes lit up. She looked at the three men, then at her younger brother, and whispered in her mother's ear, "Mom, I bet a dollar that these three are definitely my brother's admirers."

Zhao Wanru calmly crossed her arms in front of her and chuckled softly, "The second time, I'm not old."

Zhou Yali, “…?”

Is this topic really that untouchable?

Captain Yang tied the mooring rope, jumped onto the dock, shook hands with Zhou Zhengdong, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then said with a smile, "The river wind is strong, let's get on the boat first."

The group boarded the ship one after another, while Yang Ju and the other two scrambled to carry their suitcases.

Upon entering the cabin, Chen Fan discovered that this ship was significantly larger than the original one, with more space inside.

Just as he was looking at it, Captain Yang said with a smile, "Your ship is Luwan No. 3. After it was repaired, the brigade headquarters kept it for use. In the future, if there is something urgent and you need to go to the prefectural committee or county town, you won't need to use a cargo ship or take a car, which will be more convenient."

He pointed to the control panel and said, "This ship has been named Luwan No. 5, and it will be assigned to you from now on."

Previously, there were four boats in Lujiawan. The first one, Luwan No. 1, was pieced together from several small boats. At the time, it was a last resort to avoid delaying the supply of goods to the county and city.

Luwan No. 2 is a large wooden boat converted from the ship repair shop of the Nanhu Commune Water Transport Company. It is also the most sturdy boat and is now the main cargo ship in Lujiawan.

After the ship was put into service, the short life of the Luwan No. 1 came to an end.

However, it was not dismantled, but used within the production team. It was used to transport goods from Team 5 to Team 6, going back and forth along the river on both sides of Lujiawan.

Luwan No. 3 is Chen Fan's small speedboat, designed by Teacher Chen himself and perfectly manufactured by the Nanhu Water Transport Company Repair Shop. It is also for his personal use.

Another ship, Luwan No. 4, was built bit by bit by the carpenters of the 4th team of the Lujiawan Production Brigade, who relied on their experience in building sailboats at the Nanhu Shipyard.

Although it is only 10 meters long and its load capacity is far less than that of Luwan No. 2, its sturdiness is not much different, and it has always been a useful supplement to Luwan No. 2.

Lujiawan's sideline business was able to expand rapidly to other communes in Gufeng County and other counties in the Yunhu area, such as Shuanghe County, thanks in no small part to Luwan No. 4.

After more than two years of development, the Lujiawan Production Brigade finally had its fifth ship.

Even though it was to replace Luwan No. 3, isn't that progress?!
Captain Yang said with a smug look on his face, "The hull of this boat is made entirely of steel plates. The welding was done by senior welders from Yunhu Machinery Factory, and the steering gear was made by the engine factory under Yunqi Factory. Several level-eight workers were on the job. It was designed according to the imported steering gear from abroad. It is not only more powerful, but also has lower fuel consumption."

As he spoke, he shook his head regretfully, "It's just that it takes too much time to produce and can't be mass-produced. After they built two for this ship, they refused to build any more. Otherwise, the shipping company would have placed an order with them."

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly as he listened. Using imported boat-handling machines and having skilled craftsmen handcraft them? And they want to mass-produce them?

It's amazing that they could come up with this.

He was about to say a few words when he suddenly noticed that Huang Ying and the other two were staring at him. He immediately coughed and waved for Yang Junyi to move aside.

He then plopped down in the driver's seat, familiarized himself with the control panel, and said, "Is everything ready? I'm about to set sail."

Yang Junyi quickly went out to untie the ropes, and when he came back, he closed the cabin door. The howling river wind was kept out, and the cabin quickly warmed up.

Chen Fan flipped the switch, and the motor immediately started turning, pulling up the small iron anchor.

The river water lapped against the hull, and the boat slowly left the shore. Only then did Chen Fan start the boat control machine. The propeller stirred up waves and propelled the speedboat towards the river.

The cabin was well-sealed; although the engine was very loud, it did not interfere with conversations inside.

Zhou Zhengdong handed his son to Zhao Wanru, then turned to Captain Yang and smiled, "Xiao Fan is getting married in a few days, and I'll need you to be the matchmaker. Thank you for your help."

Captain Yang glanced at his daughter Yang Ju, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes. When he looked up again, his face was full of smiles. "You're too kind. Not to mention that Xiao Fan is from Lujiawan, his affairs are Lujiawan's affairs. As a squad leader, it's only right and proper for me to serve my team members."

"Just look at the contributions Xiao Fan has made to Lujiawan over the years. It's my honor to be his matchmaker." Zhou Zhengdong and Captain Yang discussed how to prepare for the wedding and how to arrange the wedding day's procedures.

Before he knew it, Chen Fan had driven the speedboat back to the small dock of Team 6 in Lujiawan.

I haven't been back for a year, and the temporary wooden dock from back then has become even more dilapidated, but it's still usable.

He had just moored the boat and stepped out of the cabin when he heard several birds chirping in the sky.

Looking up, I saw a hawk and three white gyrfalcons circling in the sky, while a myna bird swooped down and landed on the roof of the cabin, shouting at the top of its lungs, "Chen Fan is back! Chen Fan is back..."

On the other side of the sky, two griffins of light brown quickly approached each other, but did not easily get close to the hobby and the white griffin.

These two birds are quite a handful.

Adult gyrfalcons can grow to more than half a meter in length. When traveling by plane, they can only be transported in cages. After landing, they are allowed to fly freely in the sky, always following the car. If they get tired, they will land on the roof of the car to rest.

This time when we returned to Lujiawan, we let them fly on their own, and they happened to run into a few birds that came to greet us.

It sounds like a long story, but in reality, it only took two or three seconds from the moment Chen Fan stepped out of the cabin.

He looked up and saw this scene. He first blew a bird song, and several birds in the sky quickly gathered together and soon became a flock.

He then beckoned to the myna bird, which flapped its wings and landed on his hand. The myna bird stopped chirping and instead tilted its head to stare at him.

Chen Fan smiled, placed the myna bird on his shoulder, then jumped off the dock and followed Zhou Yali up the river.

Zhou Zhengdong and Captain Yang walked side by side in front, followed by Zhou Yali supporting her mother, Chen Fan in the middle, and Yang Junyi and Yang Ju carrying luggage behind them.

As soon as Zhou Zhengdong climbed onto the embankment, he saw a group of people running towards it.

Seeing this, he asked in surprise, "They're... here to pick up Xiao Fan?"

Goodness, dozens of people came to the dock to welcome him. It's like being surrounded by stars.

Captain Yang put his hands on his hips, took a light breath, and laughed, saying, "Of course, even though I'm a squad leader, I don't have that kind of face. Let alone me, even if it were Secretary Yang or Captain Zhang from the brigade headquarters, they wouldn't give us such a warm welcome."

As she spoke, she turned to look at Chen Fan, who had just climbed up, and without trying to hide it from him, she laughed and said, "In the entire Nanhu Commune, only Little Chen has this kind of influence, and it was all done spontaneously by everyone."

Chen Fan ignored him, grabbed the two dogs that pounced on him, put them on the ground, patted their heads, and laughed, "Not bad, not bad."

He then straightened up, hugged the two outstretched horse heads, patted their noses, and laughed, "Why are you slower than a dog? Haven't you been exercising in a long time?"

The mare was a little better, but the foal was only 3 years old and, strictly speaking, not yet an adult. It immediately raised its head and neighed loudly, then nuzzled Chen Fan in the chest, insisting that he ride on it and take it for a ride.

Chen Fan naturally didn't have time to gallop his horse at this moment. After calming it down, he walked towards the crowd that came to greet him, "Accountant Liu, Warehouse Keeper Huang, it's been a long time."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Accountant Liu said with a smile, "Secretary Yang and the others actually came, but they were too embarrassed to come out to greet you. They're waiting for you at your house."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan first laughed heartily, then waved his hand, "Then let's hurry back."

Two-legged creatures are naturally not as fast as four-legged ones. The two dogs, Duoduo and Qiuqiu, barked and took the lead, with the two horses close behind.

The birds flying in the sky swooped down and landed on the roof, standing in a majestic row, with the smallest one, a Eurasian Hobby, only forty centimeters long, leading the way.

The myna bird perched on Chen Fan's shoulder, not caring about cultivating a bond with its other owners, immediately flew over and approached them.

On the small earthen slope, the sounds of pandas bleating and barking came from the panda enclosure, while sheep bleated in the backyard, making the cold winter lively and bustling.

After the people from the village took Chen Fan home, most of them left on their own, leaving only Captain Yang, Accountant Liu, and Warehouse Keeper Huang.

In addition, there are Secretary Yang, Captain Zhang, Xiao Liewen, and Ye Shubao from the brigade headquarters, as well as six students from the two cohorts of Yang Ju and Yang Mei.

Upon seeing Chen Fan for the first time, Secretary Yang walked up to him, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a sigh, "At the beginning of the year, you left in a hurry. I thought you had something important to do, but I didn't expect you to go to the southwest alone."

Then he patted his arm and said, "Well done!"

Xiao Liewen looked him up and down carefully, his eyes full of satisfaction. "After I retired from the army, the thing I'm most proud of in my life is teaching you martial arts. All your skills have been worth it!"

Captain Zhang and Ye Shubao didn't know what to say, so they just grinned and laughed.

Captain Yang, however, held his head high, looking around smugly, and said, "If that's the case, you all have to thank me first."

As he spoke, he gestured with his hand, "I caught a big fish with this one scoop. Otherwise, you wouldn't catch anything."

As soon as he said that, the room erupted in laughter.

Having met before, Zhou Zhengdong and Secretary Yang didn't exchange many pleasantries upon meeting again today.

After a few words, Zhou Zhengdong got to the point, "We went to the Jiang family to propose marriage yesterday, and everything went smoothly. We plan to hold the wedding on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. The time is a bit tight, so we need to ask the leaders for their help."

"No need for polite words."

Secretary Yang waved his hand and said seriously, "Xiao Fan's matter is Lujiawan's matter. You tell us how to arrange the wedding, and we will do everything according to your wishes."

He paused for a moment, then looked at the group with some hesitation. "But, is your wedding only going to last one day?"

Nowadays, some families in rural areas are following the old custom of holding weddings for two or even three days, emphasizing a grand and lively occasion.

In any case, Teacher Chen is an important figure in Lujiawan. Wouldn't one day be too little of a formality?
Chen Fan waved his hand and said, "While the formalities are important, there's no need to compete with others. Following the normal procedure, we should welcome the bride in the morning, bring her back before noon, and hold the wedding ceremony in the afternoon. That's enough. There's no need to hold a three-day banquet."

Long ago, ancient weddings were usually held at dusk, hence the term "dusk ceremony".

Even now, in some parts of Lingnan and Fujian, there is still a custom of welcoming the bride at night.

However, the Han Chinese later developed a custom of welcoming the bride in the morning and taking her home before noon, which is why Zhou Zhengdong and his group made this arrangement.

Seeing Chen Fan's response, Secretary Yang and the others stopped asking questions. He then looked at Zhou Zhengdong and said, "It wasn't clear over the phone before. In any case, Xiao Fan's marriage is a big deal. His household registration is in Lujiawan, so our brigade headquarters can issue the marriage certificate. I will arrange that."

"We need to double-check the wedding arrangements so that we can address any mistakes or omissions beforehand and ensure everything goes smoothly."

Seeing how much importance Secretary Yang and the others attached to the matter, Zhou Zhengdong was deeply moved and immediately began discussing wedding preparations with them.

But just as they started talking, Chen Fan stood up and said, "You guys can discuss this slowly, I have to go over there."

He pointed outside and said with a wry smile, "If I don't go over there soon, those three big guys will tear the whole place apart."

Zhou Yali's eyes lit up instantly when she saw the sign, "Are we going to see the pandas?"

Then, ignoring his mother and younger brother, he immediately got up and joined them, saying, "I want to go too."

Watching the two leave, everyone in the room was speechless.

Someone who neglects their own wedding, leaving it to others, yet goes off to see pandas?

The other one... well, there's not much to say about the other one either.

Who are these people?
(End of this chapter)