~Between the Pages and the Coffee Pot: Translated Novels~

  Chapter 60: Keeping a Diary     "Arrived here on January 19th, unconscious for half a day and a night. Woke up on the morning of January 20th, caught and ate a turtle in the afternoon. January 21st – taught Team 6 how to butcher turtles. January 22nd – Captain Yang’s family butchered a pig in the morning, went to the brigade headquarters to teach turtle butchering in the afternoon. January 23rd – went to Team 4 in the morning, Team 7 in the afternoon; on the same day, all production teams went to the commune to fetch utility poles. January 24th – went to Team 8 in the morning, Team 9 in the afternoon; production teams planted utility poles. Today is January 25th – going to the brigade headquarters to teach Deputy Captain Xiao’s family how to make pickled cabbage; production teams continue planting utility poles."   Chen Fan stuck his dip pen back into its bamboo holder, his face carrying a hint of melancholy.   It had already been five days – today was the six...

   Chapter 59: Just a Code Name     Chen Fan took off his green military uniform and put on the newly delivered homespun single-layer clothes, then slipped into the padded jacket over them. Immediately, he felt much more at ease.   Most importantly, no one would say a word if he wore these homespun clothes to work – he wouldn’t even feel bad about getting them dirty.   Chen Fan looked at the cotton shoes Jiang Lili had given him, sat down to try them on. They were a bit big, but they didn’t slip off his feet – with an insole and socks, they’d be just right.   Hey, how had she known his shoe size?   He took the cotton shoes off, put the cloth shoes Captain Yang had given him back on, and stored the cotton shoes in his wardrobe.   Then, taking his letter of introduction and picking up a wooden stick, he walked over to Jiang Lili’s door and cleared his throat. "Ahem, ahem."   Jiang Lili looked back at him, puffed out her cheeks, then lowere...

   Chapter 58: The Cat's Out of the Bag     The next morning, Chen Fan got up and put on his new clothes – then immediately found himself in a dilemma.   Here he was, dressed head to toe in clean new clothes: a green military uniform that was hard to come by, a brand-new military greatcoat over it, and clean rubber-soled Liberation shoes on his feet. He looked sharp enough to go on a blind date – and now he was supposed to go out and butcher turtles?   What if he got them dirty or smelly?   His old clothes were still wet from being washed that morning. If he hadn’t washed them, Jiang Lili would definitely have done it for him, and he already felt bad about troubling her so much.   He’d even washed the padded jacket he’d borrowed from who-knows-who, planning to return it to Captain Yang once it dried.   So did that mean he had to wear the new clothes?   What a predicament!   Even more embarrassing was the realization that he was actu...

   Chapter 57: This Is What Life Is All About!     By the time Chen Fan finished his work at Team 7, ate his fill, and was sent back by their people, it was even earlier than the day before.   The folks from Team 7 helped carry the baskets into his room, politely invited him to visit again sometime, then headed out to mount their horses and leave.   After Chen Fan closed and latched the gate and came back inside, Jiang Lili walked over and said, "People from Team 4 brought your things back this morning. I've put everything else away already, and the bamboo basket, bamboo chairs, and bamboo backpack are on the empty bed in your room..."   "Wait a minute?"   Chen Fan suddenly cut her off, looking surprised. "Bamboo basket, bamboo chairs, and bamboo backpack?"   Jiang Lili paused for a moment before nodding gently. "Yes – they came by donkey cart. Besides the things from Team 5 yesterday, there was one bamboo basket, two bamboo chairs, one bambo...

  Chapter 56: Kidney-Shaped Basin     The next day, Chen Fan went out again to teach people how to butcher turtles.   He'd gone to Team 5 yesterday; today he was heading to Teams 4 and 7, then Teams 8 and 9 tomorrow to finish his task.   Work at Team 4 went smoothly, and when he was about to leave, the team leader also gave him a basket of supplies – pretty much the same as what Team 5 had given him the day before.   Rice, cured meat, cured fish, cotton, rapeseed oil, pickled vegetables, homemade soy sauce, homemade vinegar, chili sauce, pickled vegetables.   Not a single new item – Chen Fan suspected they'd all coordinated beforehand.   Even if they'd replaced one jar of chili sauce with a few lotus roots, that would have been nice.   With all that oil available, it would be a shame not to fry some lotus root sandwiches.   And there were so many other fried treats he could make – radish balls, tofu balls, sesame glutinous rice balls, sw...

  Chapter 55: Small Goal     After catching her breath, Jiang Lili got back to work. "Let's put the cloth aside for now. The bedsheet, quilt cover, and clothes all need washing before you can use them – same with the mosquito net. You'll need it as soon as the weather warms up next year; there are way more mosquitoes in the countryside than in the city, so we should get it ready quickly. You can take out the cup, lunch box, and enamel basins – you'll need those right away.   "Also, the thermos – I'll boil some water later so you can have hot water tonight. You can take out the kettle too; you'll be going out again the next couple of days, so you can fill it up and take water with you on the way.   "I'll split a bamboo tube to hold the soap later – it fits perfectly in the space under the shelf at the bottom of the cabinet. Keep the new shoes in the wardrobe for now; once you start wearing them, you can move them to the shelf. Use the pin tumbler l...