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 lock to lock the cabinet.
"Put the wool greatcoat and leather shoes in the top cabinet, the rice and oil in the bottom one. I'll find a bamboo pole to hang the cured meat and fish on. You can put the rest of the stuff on the empty bed over there for now – no one uses it anyway. Oh, and make sure you put the kerosene somewhere safe – if it spills, it could start a fire. You must be careful with that – best to keep it in the corner."
After all the bustling around, she was slightly out of breath. Turning to look at Chen Fan, she said, "Leave the quilts for now – we'll hang them out to air tomorrow, then put them on the bed once the bedsheet and quilt cover are washed and dried. That should be everything."
Watching Jiang Lili bustle about while chattering away, Chen Fan felt a momentary daze. He only snapped back to attention when she spoke to him, smiling and saying, "Thank you so much."
Looking around the neatly organized room, he added with a smile, "You're really something – I wouldn't have known where to start with all this stuff, but you had it all sorted out in no time. I'm glad you were here to help."
"It's nothing."
Jiang Lili lowered her head shyly, then turned and headed out the door. "I'll go boil some water."
She practically fled the room as she spoke.
Chen Fan raised his eyebrows and looked around – everything was in perfect order, better than he could have managed himself.
He'd been taking care of himself for a long time now; this was the first time he'd been looked after since he grew up.
It felt pretty good though!
Even if it did mean losing a few experience points in housekeeping skills.
Oh well – there's always next time.
By the time Jiang Lili had boiled the water, filled the thermos and the big teapot on the table, and found a long bamboo pole to prop across two wooden cabinets and hang the cured meat and fish, it was completely dark outside.
After checking that there was nothing else to do, she went back to her own room.
Chen Fan fetched two basins of water to wash up, then closed and locked the door. He turned down the wick on the hurricane lamp slightly, and the light dimmed immediately.
He poured himself a cup of tea into the clean enamel cup and sat down in the chair, instantly looking relaxed and laid-back.
It had been three days since he'd crossed over, and Chen Fan still felt a bit dazed, wondering if this whole experience was just a dream – maybe when he woke up, he'd still be in his rental apartment, worrying about work the next day.
But it seemed more and more likely that this "dream" wasn't going to end anytime soon.
Thinking back on his old life – after his parents passed away, there wasn't much to speak of. His school days were spent either studying or working part-time to earn money, still unremarkable. After graduating from college, the small inheritance his parents left him wasn't even enough to buy a bathroom in the big city, so he'd had to work like crazy – but even his work had been unremarkable.
Maybe staying here wasn't such a bad thing after all?
Chen Fan leaned back in his chair, one hand resting on the edge of the bed and the other holding his teacup, his gaze unfocused.
What could he do here?
Save the world?
He didn't think he had that kind of ability.
Even though he'd gotten a small "cheat," it didn't seem all that useful so far – just let him learn things faster and keep his body in good shape.
Even his skill board was filled with things like housekeeping, cooking, teaching, and butchering – the only somewhat supernatural one was "Animal Language."
Actually, even Animal Language wasn't all that supernatural. For example, more than three thousand years ago, the Rites of Zhou (Chapter on the Minister of Punishments) recorded: "The Yi Li oversee the herdsmen, care for cattle and horses, and communicate with birds... The Mo Li oversee those who tame untamed beasts, care for them and train them, and communicate with animals."
This meant that as early as the Western Zhou Dynasty, the court had established two official positions: Yi Li and Mo Li. The Yi Li managed herdsmen and livestock and could speak with birds; the Mo Li was responsible for taming wild animals and could communicate with beasts.
They even ran special "Animal Language" training courses in Haojing. Though the Zhou Dynasty eventually fell and the courses were discontinued, people who knew these skills spread across the country, giving rise to folk legends about people who could communicate with birds and beasts.
Even Confucius's disciple and son-in-law Gongye Chang was said to understand bird language, and this was even recorded in historical texts.
Folk legends about people who could understand animal speech have never died out either.
So this skill wasn't all that out of the ordinary.
But Animal Language would be extremely useful in the countryside.
The countryside now was nothing like it would be decades later – in the future, farming would use high technology and livestock raising would be scientific. But right now, things weren't all that different from ancient times – farming still relied on oxen, and rice cultivation on human labor.
Generally speaking, rural work in the 1970s boiled down to two things: "farming" and "livestock."
Farming was self-explanatory – growing crops.
Livestock included both animals raised for food and those used for plowing and transport. If Chen Fan could communicate with animals, it would be a huge help for his life in the countryside.
That was why he took every chance to talk to the dogs – if he could level up his Animal Language skill quickly, even if he kept it a secret, he could become something of a veterinary expert.
Having that kind of status would make him practically unstoppable in the countryside before the 1990s.
It was just a shame that all the dogs belonged to other people, making it inconvenient to chat with them.
Once his life settled down a bit, he'd definitely get some dogs, cats, and chickens of his own – he could practice with them every day behind closed doors, and maxing out the skill would be just a matter of time!
When should he get a dog?
Chen Fan scratched his head and ended up with oily hands.
Sigh – he'd been eating so well these past few days, with plenty of meat and wine, but he hadn't had a bath yet. He was starting to smell.
First thing tomorrow – wash his clothes, then boil a big pot of water for a bath.
Oh right – do they have big bathtubs here?
Then, Chen Fan suddenly pulled his thoughts back, frowning deeply.
What was I just thinking about?
Oh right – what can I do if I stay here?
In other words, what's the meaning of life?
Chen Fan patted his head, frowning as he tried to remember what his dreams had been in his previous life.
After thinking for a long time, he finally let out a long sigh.
Somehow, his ideals had long since been abandoned, leaving only the goal of just getting by.
But now, things couldn't be that simple.
So first, let's set a small goal – solve the household registration problem!
What did not having a household registration mean in this era?
It meant no identification, no ration land, no access to education, no chance to become a formal employee of any work unit, no letter of introduction to travel to other places – let alone taking the college entrance exam, contributing to society, or serving the country.
So the top priority right now was to sort out his household registration.
After that, he'd focus on leveling up his skills and keeping his body in top shape.
And after that – well, he could do whatever he wanted.
Aww, so sleepy – time for bed...
Chen Fan yawned, took a sip of hot water, then took off his padded jacket and climbed into bed.
Mmm, comfortable.
His previous life had taught him to adapt to whatever situation he was in, and that hadn't changed after crossing over.
If he'd had any grand ideals when he was younger, now all he wanted was to "live freely."
He hadn't been able to achieve that in his past life – maybe he could make it happen in this one.
(End of Chapter)
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