After buying books in Changxi City, Shi Zhen bought a large bag of peanuts, and then carried these things onto the bus.
He originally wanted to ride a tricycle to Changxi City, but that would take three or four hours round trip, and riding a tricycle would be more tiring than riding a bicycle. Even though he was in good health, he felt he couldn't handle it.
The bus swayed and rattled for over forty minutes before stopping at the Anshan Town bus stop. Shi Zhen got off the bus and saw his tricycle parked safely in the distance, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Bicycles and tricycles were considered big-ticket items at that time, and since there were no surveillance cameras, they were particularly easy to steal. Some people even made a living by stealing bicycles.
During the month that Shi Zhen stayed in the village, he encountered bicycle thieves who came to the village to sell stolen bicycles.
He stole a bicycle that others bought for a few hundred yuan and sold it for a hundred, and he could sell it very quickly.
At this time, bicycles would have license plates and a number branded on the handlebars, so that people who lost their bikes could find them again.
But reality is never the same as imagination.
The thieves don't sell the stolen bikes locally; they sell them further away. Given the inconvenient transportation, people don't travel much. Once the stolen bicycles from Changxi City are sold to Anshan Town, the owners in Changxi City are unlikely to ever see their bicycles again.
Shi Zhen's tricycle is more expensive than his bicycle, and therefore more likely to be stolen. He locks it inside every night and is very careful when parking it outside, always using at least two locks.
He parked the car near a bus stop, where staff come and go, making it less likely to be stolen, but he was still a little worried. Fortunately, the car was unharmed.
By the time Shi Zhen rode his tricycle home, it was already quite late, and it was almost dark.
Shi Zhen stopped in front of his house and saw Guan Jinjin skipping and hopping across the road in front of the house.
Upon suddenly spotting Shi Zhen, she was clearly startled, abruptly stopping in her tracks and patting her clothes to appear much more ladylike.
"Guan Jinjin," Shi Zhen called out.
"Hey! Brother Shi Zhen." Guan Jinjin smiled at Shi Zhen.
Previously, Guan Jinjin had always called Shi Zhen "Guan Baiyu's brother," but today she finally addressed him using a normal form of address.
Locally, one would generally call one's own brother "brother" directly, while cousins or other relatives in the village would call him "Brother So-and-so" or "Brother So-and-so".
Guan Jinjin didn't call him that before... Shi Zhen suspected that Guan Jinjin didn't know his name back then.
"I bought you a book, take it home and read it." Shi Zhen took out the book on raising chickens.
Guan Jinjin was extremely surprised and also a little delighted to learn that Shi Zhen had bought her a book.
She wasn't familiar with Shi Zhen, so she never expected him to send her a book!
Is it a romance novel? Someone in their class has a romance novel that they borrowed from their older sister. It's really good, and they even copied it down!
Sigh, Shi Zhen suddenly sent her a book, could it be because he likes her?
Will there be love letters in the book?
It's a pity that Shi Zhen is a bit old...
Guan Jinjin blushed, her cheeks felt hot, but because of her dark skin, it was hard to tell.
Just then, she saw the title of the book Shi Zhen had given her—"A Guide to Broiler Chicken Farming".
The book has an earthy green back cover with a chubby white-feathered chicken on it.
Guan Jinjin: "..."
Shi Zhen added, "If your father can understand it, you can show it to him directly."
Guan Jinjin took the book, her voice weak and listless: "Thank you..."
Guan Jinjin had just finished thanking him when she saw Shi Zhen pushing his tricycle into the house.
Speechless, Guan Jinjin took her book home and saw her parents squatting on the ground, observing a sickly little chick.
Although she hasn't been raising chickens for long, her house already smells strongly of chicken manure, making her reluctant to stay at home.
Although she didn't manage the chickens herself, she knew what they meant to her family.
The chicks were so cute, all fluffy and yellow-orange... These past few days, Guan Jinjin has felt very sad every time she sees a chick die.
If you raise them properly according to the book, won't the chicks be less likely to die?
Guan Jinjin said, "Dad, Mom, Shi Zhen gave me a book about raising chickens."
Guan Jinjin showed her parents the unusually old-fashioned green book in her hand.
Although Zhang Xiumei was illiterate, she recognized the chicken: "There are books about raising chickens? How much does that book cost?"
Guan Jinjin hadn't really thought about how much the book would cost before. She flipped to the last page and looked at the price tag: "Two yuan and fifty cents."
"There are books that teach how to raise chickens?" Guan Guangguo was also a little curious. "Hey, the chicken on the cover of this book looks like the same breed we raise at home."
Guan Guangguo could read, but when he took the book and opened it, he was overwhelmed by the densely packed small characters.
Although he could read, he hadn't used it for many years and had almost forgotten everything he learned from his teacher.
Even so, he did not back down: "Jin Jin, I don't recognize all the words on it, can you read them to me?"
Guan Guangguo borrowed most of the money to start his chicken farm this time.
Therefore, he was under a lot of pressure, especially afraid that he would not be able to raise the business well and would lose money.
If something happens to these chickens... what will his family do?
Newly bought chicks are not easy to raise, and it is normal for a few to die, but now he feels sad when he sees chickens die and can't sleep all night.
This book... it must be something extraordinary to be printed as a book, he must take a good look at it.
Guan Jinjin immediately opened the book: "Dad, I'll read it to you right now."
"Wait a minute," Zhang Xiumei stopped Guan Jinjin, "I'll go get some ginger. Jinjin, you take it to Shi Zhen first."
The so-called foreign ginger is not the same as ginger at all. It is only called foreign ginger because it was introduced from abroad and looks like ginger.
This stuff has a high yield, but it doesn't taste good when eaten directly and isn't very filling, so they usually pickle it and eat it as a salted vegetable.
What Zhang Xiumei gave Guan Jinjin was pickled ginger. Ginger is like a small potato, and when it is dried and put into a jar for pickling, there will be gaps in the middle, so Zhang Xiumei pickles it together with chopped pickled vegetables.
She took a large bowl and scooped out a bowl of ginger mixed with pickled vegetables from the jar.
After taking the large bowl of ginger, Guan Jinjin walked towards Guan Baiyu.
When Shi Zhen arrived home, he spotted Guan Jinjin passing by, and at that moment, Guan Baiyu inside the house also heard the noise.
Guan Baiyu went to Xinhua Bookstore to read books as usual that day.
Xinhua Bookstore opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 4 p.m. He used to stay until 4 p.m., but today Shi Zhen was going to Changxi City and asked him to help make fried skewers, so he went home early to get busy.
He skewered all the fried skewers and even cooked dinner to eat with Qian Qi and Shi Xinghuo, but Shi Zhen still hadn't returned...
Guan Baiyu could be said to be listening intently to what was happening outside.
As soon as he heard the sound of the tricycle, he put down what he was doing and went to the door.
But... when he got to the door, he saw Shi Zhen talking to Guan Jinjin.
Shi Zhen also gave Guan Jinjin a book.
Guan Baiyu wanted to call out "brother," but the sound was stuck in his throat and he couldn't say it.
An inexplicable emotion filled his body, making him feel unbearably bitter... He didn't even know what was happening to him.
His brother went to Changxi City today, probably to buy some goods, but when he came back... he brought Guan Jinjin a book?
Is his brother that close to Guan Jinjin?
Guan Baiyu knew that Guan Jinjin was very likable.
His parents especially liked Guan Jinjin. Although his grandmother disliked that Guan Jinjin was a girl, she wanted to see Guan Jinjin all the time when she was sick and bedridden, and she didn't like him.
Does his brother... also think Guan Jinjin is cute?
"Xiaoyu?" Shi Zhen pushed the car to the door and saw Guan Baiyu.
Guan Baiyu's eyes were wet, and he was looking at him intently... Shi Zhen felt a surge of warmth in his heart, reached out and touched Guan Baiyu's head, then quickly let go.
Most boys of this age don't like having their heads touched.
"Xiaoyu, help me take these things inside." Shi Zhen said, holding the...
He handed the item to Guan Baiyu.
Guan Baiyu silently helped him carry his things, feeling a bit annoyed—was his head dirty or was his hair not smooth enough? Why did his brother touch it once and then stop?
To make it easier to take the bus, Shi Zhen packed all the things he bought into two snakeskin bags.
He gave Guan Baiyu the bag of peanuts, and brought in his own books and radio. He put them on the table and laughed, "Xiaoyu, come and see what I bought for you."
Guan Baiyu was initially a little down, but when he heard Shi Zhen's words, he became happy—his brother had also bought him something?
That way... he wouldn't feel so bad.
Shi Zhen opened the snakeskin bag and carefully took out the radio and books inside.
He was worried about the corners of the books getting creased, so he asked the bookstore for some old newspapers to wrap them up, then tied them with plastic rope, and bundled them together neatly.
The reason he was able to take out the book he gave Guan Jinjin so quickly was mainly because the book wasn't valuable and was bought later, so he didn't wrap it and just threw it into the snakeskin bag.
“I bought you some English textbooks, the kind with cassette tapes, an English dictionary, and a tape recorder… If you don’t go to tutoring classes, you can study on your own with the tape recorder,” Shi Zhen said.
Guan Baiyu stared at the tape recorder with his mouth agape.
This tape recorder isn't cheap! It costs at least several hundred yuan, more expensive than going to an English tutoring class!
And these books... Shi Zhenquan bought all six English textbooks for the three years of high school, plus a huge English-Chinese dictionary... Guan Baiyu gasped when he saw the price tags.
These books add up to over a hundred!
"Brother, can I return these? When I go to high school, I'll listen to the teacher and learn English well... I'll memorize them more, and I'll be able to memorize the whole book..." Guan Baiyu felt that the things in his hands were too precious.
“Practicing pronunciation with the recordings will make your pronunciation more accurate,” Shi Zhen said. “Xiao Yu, when you learn English, don’t just think about the exams. Speak more and practice your spoken English more… that way you can take me abroad to play in the future.”
The 1990s were actually the time when the people of their country had the least confidence.
In 1994, even in Beijing and Shanghai, the average salary was only 500 yuan, but in Hong Kong at that time, the average employee's monthly salary was 4,000 to 5,000 yuan, and the income of people in some developed countries was even higher.
Furthermore, televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, and other appliances that were not common in China were already very common items in developed countries at that time.
Starting in the 1980s, many intellectuals in China lost their self-confidence and fell into self-doubt after seeing the outside world. Many of them went abroad, and those who stayed in China were also greatly impacted – it seemed that their country had been left behind.
In recent years, more and more people from major Chinese cities have been going abroad, and foreign countries are seen as paradise.
That's true. In China, you can earn a few hundred yuan a month, but abroad you can earn thousands or tens of thousands. Who wouldn't want to go abroad?
For people born in the 1990s, going abroad was a huge temptation.
Shi Zhen did not want to go abroad.
In his previous life, at this time, he was only thinking about filling his stomach and had no idea how vast the outside world was. He even thought that J City, a prefecture-level city, was already the best place.
As for his life... having witnessed the world twenty or thirty years from now, he has full confidence in his country and is even more aware that this period is full of opportunities.
He has no education and is not particularly smart. He was able to change his fate in his previous life entirely by taking advantage of this favorable opportunity.
However, Shi Zhen felt that a child like Guan Baiyu would probably have many fantasies about foreign countries.
He would be willing to take Guan Baiyu out to see the world once he had money.
In reality, Guan Baiyu was a little confused. Children in big cities might have already been exposed to many things from abroad, but for him, "foreign" was just some terms that teachers had mentioned in class.
But Shi Zhen wants to go abroad?
Guan Baiyu said firmly, "Brother, I will definitely study hard and take you abroad in the future."
"Hmm." Shi Zhen smiled and began to teach Guan Baiyu how to use the radio.
He gave Guan Baiyu a brief lesson and then let her figure it out on her own: "Xiaoyu, listen to more English, and you can also listen to the news... Some radio stations read stories at night, and those stories are really good."
Back when he was working on the construction site, he loved to listen to people reading martial arts novels on the radio; it was Qian Qilai who recommended it.
Occasionally, the people on the construction site would gather together to listen to ghost stories at night.
Their entertainment at that time consisted mainly of listening to the radio and playing cards; it was really limited...
Some of the older people who come to work in the village can't understand Mandarin, but they still want to hear stories, so they have to chase after others and ask them to tell them the stories and news from the radio in their local dialect.
However, after listening to it many times, they gradually came to understand it, even though they couldn't speak Mandarin.
Speaking of which... Guan Baiyu's Mandarin is actually not quite standard, though of course his Mandarin isn't exactly standard either.
These things... should be able to improve when Guan Baiyu goes to a good high school and meets classmates and teachers who speak good Mandarin.
After Shi Zhen finished speaking, he hurriedly went to get some rice to eat.
He came back a little late today. Qian Qi had already finished eating and gone home, and Shi Xinghuo wasn't there either... Guan Baiyu was the best, always waiting for him.
Shi Zhen was eating when Guan Jinjin arrived, bringing a bowl of pickled ginger.
Guan Baiyu went out, took the bowl of ginger, and placed it on the table. Suddenly, he asked, "Brother, I think I saw you give Guan Jinjin a book before. What was it?"
“Oh…it’s a book about raising chickens,” Shi Zhen said, popping a piece of ginger into his mouth. “I saw it when I was buying books for you at Xinhua Bookstore, so I just bought it.”
It turns out I just bought a book about raising chickens on a whim!
Guan Baiyu also took a piece of dark ginger and ate it with a smile.
Jerusalem artichokes are naturally sweet, but this one seems especially sweet.
Guan Baiyu likes to eat ginger? Shi Zhen glanced at Guan Baiyu's delighted face, ate a couple of mouthfuls of rice, and hurriedly went out to set up his stall.
Before leaving, he instructed Guan Baiyu: "Xiaoyu, if there's any chores around the house, you can ask Shi Xinghuo to do them. Don't overwork yourself."
Initially, Shi Zhen used half of Shi Xinghuo's salary.
He and Shi Xinghuo had a lot of expenses, such as food and rent, and he didn't have any money at the time, so he had to use what he had.
However, he earns a lot of money now, so he saves all of Shi Xinghuo's salary for Shi Xinghuo.
Shi Xinghuo helped him with some odd jobs, and he provided Shi Xinghuo with food and lodging, and bought him all kinds of daily necessities... It was definitely a good deal for Shi Xinghuo.
Compared to other rural people at that time, his family's meals were really good!
After Shi Zhen left, Guan Baiyu opened his first-year high school textbook and began reading the text aloud along with the radio.
There were still many chores to do at home, such as boiling eggs, peeling them, and then putting them in a pot to braise... So he would do these chores while reciting English along with the radio.
Their teacher would play recordings in class, but only once or twice for each lesson, so he couldn't remember them at all. Now it's great, he can play them over and over again and read them over and over again.
I can also find ways to correct some of the parts I mispronounced before.
As for Shi Xinghuo, he didn't call him. He preferred to be alone and didn't want to be with Shi Xinghuo.
Of course, if he could be with Shi Zhen... he didn't like being alone.
When Shi Zhen returned home that evening, he found the lights on again.
Once inside, Guan Baiyu immediately brought him a bowl of hot egg drop soup to fill his stomach.
It's not good to eat at night, but for people who do such physical labor, eating too little is even worse for their health.
The egg drop soup was piping hot. Shi Zhen scooped a spoonful of cold rice into the soup, stirred it, and ate it all in no time.
After eating, I would add warm water to a basin, take off my outer clothes and pants, and wash them with soap while wearing only my underwear outside. Then I would go back home, dry myself off, change my pants, and wash and hang the wet pants out to dry. That was it.
They used to wash outside like this when they worked on construction sites—they couldn't let the house get wet, right?
After washing up, Shi Zhen went back to sleep.
He had already bought an alarm clock; before, because he wasn't very familiar with making rice balls, he would get up at four to prepare. Recently, however...
Once you're familiar with something and can work faster, you can start getting up at five o'clock.
Shi Xinghuo usually goes to bed earlier than him and gets up with him in the morning. As for Guan Baiyu, whenever he goes to Guan Baiyu's place and there is any commotion, Guan Baiyu gets up to help.
The same thing happened the next day.
However, today was slightly different from before—while Guan Baiyu was helping with the chores, he also started listening to English tapes and learning along with them.
Shi Xinghuo was bewildered when he heard the English: "What is this?"
Shi Zhendao said, "This is English, the language of foreigners."
"Foreigners talk so strangely... even stranger than the people here," Shi Xinghuo muttered.
Shi Zhen smiled and watched Guan Baiyu work while memorizing English along with the tape recorder, feeling happy inside.
Shi Xinghuo only cared about simple things like eating and sleeping, and didn't care about the radio at all. But when Qian got up, he exclaimed, "This radio looks really good!"
"They must be expensive! I want one too!"
"Master, you are so good to Guan Baiyu, you even bought him a radio to study."
...
After Qian Qilai finished speaking, Guan Baiyu's eyes lit up, and his little face was full of pride.
He couldn't help but interject, "My brother even bought me high school textbooks and a dictionary!"
Guan Baiyu really wanted to show off, but unfortunately for Qian Qilai, receiving the textbooks wasn't a good thing: "You're really unlucky. You're only in the third year of junior high. Why is your master making you study high school courses?"
Guan Baiyu didn't want to talk to Qian Qi anymore.
Qian Qiqi continued talking, even suggesting that when Guan Baiyu went to the Xinhua Bookstore to read books, they could use the radio so that they could listen to the news and stories while setting up their stall.
Guan Baiyu looked at Shi Zhen, who said, "Xiaoyu, I've given you the radio. You can decide what to do with it."
Guan Baiyu said, "You can listen to it during the day. I'm learning English, so I'll just study it a little in the morning and a little in the evening." He didn't care about the money; his brother was bored running a stall, and he wanted to let his brother listen to it.
"Then it's settled!" Qian Qi was very happy.
His family actually had a radio; many families in the village had bought radios, so his father bought one too.
But his radio was very large and didn't use batteries, so he couldn't carry it to town to listen to it.
Now Guan Baiyu's new model is very portable and can also play cassette tapes. Qian Qi is thinking about buying a few cassette tapes to listen to music: "Master, some radio stations read martial arts novels, they are really great to listen to!"
“I see some people in town listening to Hong Kong songs, shall we go and buy a cassette tape?”
"Master..."
Qian Qi talks a lot... Guan Baiyu looked at Shi Zhen and thought that his older brother was the best. He was quiet, steady, and reliable.
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