The Fiery Era: Starting from Longxugou

"It's closing time. Students who want to borrow books, please register at the entrance. Other students, please leave in an orderly manner!"

The quiet library suddenly became lively with these words, and the sound of tables and chairs clattering together could be heard from time to time in the reading room!

Zhao Shi'an had just given up on finding past college entrance exam questions and was preparing to study his high school textbooks when he was suddenly told by his teacher that the library was closed, which was a great pity.

After putting the book back on the shelf, I followed the flow of people to the entrance. There was a small blackboard on the wall by the entrance, which showed the library's opening hours: Monday to Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and open all day on Saturday and Sunday!

After checking the opening hours, he planned to come to the library after lunch tomorrow to take a good look at the high school textbooks. Once he understood the details, he would go to the bookstore on Sunday to buy the past two years' college entrance examination papers.

With a plan in mind, Zhao Shi'an followed the flow of people out of the library and found that it was already dark.

Stepping out of the school gate, on Jinyuchi Street, the wooden utility poles stand straight and neat, with even spacing, and the wires on the poles are straight and orderly.

There is a street lamp every few dozen meters, with a reflector covering the top of the bulb and the side open to shield it from wind and rain, preventing the bulb from getting wet from rain and snow.

The light bulbs were dim and yellowish, and due to unstable voltage, the light flickered slightly, and the small patch of yellow light could not illuminate very far; in addition, the distance between the two streetlights was relatively far, and a faint shadow was shrouded between them.

The streets were bustling with activity. Workers were leisurely making their way home from get off work, students were playing around in groups, and people were taking a stroll after having dinner nearby. Bicycles occasionally jingled as they passed by, and most of the grocery stores and small food shops along the street were preparing to close.

In the middle of the street, the tram tracks stretch into the distance, and the familiar clanging sound can be heard from afar. The green-painted wooden carriages slowly approach, with the overhead power lines on the roof gliding along the overhead lines as they leisurely travel through the streets and alleys.

Zhao Shi'an paused to admire the scene for a while. No matter how he looked at it, it didn't seem like the 1950s at all; it was more like the urban life that people born in the 1970s and 1980s were talking about.

He strode home, guided by the streetlights.

……

"Xiao Le, Xiao Yue, are you two bragging?"

"It's too cold now, how could we possibly grow melons?"

"Exactly! You two are obviously lying!"

"Hmph! I wasn't bragging. My older brother said that once the melon seeds sprout, we can eat the melons! I'll eat them and show you!"

In the alley, Zhao Xiaoyue didn't take the doubts of her friends to heart at all. In her eyes, her older brother was omnipotent.

"Exactly! My older brother's a high school student, he's definitely right! Then, Sister Xiaoyue and I will show you all what we're made of!"

Zhao Xiaole stood firmly beside her cousin.

Upon hearing this, the children who had been questioning the situation immediately switched sides. They thought that their older siblings were already impressive enough in middle school, and Xiaoyue's older brother, who was in high school, must be even more impressive!

"Xiaoyue, I believe you. Can you let me eat some melon?"

"Xiaoyue, I want to eat some melon too!"

"Xiaoyue, I believe you too. When your older brother grows the little melons, can I have a bite? Just one bite, just a tiny bite, this little bit..."

As Tian Qingshan spoke, he extended his index finger and thumb to demonstrate.

When Zhao Shi'an walked into the alley and heard what his two younger sisters were saying, and then saw the reactions of the children, he was both amused and exasperated. He never expected that children in this era would worship academic qualifications so much.

"Xiaoyue, Xiaole, have you two eaten yet?"

"Big brother, you're finally back! Come home for dinner!"

"Big brother!"

Upon hearing her older brother's voice, Zhao Xiaoyue immediately abandoned her friends and ran towards him, and Zhao Xiaole followed suit.

"Let's go home for dinner!"

Zhao Shi'an held a little girl's hand in one hand and walked towards home.

"Brother Shian!"

A group of children greeted Zhao Shi'an as soon as they saw him.

"Qingshan, Xiaohui, Xiaoyan, hurry home! Don't stay out too late!"

Looking at the little ones, Zhao Shi'an gave them a word of advice. They were all children of the neighbors, and Tian Qingshan was the child of Uncle Tian in their courtyard.

"Okay! Brother Shi'an, I'm going home too, let's go together!"

As Tian Qingshan spoke, he followed Zhao Shi'an to his side.

"Brother Shian, let's go home too..."

"Let's go! It's dark now, you can play during the day!"

Zhao Shi'an then led a group of children home.

"Big, big, big, Brother Shi'an knows how to grow melons! Xiaoyue said he planted them now and they'll be ready to eat in a few days! Ask Brother Shi'an how to grow them! I want to eat melons too!"

Back home, Tian Qingshan acted coquettishly towards his father.

"What are you asking? You look like a little melon!"

Tian Fusheng flicked his youngest son on the forehead. As a craftsman, he valued his skills extremely highly. Having been neighbors with the Zhao family for four years, he kept his skills in weaving winnowing baskets and reed mats very secret. When Zhao Shi'an was at home, he never worked outside, just to avoid creating a competitor.

The eldest son of the Zhao family is an educated man, and his skills are definitely not something that can be hidden from him. He can't afford to offend him, so they have lived in peace for many years.

Now that his son wants Zhao Shi'an's melon-growing technique, Tian Fusheng sees this as a serious matter that could cause him great enmity, something he absolutely cannot even consider!

"Ouch! Big brother, why did you hit me?"

Tian Qingshan covered his head, looking completely bewildered.

"Hit you? I'll slap you instead!"

Tian Fusheng slapped his youngest son's bottom again.

"Waaah~ Mom, look at the big..."

Tian Qingshan, who had been inexplicably beaten, went to find his mother while clutching his backside.

After scolding his son, Tian Fusheng went out the door and called out to Zhao Shi'an.

"Shi'an, don't take Qingshan's words to heart! Once you've grown your melons, sell them to your uncles!"

"Uncle Tian, ​​you're being too polite. If it really grows, we'll definitely let you try it! Xiaoyue and Xiaole were just saying it casually; whether it will actually grow is another matter!"

Zhao Shi'an made a polite remark, saying that people in this era value technology highly, as evidenced by Tian Fusheng's wariness of the original owner.

The technique for growing melons isn't difficult, and it wouldn't be a problem to tell Tian Fusheng, but that's not the time.

He was barely making ends meet and was counting on earning a living by planting melons in advance. If he were to leak the technology now, wouldn't that be creating a competitor for himself? He couldn't possibly do something so stupid!

"Shi'an, you're a high school student! You're an educated person, you'll definitely be able to grow it! Uncle is just waiting to eat your little melon! Haha!"

Upon hearing this, Tian Fusheng appeared extremely confident.

"Okay, based on what Uncle Chong said, I have to grow the little melon too!"

"I'm relieved to hear that. Go home now! Your uncle and your grandpa are waiting for you at home."

As Tian Fusheng spoke, he pointed to the main room, where Zhao Youliang and Zhao Youtian were sitting at the door smoking.

"Okay, Uncle Tian, ​​I'm going home!"

Zhao Shi'an saw a dim light coming from the doorway. His father and uncle were sitting there smoking pipes, the light flickering. He greeted Tian Fusheng and went straight home.

"Uncle!"

"Boss, you're back! You must be starving! Come in and eat!"

Upon hearing her eldest son's voice, Liu Guiying quickly greeted him.

"Let's eat first! Second brother, have some too!"

Zhao Youliang didn't say much, and told his eldest son to eat first.

"Big brother, you all eat, Cuilan has cooked!"

Zhao Youtian got up and went home, and they couldn't stop him no matter how much they called him.

After washing his hands, Zhao Shi'an sat at the dining table, waiting for his parents to interrogate him, but no one asked him anything after the meal.

Not long after the meal, Zhao Youtian and Sun Cuilan arrived at their elder brother's house and asked Zhao Shi'an:

"Nephew, I just got back. I heard your aunt talking about the melons, and your mother said the same thing. I was just asking you, is it really possible to harvest the melons half a month earlier?"

After Zhao Youtian finished speaking, he stared intently at his eldest nephew.

Zhao Youliang and Sun Cuilan looked over expectantly upon hearing this.

"able!"

Zhao Shi'an nodded.

"Let's give it a try! If we can really grow it, we can earn more money!"

Zhao Youtian was very happy to see his nephew nod.

"That's right! When we used to grow vegetables, the prices were all fixed! If we could sell early-ripening melons, we could definitely make a lot of money!"

Zhao Youliang chuckled and shook his pipe.

"Our Shian is truly amazing; cultured people really know so much more!"

Sun Cuilan gave her nephew a thumbs up.

Seeing his family's reaction, Zhao Shi'an was completely bewildered. Wait, that's it? He had already prepared his explanation, but all he ended up asking was, "Can we harvest the melons early?"

Now that we have the results, shouldn't we ask a few more questions? Is that all?

However, judging from what the aunt said, the original owner's family status was not low! Considering that 80% of the population in this era was illiterate, it's not surprising that she had such a status!