The Fiery Era: Starting from Longxugou

"Shopkeeper, half a pound of three-color fruit candies, please!"

After leaving the post office, Zhao Shi'an took his younger siblings to a general store and ordered half a pound of sugar.

"Brother, don't buy so much! We haven't finished the ones we bought last time!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Shixiong tugged at his elder brother's arm and whispered a reminder.

"There's more? You haven't eaten?"

As Zhao Shi'an spoke, he looked at his younger siblings. It had been two weeks since he last bought them candy. Each of them had three candies. They had been eating them for so long. He wondered if they were just licking them every day and then wrapping them up and storing them away.

"Yes! Brother, why don't you buy less candy and buy something else instead?"

Zhao Xiaoyue nodded her little head, her eyes darting around as if searching for a target!

"Big brother, I still have half left!"

Zhao Xiaole tilted her head back, as if waiting for praise.

"Big brother, I... I only have half left!"

Zhao Shijie felt a little embarrassed, as he was the fastest eater among the four of them.

"Xiao Le is really amazing! But eat what you want! If you're not full, just tell your older brother! Shopkeeper, give us half a pound of the three-color candy!"

"Alright! Please wait a moment, young man!"

The boss took out sugar from a large, transparent glass jar and weighed it!

"Brother, this is too much! We can't finish it!"

Zhao Xiaoyue kept saying "a lot," but her eyes were glued to the boss's every move, afraid that he might give her too little.

"You're dreaming! I need this candy, it's not all for you guys. I'll take you out for something delicious on Sunday!"

As Zhao Shi'an spoke, he patted his little sister's head.

"Ah! It's not for us! Big brother, you can't give it all to others! What are you taking us to eat on Sunday? Can we still have sesame seed cakes?"

Zhao Xiaoyue was a little disappointed when she heard this, but when she heard that her older brother would take them out for a nice meal on Sunday, she immediately became excited again.

Upon hearing this, the three little ones, Zhao Shijie, Zhao Xiaole, and Zhao Shixiong, eagerly came over.

"Yes! Not only can we eat sesame seed cakes, but we can also eat fried dough sticks!"

Seeing the four people's reactions, Zhao Shi'an chuckled and agreed.

The four were very excited upon hearing this.

"Young man, it's weighed!"

The boss picked up the small package wrapped in old newspapers and handed it over.

"Here's your money!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Shi'an scanned the newspaper with his mind and found 51 candies inside. Based on the retail price of 100 yuan per candy, the quantity was not a problem.

"Alright! I'll take your 10,000 and give you 5,000 in change!"

The shopkeeper shouted something when collecting the money, and then started giving change.

A short while later, Zhao Shi'an walked out the door with the change he had received.

On the way home, I gave everyone six pieces and instructed them:

"Eat the candies you haven't finished yet, or they'll melt! Keep these few safe, don't be reluctant to eat them!"

"Mmm! Big brother, I'll eat the rest when I get home!"

Zhao Shijie looked at the handful of candy in his hand, his little face full of satisfaction.

The other three followed suit!

Before they even got home, the four little ones couldn't help but start showing off with giggles and laughter.

Back in the courtyard, Tian Qingshan and Tian Xiaocao saw Zhao Shijie and Zhao Xiaoyue return. They wanted to go over and play with them, but their eyes were drawn to the red and green things in the hands of the group.

"Shijie, Shixiong! Xiaoyue, Xiaole, what are you holding in your hands?"

Tian Qingshan asked curiously.

"My older brother bought me this candy! Isn't it pretty!"

Zhao Xiaole then showed off the candy in his hand.

"Wow! Brother Shian, you're so good to us!"

Tian Qingshan swallowed hard when he heard the word "sugar," looking at the others with envy in his eyes.

Tian Xiaocao looked at the candy in Zhao Xiaoyue and the others' hands with great envy, and very sensibly pulled her younger brother home.

"Little grass, green hills, come and have some candy!"

Zhao Shi'an then handed one to each of them.

"Brother Shian, we can't accept this!"

Although Tian Xiaocao really wanted to take it, she shook her head with difficulty, remembering her parents' instructions.

"Here you go! Everyone gets one! These two candies are for your parents, remember to give them to them!"

As Zhao Shi'an spoke, he first stuffed two candies into Tian Xiaocao's hand, and then took out two more candies and handed them over.

"Shi'an, did you get the money?"

Hearing the commotion in the courtyard, Liu Hehua came out.

"Here you go, Aunt Tian! Have some candy to sweeten your mouth!"

Seeing Aunt Tian come out, Zhao Shi'an handed her the candy he was holding.

These days, news doesn't travel fast, but if something happens in someone's household, it spreads like wildfire.

The postman only delivered sample copies of the newspaper twice, but his published articles became the talk of the town. When neighbors met him, they would always tease him: "The great writer has arrived!"

Uncle Tian has a good relationship with their family! They've lived in the same courtyard for over four years, so it's only natural that they'd give each other treats.

"Okay! Auntie will share in your good fortune! One is enough!"

Liu Hehua took one candy and pushed the other one back.

"Auntie, that's for Uncle Tian. I'm not watching him right now, so you can give it to him!"

"Never mind him, he's a grown man, why is he eating candy? You keep it!"

"We already have them, we can't not give them to Uncle Tian! Little Grass, here you go! Remember to give them to him when you come back!"

"Brother Shian, I can do it!"

Tian Xiaocao nodded earnestly.

"Oh! That's so sweet! Auntie, you rest now! I'm going home!"

After saying goodbye to Liu Hehua, Zhao Shi'an headed home, and the four little ones hurriedly ran home to hide the candy.

"How's it going? Did you get it?"

Seeing her eldest son return, Liu Guiying asked him with concern.

"Here it is! Mom, I'll buy meat tomorrow. I've been working hard these past few days, and you've been working in the fields too. Buy a few extra pounds so we can all eat meat!"

As Zhao Shi'an spoke, he handed the household registration book to his mother, put the candy on the table, tore open the candy wrapper, and handed it to her.

Upon hearing that meat was being bought, Zhao Xiaoyue and Zhao Shijie, who had been hiding candy in the inner room, immediately rushed out, their ears perked up, staring longingly at their mother and older brother!

"Big brother, you eat yours, I don't like sweets! Buying meat requires getting up early, I'll buy it for you, you should study hard, getting up too early will make you sleepy in class!"

"You don't know how to pick meat, so don't let them fool you again!"

As Liu Guiying spoke, she pushed the candy away from her mouth, remembering her teacher's instructions, and immediately rejected her son's idea.

"Okay! Mom, take this money! Buy a few more pounds, don't be stingy! I can earn money now!"

As he spoke, Zhao Shi'an took out two 50,000 yuan bills and handed them over.

"I have money, you can keep it for yourself!"

Why buy so much meat? Just let it go to waste, then we'll buy more if we want to eat it! Your teacher told you to focus on your studies, and to write your essays after you get into university! Don't delay things!

Liu Guiying returned the money. Although her eldest son had a lot of money, she trusted that he wouldn't squander it.

"It won't interfere with my studies. Writing is just writing essays; I still have to take the college entrance exam! It definitely won't interfere with my studies!"

Zhao Shi'an offered an explanation, and taking advantage of his mother's inattention, he stuffed the unwrapped candy into her mouth.

"Okay, you know that! Ugh! Why is this sugar so sour?"

Hearing that writing articles would help with essay writing, Liu Guiying stopped trying to persuade her. She almost spat out the candy when she tasted the sourness in her mouth.

"It'll taste sweeter if you eat it a little longer!"

Zhao Xiaoyue chuckled and said, "I'll even teach my mother how to eat," but she was met with a long string of disdain.

In the middle of the night, Zhao Shi'an opened his eyes, looked at the pitch-black night outside, got dressed, got off the kang (a heated brick bed), and headed straight for Dongxiao City, which was nearby, after leaving the small courtyard!

Dongxiao Market is an early morning market and the street closest to his home. It opens at three or four in the morning and closes at seven or eight in the morning. In the local old Beijing dialect, it is called Pigeon Market!

Dongxiao City sells all sorts of things. He came to buy chicks and ducklings. One batch of fruits and vegetables in his space had already ripened, and the second batch was almost ready. Buying chicks and ducklings now would allow him to be self-sufficient in his space, and he wouldn't be far from achieving the freedom to produce eggs and ducklings!