The Fiery Era: Starting from Longxugou

"Oh! Let's go!"

"Let's go out and have some fun!"

Zhao Xiaoyue and the other three shouted excitedly.

"Xiaoyue, Xiaole, where are you going?"

In the courtyard, Tian Qingshan, who had just gotten up, was still a little groggy, but he immediately perked up when he heard that the others were going out to play.

"My older brother took us to Qianmen to watch the parade!"

"It's so delicious!"

"Brother Shi'an, I want to go have fun too, can you take me with you? I need to ask my mom for money!"

Upon hearing this, Tian Qingshan also wanted to go.

"What money do you need? Come on, let's call your sister too!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Shi'an immediately told the little guy to follow.

"Okay! Sis, let's go out and play!"

Upon hearing this, Tian Qingshan immediately ran home.

A moment later, Liu Hehua appeared with her two children, and smiled at Zhao Shi'an in the courtyard:

"Shi'an, thank you for your trouble. Your uncle and I have to go sell winnowing baskets and bamboo baskets, we're busy. Here's ten thousand yuan for you. If Xiaocao and Qingshan need anything to eat, please buy it for them. If it's not enough, come back and tell me, and I'll get you more!"

As she spoke, Liu Hehua handed over a few banknotes.

"Auntie, take the money. We're just going for a stroll; it won't cost much."

"Little Grass and Green Mountain have called me 'brother' for so many years, how can I ignore them?"

As he spoke, Zhao Shi'an pushed the money back.

"Hey, here you go..."

As Liu Hehua spoke, she handed the money over again, but seeing that Zhao Shi'an insisted on refusing it, she immediately said:

"Shi'an, take it. If you don't, I won't let them go!"

"Okay! Auntie, I'll take it and bring it back to you later!"

Seeing this, Zhao Shi'an could not refuse.

"Ah! That's right! The world has really changed. Before, we couldn't even get enough to eat, and we were always busy. Unlike now, we even get holidays..."

Liu Hehua handed over the money and then remarked on the changes in the new society.

"Yes! His auntie, she suffered for several years in Longxugou, and finally we've seen the new society. I never thought we'd have a holiday too..."

Speaking of the past, Liu Guiying sighed deeply!

"Mom, Aunt Tian, ​​things will get better and better from now on!"

"Yes! I never dared to dream of such a life. Shi'an, you'd better study hard!"

"Yes!"

Zhao Shi'an nodded, chatted for a few more minutes, and then led the group of children out of the courtyard.

Today is May Day, and there are probably more people taking the tram than usual. When we arrived at Tianqiao Station, it was already packed with people.

Fortunately, the trams are running much more frequently than usual.

"Big brother, are we really going to take the tram?"

Zhao Xiaoyue held her older brother's hand tightly, tilted her head up and asked, both nervous and excited. She had never ridden a tram before.

"Yes! Qianmen Street is a bit far, and you'll be tired by the time we get there. Today, I'll take you by tram!"

"Oh! Riding the tram! I've never ridden one before!"

"Neither do I!"

"Big sister, we can get on the bus now!"

Tian Qingshan was very happy to hear this.

"Brother Shian, I can walk! Let's not spend any more money!"

When Tian Xiaocao heard that she had to take a car, she was reluctant to spend the money.

"Don't worry! It won't cost much!"

Zhao Shi'an offered a word of comfort, saying that it was only two kilometers from the overpass to the front gate, and even if there was a toll, such a short distance wouldn't be too expensive.

"But……"

Tian Xiaocao wanted to say more, but the bell of the newly opened tram rang, drowning out all her words.

"Alright, our bus is next. Once you get on, find your seats! If the conductor asks, just say I'm paying! Got it?"

After seeing off several full carloads of people, it was finally their turn. To take care of his younger siblings, he specially reserved a spot for them. Now, they were in the front row, ensuring they could be the first to board the new car as soon as it arrived.

Soon, the familiar clanging sound rang out again, and a red-plated tram with a reddish-brown lower half and a yellowish upper half, with solid glass panels embedded in the dark wood window frames on both sides, braked with a clang, the copper bell on the front of the tram still ringing.

After the car door opened, Zhao Shi'an called for the group to get in.

"Where are you going?"

The ticket seller looked at the six little kids who came in one after another, and could tell at a glance that half of them were less than 1.1 meters tall.

"Auntie! We're at the front gate! My older brother will pay!"

After getting into the car, Zhao Xiaoyue mustered up her courage and said.

"Alright! Kids, find your seats now!"

Upon hearing this, the ticket seller glanced at Zhao Shi'an behind the children and said with a smile.

"Okay, Auntie!"

As she spoke, Zhao Xiaoyue pulled her younger sister and ran to the back of the car.

Zhao Shijie and Zhao Shixiong followed closely behind.

Tian Xiaocao told her younger brother to sit down with the others, while she stayed behind to see how much money Shi'an had spent so she could tell her mother when she got home.

"Hello, including the previous six, how much will it cost if we all go to Qianmen?"

As Zhao Shi'an spoke, he began to take out his money.

"The three children under 1.1 meters tall get in for free. The two boys and the girl next to you are just over 1.1 meters tall, so they need half-price tickets. That's 450 yuan in total. Yours is 300 yuan, so it's 750 yuan in total!"

"Give!"

Zhao Shi'an was quite surprised to hear this, and immediately took out eight hundred and handed it over. He thought to himself that this was indeed the capital city, and they had started implementing free admission so early. Although the current standard was only 1.1 meters, which was 10 centimeters different from the later 1.2 meters, considering that people in this era were generally not tall, setting the standard at 1.1 meters was reasonable.

"Here you go, keep your ticket safe! If you lose it during the ticket check, you'll have to buy a new one!"

The ticket seller leaned against the small metal counter by the door, took the money, gave her fifty yuan in change, tore off four paper tickets, and handed them out.

"Thank you! Little Grass, come on! Let's go sit in the back!"

Zhao Shi'an thanked him, then called over Tian Xiaocao, who was sitting next to him, and they sat down in the back row.

The carriage was small, with an aisle in the middle and long, hard wooden benches on both sides painted with dark lacquer. The benches looked shiny and had been polished to a high shine.

"Big brother, come quick, it's so cool here!"

As Zhao Xiaoyue spoke, she stuck her head out of the window, looking happily at the people queuing to get on the bus. She had been queuing for a long time and was feeling very hot.

"That's because of the wind. You can't stick your head out from now on, or you'll cry if you bump into something."

Seeing this, Zhao Shi'an pulled his younger sister back. Although the tram might not cause head injuries, it could lead to bad habits.

"Oh! Big brother, I'll never do it again!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiaoyue immediately became obedient.

"That's more like it. If you want to watch, watch through the window, but don't stick your head out. You two should too."

Zhao Shi'an repeatedly gave instructions to the group.

"knew!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Shijie and Tian Qingshan immediately responded loudly!

"Alright, everyone sit tight, we're about to leave!"

Seeing everyone's reaction, Zhao Shi'an's tone softened considerably.

Everyone obediently sat down upon hearing this! Once the bus was full, it started moving.

Suddenly the train jolted, and the wheels made a continuous clanging sound as they rolled over the seams of the rails.

A large boom on the roof slid across the power lines, occasionally scattering tiny sparks. Accompanied by the tinkling of the copper bell under the driver's foot, the vehicle slowly began to move.

The little ones sensed the commotion, stood up, clung to the edge of the car window, and looked curiously at the people and telephone poles slowly receding on both sides.

The tram traveled along the road, and soon the antique-style Zhengyang Gate came into view!