The Fiery Era: Starting from Longxugou

"I heard that the old hero Meng Tai was on the reviewing stand again this year. He's really made a name for himself!"

"Li Shunda is here too. Their mutual aid group has a good harvest; it's all in the mountains, so their yield is much higher than usual..."

"Hey! I also heard that a woman named Shen Jilan from Li Shunda's village came here too. She led the women in the village to compete with the men in a work competition and won. She's only 25, that's amazing!"

"And then there's Liang Jun from the state farms. She was the first female tractor driver in the country, and she became a national model worker at the young age of 20. Truly, women are just as capable as men!"

"If we're talking about youth, Hao Jianxiu from Qingdao State-owned Cotton Mill No. 6 was truly young. She figured out how to operate a fine spinning machine at just sixteen, and she's only nineteen now..."

Inside the carriage, people were talking animatedly, with voices discussing the model worker everywhere.

Listening to the discussions of the crowd, Zhao Shi'an was filled with emotion, realizing that this era truly produced a great number of talented people.

The people were talking about figures who were household names in this era.

Meng Tai, Li Shunda, and Liang Jun were among the first batch of national model workers in 1950.

Meng Tai's collection of spare parts made a significant contribution to Ansteel's resumption of production. During the war to establish the nation, he even moved his bedding to the blast furnace and swore an oath to "live and die with the blast furnace." He risked his life many times to repair blast furnace malfunctions, successfully averting major explosions and ensuring uninterrupted steel production.

Li Shunda spearheaded the establishment of the first agricultural mutual aid group in the Taihang Mountains in Xigou Village, organizing impoverished farmers to collectively reclaim wasteland and cultivate the land, breaking the predicament of working alone. They reclaimed hundreds of acres of wasteland, achieving a significant increase in grain production and actively supporting the front lines. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he took the lead in promoting the mutual aid and cooperation model.

At the age of eighteen, Liang Jun became the first female tractor driver in New China, driving tractors to reclaim wasteland in the icy wilderness of the Great Northern Wilderness, breaking the prejudice that women could not operate heavy agricultural machinery. At the age of twenty, she led young women to engage in agricultural mechanization, becoming a symbolic model of women's labor liberation nationwide, and was awarded the title of National Model Worker in the same year. She is only 24 years old now, and her image was later printed on the one-yuan banknote of the third set of RMB.

As for Hao Jianxiu and Shen Jilan, although they are not national model workers, they are well-known model workers.

The reason he is not a national model worker is quite simple: from 1950 to the present, there has only been one round of national model worker selections.

Shen Jilan and Li Shunda were from the same village. She promoted equal pay for equal work for men and women in Xigou Village. Before that, women who worked in the fields received only half the work points of men.

Shen Jilan led the women in the village to carry manure and plow the fields just like the men, proving with their abilities that women could do the same work as men. Through her efforts, Xigou Village became the first village in the country to truly implement equal pay for equal work for men and women.

This story quickly spread throughout the country after it was published in the newspaper.

Even in modern times, this kind of operation is truly admirable!

Zhao Shi'an knows more about Hao Jianxiu. She started working in a factory at the age of 14 and figured out an efficient and scientific work process in less than two years. Now she is 19 years old and is studying at the Renmin University Workers and Peasants Accelerated Middle School.

Workers' and Peasants' Accelerated Secondary School is an accelerated secondary school specifically for workers, peasants, model workers, outstanding workers and peasants. The total duration of junior and senior high school is four years, and graduates can take the college entrance examination normally.

The scholarships for the Gongnong Accelerated Education Program are 100% guaranteed, with monthly subsidies reaching up to 30 yuan, the highest among all secondary school scholarships.

In addition, there is Ren Huanhai, who became a provincial model worker at the age of 14. He became the leader of the agricultural mutual aid group at the age of 13, leading the villagers to reclaim wasteland and cultivate the land, and to achieve collective high yields. He was awarded the title of provincial model worker at the age of 14, making him the youngest provincial model worker in North China.

Last year, 17-year-old Ren Huanhai attended the International Women's Conference as a representative of advanced youth development nationwide and a representative of domestic women.

Recalling the deeds of these model workers, Zhao Shi'an was filled with amazement!

Especially the last one, the 14-year-old provincial model worker.

Having grown up in the countryside, he knows best the value of this opportunity; just look at the current state of the village to get a glimpse of its true worth.

If this is the case in modern times, how much more so in this era? For a 13-year-old girl to become a provincial model worker within a year demonstrates her capabilities!

When I was her age, I was just starting junior high school.

Many of these people were just teenagers when they became famous, yet they still managed to showcase their talent in this era.

Looking at him now, at 16 years old, he is only in his final year of high school, and seems rather ordinary.

Amidst the chatter, the tram slowly moved forward. Zhao Xiaoyue, Zhao Shijie, and the other six children clung to the windows, looking around with great curiosity and excitedly discussing what they saw.

The tram continued its journey and stopped at Qianmen Station, where Zhao Shi'an and several others disembarked.

Even before the parade started, Qianmen Street was already packed with people; as far as the eye could see, there were people everywhere.

"Brother, there are so many people!"

Zhao Xiaoyue looked around at the crowd and followed her older brother closely.

"Stay close, don't wander off. If you get lost, you'll never find us again. Xiaocao, you take Qingshan and stay close. Shijie and Shixiong, you two watch over your little sister!"

Zhao Shi'an gave the group instructions, occasionally sending out his mental energy to prevent them from bumping or falling.

"Brother Shian, I'll take good care of my little brother!"

Upon hearing this, Tian Xiaocao quickly nodded.

"Big brother, we're not going anywhere else, we'll just follow you!"

Zhao Xiaoyue held her older brother's hand tightly, while pulling her younger sister along with her other hand.

"Okay!"

As Zhao Shi'an was about to leave with his men, he looked up and saw the majestic Zhengyangmen Arrow Tower. At that moment, a huge red silk banner stretched across the eaves of the tower, and colorful flags fluttered in the wind. The slogans, such as "Warmly celebrate International Workers' Day," "Long live the working people," "Consolidate the workers and peasants..." and "Workers of the world, unite!" were particularly eye-catching in the sunlight.

After pausing to look at the slogans full of the characteristics of the era, he found that the Zhengyang Gate in front of him was about the same size as the modern one, and it was one of the few ancient buildings that had been preserved.

The slogans fluttered in the wind, and the surrounding walls were covered with May Day special editions, with the portraits of model workers such as Meng Tai and Liang Jun printed on them in a particularly eye-catching way.

"Let's go! Let's find a spot first, it'll be harder to find one later!"

As Zhao Shi'an spoke, he led his younger siblings along the parade route to a less crowded place.

The parade hasn't started yet, it's a pity we can't go to the square to watch it up close!

The streets were bustling with activity. Colorful flags and red banners fluttered from the shops on both sides. People would stop from time to time to read about the deeds of model workers, and gather in twos and threes to talk about the names of national model workers. The shouts of vendors rose and fell, and people could often be heard discussing model workers.

Today, on May Day, model workers and advanced producers are the most frequently mentioned topics, and the festive atmosphere has already slowly spread through the streets and alleys.

All the street vendors set up their stalls, their shouts echoing throughout the streets.

"Candied hawthorn berries~ Delicious candied hawthorn berries~"

"Pea flour cake~"

"Donkey Rolling"

"Big bowl of tea~"

"Marshmallow, marshmallow~"

Hearing the shouts, Zhao Xiaoyue, Zhao Xiaole, and Tian Qingshan were instantly attracted, their eyes fixed on the items on the stall.

Seeing that he had attracted the children's attention, the vendor's shouts grew louder and louder.

Seeing their reactions, Zhao Shi'an smiled and asked:

"What do you want to eat? I'll treat you to a feast today!"

"Big brother, really?"

Zhao Xiaoyue looked incredulous upon hearing this, yet also a little expectant.

"Of course! Let's go buy it now!"